2 Samuel 23:9-12
"And after him was 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, and the men of Israel had retreated.
He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword.
The Lord brought a great victory that day and the people returned after him only to under.
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.
But he stationed himself in the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines.
So the Lord brought about a great victory"
Eleazar and Shammah were 2 men who were mighty in God. What were their characteristics?
1. They arose to fight despite the odds
Both Eleazar and Shammah did not await to be told what to do. They knew what to do. They took the leadership initiative and rose up to fight willingly.
Despite facing insurmountable odds i.e a large number of enemies which threatened to outnumber, they were full of faith and boldness to attack, defend and fight.
Sometimes in our offices, homes and ministries, it may seem to us that the odds are insurmountable but the Lord wants us to be like Eleazar and Shammah, to fight and contend for the souls of our spouse, children and relatives even when it seems so hopeless.
God does not want us to give up easily but to push back the enemy forces threatening to overwhelm our lives. He expects us to take the initiative to fight the enemy. Do not wait till the enemy overtakes us, we need to overtake the enemy.
The kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent takes it by force.
My mother's salvation seem so elusive but I will continue to fast, to pray and to hope in God for her salvation.
2. They stood their ground in the midst of their enemies
Unlike the other Israelites, they did not flee in the face of the enemy. When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will lift up a standard against it.
Things may seem impossible. The tasks may seem so difficult. The boss has become nasty, fault-finding, snappy and snarling at you for no reason off-late. You may feel harassed, cornered, oppressed and humiliated in your work-place by your superiors. You feel like throwing in the towel.
Don't give up when things are tough! Stand your ground in the midst of fierce opposition.
Don't let feelings of defeat overtake you. Just have FAITH even when feelings scream "give up"!
He who endures to the end will be saved.
3. Hold on to the sword of the spirit
The sword of the spirit is the word of God. Eleazar never let go of his sword. He used the sword until he was tired and it stuck to his hand.
When the word of God is stuck to our hearts and our minds like it was stuck to Eleazar's hand, it will overtake every area of our lives. In fact, it becomes effortless to remember the word of God as it has now become a part of us.
Even when we are tired or weary fighting our battles and cannot think anymore, the word of God will take over our tiredness/weariness by occupying our minds and strengthening us in a 'default' position. It becomes 'auto-enabled'. We need not strive to think it anymore, it flows in our minds and hearts seamlessly.
In the same way, we are not to let go of the word of God.
The word of God must flood our minds, our hearts and our souls to such an extent that it overtakes every negative thought pattern. Thought patterns determine behaviour thus we need to constantly align our thought patterns to God's word so that our behavior will be dictated by the positive energy and empowerment of God's word.
4. Fight for the important/key things in life
Shammah took the stand to defend a field of lentils. Lentils supply food for the people. If it were destroyed many would die of famine.
What are the important things/key things in life which we must fight for? It's not houses or lands, cars or material possessions.
The most important thing in life for us to fight for is our special time with God no matter how busy we may be. We can never ever neglect this hour alone with God.
Things are so fast-paced, so instant, so quick in this day and age that people are also seeking to do instant quiet time, instant devotion-on-the-go. This should not be the case.
We need to rise up early to 'fight' for our TIME ALONE with God before we can gain the strength to take the enemies of our soul head-on during the day.
MAY WE MIGHTY IN GOD LIKE DAVID'S MIGHTY MEN!
