Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice

Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2022-07-06

Synopsis: John Weaver uses 1 Corinthians 16:13 as a call for Christian men to develop a combat mentality—vigilance, steadfast faith, courage, and strength—in spiritual and physical battles. He laments the prevalence of immature, passive men and illustrates the concept with the historical account of Captain Jonathan R. Davis, who killed 11 outlaws in self-defense. Applications emphasize martial training, personal responsibility for protection, and fighting against sin, sickness, and tyranny.

[John Weaver] 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13. The title of the message today is Captain Jonathan Davis and a combat mentality. I finally found someone that Bill Potter did not know about. So here we go. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13, the Word of God says, Watch ye Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men and be strong. So my first question is this today, where are the men and how is it that in our day and time we have sired a generation of pansies, a generation of gutless, spineless wimps that are absolutely afraid to stand for truth and righteousness and principle. We could ask more questions like, where are the men that are willing to fight for their families, their churches, their society? Where are men willing to fight for principles of right?

[John Weaver] I certainly do not agree or endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I do agree with something that he said years ago. He said he made a comment about girly men. which I think is very important in today's arena. I think such girly men are everywhere today. Men today had much rather play than to work. They'd much rather be protected than be the protectors. And they'd much rather be pacifistic rather than engage in martial training. In fact, most men today would much rather be amused than to study and to think and to pray.

[John Weaver] Not too long ago, Alice and I were at the Denver Airport waiting for a flight And I looked across from me and there sat a young married couple. I would suspect they were 21 or maybe a little older, maybe a little younger, but around that age, 19 to 22 or 23. And here the husband was sitting there playing with a computer, a computer game, and his wife was coloring in a Charlie Brown coloring book. Now, they were not.

[John Weaver] mentally challenged, at least not from appearance, anyhow. But I thought her children, although they're married, they're still refusing to grow up. I remember seeing years ago a young married couple. In a drugstore, then the drugstore had a little book section, magazine section and comic books. And this young married couple were sitting in there reading comic books. I knew both of them. And so I inquired with someone I knew in the drugstore, and they said it is their habit to come in every day and read comic books for several hours. Wow. Here are people who are ashamed to grow up, evidently.

[John Weaver] I think there's something wrong with a 40 year old father that can beat his 12 year old son in video games. And everywhere I go, I see men and women playing video games. Often Alice and I take flights and our flights are four hours, sometimes five. And I have watched people sit and play video games on their phones for the whole time the flight is in existence. No one is reading. Everyone's just simply playing games. So we either have a bunch of girly men or we have a bunch of grown adult children or folks who really and truly have refused to grow up. There is only one area, according to the Bible, in which you and I should be immature.

[John Weaver] You say, where in the world is that? Well, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20, Brethren, be not children in understanding. How be it in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. So Paul said it's all right to be children when it comes to malice. Malice is when you and I think about anger, and bitterness and resentment and staying mad. He said, you're going to be children then.

[John Weaver] What does he mean by that? You've seen children playing together. One gets hurt. He comes running to his mother and said, mother, mother, Tommy hurt me. And where did he hurt you? Well, right here. And there's hardly a bark. Well, you'll be all right, son. Go back out and play with him. And the next thing you know, they're playing like nothing's ever happened. So that's why the Apostle Paul said that in malice we are to be children.

[John Weaver] However, when you look at 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 13, it's totally different. He says, Watch ye stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men and be strong. This text is a clear clarion call for what you and I would know as a combat mentality. And this text is decidedly a military text. It is a text that demonstrates Awareness, courage, boldness, and strength. Interestingly, the word for men in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13 is a very unique word. In fact, in the Greek, it's called a hypoxylonic gomenon. That means it is a word that occurs just one time in the Bible. And the Greek word here is andridzomai when he says in verse 13, quit you like men, And the word men there, and dridsomai, literally means to make a man, to make brave, to show oneself brave and to show oneself a man. So in the connotation here, we are to consider ourselves manly and brave. We are to show ourselves as a man.

[John Weaver] That is, we're not to be cowards. We're not to be timid. We're not to be alarmed at our enemies, but we're to be bold and brave. We have a common saying among fathers and sons, especially when we say, be a man, son. In other words, son, show yourself a man. In other words, don't be scared, don't be timid and don't just start crying at anything and everything. And so when we say, show yourself a man, what we're saying basically is don't be base, don't be timid, don't be cowardly, don't act like a child. In other words, If you're a man and you're involved in a fight, you keep fighting and you keep on fighting until you win.

[John Weaver] Now, what does the phrase quit ye like men imply? Well, it implies that when you're attacked, you do not flinch. You do not waver. You do not run. You do not hide. You do not give in. You do not give up. Rather, you maintain your ground. You press forward. You fight. You strike home and you keep fighting until you conquer. In other words, You're not giving up. You're not giving out. You're not giving in.

[John Weaver] And what he is teaching us here is decidedly what is known as a combat mentality. So we fight and we fight to win and we keep fighting until we either die or till we win. So when God tells us in this passage to be strong, it means that we're to put forth all the vigor and all the energy that God has given to us. We're not to give up or give out.

[John Weaver] Now, each of these terms, as I said earlier, are military terms. For instance, he says Washi. That means that we're to continually be on our guard, lest we be surprised by our enemies. In other words, we put out our scouts, we put out our sentries, we put out our sentinels. In other words, we're making sure that we're not slipped up on, that we're not surprised and that we are alert and ready to perform our duty. And then he says, stand fast in the faith.

[John Weaver] What in the world does that mean? Obviously, it means that we keep our ranks. It means that we are not disorderly. We're kind of like the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. We keep our ranks unbroken and close together. Our preservation depends upon our unity. So if the enemy then succeeds in breaking our ranks and dividing us, As a sacred army, then our route will be inevitable.

[John Weaver] Most of you know of the old adage divide and conquer. The police. Are really good at this, if they take two men in and they separate them to question them, they would say something like this, Tommy, you need to tell us what you did. And Tommy says, no. Well, what did that preacher do? No, I'm not talking. Well, Tommy, I got news for you. That preacher's already talked and he's told us that you did this.

[John Weaver] It was all your idea. It's all your fault. And he's going to bail out and he's not going to be held accountable. It's going to be you. And then Tommy's going to say that dirty, lowdown, stinking rascal, I didn't do it. He did it. And the next thing you know, we're confessing together. Let me tell you something. This happens in the ministry so many times. Years ago, I learned this principle.

[John Weaver] Every one of us are concerned about. My ministry, when I say my I'm talking about individual ministry, we got a number of pastors here. But I want you to think about this. There is my ministry. There is our ministry. And there is the ministry. Do you realize that most pastors are not concerned about anyone but themselves and their work and their church? They very seldom even pray to other pastors and other works. Certainly, I want God to bless my ministry. But I certainly want God to bless our ministry, and I would like God to bless the ministry.

[John Weaver] And it doesn't really matter to me if revival starts in Virginia, or if it starts in Georgia, or Washington State. Just so it starts. And I don't care who gets the honor and who gets the glory. I'm just saying I want the ministry to prosper and be blessed. I want our ministry to be prospered and blessed, and I would certainly like mine, but mine is insignificant as compared to ours, and ours is insignificant compared to thee. So that's what the Apostle Paul said so many times about praying for the ministry as well. So when you get here, you have to understand when he says stand fast in the faith, he's saying you better stand together. You better not have a broken rank.

[John Weaver] In the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, the alliance of Greek city states fought the invading Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbers the Greeks then held off the Persians in what we would call a famous last stand.

[John Weaver] Now, the small force was led by King Leonidas of Sparta. He was blocking the only road through which Xerxes, the king of the Persians, was to pass. And of course, after several days of confrontation, the Persians finally attacked. And when they did, they suffered very, very heavy losses compared to the Greeks who suffered very few losses. On the second day, they attacked again. And once again, the Persians suffered exceedingly great losses and the Greeks very few. Until on the third day, one man who actually betrayed the Greeks showed Xerxes a way around to come in with own and behind the Spartans. And when King Leonidas understood that had happened, he then took his 300 Spartan bodyguards and his 700 Thespian army and allowed all the rest of the army to leave. And these thousand men, especially Leonidas with his 300, were going to stand there and hold off all of these Persians until the rest of the army escaped.

