Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 185
2S
| 23:2-16
S am u el – K I N G S
173
“The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me;
his words are upon my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The one who rules righteously,
who rules in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning at sunrise,
like a morning without clouds,
like the gleaming of the sun
on new grass after rain.’
“Is it not my family God has chosen?
Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me.
His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail.
He will ensure my safety and success.
But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away,
for they tear the hand that touches them.
One must use iron tools to chop them down;
they will be totally consumed by fire.”
These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jasho
beam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Th
ree—the three mightiest
warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy
warriors in a single battle.
Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant
of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines
when the entire Israelite army had fled. He killed Philistines until his hand
was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that
day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the
plunder!
Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Phi
listines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils.
The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of
the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great
victory.
Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the
Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who
were among the T
hirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went
down to meet him there. David was staying in the stronghold at the time,
and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of
that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So the Three