Scripture Reading
Okay, you can turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel 23. I'll read the chapter. We looked at verses 1-7 last week. We'll take up David's mighty men in verses 8-39 tonight.
So beginning in verse 1, chapter 23, now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse, thus says the man raised up concerning the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, he who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
And if or and he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire. Will He not make it increase?
But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place. These are the names of the mighty men whom David had. Joshub Bashabeth, the Taqmanite, chief among the captains.
He was called Adino the Esnite because he had killed 800 men at one time. And after him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo, the Ahoite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. And the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword.
The Lord brought about great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to plunder. And after him was Shammah, the son of Adji, the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.
But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory. Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam, and the troop of Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephahim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
And David said with longing, Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. And he said, Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this.
Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men. Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zariah, was chief of another three.
He lifted his spear against 300 men, killed them, and won a name among these three. Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.
Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. and he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.
These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. He was more honored than the 30, but he did not attain to the first three, and David appointed him over his guard. Asahel, the brother of Joab, was one of the 30. Elhanan, the son of Dodo, of Bethlehem.
Shammah, the Harodite. Elika, the Harodite. Helez, the Paltite. Ira, the son of Ikesh, the Techoite.
Abiezer, the Anathetite. Mabunai, the Hushaphite. Zalman, the Ahoite. Mahari, the Netaphathite, Helab, the son of Baana, the Netaphathite, Itai, the son of Rebi, from Gibeah, of the children of Benjamin, Baniah, a Parathonite, Hidai, from the brooks of Geash, Abi-al-ban, the Arbathite, Asmatheth, the Barhumite, Eliabah, the Shalabanite, of the sons of Jason, Jonathan Shammah, the Hararite, Ahiam, the son of Sharar, the Hararite, Alithelet, the son of Ahazbi, the son of Meachathite, Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, the Gelonite, Hetzri, the Carmelite, Perai, the Arbite, Igal, the son of Nathan of Zoba, Bani, the Gadite, Zelic, the Ammonite, Nahari, the Barathite, Armorbearer of Joab, the son of Zariah, Ira the Ithrite, Gerab the Ithrite, and Uriah the Hittite, 37 in all.
Introduction
Now, certainly there's another reason than just to stomp English speakers for such lists in our Bible. As I said, this is the mighty man of David. There are various reasons why it is in this particular section. Just a few preliminary thoughts.
We refer to them, or you hear them referred to as the 30, and here at the very end it says there are 37 in all. Vannoy describes it this way, the designation of the 30 is probably best understood as the name of a recognized military contingent whose membership varied from time to time depending on deaths and new additions, rather than as a reference to 30 specific individuals. This is consistent with the statement in 2339B that there were 37 warriors who were members of the 30. Now, if you compare this section with 1 Chronicles 11, verses 10 to 47, it's a similar list there.
Sometimes the names and the spellings are a bit different. For instance, Jashab, Bashabeth, is called Jashobim. That's the first name referenced in verse 8. So there are some difficulties in the text that are far outside of my skill set to try and describe.
We'll take the text as it's written here. in 2 Samuel 23. As well, it has this reference to 37 in all. By my tally, there are 36 names indicated in the section. Probably Joab is the one that we ought to account for as the final one.
Joab is not mentioned in this, obviously his brothers are, and we see that Abishai, the brother of Joab, so Joab is mentioned in the list of mighty men, but not as one of the mighty men. Now certainly Joab was a mighty man in terms of what he did on David's behalf, but again, Vanoi says that Joab's exclusion from the list may be due to his not infrequent insubordination to David, as well as to his involvement in the murders of Abner, Absalom, and Amasa. As well, he will join the conspiracy in 1 Kings 1 to put Adonijah on the throne rather than Solomon. So, we can understand why Joab is not mentioned specifically, but if you do count the names and you end up with 36, it's probably the case that 36 plus Joab is the 37 indicated here.
But even the counting of the names, you may not get 36. It's a bit of a difficult section in terms of certain things and how it identifies these three and these three and so on and so forth. But the 37 indicated here, probably the 36 indicated with Joab. And then as well, I said there are reasons for this list.
In the first place, it's a reminder that David was the sort of leader who didn't demand credit for all of his success. In other words, David wasn't a hog. He didn't say, you know, I got these victories, it was all me, and I'm the only one that should be recognized. No, David was a godly man, and he recognized, along with all Israel, the key role that these military leaders played in serving David.
As well, a reminder that David's military leadership was excellent. He did train these men, he cultivated these men, such that they engaged in mighty exploits. I mean, just the reading of the text, and as we investigate a little bit further tonight, these were some good men in terms of battle, and that does reflect well upon their leader. Also, it is written to honor these particular men themselves.
