In 2nd Samuel 23 we find an account of David’s mighty men. These men were hand-picked for their fighting prowess and loyalty. The passage chronicles some of their exploits ranging from a single mighty man killing 800 men in one encounter to getting their king a drink of water from a special fountain behind enemy lines.
A curious story in the list is when Benaiah went down into a pit on a snowy day and kills a lion. This seems at best a little random and at least is out of sync with the rest of the achievements. However, this encounter with the lion got me to thinking, “What is the modern day equivalent to heading down into a pit on a snowy day and killing a lion?” Honestly, most of us can’t identify with the largely militaristic adventures of these mighty men and we sure don’t see lions in pits this side of the Fort Worth Zoo.
That said, I find myself wanting to be a mighty man for God. I want to get in on some adventure for the King and have my hand freeze to a sword! I want to go out of my way, on a snowy day and take on a large beast, (without getting a felony record). So what is one to do in 2013 that could be considered a mighty act in the service of the Lord?
I asked this same question to my son’s Awana group of boys after reading them all about the mighty men of David. Answers ranged from purposefully sitting with the school’s new kid at lunch to telling someone about Jesus that they didn’t even know. I liked these answers. It was a bunch of elementary-aged boys thinking through how they can go out of their way to serve God and others.
What about you? Got any lions that need slaying on a snowy day?
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