DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN
DAVID’S MIGHTY MEN
I have the desire, dear brethren, to speak of what the Lord has at the present time in those who are characteristically overcomers. You will notice that this passage we have read follows on the last words of David; that is to say, it is suggestive of the end of the dispensation, and the Lord taking account at the end of the dispensation of those upon whom He could rely as faithful to Himself. These mighty men are not suggestive of gift; they are not suggestive of anything that man would take account of as particularly great. I think we shall see that they all represent in different aspects simple fidelity to Christ, and therefore, they represent features that can be found marking everyone of us, whether brother or sister, whether older or younger, there is no reason why we should not be marked by fidelity to Christ, and as we are thus marked we shall, I think, find that it is of great value to the Lord. It says, “These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.”
It is a great thing to take account of what the Lord has at the present time amongst the saints and to be concerned to be ourselves adding to it, contributing to it. Paul, as representing the Lord, says of Timothy, “I have no one like minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on.” Paul says, “I have no one like minded,” as though Paul was looking round as the representative of the Lord and concerned about the ministry which the Lord had entrusted to him. He was concerned to see where were those upon whom he could rely to further the truth, and to see that the Lord’s interests in every place where they had gained a foothold were in no wise being jeopardised. So the Lord also on a previous occasion in speaking to Paul at Corinth said, “Fear not, but speak and be not silent; because I am with thee, and no one shall set upon thee to injure thee, because I have much people in this city.” The Lord had them. They had not been brought to light. Paul’s ministry was to bring them to light, but the Lord spoke in that way of what He had in Corinth, just as He would speak at the present time, beloved brethren, of what He has in this place and in that place, in the various cities of the world and the smaller places too. Wherever men are set together, wherever wickedness is, wherever the principles of this world have sway over men, the Lord has in mind that in those places He would, so to speak, deposit and maintain something which He would regard as His own, something He has, something that stands in the place related to Himself and to the rights of God and the pleasure of God, and so this scripture speaks of “these are the names of the mighty men whom David had.” As I said, it was just as David was about to pass off the scene, just as the kingdom was about to be introduced under Solomon, the Spirit of God gives this review of the mighty men whom David had. It is intended, I believe, dear brethren, to provide certain stimulation of a spiritual kind with us to see to it that we, too, may be such, and that as the dispensation closes the Spirit of God may be able to record of us that we were such, the Lord could be regarded as having us available, so to speak, for His own interests in this world.
Now, I was saying that these persons of whom we read in this chapter were characteristically overcomers. That, of course, is apparent as we read the passage. The first one, it says, slew eight hundred at one time. He obviously was an overcomer. He overcame, he was not overcome, and so with the others that follow, they were all overcomers. Overcoming is an idea which appears very much in John’s writings. John wrote for the last days, and he stresses the idea; that is, that one is prepared, in fidelity to the Lord and to the truth, to go against the stream in whatever way the stream may affect him, in whatever way he may be in danger of being influenced by it. An overcomer is one who in faithfulness to the truth and dependence on the Lord is prepared to go against the stream, and so in John’s gospel the Lord presents Himself as the great Overcomer. He says, “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He said that triumphantly. He had passed through the world and every influence that Satan could bring to bear upon Him to divert Him from the path of God’s will and testimony had been brought to bear upon Him, but He had passed through as an overcomer, in no respect surrendering anything due to God. He would die rather than surrender, and so, though outwardly it appeared as though He had been overcome when He was taken by wicked hands and crucified and slain, in actual fact He at that very point was overcoming, for He was there establishing, rather than surrendering, what was in the will of God. He was there establishing God’s will and providing in His own death the basis upon which God would effect all His purposes of glory and blessing, so that overcoming is not to be judged by outward appearance. It may involve going to the wall so far as outward appearance is concerned, as it says of the Lord Jesus that He was “crucified through weakness.” That is merely what it appeared outwardly. There was no weakness in Jesus, I need scarcely say, dear brethren, on the cross or at any other time. He delivered up His Spirit, crying with a loud voice. There was not the slightest weakness in the death of the Lord Jesus save as regards the outward appearance of things, but as to that it was said, “he has been crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.” Therefore, overcoming by the saints may involve, as men would say, going to the wall, but then all this is done in the light of resurrection, as the Lord says, “Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol, neither wilt thou allow thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; thy countenance is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore,” Psalm 16: 10, 11. Peter in quoting that Psalm on the day of Pentecost changes the language, and instead of saying, “Thou wilt make known to me the path of life,” he says triumphantly, “Thou hast made known to me the paths of life,” for the Lord was already risen.
