ICS Daily Devotions
David’s Mighty Men
2 Samuel 23:8-12 And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.” These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time.9 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 for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated.10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee 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.12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.
Josheb, Eleazar and Shammah were with King David when King Saul was hunting for him for ten years. They served him despite the fact that he wasn’t the king yet. But they recognized that David had a calling from God to be king!! These were true friends and fellow comrade in arms. They stuck with him when he was pursued by King Saul and when he was aged. In life, such loyalty is indeed rare. People usually abandon us or show us a negative attitude when we are at the valley in our lives.
Dr. Samuel Chand is a pastor and author of Ladder Focus, Who is Holding Your Ladder, Who is Shaking Your Ladder, and Who Moved Your Ladder. He got the idea for his books while he was praying. As he was praying one day, he saw a painter outside of his window. However, he wasn’t sure who was holding onto the ladder for the painter. At that moment, the Lord spoke to him: “The painter is like the leader painting the vision of what is to be done. And this will require people to hold onto the ladder so what the leader has been entrusted with will be achieved and will not be shaken.” In other words, the vision caster is the painter. He needs many people to hold onto the ladder in order for the vision to succeed. There will be people who will shake the ladder by challenging the vision and those who create trouble by moving the ladder. As a church, we need a clear mandate and many supporters to hold onto the ladder so that we can fulfill the end goal together.
The characteristic of a good ladder holder is someone who recognizes authority. He is a team player, faithful, loyal and submits to leadership regardless of the tasks and responsibilities given to him.
The church needs many faithful ladder holders in order for the vision to be fulfilled. These are qualities that every organization in the church and corporation are looking for. Besides knowledge, people with the right attitude are the most valuable because the rest of the skill sets can be trained and developed.
Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite was chief among the captains. He was also called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. ‘Adino’ (the Eznite) is a Hebrew word that means “his ornament.” He is someone that everyone would be proud of and an ornament to be adored. Imagine how such an accomplishment would really stoke one’s ego. It was God’s power working in the life of Josheb yet he did not boast as the Lord was also with him and not just with David. He kept his proper attitude!
Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, was one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines that were gathered against them for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He fought until his hand was weary and the sword was stuck to his hand.
Shammah the son of Agee, the Hararite, was also a great achiever. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. The people fled from the Philistines but Shammah stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory because of him. He held on to defend the fort. He was a capable and powerful man.
We need to remember that King David is already at a stage where he was about to depart from the earth. He was old and had gone through tremendous challenges that came from his own son Absalom’s rebellion and from the revolt of Sheba.
These three men had every opportunity to revolt against King David and take over the Kingdom from him. They didn’t. They were well trained and men of character. In this era where everyone is self-seeking, it is important for us to learn to be loyal and faithful to the cause and the person that God has placed us under.
Some of us may have held leadership roles in our home churches. Nevertheless, when we come to a new church, the most important of all is to start serving in the little things in the new church and to be faithful and loyal to the new leadership. God will promote us to leadership in the new church, if necessary, but do not always seek to sit beside the leader on the left or right because Christianity emphasizes servant leadership.
God used men who are faithful with the little so that He can entrust them with much. They are not in a hurry to prove to other men their abilities and achievements. They were loyal to the king and fulfilled their mission. They laid down their personal rights and agenda because the mission was greater than their own lives. Pastors cannot complete their calling from the Lord without the help of other Christians, who like those mighty men of David, are willing to join with them in their cause and calling before the Lord.
Sermon Series: King David’s Men
