The Food-Delivery Guy Who Saved a Country

           He was walking towards the battlefield. You may wonder why then, was he carrying roasted grain, bread and cheese.  It is because he was going there not as a warrior to fight the enemy but to deliver food to his elder brothers who were military men. He was the youngest and the least respected son in their home. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king a few days back. If God had appointed him to lead the nation, why wasn’t he even a soldier like his elder brothers?  The work allotted to him was subpar and menial, compared to the relatively superior responsibility of fighting for the country.

        As he walked along with the excitement of watching the battle, a loud voice, challenging for a duel, interrupted his thoughts. He wondered whether a lion or bear had wandered away from the forest into the battlefield. The voice exhibited absolute confidence in not just winning the duel but thrashing down the opponent. It was the voice of a giant. The giant was challenging anybody from the country to come for a duel, whereby the winner’s country can make the opponents slaves. 

            No soldier or prince dared to volunteer for they saw death in his words and very presence. The giant did not give up but repeated the challenge and the conditions everyday. David reached the battlefield and listened to the giant’s words for the first time (unlike the warriors in the field who had been hearing it every day). David was reminded of the time he killed a lion and a bear with God’s help, in his attempt to save his sheep. He strongly believed that the same God who helped him kill the bear and the lion would help him kill the giant.

            When David volunteered, the king thought he was ignorant and explained how Goliath (that was the giant’s name) was a trained warrior from childhood (1 Sam. 17:33). But, David was not discouraged but insisted that he will face the giant. The king scrutinised the situation. While none of his trained warriors were ready to fight the giant, this shepherd boy (David) insisted on fighting him. The king chose the only available option, that is, to send David to face Goliath. To make the long story short, with God’s help, David won the victory using a sling and a stone and saved his country.

             Perhaps his father did not realise his potential. The work given to David did not require skill or talent. In contrast, the responsibility given to the brothers required training, skills, and heroism. The brothers went to the battle as warriors. But it was the guy who went to deliver food who killed the giant and saved the country. Had David felt dejected that he, an anointed man and a man who was to become the next king, was sent as a food delivery man and refused to go, he would have lost a great opportunity!          

             Do not become disheartened when you are given a subpar responsibility or take it lightly. People might fail to recognise your potential and may assign work based on prejudice, shallow judgement, ignorance, or jealousy. But God determines who will be used to perform the actual task.

NOTE: This article is based on 1 Samuel 17 (The Holy Bible).