2 Samuel 21:22
“These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.”
In middle school, I could always be found hanging around with my friend Sean. We spent so much time together, we soon walked and talked the same. Truly, we had a walk; it was more like a strut. If you can imagine two 12 year old kids, 4’10″ tall, weighing in at 80lbs, strutting their way from class to class on the middle school campus, then you have a good idea of what that looked like. My point is, hanging together, we soon became like one another. This principle was true of those who hung around David, and is true of us today.
When we are first introduced to David, he is stepping into a valley to fight a foe that can only be described as a giant. Over 9ft tall and weighing well over 300lbs, stood a warrior that put fear into the hearts of all who saw him. The greatest champions of Israel cowered in their tents at the sound of his bellowing voice. Then came David. A young man, undaunted by the boastings of this giant, boldly approached, and in poetic fashion, defeated Goliath. There is little doubt, being around this young man would have a tremendous effect upon your life. It seems almost predictable, that we should read of David’s friends also conquering giants.
Solomon would later exhort us to choose our friends wisely. One reason is, we become like those with whom we spend time. It is so important to find others who will challenge us to press onward and upward in Christ. I personally want to be around men who will challenge me to be more holy, loving, and bold in my service of Christ.
Look around, are you surrounding yourself with those who influence you to become more like Jesus? Or are you settling for those who will allow you to be comfortable in compromise?
Pastor Jim
Sometimes, determining what God wants us to do can be quite difficult. We can have opposing principles, which can be found in the pages of the Word, applied to the same situation. That is the case with the advice Solomon is providing here. On the one hand, it is folly to attempt to correct a foolish man. Since his thinking is irrational, it is impossible to rationalize with him. The conversation becomes nothing more than a vain argument. On the other hand, if he is not corrected, he will continue on the same path with no hope of escape. When faced with these encounters, we are forced to make a split second decision, seeking God’s best for the situation. Many times we walk away having a much longer conversation with ourselves than we did with the other person; talking out all the things we should have said. Allow me to give just a few tips.
Jim Gallagher 