Mighty for the King

Mighty for the King

2 Samuel 23:1-39          

 

When thinking about the word mighty, strong, or brave comes to minds; surely, something, or someone comes to mind. That which comes to mind serves as a representation, a picture, or definition of what is “mighty” to you. I can think of many things in my life growing up that I believed were “mighty.”

Illus. The picture. 

As we near the end of the book of 2 Samuel 23, we do so with the understanding that it was near the end of David’s life. We’ve studied all the ups and downs, the good and bad, the ugly and the beautiful, but we’ve also seen David’s deep love for God and the incredible grace and mercy He gives. Many know David as a mighty king, a fierce warrior, and a powerful man of God. These things have been clear in our study, but there’s something else that really shines through in his life and story. David didn’t just want to be mighty for himself. He wanted to do mighty things for God, his King. His desire to do these mighty things, were integral into many of the things he decided to do and the way he decided to live out his days. Chapter 23 of second Samuel begins with a psalm written by David. In it, he gives us insights into the why’s of his ways, and how we was able to be mighty for the Lord, his king.

As the chapter continues, we will also see that he wasn’t the only mighty man desiring to do mighty things in his day.  David was surrounded by a mighty group known biblically as “David’s Mighty Men.” This morning, we will study many of the names included in the list of them. There were 37 in total, and while we don’t know everything about all of them, we will learn about some of them and the reason why the word “might” was associated with them. The word used for mighty refers to their strength, bravery, or warrior mentality.

As we continue into 2 Samuel 23 this morning, it is important to remember that the final four chapters of 2 Samuel don’t come to us in chronological order, but are more of an epilogue. They look back, or look at different aspects of David’s life, decisions he made, Psalms he wrote, or what was surrounding him in his day and time. For you and I, I want to center our thoughts this morning on some examples given by David and his men to help us in our lives when choosing to be mighty for our King.

 

2 Samuel 23:1-7

 

In verse one we learn that the words that follow are amongst the final words of David. With the additional insights we gain from 1 Chronicles 21 and 1 Kings 2, most do not see these words as the final words he would speak on his deathbed, where he was surrounded by family and friends. But it is believed that they may be among the final words he would say, a surely an expression of his heart, his longing, and a look at his thoughts surrounding the life he ended up living. What we know if certainty, however, is that this is his final Psalm. It is not a Psalm recorded in the book of Psalms, but recorded here, near the end of his life.

 

1. Speak The Words Sent by Him

 

2 Samuel 23:1-2, Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel, declares, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me, and His word was on my tongue.

 

• Prior to writing his final song, David wrote a short biography in one sentence.

 

• He acknowledged where he came from as a “Son of Jesse,” those are his roots. Then he was raised up on high from out in the field tending sheep to his anointing as Israel’s second king.

 

• The Lord called him from somewhere, from something, to somewhere, and to something.

 

• In 1 Samuel 16, David was out tending sheep. Samuel the priest, prophet and judge was sent by the Lord to Bethlehem after the first king, Saul blew it time after time. Samuel was sent to anoint the next king who was going to be a man after God’s own heart, a son of Jesse.

 

• Samuel invited Jesse to bring his sons to a sacrifice as one of them would be anointed the next king.

 

• Jesse invited 7 of his sons (1 Samuel 16:10) thinking surely it was one of them, but it was none of them.

 

1 Samuel 16:10-11, So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?” And he said, “The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”

 

• David wasn’t invited to the ordination by his father Jesse, but God the Father made sure he got there!

 

• David says, I was anointed by God, and the sweet Psalmist of Israel.

 

• Of the 150 psalms in the book of Psalms, David wrote at least 73. There are 49 with an unnamed author and some attribute many of the those to David as well, but at least 73. David used his written words to express praises in song to the Lord.

 

• As David looks back on the words he spoke, the words he wrote, he notes that the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him, that God’s Word was on his tongue.

 

• Surely, when David wrote the Psalms, the Spirit was inspiring his words, the Lord was speaking through him. He endeavored to keep God’s word on his tongue.

 

• David was aware that at times in his life, there was divine inspiration that was delivered through his words.

 

• David said, I sent the message of the Lord, I spoke the words He wanted me to speak.

 

2 Peter 1:20-21, But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

 

• We believe that God’s Word is divinely inspired.

 

• Peter notes, that those who wrote, were “moved” by the Holy Spirit which pictures a ship with its sails set so that the wind can carry it along to a destination not determined by the boat, but the wind. 

