TSIYON NEWS

 

From Eliyahu

 

Any soldier will tell you that a well-ordered military under knowledgeable, determined and effective leadership is key to winning wars. Without that order, and without that leadership, even otherwise powerful armies are set up for defeat.

 

Why should you and I care about that? Simple. Because the Scriptures make it very clear that believers are at war with a determined and powerful enemy. Yes, I'm talking about the devil and his hordes. Some people think they don't need to be concerned about that because they think the devil can't hurt them since they are under divine protection. The Scriptures do not encourage that view, but instead encourage readiness for the spiritual battle, like this one for example:

"Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

The devil is no joke, and neither are his intentions, nor his vast army devoted to the defeat of the Kingdom. Therefore, we are told:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:10-13)

How do you stand against the devil? Certainly not by underestimating him! You must stand "strong in the Lord" in the "strength of His might." That's not passive, but is active. That is putting His strength to work through you to defeat the enemy. That requires you to be engaged in the war ... along with others, all making up a well-ordered and well-led 'mighty in the Lord' fighting force.

 

Yes, we need some work on that, which is why I'm telling you about David's mighty men. These guys rose to heights nobody would have ever believed, and it is amazing how that happened. You see, it was around 1000 BC. David was the youth who had slain the giant, Goliath, and went on to excel in King Saul's army. Saul grew jealous and tried to kill David, sending David running for his life, turning David into an outlaw. What happened next is stunning. We read:

"David therefore departed there, and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his fathers house heard it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men." (1 Samuel 22:1-2)

Four hundred discontented losers from all over Israel joined themselves to David to be their captain! Later, two hundred more discontents joined up, for a total of six hundred men in all. Why did they join? No doubt, many of them were also on the run from King Saul's regime for various reasons. Some of them were probably admirers of David, while some might have even been led of the Spirit to join up. In any case, at that time this likely looked to many like a gang of outlaws that should be carefully avoided. Probably no one, except for David, thought that this scruffy crew could ever become the legendary fighting force later known as David's Mighty Men!

 

Just how mighty were they? II Samuel 23:8-39 and I Chronicles 11:10-47 list some of the amazing deeds of courage and power in the Spirit that brought these warriors fame as David's Mighty Men. Above all of David's army in deeds of valor and leadership was the elite force known as The Thirty. The actual number, over time, included up to 50 men, some being replacements for those before them who had completed their military service, leaving about thirty serving in this elite force at any one time. Here are a few of the deeds of these mighty men recorded in the verses above:

 

Jashobeam, chief of the thirty; killed 300 enemies with his spear in one battle.

 

Abishai also killed 300 enemies with his spear in one battle.

 

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, was a lion-killer. He also killed an Egyptian giant, actually, a 'little' giant of 7.5 feet tall. "In the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear ... David set Benaiah over his personal guard."

 

These are just a few of the deeds of David's mighty men. Besides fighting other normal armies, they were known as the giant killers. This is because Israel had earlier taken the land of the Rephaim giants, killing many of them, but also driving some away. These escaped to the land of the Philistines, where they settled in Gath. Many years later, David killed one of them after the entire army of Saul had been too afraid to go against Goliath. Scholars are not agreed on the height measurement of the giant given in Scripture, with estimates from 10' to 12' in height. This seems to accord well with Deuteronomy 3:11, which tells us that the bed of Og, king of Bashan, was about 14' long. However tall Goliath might have been, he proved to be no match for the faith of David, let alone the power of God.

In the administration of King Saul there was only one man, a boy actually, who had the faith and courage to go up against a giant to kill him. That was David. Under the administration of King David multiple mighty men killed giants. Why the difference?

 

Simple, the heart of David. David did that which he knew to be right, in the power of YHWH, even when others were afraid. Other men saw that, admired that, and wanted to emulate that. Just riding with David, being around David, especially through adversity, changed those men. Every day that they were with David they became a little more like David. YHWH was in that, and through David, raised up a whole generation of mighty men. This worked for David, because even when David got too old for battle, he had set a high bar that other men had grown up toward.

 

Consider these giant-killers:

   "The Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. David grew faint; and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being armed with a new sword, thought to have slain David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, You shall go no more out with us to battle, that you don't quench the lamp of Israel.
    It came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the sons of the giant. There was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite's brother, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, killed him. These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants." (2 Samuel 21:15-22)

David and his mighty men set a pattern of how mighty men of YHWH are made. This cannot be completed in the classroom. Study is good, but mighty men are made on the battlefield. Guys who just keep playing it safe will never be anything but unrealized potential. Men need a leader who leads in the fear of God, whom they can emulate and follow, who gives them something to aspire to. Mighty men need a king. You can't be a mighty man without a king.

 

Yeshua is my King. He is my reason to always want to be a better man. He shows me what I can be, especially when I am disappointed in myself. He gives me the courage to step up to a higher level, especially when it seems risky to do so. Boldness. If you are going to kill giants you've got to be bold. Not with human ego, but energized by faith and love of the truth. Always be gentle toward His people. However, to be mighty you must be fierce - fierce against the enemies in heavenly places. Don't just hide from the demonic powers. You've got to go after them, take ground away from them, cut them off at the knees and thrust them through the heart. Be a giant-killer. Defeat them in Yeshua's name.

 

Take action! Do it now! Rise up and be one of Messiah's Mighty Men!

 

 Hey, that reminds me of the theme of tonight's live stream panel discussion: Messiah's Mighty Men Take Action!  Men, don't end up as one more nobody on the unrealized potential list. When you meet the Lord have a testimony to meet Him with! Take action - that's what mighty men do, they take action for the Kingdom, and for their King.

 

This live stream panel discussion will begin tonight at Tsiyon.Net at 8 PM, Central. Join the giant-killers.

 

Eliyahu
Tsiyon.Org