The word “Giant” in Hebrew is “Nephilim” as translated in some versions of scripture. They were huge men, about 10 foot tall or more. Some, as described in Amos 2:9, 10 were as tall as the oaks. From these beings, it is sometimes believed; legends were birthed. Stories of Hercules, Atlas, Adonis, and other so-called demigods were born. Perhaps, also a subconscious resource for the concept of meta-humans or mutants of the present and prevalent comic book universe.
Giants are sometimes portrayed as evil beings in folklore and fairytales. Jack had a problem with one in his journey up the beanstalk. In the Bible giants like Goliath and Og are in opposition to Gods people. In mythology giants sometimes are personifications of natural phenomenon such as with Oceanus and Atlas. Polyphemus, a Cyclopes in Homer's epic, is a man eater. In real life adventure, the big guy is typically dubbed as the brute. Its modern thought, it’s the odyssey for the giant to be cast as friendly or gentle. Sometimes the notion is that physical growth imbalance (abnormal height) is proportional to social aggressiveness or bad attitude.
In Scripture, the problem with these corrupted, hybrid race of beings was not so much their stature or strength, but the ideologies they generated. And all though the Bible doesn’t say, it was just the giants that propagated evil, Scripture is clear that evil spread and corrupted all flesh in their day. Evil’s dominance was so enormous that there remained in Noah’s day, only eight people, obedient to God---righteous Noah and his family.
He chose Noah to build an ark that would warn and save the obedient. A new phenomenon, Rain was coming, water from the sky, a 40 day---colossal storm. Sin was a spiritual disease and would have consumed everything if not dealt with. God’s love for people was greater than his tolerance of sin. He would have to deal with it. The way of escape was to get on the boat.
The judgment of God came as promised. Humanity wouldn’t repent but succumbed to sin. God’s answer to this demonic plague was to destroy them all and save His progeny---and all creation. The flood did its job, and humans began again (through Noah)---days later on fresh soil.
Incidentally, the thought that Mrs. Noah—scripture doesn’t reveal her name, replaced Eve as the mother of all living, is not totally accurate. Her three daughter-in-laws played a roll. In fact, there is no record of momma Noah having any more kids.
Time continued, and men began to multiply. Despite what had been---a heaven endorsed genocide---Giants reappear. Humankind died in the Flood, but the lustful angels and their thoughts did not. Satan and his cohorts were waiting at the other side. They manifested in races of people---Rephaim, Zuzim, Anakims, and Emims (Genesis 6:4, Genesis 14:5, Numbers 13:33, Deuteronomy 2:10, Deuteronomy 2:11). Goliath may not have even been a full bred Philistine, perhaps even muscle enlisted or hired by the enemy.
The disclaimer: This article is not to established, or promote racial supremacy, or to suggest that certain races or cultures of men are inherently evil. Scripture is clear all humanity became inherently evil after the fall, in the Garden of Eden. Not only did sin become fixed to human spiritual DNA, but every person born has also acted it out in some form.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24).
Again, this is also not a stigma against tall people. It is not a damnation of the NBA. Wrestler and Actor André Roussimoff was billed as Andre the Giant, but his colossal height or name does not classified him as being evil. Giants, of Bible days, were typically wicked and opposed the plans, purpose, and people of God.
Okay, that the background.
God delivered Israel out of Egypt, after 400 years of slavery, bondage, and oppression, to bring them home to the land he promised, there forefather Abraham, generations ago. After several days in the wilderness, going through the Red Sea, meeting at God’s Mountains for a celebration and sanctification ceremony. They headed to Canaan to repossess it.
To keep the land healthy, until the rightful owners returned, God allowed Canaan to be occupied by several cultures, races, and nationality of people. The land was vibrant, flourish and fruitful. The vines produced gargantuan grapes. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. Milk and honey are translated as different things. Nonetheless, they equally prosperity and abundance. All in all, it was a promise of God, theirs for the receiving.
There was just one problem, not for God, but for Israel. There were giants in the land. Ten of the twelve spies were swayed by what they saw, on their reconnaissance mission.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:31-33)
We don’t know how many they saw. It could have been, two, several, or multiple tribes. Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies who saw the same beings, had a different report and counsel. They said, “The land is good let’s take it.”
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13:30)
In study, God never told them to spy out the giants or the enemy. The assignment was to spy out the land. Of course, the observance of threats and obstacles would have been included but not the zenith of the goal. The wonders of the land were to outweigh any resistance.
Unfortunately, the crowd shucked off their report and yielded to the report of the other ten. The fear of giants caused them to head back to the wilderness for 40 years. Some would die, never to step foot in the land that was promised to them by God.
When Israel final returned and took the land, the giants hadn’t gone. In fact, later we read there were whole tribes of them. Consequently, something happened to Israel in the wilderness that took their faith higher than the giants.
Years later Israel has now become not only a nation but a developing kingdom. They were still challenged by the inhabitants of their land that were resistant to go. The Philistines had challenged Israel army.
