What’s Your Beanfield?

“The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi, where there was a field full of lentils. Israel fled before the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field, successfully defended it, and routed the Philistines. Another great victory for God!” (2 Samuel 23:11-12 The Message)

I used to read this passage and think that Shammah, one of David’s 3 mighty men, was also a lentil farmer; that it was his field, and everyone else could run away but he wasn’t going to let the Philistines get his land. Sounds like the Great American Western to me.

But lately, I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think this was Shammah’s field at all. In fact (if he was anything like me) he may not have even known the difference between a lentil and a lima-bean. All we know is that the enemy was on the attack and this beanfield is where he happened to be when it went down. And we know that everyone else ran away, but that Shammah didn’t budge.

I wonder if, when he was fighting the Philistines (quite possibly hundreds of them), Shammah thought to himself, “This certainly isn’t where I planned to go out in a blaze of glory…I’m not even sure who owns this field”. Maybe not, but whatever he did think, whatever questions he might have had about how he got there, he was prepared to go down fighting for the place he discovered himself when the action got underway.

Perhaps you have found yourself in a place that isn’t of your own choosing. You thought (hoped?) you were going to have your defining moment somewhere very different than where you happen to be. And instead of a fortified city with plenty of weapons and your buddies supporting you, you are standing ankle-deep in mud…with a rusty sword…all alone.

Of course, you always have a choice. You can run away. That is exactly what plenty of people did that day. It’s probably even the smart thing to do. Nobody is going to blame you for living to fight another day. After all, it’s just a beanfield, right?

Or you can stand your ground. Who cares if the conditions aren’t perfect? Who cares if it isn’t your beanfield? Who cares if it’s un-glamourous? You’ve found yourself in the middle of something that needs to be done—so do it.

Sometimes, making that choice is the difference between the mighty and everybody else!

One more question: Was Shammah already one of David’s mighty men when he took his stand, or did he become known because he faithfully defended a beanfield that nobody else cared about? I think it’s the latter.

You don’t do mighty things when you become a mighty person, you become known as a mighty person because you do mighty things.

Even mighty things that nobody else (but God) may notice or care about!