In John’s epistle he also speaks of overcoming, and says, “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” Then, too, in the book of Revelation we get constant references to overcomers both in church history and also in what will appear and develop in the world after the church is taken from it. I only mention that, dear brethren, in order that you may see the great importance, in the last days especially, of the overcomer. As a matter of fact, the truth of God has been maintained ever since sin came into the world on the principle of overcoming, for as soon as sin entered into the world Cain introduced false principles, false ideas contrary to the truth for the moment, and then the issue was raised as to whether the truth was going to be surrendered or whether it was going to be carried forward. Abel came forward to carry forward the truth; he would not surrender it, he would not give way to the stream that Cain had set in motion, but abode by the truth and he had to suffer for it, he had to die for it, but he was the overcomer. Abel maintained the truth and God raised up Seth in his place. Eve saying, “God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, because Cain has slain him.” We may rest assured of this, dear brethren, that if we on our part are prepared to stand by the truth we shall see that the Lord will carry the truth through, but it is to be carried through on the principle of overcoming, so that although Abel died for the testimony, he overcame in not surrendering to the current which Cain in opposition to the truth had set in motion, and the Spirit of God says of Abel that, “he being dead yet speaketh.” Indeed, we are speaking of him today. The Lord is bringing the example of Abel to bear on any here to whom it may be necessary, in order to encourage us, whatever may arise, to stand by the truth, because it is in that way that the truth will go through to completion.
Well now, having said that much, I would seek with the Lord’s help to speak very briefly in detail of these mighty men. We shall see, I think, that their might did not consist in that which the world would regard as great, but it is important as having part in God’s testimony in this world that we should accustom ourselves to look on things as God sees them and as the Lord regards them and not as the world regards them. So we come to this one who was chief among the captains and we are given his name, and it says of him that “he lifted up his spear against eight hundred whom he slew at one time.” That is all the detail given us. We do not even know who the eight hundred were, whether Philistines, or Amalekites, or what kind of enemy they were. We are not told. We are simply told there were eight hundred and this remarkable man slew eight hundred at one time. You might wonder how he could do it, but then he did it, the power of God was with him. The point is not so much to occupy us with the detail, but for us to see what the spiritual meaning of it is as applied to ourselves, so that each of us may ask himself or herself. Why should I not develop mightiness of this kind? Not that it is a question of wanting to be anything; that is, not the question, but of being available to the Lord. “These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.” I believe what answers to this chief of the mighty men we may see in Paul, but not in Paul as an apostle, but in Paul who was one who was himself formed by the truth, and therefore it is equally available to everyone of us. I refer to what he says in Galatians, “I am crucified with Christ.” I believe this extreme might on the part of the chief of the captains, in the language proper to Christianity, is simply the power that marks one who is characteristically self-judged, because a man or woman who is characteristically self-judged is one upon whom Satan can bring eight hundred influences to bear at one time without effect. It is there that victory is gained. It is a question of self being judged, not actions being judged, actions are simply the fruit. Self is the root, and if the matter is judged at the root; that is, the person capable of the actions is in the Spirit’s power and in the light of the cross of Christ, maintained in the place of death, then no suggestion of evil that Satan can bring forward, even though it be eight hundred influences at one time, can overcome that person.
Now that, dear brethren, lies at the very root of spiritual power, and I do not believe we shall ever be really effective, really mighty for the Lord, unless we have learned, and maintain in power, that elementary lesson of the true spiritual import of the cross of Christ. I might ask. Why was Christ crucified? It was not simply the act of wicked men. God was pleased to use wicked men instrumentally by which the crucifixion of Christ was brought to pass, but it was only instrumental. The crucifixion of Christ was a matter of divine love and wisdom and power, the love of Christ, too, entering into it, so that we might in the light of it learn to judge our own flesh. Paul could say, “I am crucified with Christ.” We learn to judge ourselves in the light of what God has effected in the cross of Christ. The crucifixion is a very solemn matter. It is expressive of God’s judgment of man in flesh. Christ took that place for us vicariously in order that that judgment might be expressed and executed, and the cross of Christ in its spiritual import is presented to us in the glad tidings to be received as glad tidings. God has expressed His judgment on man in flesh as incapable of good; it is of no use expecting anything from him. God has ended his history judicially at the cross, and He expects that in obedience of faith and in affection for the Son of God who hung upon the cross, we should accept that truth, accept it whole-heartedly. Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ,” but he says, “nevertheless I live, yet not I,” but Christ liveth in me”; that is, it is not an unreal thing. The person who says I am crucified with Christ is in fact actually living, but living now on what principle? He says, “not I, but Christ liveth in me.” That is to say, the whole object now of Paul’s life was that he himself in his body as a man on earth should be a vessel in which Christ should find expression; and he says, in order to show the power by which that may be sustained practically, “the life which I now live in flesh” (that is, in flesh and blood conditions), “I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” I believe Paul had had real transactions with Christ, and had learned from the Son of God what the bearing of the cross of Christ was, in its bearing upon Paul, and he had come to it that no less a person than the Son of God had loved Paul and given Himself for Paul, so that Paul might know the joy of walking in liberty, being entirely free from the dominion of sin and the power of law and all that would hinder, and that the life of Christ might find expression in him.
