Your Obligation to Make Yourself Strong

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

1 Samuel 30:6 ESV

David was a leader of an outlaw band and he had just suffered a devastating blow. Hostile forces had taken his own family and wealth, as well as destroyed his credibility as the commander of his “militia” and as a claimant for Israel’s throne. He was now severely weakened. How could he rule these men any more?

But that problem makes David’s duties clear in the story. First Samuel shows that God had chosen David to be king. If David was now too weak to meet his obligations, then that could only mean he had a derivative obligation:

He needed to strengthen himself.

This is the way of wisdom for any king or other ruler. For Lady Wisdom herself declares, “I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me rule, and nobles, all who govern justly” (Proverbs 8:14–16 ESV). And the godly wife reflects the majesty of Wisdom when “She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong” (Proverbs 31:17 ESV), because “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come” (Proverbs 31:25 ESV).

There are many ways to be weakened. Sadly, not all of them are involuntary. But that means, happily, that you can do something about it in many cases.

If David is to be a leader and eventually a king, then he has an obligation to fight and defeat any weakness that would prevent him from leading and ruling. He has a duty to become strong so that he can fulfill the duties of a king. His weakness (in this case his bitter loss, humiliation, and the despair that followed) was not only a personal crisis, but a liability for everyone who God had sent him to help as king.

So how did David do it?

The word for “strengthened” in this context, could probably also have been translated as “encouraged.” The same word is used in Deuteronomy 1:38:

And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, “Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!” Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, “You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.”

Deuteronomy 1:34–38 ESV

I think “encourage” fits in some cases, because that is more literally what is done to strengthen a person. Nevertheless, the hoped-for result is that the person actually becomes more capable of a task: literally stronger. The Bible seems to acknowledge that human persons are complicated psychologically and that certain words or thoughts can increase their output. The word is used in ways that undeniably speak to literal strength at some level. Some instances:

• “Yet the people of Manasseh could not take possession of those cities, but the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. Now when the people of Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not utterly drive them out” (Joshua 17:12–13 ESV).
• “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (Judges 3:12 ESV).
• “Then Samson called to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes'” (Judges 16:28 ESV).
• “David said to the messenger, ‘Thus shall you say to Joab, “Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.” And encourage him'” (ESV).
• “Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and at the Valley Gate and at the Angle, and fortified them” (2 Chronicles 26:9 ESV).
• “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart” (Psalm 104:14–15 ESV).

So the strengthening can be quite literal and personal (Samson!), or military, or architectural, or the result of food, etc.

An amazing example of being strengthened is given to us regarding the Philistines in First Samuel 4:9.

As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

1 Samuel 4:5–11 ESV

As far as we can tell from the text, the Philistines were not miraculously given strength the way Samson was. No new weapons were supplied to them, nor were new rations distributed for energy.

Some leader or leaders spoke to the Philistine troops while they were frightened and induced them to unleash all their potential strength in the fight with Israel. And what the pagans do for themselves in the face of defeat, David later does “in the LORD his God.”

Go and do likewise.

Paul considers strengthening Christians important. He begins and concludes Romans with the thought:

• “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you…” (Romans 1:11).
• “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ… (Romans 16:25).

Paul wants Christians to not be disturbed in the face of adversity.

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know.

1 Thessalonians 3:1–4

The ESV has “establish” in verse 2. That is a perfectly good translation but it is the same word as the one used twice in Romans, above. The ESV also used “establish” in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 which, again, may be more suitable to the context. But I think it is noteworthy that the NIV reads: “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, omfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 2:16–3:5 ESV (but with “strengthen”)

So note what Paul is doing. He is assuring the Thessalonians that God will strengthen them. But he is also, by that very act, strengthening them. After all, he sent Timothy to them in the faith. His words reminding them of their blessings in Christ, can help the listeners be strong in the face of adversity and help enable them to continue in the Faith.

And the Thessalonians, by listening to Paul and reminding themselves of his encouragements when they need to, can strengthen themselves, like David did, in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed, on a congregational level, Paul wants them to do for one another what he sent Timothy to do for them. As he tells them after assuring them of the resurrection, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). He doesn’t use “strengthen” here, but plainly Timothy was sent to strengthen them by encouragement and that is the result that Paul is looking for.

He says it again:

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:5–11 ESV

James also commands us to follow the example of David in the midst of adversity.

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

James 5:7–8 ESV (Altered from “establish”)

James is writing a group, so his instruction involves them strengthening one another. But if we are to encourage one another, there is no reason to not encourage ourselves as well, like we see David doing.

This is the proper background to understand passages like the following:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:4–8 ESV

When we rejoice, when we deal with anxiety by praying and giving thanks, when we refuse to pay attention to what will hurt us but concentrate on what will help us, we are choosing strength over weakness. We are strengthening ourselves in the Lord our God.