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11-23-13. 2 Samuel 23:8-39. DAVID’S MIGHTY MEN – my devotional

11-23-13. 2 Samuel 23:8-39. DAVID’S MIGHTY MEN – my devotional

sword

2 Samuel 23:8-39                                                                            Saturday, November 23, 2013

Key verse 23:17                                                                              Kevin E. Jesmer

“and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.”

     Dear Lord, I thank you for guiding us through the rough times in our lives. There are times when we think that we can not carry on, that we just cannot make through one more day. Sometimes I feel like that. But what gets me through is your steadfast presence. I know that the Creator of the heavens and the Earth is always there and when I feel that, I can not go on, I lift my eyes heavenward and utter the simple prayer, “Help me Lord Jesus…grant me strength.” Thank you for being there and answering that simple prayer over and over again. You are my rock and my deliverer. In you alone do I trust. Thank you for this passage. I really like the part of David’s mighty men. Help me to be your mighty man made strong by the grace of God alone. Plant your word in my heart. I pray in Jesus’ might and powerful name. Amen!

Part 1: The Exploits of David’s Men (8-12).

Verse 8-12 and 18-23, “These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. 9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain. 11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.”

18-23, “18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three. 19 He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three. 20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.”

The exploits of several of the most outstanding are recorded here. The names of the Thirty, David’s personal elite corps, are listed (24-39). I really admire these mighty men. They were incredible warriors who only shone more brightly when the odds were overwhelmingly against them. They are so strong and courageous and brave. They were also very humble and loyal and true to God. They loved King David and were willing to lay down their lives to serve God’s purpose for them in their generation. God’s purpose for them was to come alongside King David and support the establishment of David’s Kingdom until the kingdom filled the borders that were revealed in the Scriptures from ancient times and until the Kingdom was dedicated to giving glory to the Lord God of Israel. It was all part of God’s plan to bring the Messiah, Jesus into the world, 1,000 years later. To this end, they fought and risked their lives. This was their general, overall purpose of life. I am sure they were involved in other things in their lives, when they were not fighting. But this was their overall purpose.

We all need to find our overall purpose, and our personal unique calling of life while living in this world. Our overriding purpose of life is to bring glory to Jesus Christ and expand the territory of the kingdom of God by preaching the Gospel, and making disciples of all nations.(Matt 29:18-20) God doesn’t want anyone to perish but all to be saved and have eternal life. And so we preach the gospel, sometimes even risking our own lives. But then there are other missions that some of us are called to. Just as these men took their stand and fought in different battlefields, like a field of lentils, and in different battles, so Christians engage in spiritual warfare in different battlefields. For some it is campus mission, or neighborhood ministry or Native ministry, or a myriad of other mission fields. For some it may be a calling to particular ministry or a region of the world. It may, or may not be the same calling through out your whole life. God can call a person and use a person any way he wishes, for some may be useful in different areas as they enter different seasons of their lives. We need to let God use us he seems fit and leave room to let God be God in our lives. I pray that Jesus may continue to raise up multitudes of mighty men and women of faith who can make a stand and build up Jesus’ kingdom.

These mighty men of David were fearless. One fought against 800 men with a spear. Another kept on fighting until his hand froze to the sword. Another took his stand in the middle of a lentil field and fought valiantly against all odds. What is significant about a lentil field? There was no cover. It was just him and his weapon and God confronting the enemy. He fought and won. This is how the territory of David’s kingdom expanded and grew.

The kingdom of God also grows through people who are willing to take a stand in this world and stand up for Jesus and fight the spiritual battle, not with weapons of war, but with spiritual weapons of prayer, love, service and the word of God. (Eph 6: 10-20) They overcome fear with faith in Christ. They can go to mission fields that most people would say “no” to. They are willing to take their stand, in faith, and fight the spiritual battle. I think that some missionaries are like this. It will take such a spirit to send missionaries to some of the remote communities to the North. It is not easy, but who said being Jesus’ mighty men or women would be?

