Where Do You Rank?

When reading through 2 Samuel 23, one would think you are at an awards banquet. Recognition is given to David's mighty warriors. Let's look at how it's broken down:

There was an elite, military group of men, known as "The Thirty". In order to get into that group, you had to exhibit excellent military power and courage, as well as wisdom in leadership. The names of the 30 are listed in this chapter. They are given honorable mention.

But, above them, were men known as "The Three". Jashobeam was the leader of the Three. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle. Next in rank was Eleazar. Once, "he killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift the sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory." Next, there was Shammah. One day, "the Philistines gathered and attacked, and the Israelites fled. But, Shammah held his ground. . . and beat back the Philistines."

Recognition was also given to Abishai and Benaiah. Abishai was the leader of the Thirty, and he once used his spear to kill 300 warriors in a single battle. He was the most famous of the Thirty. Benaiah did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. One day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. On another day, he killed a great Egyptian warrior. David made Benaiah captain of his bodyguard. Even though both Abishai and Benaiah were famous as part of the Thirty, they were not included as part of the Three.

Ranking order. It's still done today. We have those who are at the top, such as David. We have those in positions, right below the leader, such as the Three. Then, there are the ones in the next rank, recognized like the Thirty were. And, of course, as we all know, there are hundreds below them, who do a lot of the work, don't get much recognition, but without their help, the company or organization could not be successful. Irregardless of where you find yourself in the "ranking order", work as unto the Lord. In His eyes, every one's role is important!