2 Samuel - Chapter 23 - THE LORD BROUGHT ABOUT A GREAT VICTORY

THE LORD BROUGHT ABOUT A GREAT VICTORY

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

2 Samuel 23

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

The last words of David follow the roayl psalm (2 Sam 22 – Psalm 18) just as the blessing of Moses follows the song of Moses.  It appears the Hebrew writers purposed it to be so.  Since we believe the Holy Script is divinely inspired by God Himself, then we can say God purposed it to be so.

2 Samuel 23:1-2: These are the last words of David.
Thus says David the son of Jesse;
Thus says the man raised up on high,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel:

 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.

David is not only the son of Jesse, but he is the man exalted by the Most-High enthroned as King of Israel, and anointed three times by the God of Jacob.  To David was given the Davidic Covenant.

The Abrahamic covenant gave Jesus the land, the earth.  The David Covenant gave Him the throne, the right to rule the earth!  The throne of the Davidic Covenant is the legal authority to rule in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The throne is not a chair or seat somewhere beyond the Milky Way or someplace in the Middle East.  The Greek word “thronos” for “throne” means “a place or seat of authority”—it is the right to rule.  To rule from David’s throne is they key of David for Kingdom of God authority.

David had three anointings:

1.       1 Sam. 16:13: Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. With this first anointing, he killed a bear, a lion, and a giant (while Saul was still ruling).

2.      2 Sam. 2:4:  The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. With this second anointing, Judah made him king at Hebron.

3.      2 Sam. 5:3: Aall the elders of Israel came to the king David at Hebron. He made a league with them before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.

2 Samuel 23: 3-4: The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.  He shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, clear shining after rain.

As we studied in Psalm 72, David blessed Solomon with this grace.  Psalm 72 is a king’s blessing to another king.  Here David is saying, the Lord God declared this blessing over him.  That gives this blessing even greater depths of glory.  God conferred this blessing upon David and his house.  In turn, David decreed it over Solomon.  Through Jesus Christ, we have this blessing over our lives.

Psalm 72: 6-8:  He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing; like showers that water the earth.  In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.  He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

2 Samuel 23:5: Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire.  Will He not make it increase?

David’s house was not so, but Jesus’ house is.  The Davidic Covenant is “ordered in all things, and sure.”  “For this is all my salvation and all my desire.”

This reveals the desire of David’s heart and why the word says He had a heart after God.  His desire was God’s desire.  God’s desire was his desire.

1Thess. 5:23: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Samuel 23: 6-7: The sons of rebellion (sons of Belial) shall all be as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. The man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear. They shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.

David is prophesying that we will always have to deal with the sons of Belial.  Their portion will be thorns indicative of nature cursed by the fall.  With the present warfare in our nation, we are dealing with the spirits of the sons of Belial.  They cannot be taken down in the flesh.  We the church have to use our spiritual weapons of warfare: iron, spear and fire to bring down the sons of Belial.

David’s Mighty Men

The names of David’s mighty men reveal the nature, character, and authority of the overcomers who rule and reign with Jesus Christ in His Kingship. 

1 Chronicles 11:10: These are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

The order has three classes, the three; the thirty; and the three of the thirty.  Thirty appears to be a round number rather than mathematical.  Verse 39 says 37 men in all.  The Chronicler places his almost identical list in chapter 11 immediately after David’s anointing at Hebron as king over all Israel and his capture of Zion.  It appears most of these men were with him from the beginning.

The three are named as:

1.       Jashobeam, the Tachmonite, chief of the captains (chief military adviser).  He was a Hachmonite (“wise one”).  He slew 800 at one time.  His name means “the people will return” (restoration).  (1 Chr. 10:11) He was in charge of the first division of 24,000 men. 

2.      Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle.  The men of Israel had retreated.  Eleazar arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword.  The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.  Eleazar means “God is helper.”

3.      Shammah is the third mentioned of the three mighty men.  The Philistines had gathered together with a troop where there was piece of ground full of lentils.  So, the people fled from the Philistines.  Shammah stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines.  So, the LORD brought about a great victory.

2 Samuel 23: 13-17: Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of A-dullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.  David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem.  David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”  So, the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD.  He said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore, he would not drink it.  These things were done by the three mighty men.

This is the second “three.”  The Lord would have received that offering of the love of the men for their King, and David’s humility to pour it out before the Lord.  The offering was a sacrifice of love both to David and to God.

The three of the thirty are:

1.      Abishai whose name means “wrought of God.” He is chief of the second three.  He became their captain. He slew 300.  However, he did not attain to be one of the first three. He was also David’s nephew. 

2.      Benaiah whose name means “built of Jehovah.”  The word says he was son of a valiant man of Kabzeel. He slew two lionlike men of Moab.  He also went down and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.  He slew an Egyptian man of great stature (a giant five cubits high/7.5 feet).  In the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam.  He went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, then slew him with his own spear.  David set him over his guard (Kerethites and Pelethites non-Jewish mercenaries). These acts put him in the first rank of the thirty.  After David’s death, he helped Solomon become king by killing Solomon’s enemies.  He served as the chief of Solomon’s army.  He is the one who killed Ad-o-nijah, Joab and Shimei. Serving David, He was more honored than the Thirty, but he did not attain to the first three.

3.      The third man is not named.  The first one to be named among the Thirty is Asahel, the brother of Joab and a nephew to David.  His name means “wrought of God.”

I am not going to expound over the remaining Mighty Men. 

Our Captain is uttering His mighty voice before His army (Joel 2: 1-11).  He has not called us to evacuate the conflict or to escape our place in His redemptive plan.  Yes, we must activate His dominion in the earth.  The demon power by the name of, “Dominion” is a strong man over our nation to overturn our government.

The Davidic covenant is the seventh and last covenant of the Old Testament, made to Israel’s witness, leader, and commander (Is. 55:4).  The ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is found in Jesus Christ, David’s greatest Son, and then the brethren who are conformed to His image (Rom 8: 14-29; Heb. 2: 6-13). 

Jesus Christ established the New Covenant, (New Testament).  He is the head of the church.  The Davidic Covenant establishes Jesus Christ as the ultimate ruler of the earth and the universe, the King of kings and Lord of Lords!

The Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant and the New Testament are interrelated; each one is an extension of the other.  God confirmed the New Covenant with an oath (Ps. 110:4; Heb. 7: 20-28). 

The house of the heavenly David is the Church, made up of Jew and Greek (Eph. 3: 11-12; Heb. 3: 5-6).

Jesus Christ is also the key of David, the one who opens and shuts every door, every situation.  The Anointed one, the Messiah, is the Horn of David (Ps. 18:2; 89: 20,24; 92:10; 132:17; Lk. 1:69) who has been anointed with the Spirit without measure (Jn. 3:34) ---the Seven Spirits of God are the fullness of the Spirit.

The Church, His Body, is the Tabernacle of David, a people for His name (1 Chron. 16:1; 17:1; Is. 16:5; Amos 9: 11-12; Acts 15: 13-18).

God cannot deny Himself.  He remains faithful to His covenantal word.  There are no excuses.  Abraham gave us the promise.  David gave us the right to appropriate and administer the promise.  Jesus Christ is the Seed of Abraham and the Seed of David. To deny Him is to deny yourself.

2 Sa. 23-39:

David’s Mighty Men 2 Samuel 23: 24-39. 

Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite),

 Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,

Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,

Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the sons of Jashen), Jonathan,

Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the s