The Way of the Warrior: An Ancient Path to Inner Peace

by Erwin Raphael McManus

It is not only true that the warrior is called to serve; it is also equally true that the servant must become a warrior. David was a warrior both when he was a shepherd and when he became a king. As a shepherd, he fought to protect his sheep. As a king, he fought to protect his people. The spirit of a servant is to sacrifice one’s own life for the good of those they serve. Still, David reminds us that there is a difference between the way of the warrior and becoming a man of war. The way of the warrior is always a posture of servanthood. Our strength was never meant to be an act of violence or aggression, yet in David we see glimpses of our most heroic selves. He saved a sheep from the mouth of a lion; he killed Goliath with the swing of a stone; he established a nation; he called the people to love God and serve him only. By any measure, David was a great man. And as we will discover by any measure, he was painfully flawed. This should not discourage us but rather give us hope. We are told that David was a man after God’s own heart. The heart of God is the heart of a servant. This is the heart that David struggled to have formed in himself.