They were servants of the kingdom of Israel, and we render honor to whom honor is due. It's legit, and it's right that we do so. We don't praise men, but we certainly recognize what men have done, giving glory and honor to God. And then as well, Matthew Henry says this list is given, quote, to excite those that come after to a generous emulation.
In other words, we ought to read about David's mighty men, and we ought to want to do likewise. Now, we may not, you know, take the sword away from a giant, an Egyptian, and kill him with it. But you get the point, we are to emulate soldiers for the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And then the last thing, this again is pointed out by Matthew Henry, he says that this section shows how much religion contributes to inspiring men with true courage.
I think that's a good observation. how much religion contributes to the inspiring of men with true courage. These were courageous, faithful, diligent men, and we can attribute that to the religion of Israel, to the God of Israel, Yahweh, who had commanded them to go and to destroy Canaanites, to destroy Philistines, to destroy those who would menace the people of God. So those are several reasons. Now let's look at the particular section.
I want to look at four things. First, the power behind David's men in verses 8 to 12. Secondly, the sacrifice of David's men in verses 13 to 17. Thirdly, the exploits of David's men in verses 18 to 38, and then finally the reminder of David's sin in verse 39.
Power Behind David's Men
In the first place, look at the power behind David's men. We see that in two references in verses 8 to 12. Notice specifically in verse 10, and then again in verse 12, the Lord brought about a great victory that day. The Lord brought about a great victory.
It's God who is the power behind these men. Nevertheless, God uses bravery, God uses courage, God uses strong-handed men who are able to hold a sword and bring to naught a whole host of Philistines.
Jashobim and Eight Hundred Men
In the first place, he mentions this man called Jashobim. We'll use the identifier from 1 Chronicles. Note specifically, he killed 800 men at one time. I think that if we reflect upon this, it ought to suggest to us a connection with Samson.
Samson was a mighty warrior for God. Samson killed 1,000 Philistines at one time, and then Samson, in his death, brought down a whole host of Philistines as well. And so this Jashobim was a mighty warrior for the Lord God Most High. He killed 800 men at one time.
Let that sink into you. I think sometimes as believers in the 21st century, we can be something of lightweights. You know, we are too tired or too drowsy to read our Bibles or to pray. I can't imagine what it would be like to have the to require the energy to kill 800 men in one sitting or one standing.
I mean, brethren, there are people in the past who have done a lot more with a lot less than we ourselves have. And we ought to learn from Josh O'Beam what it is to be diligent, to be faithful, and to persevere until the very end. This is a great testimony of a servant of God.
Eleazar: Hand Stuck to the Sword
And then Eliezer, the son of Dodo in verses 9 and 10. He fought with David against the Philistines. Notice, it says, he was one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle and the men of Israel had retreated. So the men of Israel had retreated.
That means it's David and Eliezer. They don't have a whole lot of support. They don't have a whole lot of reinforcements. They've got to face this particular Philistine threat on their own.
And I think in some sense, this is oftentimes a picture of the church as well. We saw it with reference to Samson. Again, I think there's a connection here. Samson was a mighty warrior fighting against Philistines.
David's mighty men are mighty warriors fighting against Philistines. Remember that scene in Judges 15. Judah, wants to deliver Samson up to the Philistines. That is a terrible situation.
Judah turns on their deliverer and they deliver him into the hands of the enemy. He had no support, no help whatsoever from his own countrymen. And this same thing is what's happening here with Eleazar. So he stands with David, they gather there for battle, the men of Israel had retreated, and then notice, he arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand stuck to the sword.
Now, again, he's fighting, he's weary, and he doesn't say, well, you know, I'm tired and I'm going to go home now. That's the kinds of things that we see today. We need to stand fast and be faithful, persevering, doing what we're supposed to do. Davis quotes two commentators, Blakey and Kirkpatrick, and they recognize that outside of the biblical record, this was not an unknown phenomena for a man's hand to actually stick to the very sword he's doing battle with.
Blake, he says, a Highland sergeant at Waterloo had done such execution with his basket-handled sword, and so much blood had coagulated around his hand, that it had to be released by a blacksmith, so firmly were they held together. Imagine the scene, blood, hand, stuck to the sword. Probably something like that goes on with Eleazar. There was another battle.
At the close of the massacre of the Christians at Mount Lebanon by the Drusys, that was a religious sect, sort of a Muslim slash Judaistic slash Christian religious sect. It says, at the close of the massacre of the Christians at Mount Lebanon by the Druzes in 1860, Sheikh Ali Ahmad's hand so claved to the handle of his sword that he could not open it until the muscles were relaxed by the fomentation of hot water. So you see, that's probably what's happening with Eliezer. The rest of the people leave.
