Barzillai!
2 Samuel 19:32 ‘Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man.’
The word ‘help’ is pretty rare in a society that turns a blind-eye and deaf-ear to the cries and pleas of people in need! This being the scenario, ‘help during times of danger’ is a rare commodity that we seldom hear of. The eerie and horrified rape and murder of a medical student in Delhi last year and how she lay neglected on the road bleeding to death is a grim reminder of the callous attitude of our society! It sends a shiver up our spine! Friends, let us be people with spine and be audacious to help people in need!
Friend, ‘playing safe’ is okay but let’s walk the extra mile to serve God. Are you with me? We have taken great risk and accommodated young teen boys into our ‘Abide Angel Home’ who were loitering streets, picking rags, addicted to alcohol and many other habitual sins for many, many years and who have been rejected by their own family because they need love mixed with strict discipline and help to start life afresh. Click Prize Distribution’ to view amazing testimonies of these children.
In the above mentioned scripture we read of a man called ‘Barzillai’, not many would have heard about this wonderful man, have you? He ventured and volunteered to help king David during the most darkest moment of David’s life, while he was running away from his own son Absalom. The David that we encounter in the second book of Samuel chapter seventeen is not that vibrant, pulsating, young David who ran against giant Goliath but here we see a broken-hearted and tired David who was running to save his life from his own son Absalom. Just read this scripture to understand the background:2 Samuel 17:16 “Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.” The enemy was ready to swallow the King and his people! After king David crossed Jordon and came to a place called Mahanaim, an elderly man called Barzillai and a few other men came with wagon loads of ‘goodies’ to meet David who was weak, tired, depleted, miserable and in pain. Look what they got:
• 28 they brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds,
• honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness." (2 Samuel 17)
Don’t miss to read the item ‘bed’ among the various other stuff! God knew David and his men were tired and they need some rest very badly. Mother’s heart of a great God! How comforting to have a Father like Him! Agree? Barzillai knew the blood hounding Absalom was after David; yet he helped David. He was 80 years old and had all reasons to give excuses; yet he volunteered to help David. Despite the pastors desperate plea for help in the church, our youngsters rush back home to watch TV and browse Facebook. How many of you stay back in the church after service to help the pastor? Barzillai was a rich man and could have said that he was ‘very busy with board meetings’; yet he left all to help David. His age had not dipped his passion for God and His servants! Where are the BARZILLAIS’ in our church and society???
When people say, ‘my son had exams, the weather was bad, I had cough or I had stomach ache etc, hence I missed church service’, I only feel, we need more of ‘godly stuff’ in us to overcome all these and propel us like a gushing engine to travel to reach His Sanctuary.
When was the last time you walked the extra mile to serve God and help others in need?
