The Armor Bearer - Is He Tall Enough?

In the short-lived battle between David and Goliath, what happened to the giant's Armor Bearer? The Bible tells us that he was in front of Goliath throughout their confrontation. But we never read where he was taken down or whether he ran and hid. Up until the rock flew from David’s sling, he was in front of the giant.

Apparently, the rock bypassed the armor bearer and struck its intended target, Goliath.  But how, I wondered?  Think about this.

We read how the giant was nine feet, nine inches tall.  He wasn’t referred to as a giant for nothing.  The armor bearer was simply on par with the rest of the Philistine army, size-wise.  Now, this may sound elementary to some, but hear me out.  He just wasn’t tall enough.

I know that there are some who will disagree with this and say that it was destiny, or the anointing, or the hand of God, or any number of spiritual implications.  But sometimes we miss the obvious truths because we look so intently to find the spiritual significance in these situations.  I am not aiming to discredit or un-spiritualize (if that’s a word) this event.  Rather, I want to address this over-looked truth.

The armor bearer walked in front of the giant, carrying any necessary equipment, weapons, and defensive protection.  Before an enemy could reach the giant, they had to go through the armor bearer. The scripture never indicates that David fought or confronted this protector.  Instead, his attack against the giant either went over or around the armor bearer and struck the intended target.

There was no defensive posture or retaliation by the armor bearer.  Rather, he quickly became insignificant.  He presented no challenge to David.  He did nothing to ensure the giant was untouched.  His presence was, essentially, a non-threatening formality.  In the end, it meant nothing because his leader, the one he was supposed to stand in the gap for, was defeated.

This armor bearer was ill-prepared to actually defend the one he was assigned to protect.  He was used to being the face that went with the champion to the battle.  No combat readiness was necessary on his part.  The armor bearer was simply not tall enough to present a challenge. What I see here has nothing to do with right or wrong, good versus evil, or prophetic destiny.  It is merely a realistic observation.

Over the last fifteen or so years, I have witnessed the relevance, and irrelevance, of the position of Armor Bearer in many churches.  I have served in that position myself, learning many lessons, both good and bad.  There are some ministry leaders who utilize their armor bearer appropriately.

But whether you recognize this position or know it by another title, the importance of the armor bearer has been reduced in many circles to be a lap dog, or a gopher (go for this, go for that).  Many leaders today reduce the relevance of this God-ordained calling by limiting it’s potential.  They enjoy the fact that having an armor bearer makes them appear super-spiritual, untouchable, and extra-anointed.  In reality, that attitude equates to high-mindedness and conceit.

Many spiritual leaders have explained that an armor bearer is in that position to not only be a protector of said leader but to be learning humility by serving them in that capacity.   Many have intentionally kept their armor bearer under their grasp so that they won’t have to feel threatened by that persons calling and anointing.  As a result, they have diminished the effectiveness of the armor bearer’s presence.

When I say that Goliaths armor bearer wasn’t tall enough, I am suggesting that he did not have the capability to actually be a protector of the giant.  He was just a gopher. Many armor bearers today are in that same place.  They haven’t grown up enough or been trained to be any more than a face associated with the leader.  They aren’t equipped with the essentials to stand side by side with their leader in battle.  If they were, the enemy would be stopped short of reaching the leader with any form of attack.  Having a protector who is comparable to your anointing, greatly diminishes the possibility of falling to the fiery darts of the enemy.  You would not only be protected, but you would be standing in a place of reinforced strength, position, and effectiveness.  Why would you not want that?

Having an ill-equipped armor bearer is just as serious as having no armor bearer.  If they can’t stand with you, defend you, fight for you, and fight with you, send them back to join the rest of the army.  How do we fix this?

We need to train our armor bearers to be more than a lap dog.  They need to be equipped with these three things:

1) discernment – Recognition of the presence and potential of the enemy is key to being prepared to go to battle on behalf of the leader.  If you can see it, you will know in which direction you should be positioned to be the most effective.

2) confidence -  The armor bearer must be confident in their ability and anointing to take the initiative to go on the attack rather than stand back and wait for something to happen.  Spiritual warfare is a much-needed teaching for anyone serving in the armor bearers position.  God says that His people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge.

3) authority – A true leader will instill a level of authority in his armor bearer that will cause him to not back down or keep quiet when he witnesses a potential attack on the leader.  This does not give him the power to overrule the leader, but it does enable him to proceed with addressing the enemy without always asking for permission to do so. That permission should be pre-authorized; before any threat of attack.

Thank God for our armor bearers.  The necessity of their position is of utmost importance in the Body of Christ.  If the shepherd is knocked down, the sheep will wander aimlessly in the wilderness and eventually into enemy territory.  However, if an anointed and equipped armor bearer is on post, there is no attack that will be able to destroy his leader.   

The question, leaders, is this - Is your armor bearer tall enough to be effective?

