The Place of the Skull

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ happened in a very interesting place. Known as Golgotha, or “The Place of the Skull,” it was believed to be the final resting place of the severed head of Goliath the Philistine.
The connections between King David and Jesus are well known. David appears in the genealogy of Jesus, making Jesus heir to David’s throne. However, in Jesus’ day the kingship was long gone and the Romans ruled Judea.
In literature of the Second Temple Period, the “son of David” was known to have the power to exorcise demons, so it was no surprise for the Jews who believed in Christ to see him casting out demons. His fame spread so that even Canaanites came to Jesus seeking deliverance. However, the demons would have their brief moment to gloat over the Son of David as He was murdered and hung on a cross. Jesus gave us a chilling glimpse into the suffering He endured on a spiritual level as He was dying. When He cried out from the cross, ”Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?” (”My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”), Jesus was quoting a psalm written by David. It is Psalm 22.
Ps. 22:1b (ESV): ”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”
Jesus’ words did more than just reflect a painful human sentiment. He was alluding to Psalm 22 for a reason. The psalm has more to tell us about what Jesus was going through.
Ps. 22:12-13 “Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.”
The “bulls of Bashan” is a reference to the Rephaim of the Amorite kingdom, once ruled by Og, King of the Rephaim. Long gone since the days of Og, the giants of the Transjordan existed only in the ethereal realm, seeking embodiment in human hosts as unclean spirits. In parallel with this illustration is the reference to a “ravening and roaring lion.” Demons are often portrayed as hungry lions; sometimes they are even said to have “broken teeth” because they cannot devour flesh as they once did when the giants roamed the earth in the days of Noah.
If the Nephilim had still existed at the time of Christ, there is no doubt that the giants would have sought confrontation with Him. Instead, the cowardly unclean spirits merely taunted Christ as He suffered for the sins of the world. But their torment of Jesus would be short-lived.
When Jesus died, He came back to life and His first order of business was to remind those evil powers that He had conquered death, and that their judgment was coming. The final victory over the spirits - including the spirit of Goliath - was won by the Son of David, on the very spot where the giant’s severed head was buried.

​- T.J. Steadman