Now, dear brethren, if Paul could take it up, why should not I, why should not we, why should not each one of us take it up? “I am crucified with Christ,” he says. That is to say, all that Paul was as a man in flesh, was, in the Spirit’s power and under the influence of the love of the Son of God, maintained in the place of death, and his whole life was now held as available to Christ. Well, I say again, in the measure in which we know these things, in that measure we shall be proof against any form of Satan’s influence brought to bear upon us. He can bring, if he wishes, eight hundred influences to which the flesh would respond, he can bring them to bear upon us, and we shall prove superior to them. This is in a sense very elementary, but I believe it is fundamental; it is striking to me that this chief of the captains is this one of whom we read simply that he lifted up his spear against eight hundred whom he slew at one time. It shows, beloved brethren, that spiritual power and availability for Christ commences with our learning and maintaining in our souls the import of the cross of Christ.
Well, then, the next one we come to is “Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the son of an Ahohite”; he was one of the three mighty men with David, when they had defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone up. “He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword.” In all the three incidents that follow the one relating to the chief of the captains, it is the Philistines that are in question. They were the great enemy of David, not that he had no other enemies which he overcame, but the Philistines are the most prominent of David’s enemies. The Philistine is always a menace to us, dear brethren. The Philistine represents,
as I understand it, the effort of the natural mind to compass the things of God, and if any of us has an able mind or an active mind, such an one has particularly to guard against what is Philistine. We all have to guard against the effort in natural ability to take up the things of God apart from the power of the Spirit of God. Where the Philistine gets a place, the results are disastrous to the people of God. You see it very plainly in Christendom around us. The clerical system around us is based on the principle that the Spirit of God is displaced and that men of education and training and learning lead in the ministry. Indeed it is all in their hands, and the position has become such that the truth of God by that very means is being entirely lost, and what is replacing it is just what has been conceived in the mind of man. We are allowed to see it in Christendom around us very plainly in order that we may be on our guard against anything of that kind having place amongst ourselves.
Well now, in what did the might of this man Eleazar consist? As far as I can see, it was that he sedulously stood by the word of God. His sword is made much of. He strove until he was weary and even then his hand was still cleaving to his sword. I believe it is the power that one may develop as knowing the Scriptures and knowing how to apply them, as being with the Lord in it, that is the important thing. It says, “And after him, Eleazar the son of Dodo, the son of an Ahohite; he was one of the three mighty men with David.” That is the important thing, to be with David, so to speak, in the handling of the Scriptures. I trust that every young brother and young sister is concerned to acquire a knowledge of the Scriptures. We have to thank God for the abundance of spiritual ministry that we enjoy and the abundance of opportunities that we have for getting together: that is a cause for the greatest thankfulness to God, and we are in no way to despise or belittle it, but it is also of the greatest importance that each one for himself and herself should become fully acquainted with the Scriptures, and that we should go on day by day, year in and year out, all through our lives reading the Scriptures, reading all the Scriptures, becoming acquainted with the Scriptures. We do not realise what wealth there is in the Scriptures until we become acquainted with them, and the more acquainted we are with them the more we discover what wealth they contain. They are a valuable treasury, and they are a valuable armoury. You can draw out of the Scriptures by the Spirit of God an endless wealth for the satisfaction of the souls of God’s people, and to give yourself substance in the service of God, and you can also find in the Scriptures that which will save you from every attack. There has not been a single attack ever made on an individual saint, or on the brethren as moving collectively in the truth, to which the answer has not been found in the Scriptures. They are an extraordinary armoury that is never exhausted, and therefore it is of the greatest importance, if we would have part in what is for the Lord here on earth, that we should learn to avail ourselves of the Scriptures.
