2 Samuel 21 & 22 Giants Fall
We get quick glimpses into four battles with the Philistines. It each of these battles, giants fall at the feet of David and his mighty men.
The Philistines seem to have an unending supply
of ‘giants’ in their territory. I’m sure they ran out eventually, but not while David was on the throne. David’s first battle was against one such giant; Goliath. His last personal battle was against another; Ishbi-benob. David wasn’t able to defeat this final giant on his own. He had help from Abishai, one of Joab’s brothers.
David retired from the battle field after this encounter, but the giants kept coming. David’s mighty men defeated three more of them. We are given very little detail about these battles. I’m going to take a little license here to create the story around these victories.
I’m going to include David’s song of praise for deliverance in this account. There are parts of it that I cringe at, when applying it to this portion of his life, but the Holy Spirit inspired the placement of it here. I believe that part of the reason for its inclusion here is to emphasize God’s forgiveness of David’s sins. Satan is the one who likes to bring up our past; not God. Let’s rejoin our story of David’s life and see where the Spirit takes US in this journey.
♥ ♦ ♥
The Philistines are at it again! When will they ever give up? David and Israel have defeated them in battle time and time again, yet they don’t stay down. It was the Lord working through David’s hand that Israel was delivered from Philistine rule. But they are not turning loose easily. It is like trying to pry the last nut from a starving squirl. They are hanging on for dear life!
“The Philistines are gathering for war, my lord” Joab informs David.
“Here we go again” thinks David. “Gather the armies of Israel. We will go out and meet them in battle again.”
Joab bows and then heads for the door. He will sound the call as soon as he reaches the garrison.
David goes to where his armor is stored. He hasn’t used it in some time, but it is oiled and ready for battle. His personal servant is also his armor bearer. He is on David’s heels at all times.
“It’s time to dress for battle again” says David.
“As you wish, my lord.”
In no time at all, David is arrayed for battle. He and his armor bearer make their way to the garrison, where Joab is mobilizing the forces of Israel.
Joab sees David approaching. He shakes his head in resignation. “Time on the throne has softened some of David’s muscles. One of these days, he will be too old for war” thinks Joab. “Let’s hope it’s not today.”
It takes a full day for all of Israel’s troops to muster, but David stays in the garrison the whole time. He welcomes the troops as they arrive. They are excited to see their king ready for battle.
“Form up” calls Joab.
Within minutes, Israel’s best men are ready to march off in battle. David rides beside Joab, leading the way. They pass through the valley where David once faced Goliath.
David thinks back over the years as they pass. What sticks with him the most is how many of those years have passed. “If it were not for Your hand Lord, I would not have seen any of those years. Be with me again today as I face yet another battle with the Philistines. But more than that, Lord, be with Israel. Come what may of my life, protect Your people.”
The battle is fierce. Swords clash, arrows fly through the air, lines form and break, and men fall. The Philistines are falling at a MUCH faster rate than Israel. God is certainly on Israel’s side.
The Philistines have brought one of their giants with them. His target is David. No matter where David goes on the field of battle, the giant Ishbi-benob presses in or is nearby. And he is not the only one intent on David’s destruction. David is an expert fighter, but the number of skirmishes he is involved in today are draining his strength. Ishbi-benob sees David’s strength failing.
“It’s time for the kill” thinks Ishbi-benob. He runs straight at David with his spear the size of a weaver’s beam raised above his head, poised to strike.
Ishbi-benob is not the only one to notice David’s weakened state. Abishai notices too. His lighting speed comes to David’s rescue just in time! As Ishbi-benob draws back his arm to increase the force of his thrust, Abishai runs him through with his sword. Abishai’s sword finds its mark in an exposed place just below the arm pit. The force of Abishai’s thrust easily shatters Ishbi-benob ribs and pierces his heart and lungs. Ishbi-benob stumbles and falls mere feet from where David crouches, breathing hard from his exertion.
With their giant felled, the Philistines lose heart and turn and flee. Israel gives chase until those that remain reach the gates of Gath. Abishai stands guard over David while Israel pursued those who are fleeing.
When Israel turns back, Joab and the rest of his captains of thousands rejoin Abishai at David’s side. Joab is livid! David could have been killed and Israel would have lost her king. He approaches David, determined not to pull any punches this time.
“You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel” (2 Samuel 21:17b).
David has regained his strength and caught his breath while Israel chased down the remaining Philistines. He tries to stare down Joab, but after a few moments, he bows his head in defeat.
The rest of his commanders try and soften the blow of Joab’s words, but their words communicate the same thing. David is too old for this, and too valuable to the people.
“It is not even a matter of your strength, my lord, but that you are THE target of all those we meet. Any one of them would gladly give their lives in order to assist in the taking of yours. The sheer number of them who focus their attention on you ensures that your strength will ultimately fail and bring about your death. We cannot allow this to happen! It would cripple Israel. You cannot put yourself in this position again.”
