Press the arrow to listen Rich Mullin’s Song “If I Stand” sung by Jars of Clay.

Scripture
David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. 2 Samuel 23:15-16

Observation
These names sound like the starting line up from a dragon-slaying video game: Jashobeam the Hacmonite, Eleazar son of Dodai, and Shammah son of Agee. These men were like the bronze heroes of Iwo Jima raising the flag under enemy fire. Each of them had done the deeds of heroes. But what gave them the honor of being known as THE THREE was not that they were heroes but that they were hearers of their leader.

THE THREE, were David’s closest men in battle. It was not their rank that brought them close to the king, but their heart. Sure they had proved themselves in remarkable ways by standing alone in the thick of battle. But what made them worthy of flighting beside the giant slayer David was the sensitivity of their hearing to the desires of the king. David sighed for water and they laid down their lives to get him a drink.

Application
Heroes are not helpful, hearers are. A leader like David needs more than heroes around him, because heroes can easily be in it to be heroic. The spotlight is about them and not their leader. A great leader needs hearers around him, who can lay down more than their lives but their self-interest to meet a leader’s needs.

Prayer
Father, save me from being a hero; help me to be a hearer who is helpful. Amen.