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Life Lessons from Mighty Men - Eleazar son of Dodo  Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo, the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three warriors who were with David when they defied the Philistines who were assembled there for battle. When the men of Israel retreated, he stood his ground and fought the Philistines until his hand grew so tired that it seemed stuck to his sword. The Lord gave a great victory on that day. When the army returned to him, the only thing left to do was to plunder the corpses 2 Samuel 23:9-10 (NET Bible) The second one of David’s mighty men to be listed in 2 Samuel 23 is interesting, and not just because his dad was named Dodo (being the son of Owen is downright exciting by comparison). Like the commander of the thirty, Josheb-Basshebeth, only one of the exploits of Eleazar is related, but the second in command’s adventure is told in far more detail. Eleazar’s shining moment was his refusal to retreat. Hundreds of years before the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae and thousands of years before the Alamo was defended to the death; Eleazar, King David, and two other warriors stood their ground while the rest of Israel’s once intimidating army turned and ran. The passage does not tell us when the battle occurred, or even who the enemy was, but perhaps the original reader would have had some idea. This may have been a famous battle in the annals of ancient Israelite history, perhaps the day that Eleazar stood his ground was spoke of just as the Battle of the Bulge, Sugar Loaf Hill and Gettysburg are spoken of today. That day Eleazar stood and fought, and fought, and fought, and fought. He fought so long that his sword almost literally had become an extension of his hand. Years ago I knew a man that had spent most of his life driving trucks cross country. Decades on top of decades with his hands grasping a steering wheel had given him arthritis that made his hands almost permanently closed in a near fist. In just one day Eleazar’s hand had become like that man’s and his hand had conformed to his sword, dripping in the enemies blood. Unlike the immovable Spartans or the heroic defenders of the Alamo, however, Eleazar’s stand resulted in a great victory. In fact, the victory that day was so total that the rapidly fleeing Hebrew army returned and despite their cowardice received the spoils of the triumph that Eleazar and the rest of this brave quartet had wrought. We live in a world today that encourages, no that demands that we do anything other than stand our ground. Concession is gold, boldness is garbage. There are plenty of times in our lives that we must act wisely and prudently, but there are also times like in the story of Eleazar that life requires more than prudence. There are times that living a life that glorifies God will require what General George S. Patton used to say was also the secret to war, “Audacity, audacity — always audacity!” Patton fought with tanks and Eleazar fought with a sword, but both warriors would agree that no battles are won without audacity. Staff Writer: Aaron Sharp |
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