Honoring a Giant Killer

Honoring a Giant Killer
Words of Faith 4-1-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Samuel 21:15-22
[15] Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. [16] And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new [sword], said he would kill David. [17] But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, saying, "Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished."
[18] In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
[19] In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod.
[20] In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot--twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. [21] When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him. [22] These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

In the last chapters of 2 Samuel, various battles are related near the end of David's life. These accounts do not follow a specific timeline, but it is clear that David was no longer the robust young warrior of former days. David was old and weak, but he was still encountering giants.
David was still walking the fields of battle when a Philistine giant named Ishbi-Benob advanced on him. The giant saw a chance to kill the legendary giant slayer, David. The Giant was armed with a spear that had a spearhead weighing about seven and one-half pounds and a new sword—literally "armed with a new thing." David was facing both old armaments and the latest technology.
But David was not alone. Just in time, Abishai came to David's aid and killed the giant. David did not protest. David's warriors were now concerned because they had come so close to losing their king. They advised him to stay off the battlefield for his safety. His death would mean the end of his leadership and the snuffing out of Israel's illumination. He was too valuable to risk on the battlefield.
There were other encounters with giants—these huge battlefield champions who stood in the line of Goliath. But now, these battles were handled by others. Sibbecai, a heroic Israelite, slew the Philistine giant Saph. A young warrior named Elhanan felled a giant who was named Goliath— probably after the original champion that David slew as a young lad. Yet another giant, with six digits on each hand and foot, was killed by David's nephew, Jonathan. With this giant's death, the terror caused by the Philistine giants came to an end.
As the era of the original giant killer was drawing near to a close, so was the age of the "giant champions." The mantle of battle was passed on to younger warriors, but the lamp of Israel, the Davidic throne, was still intact.
The great truth here is that there is a time for a leader to leave the field of battle and allow younger warriors to fight the new giants and the new technology. This is not a matter of declining usefulness; it is a matter of increasing value. The worry for Israel was not that David could not "hack it" any longer. The concern was that they might lose their beloved leader and the inspiration that came through his presence. This was a time to honor David, not put him out to pasture.
We can learn a great deal from biblical patterns of honor and leadership. Rather than "retire" aging leaders in favor of cheaper human resources, Israel honored elders who had proved themselves in the field of battle and in circles of leadership. Israel valued the wisdom of age and experience as a gift from God. We can do well to follow the same path.

Father God, help me honor the elder soldiers, leaders, and statesmen of my community, country, and church. Help me see and follow the pattern of lifting the burden of leaders and setting them free to listen and lead. Help me honor the wealth You have given through people who have fought battles and dealt with giants so that I would not have to fight them. Teach me the way of honor. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.