Standing Alone

Standing Alone

Q: What were the names of David’s mighty men?

• a. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
• b. Jashobeam, Eleazar, Shammah
• c. Friar Tuck, Little John, and Will Scarlett

There are a lot of stories that involve a hero and his sidekicks. There’s King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and of course Robin Hood and his Merry Men. How about David and his mighty men?

The Israelites had problems with the Philistines. One of the judges, Samson, fought against the Philistines. Later, David defeated the Philistine giant Goliath. When David became king, the Israelites were still having problems with them.

David had three men, known as his “mighty men,” who were strong and courageous. First was Jashobeam. He killed 800 Philistines with his spear. Second was Eleazar. He fought against the Philistines until he could no longer raise his sword.

And there was Shammah, a farmer. That might not seem like an exciting or daring job, but every year the Philistines took his crops. One day Shammah and the Israelite soldiers were in the field when Philistine soldiers mounted a surprise attack! Israel’s troops fled. Shammah found himself standing alone as the Philistine army charged at him. He beat back the enemy, but the Bible doesn’t tell us how he did it. He may have used a sword or a spear or even a piece of farm equipment like Shamgar (see Judges 3:31).

Shammah showed great courage facing the enemy by himself, but the victory wasn’t his. God chose to use Shammah to bring about the victory because he was the only one who stood strong against the enemy.

For You

You may not physically have to defeat an enemy, but sometimes standing up to peers can be just as scary. Ask God to give you the victory just as he did for Shammah, because you are being courageous in standing up for what’s right.

Answer: b

These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam. . . . He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle. . . . Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. . . . One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked. . . . The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines.   2 Samuel 23:8-12

(The Whole Story: 2 Samuel 23:8-17)