"Unhappy With Your Assignment?"

Scripture Passage

1 Samuel 30:1-31; 1 Chronicles 12:20-22; 1 Samuel 31:1-13;

1 Chronicles 10:1-14; 1 Chronicles 9:40-44; 2 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 1:1-27

Scripture Focus

“We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” (1 Samuel 30:24 NLT)

Observation

Sharing is a pretty fundamental life-lesson, don’t you think? If you’ve ever raised children of your own--or even volunteered in the church nursery--it didn’t take long before you had to remind a couple of youngsters to “share and share alike.”

David has the same challenge with grown men, when some of his fighting men stay behind to guard the equipment while others head into battle. When all was said and done, some of the fighting men were unwilling to share the spoils of war with those who hadn’t actually swung a sword.

But David operates from a broader principle and establishes a practice that remained at least through the time of the writing of 1 Samuel—

“We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” (1 Samuel 30:24 NLT)

Actually, the practice stretches far beyond that date--it’s a timeless Kingdom principle. Paul identifies the division of labor in 1 Corinthians 3...

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NIV)

And Jesus promised shared reward in John, chapter 4...

Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. (John 4:36 NIV)

There may be days I get to swing the sword, and other days I feel like I’m only guarding the equipment, but God’s Word affirms that each task is essential—and that the reward is equal not so much to the task as it is to the faithfulness I exhibit to the task. The completion of any assigned task—no matter how significant or insignificant I might deem it—carries the promise of hearing Christ’s affirmation:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:21 NIV)