David's Mighty Men

We are in the middle of a series called Forgotten, where we are looking at unforgettable lessons from forgotten lives found in the Old Testament of the Bible. And it’s father’s day weekend so today we thought we’d look at the story of David’s mighty men. If you have a Bible turn to 2 Samuel 22 where we’ll find out passage.

This is a story about some ordinary guys whose reputations grow in heroic proportions because of the way they live their lives. They are not just men. They are men’s men. Heroes, forever honored in the faith fall of fame of the Bible, because of how they handled very difficult circumstances.

And since it is father’s day weekend, we are going to look at the way they lived their lives. Now, before we do, as a lot of you know, there is a picture in our world of what a man is supposed to be. In fact, our society has even set up some man-laws that determine how manly a man truly is. I got this list from the most reliable source out there, the internet, so these must be true.

Here are the top 10 man-laws:

Alright, so maybe that is not exactly on target. But it does raise the question, what does it mean to be a mighty man? What does God expect from all of us, not just men, but "What does God expect from all believers in the way we should think and act?"

Can I suggest to you that there are some principles in the passage we are about to look at that aren’t the exception, but the norm for every believer. Before I do, let me give you some background.

Go back earlier in 1 Samuel and you will find the story of a young shepherd boy named David who is the last, smallest and youngest of 7 brothers relegated to herding sheep, one of the most despised jobs in Israel. One day a prophet named Samuel comes by and tells David’s father Jesse that one of his sons will replace Saul as king. One by one Jesse presents his sons. Samuel looks at the appearance of the first and says, "look at the size of him! He must be the one." And God replies, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. They go through the first six sons of Jesse and God doesn’t pick any of them. And Samuel says to him "Are these all the sons you have? Don’t you have any more?" And in what would seem to be almost an after thought, he said, "Well I do have my youngest David, but he’s a shepherd..."

And what we find out is that when others saw a shepherd boy God saw a king.

In the coming years, David would be recruited into King Saul’s service as a musician, slay a giant named goliath, be put in charge of the armies of Israel and befriend the son of King Saul, named Jonathan. One day David arrives home for a military victory and the crowds are shouting his praise and it goes like this "Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed his 10,000s!" Saul sees the writing on the wall and tries to kill David. But he escapes to the hills. While he is there, a band of brothers gather around him. A group that would become his mighty men.

In 1 Samuel 22 these men are described:

David left Gath and Escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. 1 Samuel 22:2

Here is a description of David’s mighty men. Distressed, discontented and in debt. Now that’s the kind of help I’m looking for! Here’s what we know. David’s mighty men were ordinary everyday people. These guys followed David before he was anything and before they were anything. What made them mighty, was the character they gained, the lives that they lives and the decisions they made while with David in the wilderness.

Let me just take a couple of minutes to make some observations about the Decisions that made these guys Mighty Men. And let’s see how they connect with our lives.

Decision 1: I will do what’s right even when the odds are against me.

Let’s look at 2 Samuel 22:8. These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkmonite, was the chief of the three; he raised his spear against 800 men, whom he killed in one encounter. 2 Samuel 22:8

We start off with a story of a guy who is braveheart, gladiator and Rambo wrapped into one. His name Tahkmonite literally means "the one who is first". One day he finds himself in a situation where he is facing insurmountable odds. He’s surrounded by 800 men. And he has a decision to make. The possibility of victory seems very remote and yet he knows the right thing to do is stand and fight for what is right.