Paul said to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” or complete. It is complete as to equipment, fully equipped, a man of God is the idea of one who is standing for God in an evil day and one of the greatest elements in his equipment is the Scriptures given by inspiration of God; but then, of course, dear brethren, it is not only the Scriptures but it is the Scriptures as handled by one who is with God. We well know that Satan can quote Scripture: Satan quoted Scripture in the temptation of the Lord in the wilderness. He would use Scripture to divert the Lord, and therefore it is not only the Scriptures, but it is the Scriptures as held livingly, and dependently on the Lord. So it says, that the word of God is living and operative, not that I would say that the word of God is exactly the Scriptures literally, but the Scriptures applied livingly would convey to us the word of God; “the word of God,” it says, “is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword and penetrating to the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is not a creature unapparent before him, but all things are naked and laid bare to his eyes with whom we have to do.” The word of God brings us into the presence of God. The Scriptures are to be read in that way, they are to be read as having their application to one’s own conscience and heart. In chapter 3 of Judges, we read of a judge named Ehud who represents one who is skilful in the use of the Scriptures and it says that he made himself a dagger or a sword having two edges. It does not simply say he made a sword with two edges, but he made him a sword; that is, he made it for himself. That is the important thing, and then he could go into the presence of Eglon, king of Moab, and could say, “I have a word from God unto thee.” What was the message from God? It was the sword plunged into the king of Moab; that was the message of God. It was a question of overthrowing the king of Moab, and doing it authoritatively, and he did it with a sword of two edges that he had first made for himself. That is the secret of power, the secret of power in the handling of the Scriptures is that the Scriptures have first had their power in one’s own conscience and heart, and then they can be applied powerfully as needed in other directions. Well now, it says of this man Eleazar, that he arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clave unto the sword. It was the word that he was holding; and so we read of Apollos, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, and then it goes on to say what power he had, he convinced the Jews and that publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. That was the Scriptures used in a powerful way by one who was mighty in them. I think you will agree, beloved brethren, that self-judgment as we have been speaking of it and a knowledge of the Scriptures, with ability to use them rightly as being with the Lord in the matter, are two elements of power that are open to every one of us. There is no reason why we should not be available to the Lord, as marked by these features. And then we come to the third, “Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite.” It says of him that “the Philistines were gathered into a troop, and there was there a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people had fled before the Philistines; and he stood in the midst of the plot and delivered it, and smote the Philistines, and Jehovah wrought a great deliverance.” We have here a piece of ground, which is suggestive of a local position. It is a question of a local position being defended and it is being defended on the principle of standing in it. That is another thing that we can all do in our own localities, understanding the truth, allowing it to have place in our own souls, and then standing in it wherever we are placed. If I find myself in a locality and there are certain influences at work in that locality, it may be a little element of personal feeling or of partisan spirit or something of that sort, well now, what is the best way to meet it? The best way to meet it is for one or two to be standing in the locality expressive of the truth. One or two in the locality moving among the saints in lowliness and in love and entirely free from partisanship, and set to serve in love without partiality, what a long way that will go in helping to bind the saints together. Suppose there is a little element of personal feeling, is there someone who is prepared to lay down his life for the brethren and let personal considerations go, in order that love may have its free flow? Standing in the truth is the way to help the saints in any locality. That is particularly illustrated in the history of Corinth.
You remember what was happening at Corinth, how there was great disunity there, and an effort on the part of certain leaders there to undermine the authority of the apostle and the authority of the truth that he presented. What did Paul do? He wrote to them authoritatively, bringing the mind of the Lord to bear upon the situation that existed, but then he did something else. He sent to them his child Timothy. It does not say he was to teach, but he would bring to the memory of the Corinthians, I have no doubt it means by his example, Paul’s ways as they are in Christ, “as I teach everywhere in every assembly,” he says. I picture to myself the influence that young man would have at Corinth. There would be the great leaders seeking to make something of themselves, and parties ranged under these different leaders, and then there would be the young man Timothy among them, moving in and out in the spirit of Christ, and as he moved without partisanship, governed by the truth, the Corinthians would begin to say to themselves, ‘that is exactly like Paul was.’ They would see for themselves that the Spirit of God was supporting that young man, for the Spirit of God will always support the truth, and it is a question, dear brethren, of what the Spirit of God supports. That is what we want to go in for, and I believe, in Timothy going among them and in his influence in their midst as bringing to their remembrance Paul’s ways as they were in Christ, there was, unknown to the great leaders in Corinth, the undermining of their influence and the re-establishing of what was of God in that place. And so one has often referred, dear brethren, to the importance of the exemplification of the truth. You remember when Gideon had to meet the host of the Midianites, it says that he divided his men into three companies of a hundred each and he said to them, “Look on me, and do likewise ... as I do, so shall ye do.” And then they were to blow with the trumpets and they said, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” I believe the sword of the Lord is like Paul’s epistle, it is the authority of the Lord, the authoritative word of the Lord that has its own way, but then there is also the sword of Gideon and I believe the sword of Gideon is the power of exemplification, for Gideon said, “Look on me and do likewise.” So Timothy was to exemplify the truth at Corinth so that they might have brought to their remembrance Paul’s ways as they are in Christ, as he says, “as I teach everywhere in every assembly.” It is important to remember, dear brethren, that every assembly is intended to be patterned after the divine pattern. There is no reason why there should be features of Christ in one place and not features of Christ in another. The intention is that every local assembly should be patterned after the divine conception, and so Paul says, “as I teach everywhere in every assembly.” And so, this third man Shammah represents the important principle of holding the ground in a locality, just standing, standing in the truth in a locality, and the Spirit of God will stand by those who are marked by these features.