 

• David spoke the words sent by the Lord. He wasn’t after his own whim, his own wants, his own ways, no, he wanted the Lords words, His desires, His ways.

 

• God spoke through him. I think about how strengthening the Psalms are to me, and throughout church history. Surely David was mighty for the king because he spoke the word given by His King.

 

• David knew where he came from, where God called him from and what God called him to, and when he was there, he wanted the Lord to use him by speaking through him.

 

1 Peter 2:9, You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

 

• We have been chosen, like David. We are considered royalty through the anointing of our King, like David. We are called from something, like David. And called to declare God’s excellencies, like David.

 

• To proclaim His excellencies is to proclaim His praises, to proclaim how great, how excellent, how wonderful God is.

 

Ephesians 4:29, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV)

 

• When Paul wrote “unwholesome,” he used a word that means rotten, poor quality, bad, or corrupt.

 

Illus. Delivery.

 

Colossians 3:17, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Joshua 1:7-8, Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success.

 

Illus. Chew on it.

 

Psalm 19:14, May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

 

• If we want to be mighty for the King, we must make sure our words are directing others to the light and life that is found in our king. When it comes to our words, they are telling.

 

Matthew 12:34(b)-37, The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

• In the book of Acts, we see a great deal of the church being empowered by and filled with the Holy Spirit powerfully. What is striking, is that what follows is not what many often associate with the Holy Spirits filling, but what followed, nearly every time, was an embolding to speak the words God had given and the gospel being preached (Acts 2:, Acts 4, Acts 7, Acts 8).

 

1. Select the Ways He Desires to Be So

 

2 Samuel 23:3-4, The God of Israel said it; The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over mankind righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the fresh grass springs out of the earth from sunshine after rain.’

 

• As David gives the words God had spoken to him, he describes the scene that follows those who rule righteously and in the fear of God.

 

• As David refers to the ruling in the fear of God, he is speaking specifically to the reverence that king has for God, and the submission to God ways that follow.

 

• When a ruler leads in those ways, the scene is beautiful, like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, fresh grass springs out of the earth from sunshine after the rain!

 

• As David continues, he looks at himself personally and the way he has been leading.

 

2 Samuel 23:5, Is my house not indeed so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, properly ordered in all things, and secured; for will He not indeed make all my salvation and all my delight grow?

 

• If you have a different translation, your Bible might read something like the following:

 

2 Samuel 23:5, “Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure.

 

• Scholars have gone back and forth, is it “Although my house is not so,” or does David ask it in question form, “is my house not so with God?”

 

• Either David made a specific statement, by house is not so, or, he was leaving it up to question, “is my house not indeed so?”

 

• Whichever translation you prefer, the picture is that David had not been the perfect king, and the picture was at times questionable at best.

 

• David knew that there the way of a king who was righteous, who was God fearing, was a beautiful thing that could bring about a beautiful scene, but seems to acknowledge, “it wasn’t always so with me.”

 

• David was a man after God’s own heart, but there were many situations, circumstances in his life where he wasn’t displaying the ways of a righteous and God-fearing king.

 

• We have studied it all in great detail. And here, in part, he examines himself…. His answer? Either a recognition that it was questionable, or simply his answer was, no, it was not so with my household.

 

• For you and me, it is important to understand what God’s desires are and evaluate the ways in which our lives might not be aligned with His desire so that we can endeavor to do better.

 

Psalm 139:23-24, Search me, God, and know my heart; put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

 

• In 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul told the Corinthians to “examine themselves.”

 

• This is important for us to do. To allow the Lord to show us the right way, for us to recognize and realize when we are going the wrong way, and to respond by allowing him to lead us in the everlasting way.

 

Illus. Which way?

 

• David had his own desires in his life, sometimes those desires were far from what God wanted to be so for him, but each time, David learned a lesson, and he displayed a commitment to evaluating his ways honestly, and continually turning back to God for mercy.

 

2 Samuel 23:5, “Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure.

 

• In 2^nd Samuel 7, David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but the Lord would not allow him because he was a man of bloodshed, that was David’s desire, but God told him then that there that He was going to build a house for David, and then promised a covenant to him. God made a covenant with David that his lineage would last forever and the Messiah would come through his family line (2 Samuel 7).

