June 25 Devotion: The Field of "Lentiles"

2 Samuel 23:11-12

11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.

12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.

         Shammah was one of David’s mighty men and he fought against the Philistines in a field of lentils. (Lentils are a vegetable that has a high dietary protein value and was a common crop in the days of King David.) This battle is only given a brief account in the Bible, but it declares a great truth: standing against the enemy is never insignificant. It may seem that the field was not worth defending. Shammah was putting his life on the line for a vegetable garden. He could have fled like the other people did and no one would have thought any less of him, but he had a different perspective and had a better character than most. His stand was based on what was right, not on what was convenient or popularly common. He fought because the enemies of the king (and the enemies of God’s people) should have no claim to anything that belonged to the nation. To give up even a small parcel of ground would be too much for Shammah. He had a duty that he took seriously, and it was not a surface responsibility that could be lightly discarded but was a deep rooted commitment. He believed the battle was justified and must be fought.

         This ensample of Shammah defines the stance that all Christians should take in the spiritual battles that we all face. To run should not be an option. To give ground to the enemy (no matter how small a parcel) should be considered unacceptable. The devil has no right to the things of God, and we must defend them in the power that God gives us to make a stand. Notice carefully the last phrase of the passage, “and the LORD wrought a great victory”. Shammah had committed himself to the Lord’s work and God empowered him to fight the good fight of faith. What he was able to do came through the provision of God. If we would give our availability to God, he will give us his ability to make a stand. Don’t give up any ground to the devil. He has no claim and does not deserve even one little lentil.

In Christ’s Service,

Bro. Adrian Moore

2 Cor. 4:5