SERIES J --- THE WARRIOR KING --- LESSON 22
DAVID’S PSALMS
DAVID’S SONG OF THANKSGIVING
From 2 Samuel 22
At last David was safe from King Saul and all his other enemies. Adonai had delivered him. David sang this song of thanksgiving to Adonai:
‘Adonai is my Rock and Fortress; For He has delivered me; I will trust in Him; For He is my Rock and Deliverer. He is my Shield, my Salvation; My High Tower and Refuge, my Saviour; Who has saved me from my enemies. Worthy is Adonai to be praised; I will call upon Him; Arid He will rescue me from my enemies. Waves of death surrounded me; Floods of evil came against me
Bonds of Sheol entangled me; And snares of destruction bound me. Tormented, I cried to Adonai; And called upon Him; In His temple He heard me; And listened to my pleas. Then Adonai’s anger went forth; And caused the earth to tremble; Smoke billowed from His nostrils; And fire blazed from His mouth; Devouring all before Him. He bent the heavens down to earth
And walked upon the darkness; On a cherub He rode; On the wings of the wind He flew; He wrapped the darkness around Him; And surrounded Himself with clouds; He projected His brightness before Him; Until it burned like hot coals. From heaven He thundered; Like a mighty voice. With His arrows He scattered His enemies; With His lightning He sent them running; With a mighty blast from His nostrils
The ocean floor was exposed; And the foundations of the world revealed; For this was His rebuke. From on high He reached down to me; And lifted me from the waters; He saved me from mighty foes; And spared me from those who hated me; And from those who were mightier than I. In my day of distress my enemies came; But Adonai was my help. He brought me into an open place; And delivered me, for He delighted in me.
Adonai rewarded me for doing right; And blessed me for pleasing Him; For I obeyed His commands; And stayed away from sin. Because I have pleased Him; He has done much for me. Adonai, You are gracious to those who show mercy; And good to those who are without guilt; To the pure You show purity; But to the evil You give destruction. You lift up the downcast; And put down the proud.
You are my Lamp, O Adonai; For You turn my darkness to light. By Your strength I can defeat an army; Or leap over a wall. How perfect are His ways; And how true is His Word! He is a shield to those who hide in Him; For who else is YHVH except Him? And who else is the Rock except Adonai? YHVH is my Towering Fortress; Who has kept me secure; He gives me the speed of a deer; And the secure grip of a mountain goat.
Adonai trains me for war; And gives me strength to bend a bronze bow. Adonai, You give me a shield of salvation; And gentleness to make me great. You give me a wide place to walk in; And feet that never grow weary. I pursue my enemies until I destroy them; I do not turn around until they are conquered. I conquer them and destroy them; They fall at my feet, never to rise. You strengthened me for battle, Adonai; And caused my foes to sink beneath me. You caused my enemies to retreat; And let me destroy those who hated me.
They looked about for help, but they found none; They even cried to Adonai, but He refused to answer. I crushed my enemies like dust; And stamped them like dirt in the streets. Adonai, You have placed me over nations; And helped me keep peace at home. Foreigners submit to me; When they know my power; They tremble and lose their courage; And come from their hiding places.
Adonai lives! Blessed be my Rock! Praise Him, the Rock of my salvation! Praise YHVH Who destroys my enemies; And frees me from them. Adonai, You keep me safe from them; And deliver me from their evil; Putting me over them, yet safe from them. Therefore, I praise You, Adonai, before all nations! I sing praises to Your Name. Adonai has helped His king triumph; He has shown great love to His anointed; To David and his descendants forever.
