2 Samuel 10:6-8 Mighty Men!

 ”When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive: They knew that they had done this. David didn’t reject the Ammonites; they made themselves repulsive to Israel.

b. The people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians: This was a common practice in the ancient world. 1 Chronicles 19:6 says that the Ammonites paid 1,000 talents to the Syrians.

c. When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men: This is the first mention of David’s mighty men, calling them the army of the mighty men. They formed a glorious fighting force, this army of the mighty men.

i. It’s important to understand that David was nothing without his mighty men, and they were nothing without him. He was their leader, but a leader is nothing without followers – and David had an army of the mighty men to follow him. These men didn’t necessarily start as mighty men; many were the distressed, indebted, and discontented people who followed David at Adullam Cave (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

ii. One of these mighty men was Adino the Eznite – famous for killing 800 men at one time (2 Samuel 23:8). Another was Jashobeam who killed 300 men at one time (1 Chronicles 11:11). Another was Benaiah who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day and killed a huge Egyptian warrior with his own spear (1 Chronicles 11:22-23). (Guzik)

Mighty Men!

I can’t help thinking of the contrast between men of ancient times and today. 

Or my fourth great grandfather who fought in the American Revolutionary War. 

Or another relative that killed a black bear with a knife. 

I don’t believe I would have survived in ancient times! 

Or even my grandfather, you could say he was one tough hillbilly! He told me when he was in the sixth grade a classmate pulled a knife on him on the playground. He told the classmate to put it away or he would stick it where the sun didn’t shine. That classmate didn’t sit down for a while and they were both suspended for three days!

Mighty man I am not! Do you know any mighty men?

Blessings