Imagine that someone, before you were born, made headlines as a national hero. So when you find out about it, it’s some years later. But when you do, you—as a teen—realize this hero was also a teen. Then you realize that they lived in your community. Maybe you know their street, or even the house they lived in.

Or imagine you find out it’s one of your relatives; perhaps you find out at a family reunion or a Thanksgiving dinner. Imagine you’ve known this relative for a while, but it wasn’t until later in life that you learn of this heroism they performed as a teen. That is exactly what happened for some young people in the Bible.

2 Samuel 21:15-17 read: “Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. …”

Abishai, who intervened for David and slew Ishbibenob, was the son of Zeruiah. 1 Chronicles 2:16 shows us Zeruiah was David’s sister. The chronicler here is showing Abishai’s relation to David, so Abishai was David’s nephew. (Zeruiah was also the mother of Asahel and Joab. All three of her sons performed remarkable feats for David.)

2 Samuel 21:18 reads: “And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.”

This giant-slayer of David’s was from Hushath, which was a neighboring town of Bethlehem—David’s hometown.

Verse 19 says that “Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”

So this giant-slayer, Elhanan, was from David’s hometown, and he slew Goliath’s brother—who, in the companion verse of 1 Chronicles 20:5, was named Lahmi.

The next two verses in 2 Samuel 21 tell us of one more giant-slayer: ”And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.” (verses 20-21).

Jonathan was another nephew of David. David’s brother, spelled here as Shimea, is Shammah (see 1 Samuel 17:12-13). When David’s three oldest brothers went to fight in the battle where Goliath was, Shammah—the third oldest—was there!

Think about that! Your young-teenager baby brother kills the giant that you and your brothers (and all who were in the army) were afraid of. One day you have a son, and he learns the history of David and Goliath. And your boy thinks, That was my uncle—when he was a boy! So that son of Shammah, David’s nephew, became a giant-slayer too.

So, of those giant slayers mentioned back in 2 Samuel 21, two were David’s nephews, one was from David’s hometown of Bethlehem, and another was from a neighboring community. David’s exploits as a teenage giant-slayer inspired those from his own area. His exploits inspired his own family.

They likely wouldn’t have known David as a teen (except maybe Abishai, if Zeruiah was a bit older than David, as the Bible may imply). But learning the history about them, they would have especially identified with him. To think about a national hero as This was someone from my community, my hometown, my family reunions who did all this! That made David the perfect role model for them.

Psalm 71, almost certainly written by David, talks about David’s efforts to educate the next generation about his history with God. ”O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works” (verse 17).

David felt a personal responsibility to inspire youth about his history with God. So he would have been sure these nephews of his and children of his neighbors knew about it. The Revised Standard Version renders it: “O God, from my youth thou hast taught me, and I still proclaim thy wondrous deeds.”

Verse 18 reads: “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not …”

He asked God for special ability to teach this generation and everyone to come. And you could say he certainly declared his exploits to those nephews and neighbors.

One of King David’s chief musicians, Asaph, said in Psalm 78 that he would “utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us” (verses 2-3). The psalm continues: “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (verses 4-7).

This history points us to God. We have to get to know yesterday’s youth. They are the role models of today. They give us hope—just like they stirred those nephews and neighbors of David.

Role Models of Tomorrow

Now project your mind into the future, and consider how you will be viewed by the youth of tomorrow.

Think of the teens you come into contact with today. How inspiring will it be for them, when they realize what you were a part of? When they realize, I went to school with one them! Or, I lived in the same subdivision! Or, They were one of my relatives!

Zechariah 8:23 gives a picture of people grabbing hold of your sleeves. They know you have a history with God. They will see you the way those men saw David! The entirety of Isaiah 62 talks about Jerusalem being “sought out.” People will seek you out in the World Tomorrow. They will search out this history. You’ll be out of your teen years, but they’ll want to know about those teen years. They will search out your history—knowing you lived through this cataclysmic final age of man.

You are part of that history! That means you will be highly influential. And people will seek you out!

If you remain loyal to this way of life and look upon yesterday’s youth as the role models of today, then you, as the youth of today, will be the role models of tomorrow!