“A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee….

….Understand therefore, that the LORD thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.”     Deuteronomy 9:2-5

In those early ages of this worlds history, there were many surprising things and people, who’s existence makes us incredulous. There were things that we will never know of, and achievements by ancient people’s that we cannot work out. The amazing design and engineering feats of ancient Babylon and ancient Israel, are hidden to our vaunted intelligence.

There were people that we cannot imagine, and therefore we question their existence. The children of Anak are such people. This race of humans, who have long gone, were of great height and scale. The records show people reaching ten feet and more. They were intimidating and valued as warriors and leaders of many ancient tribes, such as the Kezzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Hivites, and more.

The people of Anak came from beings called Nephilim. These were thought to be “sons of God” that came down and took human women as their partners. It is unclear who these Nephilim were, but some think they were fallen angels who tried to pollute further the human race with their progeny. These Anakin people were mighty and did many deeds of courage and valour in human society. It is believed they were wiped out by the Flood, which left only Noah and his seven family members alive.

It is thought by some, that the “sons of God” also came into post-deluge society. The Philistines had their giant warrior in the form of Goliath, who the young David, king of Israel, faced up to. God gave David the victory over this massive enemy, as He said He would. It is hard to understand how demons could interact with the human genome, and how this would play out to the present day… there remains much we don’t know and don’t understand. We leave this issue with God.

We can learn much from the giant Goliath, for the benefit of our spiritual lives. All these things are recorded in God’s Word, to teach and challenge and encourage us in our walk with God.

No matter how large or how intimidating the enemy is, God promises the victory to all who trust in Him. David was able to defeat and kill his enemy, Goliath, in the power of the Lord. Indeed, David designates Goliath as an enemy of God. David loved God and spent long periods of time alone with Him, and learned strength and confidence through the circumstances of his life. This is why David was victorious.

It was a similar situation with the overtaking of Canaan by the Israelite nation. God gave the promised land of Canaan into the hands of His people. God points out to them, that it was not because of their goodness that they were given the land, but only by God’s Grace.

We also gain the plains of heaven and victory over sin and death through the grace of God. God honours those who honour Him and who trust His power to make them over-comers and show His glory to a watching world.

We are not physical Anakites, but our souls should be mighty for God and we will overcome through Christ our Lord.