Tuesday, April 20 - Miriam

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan  is 2 Sam. 2:1-3:5; 1 Chron. 3:1-4; 2 Sam. 23:8-17; 1 Chron. 11:10-19; 2 Sam. 23:18-39; and 1 Chron. 11:20-47 or for a little less flipping back and forth 2 Sam. 2-3:5; 1 Chron. 3:1-4; 2 Sam. 23:18-39 and 1 Chron. 11:10-47.


Since much of the first reading seems like "more of the same" as what we've been reading lately, I decided to focus on David's Mighty Men for my post.  If you are interested, Profiles in Courage is the commentary I read with regard to 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11.

I was a little confused about why we suddenly jumped to chapter 23 when we had just started 2 Samuel and weren't anywhere near chapter 23 yet.  According to the above-mentioned commentary, Chapter 23 is David's last recorded words.  Probably as he neared death he was remembering past experiences and those who had been with him and fought beside him, particularly the three and the thirty.  While this is recorded in chapter 23, it would have actually taken place earlier, explaining why we're reading it now.

The first thing immediately noticeable is discrepancy in the number of enemies the first of the three killed at one time when you read 1 Chronicles as opposed to 2 Samuel 23.  Here is an excerpt from the commentary:

The first of the “three” mighty men is named Josheb-basshebeth, chief of the captains. He is said to have killed 800 at one time. The parallel account in Chronicles differs somewhat:


These constitute the list of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time (1 Chronicles 11:11).


The differences in the names in the two accounts is neither surprising nor great. The numbers differ considerably.  In our text in 2 Samuel, we read that this man killed 800 men at one time; in Chronicles we read that only 300 men were killed. It is difficult to tell which text may have suffered from the error of a copyist, but either way, any man who stands up to several hundred of the enemy and kills all of them in a day is a mighty man of war.

The next thing that I wondered about was why David would pour out the water that his three men brought back for him after they risked their lives to get it. 

When presented with this water, David did what at first seems very unusual – he refused to drink the water, and instead poured it out on the ground. This is not because he disdained the efforts of these courageous men, nor because he did not wish to drink the water. I believe his actions demonstrated that he refused to drink the water because the courage of those who obtained it was too noble to do otherwise. David never intended to put these men’s lives at risk, merely to satisfy his own desires. The kind of devotion his men showed to him was the kind of devotion that belonged to God. Pouring this water out before the Lord was David’s highest expression of appreciation and regard for these men. The water was a symbol of the blood these men nearly shed, serving him. The highest use to which this water could be put was the worship of God, and so David poured it out to the Lord.
I really enjoyed reading about the exploits of Benaiah.  It's the kind of stuff they could easily make a movie about.  Maybe starring some of the actors from 300, perhaps?  He kills a lion, he goes up (with a club) against a 7 1/2-foot-tall Egyptian who's got a spear, and proceeds to finish the guy off with his own spear -- impressive stuff.  Here's something we didn't come across in today's reading:

The amazing thing about Benaiah is that he was the son of a levitical priest:



The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, as chief; and in his division were 24,000 (1 Chronicles 27:5).

We would not expect a levitical priest to take on lion-like men and real live lions. Here was a priest willing to dirty his hands and put his faith into practice. Perhaps it was as a reward for his faithful service that David put him in charge of his bodyguard, commanding the Cherethites and the Pelethites (2 Samuel 8:18; 20:23).

We are not told any details about the heroism of this list of men in verses 24-39, but Bergen has pointed out some interesting facts about these men as a group. Perhaps all but twelve of these men were Judahites. At least three came from Benjamin. Another two came from Ephraim. One man may be from Dan, and another from the tribe of Gad. Three of the cities of origin are not mentioned elsewhere, and two are the name of more than one place. Three (including Uriah) were Gentiles. Once again we find Gentiles playing a part in God’s salvation of His people. It looks to me as though a number of those named here are men who joined David early in his public life, before he had become king and while he was fleeing from Saul.  (The Bergen he refers to is Robert D. Bergen, author of The New American Commentary: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture, NIV Text: 1, 2 Samuel.)


The conclusion portion of the commentary is very long, but here are some points that I found interesting:

As I read the account of Saul’s leadership over Israel, he was dependent upon mercenaries (1 Samuel 14:52). There do not seem to be groups similar to David’s “Three” and his “Thirty.” Why not? I would suggest that Saul lacked the “courage” of David and the ability to attract and inspire “mighty men of valor.” Saul’s father is said to have been such a man (1 Samuel 9:1), but I do not see this said of Saul himself. When Goliath mocked the people of Israel and their God, we do not see Saul stepping forward to silence him, nor do we find any of his followers willing to do so either. When Saul shrunk back from challenges, so did his men (see 1 Samuel 17:11, 24). Saul’s men seem more likely to desert than to stand tall (see 1 Samuel 13:5-7).


David was a man of courage. When a lion or a bear threatened his father’s flock, he refused to allow any losses. When Goliath blasphemed the name of God, David did battle with him and killed him. David constantly proved himself to be a man of courage. Is it any wonder he attracted like-minded men? The man who stood up to Goliath was surrounded with courageous men who would gladly take on Goliath’s descendants (see 2 Samuel 21:15-22). Courage inspires courage, and David was a man of courage. No wonder we find so many heroes among those closest to him.

Heroes emerge in times of crisis.
Heroes emerge when others fear and fail.
Heroes have been prepared and predisposed to their heroism by their way of life.  Those who stand fast in times of crisis are those who have learned to trust and obey in the normal times of life.
Heroes are willing to die, if need be.
Heroes work and train very hard, but in the end they look to God for the victory. The victories these men won were humanly impossible. The author makes it very clear that in the final analysis, it is God who gave the victory.
Heroes go above and beyond the call of duty, out of faith, loyalty, and love. True heroes seek to do that which pleases those in authority over them; they are not only compelled by their duty, but also by their desire to please the one they serve.
Heroes emerge where heroism is modeled, valued, and rewarded. David modeled courage in his own personal life, he valued and rewarded it in those around him. It is little wonder that heroes emerged in such an atmosphere, or that it did not in other times (like those of Saul).

I noticed, as I copied some of the "heroes" quotes from the commentary, that some of them are remarkably applicable to parenting as well. 
We need to teach our children to trust and obey in the normal times of life so that they can stand firm when times of crisis arrive, as they certainly will. 
We need to train them to work hard and give their best efforts, but remember that God gave them their talents and abilities and ultimately anything we accomplish is thanks to him, even if it isn't something humanly impossible like killing 300 warriors all by themselves. 
We need to teach them to have respect for those in authority over them, so that they will desire to please the ones they serve with faith, loyalty and love (speaking selfishly, especially their parents!). 
We need to model good morals and standards for them, show them that we value them, and reward their efforts.

Tomorrow's reading is 2 Samuel 3:6 - 4:12 (excluding chapter 4:4).