[John Weaver] Now, the performance of the defenders at the Battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of advantages of training, equipment, good use of the terrain, and to maximize an army's potential. But as well, it is also a symbol of courage against extremely overwhelming odds. When Xerxes reached Thermopylae, the first thing he did was to send emissaries to the Greek force. And he at first asked King Leonidas to come on to his side, and he offered to make him king over all Greece. If he would just come over to his side, Leonidas responded, and he said this to Xerxes, if you knew what is good in life, you would abstain from wishing for foreign things. For me, it is better to die for Greece than to be monarch over my compatriots. When Xerxes saw that he was refused, He then sent word to Leonidas and his men to throw down their arms. And that is when Leonidas spoke those famous words, Molon lave, come and take them. You want them, come and take them.

[John Weaver] So stand fast in the faith means exactly what it says, that we do not give in, we do not give up, we do not give out. Paul plainly stated this principle in Ephesians 6 and verse 13, when he said, wherefore, take on you the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand or withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, take on the whole armor of God. So the command then to be strong signifies that we're not to give in to weakness. We're not to faint.

[John Weaver] I've heard so many pastors say, Well, I'm just tired of it all. Why are you fainting? I've got two messages on how not to faint, how not to faint in the ministry. No, he says that we are to be strong, we're to maintain our courage, we're to sustain and help one another and have No fear, for our great captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the victor in every battle.

[John Weaver] And you must remember what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 2 and verse 3. He said, Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It's the same truth That was spoken in Joshua one in verse six, where God commanded Joshua and he said, Be strong and of good courage for this people, thou shalt divide the land for an inheritance, which I swear to their fathers to give them should be strong, be of good courage.

[John Weaver] You will do this, I can assure you. And then also when Joab, you remember when he saw that the Ammonites were in front And some of the others were in the rear, I think it was the village things that were in the rear, they had hired them. And he found out he was surrounded by his enemies, he said this in 2 Samuel 10 and verse 12, be of good courage. Let us play the men for our people and for the cities of our God and let the Lord God do that which seemed good unto him.

[John Weaver] So he says, be strong. So we're not to behave ourselves like children, we're to behave ourselves like men. Because children are usually very, very easily terrified. They're very easily scared. Any noise, anything unusual usually terrifies them and scares them. And he says, no, we're to face our enemies with courage and fortitude.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is this. We're living in dismal times. We're living in perilous times. We're living in extremely dangerous times. And I believe that things are going to get worse. That is for sure. But let me give you a principle. Put this down. Circumstances never make or break a man, they just reveal him. So here's a battle and someone takes up a weapon and charges straight into the enemy and saves his men and defeats the enemy. And someone says, well, that battle made him a hero. No, no, no. The battle didn't make him a hero. He was already a hero in his heart. The battle just revealed him. So here's one man in the same battle. He takes his weapon, throws it away and turns and runs. You say, well, the battle made him a coward. No, he was already a coward in his heart. The battle just revealed him. So I'm going to tell you what I believe is coming down the pike is really going to separate the wheat from the chaff.

[John Weaver] That is for sure. And we need to understand we need courage and fortitude. Captain Jonathan R. Davis. Listen carefully. Captain Jonathan R. Davis used two Colt pistols and a Bowie knife to kill 11 outlaws in one fight. When you stop and think about what this man did, he killed more in one fight than any other incident that took place on the western frontier. One man, one fight, killed 11 outlaws.

[John Weaver] And yet he was outnumbered, he was outgunned, he was surprised, and yet he won the battle. Jonathan R. Davis was born in Monticello, South Carolina in 1816. Following his education at the University of South Carolina, he enlisted in the Palmetto Regiment of Volunteers and was quickly promoted to lieutenant. He was also in the Mexican War, and there he fought with distinction and honor. He was wounded at Cherembrusco in 1847, along with 1100 other American casualties.

[John Weaver] And in those days, just surviving your wounds with all the infection that was going on and without the proper antibiotics, just surviving your wounds was a miracle indeed, and only the toughest survived. Well, Jonathan R. Davis certainly survived, and he was a tough man indeed. Davis mustered out of the Army in 1848 with the honorary rank of captain, along with hundreds of other veterans. He was set adrift and after the war, he had nothing to do other than to look to the gold fields in California. So he went to California to be a prospector.

[John Weaver] It was there his soldierly demeanor, his skills with arms, his unblemished character, earned the respect of his fellow prospectors. Jonathan R. Davis was not only a superior marksman, he was described by a friend as second to none in the art of fencing in the entire state of California. So here's a man who could shoot and a man who could use a knife. As I said earlier, he was never seen without his two Colt pistols and his large Bowie knife.

[John Weaver] The gold rush brought many to the gold fields. Unhappily, there were some who went to the gold fields that did not wish to work for the gold. What they planned on doing was let others do the work and they would just simply steal the gold. And there's only one problem with that, and that is those who had done the work and had dug the gold out, wanted to keep their gold and they did not want to give it up.

[John Weaver] And consequently, they would fight. Well, for the outlaws, work was hard, stealing was easy, they thought. So in order to make sure that they had an advantage. They would always come in gangs. It's difficult for one or two people to destroy a large gang. Usually a large gang is going to overcome one or two individuals. So. Individuals who had their gold stolen. Usually paid the price with these gangs. Gangs were after the thieves gold and it was safer for them to attack in a gang. But the prospectors, who not only were always armed, when they knew danger was ahead, they never went alone themselves either. They always had several individuals with them. But seldom would these outlaws fight man on man. They were predators and they were interested in just killing and stealing. There was one such gang that was composed of 14 gang members.

[John Weaver] Modern day politicians would be happy with this gang because it was truly an example of multiculturalism. The gang was made up of two Americans, five Australians, two Britons, four Mexicans and a Frenchman. So you can get more multicultural than that, I don't guess. Just the two previous days, before December the 19th, 1854, they had robbed and murdered six Chinese prospectors and four American prospectors.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out something for you. And it's not just the outlaws. But to people like this, life is exceedingly cheap. They could care less about your life. They could care less whether you lived or died just so they got what you had. Tyrants are much the same. Do you think that Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson and Johnson were really concerned about the adverse effects that the gene therapy shots had on Americans or anyone else?

[John Weaver] And the answer is no. Not when you have millions and billions of dollars rolling in. What about the tyrants? Look at Pol Pot. Who murdered his own people? Stalin. Who murdered his own people? I saw a cartoon years ago. It was not a funny cartoon. It was a political cartoon. Idi Amin. He was on the back of his Jeep with a 50 caliber machine gun. And his people were laying dead in front of him, and he was on the phone and he said.

[John Weaver] Traffic control, I want to report an accident. One jeep and 50,000 natives. Yeah. One jeep and 50,000 natives. They don't care anything about life. Prospectors had friends, too, and they wanted to protect themselves and their gold as well. And when they believed they had an issue, they did not travel alone. So on this occasion, Captain Jonathan Davis was accompanied by his good friend, Dr. Boulevard Sparks and James McDonald.

[John Weaver] So ambushing three men in a lonely canyon must have seemed very simple and very easy for 14 desperados. However. These men had never run into anyone like Jonathan Davis. He was different. They did not know him. They did not know his skills. They did not know his combat mentality. And yet they were going to learn and they were going to learn the hard way. You know, here's a wonderful truth that I discovered years ago. That sooner or later, every bully, every tyrant, every evil person, every criminal is going to meet his match. He's going to run into someone who is not going to submit. I read years ago, just a couple of years ago, about a man who was following an elderly man in Florida. The elderly man was 81.

