And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? (2 Samuel 3:38, ESV) 

You may not know this story. After David was anointed King, and as he ascended in power and authority, his house and army fought against Saul’s house and army, even after Saul had died. Abner was one of Saul’s great men. He had killed Joab’s (David’s senior lieutenant) brother, Asahel. After Saul’s death, Abner was accused by one of Saul’s sons of a sin against Saul. This enraged Abner, and so he made an oath to assist David in his ascendancy of the throne. 

Abner visited David in peace, providing the backing of the elders of Israel as well as promising him his loyalty. When Joab saw that Abner had met with David, he flew hot. He scolded David and hunted down Abner and killed him. When David heard the news, he tore his clothes in mourning, fasted, and buried Abner. It was in his announcement of Abner’s death that he used the words written above. A prince. A great man. 

When I heard that Billy Graham died yesterday, a lot of thoughts flooded my mind. But, this verse stood out in my mind as being applied to Billy. A prince. A great man. 

Billy Graham was great because he gave the entirety of his life to exalting Jesus. Like Abner, he chose to participate in expanding his King’s kingdom. Billy’s source of authority was a constant in his preaching; “the Bible says…the Bible says…the Bible says…” Billy’s call for people to come to faith in Christ was as sure as clockwork. 

While the world will measure his “success” the way the world always does – who he knew (every president from Eisenhower on), how many he preached to (countless millions), how famous he was (TV, newspaper, Hollywood), and where he went (behind the Iron Curtain and around the world) – Billy’s measure of success was found in his relationship to his King. He served Jesus, loved Jesus, and trusted in Jesus. And, in the end, Billy’s hope was only in Jesus.