David and him stand fast to fight Philistines, and he's using his sword such that his hand stuck to the sword. And then that makes the way or paves the way for the children of Israel to plunder the Philistines. Imagine that scene. He does all the heavy lifting of killing people until he can't take his hand off of his sword, and then Israel comes in and plunders the Philistines.
Thanks guys for the help, you know, that sort of a thing. Henry makes this observation concerning Eleazar. He says, Thus in the service of God we should keep up the willingness and resolution of the spirit, notwithstanding the weakness and weariness of the flesh, faint yet pursuing the hand weary, yet not quitting the sword. It's a good lesson that we learn from that particular man.
Shammah: Standing Alone in the Field
And then Shammah, the son of Adji. The children of Israel again flee from the Philistines. It says the Philistines had gathered together, verse 11, into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.
That's a reference to the people of Israel. Unfortunately, we see that pattern in 1 Samuel 17, duplicated time and time again. Remember David's claim to fame in the Valley of Elah. Why does he face the Philistine giant?
Because Israel, along with Saul, is hiding. They're fearful. They don't want to go into the battle, they don't want to go into combat, they don't want to face this enemy of the living and true God. So essentially you have Israel retreat, David comes on the scene and he says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God?
David goes into battle and takes his head clean off. The same sort of thing is here. The Philistines gather together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.
Now what's the temptation? It's to flee with the people. The temptation is, when the reinforcements bail, you follow suit. You can't face them on your own, but not so with this Shammah.
He stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. You see, that's courage in the face of adversity. when all of the people that should be standing with you nevertheless retreat, you face the enemy, you do what God calls you to do, even if it means death, even if it means a discomfort in your hand, or if it means standing alone against the Philistine army. But we see, as I've mentioned, the power behind the men is the Lord God Most High. The ascription of victory is given to Yahweh in verses 10 and 12.
Davis says this. He says, all this is not to negate the raw, daring, and trenchant courage of David's first three warriors. They displayed all that and more. And yet behind all such daring courage and dogged combat stands the fact that the victory was Yahweh's gift.
He used courage and gall to bring his great salvation, but in the last analysis, the deliverance was his doing. So we need to understand that. Yes, we need to be men like what we find in a passage like this, but we need to trust in and realize that victory is of the Lord. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, Solomon says, but victory is from the Lord.
He goes on to say, all God's servants must recognize this secret lest we fail to see our successes as gifts and turn them or ourselves into idols. We need to appreciate that the Lord is the power behind the victory when these men faced successfully these Philistines. But again, God who brings the victory, uses the exploits of these mighty men who didn't shrink back, but who faced these enemies and did so with absolute and utter faithfulness.
Sacrifice of David's Men
Now note, secondly, the sacrifice of David's men, verses 13 to 17. We're not told which men these were. The end of verse 17 seems to indicate that it was the previous three men, though there's no full agreement on this. These three unnamed men.
Notice they are at the cave of Adullam. That reminds us of 1 Samuel chapter 22. David sought refuge there early on in his career when he was an outlaw hiding from Saul. But as well, some of the geography might suggest that it was early in David's reign in 2 Samuel 5, verses 17 to 21.
But essentially what you have is David and his men at the cave of Adullam, the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. Verse 14, David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David said with longing, O that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. Now most commentators recognize that he probably wasn't serious.
Not that it was a joke, but it was like something you and I might say, oh boy, they have this burger place in California that I just love. If I mention that sort of with a nostalgia or with sort of a longing, I don't expect that three of you are going to get in a truck and drive down to California and plunder the Philistines and get that burger and bring it back. So David is saying this, there's this longing for this, they're in a difficult strait, it's probably hot, and he is remembering with fondness this sweet water in Bethlehem. Until the days that we live in, water wasn't always consistent.
Water wasn't always the sparkling clean and fresh sort of thing we get whenever we turn on our tap. So David is musing and he says, oh that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate. Now note verse 16, so the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. I think in the first place this underscores their commitment to David.
Their commitment to David, not in a slavish, wicked, ungodly, or idolatrous way, but these are soldiers who have a high esteem for their leader. This bespeaks the reality that David was indeed a good leader, because men that committed are men who indeed make a statement concerning their particular leader. So they go down, they break through the camp of the Philistines. Think about that.
They break through the camp of the Philistines. How do you suggest they do that? They did it with force, they did it with power, they did it with courage, they did it with an ability that certainly does bespeak God with that. But they break through the camp of the Philistines, they draw water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and they took it and brought it to David.
This is a sacrifice. They spent themselves in the service of David. Matthew Henry goes on to make the observation, if these men so served their Christ, how ought we to serve our Christ? If He calls us to get Him water from Bethlehem, we get Him water from Bethlehem.
