Be Where You Should Be, and Do What You Should Do
“And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.” (1 Samuel 17:13-18)
This passage is from the story of David and Goliath, one of the most famous stories in the Bible. For those not familiar with the story, David was a young Hebrew. Goliath was a Philistine giant, an idol worshipper. Goliath had challenged Israel’s best man to a duel to the death. No one in Israel would take him up on it, but someone was about to. That someone would be David.
David didn’t intend to fight, at least not at first. Yet God allowed David to be in the right place at the right time. David would defeat and kill Goliath with a stone and a sling and save many lives. Here are some points about David that will help you face danger as a cop.
First, David was willing to honor God in his life. When he heard Goliath’s challenge, he was angry that such an ungodly man would speak against God: “…who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26) As a cop, strive to honor God in how you talk and act overall. It can be tough at times, but the Lord can help you. Pray for help.
Second, David was willing to obey and to work. He obviously wanted to join the army, but he had to feed his father’s sheep. Instead of the excitement of combat, he had to endure the drudgery of caring for sheep. Yet he obeyed. David was also willing to work. When Jesse wanted someone to take the food to the three oldest and get a report, He called David. For some reason, he didn’t call sons #4 through #7. Maybe he knew he could count on David to do the job without complaining.
As a cop, you know who’s reliable on your shift and who isn’t. You know the slackers and the goof-offs. You know who’s likely to be at the next gun run and who isn’t. Be one of the reliable ones, as David was. Be where you should be, and do what you should do.
David was also willing to face danger. Taking on Goliath was like putting the proverbial bell on the cat. Everyone knew it had to be done, but no one was willing to step up. David was willing, but he was also tactically smart. He knew he was skilled with a sling, so it was his weapon of choice. The battle would be dangerous no matter what, but by God’s grace, David would be ready.
When dangerous call are dispatched, go to them. Back up other cops on dangerous calls. When you go to dangerous calls often, you learn to make good tactics a habit. You also increase your likelihood of being in the right place at the right time to do something great, as David did.
Finally, David gave God the glory. He told Goliath he’d defeat him, “…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Samuel 17:46) To David, it wasn’t about him. It was about God. After you get through a dangerous situation, take a moment to thank the Lord for His grace.
God gave you this job. Give Him your best on it. God opened the opportunity for David to do great things. God can do the same for you. Finally, if you aren’t sure you’ll be in heaven when you die but you’d love to be sure, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links”, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 6/18/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822