Men of Honor - Soul Choice Ministries

Some people ask if it’s biblical to honor our military, the police, and others who serve in law enforcement capacities. Yes, it absolutely is. God also expects honor to be given to the women who serve. However, for this teaching, we will look at King David’s mighty men.

In the Bible, God honored the fighting men who went to war to protect the nation of Israel. God honored King David’s mighty men of valor and others who fought for Israel.

In 2 Samuel 23, it names thirty-seven of David’s mighty men and what they accomplished. The word honored is mentioned several times in the chapter and throughout the Old Testament. God is the one who always helped David defeat his enemies. In addition, God also sent these fighting men to David so that he would have a strong army. David went into battle confidently because God was with him and because he was blessed with a very skilled team of men to fight alongside him.

In 2 Samuel 22, David praised God for the nation’s victories and deliverance from their enemies.

Solomon had a vast army of over one million men, 40,000 stalls of horses, 1,400 chariots, mighty men of valor, and he reigned over all the kingdoms and regions. For 40 years he reigned over Israel, and they had peace. There was peace because of Israel’s military strength.

There is a time for war, according to God, mentioned in Deuteronomy 3:18; 20:19; Ecclesiastes 3:8; Job 38:23. You must be prepared, or you will end up destroyed as a nation or under servitude. Going to war is no light matter and should only be done if necessary—with much prayer, wise counsel, and when other solutions have failed.

Here are some verses regarding God’s view on defending the nation, His people possessing skill to fight, and men of strength and honor:

Proverbs 24:6 – “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
Proverbs 20:18 – “Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.”
1 Samuel 16:18 – “The son of Jesse the Bethlehemite… a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.”
Notice in that last verse: it is wise for a leader to have prudent men on his staff who know and walk with the Lord.
Deuteronomy 20:1 – “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you.”
Joshua 8:1–2 – “Now the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.’”
1 Samuel 15:18 – “Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’”
Deuteronomy 20:16 – “But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive.”
Deuteronomy 20:12–13 – “Now if the city will not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it.”
1 Samuel 23:2, 4–5 – “Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and smite these Philistines?’ … And the Lord said unto David, ‘Go, and smite the Philistines, for I will deliver them into thine hand.’ … And he smote them with a great slaughter.”
Exodus 15:3 – “The Lord is a man of war.”
Psalm 24:8 – “The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”

Bible verses that reveal who equips and teaches men to fight:

Psalm 18:32, 34 – “It is God that girdeth me with strength and maketh my way perfect… He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.”
Psalm 144:1 – “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.”
2 Samuel 17:10 – “For all Israel knoweth that thy father (David) is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.”
2 Samuel 1:18 – “…teach the children of Judah the use of the bow.”

Bible verses that state some of the accomplishments of David’s men:

2 Samuel 23:8–9 – “Adino the Eznite lifted up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.”
One man slew 800 at one time. God blessed him with strength; he was truly gifted by God.
2 Samuel 23:18 – “And Abishai lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.”
1 Chronicles 11:11 – “Jashobeam, the chief of the captains, lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.”

If you made a movie about this and showed one man killing 800 or 300, you might say, That’s an exaggeration; that can’t be true. But these are true accounts recorded in the Bible because God anointed these men.

1 Chronicles 12:1–2 – “They were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow.”
Skilled men, trained to fight.
1 Chronicles 12:8 – “Men of war fit for battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains.”
These men could run extremely fast and had faces like lions—they must have been fierce looking!
1 Chronicles 11:22 – “Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada… who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab; he also went down and slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day.”
This man killed a lion and two lionlike men.

Let us remember to be thankful and to pray for the people who serve our nation and defend our freedoms.