“Once again, the P’lishtim made war on Israel. David went down with his servants and fought against the P’lishtim, but David began to get tired.”-2 Samuel 21:15
The closing verses of Chapter 21 are an appendix summarizing a series of battles David fought against the Philistines.
What was the purpose of gathering all these accounts and putting them here?
Simple.
To serve as a testimony of all the awesome times the Lord delivered David from his enemies in war.
Now, looking back, it probably would’ve been best to end this chapter at verse 13 and move this last part of the chapter to the very beginning of what is now chapter 22.
Why?
Because the logical flow is so much better in that case.
Go ahead and read chapter 22, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
The final part of Chapter 21 would’ve been the PERFECT introduction for the inspiring song of David glorifying the Lord that follows.
Next, notice verse 15.
It says that while David was in the midst of battle, fatigue set in.
We shouldn’t be surprised this happened.
As King, David had led a sedentary lifestyle where he was more used to tending to state matters than sharpening his blade for battle.
The many years of neglect in training his body for physical combat had finally caught up with him in his middle age.
In these verses, we’re given a snapshot of what went down in this battle:
“Yishbi-B’nov, one of the sons of the giant, said that he would kill David; his spear weighed seven pounds, and he was wearing new armor. But Avishai the son of Tz’ruyah came to David’s rescue by striking the P’lishti and killing him. Then David’s men swore to him, ‘You must no longer go out with us to battle, in order not to quench the lamp of Isra’el.'”-2 Samuel 21:16-17
So we see that the tables have reversed.
Up until now, it was always David who had saved others in battle.
But now, he is being saved by others.
In this case, we’re told it was his nephew Avishai who just in the nick of time came to his rescue.
Now, there’s an interesting takeaway I feel the Lord impressing upon my heart here.
It all has to do with David slowing down in his older years.
I wonder if that was really the Lord’s Will for him.
In our society, we tend to accept the idea that we’re supposed to slow down and not be as energetic and active as we were in the days of our youth.
I say to hell with that man.
I don’t see the idea of retirement anywhere in the Scriptures.
If anything, the latter half of our lives is supposed to be more fruitful than the first.
Ya feeling me?
I recall these words that Caleb said before he was to take the Promised Land.
“And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.”-Joshua 14:10-12
Caleb was 85 years old and still ready to fight giants.
Literally!
Now I believe that’s the kind of spirit God delights in!
Even at eighty-five, Caleb wasn’t asking for a hammock and an early retirement.
This homie still wanted to take on giants.
He didn’t buy into the lie we believe today that age means weakness.
He knew that if the Lord was still with him, then strength was still his!
And that’s what I believe God wants from you, too.
To keep believing.
To keep fighting.
To keep claiming the ground God has already set aside for you.
So that’s your lesson.
If the Lord is your source…
You don’t have to fade.
You can finish even stronger than you started.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“I can do all things through
Messiah, who strengthens me.”
-Philippians 4:13
“And if the Spirit of him who raised
Yeshua from the dead is living in you,
He who raised Messiah from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies
because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
-Romans 8:11
“Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles.
And let us run with perseverance
the race marked out for us,
fixing our eyes on Yeshua…”
-Hebrews 12:1-2
I think that the idea of never giving in to age is a good one, but let me tell you, young man, that at 71 years of age I have had more operations in the last 5 years than in my entire life before this, and I still have one more shoulder operation coming up.
I have been active my whole life, and yet it does catch-up with you, eventually.
Oh, yeah, there are those like Caleb, but they are the exception.
I agree that we must remain active, but I think what is more important than maintaining our physical muscles is to maintain our faithful muscles by “working out” with our Bible every day, and always looking for God’s blessings because they are always there.. it’s just that most times you need to look hard to see them.
Whether or not we slow down, or should slow down with age is debatable. And if you bring God into it it becomes even more debatable. There are many atheists who seem to have boundless energy in advanced age, so being a godless person doesn’t necessarily condemn a person to infirmities and early retirement. On the flip side you can serve God and end up with arthritis and that will slow you down I can assure you. There are some who eat and live healthy and drop dead in their 60’s from a heart attack, and others, like billionaire atheist Warren Buffett, who eats nothing but fast food and is still going strong in his 90’s. You have to be really careful with this topic.
Thanks, Cory. Your points are well taken.
I’m going to pretty much repeat what I said to Steven,
Totally understand, Steven.
Over the past years, I have developed Type 2 diabetes, had a mini stroke that had me hospitalized for a week, and my physical capabilities are nowhere near where I was in my early twenties or even early thirties.
Yet, I believe my position still stands. If the Lord wills it, He is fully capable of healing all our ailments and even endowing us with supernatural power as He did for many of the Biblical heroes. Think of not just Caleb, but Samson, Elijah, and many others.
Be blessed and talk soon!
Job 33:25 says “then his flesh will be restored as a child’s”, so, if we are truly pleasing God then God can and will heal our flesh in our old age, turning back the clock as it were, to some extent. But God may not heal all our infirmities as we might become too confident in ourselves. God can heal without our asking Him, and that might be the best way. We’re told that our alloted years are threescore and ten, and anything after that is bonus time. That doesn’t mean you can’t live to be 80, 90 or even 100, but once you hit 70 something changes and it’s never the same. Not everyone believes this of course, mainly those who live only for themselves with no thoughts of God.
Thanks for sharing, Cory. I like how you pointed out that God may not heal all our infirmities due to we might become arrogant. Isn’t this the thorn in the flesh Paul spoke about?
Yes I was thinking of Paul’s thorn in the flesh. Whatever it was, and there are many opinions, it must have been almost intolerable as Paul pleaded three times for relief. It might have been a chronic, burning inflammation on the skin somewhere, maybe on the scalp. The Old Testament mentions inflammation as a punishment for disobedience. Paul was obedient after getting knocked down on the road but maybe he needed further humbling. One preacher said it wasn’t a physical thorn but rather a demonic spirit sent to torment Paul, like what happened to Saul when God rejected him as king, but I don’t believe that idea. That would make God out to be a sadist, and I hope God isn’t a sadist. However, the chastening of the Lord can be brutal.