[John Weaver] And he realized he was being tailed. And so he purposely then drove out of the neighborhood where plenty of houses and plenty of children were playing. He did not drive to his home, but he drove to the edge of town. The man kept following him. And finally, when he got to a place that was not populated, he pulled over and as he pulled over and parked his car, he pulled out his pistol and stepped out of the car. And as he stepped out, the man behind him had pulled over, was rushing toward him with a pistol in his hand. And he says, give me everything you've got. And the 81 year old man raised the pistol and shot him three times in the chest and killed him. The man had a rap sheet that long of robbing people.

[John Weaver] When I read the article, I told that I was really disappointed. She said, why? I said, well, the man asked for everything he had with a 38. He had at least five or six rounds. He only gave him three. I said he should have given them all of it. Well, this is what I'm telling you. Sooner or later, somebody is going to bring the bully down. Sooner or later, someone is going to stand their ground. And the man who's the bully, the man who's the tyrant, the man who's the criminal, is going to learn the truth of Proverbs 13 in verse 15 very quickly.

[John Weaver] And that is the way of the transgressor is hard. And the king and the gang that intended to prey upon Captain Davis and his party learned that truth very quickly because they very quickly not only met their match, most of them met their maker. What happened on this day, historian John Wassenecker calls, and I'm quoting, the single most extraordinary feat of self-defense by an American civilian in the annals of frontier history. Wow, it was December the 19th, 1854, on a cold day in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.

[John Weaver] Three prospectors carefully traversed a red trail in an aptly named Rocky Canyon in El Dorado County, near the North Fork of the American River. Unknown to them, 14 outlaws were hiding on that trail, waiting to ambush them. The 14 outlaws were very heavily armed, unknown to both parties, unknown to the outlaws, unknown to Davis and his party. There were three miners up on a ridge who saw the entire incident.

[John Weaver] They were eyewitnesses to this account. Wow. All of a sudden. Fourteen outlaws jumped from their ambush and began firing. Davis, Dr. Sparks and James McDonnell were oblivious to what was ahead waiting for them. When they got in the proper range, these 14 bandits jumped out and opened fire on them. James McDonnell was killed instantly. He was unable even to present his weapon, much less get a shot off. Dr. Sparks got off two shots before he fell, but both of his shots undoubtedly went wild.

[John Weaver] With one of his friends dead and the other gravely injured, Captain Jonathan Davis stood alone in a hail of gunfire. He did not hesitate. He did not run. He did not cower. But he responded quickly, efficiently, with deadly force. Captain Davis later described himself as being in a fever of excitement at that time. Well, I suppose so. With 14 men firing at you, knowing your one friend is dead and the other is badly wounded. And he's in a fever of excitement. He drew those Colt pistols and started firing at the charging outlaws. When his two Colts were empty, seven of the bandits were dead.

[John Weaver] Probably none of his shots missed. With seven dead bandits, he was now out of ammo. But thankfully, the outlaws also were out of ammo. But the fight was not over. Four of the bandits charged with a short sword and with knives. Many people never understood the 21 foot rule or the Tula drill. Hmm. I think the 21 foot rule now has been extended to about 31 feet.

[John Weaver] What that means is this. A man with the capability of running can cover the ground of 21 feet or 31 feet in a second and a half. So that means if a man is charging at you with a knife and you have a weapon on your side and you cannot get that weapon out and on target in less than a Second and a half, you're dead meat. You can look at it on the Internet, on YouTube, there was a man, of course, holding a rubber knife.

[John Weaver] And here the the English cops were with plastic weapons in their holster. And when the man said go, then the man with a knife ran up. And while the cop was trying to get his weapon out, he was slashing him with a knife, not really hurting him, but showing the throat or stabbing or whatever. Not one of the English cops beat him, not one. He got them every time. And so here are four men charging Captain Davis with a short sword and a knife.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something. A man that has a Bowie knife or a man that has any knife and he knows how to use it. Is a deadly person. And Captain Davis was no exception when he was charged by these four men with a short sword and with their knives. He whipped out his Bowie knife and quickly warded off the thrust from two of the bandits. He stabbed one to death and the other he disarmed by knocking the knife from his grasp and slicing off his nose and a finger of his right hand. The two last attackers were men who had been hurt previously in a fight, and they foolishly and stupidly still tried to attack the man who had just shot seven of their brothers, quote unquote, and then killed or disarmed two more.

[John Weaver] And now they attacked him. And he quickly and efficiently uses that Bowie knife to kill them. The three remaining bandits run off. In seconds. In seconds. This man has only shot seven outlaws. He's also killed four more. With his Bowie knife, now one is still alive, but he's going to die. Davis. Only suffered two minor flesh wounds. Remember, the men on the Hill are watching everything. Davis then took his shirt off and began to tear strips of his shirt. James McDonald was dead, but Dr. Boulevard was still alive. And so he went over and started doctoring Dr. Boulevard and trying to stop the blood and trying to help save him. When he finished with Dr. Boulevard, then. He went to the bandits that were still living. Even the one with his nose cut off. and tried to bend them and tried to help them.

[John Weaver] He had won the battle. He had won the fight. So mercy then was his to dispose if he chose to do so. All of a sudden, these three men who had been viewing everything from on the hill had come down the hill because they had viewed the fight and they came running down the trail. And Captain Davis is here bandaging these men that were still alive, and when he heard The foot beats of these men running and the noise. He then made a quick dive for McDonald's revolver, which was still loaded. And he grabbed it and pointed at the three men and said, halt right there or I'll shoot. And the three men identified themselves as John Webster, Isaac Hart and P.S. Robertson. They explained to him that they had been out hunting game and they had seen everything from the hilltop And they acknowledged then that Davis and his party had acted in self-defense. And so they then helped him doctor the men.

[John Weaver] And then they went back to their camp and brought 15 other men, not only to review the situation, but at the same time to help bury the wounded. As the sun went down, three more of those wounded bandits finally died. The noseless leader confessed to his gang's murder of the 10 people the two days previous on the 17th and 18th. He died the following day.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to listen to this. Remember now, 10 people have been murdered. What they found on the outlaws was this. $491 in gold and silver coins. $491. I understand that's gold and that's silver. It would be worth more today compared to today's worthless money. But $491 in gold and silver, nine watches, two silver and seven gold and four ounces of gold dust. Ten men murdered and that's all they got.

[John Weaver] Captain Davis, pointed to Dr. Sparks, who is still clinging to life. And he told them that he had a home and a family in Coloma, and he urged that the ill gotten gain from these outlaws should be given to Dr. Sparks, Dr. Boulevard Sparks and his family to help him recover. And they all agreed. Listen carefully. After the battle was over, the next day, all the dead were buried.

[John Weaver] Being law-abiding men, the group formed a coroner's jury, wrote out a report of the incident, citing all the evidence, the witnesses' statement, and concluded that Davis' party acted in self-defense. Seventeen of those men signed this report, and it was sent to Placerville, California, which was the county seat. Davis then carried his friend Boulevard Sparks to his home in Coloma, but the doctor passed away on December the 26th.

[John Weaver] One of the witnesses stated in a letter, listen, although we counted 28 bullet holes through Captain Davis's hat and clothes, 17 through his hat and 11 through his coat and shirt, he received only two very slight flesh wounds, 28 bullets. in his hat and in his coat. In the months following, many people expressed doubt concerning Davis's deed, and the city folks actually proclaimed it a wild exaggeration. Davis did not seek publicity, neither did he seek notoriety.

[John Weaver] But he was kind of stung at the dishonor that was being heaped upon him, and he was certainly stung by the fact that Dr. Sparks, his good friend, and James McDonald were being ridiculed. Finally, Davis and the witnesses appeared before Judge R. M. Anderson in a court of inquiry where detailed depositions and comparisons of statements set the matter to rest. And yes, he did do that.

[John Weaver] Now, Jonathan Davis said this, listen to what he said, I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it. But I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it. Indeed, hundreds of others might have done, but the question would have been, would they have done it so well? Captain Davis possessed what the average man does not possess. Davis not only had his weapons, he was trained with his weapons. And it was not just his weapons and the training that he had.

