When Right Is Risky - Barzillai Of Gilead

Barzillai of Gilead had come down from Rogelim to escort the king across the Jordan. He was very old, about eighty, and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.

2 Samuel 19:31-32

John Witherspoon, a clergyman and the president of Princeton University, championed high principles and often took risks for the causes he believed in. He even risked his own safety when he signed the Declaration of Independence.

How did Witherspoon approach the risks he took in signing the document? In his own words, “If your cause is just, if your principles are pure, and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.”

Barzillai, a wealthy resident of Gilead, was a fine biblical example of courage in the face of risk and contrary public opinion.

David’s popularity had waned by the time he met Barzillai. The king’s son, Absalom, had staged a coup and assumed the throne, sending David and his loyal men running for their lives. When David stopped in a town called Mahanaim, a hospitable contingent, including Barzillai, gave David and his men food, water, and lodging (see 2 Samuel 17:27-29).

Barzillai knew the risks involved in aiding David, but he still stood up and did what he knew was right.

Barzillai revealed the iron in his soul when he risked his own well-being by caring for a man of God in his most dire hour of need. Many years later, David had regained his throne, quelled the rebellion, and lay on his deathbed. Even then, he remembered Barzillai’s kindness and courage and commended the man’s children to his son Solomon (see 1 Kings 2:7).

Godly character means doing and saying what you know is right, even when no one seems to be watching. It also means doing what is right when others are watching—even those who despise God and his Word. God sees your good character, and he will bless you for it.