Mighty Men

Day 322.
Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time. Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. (1 Chronicles 11:10, 11, 20, 22, 23 ESV)

These men lived during the age of heroes. Many of the Greek myths were written about men from this age (the bronze age). As you compare the stories of OT heroes with the Greek heroes you find some key differences. One, many of the Greek stories are tragedies. The stories of the OT heroes always serves to advance God’s cause. While there are tragedies along the way, the message of the writer is ultimately one of hope. Two, the Greek heroes are mighty in deed in order to win their own honor. The OT heroes are mighty, not to show their own prowess but to show the Lord’s prowess. They fight for a cause other than their own glory. Notice in the first verse above these mighty men do their mighty deeds as “strong support” for the Lord’s anointed.

Did you know that God has prepared good works for all of us to do? Whose glory are our good works meant to show?

Ask the Lord for strength to do mighty things to show the power and goodness of God.

McCheyne’s reading plan: 1 Ch 11-12 He 13, Am 7, Ps 89