David's Mighty Men Series

“David’s Mighty Men”

“A band of brothers”

Thesis: Unknown people of significance are the real heroes for many kings, kingdoms and presidents. The sacrifice of the nobodies is critical to the victorious wins in battles, their selfless sacrifice of their lives, their precious time, their loyal hearts, and the courage to face their fears on the battlefield of life and death have bestowed on us more than we could ever imagine.

The Kingdom of God appauls these mighty men and women of faith – David himself at the end of his reign makes sure the historians of Israel remember and write about his mighty men! He highlights 37 of them out of his 600.

Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual (reasonable) act of worship.” (Why because it makes sense to serve God this way!)

Veterans Day is tomorrow! Take time to honor the veterans around you for their service and sacrifice!

Illustration: Band of Brothers

A Quote from Band of Brothers: “They depended on each other. And the world depended on them.”

Introduction:

Without realizing it many of us have fallen prey to thinking that people of most significance are people like star athletes, actors, actresses, musicians, and even politicians. These are the ones we applaud and become excited to meet in person. These are the ones who we ask for their autographs and then show it off as a valuable treasured signature to others. These are the ones we take selfies with because they are famous!

But really these are not the hero’s. Heroes and heroines are the note worthy individuals who turned “Nobodies into some bodies.” They are the people who behind the scenes have given their loyalty to God, faced their fears with courage in battle, were obedient to follow the commands of God’s leaders into the battles. They have sacrificed so that others may have the freedom to live free in Christ and even in a nation. They have stayed in the shadows and never been mentioned by name. They have drifted into obscurity because their status goes unnoticed and in some cases even gets undervalued and unappreciated. By those who come after them!

But God see’s their heroism and their faithfulness and he appaulads them! Heaven honors those who worship God as living sacrifices.

These bands of brothers sisters) may be forgotten by others in the history books and by most in their country but not by their fellow warriors and fellow brothers in the struggle of life and death. Their names will be etched in their memories for ever and they will never forget the sacrifice of the unknown names of countless soldiers who have given their lives for the gift of freedom for their countries.

They are the veterans of our country – the ones who first fought for our independence in New England against the British and ran into battle with the motto, “No King but King Jesus.” (See “The Spirit of the Amercian Revolution” David Barton; “The New Heavens and the New Earth” Cushing Stout; Sibley’s Harvard Graduates, Clifford Shipton.) Many of the leaders of the American Revolution were pastors, farmers, christians, blue collar workers who live as living sacrifices for a mission greater than their own life, but the same is true of Israel’s heroe’s! The soldiers who came to the cave at Adullam after David prayed and asked God for help!

The veterans, the soldiers who have fought for our country throughout the many wars were the ones who stepped up to fight for freedom. These soldiers of honor are even the ones today fighting the wars in the world. These are the unsung heroes who are the nobodies of history – because most do not know their names - but they are the some bodies who have given us our freedom here in America today and in many other countries. Many of you here know of men and women who gave their lives and served our country faithfully. These men and women all have a band of brothers/sisters who they know by name and it’s important for us today to hear their names today when it comes to David and Israel.

Scripture Texts:

There are a few passages in the Bible which highlight the “Unknown One’s” You find these references in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11.

King David the King of Israel is on the verge of passing away. Israel’s historians have gathered around their hero King David. They are looking for a detailed history of his many triumphs, his war stories, his brilliant commands, his wise statesmanship, his expansion of Israel, and His prosperous kingdom. But no, David does not brag about himself or the other famous people in his cabinet. He recalls the names of the people he considered to be the true heroes of Israel’s rise to power and prominence in the world. These are the names of the nobodies who had a significant lasting impact on the nation of Israel. They according to my Bible where sent and equipped by God to assist, to protect, and to enable David to become king of Israel and stay the King of Israel!