If He calls us to follow Him wherever He bids us, we follow Him wherever He bids us. We lead lives of sacrifice, not in the sense that we can atone for our sins, but we're willing to yield our lives up for the glory of our Savior. Jesus speaks to this kind of mindset with reference to discipleship. If anyone wants to come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow after me.
Now in that context, when Jesus spoke that, taking up one's cross did not mean wearing jewelry. It meant being ready and willing to die. To take up the cross in the Roman Empire meant to be willing to be crucified. So the sacrifice that Jesus calls upon from his people exceeds even what we find here.
Breaking through the camp of the Philistines, drawing water from this well, which is in Bethlehem, and bringing it back 25 miles. This is the sort of space that's involved between Adullam and Bethlehem. This is, you know, not 25 miles in your air-conditioned car. This is 25 miles by foot.
I mean, that alone would be a difficulty, but then breaking through a camp of Philistines, getting the water, and bringing it back those 25 miles to David. That's sacrifice for their leader. And if that kind of sacrifice was made for David, what kind of sacrifice ought the people of God offer up for their David, for their greater than David, even David's son, the Lord Jesus Christ? So they bring it back to David.
And Matthew Henry makes this comment, how much they valued their prince and with what pleasure they could run the greatest hazards and undergo the greatest hardships in his service. That's when he goes on to say, and shall not we serve our Christ in a like manner. how much they valued their prince. I mean, if you ask these men, well, you wouldn't have to ask them. If you were to see this display, you would know what their prince meant to them.
When you see them walking and fighting their way through this stronghold or this encampment, getting the water and then walking back, you don't have to say, do you love your king? It's all over that. Their sacrifice bespeaks the reality of their love for their king. He says, again, with what pleasure they could run the greatest hazards and undergo the greatest hardships in his service.
They were walking that walk. They're probably not saying, I don't believe David would ask us to do this. Well, he didn't. He was just longing for this sweet water of Bethlehem.
And these men willingly undertook on his behalf, and they did so happily and with joy. It's truly an amazing picture of sacrifice. Now, note David's response. The end of verse 16.
It says, nevertheless, he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. We look at that and we say, come on, David, these men risked life and limb and blood and guts, and you take what they brought to you and you just pour it out? It says it was poured out to the Lord. And David's commentary affirms their courageous intention.
This was not a rejection of their courage. It was an acknowledgment of their courage. The water represented their blood. Not physically, not literally, not in some sort of a communion ceremony, but the water they brought back represented the blood that was risked when they pursued that water.
And for David, such a sacrifice was too high. It was not fitting for him, it was fitting only for Yahweh. So by pouring the water on the ground, he is affirming these men and he is demonstrating to these men just how valuable their sacrifice was indeed. That's the significance.
He says, far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. Davis makes this observation, he cannot believe the risk his men ran.
It is the water of Bethlehem, but to David it represents the blood of his men. Blood belongs to Yahweh. Hence he dare not drink it. He poured it out, not because it was trash, but because it was treasure.
It belonged to God. So David isn't mocking their efforts. David isn't just overlooking their efforts. David is prizing their efforts.
And David is commending their efforts. And David is saying the sacrifice that they made was worthy of God himself and not of David. It wasn't trash, as David says. Rather, it was treasure.
And it was to be esteemed as such. It's truly a beautiful example of devotion to an earthly prince. Again, we ought to reckon with the reality that we serve a heavenly prince and a heavenly king, and no sacrifice we yield is too much for our Savior. I mean, we are given many commands, many imperatives throughout the Scriptures.
Our Lord tells us to function in a particular way, and instead of arguing or whining or complaining or just flat-out disobeying, we ought to get about serving the king. We ought to do it joyfully and happily and get to look at those sacrifices as a means by which we get to serve the master who sacrificed on our behalf and who gave his lifeblood for us.
Exploits of David's Men
Now notice, thirdly, the exploits of David's men. We've got two mentioned here in verses 18 to 23. We've got Abishai and Benaiah.
Abishai and Three Hundred Men
Note Abishai. He is the brother of Joab, also the brother of Asahel. And he gains this victory over 300 men. It says he was chief of another three.
He lifted his spear against 300 men, killed them, and won a name among these three. Now, I don't know, the text doesn't read the way it does with Jashobim. We get the idea that Jashobim killed 800 men in one standing. Now, did Abishai kill all 300 men at once, or was that sort of a career high with reference to Abishai?
Probably a career high. In his lifetime, these were the men that he killed. And then it says, was he not most honored, or was he not the most honored of three? Therefore, he became their captain.
However, he did not attain to the first three. Again, the threes indicated in the chapter are somewhat difficult, at least for my mind. If you want to look into it further, I think that Gil will point you in the right direction in terms of the three, the three, and the various men that are mentioned.
