Question
DAVID AND GOLIATH
1 Samuel 15:1-17:58
Key Verse 17:45
1. Read 15:1-35. What does this passage tell us about the problem(s) Saul has as a shepherd (24, 30; Pro 29:25)?
2. Read 16:1-13. Samuel is a nearly perfect man. Yet what does this passage tell us about the weaknesses of Samuel as a shepherd (2, 6, 7)? Yet how did he overcome them?
3. Read 16:14-23. This passage describes David serving Saul, rather than Saul serving David. Why did this happen? What does this passage tell us about the key to shepherding over the flock of God (Zechariah 4:6; Luke 4:18)?
4. Read 17:1-16. How did Goliath terrorize the Israelites? What do the following words like "battle", "fight", "kill", "subjects", "overcome", or "serve" tell us about the stakes involved in the battle faced by every child of God (Gen 1:28; Gal 5:1)? What is "your Goliath"?
5. Read 17:7-26 and think about the two questions David asked (26). What do these questions show us about the way David saw the confrontation (1Pe 1:7; Heb 11:6; 2Co 5:7)? What can we learn from David in serving the flock of God?
6. Read 17:27-37 and consider what David said to Saul in vs. 34-37. What does his testimony tell us about David as a shepherd?
7. Read 17:38-58 and describe the "tools" David used to defeat Goliath. What wisdom is there for us to learn in dealing with our enemies? What can we learn from the following words of David?
1) "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel...";
2) "This day the Lord will hand you over to me..."
3) "The whole world will know that there is a God in Israel"; and
4) "All...will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is Lord's."
Manuscript
Message
SAUL AND DAVID
1 Samuel 15:1-17:58
Key Verse 17:45
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
This passage teaches us that absolute faith in the Lord is the key to leading God's flock to green pastures where they can enjoy life to the full. We say that faith is the key because, as a shepherd lives by faith in the Lord, the Lord provides him and his flock with all the necessary things for life. In today’s passage, the Holy Spirit has placed two individuals side by side: Saul and David. Saul's story is the story of failure. He failed because he lost faith in the Lord. David's story is the story of success. He succeeded in shepherding over the flock of God because he had strong faith in the Lord. Let us see how Saul failed and then see how David succeeded in leading God's flock to God's peace and joy.
I. I am grieved that I have made Saul king (15:1-16:13)
In chapter 15 we see the Lord God rejecting King Saul and selecting a new king, David. Why did the Lord reject Saul as the king of Israel? Why did the Lord choose him at one point in time only to later reject him? The answer to this question is simple: at one point Saul had faith in the Lord, so that by faith he saved the Israelites from their enemies, but at this point in time, he had lost faith in the Lord. That’s why the Lord rejected him as king.
The test of his faith in the Lord came when the Lord gave him an assignment, that is, to decimate the Amalekites. Look at vs. 1-3. "Samuel said to Saul, ‘I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”’” One might ask, "In what respect was this test a test of faith?" or "It’s true that the Amalekites waylaid the Israelites as they were coming out of Egypt. So, fine, you can destroy the men. But why the women as well? And why children and even infants? And also, why cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys?" A brief review of the origins of the Amalekites and the Israelites, and the conflicts between these two tribes, will yield answers to these questions; moreover, it will help us to understand that the stakes involved are a lot greater than one might initially think. Among the values already at stake, we can think about three points:
a) The conflict between the flesh and the spirit (Gen 36:12; Heb 12:16)
The Bible tells us that man is not only a fleshly being but also a spiritual being. Genesis 2:7 for example says, "The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." This indicates that each of us is not just a chunk of meat but a spiritual being. We are created to be spiritual beings.
But the Amalekites believed in something else, that is, they advocated the idea that man is merely a physical being. We find this to be the case when we think about their origins. The Amalekites were descendants of Amalek who was the grandson of Esau. In the Bible, Esau is a type of the fleshly man whereas Jacob, whose name was later changed to Israel, is a type of the spiritual man. From their mother's womb the two brothers fought each other. Likewise, both the flesh and the spirit are in constant conflict with one other. When Jesus came, he too indicated that this was the case, for at one point he said to his disciples, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Mat 26:41). Later in the book of Malachi, the Lord God bluntly says, “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated” (Mal 1:2,3). Thus, Heb 12:16 says, "See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son."
