2 Samuel 23:9-10
And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand cleaved to the sword; and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.
Sheer stamina and the will to face danger and death to protect our homes and loved ones were obvious virtues to the ancients since most war was quite literally a struggle to keep one's family from being killed or enslaved. Hence, the Old Testament is unabashed in its celebration of people like David's Three Mighty Men: warriors who fought at David's side and showed unusual skill and courage in battle. But the writer is always careful to do something that other ancients (and many of us moderns) forget or deliberately ignore: he does not credit the victory to the victor. Not for the Old Testament writer is the exaggerated boasting of Assyrians like Sennacharib (who leaves us a frankly boastful account of his greatness that makes Nazi propaganda in praise of Hitler look modest). The instinct of the sacred writer is to see might, not as some raw power summoned up from within by sheer dint of will, but as a gift. And physical strength is, for the Old Testament, simply an image of spiritual strength. That is why the author of Proverbs writes, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city" (Prv 16:32). The greatest display of might is seen in the battle of the heart.