Benaiah: Lions and Egyptian's Spear
And then note Benaiah. Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzil, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. And it's just so matter-of-fact, isn't it?
Two lion-like heroes from Moab. They were the champions of Moab, and Benaiah took them out. You don't mess with Benaiah. Benaiah is the sort of guy that doesn't shrink back from lion-like heroes.
In fact, he doesn't even shrink back from real lions. That's what the text goes on to say. Now David would have an affinity with Benaiah here because David knew what it was to kill a lion. So did Samson.
Samson kind of, the ghost of Samson is behind this passage in some ways. He was the paradigmatic ultimate warrior of Israel as far as I'm concerned. But here it says he had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.
Now, any of those things would discourage probably most of us. It's a snowy day, so we'd stay inside. It's a pit, so we really don't want to climb down there. And there's a lion in the bottom of that pit.
Absolutely not. Three strikes, there's no way I'm going after this thing. But somehow, it seems to be the case that a lion came to where people were. And Benaiah wasn't just hoping the snow would kill him.
Benaiah goes down into a pit, and Benaiah kills this lion. Truly amazing man. And then it goes on to say he killed a formidable Egyptian with the Egyptian's own spear. See why these guys are in this chapter?
They are mighty men. The victory is of Yahweh, but Yahweh uses means, and he typically uses means In this instance, they're men who don't have a problem with getting their hands dirty. They don't have a problem with risking their necks. They don't have a problem with standing against the current.
When all the rest of Israel leaves, they're going to nevertheless stand fast and face the Philistines. These are the kinds of guys that God raises up, the kinds of men that He uses when it comes to battle. It says, He killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The margin says, a man of appearance.
I mean, this is a warrior, this is a man who is formidable. It says, the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. And that's the kind of stuff that people watch movies about nowadays, and these are the mighty men of David. So the Egyptian was a spectacular man, has a spear, he goes with his staff, takes the spear from him and kills him with it.
It's a truly wonderful picture of a servant of God. Again, I'm not saying go out and find Egyptians tonight, take their spears from them and kill them, but you get the drift. We need to get to work with reference to the kingdom of God. Israel's not going to enjoy security in the land.
They're not going to enjoy stability in the land. They're certainly not going to enjoy the peace of the land. They're not going to enjoy the fruit of the land while there's these Philistines that are menacing them and seeking to take what they've got. They're not going to just sit back and hope the Philistines go away.
That wasn't the way it was in that society. The Philistines would come and take from the weaker. And there were, thankfully, certain mighty men among David's men that weren't going to hide, they weren't going to retreat, they weren't going to sit in a corner and lick their wounds. They were going to face these men and they were going to take them down.
If there isn't an application here for the church, I don't know where we can find it. That's the kind of men we need today. We need men that are faithful. We need men that are courageous.
We need men that are going to stand against the Philistines of our age. And when all the rest of the church says, well, you can't say that, or you can't do that, or you'll offend somebody, we hold fast the word of truth. We don't shrink back from declaring the whole counsel of God. If all the rest of the church wants to wince, cower, whine, cry, and grumble, and complain, we're going to hold fast to the truth as it is in Jesus.
And we need to understand that God blesses such things. He doesn't say, oh well, you know, you're on your own. It's the victory of Yahweh behind these men, or the power of Yahweh behind these men that make them successful. God blesses great faith.
God blesses these exploits. And this is evident in the passage. We have young men here today. Again, don't go out and fight Egyptians and take their spears and kill them with it, but be faithful men in the church, faithful men in your families, faithful men in your society.
We don't need to be, you know, the most well-known. We just need to be faithful in what God has called us to. And then he would go on, ultimately, to be useful to Solomon. Notice, with reference to Benaiah.
It says, these things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, verse 22, and he won a name among three mighty men. He was more honored than the 30, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard. Benaiah will be faithful to Solomon as well.
In fact, you can turn, 1 Kings chapter 2, verse 35. Well, verse 34, so we can see what happens. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him, and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place, excuse me, of Abiathar.
So it was Benaiah that took out Joab, and Benaiah takes the position of military leader.
The Thirty: Faithfulness in the Ranks
And then thirdly, notice the exploits of David's men. in terms of the 31 indicated in verses 24 to 38. We're not going to go through each one, but just suffice to say the name is given and then typically the home city or the parentage, where that person finds themselves on Israel's map. But there is one interesting person, well, there are several here, but one particular I want to draw our attention to. Notice specifically in verse 34, the division in families that the king of Israel brings.
Notice in verse 34, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gileadite. Remember, Ahithophel at one time was David's trusted friend and a counselor, but Ahithophel joined the rebellion with Absalom. Ahithophel joined in the usurpation of David's throne and crown, and supported Absalom in his rebellion against his own father. And yet his son, Eliam, was faithful to David.