There was a standoff. The Philistines had enlisted a champion to fight for them. Affective it seems because the Israeli troops were held up in their bunkers, afraid to advance.
Their champion---a man named Goliath—a giant. The bible describes him this way
A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.
(1 Samuel 17:4-7) Message bible
There’s a joke that tells after David’s conquest of Goliath; he goes back to King Saul to show his evidence. Before the king and the army, David, a man of average height, holds up the dismembered heads, at shoulder level. A soldier in the company cloaked in dismay and retrospect---hollered, “Sheesh, I thought he was taller than that.
Truthfully, there is scholarly discrepancy with how tall Goliath was. Measurements vary between 9.9 feet to 6.9 feet. The reason is because the unit of measurement—a cubit—the length of a man’s elbow to fingertip varies with the measurer.
So Goliath, still apparently bigger than the Israeli soldier's stature, appearance may have been boosted by his stout words.
Again, God also had a champion. He wasn’t nearly the size of Goliath. He wasn’t trained as a warrior. David, the shepherd boy, had a vision, a calling, and an anointing.
“What should be done to the man who kills the giants?” he questioned, building his vision.
“Is there not a God in Israel” He was establishing his politics.
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to stand against the armies of God?” He declared his authority.
David with a slingshot and the Word of God took down the giant. The scripture says, he ran to the giant. David’s words boosted his image. It is said, in a street fight, take down the biggest guy first. If you’re successful, you destroy the heart of the opposition and set the tone of the battle. God doesn’t send giants, but the reason the giant is there is because it knows your promise is behind it.
The old saying, “if you want it, you’ll have to go through me.” Should not establish fear but become a good incentive. The challenge is not to focus on the giant. Giants are just testimonies that what is beyond him---belongs to you. Giants try to shadow or block your vision.
Just like a giant has built up his position to hold you out. You can build a position to go forward. If giants of fear inability, circumstances are blocking your dream, it may mean it time to back up and see around him to your vision. Sometimes we need to stand upon another mountain or someone else’s shoulder to see what lies behind the challenge. Of course, Jesus said in---
Mark 11:23, 24---speak to the giant (mountain) and it will obey you.
The Lord said to me recently.
The reason there are giants in the land (of your vision, dream, calling, and ministry), is because the faith it takes to possess the land---is bigger than it.
Giant-faith always comes from seed faith. It’s not Giant faith you need, its faith to possess the land. Vision number one--is to enter in and possess what God has called you too. And, if that means knocking out a giant or two to do it, then so be it.
Commanding a mountain to move is not the means to an end. It’s the stone in the sling on the way to fulfilling the desire of your heart. And those desires should be what the Father has called you into. Those are the desires that fulfill his plan for you on earth and bring glory to His name.
Giants are sometimes portrayed as evil beings in folklore and fairytales. Jack had a problem with one in his journey up the beanstalk. In the Bible giants like Goliath and Og are in opposition to Gods people. In mythology giants sometimes are personifications of natural phenomenon such as with Oceanus and Atlas. Polyphemus, a Cyclopes in Homer's epic, is a man eater. In real life adventure, the big guy is typically dubbed as the brute. Its modern thought, it’s the odyssey for the giant to be cast as friendly or gentle. Sometimes the notion is that physical growth imbalance (abnormal height) is proportional to social aggressiveness or bad attitude.
In Scripture, the problem with these corrupted, hybrid race of beings was not so much their stature or strength, but the ideologies they generated. And all though the Bible doesn’t say, it was just the giants that propagated evil, Scripture is clear that evil spread and corrupted all flesh in their day. Evil’s dominance was so enormous that there remained in Noah’s day, only eight people, obedient to God---righteous Noah and his family.
He chose Noah to build an ark that would warn and save the obedient. A new phenomenon, Rain was coming, water from the sky, a 40 day---colossal storm. Sin was a spiritual disease and would have consumed everything if not dealt with. God’s love for people was greater than his tolerance of sin. He would have to deal with it. The way of escape was to get on the boat.
The judgment of God came as promised. Humanity wouldn’t repent but succumbed to sin. God’s answer to this demonic plague was to destroy them all and save His progeny---and all creation. The flood did its job, and humans began again (through Noah)---days later on fresh soil.
Incidentally, the thought that Mrs. Noah—scripture doesn’t reveal her name, replaced Eve as the mother of all living, is not totally accurate. Her three daughter-in-laws played a roll. In fact, there is no record of momma Noah having any more kids.
Time continued, and men began to multiply. Despite what had been---a heaven endorsed genocide---Giants reappear. Humankind died in the Flood, but the lustful angels and their thoughts did not. Satan and his cohorts were waiting at the other side. They manifested in races of people---Rephaim, Zuzim, Anakims, and Emims (Genesis 6:4, Genesis 14:5, Numbers 13:33, Deuteronomy 2:10, Deuteronomy 2:11). Goliath may not have even been a full bred Philistine, perhaps even muscle enlisted or hired by the enemy.