[John Weaver] He also had what most people do not have. He had a combat mentality. In other words, he refused to be a victim. I give you an excellent illustration of this. In fact, I use this in one of my lessons. I have a story, a true story in writing, About a man who was beating his wife. The neighbors heard her crying and screaming. They called the cops. The cops came, blue lights flashing, siren. So the man came outside.

[John Weaver] He knew he was going to be arrested. His wife came outside. And yes, she had a black eye. She had a bloody nose, a bloody mouth. And he told the cops he only had on a pair of pants, no shirt, no shoes. He said, I know that I'm going to be arrested. So he said, at least let me go back in and get a pair of shoes and shirt.

[John Weaver] And the cop said, fine. And so one cop stayed with his wife and one walked in with him to the bedroom. It was a double bed, not a queen size bed, not a king size bed, but a double bed, a standard double bed. When the man went to this side of the bed to reach down to get his shoes, the cop automatically went to the other side of the bed so he could watch him. When the man came up, he did not come up with his shoes, he came up with a pistol. When the cop saw that, he drew his pistol. Both men emptied their pistols at each other across the bed, and neither of them cut a feather. No one was hit. Not one.

[John Weaver] You say someone is very incompetent. Well, that will show you what pressure will do to you. That will show you what adrenaline will do to you. Do you realize there is a 50 percent rule that is normally taught in training? And that 50 percent rule is this, that under pressure, you're only half as good as your best day on the range. Do you realize if Jonathan Davis was only half as good as his best day on the range, what could he have done without the pressure? Wow. I can only think of biblical illustrations That will parallel. And rival the deed of Captain Davis, I want to show you just a couple, if you look in your Bibles to Second Samuel, Second Samuel 23 and Second Samuel 23, you have the listing of David's mighty men. And I want you to notice, if you would, what a couple of them have done. Second Samuel, chapter 23.

[John Weaver] and begin looking there at verse 8. Here it is. These be the names of the mighty men whom David had. The Taconite that sat in the seat chief among the captains. The same was Adino, the Esnite. He lift up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time. Now that doesn't mean he threw the spear and it went through 800, but he took the spear and in one battle he killed 800.

[John Weaver] After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. One of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle and the men of Israel were going away. Look what he did. He arose and smoked the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clave unto the sword. And the Lord brought a great victory that day and the people returned after him only to spoil. Here's a man that used that sword and he fought so ferociously that His hand clay to the sword, in other words, it cramped around the sword. So when he got through fighting, someone basically had to pry his fingers away from that sword.

[John Weaver] Notice what all else the Bible says in verse 11. And after him was Shammah, the son of Ajah the Harahite, and the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where was a piece of ground full of lentils and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it. and slew the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great victory." Notice, if you would please, these men fought, these men were outnumbered, these men were outgunned, and yet they fought, they stood, and the Lord wrought a great victory. How did the Lord win such a great victory? It was the men that were doing the fighting, yes, but it was the Lord enabling them, empowering them to fight, who has given them the courage and the might.

[John Weaver] Let me make some applications, I want you to listen very, very carefully. You must understand. And you must comprehend the value of martial training. Most people have never trained, do not desire to train and will never train. I've heard every excuse under the sun as to why men do not train. I don't have time. It costs money. It's too far to travel. Let me tell you something, I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it.

[John Weaver] My wife and I took Chirinji Kempo. We both got to be second degree black belts. Do you realize I've never, ever been in a fight? I don't desire to be in a fight. Don't want to be in a fight. But the only time I almost got into a fight, the only time I had a much younger man threatened me. And you know what I did, I could not control myself when he threatened me.

[John Weaver] I laughed in his face. I said, son, if you jumped on me, it'd be the worst mistake you've ever made in your entire life. I had no desire to hurt him. Could I mash him in the ground? Of course I could have. I was in the best conditioning I'd ever been in probably in my entire life at that particular time. Two days later, that young man came back to me and apologized.

[John Weaver] And he said, you're right. He said, if I jumped on, you'd been the worst mistake I'd ever made in my entire life. See, I'd rather have the training and never need it. Someone has said like training with weapons is like training with a parachute. If you ever need it and don't have it, you'll never need another one. And that's certainly the truth. And you have to understand that martial skills are perishable skills and a lot of skills require muscle memory. And if you're not usually conditioning yourself and continuing with that, that muscle memory is going to fade. If you have a family, you're responsible for their protection. Pastors, if you have a church, you're responsible for their protection. One of the hardest jobs I ever had was getting preachers to train.

[John Weaver] When you look at what I preached yesterday, those preachers, those black rogue regiments, most of them trained their own men. Not only theologically, but practically and militarily. Because they believed that they were responsible for the people that God had given unto them and they were going to protect those people.

[John Weaver] Finally, after a number of years, I did get some preachers to come out and train some of them, you know. But let me make another application, you must understand and you must rest and you must comprehend the value of martial training, you must. The second one is, where are the men that are ready, willing and able to defend themselves and their families and their communities? You don't have to be a member of the armed forces in order to possess a combat mentality.

[John Weaver] If you do not determine to fight, you will lose. If you do not determine to be the victor, you will be the victim. If you do not determine to go home alive, you will be left dead on the street. A combat mentality is absolute necessary. Listen, let me ask you a question. Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be godly? Do you want to be obedient? Do you want to honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Wow.

[John Weaver] You say yes, of course. Do you realize you need a combat mentality? Look at the filthy thoughts. Look at the ungodly thoughts. Look at everything that floods your mind. You must determine you will fight. Because you're not going to allow that trash in your mind. You're not going to allow that in your life. You're going to fight to be holy. You're going to fight to be godly. Look what happens when brothers offend you, when brothers upset you or when you upset them. You have to hide those emotions and say, I am not going to get bent out of shape. I'm going to do what God says.

[John Weaver] I will resolve this in a biblical manner. It requires a combat mentality. Paul said, I die daily. Paul said, fight the good fight of faith. You're never going to be holy, you're never going to be godly until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness. You're not. Here's something else, you need to combat mentality when it comes to sickness. When it comes to disease. When it comes to cancer, when it comes to anything else. I have no idea how many people that I've watched die.

[John Weaver] But I can tell you what most of them said to me right before they died. These were their words. I'm just so tired of fighting. Let me tell you something, when you get tired of fighting, You die. When you give up, when you give in, you die. I don't care if we're talking about holiness. I don't care if we're talking about disease. You need a combat mentality.

[John Weaver] Do you remember in Ephesians chapter six? I know you do. Verses 10 through 18, all of the armor that God has given for us. and given to us. Why in the world would God give us all of that armor if he did not expect us to fight? We sing onward, Christian soldiers marching us to war. And we don't fight. No. No. Let me tell you something else, when it comes to fighting, when it comes to a combat mentality, You have to understand this.

[John Weaver] We must trust in the Lord. But we must use the means that he places at our disposal. I wonder what Samson could have done with an AR-15. Yet he just used the jawbone of an ass to kill a thousand Philistines. I want to tell you something. My attitude and my philosophy is this. If you try to attack me and I'll explain why or my wife, I'm going to fight you. I'm going to punch you with my fist as hard as I can punch you if I have no weapon. And if you break both my arms, I'm going to kick you. I'll kick you as hard as I can kick you. And if you break both of my legs, I'm going to bite you. And if you knock all my teeth out, I'm going to do my best to gum you to death. I'm just not going to give in, I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to give out. I'm going to leave the wind or you're going to kill me.

[John Weaver] Now you say, how in the world would you say that? Does anybody here know what the sixth commandment is? Thou shalt not kill. That's a negative. You could quote that as thou shalt not take life except on God's terms. And there are 17 reasons in the Bible where life can be taken on God's terms, plus one more, which is self-defense, because when God says thou shalt not kill, that's the negative. The positive is thou shalt preserve life. That means I have a duty, I have a responsibility under God to preserve my life and also the lives of others and especially the lives of my family. You see, God is absolutely sovereign. He's ordained the means for our protection and the people who will not use those means. Are really denying God and his word and his truth. You see, this combat mentality, quit you like me and be strong. Is taught in the word of God.