He was a mighty man. Again, it makes us think of David's greater son. What does he say in Matthew's Gospel? I didn't come to bring peace, but I came to bring a sword.
There will be enmity within families, father against son, son against father. The gospel has that effect. Some believe the gospel, others do not. Sometimes they're even members of the same family.
It does indicate that though there can be a wretched father in terms of an Ahithophel, there can nevertheless be a good son in terms of an Eliam, who was a faithful servant and a mighty warrior for King David. Now it runs the other way as well. Sometimes there's godly fathers and the sons turn out wretched. It's not always the case that everybody in a particular family is going to serve the same king.
Sometimes an Ahithophel will hitch his wagon to Absalom's cart, and other times there will be an Eliam that is faithful to David in terms of their service in the kingdom. So, one specific man there.
Reminder of David's Sin
And then finally, we should spend a little bit of time here on the reminder of David's sin. We touched on this briefly last week, but in verse 39 it says, "...and Uriah the Hittite." Uriah the Hittite, 37 in all. Now, when we read that word or that name, Uriah the Hittite, what do we think? Hopefully we think chapters 11 and 12, because in chapters 11 and 12, that's where we first meet Uriah.
We meet Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, beginning in chapter 11. David has sexual relations with her. He has adultery with her. And then in order to cover that particular sin, he has Uriah come in from the battle so that he may lay with his wife.
And when she's found to be pregnant, they will think or suspect that it was from Uriah. Now, Uriah was a noble man. He was an honorable man. He wouldn't lay with his wife, not when Israel was out to battle.
I mean, it's such a reproof or a rebuke to what David is doing throughout the whole instance. And so David has to liquidate him, he has to get rid of him, he has to murder him in order to cover his tracks. So when we read Uriah the Hittite, I think it ought to do two things with reference to a reminder of David's sin. It ought to highlight in the first place, with reference to the success of David, that David's success was not according to his righteousness.
It was not according to his perfect morality. It was not according to his ability as a military leader. It was owing to the grace of God. I mean, when we look at chapters 21 to 24, as I've said, it's an overall positive assessment of David's rule and David's reign.
But when we read Uriah the Hittite, and it recalls to us the sin of David, we need to interpret the whole David narrative under this particular scheme. That whatever success David had, whatever justice and judgment he executed or administered in the land, it was owing to the sovereign grace of God. It wasn't native to David, it wasn't inherent in David, it wasn't that David went to the school of how to be a good king, and so therefore he put those principles into practice, and everything just worked out swimmingly in Israel. No, it was because of God's grace.
One commentator named Hertzberg makes this comment. He says, the mention of Uriah in the last place may be pure chance. No, we know it's not because the Holy Spirit doesn't put verses in based on pure chance. And this fellow doesn't either.
He's just setting it up here. He says, the mention of Uriah in the last place may be pure chance. We have the list up to the time when Uriah, as it were the novice, was accepted onto the order. But the final compiler and the audience will hardly have regarded it in this light.
The name Uriah at the end of the list leads us to recall what is associated with his name. The list of the men who were David's bodyguard ends with the name of one who did not betray the king, but was betrayed by him. The end of the list is meant to tell us, do not forget the name of the last of David's mighty men. We are thus prohibited from making heroes of David and his men.
Even here, history was not made by men but by the grace of God, whose help and forgiveness were needed even by David and his time. So you see that reference to Uriah causes us to reflect upon the fact that whatever David attained by way of success, was by the grace of God. In case we run through those first verses and we miss that the victory was of the Lord, the author puts it in in verse 39. The victory was of the Lord.
And the reminder is Uriah the Hittite. A man who in and of himself commits adultery and murder is not the sort of guy that's going to rule over and administer a kingdom with justice and righteousness and faithfulness. So whatever degree Israel experienced such, it was owing not to David and his moral perfection, but to the God of David, who nevertheless forgave him of his sin, granted him the grace, granted him the power and the ability to wage war against his enemies. It is God's grace that is celebrated in that reference in verse 39.
As well, it ought to remind us that David's greater son is coming. Now when it refers to Uriah the Hittite, it ought to reflect upon David in terms of his imperfection. Remember that Israel at this time is being tutored. They're being pointed forward.
They are being taught that there is a Messiah to come. If you ask the question, where? In this very chapter. 2 Samuel 23, 1-7 is a prophecy concerning the favorite of the songs of Israel. David is pointing the people to someone beyond David.
