1 Samuel 17:52-58: a reflection

52The men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gai and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron. 53The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. 55When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I can’t tell.” 56The king said, “Inquire whose son the young man is!” 57As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, you young man?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

After David has struck down the giant and won a great victory, and Saul asks whose son this young man is, David's answer is strikingly modest: he simply names himself the son of a servant. Whose son are you, young man? Saul asks. And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. David had just achieved something remarkable, winning a victory that had eluded all the seasoned warriors of Israel; and yet, asked who he was, he did not exalt himself, did not trumpet his achievement, but simply identified himself humbly as the son of Jesse, a servant. His great victory did not go to his head or inflate his sense of himself. This shows humility after great success, not letting achievement inflate us. Stay humble after success; do not let achievement inflate you. David named himself simply, not trumpeting his victory. Great success need not go to our heads. Remain modest even after a great achievement.

Notice David's modesty in the moment of his triumph. He had done what no one else in Israel dared: faced and killed the giant, and won a great victory for his people. It was a moment when he might have exalted himself, basked in the glory, made much of his achievement. But when the king asked who he was, David simply answered that he was the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, a servant. He did not trumpet his exploit or inflate his own importance; he identified himself humbly, as he was, the son of a servant. His remarkable success did not go to his head or change his humble sense of himself. This is a fine example of humility after success. Success, achievement, and praise can easily go to our heads, inflating our sense of ourselves, making us proud, causing us to trumpet our accomplishments and think more highly of ourselves than we should. But David, after a great triumph, remained modest, simply naming himself the son of a servant. This challenges us to stay humble after our own successes, whatever they may be, not letting achievement or praise inflate us, but remaining modest, mindful of who we truly are. We do well to receive success without letting it go to our heads, staying humble as David did. Stay humble after success; do not let it inflate your sense of yourself. Do not trumpet your achievements or think too highly of yourself. Receive success and praise without letting them go to your head. Remain modest, mindful of who you truly are, after any triumph.

That is worth taking to heart, for humility after success, not letting achievement inflate us, is a fine thing, as David, after his great victory, simply named himself the son of a servant. We can let success, achievement, and praise go to our heads, inflating our sense of ourselves and making us proud; but David, after a triumph that had eluded all Israel's warriors, remained modest, identifying himself humbly. Success need not inflate us. After your own successes, stay humble; do not let achievement or praise go to your head, but remain modest, mindful of who you truly are. Stay humble after your successes, not letting achievement or praise inflate your sense of yourself but remaining modest and mindful of who you truly are, as David, after he had struck down the giant and won a great victory that had eluded all the seasoned warriors of Israel, when the king asked whose son he was, did not exalt himself or trumpet his achievement but simply answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite; for David's great victory did not go to his head or inflate his sense of himself, and this is a fine example of humility after success, since success, achievement, and praise can easily go to our heads, inflating our sense of ourselves, making us proud, and causing us to trumpet our accomplishments and think more highly of ourselves than we should, but David, after a great triumph, remained modest, simply naming himself the son of a servant, which challenges us to stay humble after our own successes, whatever they may be, not letting achievement or praise inflate us but remaining modest and mindful of who we truly are, so that we do well to receive success without letting it go to our heads, staying humble as David did.

Lord, after David has struck down the giant and won a great victory, and Saul asks whose son this young man is, David's answer is strikingly modest: he simply names himself the son of a servant. Whose son are you, young man? Saul asks. And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. David had just achieved something remarkable, winning a victory that had eluded all the seasoned warriors of Israel; and yet, asked who he was, he did not exalt himself, did not trumpet his achievement, but simply identified himself humbly as the son of Jesse, a servant. His great victory did not go to his head or inflate his sense of himself. This shows humility after great success. Show me David's modesty in the moment of his triumph. He had done what no one else in Israel dared. It was a moment when he might have exalted himself, basked in the glory. But when the king asked who he was, David simply answered that he was the son of Jesse, a servant. He did not trumpet his exploit or inflate his own importance; he identified himself humbly, as he was. His remarkable success did not go to his head. This is a fine example of humility after success. Success, achievement, and praise can easily go to my head, inflating my sense of myself, making me proud, causing me to trumpet my accomplishments and think more highly of myself than I should. But David, after a great triumph, remained modest, simply naming himself the son of a servant. This challenges me to stay humble after my own successes, whatever they may be, not letting achievement or praise inflate me. Take that to my heart, for humility after success, not letting achievement inflate me, is a fine thing. After my own successes, keep me humble, Lord; do not let achievement or praise go to my head, but help me remain modest, mindful of who I truly am, receiving success without letting it inflate me, as David simply named himself the son of a servant after his great victory.