Stand Firm Against the Enemy and Prevail
“. . . but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory” 2 Samuel 23: 10-12.
This passage refers to David’s mighty men. We don’t know much about them, only that they accomplished feats of heroism in battle. To read the passage for context, click here.
We can learn some valuable lessons from the exploits of these “mighty men”.
Notice they didn’t retreat from their enemy. They didn’t flee. Instead they “stood their ground”(vs.10) and “took their stand”(vs. 12). And because of this, the Lord “brought about a great victory”(vs. 12).
Put On the Full Armor of God and Stand
When everyone else retreated and fled, these mighty men stood their ground. They believed God was going to fight for them. And grant them victory over their enemies.
The Philistines can represent sin. And not retreating, but holding their ground represents resisting temptation.
These mighty men, in essence, “put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. . .Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” Ephesians 6:11, 13.
This is all that’s required of us too, in order for the Lord to bring about a great victory in our lives over sin or other enemies. And to enable us to be “mighty men”.
We must simply stand our ground against temptation. We need to say no. Or, if we can’t do that, we need to “watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” Mathew 26: 41.
We need to “submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” James 4:7.
Stand Firm Against the Enemy and See God’s Salvation
This, I believe, is what it means to “stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today” Exodus 14:13.
It means in essence, don’t retreat, don’t run, but stand. Take your stand. Refuse to give up what’s yours!
Maybe we are too inundated by the enemy on every side to advance, but for God’s sake (literally), don’t retreat!
Stand firm against the enemy, and the Lord will bring about a great victory.
If we don’t, we won’t see the salvation of the Lord, and He won’t bring about a victory for us. To stand still, take our stand, hold our ground is our imperative.
We must do this in order to overcome our enemies, live victorious lives and be “mighty men” for God.
For another post related to Stand Firm Against the Enemy, see The Bread of Affliction in the Bible.