Finally, we get the three mighty men who are so often referred to, and now it is a question of considering for the heart of Christ. I am sure that would appeal to everyone who loves Christ, the possibility of considering for the heart of Christ, the possibility of doing it now. The opportunity for doing it will soon be gone, dear brethren, at least in the way in which we have it now. The opportunity for considering for what His heart desires while He is still rejected, will soon be gone, and so it is an opportunity not to be missed, and it says, “David longed,” showing how his feelings were in it. “David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate.” The water of the well of Bethlehem. There is nothing Philistine about that; the water of the well of Bethlehem is what is fresh in the power of the Holy Spirit, what has proper assembly features about it, for Bethlehem is always typical, I believe, of the assembly in its local expression, and so as the Lord is looking down on different assemblies, where He sees us. He is longing that there should be something of the character of the affectionate response proper to the assembly seen in every place. That should find expression in our being of one mind and breaking bread in remembrance of the Lord, for the calling of Him to mind, not doing it as a formality, but bringing the affections into it; it is a question of answering to the longings of Christ. “Water of the well of Bethlehem which is in the gate.” That is what the Lord wants. How He must feel the cold formalism in all that is around us in the religious world, what people call divine worship. How the Lord must feel it! How he felt it when He went into the house of Simon the Pharisee! He was invited into the house, outwardly patronised, but inside what was there? “Thou gavest me not water on my feet, but she has washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with her hair.” On the other hand, what His heart enjoyed as the woman wept and washed His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed and anointed His feet! So it says, “David longed,” and these three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David.
Is there someone here who loves Christ, and who has not yet moved in this way of bringing Him what His heart looks for? It is a great thing to break through, dear brethren. These three broke through. It is an important thing that there should be this element of breaking through too in every locality. If there is any locality where things appear to be a little dry or formal or stale, there should be exercise that there should be the breaking through of all that, and the bringing in of what is fresh and living in the power of the Spirit of God. That is what the Lord desires and we should all seek that it should be found among us, the breaking through of everything that is Philistine in character and bringing in what is fresh and living in the energy of the Spirit to satisfy the heart of Christ.
So they brought this to David and it says, “nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah.” That does not mean that he did not appreciate it; he very greatly appreciated it. When it comes to the antitype we see in one sense the Lord does drink of what is brought to Him. He does appreciate it fully. He will first of all have His own portion in it. Then David poured it out to Jehovah, and that is exactly what the Lord is doing at the present time in the assembly as the saints are found responding to Him and affording Him assembly affection in response to His own heart. The Lord secures it first for Himself and then He turns it all God-ward, all is gathered up and turned to yield refreshment to the heart of God.
Well now, these things that we have touched upon, dear brethren, are not things that the world would regard as of any consequence at all, but they are very great indeed in the sight of the Lord. “These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.”
It is a question of what the Lord has at the present time, and of the possibility of every one of us here contributing to it, so that there may be more for Him during the little while that remains to us. The chapter goes on to speak of others, it speaks about a man named Benaiah, a mighty man of valour who performed exploits. He slew two lion-like men of Moab, and then he slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and then he smote an Egyptian, an imposing man who had a spear, and plucked it out of his hand, and slew him with his own spear. They were great exploits, but remarkably enough these exploits were not so great in the sight of David as the things of which we have been speaking. It says of Benaiah he was a man of great exploits, but he did not attain to the first three, and so I urge on oneself and on the dear brethren the importance of this element of true self-judgment, maintained in the power of the Spirit, and then of the right application of the Holy Scriptures in the power of the Spirit, and then the standing in one’s own locality in the truth, and then moving together to provide Christ with assembly affection, according to His longings.
These are the greatest things, and we shall minister greatly to the heart of Christ if we all are more and more marked by them.
May the Lord bless His word.