[John Weaver] And in light of all the tyranny that is happening today, all the lawlessness that is happening today, all the danger that is prevalent in our society, it should motivate us to study and prepare ourselves for the danger that lies ahead. You must remember the truth of Proverbs 22 and verse three, where the Bible says the prudent man foreseeth evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished. We may not ever be as an expert as Captain Jonathan R. Davis.

[John Weaver] But one thing we can develop. We can develop from the scripture a combat mentality and use it to live a holy, godly life and to use it to fight for everything is true and righteous and holy and godly. That is why the Apostle Paul told Timothy in First Timothy, chapter six and verse 12, fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold of eternal life. Let no man despise thy youth." Fight! Fight! Where are the Christians who are willing to fight? Fight against sin. Fight against wickedness. And fight for truth and holiness. We need a combat mentality. Watch ye. Stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word, we thank you for your truth, and we pray, Father, that you would indeed make us fighters for truth and righteousness. And give us the combat mentality to live holy and godly lives. Help us in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, amen.

Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	782223501917
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-07-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 083: Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Problem of Girly Men

Weaver opens with 1 Corinthians 16:13 and decries a generation of cowardly, immature men who avoid responsibility, work, and martial training, preferring amusement and protection.

1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13. The title of the message today is "Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality." I finally found someone that Bill Potter did not know about. So here we go. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13, the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 16:13

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong."

So my first question is this today: Where are the men? And how is it that in our day and time we have sired a generation of pansies, a generation of gutless, spineless wimps that are absolutely afraid to stand for truth and righteousness and principle? We could ask more questions like, where are the men that are willing to fight for their families, their churches, their society? Where are men willing to fight for principles of right?

Biblical Call to Manly Maturity

Paul’s command to be children in malice but men in understanding (1 Cor 14:20) contrasts with the military language of 1 Cor 16:13, which calls for a combat mentality of bravery and steadfastness.

You say, "Where in the world is that?" Well, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 14:20

"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

So Paul said it's all right to be children when it comes to malice. Malice is when you and I think about anger, and bitterness, and resentment, and staying mad. He said, "You're going to be children then." What does he mean by that? You've seen children playing together. One gets hurt. He comes running to his mother and says, "Mother, mother, Tommy hurt me." "And where did he hurt you?" "Well, right here." And there's hardly a mark. "Well, you'll be all right, son. Go back out and play with him." And the next thing you know, they're playing like nothing's ever happened. So that's why the Apostle Paul said that in malice we are to be children.

However, when you look at 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 13, it's totally different. He says, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, and be strong." This text is a clear clarion call for what you and I would know as a combat mentality. And this text is decidedly a military text. It is a text that demonstrates awareness, courage, boldness, and strength. Interestingly, the word for "men" in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13 is a very unique word. In fact, in the Greek, it's called a hapax legomenon. That means it is a word that occurs just one time in the Bible. And the Greek word here is andrizomai when he says in verse 13, "quit you like men." And the word "men" there, andrizomai, literally means to make a man, to make brave, to show oneself brave, and to show oneself a man. So in the connotation here, we are to consider ourselves manly and brave. We are to show ourselves as a man.

That is, we're not to be cowards. We're not to be timid. We're not to be alarmed at our enemies, but we're to be bold and brave. We have a common saying among fathers and sons, especially when we say, "Be a man, son." In other words, son, show yourself a man. In other words, don't be scared, don't be timid, and don't just start crying at anything and everything. And so when we say, "Show yourself a man," what we're saying basically is don't be base, don't be timid, don't be cowardly, don't act like a child. In other words, if you're a man and you're involved in a fight, you keep fighting and you keep on fighting until you win.

Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 16:13

The Greek word andrizomai means to act like a man, showing courage and not flinching. The verse uses military terms: watch (be alert), stand fast (keep ranks united), quit like men (fight without retreat), be strong (exert all vigor).

Now, what does the phrase "quit ye like men" imply? Well, it implies that when you're attacked, you do not flinch. You do not waver. You do not run. You do not hide. You do not give in. You do not give up. Rather, you maintain your ground. You press forward. You fight. You strike home and you keep fighting until you conquer. In other words, you're not giving up. You're not giving out. You're not giving in.

And what he is teaching us here is decidedly what is known as a combat mentality. So we fight and we fight to win and we keep fighting until we either die or till we win. So when God tells us in this passage to be strong, it means that we're to put forth all the vigor and all the energy that God has given to us. We're not to give up or give out.

Now, each of these terms, as I said earlier, are military terms. For instance, he says "Watch ye." That means that we're to continually be on our guard, lest we be surprised by our enemies. In other words, we put out our scouts, we put out our sentries, we put out our sentinels. In other words, we're making sure that we're not slipped up on, that we're not surprised, and that we are alert and ready to perform our duty. And then he says, "Stand fast in the faith."

The Danger of Divided Ranks

Standing fast means maintaining unity; division leads to defeat. Weaver illustrates with police interrogation tactics and applies it to pastoral ministry, urging prayer for the broader ministry beyond one’s own church.

What in the world does that mean? Obviously, it means that we keep our ranks. It means that we are not disorderly. We're kind of like the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. We keep our ranks unbroken and close together. Our preservation depends upon our unity. So if the enemy then succeeds in breaking our ranks and dividing us, as a sacred army, then our rout will be inevitable.

Most of you know of the old adage "divide and conquer." The police are really good at this. If they take two men in and they separate them to question them, they would say something like this: "Tommy, you need to tell us what you did." And Tommy says, "No." "Well, what did that preacher do?" "No, I'm not talking." "Well, Tommy, I got news for you. That preacher's already talked and he's told us that you did this. It was all your idea. It's all your fault. And he's going to bail out and he's not going to be held accountable. It's going to be you." And then Tommy's going to say, "That dirty, lowdown, stinking rascal, I didn't do it. He did it." And the next thing you know, we're confessing together. Let me tell you something. This happens in the ministry so many times. Years ago, I learned this principle.

Every one of us are concerned about—my ministry, when I say "my" I'm talking about individual ministry, we got a number of pastors here. But I want you to think about this. There is my ministry. There is our ministry. And there is the ministry. Do you realize that most pastors are not concerned about anyone but themselves and their work and their church? They very seldom even pray for other pastors and other works. Certainly, I want God to bless my ministry. But I certainly want God to bless our ministry, and I would like God to bless the ministry.

And it doesn't really matter to me if revival starts in Virginia, or if it starts in Georgia, or Washington State. Just so it starts. And I don't care who gets the honor and who gets the glory. I'm just saying I want the ministry to prosper and be blessed. I want our ministry to be prospered and blessed, and I would certainly like mine, but mine is insignificant as compared to ours, and ours is insignificant compared to the. So that's what the Apostle Paul said so many times about praying for the ministry as well. So when you get here, you have to understand when he says "stand fast in the faith," he's saying you better stand together. You better not have a broken rank.

Historical Example: The Battle of Thermopylae

Leonidas and his 300 Spartans exemplify standing fast against overwhelming odds, refusing to surrender their arms with the famous words 'Molon labe' (come and take them).

Now, the small force was led by King Leonidas of Sparta. He was blocking the only road through which Xerxes, the king of the Persians, was to pass. And of course, after several days of confrontation, the Persians finally attacked. And when they did, they suffered very, very heavy losses compared to the Greeks who suffered very few losses. On the second day, they attacked again. And once again, the Persians suffered exceedingly great losses and the Greeks very few. Until on the third day, one man who actually betrayed the Greeks showed Xerxes a way around to come in behind the Spartans. And when King Leonidas understood that had happened, he then took his 300 Spartan bodyguards and his 700 Thespian army and allowed all the rest of the army to leave. And these thousand men, especially Leonidas with his 300, were going to stand there and hold off all of these Persians until the rest of the army escaped.