COMMENTARY
THE FORTRESS
Ancient cities were equipped with impressive defence systems to protect them from attack. David must have had these in mind when he spoke of Adonai as his Fortress, many combined man-made structures with the natural advantages of a hilltop location. From high above the surrounding countryside soldiers could see advancing enemy troops and prepare for the coming attack. The city wall was the key to the town’s defence. Up to twenty-five feet high and twenty feet thick, it presented the enemy with a very solid barrier of stone. Archers and spearmen poured down a rain of fire from towers stationed at intervals along its length. From the top, men with slingshots hurled rocks against the enemy troops. The foundations of the wall were surrounded by a wide ditch. When it was flooded with water, this ditch became an impassable moat. The strongest fortresses defied enemy battering rams with a wall around both sides of this watery barrier. Yet the most forbidding walls were only as strong as the defences that guarded the city gate. As the weakest point in the city’s armour, it drew the enemy’s fiercest attack. Entrance to the town was blocked by a set of double wooden doors covered with metal. These were set in stone sockets and locked against the enemy by a heavy wooden bolt drawn across the doors. The entrance ramp to the city approached the gate at an angle from the right. This forced enemy spearmen who carried their shields in their left hands to leave their right sides unprotected. Defending archers took aim at them from the two towers stationed on either side of the gate. Enemy forces who got through the city walls despite the defenders’ efforts were met by a second system of fortification. Stone walls inside the city divided it into sections and slowed the advance on the citadel. The enemy’s goal was the citadel; a fortress within a fortress. Here the royal palace and government buildings were sheltered within their own walls. Situated on the highest ground in the city, the citadel was frequently the scene of the defenders’ last stand. Not until the king and his ministers had surrendered could the enemy claim complete victory over the city.
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"Is not my word like as a fire? saith Yahweh; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"
Je 23
THIS WEEK
VAYIKRA וַיִּקְרָא
And he called
TORAH : LEVITICUS 1:1-5:26
PROPHETS : ISAIAH 43:21-44:23
GOSPEL : MATTHEW 5:23-30
Portion Outline
TORAH
Leviticus 1:1 The Burnt Offering
Leviticus 2:1 Grain Offerings
Leviticus 3:1 Offerings of Well-Being
Leviticus 4:1 Sin Offerings
Leviticus 5:14 Offerings with Restitution
PROPHETS
Isaiah 43:1 Restoration and Protection Promised
Isaiah 44:1 God's Blessing on Israel
Isaiah 44:9 The Absurdity of Idol Worship
Isaiah 44:21 Israel Is Not Forgotten
God's first act on moving into the Mishkan (aka Tabernacle) was to explain the five sacrifices. (Leviticus 1-6) They are important. Even if we don't or can't do them, we can't ignore them. The first three offerings of the five described in Leviticus are voluntary. The last two are mandatory. None of them were ever capable of granting eternal salvation. That wasn't why God instituted them.
There are a few kinds of sacrifices that aren't usually counted with the main five in Leviticus 1-6, but they are each related to one of the main five:
1) Red Heifer (burnt offering)
2) Firstfruits (grain offering)
3) Passover (peace offering)
I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
Psalms 138:2
The Temple and the Levitical service represented God's love and faithfulness in David's mind. Much of Christianity maligns the Temple as a symbol of oppression and hopelessness, but that just makes them false accusers of God.
