TPC Connections

Sermon Notes

“His Hand Froze to the Sword”
Memorial Day Sunday
5/24/26

2 Samuel 23:9-10 “And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. 10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.“—2 Samuel 23:9-10

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is of David’s mighty men.

In 2 Samuel we read that David led a hierarchy of champions.

Three of them took the top spot followed by a company of thirty.

The top three were David’s elite strike force.

Their feats of strength and courage are jaw-dropping.

Number one on the list is Adino the Eznite who took out eight hundred of King David’s enemies in one confrontation.

Coming in second is Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite—-Eleazar stood alone to single-handedly face and defeat an entire Philistine garrison.

Pulling up in third place is Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite.

Like the first two, he had stationed himself alone in the middle of a bean field to courageously fend off a Philistine invasion.

All heroes–All the stuff of legends!

While all three were incredible in their own right, it is the second champion, Eleazar, that I want to focus on today.
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This mighty warrior fought so hard and long that he could not pry his hand off of his sword at battles end.

“He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword.”–vs 10

His fingers had stubbornly gripped it so long they cramped in place.

This description is a powerful testimony of his resolve to win—-and of his outstanding courage in the face of impossible odds.
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Now, the name Eleazar comes from a Hebrew name meaning, “My God has helped.”

Scripture provides us with several brief biographical snapshots of him that help us piece together a bigger picture of his life.

For instance, Eleazar was one of the three heroes that, on hearing David’s strong desire for water, “broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David.”—2 Sam. 23:16

This incredible act of selfless courage reveals the amazing loyalty David’s warriors felt for him.

And it is the same loyalty we see later in the Apostles of Jesus Christ, and untold martyrs through the ages!
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We read that it was David who made the mighty men what they were.

The future king of Israel met his future mighty men when they defected and came to him in the caves of Adullam as he fled from King Saul (1 Samuel 22:2).

All told there were about four hundred of them.

Scripture unflatteringly describes them as “distressed, in debt, and discontented.”

This was the motley crew David assumed leadership over to become their captain!

I can’t help but think again of our Lord Jesus who likewise gathered about Himself an unimpressive crew of twelve men comprised of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and a thief.

The spiritual giants they became under the Lord’s hand boggles the mind.

Likewise, David took these distressed, discontented, and indebted men and fashioned them into history-making warriors!
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We’re told that Eleazar was of the tribe of Benjamin, well known for their skill with the sling.

A left handed Benjamite could “sling a stone at a hair and not miss” (Judges 20:19 NASB).

In the Chronicles, we later find Eleazar faithfully serving as general of the second division of David’s army where he goes by the name Dodai (Do-day)—1 Chronicles 27:4.

Calculating the ten years David spent fleeing from Saul in the wilderness plus his reign as king of forty years, it’s safe to say that Eleazar faithfully served David for several decades.

Scripture is silent on when or how he died.

But the mark he left for God is powerful and inspiring!
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Now, I want to focus primarily on the conditions in which he faced the enemy and refused to let go of his sword—-to never surrender.

First,

I. He fought alone

The Bible tells us in 1 Chronicles 11:13,

“He was with David when the Philistines gathered for battle…and attacked the Israelites in a field full of barley. The Israelite army fled.”

As Eleazar prepared to fight, he turned to see his fellow soldiers retreating, running away in terror at the sight of the Philistines–and leaving him to fight alone.

I can only imagine what he must have felt!

the extreme disappointment,
the disheartening emotions,
and no doubt the embarrassment of watching Israel’s army run like cowards from the fight!

Most men would have refused to go forward against what was now impossible odds.

But Eleazar dug deep, placed his faith in the God of Israel, and stepped into the ring alone.

2 Sam 23:10 “He arose and attacked the Philistines…”
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APP: There are times for all of us when we must fight without the outer support we hoped for.

People won’t always stand with you in the good fight of faith!

People will sometimes let you down.

For various reasons that often are mere excuses they will back away when we need them most.

Friends, kingdom co-laborers, God’s children, and even family may walk away.

At that key moment everything you have committed to stand for,–all your deeply held beliefs,–the Bible promises you cherish are put to the test.

Will you go on though no one follows?

Eleazar shows us that being alone in the fight is no reason to quit!

Some of the greatest victories recorded in the Bible came when a saint of God was forced to stand alone.

JOSEPH was alone in Potiphar’s house,
alone in the prison,
and alone when called before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams.

DAVID was alone in facing Goliath while the rest of Israel’s army cowered in fear.

PAUL was alone when facing the Jewish Sanhedrin to defend the faith, testifying that “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me” (2 Tim 4:16).

And our LORD JESUS was certainly alone on his way to the Cross, even his own disciples forsaking him after his arrest.

All these and more took their stand and refused to let go of the sword of truth, the cause for which they fought,
and the king to whom they were committed!
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Then secondly, Eleazar fought:

II. Through exhaustion

In the fight of his life Eleazar refused to let go of his sword, to back down, or back out.

He would rather die than lay it down.

He gripped that sword with every atom of his being.

He held it fast when his hand went numb.

He swung it when the strength had drained from his arm.

As the familiar saying goes, “you could have his sword when you pried it from his dead, cold hand!”

So tightly did he hold it, his fingers had to be pried off at battles end!
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Eleazar’s sword is a type of The Christian’s sword.

Our sword in not of metal and bone—-Our sword is the very word of God!

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,” (Heb 4:12).

God’s word is the sword we grab when Satan comes to attack.

The Apostle Paul said that the sword of God’s word is a crucial piece of our spiritual armor in spiritual warfare.

“And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;” (Eph. 6:17).
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As the pressure was great for Eleazar to let go of his sword, the same pressure is mounting today for the church to let go of her sword.

Laying down the sword is more than becoming lax in daily Bible study.

It’s more than to neglect growing in the knowledge of it.

Laying down the sword is about failing to stand up for its truth, for what it proclaims about man’s fall and need of a Savior.

It’s the failure to stand up for its moral truth, ethical truth, theological and philosophical truth.

More than that, it is to back away from declaring the one way only plan of salvation through God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ.

It is to shy away from standing tall for God’s truth in the culture wars raging around us.

Letting go of the sword is to join the retreating army that left Eleazar standing alone!
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And finally, we see that:

III. God fought for the man that took a stand

2 Sam 23:10 “The Lord brought about a great victory that day,”

Notice who it was that won the battle–THE LORD!

As His child, your battle is His battle!

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today…The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:13-14).
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I believe the church is in an hour of increasingly intense warfare that is going to require an Eleazar resolve to hold tight to the faith once delivered to the saints.

To hold tight to God’s word, God’s truth, and our confession of Christ.

Let it be said that there is a remnant in the world that will refuse to lay the sword down,
that will fight alone if need be,
that will never put up the white flag of surrender!
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Are you standing alone today?

Have those you depended on retreated?

Do you feel like you’re up against impossible odds?