In the world today, we just don’t have a lot of good examples of ‘mighty men’. We have men of power, men of position, and men of words. But there are few men of sacrifice—men who are sold out to do the will of God, regardless of the cost.
That phrase ‘mighty man’ immediately makes me think of a character named Boromir from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. His death is both an inspiring and tragic scene, as he falls in the heat of battle. Few scenes from Hollywood have captured the word ‘valiant,’ but this one does. Even after being slammed by enemy arrows, he continues fighting, striking blow after blow. It leaves most first-time viewers saying, “No way. He’s still going!” They remain fixated, wondering how much more this warrior can take. In the end, his wounds claim his life, but he dies an honorable death.
You know, the Bible is filled with true accounts of brave, sacrificial people who were willing to lay down their lives and stand for what was right. The books of Second Samuel and First Chronicles tell us about some really unique individuals within the armies of Israel. They were King David’s closest and most powerful warriors—men skilled in their crafts. Some could swing a sword with complete precision, others could use either hand when shooting an arrow or slinging a stone. Some were experts with shields and spears, having hardened faces and swiftness of speed. “The least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand” (1 Chron. 12:14).
That is just a small list of the unique individuals mentioned. So many of them accomplished great feats in battle. Occasions of a single man striking down 300 enemies was not unheard of. David’s men were probably the most skilled fighters in the world at that time. But regardless of all their training and experience, there is one point that the Bible continually makes about these feats: “the LORD gave them a great victory”.
Unique men were just that—unique. But it was uniqueness that God had given them to serve David. In fact, we are told that from Zebulun’s tribe, there were 50,000 warriors who had one purpose: helping the king. In those days, “men came day after day to help David”. God had brought these individuals together for such a time in Israel. These troops were willing to take a stand in battle and lay down their lives if necessary.
I really love what Scripture says about two of David’s soldiers:
“The men of Israel retreated in the place they had gathered for battle, but Eleazar stood his ground and attacked the Philistines until his hand was stiff and stuck to his sword.
The troops fled from the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines.”
Neither of these two men knew what the outcome of their stand would be. There was a strong possibility of being struck down. They stood alone. Even their unique skills and experiences wouldn’t be enough. I think that is why Scripture makes clear that “the LORD brought about a great victory”. God uses our hands and feet for His higher purposes.
David’s ‘mighty men’ were strong and capable of many things, but it was God empowering them to take a brave stand against Israel’s enemies. Because they were willing, it is amazing to step back and consider how God used them.
Christians have never been called to wage a physical war. However, part of our calling is engaging in spiritual warfare. Our enemies are not flesh and blood but spiritual. Satan and his demons have many schemes and despise God’s plan being carried out. They are relentless against those who seek to do the will of God. And because of this, we are called to take our stand (Eph. 6).
Can there be ‘mighty men’ today? I think we each have to answer that. “Is my will aligned with God’s will? What does He really want me to do? What abilities and experiences has He given me? How does God want to use the uniqueness He has given me? If I’m a right-handed man, can I learn to use my left hand as well? How can God get the most out of my life?”
As a kid, I used to be ambidextrous, meaning I could use both hands and feet equally. There was no anatomical bias. I could swing a bat with either hand and dash 50 yards on either foot. But I eventually settled for batting left and pitching right. I’m not even sure how it happened that way. But time went on and I became pretty comfortable with what was familiar. I forgot how useful it was to have my hands and feet equal with each other.
I think it can be that way in life sometimes too. We get too comfortable batting left and throwing right. But what if both were of equal use? In other words, how useful do I want to be to the Master? How effective—or perhaps, mighty—of an instrument can I be for God? Things look far different for those who are sold out on doing the will of God versus those who have their lives on Cruise mode.
For the past two years, I’ve been working hard at becoming fluent with my left hand again. When I started, nothing went smooth. Everything felt foreign. It was like relearning everything my brain was familiar with. But, you know, over time, I’ve been able to do things that I never thought possible. It goes beyond just brushing my teeth with ‘the other hand’. Now, I can actually write with both hands. I never would have thought it possible, but willingness to change brought change. At first, I was only doing it so that I could be handier (and maybe show off a little haha). But the more I practiced with that other hand, the more I realized the illustration: “How useful am I willing to make myself for God’s cause?”.
The mighty man and the two-handed man truly can be the same person.
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