“ . . . Eleazar . . , one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn. He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.” 2 Samuel 23:9-10 NASB
Eleazar, one of David’s three mighty men, is a beautiful analogy for the spiritual battles of life.
First, his name, Eleazar, means “God is my help.” What an auspicious beginning! And it is all the more poignant when you look at Who brought about the great victory. Of course, it was the Lord. We have a part to play, just like Eleazar. We must wield the sword in battle; that is our part. But it is God who brings about the victory.
In the book of Ephesians, we read that “the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.” Eleazar used the Word of God to strike the enemy so many times that his hand clung to the sword (“froze” in the NIV). In other words, he became “one” with the Word of God. Here is the beautiful analogy that I was talking about: Eleazar wielded the Word of God so much in his spiritual struggles that it became a part of him!!
That’s what I want! I want to wield the weapon of the Word of God so much that it becomes a part of me! Of course, that means I will need to have “spiritual struggles” in order to have opportunities to use my weapon. So be it! I know that God is my help! And He will bring about victory in that day!
The other thing I want to point out in this analogy is that the army of Israel had withdrawn from the battle (see v.9). The army of Israel are the people of God; in our case, that would be other Christians. The lesson I learn here is that there will be times when other Christians will withdraw from the battle. Yet, we can arise, like Eleazar, and strike the enemy with the Word of God. We need not be afraid to fight alone; God is our help! And the Lord will bring about a great victory!
Notice in verse 10 that the people return after him “only to strip the slain.” The people of God are picking up the spoils of victory. In our vernacular, that means that other Christians will benefit from our spiritual victories! Isn’t it great to know that our struggles have not been in vain?!
God promises that He will be with us and help us! He will strengthen us until we are One with Him. He shapes us into a mighty man of valor! Our victory is assured! And the bonus is that others will be blessed by our victories!! Amen and Amen!!