Your Greatness is My Greatness, Mine Yours

A good king - serving others, not themselves

Reading the chronicles of David’s mighty men well reminds one of the characters in the Water Margin. The 108 heroes vividly portrayed in the classic novel formed a formidable force fighting corrupt officials. Each one of them embodied a unique set of skills that none else could replace. When they combined their forces they became all the more invincible.

In 1 Chronicle 11, we read about David’s squad of three elite fighters, a second squad of three distinguished leaders, and a core group of fighters known as the Thirty. We don’t get to hear their conversations or get to know details of their everyday life. We only get to read their names. Yet, from the few incidents recorded in the Bible we catch a glimpse of their valour and skills.

David’s mighty warriors shared certain common characteristics. They were highly trained to fight quality and quantity wars. For instance, Eleazer literary became the battle frontier when he held his ground in the middle of a barley field when everyone else fled for their lives (14). In today’s terms, he would be called ‘cutting-edge’ and ‘trend-defying’. Abishai alone fought 300 men and prevailed (20). He would be considered ‘high impact’ in contemporary terms. Benaiah, alone by himself fought Moab’s two best men, a lion, and a seven and half feet (228.6cm) tall Egyptian. He would be described as ‘targeted’, ‘strategic’, and ‘powerful’.

But King David remained the mightiest. Why? Not that he was better than every single one of his mighty men. He was mighty because he had a generosity of heart that allowed his allies and collaborators to remain in their greatness. He cultivated the mighty men to shine in their individual uniqueness. He also allowed them to excel as a collective. Because of his generosity, the rest was able to reach the peaks of their excellence.

If there is an opposite example to King David, that would be King Saul. When David, yet a king, killed Goliath and the women danced and joyfully sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam 18:6), King Saul was displeased. From that point onward, “jealousy”, “fear”, and “anger” repeatedly appeared in describing King Saul’s emotional states (1 Sam 18: 9, 29). From the royal family, especially Jonathan and Micah, to mighty men of war, serving maids, and the general population, David’s growing popularity only made King Saul all the more insecure. Eventually his emotional states translated into concrete acts of killing, family discords, and broken relationships. These destructions ultimately culminated in King Saul’s own downfall.

In our service to God, our greatness lies in allowing and supporting others to shine in their greatness. We are vessels uniquely made by God to serve different purposes in His household. We are made to score for God. When we support others to score, we score. When others support us to score, they score. May we be mighty warriors of God.