They were giving their all to the battle. Think of a person wielding a sword until his hand froze to the sword! God calls his servants to love the Lord with all of their heart, mind, soul and strength. (Deut 6:5) They must give their whole hearts to follow Christ. Joash the king was asking Elisha for victory over the Arameans. Elisha told him to strike the ground with arrows.  He only struck only three times. But he should struck it 5 or 6 times. What if he,”freaked out” and struck until he was exhausted and nauseated. He only did 50%, or less of what he should have done.  (2 Kings 13:18)

How could these men so consistently maintain their passion to serve as David’s mighty men for so long? They have been with David for over 30 years. They were with David when he first started running from Saul. They may have been among the hundreds of people that gathered with David, forming the nucleus of his future army and government. But they were faithful to keep fighting along side David. They never lost their passion and zeal. How is this possible?

We can keep our passion and zeal in a certain mission for decades, when certain conditions are met. These may include, having a personal calling, having a sense of ownership for the mission, following God’s personal leading in their lives (following the Missio Dei in your life and in the context of your family), having a sense of convergence, knowledge that what you are involved in has God’s support and blessing, knowing that what you are doing is bearing eternal fruit, knowing that your life’s contribution is making a meaningful contribution to God’s history, having freedom to choose and express yourself, being recognized by God and your peers, knowing that you are making a meaningful contribution. They also needed grace to find rest when they needed rest, for they could not fight with this intensity 24/7. But they knew when to rest and they knew when to fight. There needed a balance, for life is not sprint, it is like a marathon race. It is not easy to keep such intensity and passion, but it possible when certain conditions are met. I thank God for filling my heart with new passion and vision in life to serve my Lord and Savior. Jesus. I have been following Jesus for 27 years. I could be following Jesus for another 50 years. I pray that my life of faith can be filled with passion zeal as were the lives of David’s mighty men.

How can we be so mighty, when we are actually full of weaknesses? Let’s face it, it is hard for me to go to work each day and take care of my basic needs. How in the world could I ever do hand to hand combat, wielding a sword and a spear against hundreds of foes for 30 years?  On our own we are weak. But God makes us strong. King David sang about this in 2 Samuel 22:29-31, “For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”  Apostle Paul revealed the source of his strength in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 which reads, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (ESV)  It is ok to be weak humanly, because then we can come to God in our weakness. We can receive his love and grace and his power. When his power is at work within us then we are able to embrace wonderful exploits for the Lord. Our lives can bring him glory. When we serve God in our weakness, then Jesus gets all the glory and not us.

The men around a leader indicate what kind of man that leader is. The men who fought with and for David were men of courage and valor. They were loyal. They were committed. I am not a leader where I have anyone gathered around me. I have my kids and my wife. I can say that my wife will follow my leadership through thick and thin. My kids are with me because they are not quite ready to go off into the world by themselves and I provide what they need right now. I have a few friends gathered around me, but I do not have anyone who would follow me on the mission field. I may even have a hard time finding someone to give me a ride somewhere. What does this show about my leadership? It shows how far I am from King David’s example. Jesus is one who gathers sincere people around him. People have gathered around Jesus in the billions and have dedicated their lives to follow him. It is because Jesus is so great a God. He inspires us through his love and sacrifice and through his light, he gathers all people to himself.

There might men came from all kinds of cultural backgrounds. Look at verses 24-39, “Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, 27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo, 35 Hezro of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.” (ESV)

David's valiant men

They were a cosmopolitan bunch. They were Israelite and they were Gentile. They came from all kinds of backgrounds. This is a good picture of the church. The church is filled with all kinds of people from all different nations. They all form the body of Christ. We all serve Jesus together, side by side, as one body. I pray that our church may continue to grow in diversity. I pray that I may be open to co-work with all kinds of different people, overcoming cultural differences.

Part 2: the Three, And A King Worthy of Loyalty (13-39).

Three of these men did something that revealed not only their great love for David, but also the purity of David’s own heart before God. Look at verses 13-17, “And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.” (ESV) When David longed for water from the well in Bethlehem, these men risked their lives to break through Philistine lines and get it for him. But David refused to drink the water. Their placing of their lives on the line, to provide this small pleasure for David was too much for David to accept. He accepted their love and their willingness to serve and their faith, but he refused to indulge himself with something that involved such a sacrifice. He poured it out before the Lord. That means that he accepted as a type of offering. He was thankful for their effort.

Prayer: “Lord, help me maintain my passion and my zeal as I serve you in the spiritual battle.”

One Word : Discover what it means to Jesus’ mighty man or woman of God.

 




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