David is pointing the people to someone beyond Solomon. David is pointing the people to the one prophesied ultimately in 2 Samuel 7, whose kingdom will have no end. The one that will come from the seed of David will occupy the throne of David and will rule in righteousness and in justice and with absolute perfection. So the reference to Uriah the Hittite underscores the gracious character of God's dealings with David, and it also underscores the expectation of a greater than David who will never, ever commit adultery with Bathsheba, who will never, ever murder a Uriah the Hittite.
He will never conduct himself in his kingdom as a thug. He will never conduct himself and his kingdom the way that Nazis might have conducted themselves in their regime. The one the text points us to ultimately is the one who realizes what is partially fulfilled by David according to 2 Samuel 8 15. There was a brief commentary there concerning his administration of the kingdom and it says that David administered judgment and justice to all his people.
And that, again, is an accurate assessment, but it wasn't perfect. There were shortcomings. David had it in him to sin against the living and the true God. But David's greater son will do everything that he does in perfection.
He will administer judgment and justice without partiality. He will do it in utter perfection over the kingdom that God has stationed him as leader of. So Uriah the Hittite is packed with theology, ought to remind us of grace, and point us to the Savior to come.
Application
Well, in conclusion, as I've highlighted, and as I hope that you'll see, we need faithful men in the kingdom. Now, these men happen to make it into 2 Samuel 23. And it is as it were, their names are in lights, right? We all have this desire to be recognized, the fame of David spread, probably David Didn't mind that.
But we're not doing it for fame, and we're not doing it to get our names in lights. We're not doing it to be in 2 Samuel 23. We're not doing it so people will write odes concerning us, or Facebook about us, or tweet about us. We do it because it's right.
Faithfulness in the kingdom of God is right. And when we look at these men and we review their exploits, don't we say, that's right. When all Israel runs from Philistines and there's a faithful Eliezer or there's a faithful Shammah, we want to stand with those men. Who do we want to identify with in that first section?
Do you want to stand with Eliezer, David and Shammah or do you want to run with the rest of Israel? Well, I think we'd all say in our better days, we want to stand with those faithful men. Then brethren, stand with those faithful men. Don't say, well, I want to work up to it.
Do it now. Be faithful in your workplace. Be faithful in society. Be faithful where God has planted you.
There's no shame, no harm, no foul in being unknown. What the harm and the shame and the foul is, is being unfaithful. And that's what we learn from these particular men, as well the necessity of courage with reference to men in the kingdom. Now again, I'm not suggesting you find a pit tonight and if there's a lion down there, you scurry in and you kill that lion, but you get the point in the passage. we naturally gravitate towards courage.
At least when we read stories, we much rather see the hero and the courageous than the guy who runs and whines and hides. We want to read about a Baniyah who goes down into a pit and kills a lion. We want to read about a Baniyah that stands up against two lion-like heroes of Moab and destroys them. We want to read about that sort of thing because we want to identify with that.
Well, brethren, be courageous for the kingdom of God. Take a stand, be faithful, be courageous. Thirdly, be sacrificial. Again, when I use that term, I don't mean to suggest for a moment that by our sacrifice we somehow force God's hand and He must bless us.
We sacrifice so God saves us. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is that by which we are justified. We have forgiveness of sins, we have the imputation of righteousness because of the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus. But by sacrifice I mean giving up a little bit of us for the greater good.
This isn't communism, trust me, I'm not Chairman Mao here, I'm not telling you to contribute all your wares to the people's community, but brethren sacrificing for the kingdom of God. These passages mean something. You can turn to Matthew's Gospel, specifically Matthew 16. Then Jesus said to his disciples, verse 24, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself.
In other words, let him sacrifice. Self-denial is something that ought to be part and parcel of the Christian life. I remember reading a great little book by Walter Chantry, former pastor of the Grace Church in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He then served as editor for Banner of Truth.
He's now retired. He's got a great little book. If anybody wants to study self-denial, this is a great little book called The Shadow of the Cross, Studies in Self-Denial. I mean, that's a topic we probably don't gravitate.
Well, I want to learn how to deny myself. I want to learn how to sacrifice. I want to learn how to, you know, have less fun and more pain. We don't typically gravitate to such things.
But self-denial is called for by our Lord Jesus. Sacrifice. In the chapter on self-denial in marriage, Walter Chantry points out, what if couples actually practice self-denial in their marriage? What if husbands actually put their wives first and wives put their husbands first?
Imagine what our homes would look like. Imagine what our churches would look like if we deferred to one another as Paul commands us, if we gave preference to one another, if we, in the language of Philippians chapter 2, esteemed others as better than ourselves. Jesus says, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. If this doesn't characterize those three unnamed heroes that left the camp in a dulem and traversed their way through a Philistine camp to fetch a bowl of sweet water from Bethlehem, and then take it all the way back to David, and then to watch David pour it onto the ground, if sacrifice isn't a part of those men's being, I don't know what is.
