HELLO MI NEIGHBOUR | Beware of bullying God’s people!

Hello mi neighbour! But what a ting dough eenh? Anybody ever si anyting suh? As my mother would say, “but fancy dat”. Wha dem really teck wi fah? Wi maybe likkle, but wi TALLAWAH! Eternal Father is our Jehovah Jireh! Nuff said.

What I like about Jamaica is that we are a God-fearing nation. Bible principles were ingrained in, especially the adult population, in our formative years through school, Sunday School and Sabbath School. Boy, weren’t we schooled! Our parents/guardians made sure that we were “trained up in the way that we should go”. Hence our abhorrence of the abominable over the years.

I remember vividly that if the Bible did not sanction it, our parents did not approve it. We were bored and miserable, but give thanks for those days. As adults, nobody can fool us; wrong is wrong and right is right. Our laws are based on the unalterable teachings of the Bible. Full stop.

One Bible story I found fascinating as a child was about David and Goliath. Goliath was a giant who was strong and brash. He was a “Champion of the Philistines” who had come out to war against Israel. Everyone was afraid of him because he seemed invincible and his boastful defiance was intimidating.

David was a boy who had never seen a battle, with the exception of protecting his father’s sheep in the wilderness. This youngster was only near to the battle because his father had sent him to deliver supplies to his older brothers. So, he was simply a delivery boy.

The notorious bully, Goliath, thought that he could bully everyone including little David and get away. Little did the giant know that he was not just defying the army of Israel, but the God of Israel. Don’t be fooled by His loving kindness, patience and long-suffering nature.

Goliath had faith in his helmet of brass, a metal coat weighing between 125 and 194 pounds, his shin-piece of brass, a plate of brass covering the chest, a staff and a spear with a head weighing 17-23 pounds. Yuh know ‘bull bucker and duppy conqueror’? That was Goliath of Gath.

David’s armour which could not be seen by the natural eye, was made of truth, a breastplate of righteousness; his footwear was peace; his shield was faith, and his helmet was salvation. Little David was powered by prayer as he stepped forward with a sling shot and five smooth stones in his hand to do battle against the powerful giant.

As David and Goliath squared off for battle, hear Goliath, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “And I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” Read the full account in the Bible.

Now for David, “You come against me with sword and 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 deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head... (have you watched the movie?) I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, 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 ….”

And David slew the loudmouth giant with a sling and a stone.

Goliath trusted in his armour. David trusted in his God. That’s the story of David and the bully, Goliath.

The moral of the story: Be careful how you go around bullying, especially, those whose hope is in the Almighty!

HELP A NEIGHBOUR

Before you go, kindly help us to help a neighbour with items below:

Stove, bed, mattress, building materials sewing machine, table, chairs, second-hand settee, etc.

To help, please call Silton Townsend at 876 649-9636; or deposit in acct #351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to HELLO NEIGHBOUR C/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Paypal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor an agent of The Gleaner.