David’s Mighty Men (9) - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear.
1 Chronicles 12:8 NKJV

David’s Mighty Men (9)
Courageous men joined David during the perilous days when King Saul was trying to kill him. These details have been written for our instruction to help us identify with our rejected Lord. We are also “in a wilderness” in the sense that this world does not provide any support to believers who serve the Lord Jesus. We must rely on Him for all our physical or spiritual needs and for the necessary direction. For us “the stronghold” does not mean a military base but rather a situation where we must fully rely on the Lord Jesus, our Stronghold. Do we trust Him for guidance to know what to do, how, where, and when?

The apostle Paul, too, had to learn to rely on the Lord, moment by moment. He was in God’s school while ministering to His people, enjoying great blessings and privileges. Yet he still had the flesh in him, and because of that, even a man such as Paul had the potential of becoming proud. To prevent this from happening, the Lord sent him an angel of Satan (2 Cor. 12:1–9). God’s people, especially those who are leading among them, are always under attack. However, God is over all things and even makes Satan’s servants to be His instruments. If God can do that, and He does, then He can do anything. That is why we need to be “at the stronghold in the wilderness,” the right position. There, we get trained to be strong and well-equipped for battle, to be true overcomers in the right spiritual and moral condition.

May we learn how to handle the proper weapons to protect or attack—with or without shield, helmet, spear, bow, or sword—as well as learning when and how to attack. Paul teaches much about the full armor of God, which is useless without the soldier battling on his knees (Eph. 6:10–20).

-- Alfred E. Bouter