This little observation indicates that losing the battle against the Amalekites is akin to allowing the flesh to exercise control over the spirit, so that man would eventually be reduced to nothing but flesh. The end result would thus be man falling below the level of an animal.
b) The conflict between faith in God and faith in men (Ex 17:8-14; Deut 25:17-19)
One of the purposes of God in keeping the Israelites in human history was to teach us that man must live by faith in the Lord. The Lord God is the Creator God. All that is good and perfect comes from God (James 1:17). Therefore it is very important for man to live by faith in the absolute goodness of the Lord.
But in each generation there are a number of people who reject living by faith in the Lord, and rather choose to live in reliance upon something or someone else other than the Lord God. The Amalekites stand as the prime example of this. In fact, records in the Bible such as Exodus 17:8-14 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19 indicate that the Amalekites were so opposed to living by faith in the Lord that they were actually bent on destroying the Israelites whom the Lord called to teach people to live by faith in the Lord.
For example, in Exodus 17:8-14, they were the first ones to attack the Israelites at Rephidim. Figuratively speaking, the Israelites were at this point merely making baby steps in faith, for by faith they had just left Egypt. But the Amalekites came out and began to smite those lagging behind, like the little children and pregnant women. Then, interestingly enough, after sending Joshua to fight against the Amalekites, Moses stretched out his two hands up into the air. And as long as he raised his hands to heaven, Joshua would begin to win, but as soon as he lowered his hands, Joshua would begin to lose. This reveals the kind of lifestyle the two peoples represented. Raising one's hands to heaven is symbolic of having faith in the invisible God. Thus, the Israelites winning or losing the battle, depending on the position of Moses' hands, indicates that the Amalekites lived by human integrity whereas the Israelites were to triumph by the power of the Lord!
Deuteronomy 25:17-19 reveals another aspect of the Amalekites, that is, they had no fear of God (18). This observation also indicates that the stakes involved have a far reaching effect - with impacts in both visible as well as invisible realms. Losing the battle against the Amalekites thus potentially portends losing the battle of the faith in the Lord. It could mean wiping “faith in the Lord” off the face of the earth. It means people would be held in bondage to the cruel rule of men and materials.
c) The conflict between the devil and the Savior (Gen 3:15; Num 23:10,21; 24:7,17; 1Sa 30:1-2)
In 1 Samuel 15:2, the Lord revealed his will to punish the Amalekites. In so doing, he revealed his reason, that is, because the Amalekites waylaid the Israelites on the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. The way they attacked the Israelites reminds us of how a serpent pounces upon its prey. Have you ever seen a snake catching its prey like a frog? It might be understandable why a snake does this to a frog, since it is only acting on instinct or out of hunger. But it is not understandable why the Amalekites did this to the Israelites. Why not? First, because the Amalekites did not act on instinct or hunger, etc., but intentionally attacked the Israelites for no other reason than to destroy them. But more importantly, it was not okay for the Amalekites to attack the Israelites because, unlike any other tribes, the Israelites carried the promise about the Savior of the world.
One of the best places in the Bible to see the Israelites as carriers of God's promise about the Savior is in the oracles made by a prophet named Balaam. In Numbers 23-24, Balaam prophesied five oracles. In the second oracle he says that “the shout of the king is among the Israelites” (23:21). This king refers to Jesus. In the third oracle he said, “Their kingdom will be exalted” (24:7). Here “their kingdom” refers to the kingdom of God that will be established by Jesus' death and resurrection. And in the fourth oracle, he said, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” (24:17a). Here, the phrases “a star,” “a scepter,” and “a ruler” refer to Jesus and his kingship.
Like the Amalekites, the Israelites were equally sinful. But there is one stark difference between the Amalekites and the Israelites, that is, the promise about the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But the Amalekites were bent on destroying the Israelites. Why? Because they were being used by the devil as the devil's instrument. Just as the Lord God predicted in Genesis 3:15, on day one of Adam's fall, the devil kept pouncing on the Israelites to destroy them. This little observation indicates that the stakes involved in giving King Saul the assignment to decimate the Amalekites were indeed great.
What did Saul do with the Lord’s command? The remainder of Chapter 15 says that he failed to obey the Lord's command. Instead of destroying the Amalekites and everything that belonged to them, he let their king, Agag, live. He also pounced on the plunder that was deemed “good” in his eyes, and only destroyed the garbage. In John 21:15, Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon, do you truly love me more than these?" Here, "these" include both money and men. Likewise, the Lord wants us to love the Lord more than anything or anyone else. But 1 Samuel 15:9 says, "But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs--everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed." Clearly, the lust for money distracted them. But other Bible verses like 1 Samuel 15:12, 24 and 30 indicate that Saul loved himself more than the Lord. He was more interested in building up his name than the name of the Lord.
