While David and four hundred of his men set out to defeat the Amalekites (1 Sm 30:1–26), two hundred men stayed behind to watch the supplies because they were too exhausted to fight. I call these men the “taxi squad” They were not the frontline players, but they were nonetheless absolutely essential to the team. After his victory, David returned to the camp to greet the men who had stayed behind, even though some of the selfish frontliners did not want to share the plunder with the taxi squad. However, David knew that everyone had a role to play and that the victory had come from God. Therefore, David issued a statute for all of Israel—that while he was in charge all would share in the plunder, including the taxi squad. Every soul was important to David; the only difference is that some souls had more physical ability than others.

David was willing to coach a group of men who were not those typically considered for first choice. The men David chose were distressed, discontented, or in debt (1 Sm 22:2). Likewise, some of us coach the lower skill levels of a sport, while others coach those with higher skill. However, a physically talented man or woman is not more important to God. David was content to coach those whom God had given him. The story of David challenges us to see the players we coach from God’s perspective. Levels do not matter to God. Eventually, David was put in charge over all of Israel, but that did not change the way he viewed each person.