Now, the performance of the defenders at the Battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of advantages of training, equipment, good use of the terrain, and to maximize an army's potential. But as well, it is also a symbol of courage against extremely overwhelming odds. When Xerxes reached Thermopylae, the first thing he did was to send emissaries to the Greek force. And he at first asked King Leonidas to come on to his side, and he offered to make him king over all Greece if he would just come over to his side. Leonidas responded, and he said this to Xerxes: "If you knew what is good in life, you would abstain from wishing for foreign things. For me, it is better to die for Greece than to be monarch over my compatriots." When Xerxes saw that he was refused, he then sent word to Leonidas and his men to throw down their arms. And that is when Leonidas spoke those famous words, "Molon labe"—come and take them. You want them, come and take them.

So "stand fast in the faith" means exactly what it says, that we do not give in, we do not give up, we do not give out. Paul plainly stated this principle in Ephesians 6 and verse 13, when he said,

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 6:13

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Take on the whole armor of God. So the command then to be strong signifies that we're not to give in to weakness. We're not to faint.

Circumstances Reveal Character

Battles do not make heroes or cowards; they reveal what is already in the heart. Upcoming trials will separate the wheat from the chaff.

Now, the truth of the matter is this. We're living in dismal times. We're living in perilous times. We're living in extremely dangerous times. And I believe that things are going to get worse. That is for sure. But let me give you a principle. Put this down. Circumstances never make or break a man, they just reveal him. So here's a battle and someone takes up a weapon and charges straight into the enemy and saves his men and defeats the enemy. And someone says, "Well, that battle made him a hero." No, no, no. The battle didn't make him a hero. He was already a hero in his heart. The battle just revealed him. So here's one man in the same battle. He takes his weapon, throws it away, and turns and runs. You say, "Well, the battle made him a coward." No, he was already a coward in his heart. The battle just revealed him. So I'm going to tell you what I believe is coming down the pike is really going to separate the wheat from the chaff.

That is for sure. And we need to understand we need courage and fortitude. Captain Jonathan R. Davis. Listen carefully. Captain Jonathan R. Davis used two Colt pistols and a Bowie knife to kill 11 outlaws in one fight. When you stop and think about what this man did, he killed more in one fight than any other incident that took place on the western frontier. One man, one fight, killed 11 outlaws.

The Story of Captain Jonathan R. Davis

Davis, a Mexican War veteran and skilled marksman and fencer, was ambushed by 14 outlaws in 1854. He killed 11 with pistols and a Bowie knife, suffering only minor wounds, and later showed mercy to the wounded.

And yet he was outnumbered, he was outgunned, he was surprised, and yet he won the battle. Jonathan R. Davis was born in Monticello, South Carolina in 1816. Following his education at the University of South Carolina, he enlisted in the Palmetto Regiment of Volunteers and was quickly promoted to lieutenant. He was also in the Mexican War, and there he fought with distinction and honor. He was wounded at Churubusco in 1847, along with 1,100 other American casualties. And in those days, just surviving your wounds with all the infection that was going on and without the proper antibiotics, just surviving your wounds was a miracle indeed, and only the toughest survived. Well, Jonathan R. Davis certainly survived, and he was a tough man indeed. Davis mustered out of the Army in 1848 with the honorary rank of captain, along with hundreds of other veterans. He was set adrift and after the war, he had nothing to do other than to look to the gold fields in California. So he went to California to be a prospector.

It was there his soldierly demeanor, his skills with arms, his unblemished character, earned the respect of his fellow prospectors. Jonathan R. Davis was not only a superior marksman, he was described by a friend as second to none in the art of fencing in the entire state of California. So here's a man who could shoot and a man who could use a knife. As I said earlier, he was never seen without his two Colt pistols and his large Bowie knife. The gold rush brought many to the gold fields. Unhappily, there were some who went to the gold fields that did not wish to work for the gold. What they planned on doing was let others do the work and they would just simply steal the gold. And there's only one problem with that, and that is those who had done the work and had dug the gold out wanted to keep their gold and they did not want to give it up.

And consequently, they would fight. Well, for the outlaws, work was hard, stealing was easy, they thought. So in order to make sure that they had an advantage, they would always come in gangs. It's difficult for one or two people to destroy a large gang. Usually a large gang is going to overcome one or two individuals. So individuals who had their gold stolen usually paid the price with these gangs. Gangs were after the thieves' gold and it was safer for them to attack in a gang. But the prospectors, who not only were always armed, when they knew danger was ahead, they never went alone themselves either. They always had several individuals with them. But seldom would these outlaws fight man on man. They were predators and they were interested in just killing and stealing. There was one such gang that was composed of 14 gang members.

Modern day politicians would be happy with this gang because it was truly an example of multiculturalism. The gang was made up of two Americans, five Australians, two Britons, four Mexicans, and a Frenchman. So you can't get more multicultural than that, I don't guess. Just the two previous days, before December the 19th, 1854, they had robbed and murdered six Chinese prospectors and four American prospectors.

Now, let me point out something for you. And it's not just the outlaws. But to people like this, life is exceedingly cheap. They could care less about your life. They could care less whether you lived or died just so they got what you had. Tyrants are much the same. Do you think that Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson were really concerned about the adverse effects that the gene therapy shots had on Americans or anyone else?

And the answer is no. Not when you have millions and billions of dollars rolling in. What about the tyrants? Look at Pol Pot, who murdered his own people. Stalin, who murdered his own people. I saw a cartoon years ago. It was not a funny cartoon. It was a political cartoon. Idi Amin. He was on the back of his Jeep with a 50 caliber machine gun. And his people were laying dead in front of him, and he was on the phone and he said,

"Traffic control, I want to report an accident. One jeep and 50,000 natives." Yeah. One jeep and 50,000 natives. They don't care anything about life. Prospectors had friends, too, and they wanted to protect themselves and their gold as well. And when they believed they had an issue, they did not travel alone. So on this occasion, Captain Jonathan Davis was accompanied by his good friend, Dr. Boulevard Sparks, and James McDonald.

So ambushing three men in a lonely canyon must have seemed very simple and very easy for 14 desperados. However, these men had never run into anyone like Jonathan Davis. He was different. They did not know him. They did not know his skills. They did not know his combat mentality. And yet they were going to learn and they were going to learn the hard way. You know, here's a wonderful truth that I discovered years ago. That sooner or later, every bully, every tyrant, every evil person, every criminal is going to meet his match. He's going to run into someone who is not going to submit. I read years ago, just a couple of years ago, about a man who was following an elderly man in Florida. The elderly man was 81.

And he realized he was being tailed. And so he purposely then drove out of the neighborhood where plenty of houses and plenty of children were playing. He did not drive to his home, but he drove to the edge of town. The man kept following him. And finally, when he got to a place that was not populated, he pulled over and as he pulled over and parked his car, he pulled out his pistol and stepped out of the car. And as he stepped out, the man behind him had pulled over, was rushing toward him with a pistol in his hand. And he says, "Give me everything you've got." And the 81-year-old man raised the pistol and shot him three times in the chest and killed him. The man had a rap sheet that long of robbing people.

When I read the article, I told Alice that I was really disappointed. She said, "Why?" I said, "Well, the man asked for everything he had with a .38. He had at least five or six rounds. He only gave him three." I said he should have given them all of it. Well, this is what I'm telling you. Sooner or later, somebody is going to bring the bully down. Sooner or later, someone is going to stand their ground. And the man who's the bully, the man who's the tyrant, the man who's the criminal, is going to learn the truth of Proverbs 13 and verse 15 very quickly.

And that is "the way of the transgressor is hard." And the gang that intended to prey upon Captain Davis and his party learned that truth very quickly because they very quickly not only met their match, most of them met their maker. What happened on this day, historian John Boessenecker calls, and I'm quoting, "the single most extraordinary feat of self-defense by an American civilian in the annals of frontier history." Wow. It was December the 19th, 1854, on a cold day in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. Three prospectors carefully traversed a red trail in an aptly named Rocky Canyon in El Dorado County, near the North Fork of the American River. Unknown to them, 14 outlaws were hiding on that trail, waiting to ambush them. The 14 outlaws were very heavily armed. Unknown to both parties, unknown to the outlaws, unknown to Davis and his party, there were three miners up on a ridge who saw the entire incident.