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Clean, but Cracked

             It seems that there are so many saints in the Body of Christ living well below the level of victory that has been provided for them.  We become so focused on what God has done for us that we fail to recognize what He wants to do in us next, tomorrow or next month or next year.  At that point, we have stopped the progression of the Holy Spirit’s work in us and stunted our spiritual growth. 

            We have settled for being cleansed but not advanced to the place of wholeness.  Cleansing is good, and it is necessary.  However, if we desire sustained victory over our enemy, we cannot achieve it without being made whole.

            To be cleansed means that you have been made clean or purified.  Something, or someone, can be clean but still cracked.  Sometimes, we as Christians get dirty and stained.  But we are fortunate in that we know how to get ourselves washed up and get the stains out.  We can clean up time after time.  Eventually, though, continued washing will wear away the foundation and substance of a vessel if it remains cracked. 

            Now, to be whole means that you are unbroken or complete.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t pick up a little dirt from time to time.  But it does mean that the dirt will not destroy us.  It means that while we are consistently requiring a fresh cleansing, our foundation and our substance remain intact.  We are whole, complete.

            You can receive cleansing and still not be whole.  This equates to confession without repentance, the crucifixion without the resurrection. Why would you stop with something good when you can go on to something greater and end up right in the middle of God’s best?

            A fitting example of this halted progression is the story of the ten lepers found in St. Luke, chapter 17.  Upon reading the passage, it does not specify that any of the lepers were not healed or cleansed.  Indeed, all ten were healed and cleansed by the power of the spoken Word of Jesus Christ.  But, make no mistake.  There is a failure in the process here.

            You see, once Jesus had seen the lepers and acknowledged their condition, He directed them to go and show themselves to the priests as legal proof of their cleansing.  The scripture tells us that as they were going down the road, they were healed.  They were healed as they went.  He did not touch them or even wave His hand over them.  Their simple obedience to His Word caused the healing to manifest as they walked.

            As they went and were cleansed, no doubt they all shouted and celebrated.  All of them but one allowed their shout to get their focus off the source of their cleansing.  Don’t let your shout distract you from God’s purpose.  We can achieve victory and still miss God, all while shouting. 

            Here we have the separation in the process.  Nine of the lepers continued down the path to the priests as directed.  You must give them credit.  They were obedient.  Since their request for mercy had been answered, why would they do anything other than what they were told?

            So, the nine lepers went on their merry way to do as ordered.  When Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, they did just that: they went and showed themselves. They forgot the one who made their healing possible.  Anytime we fail to recognize God as the source of anything good in our lives, we open the door for pride to come in and make a fool out of us.  No doubt, they received plenty of publicity once their cleansing was confirmed.  The story became all about them instead of being all about Jesus.

            The one leper that they left behind had the correct response.  We know that 1 Samuel 15:22 says that obedience is better than sacrifice.  So, you obey before anything else, right? 

            Don’t get this twisted.  This leper did obey the Word of the Lord.  The Bible tells us that he was healed as he went.  But when he realized that he was healed, or cleansed, his focus turned from the priests back to Jesus.  He was no longer concerned with reaching the priests.  In his heart, thanking the healer was more important than showing off his healing. 

            That same separation is prevalent in the lives of so many of us today.  We receive some sort of miracle at the hands of the Lord and we want to camp out at the memory of that miracle.  Sometimes we can allow our testimony to hold us back from the next step in God’s plan and purpose for our lives.  We can be so consumed with what he did for us, that we basically ignore what He wants to do right now.

            When the man turned back to worship the healer, Jesus asked him about the other nine lepers.  He had no response because he had decided not to follow them, instead choosing to follow his healer.  Jesus then told him that his faith had made him whole.  The man was no longer dirty, cracked, and incomplete.  He was now clean and completely whole.  He was no longer a leper, but a man of God.

            The nine lepers were cleansed but were not made whole because they did not give glory to God. Even though they were physically moving and obeying His Word, they spiritually stopped their own progression.  Once they received what they asked for, their eyes turned from Him. They were clean but still cracked.

            It is nearly impossible to maintain your cleansing without wholeness.  That’s why so many people come to church, profess Christ, go home and fall back into the sin they were just forgiven for.  Confession with no repentance.  They were cleansed but did not allow themselves to become whole.  They got the quick fix but didn’t stick around for the total transformation. Don’t allow yourself to stop just short of God’s best for you.

            Any time you obtain a victory through Jesus, don’t stop and camp out in that happy place.  Don’t get trapped in the memories of past victories, healings, and moves of God.  Instead, you should begin to look ahead to what He has in store for you next.  What victories lie ahead?  What mighty moves of God still lie ahead?  A victory doesn’t mean it’s over.  It simply means, we have made it this far by faith and we will keep on keeping on by the grace of God.  Just because He did something wonderful for you, doesn’t mean He’s finished.  The best is yet to come.  Don’t stop at the good thing.  Go for the best thing! 

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