February 17, 2011 Nigh-Nothing Dogs

 

"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, 

but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

We call them "nigh-nothing dogs." You know the little dogs that bark incessantly in the little old lady's apartment next door. Maybe you've seen them perched on someone's lap as they drive.  Recently they were Hollywood fashion statements, maybe you saw them being carted around in some socialite's purse. Me, I'm more of a Labrador Retriever guy or possibly a Weimaraner guy , so even the mention of a chihuahua makes my stomach sortof curl. I'm not sure why that is. When I was growing up my family had small dogs. There was one German Shepherd, Pepper, in the mix but mostly it was Toy Poodles.

I can see the value of some smaller dogs, like bunny chasing beagles or squirrel treeing feists but for the most part they seemed like a waste of Puppy Chow to me at least until recently.  I stumbled upon an interesting article about hunting with Dachshunds, WEINER DOGS of all things and it's got me rethinking the whole nigh-nothing mentality.

"Several years ago I received a phone call from a woman in Chapel Hill, N.C. asking me for some recommendations on where she could go hunting with her dogs. When I questioned her about what kind of dogs she intended to used for hunting in our state she replied that she’d use her 'Teckels.' She soon explained that the 'Teckel' is another word for the little dog that many of us know as a 'Dachshund.' I’d always heard that Dachshunds were originally used as badger hunting dogs in Germany, but since we didn’t have badgers here in North Carolina I furthered my questions to Sian Kwa by asking her what she intended to hunt with her dogs. I was floored when she said 'rabbits, ducks, deer and bear.' Envisioning a 600-pound black bear with a little 'wiener-dog' held firmly in its teeth, I then asked Kwa just how big her dogs were anyway. 'Oh, they’re about (15 to) 20 pounds each' she replied. My reply to her was that, 'Lady, a Tar Heel bear will eat a dog of that size like a sausage biscuit.' Kwa replied that her 'Teckels were very capable of hunting about any animal that she expected to come across in North Carolina.'"  

It got me to thinking about something else.  How many times have I missed out on opportunities because I had preconceived notions of how something should be done?  Creative or novel thinking has produced great results in the outdoors and it seems like every year innovative gear is released and I ask myself, "Why didn't I think of that?" 

There are tons of stories in the Bible about God using uncommon things or people to do big things.  One of the best known, the account of David and Goliath, is also one of our family's favorites.  David, just a boy at the time, was the only person in an army full of seasoned, grown men not afraid to fight a giant.  Here's Samuel's account of the fight:

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel's armies— you have defied Him. Today, the LORD will hand you over to me. Today, I'll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD's. He will hand you over to us."  When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung [it], and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine's sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran. The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. (1 Samuel 17:45-52 HCSV)

His appearance, his age and his size didn't matter.  What mattered was that the David was obedient in the face of adversity.  A nigh-nothing boy, in the sight of man, was a do-something hero in the eyes of God.