UNROLL
Sunrise of a cloudless dawn after night rain over the Judean hills: new green grass glistening with drops on a terraced hillside, an old olive tree and a small hill town far off, under a clear pale-gold sky.

The Book of

2 Samuel 23

David’s last song: a just king is like the morning light. Then the names of the men who stood with him.

39 verses≈ 6 min4 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–4King in HebronThe house of Saul falls
  2. 5–6JerusalemThe ark comes home
  3. 7–10A house foreverGod's promise to David
  4. 11–12David's sinBathsheba and Nathan
  5. 13–20The swordAmnon, Absalom and Sheba
  6. 21–24Last wordsSongs, heroes and an altarChapter 23

David’s Last Song

These are the last words of David:

“The oracle of David son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man raised on high,

the one anointed by the God of Jacob,

and the sweet psalmist of Israel:

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The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;

His word was on my tongue.

The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’

2 Samuel 23:3–4

Is not my house right with God?

For He has established with me

an everlasting covenant,

ordered and secured in every part.

Will He not bring about my full salvation

and my every desire?

Evening in a stubble field: a farmer rakes dry, tangled thorn bushes into a heap with a long wooden-shafted fork with iron tines, the heap beginning to smoke and catch fire at one edge.

But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside,

for they can never be gathered by hand.

The man who touches them must be armed with iron

or with the shaft of a spear.

The fire burns them to ashes

in the place where they lie.”

Reflect

Like the light of the morning

David’s last words picture a king who “rules the people with justice” and “in the fear of God.” Where has God given you some charge: a home, a team, a class, a friendship? Write down what ruling it in the fear of God would look like this week.

David’s Mighty Men

Valley of RephaimAdullamBethlehem

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

Adullam and Bethlehem

David was in the cave of Adullam in the low hills to the west. The Philistines held Bethlehem, his hometown, about fourteen miles away up in the hill country, and camped in the Valley of Rephaim beyond it. Three men went there and back for a drink of water.

At harvest time, three of the thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.

David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD, saying, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

Question

Quick question

Three men broke through the Philistine camp and brought David water from the well by Bethlehem’s gate.

What did David do with the water from Bethlehem?

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the Three, and he wielded his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three. Was he not more honored than the Three? And he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.

A rare snowy day in the Judean hills: a line of large lion's tracks crosses thin snow to the dark mouth of an old cistern pit, where Benaiah, club in hand, lowers himself over the edge.

And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. He also struck down an Egyptian, a huge man. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear. These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name along with the three mighty men. He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.

0:37

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Dusk at a stronghold in the hills: a band of David's men of every age and kind, some foreign-born in different dress, sit and stand around a cooking fire with spears and shields, talking and laughing.

The mighty men

The Thirty

  1. Joab’s brother

    Asahel and Elhanan

    Now these were members of the Thirty:

    Asahel the brother of Joab,

    Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

  2. Shammah and Elika

    Shammah the Harodite,

    Elika the Harodite,

  3. Helez and Ira

    Helez the Paltite,

    Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

  4. Abiezer and Mebunnai

    Abiezer the Anathothite,

    Mebunnai the Hushathite,

  5. Zalmon and Maharai

    Zalmon the Ahohite,

    Maharai the Netophathite,

  6. Heled and Ittai

    Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

    Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,

  7. Benaiah and Hiddai

    Benaiah the Pirathonite,

    Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,

  8. Abi-albon and Azmaveth

    Abi-albon the Arbathite,

    Azmaveth the Barhumite,

David’s mighty men

DavidThe Three23:8–17AbishaiCommander ofthe Three(23:19)BenaiahOver the guard(23:23)The Thirty23:24–39Thirty-seven inall23:39

Whiteboard

Not thousands but a band of named men, from Bethlehem to Zobah and Ammon: the Three, Abishai their commander, Benaiah over the guard, and the Thirty. The list ends with Uriah the Hittite.

The mighty men

The rest of the Thirty

  1. Eliahba, Jashen’s sons, Jonathan, Ahiam

    Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

    the sons of Jashen,

    Jonathan

    son of Shammah the Hararite,

    Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,

  2. Ahithophel’s son

    Eliphelet and Eliam

    Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite,

    Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

  3. Hezro and Paarai

    Hezro the Carmelite,

    Paarai the Arbite,

  4. Igal and Bani

    Igal son of Nathan of Zobah,

    Bani the Gadite,

  5. Joab’s armor-bearer

    Zelek and Naharai

    Zelek the Ammonite,

    Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

  6. Ira and Gareb

    Ira the Ithrite,

    Gareb the Ithrite,

  7. Husband of Bathsheba

    Uriah the Hittite

    and Uriah the Hittite.

  8. Thirty-seven in all

    There were thirty-seven in all.

Pray

Men who stood

Thank the Lord for faithful friends who stand their ground and risk much in love. Ask Him for courage to stand where others run. Pray that, like David with the water, you would offer to the Lord what love has given you, and remember those you have wronged. Amen.

You’ve experienced

2 Samuel 23

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A verse to carry with you

The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God, is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’

2 Samuel 23:3–4

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