Call me Grateful

I need you to join me on a short journey today as we explore one of the most epic battles in world history. You won't believe it, but I've discovered an individual that many people probably overlook. Trust me, I went back to the original Hebrew text to confirm his mention, and indeed, he is there. Now, grab your Bible and turn with me to 1 Samuel 17:41.

In Hebrew it says:

וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔י הֹלֵ֥ךְ וְקָרֵ֖ב אֶל־דָּוִ֑ד וְהָאִ֛ישׁ נֹשֵׂ֥א הַצִּנָּ֖ה לְפָנָֽיו

Key Phrase Breakdown:

• Wayyelek hapelishti (And the Philistine went/came)

• holek weqareb (walking and drawing near/approaching)

• el-Dawid (to/against David)

• weha'ish nose hatshinah (and the man carrying the shield/buckler)

• lefanaw (before/in front of him) 

There's the guy!!! "And the man carrying the shield in front of him."

Now, this guy has no name, so I'm going to give him a good, common Philistine name. Let's call him Yadaya, which, coincidentally, means "grateful."

Can you just imagine, for a moment, how this story played out right in front of Yadaya, and how he chose to remember what happened?

I can already picture him walking toward Eliab, David's oldest brother, with complete shock and awe written all over his face, stammering, "Wh...wha...wh...what just happened?" Eliab's response would likely be something like, "What do you mean? What just happened? Did you not see it?"

"Ye...yes, of course I saw it! I had a front-row seat to ALL OF IT! But what was that?!" would be Yadaya's response before he loses consciousness right there in the Israeli camp.

Abinadab, David's second-oldest brother, comes running toward Eliab, ready to strike down the Philistine, but Eliab stops him, saying, "No, we need to get an account of the words spoken between Goliath and David. Help me get this man into a tent so that he can be questioned!"

When Yadaya finally awakens, he finds himself flat on his back on the dirt inside an Israeli tent, with six pairs of eyes staring down at him. Bewildered, he shifts his body into a sitting position, and the six eyes of Eliab, Abinadab, and King Saul are crouched around him, waiting with anticipation.

"Tell us! What words were spoken between the young David and your warrior Goliath out there on the battlefield?" demands King Saul.

"My lord, I am still trying to make sense of what I just witnessed, but Goliath was his usual self, using profanity as he yelled at the young boy: 'Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?' He was referring to the shepherd's staff in the boy's hand. Then Goliath yelled again: 'Come here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!'"

Then the young boy yelled back: "You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give all of you into our hands."

"Now, forgive me, my lord, but as I stood there holding the shield, I could not help but laugh. I mean, did you see how small that boy is? Did you see how big Goliath was?! I did not think for one moment that the kid stood a chance against the giant, and yet here I sit, completely dumbfounded by what just happened. My lord, please explain to me who this Lord is that can save an army from the most vicious killer I have ever encountered and be able to do so through the hands of a child?"

"I beg for my life and for mercy; I do not wish to die, my lord. For as long as I have breath, I will tell the world of what I have seen here today: that the God of Israel is worthy to be praised! I have witnessed the hand of God move upon a young boy, enabling him to defeat his enemy with a sling and a stone, because his God fought the battle for him. He only needed to believe... and so he did."

"I stood behind that shield that I carried for Goliath, thinking there was no way this big warrior would ever be beaten by a kid. I laughed and mocked his faith, but I was wrong."

"I am grateful to have been a part of this. I have witnessed the glory of God today, and for generations to come, I will share of His love for His people." - Yadaya

When I read about this unnamed man, I couldn't help but imagine what this very famous story would have looked like through his eyes. This is just a short snippet of the thoughts that came tumbling out, and I wanted to share it with you. Maybe one day, I'll sit down and rewrite this story as a novel from this guy's perspective... who knows?