 

• Perhaps this morning you recognize that there is a way the Lord desires you to live out your days, and you might say, like David, because of what I have done, the conclusion has been questionable at best…

 

• If so, I want you to know that like David, God has made an everlasting covenant with you.

 

• A New Covenant, a promise from God to forgive sin, and a Savior who would fulfill the law and make the way for forgiveness of sin and right relationship for those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord of their life.

 

Hebrews 7:22, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

 

John 3:16-17, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.

 

2 Samuel 23:5-7, For will He not indeed make All my salvation and all my delight grow? But the worthless, every one of them, are like scattered thorns, because they cannot be taken in hand; Instead, the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they will be completely burned with fire in their place.”

 

• “The worthless” is also translated “the sons of rebellion.” Those who rebel against God are scattered out rather than brought in by Him, David knew that following God and walking in His ways mattered. David had not always done right, but his heart, and the orientation of his light was to select the ways God desired to be so.

 

James 1:23-24, For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

 

Illus. It is so…

 

III.   Second His Will No Matter the Size of the War

 

• In verse 8, the attention turns to David’s mighty men. There were 37 of them.

 

• As you read through the list, what you will see is a reference to there being 30, but at the end, 37. The common belief there is that there were 37 in total, but at the time this was recorded, 30 remained as some had passed away.

 

• Verse 8 begins, “These are the names of the might men David had…”

 

• They are all named here and they were the mighty men that David relied upon and needed as king, but they also needed David.

 

• We will learn bits and pieces about some of them, but based on what we are given, we can know that they didn’t all start as mighty men.

 

• For over a decade, David was on the run, hiding from King Saul. In one of the places he hid, there was a cave called the cave of Adullam.

 

1 Samuel 22:1-3

 

• From the group of 400, David found 37 mighty men who were once in distress, in debt and discontented!

Illus. Second.

2 Samuel 23:8, These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; he was called Adino the Eznite because of eight hundred who were killed by him at one time.

 

• Until now, we had not heard about the man called Adino, but here we do, he fought against the enemy and took out 800 of them.

 

2 Samuel 23:9-10, And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn. He rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and it clung to the sword, and the Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder the dead.

 

• In Ephesians 6:17, we are told to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. What a picture for being mighty for the king for you and me!

 

• It is symbolic, never let go of God’s Word! My hands might be weary, but I am clinging to the word! And notice, he clung to his sword and the Lord brought great victory!

 

2 Samuel 23:11-12 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee, a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into an army where there was a plot of land full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it, and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory.

 

• Shammah was out in a bean field. The people fled again, he was alone in that field, but he defended it. And again, the Lord brought about great victory!

 

• The Philistine would often employ a military strategy where they would let an enemy grow their crops and then attack them during harvest (1 Samuel 23). This way, they would get the harvest in addition to military victory.

 

Luke 16:10, The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.

 

Ephesians 6:13-14(a), Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm…

 

2 Samuel 23:13-17, Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 And David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” So the three mighty men forced their way into the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Yet he would not drink it, but poured it out as an offering to the Lord; and he said, “Far be it from me, Lord, that I would do this! Should I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” So he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

 

• The scene describes either a battle that took place while David was first mentioned in the cave of Adullam in 1 Samuel 22 or another time.

 

• While he was there, David had a craving, “Oh, I wish someone would give me a drink from well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!”

 

• And upon hearing this, these three mighty men risked their lives, got some water from Bethlehem for him, and brought it back to him!

 

• This is a great picture for us, as soon as they understood the desire of their king, they responded immediately.

 

• They risked their lives in light of the kings desire.

 

Psalm 123:1-2, To You I have raised my eyes, you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female servant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He is gracious to us.

 

Illus. Sensitivity.

 

• These mighty three brough David the water, but he didn’t drink! David was so honored, that they risked their lives that he would not drink the water, but poured it out as an offering to the Lord.

 

2 Samuel 23:18-23

• The list of names continues from verse 24 to verse 39.

 

• Most of them were notable for supporting, remaining with, and defending their king.

 

• They were willing to lay down their lives, surrender their will, not matter the size of the war, be it a hill of bean, or 800 Philistines, David’s mighty men were seen and depicted standing with and for their king.

 

Romans 12:1-2, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

• These mighty men were willing to lay down their lives for their king. They were willing to second his will no matter the size of the war.

 

Illus. Seconded.

 

John 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease.

 

1. See Every Step as an Opportunity

 

Ephesians 5:8-17

 

2 Samuel 23:1-39