At the beginning of this year Gina and I recommitted ourselves to read through the entire Bible using a daily reading schedule. This program is reacquainting us with some lesser-known, but still outstanding, heroes of faith. One such individual deserves a spot in the “Senior Saints Hall of Fame” – Barzillai the Gileadite.
Barzillai was 80 years old, which by the standards of that day was a very advanced age (2 Samuel 19:32), and he readily admitted his physical abilities had declined (2 Samuel 20:25). Barzillai didn’t allow that, however, to prevent him from performing an invaluable service to David at a time when the king desperately needed his help.
You can read the dramatic story in 2 Samuel Chapters 15-18. David’s ambitious and treacherous son Absalom had led an open rebellion against his father, and David and his faithful warriors were forced to flee for their lives. The sight of David, deserting Jerusalem and continuing barefoot up the Mount of Olives, head covered with dust, weeping as he went and all the people weeping with him, is one of the most indescribably sad scenes in Scripture.
It was at this critical moment, when so many had turned against him and David’s life hung in the balance, that his old friend Barzillai comes to the rescue. Realizing the king had not had time to arrange for supplies, Barzillai quickly gathers and delivers a great store of provisions: foodstuffs such wheat, barley, beans, lentils, honey, curds, and cheese, but also bedding, bowls, and pottery (2 Samuel 17:27-29). From his story I glean three lessons.
THOUGHTFULNESS. Many people wept for David, but Barzillai took action to help the king. Just between us, I have often found older Christians to be especially thoughtful in practical ways, perhaps because they themselves have been through more of life’s ups and downs.
GENEROSITY. Barzillai was physically unable to join in the fight that followed, but he was willing to use his resources to support the warriors who could. In the same way, many senior saints are making ministries possible through their generous gifts.
LOYALTY. The best commentary on Barzillai’s example is not found in a book but on YouTube. Go to that website, look up Tracy Lawrence’s song entitled “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” and reflect on the aptness of its lyrics. Given the fact that the kingdom had been plunged into civil war, and the outcome for David and his men was so uncertain, a lesser man might have “hedged his bets” and remained safely on the sidelines. Barzillai’s loyalty, however, never wavered.
There’s an old saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Solomon echoes that sentiment in Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” You’ll never forget the kindness of a loyal friend who comes to your aid when the chips are down and it seems the whole world has turned against you.
That was certainly true of David. At the end of his life, when David was on his deathbed, he gave final instructions to his son Solomon. One of the very last things David said before dying was “Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom” (1 Kings 2:7).
-Dan Williams
Franklin, Tennessee