Why then did he fail? Why did he get an F minus on his test of faith? In 1 Samuel 15:11, the Lord said to Samuel: "’I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.’ Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night." Here, the Lord said, "he turned away from me." Why did Saul turn away from the Lord? What led him to turn away from the Lord?
Samuel's rebuke yields two practical reasons for Saul’s turning away from the Lord. The first is arrogance. Look at 1 Samuel 15:23, "For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." Secondly, in vs. 22 and 23, we learn that Saul turned away from the Lord because he did not study the word of the Lord carefully. In v. 22, Samuel talks about not obeying "the voice" of the Lord, or "to heed is better than the fat of rams". Then in v. 23, he says plainly, "you have rejected the word of the Lord." This indicates that he did not “suddenly” flat-out reject the word of the Lord. Rather it happened gradually, by degrees: first, he became arrogant; then second, he failed to heed the word of God; third, as he neglected the word of God, he was distracted by the desires of the world; and then, finally, he ended up rejecting God's word.
Oftentimes, we can learn more from other people’s failures than we can from their successes. Here, we basically learn the importance of repentance. 1 Samuel 15:12-34 (especially vs. 24, 30) indicates that, even after sinning, the Lord God provided Saul with ample time to repent and be restored back to the Lord. But the indications in the passage show us that he did not really repent. Of course, he said, "I have sinned." But he never said, "I repent," nor did he ever actually repent by his actions. In his heart, he still held onto his own desires, like keeping his position (“job”) as king.
Samuel, however, set a good example in quickly repenting. Of course, like Saul, Samuel also had a lot of problems like looking at the external appearances of men and being afraid of men. But each time he had trouble, in humility, he proceeded to the throne of God in prayer, and cried out. Then, he listened to the voice of the Lord and then he repented. But in no place do we see Saul praying to the Lord in earnest. One time, he tried to come to the Lord to worship him. But his worship attendance strikes us as mere ritual. At any rate, now that Saul had turned away from the Lord, the Lord had to find someone else. And the Lord did. He found David the youngest son of Jesse. So in 16:1-13, through the Lord's guidance, Samuel anointed David as king.
II. David defeats Goliath (16:14-17:58)
In 16:14-23 we see David being put into service under King Saul. This was a small, on-the-job training so David would later be used as a “servant king.” And now, just as the Lord tested Saul’s faith, so too, as the newly appointed shepherd over Israel, did the Lord test David. Here, David had to prove himself as a man of faith. How did the Lord test David's faith? In 1 Samuel 17:1-25, the test came in the form of a giant named "Goliath." We know the story very well, so we are not going to go through all the details of the confrontation.
But let us stop for a moment and, as we did with Saul, likewise think about what kind of stakes were involved in David’s test. When we think about Goliath’s military background as well as his confrontational words, it is not difficult to see that the stakes involved were fairly high: whether or not the Israelites were to be subjected to the slavery of paganism, which promotes the flesh, or whether they were to remain free, serving the Lord who is the Spirit.
Look at 1 Samuel 17:8-9, "Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.’" Verse 10 then proceeds and tells us that the Israelites were "terrified." Goliath's threats thus, again, tell us that the stakes involved were either to remain under the rule of God and thereby remain free from the power of sin and death or to be subjected to the slavery to the power of sin and death under paganism.
Genesis 1:28 says that we are created to conquer the environment rather than to be conquered by it. But Goliath came out to defeat this purpose of God's creation. Let us think about what Goliath said. First of all he said, "Am I not a Philistine?" In fact, he was a champion of the Philistines (17:4). Who were Philistines? The Bible says that they worshiped pagan gods (1Sa 17:43), including: a) Dagon (1Sa 5:1-7; 18:43; Judges 16:23; 1Ch 10:10); b) Ashtoreth; and c) Beelzebub. Bible scholars say that Dagon was the father of the "Baal" god, Ashtoreth was a fertility goddess, and Beelzebub lord of the flies (i.e., the god of feces). In addition, Matthew 12:24 says that Beelzebub is the prince of all demons. So the challenge (or test) was to worship the God of Israel or to worship these pagan gods.
