The King's Men

February 13th, 2025

The King's Men

2 Samuel 23:1-17

1 Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2 “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
4 he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
5 “For does not my house stand so with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
For will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?
6 But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away,
for they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 but the man who touches them
arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear,
and they are utterly consumed with fire.”

8 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.

13 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.

Brave Service

My grandfather, Basil Smith, was a tail-gunner in the 562nd Bomber Group during World War II. He never talked about this much. That’s why I was so excited, not long ago, to discover that one of his crew members had written a book. I loved learning even a little bit about the missions they had flown in Europe during those dark days. It’s a beautiful thing when brave service, long hidden, is brought to light.

David's "Mighty Men"

That’s what this chapter is all about: God is calling the role of David’s “Mighty Men,” the special forces David relied upon throughout his long career. They first rallied to him in the wilderness, and never left his side for fifty years, no matter what he went through. The Mighty Men were brave, loyal, a little crazy—and God used them to save his people. Before we close 2 Samuel, David calls their names, and tells their stories.

Distinction (v8–12)

Within David’s Mighty Men, there existed a special-ops group called “The Thirty.” These were Israel’s Delta Forces. But David also had a smaller, even more elite, detachment, called “The Three.” David called on them in the toughest situations. The Three took on impossible odds for their king, like when Josheb-basshebeth fought 800 with a spear. They kept fighting when everyone else fled. Once, every man deserted Eleazar, but he continued swinging his sword until not a single Philistine was left. When Israel returned to strip the slain, they had to pry his hand from the hilt. The Three laid down their lives to defend God’s possession: Shamma once defended a lentil plot, a poor Israelite’s vegetable garden, against the Philistines. Others said, “I’m not dying for a bean.” Shamma said, “These are God’s lentils.”

The Thirty were all impressive, but they “did not attain to the three.” The Three’s faith in God, loyalty to the king, and love for Israel set them apart. They exhibited extraordinary courage, perseverance, and sacrifice. David always knew their names, and now God makes sure that we do. In the end, God always honors distinguished service. It may remain hidden here on earth, but God sees and celebrates it. In heaven, we’ll all be dressed in robes of Christ’s righteousness, but God will graciously reward distinctive service. Freed of the sins of envy and jealousy, we will rejoice over each other with all our hearts! We will tell the stories of the great things God did though his people. In the meantime, these stories should inspire us. Many people in Israel lived small, self-absorbed lives at this time; all of them are forgotten. We can serve God with distinction.

Devotion (v13–17)

Early in David’s reign, the Philistines took Bethlehem. As David plans his attack, he thinks about his hometown, crawling with Philistines. “Oh for a drink from the well at Bethlehem,” he murmurs. He’s not giving orders, just voicing a desire. But three of his Mighty Men hear it. So they sneak out and travel 25 miles to Bethlehem. They fight through enemy lines to the well in the middle of the city. One draws up the bucket and fills the canteen while the other two provide cover. Then they fight their way back out and retrace those 25 miles, never drinking the water. It’s a crazy suicide-mission! But they are so devoted to the king, so attentive to his desires, and so eager to serve him—they would gladly lay down their lives just to quench his thirst. When they deliver the water, David is overwhelmed by their love and sacrifice. This water is too sacred for him to just throw back like a Gatorade! So he slowly pours it out as a drink offering to Yahweh. It’s a story about what motivated the great deeds of the mighty men: not riches or personal glory, but devotion to a king they loved.

FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, SEE:

Never Was So Much Owed