Fathers And Sons: Who Will We Follow?

Family –December 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

A QUESTION FOR FATHERS AND SONS:
Who Will We Follow?

“The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.” 1 Samuel 17:13 NKJV

“There was a war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature ... and he also was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea (Shammah), David’s brother, killed him.” 1 Chronicles 20:6-7

David’s older brother Shammah (or Shimea) followed Saul – the people’s choice for king – to fight the Philistines. But when Goliath came out and defied Israel, Shammah cowered along with all the other men of Israel. And David slew Goliath.

Now consider what Shammah’s son Jonathan did. He conquered Goliath’s son, who was perhaps even more of a monster than Goliath himself, as he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (1 Chr. 20:6).

What made the difference between Shammah, the cowering father, and Jonathan, his conquering son? Was it not the one whom they followed?

Perhaps Shammah joined in with Eliab to rebuke David when he stood up in the Lord’s strength against Goliath (1 Sam. 17:28).

But it was in following David, the “man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), that Jonathan, Shammah’s son, conquered one whom his father could not.

Fathers and sons, who are we going to follow today? Will it be God’s choice, the Lord Jesus? Or will it the people’s choice, someone like Saul?

By Tom Steere