King David Series: Misfits Turn to Mighty Men

Message 1 May 2016 King David Series # Misfits Turn to Mighty Men

These be the names of the mighty men whom David had … 1 Samuel 14:8

God is in the business of transforming weak people to spiritual giants. He transformed David a shepherd boy to a giant killer. David coached and mentored previous malcontents and misfits of society to mighty men. Through God they were able to do valiantly.  

When David arrived at the Adullum cave despite hitting the lowest and darkest point of his life he declared the Lord would deal bountifully with him. He was alone without anyone to encourage him but he declared that God would surround him with righteous people (Psalm 142:7).  God honoured his faith by surrounding him with 400 men and later 600 who arrived with little if any to show for righteousness. They were outlaws because the creditors were after them for failure to pay their debts.  People, who were bankrupt, discontented, under pressure, stressed and in need.  They had been mistreated by life and were bitter.  Instead of being discouraged David saw an opportunity to help them become respectable people who could make immense contribution in God’s purpose. He successfully turned them around from society’s rogues and misfits into mighty men or a special force of 600 that was so formidable that they escaped Saul’s army of 3,000 hunting them down in the wilderness strongholds. They also fought and overcame threats from the enemies of Israel such as the Philistines. This achievement by David was extraordinary transformation of people and consistent with what God does (Philippians 1:26 – 28; Ephesians 2:1-7).

… Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are … (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)

It is not too surprising that David produced giant killers because he was a sheep cote boy whose faith in God turned him into a giant killer. But more so it was because he led them with integrity of heart and skilful hands (Psalm 78:72).

David had thirty most valiant men (2 Samuel 23:8-12). Of them the  three mightiest were Adino, Eleazar and Shammah.  

• Adino slew 800 with his spear whom he killed in one encounter (2 Samuel 23:8). With God the size of the enemy or challenge is immaterial. A lesson well u8nderstood by Jonathan earlier – ‘for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few (1 Samuel 14:6).’

•  Eleazar fought the Philistines alone when his fellow men of Israel had retreated  (2 Samuel 23:9-10). He stood his ground and fought so hard and long that his hand became weary. He however held his sword so tenaciously and strongly that it got stuck to it. As long as Eleazar had the sword in hand the enemy could not with stand him.  In the battle of life even if you become weary do not let go of the sword of God’s word (Ephesians 6:17). Be so ingrained by the word in the heart that even if everything else gives in  your faith in it remains unwavering. When winds blow and your heart is shaken that your faith will be stuck on the unfailing word of God.

• Shammah gallantly fought the Philistines in defense of a field of lentils. The Philistines were so strong and threatening that the troops of Israel fled. However Shammah stood his ground in the middle of the field and successfully defended it (2 Samuel 23:11-12). The troops may have weighed the cost and concluded that the lentils were not worth dying for. Shammah defended what was rightfully his. If you give up small territories to the enemy you give away a foothold to be used to take away more territory. He will not stop but keep taking more. Every right and privilege is therefore worth fighting for. Every territory is worth fighting for. Every soul is worth fighting for. Every promise is worth fighting for.

The next three mighty men were Abishai, Benaiah and another (1 Samuel 14:13, 19, 23). When David sighed a longing for  the water from the well of Bethlehem, his birth place. The three mighty men took his  mere expressed wish  as a command and bravely broke through the troops of the Philistines that were stationed in the valley of Rephaim between Israel troops at Adullum and Bethlehem. A reminder of how God trains his people for war, ‘For by You I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall (Psalm 18:29).’ The men broke through the barrier and obstacle to go about 17km of danger and snares  to fetch the water from the well and returned with it. David was so deeply touched by how they laid their lives down and would not drink the water but instead poured it as an offering to God. Mighty men still respond to the sighs (John 17) and commands of King Jesus the son of David (Mathew 28:18-20). As  them no excuse can be strong or legitimate enough to do nothing about reaching out to nations with the gospel.

Abishai in another instance slew three hundred on his own. Benaiah slew two lion like men of Moab. He also went down a pit in snow and slew a lion. It seems he had a special grace to kill lions and anything that looked like them.  The rest of the thirty mighty men of David are listed  in 2 Samuel 23:24-39. They include Uriah the Hittite who was killed as cover up for David's affair with his wife, Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). Joab is not listed perhaps because he was the army general over the mighty men.

Application

Through the Holy Spirit believers in Jesus Christ are also transformed into mighty people capable of achieving naturally  impossible victories  by the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 – 14; Romans 12).  The disciples who had gone into hiding arose in Acts 2 with boldness and power that was only explained by the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. When Peter and John healed the lame man at the temple gate called beautiful observers were more puzzled by how mere men could do such a miracle than by the miracle itself.

Spiritual walk with Jesus faces resistance. Through Christ all battles are already won but serving him comes with fighting doubt and fear (1 Timothy 6:12). It’s the Nehemiah story of a sword in one hand and a mortar trowel in the other (Nehemiah 4:15-17). Every step of faith faces opposition. Pursuing God’s promises confronts obstacles.  Therefore, giants that block your way to spiritual progress must fall before you can possess God’s dream life. 

http://spform.blogspot.co.za/2012/10/receiving-fullness-of-holy-spirit.html
http://wordoers.blogspot.co.za/2013/01/clothed-with-power.html
http://wordoers.blogspot.co.za/2013/01/quench-not-spirit.htm
http://wordoers.blogspot.co.za/2013/01/living-free.html
http://wordoers.blogspot.co.za/2013/01/testing-spirits.html

Message by Dr. Kurai Chitima.

Faith Ministries – Johannesburg Faith Life Center.

First Floor Dhando House,

66 Eloff Street Extension,

Village Deep,

 Johannesburg,

South Africa