David and His Mighty Men

David was now King over all Israel, but he did not govern the people alone. He had thirty mighty men who supported him, three of which he appointed as governors over the land. These three Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shama were loyal men of renown standing fierce against the Philistines and standing firm for the good of the people. These mighty men risked their lives for their King and for their fellow man. They are examples for us of what it means to be men of valor.

In our previous story we saw how Abner walked away from Ish-bosheth to side with David, whom he knew was the rightful ruler for all of Israel. Their alliance was short-lived though, as Joab took revenge on Abner for killing his brother and murdered Abner in cold blood. David chose to spare Joab’s life, but sent him away and left it to God to deal with Joab’s sin. We also heard how Ish-bosheth’s men killed him in his sleep and brought his head to David, hoping to be praised for their act on his behalf. Instead, David condemned them for raising their hand against Ish-bosheth and executed them on the spot – a sign that he wanted to come to power through reconciliation rather than violence. In the end, the rulers of Israel crowned David king of all of Israel and the kingdom was unified under one ruler. But David did not stand alone. God had surrounded him with mighty men of valor, thrity men who emulated David’s heart of mercy, bravery, and wisdom. And today we’ll hear their story.