The Lord Brought About a Great Victory
As we come to the end of 2nd Samuel (just 2 more weeks!), we pick up where Michael left off last week in chapter 23:8. However, rather than a continuation of David's farewell speech, we come to the annals of the exploits of David's mighty men. In some ways, it is a little jarring to find these exploits recorded in scripture. Does scripture celebrate war and killing? Are these the types of exploits that are required to qualify as a "mighty man"? The answer to those questions is no and no. While scripture does recount the exploits of war, it does so in the context of a story about good and evil. It is a story about a King and his struggle to regain his kingdom from tyrants. It is a story where the King will sacrifice his own life in order to save his subjects. We must be careful not to discuss concepts such as war and killing apart from their context in the greater story that the Bible is telling.
As far as the Bible's characterization of what qualifies as a "mighty man", we must maintain the same level of nuance that the scripture does. The men of these annals gathered initially to David as weak outcasts who could not find a home. 1 Sam 22 puts it this way, "And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him." These were men who were equally marked by weakness as strength. David himself was a man of valor having destroyed the giant, Goliath. But he was also the sweet Psalm singer of Israel, as comfortable with a harp as with a sword. David was also a man deeply in touch with his emotions and is known as a man after God's heart largely for his ability to confess his sin and seek repentance. The Bible's portrayal of a "mighty man" is complex.
Perhaps more than anything, the annals of the mighty men in David's retinue remind us that though we are often called to deeds of valor and hearts of loyalty, it is always God working through us to achieve great victories (cf 2 Sam 23:10,12). In the end, as we have seen week by week, David is the recipient of the God's promise and is the king, but he is not THE KING that our hearts ultimately long for.
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