Sometimes it’s useful to remember that even mighty men make mistakes. There are no slouches among men who have made it to the Major Leagues in baseball, including rookie first baseman Will Craig of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Thursday, May 27, by his own admission, Will “…lost my brain for a second.” Here’s the short version of what happened as reported by Associated Press and posted on ESPN:

With Willson Contreras on second base and two outs in the third inning, the Cubs’ Javier Baez hit a routine grounder to third baseman Erik Gonzalez. His throw to Craig at first was a little up the line, pulling Craig off the bag. All Craig had to do was tag Baez or touch first for the final out of the inning. Baez stopped running halfway up the first-base line to avoid Craig and backtracked toward home plate. Craig chased him. Meanwhile, Contreras rounded third and sprinted home. Craig attempted a flip to catcher Michael Perez, but Contreras slid under the tag while Baez took off for first. Pérez’s throw to first sailed past second baseman Adam Frazier attempting to cover the bag, allowing Baez to race to second.

You can read the whole story here, and see the play here.

This was not even a “rookie mistake.” If I were coaching little league, and one of my 10-year-olds had done that, I would have chewed him out. But that’s not what Will Craig’s manager, Derek Shelton, did. He said:

He made a mistake and that’s it. You don’t option a guy [to the minor leagues] because of the fact he made a mistake. We make mistakes in all realms of life. – Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1.9, ESV)

⁸  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹  He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹²  as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103.8 – 14, ESV)

Yesterday, we reminded ourselves that David wasn’t alone in his battles – he was surrounded by “Mighty Men” as described in a section that begins…

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. (2 Samuel 23.8, ESV)

The text goes on to give specific “what, how, results” descriptions of some of their exploits:

And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day… (2 Samuel 23.9, 10, ESV)

And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory. (2 Samuel 23.11, 12)

Those were “the three” top mighty men. Then follows a list of “the thirty” mighty men. Only a few specifics are given for them, among them this account of Benaiah:

Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. (2 Samuel 23.20, 21, NIV, emphasis mine)

This was one tough dude! And he wasn’t tough enough to be among “the three” – just “the thirty.” But the one short sentence highlighted above inspired Mark Batterson to write: In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars. I recommend it.

One thing that struck me as I read this section (2 Samuel 23.8 – 39) is that most of these guys and their exploits appear only in this list, reminding us of what I wrote yesterday: God values warriors.

We should remember one other thing, something not explicitly stated in scripture, but it’s plain beginning with David’s encounter with Goliath as recorded in 1 Samuel 17:

David was the first mighty man!

And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17.32, ESV)

The other mighty men were just following David’s example of trusting God and taking action by faith.

…the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. (Daniel 11.32, ESV)

…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (Daniel 11.32, NKJV)

We follow a different Mighty Man!

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction…These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “…Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons…” (Matthew 10.1 – 8, ESV)

It’s fitting the day after Memorial Day and before we leave the story of David, which continues through 2 Samuel, we mention that God values warriors. How do we know? Because he devotes the end of 2 Samuel 21 and most of chapter 23 to listing warriors and their exploits. Today let’s look at chapter 21 which answers the age-old question: “Why did David choose five stones when he went to fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17)?” The answer, according to long-time Navigator Skip Gray, is simple:

Goliath had four brothers!

When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint.

• Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him…
• Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant.
• Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
• Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. (2 Samuel 21.15 – 22, NKJV, emphases mine)

Four giants, each killed by one man, identified by name!

I was teaching an adult Sunday School class once, and one of the attendees objected to some military reference that I made. I replied something like, “My brother, I don’t write this stuff. I just report it!” The Bible is full of stories of battles in the Old Testament and metaphors of battles in the New. God often is looking for people who will fight these battles.

And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”…And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17.26, 32, ESV)

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6.12 – 14, NKJV)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6.10 – 13, ESV)

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5.4, 5, ESV)

It’s more than just the unofficial start of summer…

“On this Memorial Day, remember the fallen, honor their service and sacrifice, and rejoice in your freedom” …because:

Freedom isn’t free!

For freedom Christ has set us free. (Galatians 5.1, ESV)

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. (Galatians 5.13, MSG)

Before we leave our look at David’s adventures in the wilderness as described in 1 Samuel 23 – 31, we might remind ourselves of God’s provision for David during this time. My friend and world traveler Henry Brown sent me this picture and message:

For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water… (Isaiah 35.6, 7, ESV)

As we wrap up David’s adventures in the wilderness, it’s worth noting that he didn’t always have the best people hanging out with him:

Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David… (1 Samuel 30.22, ESV)

This terse description actually fits well with the initial description of his band of men:

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22.1, 2, ESV)

Sometimes we think we’d do better if we just had the right team members. David’s team wasn’t ideal, and, come to think of it, neither was Jesus’ team as I’ve noted before. Love your enemies? James and John wanted to call down “fire from heaven” to consume a Samaritan village! (See Luke 9.51 – 56 and my September 24, 2020, blog.)