David finally nods in acceptance of the wisdom of his captains. “I will not go into battle with you again. But I will pray for your success and eagerly await your report.”
David is true to his word, even if Joab had to remind him the next time battle with the Philistines is imminent. David received his first report of battle with the Philistines, that he hadn’t gone into, the following spring.
“My king, we have defeated the Philistines at God. They fled before us after Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, on of the giants. Few remained of the army we faced.”
“And what of our forces? Did we lose many?”
“No, my king. Not more than 100 fell at the hand of the Philistines. The Lord was with us in battle.”
The following year, the Philistines rose up again from God. Israel went out and met them in battle. The report brought to David was just as glowing as the previous year’s encounter.
“Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite! He was one of the giants the Philistines brought into battle. They scattered as soon as their giant fell.”
“How many more giants can they have” wondered David. “Surely their supply must be nearing its end.” David addressed Joab. “How many of our forces fell to the Philistines?”
“Less than 50 my king. The Lord fought mightily for us.”
The next spring, the Philistines tried again to topple Israel. This attack was launched from the city of Gath. They brought with them one more giant. This giant was unique in that he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. His height wasn’t as great as the previous giants, but his stature was still far above his fellow Philistines and that of the men of Israel. These attributes didn’t bring him any more success than his predecessors.
Joab stands before David to give him the battle report. “Jonathan the son of Shimei, your own brother, struck down the giant the Philistines put their trust into this time. As soon as he fell, their spirits trembled within them and they fled. Only the gates of Gath prevented us from taking all their lives.”
“And what were our losses” David asks.
“They were very minor my lord. All but 20 men returned home safely.”
David was very pleased to hear this. As he had done with each of the previous victorious encounters with the Philistines, David hosted a banquet to celebrate.
The following spring, David kept waiting for the Philistines to gather for war, but that day didn’t come. When winter arrived without a single skirmish with the Philistines, David considered them defeated. David called for a celebration throughout Israel. In Jerusalem, David sang a song that he had not sang since he stopped running from Saul. It was a song of victory and praise to the Lord. And he sang it to the Lord with all his might.
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
“For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.
“Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness around him his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.
The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
And he sent out arrows and scattered them;
lightning, and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen;
the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
“He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
“The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his rules were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
“With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
with the purified you deal purely,
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
“For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
This God is my strong refuge
and has made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip;
I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.
For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
They looked, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
“You delivered me from strife with my people;
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.
“The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,
the God who gave me vengeance
and brought down peoples under me,
who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from men of violence.
“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.”
As David sang this song, he recognized that some of the lines were not as true as they once were. He remembered his past sins, but he didn’t let them prevent him from praising his Lord. His heart knew that he was forgiven of those sins, so the enemy of his soul had no ground on which to stand when he accused him. For this reason, above all else, David sang those lines with all his heart.
The Lord had delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines, just as He had promised to do through David.
(to be continued)
I already admitted to having a hard time with David’s songs because I know of his sins. But God reminded me of His forgiveness. I can sing as confidently as David did because I KNOW He has forgiven me of my sins as well. I’ve heard it said many times; “When Satin tries to remind you of your past, remind him of his future.” He Is Defeated! He just won’t admit it yet.
Every time Satin convinces any of us to stop praising the Lord, stop sharing his word, or stop believing in the Lord, he is banking on us dredging up our own faults as if they were new again. God says that when He forgives us, HE casts our sins as far as the east is from the west. If HE refuses to hold them against us, who are we to argue?
This does NOT mean that we are free to live a ‘sin and repent’ lifestyle. If you immediately go back to the same sins you just repented of, they you didn’t truly repent. True repentance includes turning away from the sin and walking again with the Lord. Which flies in the face of another adage I’ve heard over my life; “It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to get permission.” If you already know that you will be denied ‘permission’ then you KNOW it is sin. Walk Away!
Father God, THANK YOU that my sins ARE forgiven. That You don’t hold them against me any longer. I struggle right now with holding someone else’s sins against them that I’m certain they have brought to You. It’s not just the sin, but the (what I call) ‘hypocrisy’ following it. I have lost confidence in this person. Forgive me for judging this person. But also help me to know where to draw the lines of separation. Do I ‘erase’ those lines or let them remain?
I can’t imagine how David and Joab kept working together with all the ‘sins’ they knew about one another. David never called Joab on his sins during his own lifetime. He had Solomon execute judgment on him instead. Confrontation seemed to be one of David’s weak points. Occasionally, he would ‘take a stand’, but even with his children, he let things slide.
Help me not fall into David’s pattern either Lord. Give me Your guidance in this area. Lead me, Lord, and I will follow.
