Bible Passage: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves…” (Ecclesiastes 4:12a NIV)
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 21:15-17
Remember that story about David and the Giant—not the classic one you’re thinking of, but the other one, where David was going to get totally smoked (2 Samuel 21:15-17)?
In that story, David was weary and exhausted in battle when his giant enemy Ishbi-Benob smelled an opportunity to take him out. David was a dead man walking, and his life was going to have an abrupt and gruesome end if he had not been rescued.
It’s hard to imagine that David.
I’m more drawn to the heroic David.
The heroic David who stepped forward while all his fellow soldiers drew back.
The heroic David who faced Goliath one-on-one and utterly defeated him.
The heroic David who was cheered and honored and praised.
I like that David!
The David that was so exhausted that he couldn’t defend himself is one I would like to forget.
I love what my friend Mark Buchanan wrote:
“I’d like to flip the two giant stories. How many Goliath stories does any man have in his lifetime? David had precisely one. Most men don’t get even that. And the other story, with Ishbi-Benob? For most men, this is the new normal.”
The new normal.
As men, we face all kinds of giants, all kinds of obstacles. We think that we can handle them on our own. We think it is weakness to ask for help. So, we keep things quiet and secret. We deal with every situation that comes our way on our own.
And we suffer because of it.
I would have blindly gone into many situations that would have done me great harm if I hadn’t had a friend with me to point out the error of my ways.
I would have written a harsh, retaliatory email that hadn’t considered where the other person might have been coming from.
I would have made a decision that would have affected many people without seeing all sides of the problem.
I would have succumbed to a temptation that could have ruined my life forever.
But I had protection. I had wingmen. I had brothers to rescue me.
Prayer: Dear Lord, give me the courage to be honest about my weaknesses. I am not abnormal for not being able to handle everything on my own. In fact, I, like every other guy, am going to be in over my head more times than I care to admit. Help me to find a couple of men that I can be transparent with. Forgive me for my pride. Help me not perpetuate the lie that I am invincible. Help me to be there for someone else, too. Amen.
Reflection: How difficult is it for you to truly admit your weaknesses to another man you trust? What keeps guys from honest transparency? What might Jesus want to say to you about that?
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