Tag Archives: mighty men

Big Ben

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I have put off reading 1 and 2 Chronicles for years. It’s notorious for long lists and boring genealogies. Half of it is a remix of the previous books, Samuel and Kings. Some of it is repeated word for word, so I’ve skipped over Chronicles many times.

But no more.
Reading through it now is unearthing some delightful surprises.

Long before the Marvel Universe or the Avengers, there were some real-life super heroes. They were called David’s Mighty Men and their names are listed in 1 Chronicles 11. Among this group of warriors, was the “The Thirty”—known for great exploits and valiant fighting. Among “The Thirty” was “The Three”— they were the most famous of all. This trio once broke through enemy lines, drew fresh water from a well and brought it back to King David because they overheard him say he was thirsty. They risked their lives to get their beloved leader a cold drink.

One of David’s Mighty Men was particularly impressive.
A single 14-word sentence was written of Benaiah,
“He went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.”

This begs some questions.
Did he chase that lion into the pit?
Why did he jump into the pit with the lion?
Why was he out chasing lions on a snowy day?
How did he manage to kill the king of beasts all by himself?

This short sentence isn’t all we get of Ben’s life. When King David saw the man crawl out of that snowy pit with a lion skin rug, he said, “Make that man my chief body guard.” Good move.

Sometimes I wonder what will be remembered about me someday.
What 14-word sentence could sum up my life and times?

“She made really good chocolate chip cookies
and watched a lot of baseball games.”
Lord, have mercy.

Good thing snow is in the forecast.
I’ve got some lions to chase.

Mighty Men

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mightymenPB preached a sermon on Sunday about King David’s Mighty Men in 2 Samuel 23.  It was a mighty good message.  I know it was good because it’s Tuesday and I’m still thinking about it.

PB told the story of a rag-tag bunch of guys, about 400 “losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts” (1 Sam. 22:2) who sided with David, making them all enemies of King Saul.  Among those 400, there was “The Thirty” with a capital “T”.  In that elite group of 30, three earned the title “Mighty Men”.

The Mighty Men were fierce warriors who took on whole armies single-handedly.  They were also the kind of guys that would break through enemy lines just to fetch their beloved leader a cold drink of water.  These good-hearted men took a stand and risked their lives to serve their king.  They had David’s back — and his trust.

Two questions come to mind:

First, how many people have three mighty warriors in their lives who can be counted on to come alongside and fight for them?

Second, who needs me to be one of their mighty comrades, daring to break through enemy lines to bring refreshment?

 “Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.” (2 Samuel 23:17)

Exploit: a striking or notable deed; feat; spirited or heroic act.

It’s time for us to have some exploits.