They were eyewitnesses to this account. Wow. All of a sudden, 14 outlaws jumped from their ambush and began firing. Davis, Dr. Sparks, and James McDonald were oblivious to what was ahead waiting for them. When they got in the proper range, these 14 bandits jumped out and opened fire on them. James McDonald was killed instantly. He was unable even to present his weapon, much less get a shot off. Dr. Sparks got off two shots before he fell, but both of his shots undoubtedly went wild.

With one of his friends dead and the other gravely injured, Captain Jonathan Davis stood alone in a hail of gunfire. He did not hesitate. He did not run. He did not cower. But he responded quickly, efficiently, with deadly force. Captain Davis later described himself as being in a fever of excitement at that time. Well, I suppose so. With 14 men firing at you, knowing your one friend is dead and the other is badly wounded, and he's in a fever of excitement. He drew those Colt pistols and started firing at the charging outlaws. When his two Colts were empty, seven of the bandits were dead.

Probably none of his shots missed. With seven dead bandits, he was now out of ammo. But thankfully, the outlaws also were out of ammo. But the fight was not over. Four of the bandits charged with a short sword and with knives. Many people never understood the 21-foot rule or the Tueller drill. Hmm. I think the 21-foot rule now has been extended to about 31 feet.

What that means is this. A man with the capability of running can cover the ground of 21 feet or 31 feet in a second and a half. So that means if a man is charging at you with a knife and you have a weapon on your side and you cannot get that weapon out and on target in less than a second and a half, you're dead meat. You can look at it on the Internet, on YouTube. There was a man, of course, holding a rubber knife. And here the English cops were with plastic weapons in their holster. And when the man said "go," then the man with a knife ran up. And while the cop was trying to get his weapon out, he was slashing him with a knife, not really hurting him, but showing the throat or stabbing or whatever. Not one of the English cops beat him, not one. He got them every time. And so here are four men charging Captain Davis with a short sword and a knife.

Now, let me tell you something. A man that has a Bowie knife or a man that has any knife and he knows how to use it is a deadly person. And Captain Davis was no exception. When he was charged by these four men with a short sword and with their knives, he whipped out his Bowie knife and quickly warded off the thrust from two of the bandits. He stabbed one to death and the other he disarmed by knocking the knife from his grasp and slicing off his nose and a finger of his right hand. The two last attackers were men who had been hurt previously in a fight, and they foolishly and stupidly still tried to attack the man who had just shot seven of their brothers, quote unquote, and then killed or disarmed two more.

And now they attacked him. And he quickly and efficiently uses that Bowie knife to kill them. The three remaining bandits run off. In seconds. In seconds, this man has shot seven outlaws. He's also killed four more with his Bowie knife. Now one is still alive, but he's going to die. Davis only suffered two minor flesh wounds. Remember, the men on the hill are watching everything. Davis then took his shirt off and began to tear strips of his shirt. James McDonald was dead, but Dr. Boulevard was still alive. And so he went over and started doctoring Dr. Boulevard and trying to stop the blood and trying to help save him. When he finished with Dr. Boulevard, then he went to the bandits that were still living—even the one with his nose cut off—and tried to tend them and tried to help them.

He had won the battle. He had won the fight. So mercy then was his to dispose if he chose to do so. All of a sudden, these three men who had been viewing everything from on the hill had come down the hill because they had viewed the fight and they came running down the trail. And Captain Davis is here bandaging these men that were still alive, and when he heard the foot beats of these men running and the noise, he then made a quick dive for McDonald's revolver, which was still loaded. And he grabbed it and pointed at the three men and said, "Halt right there or I'll shoot." And the three men identified themselves as John Webster, Isaac Hart, and P.S. Robertson. They explained to him that they had been out hunting game and they had seen everything from the hilltop. And they acknowledged then that Davis and his party had acted in self-defense. And so they then helped him doctor the men.

And then they went back to their camp and brought 15 other men, not only to review the situation, but at the same time to help bury the wounded. As the sun went down, three more of those wounded bandits finally died. The noseless leader confessed to his gang's murder of the 10 people the two days previous on the 17th and 18th. He died the following day.

Aftermath and Vindication

Witnesses confirmed the self-defense; Davis was cleared by a court of inquiry. He humbly attributed his feat to what hundreds might do, but Weaver emphasizes his combat mentality and training.

Now I want you to listen to this. Remember now, 10 people have been murdered. What they found on the outlaws was this: $491 in gold and silver coins. $491. I understand that's gold and that's silver. It would be worth more today compared to today's worthless money. But $491 in gold and silver, nine watches—two silver and seven gold—and four ounces of gold dust. Ten men murdered and that's all they got.

Captain Davis pointed to Dr. Sparks, who is still clinging to life. And he told them that he had a home and a family in Coloma, and he urged that the ill-gotten gain from these outlaws should be given to Dr. Sparks—Dr. Boulevard Sparks—and his family to help him recover. And they all agreed. Listen carefully. After the battle was over, the next day, all the dead were buried.

Being law-abiding men, the group formed a coroner's jury, wrote out a report of the incident, citing all the evidence, the witnesses' statement, and concluded that Davis' party acted in self-defense. Seventeen of those men signed this report, and it was sent to Placerville, California, which was the county seat. Davis then carried his friend Boulevard Sparks to his home in Coloma, but the doctor passed away on December the 26th. One of the witnesses stated in a letter—listen—"Although we counted 28 bullet holes through Captain Davis's hat and clothes, 17 through his hat and 11 through his coat and shirt, he received only two very slight flesh wounds." 28 bullets in his hat and in his coat. In the months following, many people expressed doubt concerning Davis's deed, and the city folks actually proclaimed it a wild exaggeration. Davis did not seek publicity, neither did he seek notoriety.

But he was kind of stung at the dishonor that was being heaped upon him, and he was certainly stung by the fact that Dr. Sparks, his good friend, and James McDonald were being ridiculed. Finally, Davis and the witnesses appeared before Judge R. M. Anderson in a court of inquiry where detailed depositions and comparisons of statements set the matter to rest. And yes, he did do that.

Now, Jonathan Davis said this—listen to what he said: "I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it. But I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it." Indeed, hundreds of others might have done, but the question would have been, would they have done it so well? Captain Davis possessed what the average man does not possess. Davis not only had his weapons, he was trained with his weapons. And it was not just his weapons and the training that he had.

Biblical Parallels: David’s Mighty Men

Adino killed 800, Eleazar fought until his hand clave to the sword, and Shammah defended a lentil field alone. The Lord wrought victory through their courage and skill.

and begin looking there at verse 8. Here it is: "These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time." Now that doesn't mean he threw the spear and it went through 800, but he took the spear and in one battle he killed 800. After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil. Here's a man that used that sword and he fought so ferociously that his hand clave to the sword, in other words, it cramped around the sword. So when he got through fighting, someone basically had to pry his fingers away from that sword.

Notice what all else the Bible says in verse 11: "And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory." Notice, if you would please, these men fought, these men were outnumbered, these men were outgunned, and yet they fought, they stood, and the Lord wrought a great victory. How did the Lord win such a great victory? It was the men that were doing the fighting, yes, but it was the Lord enabling them, empowering them to fight, who has given them the courage and the might.

Applications: Martial Training and Combat Mentality

Men must value martial training for protection of family and church. A combat mentality is essential for holiness, resisting sin, enduring sickness, and facing tyranny. Trust God but use the means He provides.

Let me make some applications. I want you to listen very, very carefully. You must understand and you must comprehend the value of martial training. Most people have never trained, do not desire to train, and will never train. I've heard every excuse under the sun as to why men do not train. "I don't have time." "It costs money." "It's too far to travel." Let me tell you something, I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it. My wife and I took Shorinji Kempo. We both got to be second degree black belts. Do you realize I've never, ever been in a fight? I don't desire to be in a fight. Don't want to be in a fight. But the only time I almost got into a fight, the only time I had a much younger man threaten me—and you know what I did, I could not control myself when he threatened me.

