Pastor's Column 8/9/2026
PASTOR’S COLUMN
17 “But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?” 2 Samuel 21:17, NLT
“Keeping Each Other!”
The rescue of and sustaining respect for King David by his younger soldiers is one of the Bible’s most enduring examples of intergenerational value. David’s concession to a younger group of soldiers he had trained and prepared for battle, speaks to the need we have for each other. Despite the effectiveness of our best efforts, none of us is flawlessly perfect. There will be a moment in our journey when we will become tired need to be refreshed. David, earlier in his life, said of God, “He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul.” (Psalm 23: 2b, NIV). This was not a cry of desperation, but an acknowledgement of God’s care for us when we need Him in times of fatigue. David was a perceptive Shepherd who, unlike the sheep he led, appreciated the Lord’s hand in keeping him alive and well. David, owing to the era in which he lived, was aware of the skills and wisdom he had accrued as a military leader. David lived in a world, not unlike our own, where a nation’s sovereignty is upheld by acquisition and protection of lands and water ways. When the old nemesis of Israel, the Philistines, attacked the Israelite army, David became the immediate target of the enemy. They observed David as weak and fatigued. David would have been assonated, except for Abishai – a younger soldier, who killed the enemy combatant. This experience helped both David and his soldiers realize their need for each other. No longer would David be on the battlefield during a campaign – but he would be in a safe place where he could continue to provide his soldiers with the wisdom of his years, each generation benefits the other. “The glory of the young is their strength; the gray of experience is the splendor of the old.” (Proverbs 20:29, NLT).
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