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Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi 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 v 9-10.
Question: What happens to the kid whose dad was named after a soon-to-be-extinct giant bird and whose granddad had a name that only donkeys could pronounce?
Answer: He grows up to become an Old Testament Samurai legend with a razor-sharp blade and a freakishly strong grip!
We don’t know how many he was up against, but the skirmish was clearly long and intense as, by the time the last Philistine had fallen, Eleazar couldn’t even let go of his sword. The image of this heroic warrior standing victoriously over a multitude of vanquished foes, his trusty sword still clenched in a trembling, vice-like fist, is both breathtaking and compelling. Crucially, however, we can still learn so much from Eleazar today.
He was ready for war. Eleazar knew exactly what he was up against: We should be too.
You need to understand that when Jesus saved you, you were instantly drafted into the ranks of the army of Christ. His arch enemy, Satan, is now your enemy too, and as one of the King’s soldiers you are engaged in the epic war to end all wars. Many Christians believe that when they are tempted it must be because they are either wicked, weak, or both, but that’s simply not true! Facing temptation is neither sinful or unusual. It is absolutely normal—so get used to it!
Man of God—we need to know what we’re up against!
And we need to be ready and able to fight back. The question is, how?
Armed and dangerous
This might come as a shock to you, but the only chance we’ve got of going toe to toe with the hordes of hell and living to tell about it, is by gripping up the Good Book and becoming a bona fide, black-belt Bible-basher!! That doesn’t mean you have to turn into the dude on the corner wearing white sports socks and open-toed sandals while hurling Holy Bible hand-grenades at passing shoppers. But you DO need to be a Bible guy.
I’ve lost count of the number of men I’ve met who have tried to justify their lack of biblical edge with this lame excuse: “I’m not really a Bible person!” That is seriously more insane than an unarmed soldier stepping into the middle of a war zone and saying: “I’m not really a weapons kind of guy!”
They’ll be wiped out in seconds!
Just like Eleazar gave the men of Israel an emphatic master class in sword-handling, what better way to learn the art of gospel warfare than observing the Grand Master of the biblical blade, Jesus Christ?
As we wage war against temptation in our own lives, we should be encouraged that the very same sword that Jesus brandished is available to us today. The gospel is still all we need to bring to the battlefield and is more than enough to get the job done. That’s because behind every temptation is a lie that, if believed, will weaken our defences, leaving us wide open to enemy attack and powerless to resist temptation. The word of God, however, is divine truth that exposes Satan’s. Here are a few examples of how that might work out today:
The guilt-gripped porn addict, who each night falls prey to the lie that meaningful sexual satisfaction is just a click away, might feel utterly helpless as he plunges deeper into a world of twisted fantasy and emotional numbness. However, freedom will come when he takes his hand off the mouse (or whatever else it’s grabbing) and lays hold of God’s word, which shatters the lie that true fulfilment can be found anywhere other than Jesus, and that pornographic shame is unforgivable.
The angry young man who was raised in an abusive, loveless home may well rage against the world, hating life and even himself because he can’t cope with the pain of feeling unloved and unlovable. However, when he wraps his clenched fist around the sword of the Spirit, the enemy’s cruel lies will soon crumble as God’s liberating truth enters the fray. God says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31 v 3
The stressed-out businessman, pursuing success at all costs, could be driven by the lie that his identity and worth are measured by personal performance and achievement. Pressure will subside and peace will come as the gospel reveals that he can do nothing to impress God; yet, in Christ, grace is freely available.
Stuck to his sword
No soldier in the heat of battle ever complained that he had received too much combat training. You can never be too prepared for war. Effective training requires considerable discipline and sacrifice. So whether we roll out of bed an hour earlier to get our heads into the word, listen to sermons in the car, hook up with a friend to chew over truth, or simply make sure we’re at church each week—let’s be committed to honing our Bible skills.
Eleazar’s blade was covered in blood, not dust.
The heroics of Eleazar should rightly impress us, but it is King Jesus who truly inspires and equips us to be white-knuckled warriors in our generation.
And may He get all the glory for it.
Tim Thornborough is the founder and Publishing Director of The Good Book Company. He is series editor of Explore Bible-reading notes, the author of The Very Best Bible Stories series, and has contributed to many books published by The Good Book Company and others. Tim is married to Kathy, and they have three adult daughters.
