“Then three of the thirty chief went down at the harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of the Philestines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim” (2 Samuel 23:13).
David’s mighty men give us a picture of the kind of men we need to actualize our pursuit of the endtime harvest of souls. These were courageous men who loved David and flocked around him to strengthen his hands. Their goal was to turn the kingdom from Saul over to David. They were passionate about David being the King and, therefore, were willing to risk their lives for him. The zeal and passion of these men teach us that our love for Jesus must be very strong, if we want to enthrone him as King of kings and Lord of lords.
According to 1 Chronicles 12:1 and 22, David’s volunteers came in trickles; some came as individuals to him in the cave of Adullam, while others came to him in groups as tribes at Ziklag. These men had one thing in common, they came to pledge their loyalty and came as “helpers in war” aimed at making David the King.
In 2 Samuel 23 verse 13, we read that these men came to David in the cave of Adullam during the harvest time. The timing and season when these men came to David is very significant. They came to him during the harvest season. The period when they came to him was not just a mere coincidence, but very timely. They could have come at other seasons, but the bible specifically recorded that they came during the harvest season. For some time now, our emphasis has been on the harvest. God needs courageous men who are willing to work with him to reap the endtime harvest of souls.
The next lesson we learn from this passage was where the enemy was camped. We read from verse 13, that these men came to David at a time when the Philistines were encamped at the Valley of Rephaim. The Valley of Rephaim is called the place of the giants. Israel fought against the giants in this place. It is significant that the battle of the harvest season was fought in the land of the Giants. This gives us a picture of how intense the battle of the endtime harvest would be. If we want to gather in the harvest, we must be ready to fight with the “spiritual giants” of our time. There are the giants that hinder the harvest of the endtime. What are or who are these giants one may ask? They are the stronghold of the different religions, these giants dwell in regions of darkness and places of wickedness, they are the stronghold of poverty, etc.
Fighting the giants is not a mean venture. To understand how intense the conflict is, we need to remember the conflict David had with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. David killed Goliath at the battle of the valley of Elah. Much later in 2 Samuel 21:15-17, we learn that David almost fell victim to Ishbi-benob, one of the son’s of a giant. He was almost killed but had to be rescued by Abishai, the son of Zeruiah. Is it then strange that some of the mighty men God used in the past years and decades have fallen victims to the giants of our time?
The next lesson we learn about these volunteers is that they were willing to lay down their lives for David. When David needed to drink water from the well at Bethlehem, these men put their lives at risk, they broke through the enemy’s territory to fetch the water for David. (2 Sam.23:15-17). The battle of the endtime harvest can only be won by men who are willing to put their lives at risk to see the Kingdoms of Christ become the kingdoms of our Lord and saviour. Only sincere love for the Master can make us to put our lives on the line.
We also notice that David and his mighty men had a team spirit. They fought as a team; there was the team of thirty and the team of three. David was assisted by Abishai when his life was threatened by Ishbi-benob. Adino, Eleazar and Shammah were a team. Abishai was also the captain of another team. The need for team work in bringing the harvest cannot be over emphasized.
We also observe that David’s mighty men were ordinary unsophisticated men. He used ordinary men to achieve the purpose of God. We need ordinary but willing and determined men to achieve the harvest. Only men who love God and are willing to make the sacrifice can bring in the harvest.
The mighty men were resilient in battle. They persevered in battle until they got the victory. In 2 Sam.23:9,20 we read that some of the mighty men fled during some battles but returned when the victory had been won due to the perseverance of a few.
Lastly, the mighty men seemed to be driven by a supernatural force. They were empowered by the LORD. The territories they conquered and the feats they achieved were not ordinary feats. Only those supernaturally empowered can attain such feats. May God raise up mighty men in our time who would be so committed to see Jesus enthroned as King and be committed to bring in the endtime harvest.
