“Then David dispatched the people, a third of them under the command of Yo’av, a third under Avishai the son of Tz’ruyah, Yo’av’s brother, and a third under Ittai the Gitti; and the king said to the people, ‘I will also go out with you, myself.‘”-2 Samuel 18:2
To prepare for the battle with Absalom, David employed a tactic still used in the Israeli military today.
He split his men into three groups.
One group was led by Yo’av, his top general for 30 years.
Another was led by Yo’av’s brother Avishai, who had fought beside David for years.
The third was led by Ittai the Gittite.
He was a gentile Palestinian, but a loyal fighter nonetheless, who had stuck with David since the days he was on the run from King Saul.
These men weren’t rookies.
They were tough, smart, and battle-trained with the scars to prove it.
Nevertheless, Absalom’s army was far bigger.
That’s when David announced he was going to lead the men himself.
Well, his men put an end to that ridiculous suggestion real quick.
Why?
David wasn’t the young warrior who had slain Goliath anymore.
He was old, out of shape, and had been far from the battlefield for decades.
The same reason David’s men told him to stay home was the same reason David told his elderly friend Hushai not to follow him into the wilderness.
It would’ve slowed everyone down.
The soldiers felt the same way about David now.
They loved and respected him, but they understood that the limitations of age would eventually overtake us all.
There was another, much more important reason that David did not join them in battle.
His life was far too valuable.
If David joined his men on the battlefield, the risk of death or capture was too great.
It didn’t matter how many of David’s soldiers were killed.
If David remained alive, Absalom would never be able to take the throne of Israel.
For Absalom to succeed, David had to die.
David understood the situation and accepted their verdict.
He then cheered his men on as they marched out of the city gates of Mahanaim, ready for war.
So here’s the takeaway coming to me today.
Absalom, as a prototype of the anti-Christ, had one mission:
Kill God’s son, the chosen King of Israel.
Interestingly, this was the same goal Satan had in Yeshua’s time.
If he could kill God’s Son, he could claim dominion over Israel, and then the world.
That is why both David and the Son of David (Yeshua) needed to be kept alive.
When Yeshua was crucified, it appeared as if Satan had achieved his goal.
But we know the rest of the story.
God did not let His Anointed stay in the grave.
Yeshua rose on the third day.
So, as we keep walking through 2 Samuel, this is another powerful pattern worth holding on to.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For he has set a day when
he will judge the world with justice
by the man he has appointed.
He has given proof of this
to everyone by raising
him from the dead.”
-Acts 17:31
“Yeshua said to her,
‘I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me will live,
even though they die;’”
– John 11:25
“Praise be to the God and Father
of our Lord Messiah Yeshua!
In his great mercy he has given us
new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of
Messiah Yeshua from the dead,”
– 1 Peter 1:3
“Why do you look for the
living among the dead?
He is not here;
he has risen!”
– Luke 24:5-6
“But Messiah has indeed
been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those
who have fallen asleep.”
– 1 Corinthians 15:20
“Because I live,
you also will live.”
– John 14:19
“For if we have been
united with him in a death like his,
we will certainly also be united
with him in a resurrection like his.”
– Romans 6:5
“God raised the Lord and
will also raise us up by his power.”
– 1 Corinthians 6:14
“For as in Adam all die,
so in Messiah all will be made alive.”
– 1 Corinthians 15:22
“I am the Alpha and the Omega…
He who was dead is alive
forever and ever.”
– Revelation 1:17-18
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