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?
No comments:
Post a Comment