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At the close of this prophetic "last word", David looks down the centuries and sees
that "the sons of Belial" shall finally be tossed away as thorns, and shall be utterly burned
with fire. With this the reader should compare the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares,
and all references to the "seed of the wicked one", from Genesis to Revelation.
The "tares" having been destroyed, we should expect the next step to be parallel with
the words:
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father"
(Matt. 13: 43).
The sons of Belial have dominated the earth long enough, and at their removal,
II Sam. 23: introduces David's mighty men.
The names of the mighty men whom David had (II Sam. 23: 8-39).--These names
are linked together in groups.
THE FIRST THREE.--ADINO, ELEAZAR, and SHAMMAH (II Sam. 23: 8-12).
THE SECOND THREE.--ABISHAI, BENAIAH, and ASAHEL (II Sam. 23: 18-23).
THE THIRTY ONE.--Then follows a list beginning with ELHANAN of Bethlehem
and ending with URIAH the Hittite.
"Thirty seven in all."
Here we have the overcomers, who are honoured when the days of persecution are
over--a glorious anticipation of that day when in every sphere of blessing, there will be
those who, having "endured", shall receive "the reward" of their inheritance, "the prize"
of their calling, "the crown" of life, or righteousness, and share with Christ, not only in
His life, but in His glorious reign.
The A.V. and the R.V. in II Sam. 28: 8 read, in the margin "Josheb-bassebet the
Tachmonite", instead of "the Tachmonite that sat in the seat". His original name meant
"A man of shame", but this was altered to Adino, meaning "Ornament". Whether the
lesson here is an encouragement for the most worthless of sinners to seek to please the
One Who has become Saviour and Lord, or an encouragement to the suffering and
persecuted saint, who is for the time being accounted "vile" (cf. Phil. 3: 21 "this body
of humiliation"), the end is the same.
One name is notably absent from this list--the name of Joab. The note in The
Companion Bible at verse 24 is as follows:
"24. ASAHEL.--The third of the second three, brother of Joab, but not Joab. His
name here but not himself, because when the time of the end comes with its `last words',
loyalty will be the one test. Joab remained true in Absalom's rebellion, but fell away in
Adonijah's, Hence in I Cor. 16.22 `love' is the test, in the light of `Maran-atha', not the
`strifes' of ch.3, or the wrong judgments of chapter 4, or the uncleanness of ch.5, or
going to law of ch.6; not the fornication of ch.7, not a wrong conscience of chs.9,10,
not ecclesiastical disorders of ch.11, not the misuse of special gifts (chs.12, 13, 14), not
orthodoxy (ch.15), but `love' and loyalty to the Person of Christ, the true David,
David's son and David's Lord."