And this is what our Lord tells us. He says, whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
For the son of man will come in the glory of his father with his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works. Philippians 2. I think that you probably know people that sort of illustrate or demonstrate or... magnifies some of these traits, and it's very attractive. Persons who serve unseen.
Persons who do what they do for the kingdom, not to be recognized by the inhabitants of the kingdom, but because it's right, because they're faithful men, because they're courageous men, because they're sacrificial men. They give of their time, they give of their talents, they give of their comfort, they give of themselves in order to advance the kingdom. You know, a lot of times, young men, you want to learn theology and you want to grow in your understanding, and nobody's ever going to tell you more than I that that's a valid and accurate and wonderful pursuit. But pursue self-denial and self-sacrifice and consistency and faithfulness and self-sacrifice, all these things go into the making of a theologian. reading Burkoff, it's also, you know, calling somebody or visiting somebody or cleaning up vomit when, you know, some kid loses it in the church.
I'll never forget Jose Velazquez. He's dead now. He got brain tumor and he died very rapidly. He's younger than I was, or younger than I am.
But there was a quarterly meeting of churches. This is when all the churches in Southern California, not all the churches, but all the Reformed Baptist churches, would have a Sunday evening service together. And I remember this kid just threw up. You know, I'm sorry it happens, but this kid lost it.
Jose just got him. He wasn't a deacon at the church. He wasn't anybody in. It wasn't even our church building that we were at.
He didn't even think twice. He just went, found the mop bucket, found the bucket, came, cleaned it up. He didn't, you know, hey look everybody, I'm cleaning up the... He just did it.
He saw a need and he did it. That's the kind of stuff that I think is at least exemplified in these brothers in 2 Samuel 23. Note Philippians 2.1, Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind.
Let each esteem others better than himself. That's Bible. That's as much Bible as we need to learn the doctrine of the Trinity. I don't want to suggest for a moment that there's a disconnect.
We learn the doctrine of the Trinity, and we do what Paul says in these practical imperatives. And then he says in verse 4, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. You know, sometimes at these luncheons that we hope to reinstitute, I think there's going to be one this month, I mean, let other brethren go first. Let women and children eat first.
It used to be called chivalry. It used to just be the decent thing, that men let the women and the children and the weaker ones get their food before they, you know, went in there and, you know, like locusts, you know, scoured the vittles and the kids are, you know, left licking their lips, looking at, you know, that good food that used to be there. It's just little things, brethren, but it's the sort of things that, at least in microcosmic form, represent or demonstrate the sorts of principles or virtues that are listed for us in 2 Samuel 23. I'm going to tell you, you're probably never going to march down into a snowy pit and kill a lion if you can't let a woman or a kid eat first at a luncheon.
He who's faithful in little is faithful in much. And so these are just some of the virtues that I think suggest themselves in this particular passage that we as God's people ought to seek to emulate. And I'm kind of picking on the young men here, because there's a lot of young men here, and that's a good thing. Young women, too.
I mean, you've got to defer and be gracious and sacrificial. and faithful and courageous, all those sorts of things, I think, are very valid lessons. And I think, finally, we ought to appreciate the necessity of the God-man over the kingdom. As good as David was, David's greater son is the one who brings in the kingdom in its fullness, in its glory, in its blessedness. You need to understand that part of the reason the Old Testament is there is to point people to Jesus.
See, it's always a bothersome thing for me when people say, well, you know, I don't really read the Old Testament, because I like to read about Jesus. If you're not reading the Old Testament, you're not learning about Jesus. The Old Testament is all about Jesus, and it was tutoring, and it was discipling, and it was leading, and it was urging, and it was exhorting, and it was admonishing each of the people of the Old Testament to look forward to the coming Redeemer, to the Promised One, who will be the champion for his people, who will redeem Israel from their sins, and who will bring in that blessed and wonderful kingdom. So as great as David was, David himself says, my son is even greater.
He is the greatest of all, and it's in his hand that the kingdom will come to fruition. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your Word, and we thank you for this time together tonight, and I pray that all of us, God, would take these things to heart. I pray that all of us would seek to be faithful, that we would be courageous, that we would be sacrificial, that we would recognize that we should be very thankful that it's Jesus who is on the throne. It's Jesus who leads the kingdom. It's Jesus who builds his church, and we pray, God in heaven, that we would be faithful to our Lord, that we would be upright and godly, that we would seek to do those things that are pleasing in your sight.
While many might consider 2 Samuel 23 a bit of a dry chapter, I believe it's so filled with lessons and virtues and principles to encourage the people of God. And I pray that you would put these things into our heart, Help us to put them into practice, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.