Other scriptures indicate that the Philistines believed in materialism (in the sense of man valuing money more than people) and humanism (in the sense of putting man above God). The first place where the Philistines appear is in Genesis 21. There, king Abimelech, who was the king of Philistines, seized a well Abraham had dug (Gen 21:32-34). In those days a well was as valuable as owning a business like an AM-PM Market. But the Philistine king acted just like a car thief, who comes with a tow truck, takes a car, moves it to his garage, changes its license plate number, and then drives it as if it were his own. The way Goliath came out fighting against the Lord's army also indicates that he heavily relied on what was human, such as his muscles, physical strength, prowess with the sword, and other abilities (1Sa 17:4-7). The Genesis account of Abimelech kidnapping Abraham's wife Sarah (Genesis 20:3) and trying to sleep with her also indicates that they practiced such heinous sexual immoralities as adultery and rape. And we know the story of Samson and Delilah (Judges 13-16). Delilah no doubt won the Miss Philistine contest as one of the most attractive women in her land. She enticed Samson saying, "Honey, I love you." But in fact she did not love Samson. Later, after conniving out of Samson the secret that his strength lay in his uncut hair, she sold this information to her fellow Philistines, and thus became instrumental in getting Samson's two eyes gouged out.
Indeed the stakes involved were really high. And it all depended on one's faith in the Lord or faith in something or someone else.
The story recorded in 1 Samuel 26-58 tells us that David defeated Goliath by absolute faith in the Lord. As the passage clearly describes, by faith David challenged Goliath and, likewise, by absolute faith in the Lord defeated him. Let us read 1 Samuel 17:45-47, "David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands.’" Then with five smooth stones, he approached Goliath. With a sling shot, he defeated Goliath.
This causes us to take pause and consider how David came to pick up such a clear, bold, and absolute faith in the Lord. At first glance it seems as if he was born a great man of faith. But upon closer and more careful examination of the life and history of David, we learn that he picked up faith in the Lord, not because he was born great, but because he received a lot of training. That is, he received a lot of “divine discipline of faith training.”
How did the Lord train him? Two things deserve our attention:
First, he received divine discipline in playing a musical instrument, the harp (16:18). Look at 1 Samuel 16:18, "One of the servants answered, ‘I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him.’" Yes. David knew how to play the harp. How did he know? Simple: through practice. When Dr. Hong came to my house, I saw that he was a fine-looking man. So I asked him, "What kind of musical instrument do you play?" He said, "The cello!" I continued, "How did you learn to play the cello?" He said, "Oh, I received lessons for one year, twice a week, an hour per session." Likewise, I am certain that David also had to work hard on his harp playing skills. Only then could he play it well. God is the God of harmony. Like the rainbow which comes with seven colors and like musical notes which similarly come with seven notes, God is the God of perfect harmony, which is represented by the number seven. I pray that God would bless our Downey ministry by building a 120 member orchestra.
Second, he learned to carry his cross daily, by faithfully discharging his duties and responsibilities at his father's house (17:34-37). He was the youngest son among the eight sons of his father Jesse. It is not easy for a man to be the youngest son in a large family living on a farm among nomadic tribes (like the Israelites). You know, life on a farm is excruciatingly difficult and hard. There are a ton of menial works to do. And when the father asks the eldest son to do this or that, then the eldest son passes the buck down the pecking order to the next son, and so on. Eventually, the burden falls on the youngest son. So it is easy for the youngest son to become bitter. But David was different. While his other brothers were doing something noble, like serving in Saul's army, he had to do all kinds of menial tasks and useless works like working as a courier to bring lunch boxes or other supplies to his elder brothers, or to go out and take care of stupid sheep in a field all day and all night long.
But despite the hardness of his duties and responsibilities, he faithfully discharged all of them. 1 Samuel 17:34-37 is a powerful testimony on how David proved himself in discharging these duties. Let us read this passage altogether.
From this, we learn that each and every day we must be faithful in carrying our cross daily. In giving a job interview to a potential employee, one way to know whether he is qualified or not is to ask him a question like, "In how many years do you want to get promoted to manager?" We need to ask this kind of question because a lot of people want to wear a big hat like branch manager or director of a bank, only thinking about the privileges instead of the responsibilities. The same is true of spiritual positions. A lot of people want to be a big shot (spiritually) overnight. But from David we learn that when we are faithful to a small thing like being faithful in doing the daily bread, preparing study notes, and/or in feeding one sheep, etc. and so forth, over time the Lord God will naturally promote him or her to a position of honor. Then as he fulfills this position, he faces more challenges, trials, and duties. So he is called to suffer a little more. And this is how a really good shepherd emerges.
