Uriah

        In II Samuel Chapter 11, we know what occurred with Uriah, Bathsheba and David. Today I want to look at Uriah himself and show you the characteristics of a faithful warrior. The great King David overshadowed Uriah in this story. We do not see much mentioned or known about Uriah the person, who was clearly the victim. Victim’s stories often get lost when facing larger forces. Even in this, one Chapter God will not let Uriah’s name be forgotten or the lessons he will teach us.

  When we read II Samuel Chapter 23, we can see the mention of David’s mighty warriors. Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar and Shammah are David’s Top “Three” and Josheb was the Chief of the Officers. Josheb raised his spear against three hundred men, who he killed in one encounter. Eleazar stood alone against the Philistines when Israel retreated. He stood his ground and struck down all of them until his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. Shammah also stood alone in the middle of the field when Israel retreated and struck down the Philistines. The Lord brought a great victory for them all. As we continue to read, these three men broke through the Philistine garrison to draw water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem because David longed for water. Philistines at that time had Bethlehem under their control and David was hiding from Saul. David did not drink the water after receiving it, in respect of these three men’s great courage and loyalty. Then we read about Abishai who raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed.  He became as famous as a three and became the commander of the army. We then see the mention of the Benaiah who struck down Moab's two mightiest warriors.  He decided to go down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.  He struck down a huge Egyptian with a club. Snatched the Egyptian's own spear from him and killed him with it. The Egyptian is mentioned to be 5 cubits tall, which is around 7 feet 5 inches tall. He became head of David's bodyguards. Then we see the mention of the 30, starting at versus 24.  Uriah the Hittite is mentioned in the last verse and there were 37 mighty warriors in all. He is also mentioned in I Chronicles 11:41.  

The chapter does not mention exactly what many of the other men do but if they were apart of David's bodyguard, you knew they were well capable, physically, mentally and spiritually tough individuals.  They are incredibly skilled at killing and have physical and psychological capacities to endure extreme situations than a normal person.  These were the Navy Seals/Green Barret of David's Army.  The Elite of the Elite. David's Elite were able to single handedly kill hundreds in hand-to-hand combat and as well as giants and a lion. In I Chronicles 11 versus 10 we read, “These were the chiefs of David’s mighty warriors—they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had promised.” This special force are the ones who gave David strong support in his Kingdom. There was a relationship between David and his Elite Warriors.  These are the main ones David went into battle with.  He fought alongside them, killed with them, bled with them, ate with them and rested with them. It is known that David's Army was well over 1 million and there is no way that he could have known each of them individually by name. The fact that these names are mentioned tells us that he knew them personally.  He knew their history and saw their faith and courage in action on the battlefield.

There had to have been a fellowship formed between fellow warriors. Men who fight and kill together form a relationship.  In battle, you have to be willing to give your lives for one another.  Without having faith or trust in the person next you, it would be very difficult to win battles.  It is a form of love to sacrifice your life for another. If the bond is strong, it will help them keep fighting when the victory is not known or promised.  It comforts, gives them courage and supports them knowing that they are not the only ones risking their lives. To have your name mentioned in the Elite force tells us a lot about Uriah.

Uriah had to be first physically strong and capable. We can infer that due to his physical attributes he was probably a very attractive man. I do not believe Bathsheba, who was very attractive would marry someone who was not also. As an elite soldier, we can assume Uriah was obedient with the chain of command. He had to have been intelligent, a multi-tasker and followed commands exactly without question or doubt. Faithful, trusting, loyal and patient. He also loves, and I am sure he loved his wife as well as his fellow comrades as brothers. Allowed to go home, eat and lay with his wife by David, he did not succumb to the temptation. His loyalty to his commanders would not allow him to enjoy that moment of peace, while they were out on the field. He had honor and showed it by suffering alongside his men. Even when he became drunk with David, he did not allow his earthly urges to take over, go home and lay with his wife. He followed David blindly. As a soldier, you know you could die at any time and was willing to sacrifice your life for the cause/mission.

David gave Uriah a letter to give to Joab. We can see Uriah’s loyalty and faithfulness by not opening and looking at the message. If he had opened the message, he would have known that David sent him to his death. Imagine being in battles, suffering together, creating a bond to be only stabbed in the back. Uriah did nothing to deserve to die. He would have gladly died fighting for David in the battlefield. David tries to comfort Joab by stating do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. At least Uriah died on the battlefield that he may have preferred, being an “Elite” warrior, rather than due to old age.

Uriah resembles the Christian life and the glorious end as well. We are in a spiritual battle now more than ever on Earth. Thousands dying, worldly unrest, economic depression, tornadoes, earthquakes, flooding and maybe even more to come. If you do not think we are not at war then the devil has covered your eyes. Now more than ever we need the qualities of Uriah. He loved and was self-sacrificing, willing to die for his King, in our case for God. He was physically and spiritually fit and ready for battle. He had patience, listened and followed the commands of his King. He had faith in his King as we have faith in our King, Jesus. He resisted temptation when given the choice. He was obedient even unto death. Placed in the front lines, Uriah fought for his King and he did it without hesitation. Loyal to the cause and ours is to follow and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations. Uriah may have not have had an entire book or chapter written about his great accomplishments but he still had a great impact on David’s rise to power and his life. God can use anyone, at any time that can have a large impact on the world. Uriah’s characteristics of a faithful warrior is what all Christians need in their life. There is only one King, Jesus Christ. We want to serve the Lord our King and our sacrifice and duty is too lift and spread the name of Jesus.