Soldiers of the King

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

I grew up with stories about King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Of Sir Gawain and Lancelot. Of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. I also loved the stories of King David’s mighty men.

These mighty men were mighty in valor, mighty in faith, and anointed with the power of God. They were not afraid to risk and to sacrifice. They offered their lives on the altar of the king. Why? LOVE they loved the King.

These Mighty Men show us what our proper relationship ought to be with the Lord as his followers and soldiers.

In II Samuel 23 we will notice some “stories.” It is the end of David’s life and reign as King and it is as if he is reflecting back over his life. He reflects back over his life and the great men that God had sent his way.

Adino – A man who was outnumbered in battle 800 to one.
Eleazar – A man with a sword
Shammah – He stood when others fled
Abishai – The man who came to the aid of his king.
Beniah – A soldier like no other.

Each of the Mighty Men and their exploits have a spiritual lesson to teach us.
In those days honor came in doing exploits for the King. Today Honor comes in serving our Lord – Jesus.

#1 – Adino – He was outnumbered 800 to one. Vs. 8

How does one man with a spear defeat 800 men at one time? What kind of a man was he? Well we know that he was a man who didn’t give up when he was outnumbered and he was a man of courage. He didn’t turn and run. His courage and his strength came from God.

I believe that today as soldiers of the King that our strength comes from God. From being Spirit filled, committed Christians. Our enemies are spiritual enemies. We do battle against Satan and his ranks. We need to learn from Adino that even though we may feel like we are outnumbered, we don’t give up. God will give us the strength we need to stand up for what is right and have the courage we need.

#2 – Eleazar – A man with a Sword. Vs. 9,10

He was one with his sword. Today we have a sword, are we one with it.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: The greatest weapon we have is this Book. If I was going into an actual, physical battle and my superior officer gave me a weapon to use, I would have to first sit down and study it. I would have to learn how to use it and I would have to practice with it until I became proficient in its use. We must do the same with the weapon the Lord has given us: the Bible. We need to study it and become armed with it. We need to memorize Scripture because each verse is a potential bullet we can use to defeat the enemy. If we don’t know Scripture it is the same as going into battle with a gun but without any ammunition.

#3 – Shammah – He stood when others fled. Vs. 11,12

He risked his life for a “Pea Patch.” Everyone else fled but he stood his ground and fought. He wasn’t affected by what everybody else did. He stood. He knew what was right and he stood his ground. Shammah didn’t care if he was the only one defending the ground. He was determined to do what was right. Why did he fight? It was only a patch of beans. That patch of beans belonged to the King. The enemy of his King was coming to rob and to plunder. His Kings honor was at stake. The people needed the food. 

Remember, they fought physical enemies in the OT. We fight Spiritual enemies. Your enemy is Satan and he will do whatever he can to come against you and your family. He will expose your children to ungodly things and people. He will teach them new ideas which are contrary to the Word of God. How do you fight against these attacks? You fight like Shammah did. You stand your ground. With every ungodly influence your children are hit with you teach them the truth from the Word. You don’t give in to compromise with the world. You don’t slack your standards. You don’t give ground to the enemy.

Eph 6:10-12
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.


#5. Abishai – The man who came to the aid of the King. Vs. 18

2 Sam 21:15-17
15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.
16 And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

He was more concerned with the King than with himself. We need to be more concerned with doing things God’s way than we are with our own agenda. We need to form our opinions and values from the Word of God and we need to honor Him in the way we live every day.

#6. Beniah – No Ordinary Soldier. Vs. 20-22

He was in charge of David’s personal bodyguard. He was no ordinary soldier.

1. He struck down two of Moab’s fiercest Men.
2. He went down into a pit in a snowy day and killed a Lion.
3.He struck down a huge Egyptian (over 7 feet tall) although the Egyptian had a spear and he only had a club.

He met the worst of enemies, in the worst of places, under the worst of conditions, and he won. Beniah was a loyal Servant of the King. No matter what situation he found himself in, he proved himself Loyal.

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Are you unmovable? Are you steadfast? Does your family know that you will never compromise the Word of God? Do you speak up when something is wrong?

Proverbs 31: 8-9 tells us to “⁸ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.⁹ Speak up and judge fairly;  defend the rights of the poor and needy.

God doesn’t want us to be silent Christians. He wants us to be like David’s mighty men and be men and women of action. Every single time that something ungodly comes across your path can be a teaching moment for you to share the Word of God with those around you. Speak the Word, live the Word and stand your ground and defend the Word.

There were a lot of men in David’s army. What made these men stand out. What was it that made them different than the rest.

All of these Mighty men had one thing in common. They loved the king. They loved him more that their own lives. They were willing to risk and to sacrifice. They were willing to stand up for what was right. Even though they may have been afraid, they faced that fear and went out to confront it. That’s true courage.

David had a whole army of men, yet these few men are mentioned because they were more than just ordinary soldiers, they were extraordinary. They laid everything on the line for their king.

I want to be extraordinary for the King, don’t you? Are you satisfied with just being a Christian? Wouldn’t you rather be a soldier on the front line for your Savior?

These mighty men were a picture of the Spirit –filled believer. Philippians 4:13 says: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The times in which these men lived was similar to the days in which we live: It was: A Time of Great Conflict. – The enemy was out to destroy. Satan hasn’t retired. He is still seeking whom he may devour.

 It was a time of Great Courage. – The enemy’s greatest weapon was fear. Satan is still using the weapon of fear today to cripple Christians. He’ll convince you to keep quiet, don’t make waves, keep your head down, don’t draw attention to yourself. He’s good at his job of discouraging the army of the Lord because he has been at it for so long. But we are living in the last days, days where great courage is needed. Satan knows his days are short so he is trying harder than ever before to get you to remain quiet and to give ground by compromising God’s standards.

It was also A Time of Great Victory. – Thru these men God defeated the enemy. We are encouraged time and again in the Word to be overcomers. We can defeat the enemy but we must stand up to him. 

Revelation 12 beginning in verse 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.11"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."

Our enemy is Satan and all of his minions. He is coming against the army of the Lord because he knows his time is short. This message is a call to arms. We are soldiers  in the army of the Lord and He is looking for mighty men and women of God to fight the good fight. So again I ask you: Are you satisfied with just being a Christian? Wouldn’t you rather be a soldier on the front line for your Savior?