SERIES J --- THE WARRIOR KING --- LESSON 21
DAVID’S OFFICIALS
KING DAVID’S MIGHTY MEN
From 2 Samuel 8:15-18; 23:8-39; 1 Chronicles 11:10-47; 12:8-18; 18:14-17
David was a very fair king, ruling well and justly over the land of Israel. His highest officials were these: Joab was the general of the army, Jehoshaphat the recorder, Zadok and Ahimelech the high priests, Seraiah the king’s private secretary, Benaiah the head of the Cherethites and Pelethites, who were David’s bodyguards and David’s sons the assisting priests. The bravest warrior in the army was Josheb-basshebeth, a man from Tachemon, also known as Adino of Ezen. He was the chief over all the other military leaders. He once stood alone against eight hundred men and killed them all. Next in line was Eleazar the son of Dodo, a descendant of Ahoah. He was one of the three great heroes who stood alone against the Philistine army when the rest of the troops of Israel ran away. He killed Philistines until his hand was exhausted and stuck to the sword. Adonai gave Israel a great victory that day, even though the other soldiers did not come back until it was time to gather the plunder. Shammah the son of Agee from Harar was the next in the line of mighty men. Once his troops deserted him, but he remained behind alone to face the Philistine forces in a field of lentils. He was able to defeat them, for YHVH gave him a great victory. There was a story about the time David was based in the Cave of Adullam while the Philistines had set up camp in the valley of Rephaim. The three top warriors of David’s most valiant thirty had come to join him there. As the Philistines occupied Bethlehem, David and his men went to their stronghold. David remarked one day, ‘I am so thirsty for some water from the well at Bethlehem!’ The three brave men went down to Bethlehem, broke through the Philistine ranks and drew water from the well by the city gate. But when they returned and gave it to David, he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out before Adonai and said, ‘O Adonai, I cannot drink this water, for it is the blood of the brave men who risked their lives.’ Abishai, Joab’s brother, was one of the greatest of the fighting men. Once he fought three hundred of the enemy at one time and killed them all. He was not really considered one of The Three, who were great heroes, but he was so valiant he was made the leader of The Thirty, the greatest of Israel’s warriors. Then there was Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a great warrior from Kabzeel. He killed two giants who were sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went into a pit one winter day when snow was on the ground and although it was slippery, he killed a lion. Still another time, he was faced by an Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Although he had no weapon but a staff, Benaiah took the spear from the Egyptian and killed him with it. These and other similar brave acts gave him the reputation of a hero like The Three mighty men. He was not quite as great as The Three, but he was greater than the others of The Thirty. David made him the chief of his bodyguard. There was a number of great warriors who joined David when he was hiding from Saul in the wilderness. A group from the tribe of Gad were skilled with both shield and spear and had faces as fierce as lions and could run as fast as deer. Here are their names in the order of their command: Ezer, Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Fuel, Johanan, Flzabad, another Jeremiah and Machbanai. Each of these men was over at least one hundred warriors and some were over one thousand. They were the men who crossed the Jordan River when it was overflowing its banks and routed the people of the valleys, both to the east and to the west. On one occasion a group from the tribe of Benjamin visited David and his men while he was at the stronghold. ‘Have you come peaceably to help?’ David asked when he went to meet them. ‘If you have, I will join my heart with yours. But if you have come to betray me, when I have done nothing against you, let YHVH see and judge.’ Then the Spirit of YHVH came upon Amassai, who later became leader of The Thirty and he answered in this manner, ‘we belong to you David and are on your side. Let peace be with you and all who help you. David accepted them and appointed them as officers in his army.
COMMENTARY
DAVID’S MEN OF VALOR
David was more than a great warrior. He was a great administrator. He organized his army and set special officers to govern the nation. Many of David’s greatest warriors and officials are listed by name in the Bible. Six hundred mighty men of valour formed the core of David’s standing army. These seasoned soldiers were his most loyal supporters, men whom the king could call upon to meet any danger. Many members of this loyal force had been with David since his outlaw days. They fought by his side in the wilderness and followed him into exile in Philistia. After Saul’s death, they returned with David to Israel and became the strong foundation of the king’s royal army. This elite troop was composed of men from the southern tribes as well as foreign mercenaries; hired soldiers; from Crete and Philistia. Warriors from Gad, Reuben and Manasseh entered David’s service with those from Benjamin, Judah and Ephraim. These men were unfailingly loyal to the king. Their devotion was richly rewarded from David’s personal treasury. At the head of this army was a council of thirty men who had proven their courage in battle. Among this company of heroes were men such as Benaiah the lion-slayer, and Uriah the Hittite. They were presided over by Joab, David’s commander-in-chief. With the aid of his brother, Abishai, Joab moulded this band of desert raiders into an outstanding army. His brilliant military tactics led them to victory over the Philistine army and triumph in the siege against Jerusalem. David’s personal army was added to by a rotating corps of civilian fighters who were called up for service one month out of every year. These reserve forces were made up of outstanding young men from every tribe who had developed skill as swordsmen and archers. With this additional source of manpower, David commanded the most effective army of his day.
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