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103.13, 14, ESV)

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5.14, ESV)

We’re following David’s adventures in the wilderness as flees the paranoid pursuit by King Saul. What’s amazing is that despite Saul’s knowing that God has rejected him, he persists in pretending to be under God’s blessing.

Here are the rejection notices – two different occasions of specific disobedience:

[For presuming to offer the sacrifice himself instead of waiting for Samuel] And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13.13, 14, ESV, emphasis mine)

[For failing to destroy the Amalekites as commanded] And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (1 Samuel 15.22, 23, ESV, emphasis mine)

But Saul enjoys using God-sounding language:

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.” (1 Samuel 15.13, NIV, said right after he had precisely failed to perform the LORD’s instructions!)

Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.” (1 Samuel 23.19 – 21, ESV, emphasis mine)

It’s an age-old temptation: attempting to cover ungodly actions by God-sounding words. Maybe that’s why there’s a command for that!

You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Exodus 20.7, NIV – the third commandment)

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7.21 – 23, ESV)

Yesterday we saw how God used Abigail (and David’s willingness to listen to her!) to save David from a mistake that could have cost him the kingdom. Today is one more story on that theme except David didn’t even have a choice. This one was all God.

The story begins in 1 Samuel 27 when David, even after he spares Saul’s life for the second time, knows that Saul will pursue him to death, despite his apologies. So David goes to the land of the Philistines.

Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” (1 Samuel 27.1, ESV)

The text says David stayed there for 16 months during which time he raided isolated villages of people who were neither Philistines nor Israelis although he told Achish, king of the Philistines, he had been raiding towns in Israel, thus making Achish think David was permanently on his side.

This brings us to our story in 1 Samuel 29. The Philistines have massed their armies and are going to fight Israel. David is with them:

Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish,… (1 Samuel 29.1, ESV)

This is not a good thing. This is the battle in which Saul and his son Jonathan are killed (see 1 Samuel 31). What are David’s chances of becoming king of Israel when he has participated in the battle on the side of the army that killed King Saul? There’s no Abigail around to counsel him; how can God stop this foolishness? Easy:

The commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 29.3 – 7, ESV)

We don’t know if David had a plan, that he was really intending to ambush the Philistines from the rear during the battle, but no matter. The appearance would be that he was with the Philistines. So God, working through the Philistine commanders sent David home.

God has a plan, a story he will work out, and sometimes he has to do it whether we cooperate or not. (I’m by no means suggesting we test God by doing something stupid with the idea that if God wants to stop us, he can! Sometimes he doesn’t.)

This is the purpose that is purposed concerning the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? (Isaiah 14.26, 27, ESV)

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8.28, NASB)

Continuing our look at David’s wilderness adventures in 1 Samuel 23 – 31, there might be a temptation for us to be down on ourselves compared to David. Look at the dude: not only is he good-looking, destined to become king, a musician, and a warrior, but he’s also tough and he’s patient and trusts God! Fret not. David is a man, which we find out for sure in 2 Samuel 11. But in this section, too, there are flaws – mistakes in judgment – for which he needs to be rescued by others. We could even say that God protects him through others.

The first incident is documented in 1 Samuel 25. Nabal is a wealthy rancher from whom David asks for support through 10 of his men. The exchange goes like this:

And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David…. (1 Samuel 25.10 – 13, ESV)

So David, after showing mercy to his enemy, Saul, who wants to kill him, intends to wipe out Nabal and all who belong to him. Nabal’s wife Abigail, a “discerning and beautiful woman,” gets some food together and wisely appeals to David’s destiny:

When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he…Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord…For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live…My lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself.” (1 Samuel 25.23 – 31, ESV)

In other words, you don’t want to be known as the guy who wiped out a fellow Israelite for no reason. The good news is that David took Abigail’s advice, recognizing it as God’s word to him:

And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! For as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” (1 Samuel 25.32 – 34, ESV)

There are lessons here: just because we start a rash action, doesn’t mean we have to finish. We can stop any time. And, we can listen to good counsel even if it comes from an unlikely place. (Not everyone in those days would have listened to a woman, no matter how carefully she chose her words. Some of that goes on today, come to think of it!)

We’ll look at the second such incident tomorrow.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1.7, ESV)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3.5 – 7, ESV)

[This was scheduled to come out yesterday, May 25. I don’t know what happened.]

We’re spending a few days watching the future king David, who is still in God’s training program while Saul chases him through the wilderness. Yesterday, we noted that David was tough!

Today’s let’s look at his patience and trust in God’s sovereignty as he exercises good judgment in sparing Saul’s life.

When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe…David persuaded his men…and did not permit them to attack Saul. (1 Samuel 24.1 – 7, ESV)

David had another chance to kill Saul as he and his entourage slept. (See 1 Samuel 26.) David’s attitude is clear in this exchange with Abishai:

Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” (1 Samuel 26.8 – 11, ESV)

In an age of vitriol where every perceived slight is met with an angry and vicious response, David really is in mortal danger from a deranged and unstable enemy, and he treats Saul with mercy, inspired no doubt by David’s patience and understanding of God’s sovereignty. There’s wisdom there and an example to follow.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them…Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12.14 – 21, ESV)