One word: Faith in the Lord is the key to leading the flock of God to green pastures.
Manuscript
Biblenote
David and GoliathPRIVATE
1 Samuel 15:1-17:58
Key Verse 17:45
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This passage teaches us that faith in the Lord God Almighty is the key to shepherding over the flock of God, for it provides us with all things (like love, power, wisdom, etc.) that are necessary for serving the flock of God.
1. Read 15:1-35. What does this passage tell us about Saul's problem as a shepherd (24,30; Pro 29:25)?
** He lost faith in the Lord. He then very quickly developed fear of men. Then along with the fear of men came desires for things of this world like a Mercedes Benz, etc.
2. Read 16:1-13. Samuel is a nearly perfect man. Yet what does this passage tell us about Samuel's weaknesses as a shepherd (2, 6, 7)? How did he overcome them?
** Again, he too had a fear of men problem. He also saw outward appearance (i.e., height, muscles, etc.) But unlike Saul, he prayed to the Lord and overcame it.
** Learn to overcome fear and other human weaknesses by constant prayer to the Lord.
3. Read 16:14-23. This passage describes David serving Saul, rather than Saul serving David. Why did this happen? What does this passage tell us about the key to shepherding over the flock of God as a shepherd (Zechariah 4:6; Luke 4:18)?
** It happened because Saul lost faith in the Lord, whereas David adhered to faith in the Lord. Faith is the mother of obedience. Faith also qualifies man to be filled with the Spirit of God (Acts 2:38).
4. Read 17:1-16. How did Goliath terrorize the Israelites? What do the following words "battle", "fight", "kill", "subjects", "overcome", or "serve" tell us about the stakes involved in the battle faced by every child of God (Gen 1:28; Gal 5:1)? What is "your Goliath"?
** He terrorized them by generating fear (of failure) in them, intending to plant the message "You are not going to win; you will lose and lose completely." Figuratively speaking he is like a lion who is chained by unbreakable chains. Note that he kept barking but never bit anyone. Notice also that he barked continually - 40 days and nights. The following words will help us understand him better:
1) Hebrews 2:14,15 "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--And free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
2) 1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
** It is to steal our freedom to serve the Lord, and thereby enslave us to what is created rather than the one who created what has been created. It is to let us worship the devil rather than the Lord God.
** My Goliath: 1) can change from one category to another; 2) but it consists of only two categories and two alone, that is, slavery to money and slavery to flesh. We call the former as the Goliath of materialism and the latter the Goliath of humanism (in the sense of man putting flesh above the Spirit, man above God).
5. Read 17:7-26 and think about the two questions David asked (26). What do these questions show us about the way David saw the confrontation (1Pe 1:7; Heb 11:6; 2Co 5:7)? What can we learn from David in serving the flock of God?
** 1) Every confrontation (or challenge or trial or ordeal) is the opportunity to reap a great reward; 2) Every confrontation is from God and therefore serves as an opportunity to render glory to God.
** We need to see everything by faith in the Lord, and thereby deal with the challenges by faith, so that we can lead the flock of God to experiencing the glory of God.
6. Read 17:27-37 and consider what David said to Saul in vs. 34-37. What does this passage tell us about David as a shepherd?
** The Lord chose him, for David demonstrated a sense of "responsibility" for the sheep of his father.
7. Read 17:38-58 and describe the "tools" David used to defeat Goliath. What wisdom is there for us to learn in dealing with our enemies? What can we learn from the following words of David?
1) "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel...";
2) "This day the Lord will hand you over to me..."
3) "The whole world will know that there is a God in Israel"; and
4) "All...will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is Lord's."
** The sling shot, and especially the stone is symbolic of the word of God. This passage also reminds us of the way Jesus came to defeat the enemy, Satan, as spoken of in Gen 3:15. Notice that the sling shot sank into the forehead of Goliath.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
**
1) The means of the battle:
The means by which to defeat the enemies, that is, the name of our Lord Jesus. (Name = integrity)
2) The giver of victory:
The one who gives us the victory is not a human but the Lord. [The Lord = owner of everything in the universe]
3) The purpose of the battle:
It is to help the world know of the living God, in person.
4) The dimension of the battle:
It is the Lord's battle, not man's; it must be fought on the Lord's level, not on a lower level like the physical world’s level, for whatever goes on in this physical world is derivative of what goes on with the Lord.
The end.
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