Fearless Servanthood
Key Verse:
“1 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentils: and the people fled from the Philistines.
12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory.”- 2 Samuel 23:11-12 KJV
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of a man named Shammah. He took a stand in a field of lentils, and in 2 Samuel 23, he single handedly took on an entire army while the rest of the Israelites fled. And he did all this for a field of beans. You talk about fearless!
What made him fearless in the face of the enemy? Was it that the enemy had lost their ability to bring fear into the hearts of others? That they had somehow become so anemic and undaunting in their presence that they brought absolutely no fear and concern to others?
No. Because all the other men of Israel fled. Obviously these Philistines brought fear and terror into the hearts of everyone else.
Was it that he was just tired of running, and he really had nothing left to preserve his life for, that somehow this might bring an end to an otherwise useless existence?
No. I don’t think so. This man is listed as on of the three greatest warriors in all of Israel, so I would assume that his life was anything but useless and boring.
So then, what was it?
In my opinion, I think it can be summed up in one word: others! I would like to think he stood his ground not for himself, but for others. The way I see it, he was the kind of man who cared more about others than he cared about himself.
It was others’ hunger that moved him, others’ dignity that made him stay that day, others’ children were on his mind, others’ families were at stake, others’ pain, etc. that caused him to take a stand that day.
To prove my point, look at when David was thirsty for a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem. It was then that Shammah and a couple of others risked their own lives to bring him a drink from the well at Bethlehem. You see, it was about others!
I think we become fearless when we take a look around us and see the needs of others are more important than our comfort, our safety, and even our security. How many times have we heard of someone who has run into a burning building or risked their lives to pull someone out of a car or gone against someone with a weapon, only to have them say, “I’m not a hero. I only did what anyone would’ve done.”?
Truth is, not “anyone and everyone” would’ve done it. But these people have an awareness and a deep respect for the lives of others. Even at the risk and expense of their own.
This is what life is all about: others. It’s never been about you, and it will never be about you. If you want to live a fearless, over the top, above and beyond, abundant kind of life, then live it for others! May 2019 be the year that you take a stand, for others!
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for the revelation that my life is not my own, but it is for others. Your story in my life serves as a reminder of what you’ve done for me, so others can see your truth through my life in this world. Lord, help me to be fearless for others in 2019 as Shammah was for his fellow man, that I may put them above my own life for your glory. In Jesus name, amen!