The disclaimer: This article is not to established, or promote racial supremacy, or to suggest that certain races or cultures of men are inherently evil. Scripture is clear all humanity became inherently evil after the fall, in the Garden of Eden. Not only did sin become fixed to human spiritual DNA, but every person born has also acted it out in some form.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23, 24).
Again, this is also not a stigma against tall people. It is not a damnation of the NBA. Wrestler and Actor André Roussimoff was billed as Andre the Giant, but his colossal height or name does not classified him as being evil. Giants, of Bible days, were typically wicked and opposed the plans, purpose, and people of God.
Okay, that the background.
God delivered Israel out of Egypt, after 400 years of slavery, bondage, and oppression, to bring them home to the land he promised, there forefather Abraham, generations ago. After several days in the wilderness, going through the Red Sea, meeting at God’s Mountains for a celebration and sanctification ceremony. They headed to Canaan to repossess it.
To keep the land healthy, until the rightful owners returned, God allowed Canaan to be occupied by several cultures, races, and nationality of people. The land was vibrant, flourish and fruitful. The vines produced gargantuan grapes. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. Milk and honey are translated as different things. Nonetheless, they equally prosperity and abundance. All in all, it was a promise of God, theirs for the receiving.
There was just one problem, not for God, but for Israel. There were giants in the land. Ten of the twelve spies were swayed by what they saw, on their reconnaissance mission.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. (Numbers 13:31-33)
We don’t know how many they saw. It could have been, two, several, or multiple tribes. Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies who saw the same beings, had a different report and counsel. They said, “The land is good let’s take it.”
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13:30)
In study, God never told them to spy out the giants or the enemy. The assignment was to spy out the land. Of course, the observance of threats and obstacles would have been included but not the zenith of the goal. The wonders of the land were to outweigh any resistance.
Unfortunately, the crowd shucked off their report and yielded to the report of the other ten. The fear of giants caused them to head back to the wilderness for 40 years. Some would die, never to step foot in the land that was promised to them by God.
When Israel final returned and took the land, the giants hadn’t gone. In fact, later we read there were whole tribes of them. Consequently, something happened to Israel in the wilderness that took their faith higher than the giants.
Years later Israel has now become not only a nation but a developing kingdom. They were still challenged by the inhabitants of their land that were resistant to go. The Philistines had challenged Israel army.
There was a standoff. The Philistines had enlisted a champion to fight for them. Affective it seems because the Israeli troops were held up in their bunkers, afraid to advance.
Their champion---a man named Goliath—a giant. The bible describes him this way
A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.
(1 Samuel 17:4-7) Message bible
There’s a joke that tells after David’s conquest of Goliath; he goes back to King Saul to show his evidence. Before the king and the army, David, a man of average height, holds up the dismembered heads, at shoulder level. A soldier in the company cloaked in dismay and retrospect---hollered, “Sheesh, I thought he was taller than that.
Truthfully, there is scholarly discrepancy with how tall Goliath was. Measurements vary between 9.9 feet to 6.9 feet. The reason is because the unit of measurement—a cubit—the length of a man’s elbow to fingertip varies with the measurer.
So Goliath, still apparently bigger than the Israeli soldier's stature, appearance may have been boosted by his stout words.
Again, God also had a champion. He wasn’t nearly the size of Goliath. He wasn’t trained as a warrior. David, the shepherd boy, had a vision, a calling, and an anointing.
“What should be done to the man who kills the giants?” he questioned, building his vision.
“Is there not a God in Israel” He was establishing his politics.
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to stand against the armies of God?” He declared his authority.
David with a slingshot and the Word of God took down the giant. The scripture says, he ran to the giant. David’s words boosted his image. It is said, in a street fight, take down the biggest guy first. If you’re successful, you destroy the heart of the opposition and set the tone of the battle. God doesn’t send giants, but the reason the giant is there is because it knows your promise is behind it.
The old saying, “if you want it, you’ll have to go through me.” Should not establish fear but become a good incentive. The challenge is not to focus on the giant. Giants are just testimonies that what is beyond him---belongs to you. Giants try to shadow or block your vision.
Just like a giant has built up his position to hold you out. You can build a position to go forward. If giants of fear inability, circumstances are blocking your dream, it may mean it time to back up and see around him to your vision. Sometimes we need to stand upon another mountain or someone else’s shoulder to see what lies behind the challenge. Of course, Jesus said in---
Mark 11:23, 24---speak to the giant (mountain) and it will obey you.
The Lord said to me recently.
The reason there are giants in the land (of your vision, dream, calling, and ministry), is because the faith it takes to possess the land---is bigger than it.
Giant-faith always comes from seed faith. It’s not Giant faith you need, its faith to possess the land. Vision number one--is to enter in and possess what God has called you too. And, if that means knocking out a giant or two to do it, then so be it.
Commanding a mountain to move is not the means to an end. It’s the stone in the sling on the way to fulfilling the desire of your heart. And those desires should be what the Father has called you into. Those are the desires that fulfill his plan for you on earth and bring glory to His name.
Terrence Clark is the founder and Chief Editor of the Voice of One CNC magazine. He is also the author of How to Predict the Future and How Great is God?