David's Anointed Mighty Men

INTRO

Today we finish out 2 Samuel. We’ve learned a lot in the study of 1 and 2 Samuel. There are principles in these books that are easily transferrable to today. Second Samuel 23 records David’s last words (vv. 1-7). David was older and looking back on his life. The rest of the chapter is about the Mighty Men of David (vv. 8-39).

TEACHING

2 Samuel 23:8-10: David’s mighty men were also listed in 1 Chronicles 11 and may use different names but the lists are consistent. The first listed was the chief of the officers, Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite, who killed 800 men at one time with his spear (v. 8).

The next was Eleazar, one of three warriors with David, who attacked the Philistines with such vengeance that his hand “clave to the sword” (KJV). God brought great victory to Israel that day (v. 10).

Third was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. Shammah defended a field of lentils against the Philistines. “So the Lord brought about a great victory” (v. 11-12).

2 Samuel 23:13-17: David recognized these three, because of their great exploits and their lack of fear. When he wanted something done that involved blood, he knew he could depend upon them to get it done. These three came to David who was at the cave of Adullam (v. 13). David was extremely thirsty and said what he really wanted was water from the well at Bethlehem, where a Philistine garrison was quartered (vv. 14-15). In response, these three Mighty Men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well, and brought it to David. But David refused to drink it, and poured it on the ground as a drink offering to the Lord (v. 16). David said the water was “the blood of men who risked their lives” to get it for him (v. 17).

2 Samuel 23:18-23: In verse 18, Abishai, Joab’s brother, is listed as the leader of the three (v. 18), and Asahel, another of Joab’s brothers, was listed among the Mighty Men (v. 24). Joab was the commander of David’s army. All three were sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister (1 Chronicles 2:13-16). As nephews, these men would have been around David in his younger years. David’s sister would have known about Samuel’s anointing of David as the future king of Israel.

God has a master plan of the Anointed One that we see woven through the books of Samuel and is evidenced in the New Testament through Christ. To get to this evidence, we see God work through all these other people and events, despite the ravage of evil and the issues of jealousy and pride.

2 Samuel 23:24-39: In chapter 23 is a listing of the names of all the Mighty Men––many of the names are never referenced anywhere else in Scripture. These were men who had brought great victory to David the warrior. It is important for us to recognize the anointing was the plan of God. Asahel was described as being able to run as fast as a deer (2 Samuel 2:18). Joab had the leadership skills to be the commander. Each of the Mighty Men brought something different. God’s plan was working through each of these through their anointing. The anointing is not purposeless, but is done to put each of the people God will use into His plan.

The Mighty Men, these 37 men, were the equipment of God. Each was important. Notice in verse 39 the last man named––Uriah the Hittite. Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, would not walk away from his anointed duty to David’s army to go home to his wife while they were in battle, so David had him killed to cover up his own sin. God positioned these men in places to carry out His plan. These 37 men were named because each was part of God’s plan in David’s life. David didn’t secure his kingdom by himself. What happened in David’s life as the Anointed One was not about David but about God’s plan coming into fulfillment. It’s not about our personalities, our successes, our gifts––it’s all about being anointed into God’s plan. It’s not about us. These 37 recognized the anointing of David, and would do whatever it took for David––even breaking through Philistine lines to bring him water. Imagine if we took our anointing as part of God’s plan as seriously.

God’s plan was to establish the kingdom of Israel through David (Matthew 1:1). Jesus’ lineage covers multiple generations and the one thing that runs through it all is the plan of God. The gospel of God is the plan of God (Romans 1:1-4). The anointing of David through his kingship represents God’s kingdom which would be fulfilled through Jesus Christ. In the kingdom, we see God’s plan through the product of God. The anointing is never about us. What we should look for in determining who to connect our lives to is how the anointing is lived out in their lives. We should be looking for the anointing of God to become one of His Mighty Men. Let’s get rid of the personalities that draw attention to themselves, and make it about God. Let’s put aside all the discussions of what we should do when we worship Him, and just worship Him.

2 Samuel 24:1-17: 1 Chronicles 21:1 presents this same event, but possibly more clearly: “Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel.” One of the things we can draw comfort from is that there are times when we all will fail to hear clearly. David was nearing the end of his life. Why would he want to number the people of Israel? Possibly David was looking for a way to measure how his life had counted––his legacy. Joab questioned why David wanted to take a census (v. 3). As commander of David’s army, Joab had seen more violence and bloodshed than anyone else in Israel. The counting took more than nine months (v. 8) and was detestable to Joab (1 Chronicles 21:6). They counted the troops and registered 800,000 men from Israel and 500,000 from Judah (v. 9). David wanted to know how many valiant soldiers were available to him. Joab recognized that they had never had to rely on large numbers of troops because the Lord gave them the victories.

Once again, this became an attitude adjustment for David. David realized his sin and asked God to take away his guilt (v. 10). But 70,000 of David’s soldiers would die through a plague God sent onto Israel (v. 15). The consequences of David’s sin were again great.

We will either walk in the anointing of God, or we will have thoughts of taking care of things for ourselves. Which way we choose to walk can have disastrous results when we’re outside of God’s anointing. We need to grab hold of this daily . . . to recognize every day how awesome God is and that the only thing that matters in our lives is walking out the anointing of God.

CLOSING

Even in the Old Testament, Romans 8:28 is still true, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (KJV). We will either walk in the anointing of God, or we will have thoughts of taking care of things for ourselves. Which way we choose to walk can have disastrous results when we’re outside of God’s anointing. We need to grab hold of this daily . . . to recognize every day how awesome God is and that the only thing that matters in our lives is walking out the anointing of God. We are nothing and have nothing without the anointing of God flowing through our lives with God’s equipment around us so we focus on the purposes of God.

In 2 Samuel 24:24, David turns down the gift of a place to offer burnt offerings, because he would not offer anything to God that cost him nothing. There is a cost to godliness. Let’s ask God to teach us how to walk in the anointing and in humility.