I laughed in his face. I said, "Son, if you jumped on me, it'd be the worst mistake you've ever made in your entire life." I had no desire to hurt him. Could I mash him in the ground? Of course I could have. I was in the best conditioning I'd ever been in probably in my entire life at that particular time. Two days later, that young man came back to me and apologized. And he said, "You're right." He said, "If I jumped on you, it'd been the worst mistake I'd ever made in my entire life." See, I'd rather have the training and never need it. Someone has said that training with weapons is like training with a parachute. If you ever need it and don't have it, you'll never need another one. And that's certainly the truth. And you have to understand that martial skills are perishable skills and a lot of skills require muscle memory. And if you're not usually conditioning yourself and continuing with that, that muscle memory is going to fade. If you have a family, you're responsible for their protection. Pastors, if you have a church, you're responsible for their protection. One of the hardest jobs I ever had was getting preachers to train.

When you look at what I preached yesterday, those preachers, those black robe regiments, most of them trained their own men. Not only theologically, but practically and militarily. Because they believed that they were responsible for the people that God had given unto them and they were going to protect those people. Finally, after a number of years, I did get some preachers to come out and train—some of them, you know. But let me make another application: you must understand and you must rest and you must comprehend the value of martial training, you must. The second one is, where are the men that are ready, willing, and able to defend themselves and their families and their communities? You don't have to be a member of the armed forces in order to possess a combat mentality.

If you do not determine to fight, you will lose. If you do not determine to be the victor, you will be the victim. If you do not determine to go home alive, you will be left dead on the street. A combat mentality is absolutely necessary. Listen, let me ask you a question. Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be godly? Do you want to be obedient? Do you want to honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Wow.

You say yes, of course. Do you realize you need a combat mentality? Look at the filthy thoughts. Look at the ungodly thoughts. Look at everything that floods your mind. You must determine you will fight. Because you're not going to allow that trash in your mind. You're not going to allow that in your life. You're going to fight to be holy. You're going to fight to be godly. Look what happens when brothers offend you, when brothers upset you or when you upset them. You have to hide those emotions and say, "I am not going to get bent out of shape. I'm going to do what God says.

I will resolve this in a biblical manner." It requires a combat mentality. Paul said, "I die daily." Paul said, "Fight the good fight of faith." You're never going to be holy, you're never going to be godly until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness. You're not. Here's something else, you need a combat mentality when it comes to sickness. When it comes to disease. When it comes to cancer, when it comes to anything else. I have no idea how many people that I've watched die.

But I can tell you what most of them said to me right before they died. These were their words: "I'm just so tired of fighting." Let me tell you something, when you get tired of fighting, you die. When you give up, when you give in, you die. I don't care if we're talking about holiness. I don't care if we're talking about disease. You need a combat mentality. Do you remember in Ephesians chapter 6? I know you do. Verses 10 through 18, all of the armor that God has given for us and given to us. Why in the world would God give us all of that armor if he did not expect us to fight? We sing "Onward, Christian Soldiers, marching as to war," and we don't fight. No. No. Let me tell you something else, when it comes to fighting, when it comes to a combat mentality, you have to understand this.

We must trust in the Lord. But we must use the means that he places at our disposal. I wonder what Samson could have done with an AR-15. Yet he just used the jawbone of an ass to kill a thousand Philistines. I want to tell you something. My attitude and my philosophy is this. If you try to attack me—and I'll explain why—or my wife, I'm going to fight you. I'm going to punch you with my fist as hard as I can punch you if I have no weapon. And if you break both my arms, I'm going to kick you. I'll kick you as hard as I can kick you. And if you break both of my legs, I'm going to bite you. And if you knock all my teeth out, I'm going to do my best to gum you to death. I'm just not going to give in, I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to give out. I'm going to leave the win or you're going to kill me.

Now you say, "How in the world would you say that?" Does anybody here know what the sixth commandment is? "Thou shalt not kill." That's a negative. You could quote that as "Thou shalt not take life except on God's terms." And there are 17 reasons in the Bible where life can be taken on God's terms, plus one more, which is self-defense, because when God says "Thou shalt not kill," that's the negative. The positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." That means I have a duty, I have a responsibility under God to preserve my life and also the lives of others and especially the lives of my family. You see, God is absolutely sovereign. He's ordained the means for our protection and the people who will not use those means are really denying God and his word and his truth. You see, this combat mentality, "quit you like men and be strong," is taught in the word of God.

And in light of all the tyranny that is happening today, all the lawlessness that is happening today, all the danger that is prevalent in our society, it should motivate us to study and prepare ourselves for the danger that lies ahead. You must remember the truth of Proverbs 22 and verse 3, where the Bible says, "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." We may not ever be as expert as Captain Jonathan R. Davis. But one thing we can develop. We can develop from the scripture a combat mentality and use it to live a holy, godly life and to use it to fight for everything that is true and righteous and holy and godly. That is why the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 12,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:12

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life."

Let no man despise thy youth. Fight! Fight! Where are the Christians who are willing to fight? Fight against sin. Fight against wickedness. And fight for truth and holiness. We need a combat mentality. Watch ye. Stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Manhood and Courage

Summary: God commands men to be brave, steadfast, and strong, rejecting cowardice and immaturity.

Evidence: Weaver expounds 1 Cor 16:13 and 14:20, emphasizing the Greek andrizomai and the military connotations of the verse.

Combat Mentality in the Christian Life

Summary: A fighting spirit is required not only for physical defense but for spiritual battles against sin, sickness, and discouragement.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'You're never going to be holy, you're never going to be godly until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness.'

The Importance of Training and Preparedness

Summary: Martial skills are perishable; men must train to protect their families and churches, as the black robe regiment did.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it,' and cites the 50 percent rule under pressure.

Unity and Standing Together

Summary: The command to 'stand fast' implies keeping ranks unbroken; division leads to defeat in spiritual warfare.

Evidence: Weaver uses the Spartan phalanx and police interrogation tactics to illustrate the danger of divided ranks.

Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility

Summary: God ordains means for protection; using those means is an act of obedience, not a lack of trust.

Evidence: Weaver argues that the sixth commandment positively requires preserving life, and refusing means denies God’s truth.

Key Arguments

Modern men are immature and cowardly

Summary: Weaver argues that contemporary men avoid responsibility, prefer amusement, and lack the courage to fight for truth and family.

Evidence: He describes a generation of 'pansies, gutless, spineless wimps' and gives examples of adults playing video games and coloring books.

1 Corinthians 16:13 is a military call to a combat mentality

Summary: The verse uses military terms to command vigilance, steadfastness, courage, and strength, not passivity.

Evidence: Weaver explains 'watch ye' as posting sentries, 'stand fast' as keeping ranks, 'quit you like men' as fighting without retreat.

Circumstances reveal, not create, character

Summary: A battle does not make a hero or a coward; it merely exposes the heart’s existing condition.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The battle didn't make him a hero. He was already a hero in his heart. The battle just revealed him.'

Captain Davis exemplifies the combat mentality

Summary: Davis’s training, skill, and refusal to be a victim enabled him to overcome overwhelming odds, demonstrating the value of preparedness.

Evidence: Weaver recounts Davis killing 11 outlaws with pistols and knife, noting his prior military experience and fencing skill.

Christians must fight spiritually with the same mentality

Summary: The armor of God in Ephesians 6 implies a fight; believers must actively resist sin, endure hardship, and pursue holiness.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Why in the world would God give us all of that armor if he did not expect us to fight?'

Self-defense is a biblical duty

Summary: The sixth commandment’s positive requirement to preserve life mandates using means to protect oneself and family.

Evidence: Weaver cites 17 biblical reasons for taking life on God’s terms plus self-defense, and says refusing means denies God.

Scripture References

1 Corinthians 16:13

Context: The primary text: 'Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong.'

1 Corinthians 14:20

Context: Paul says to be children in malice but men in understanding, contrasting with the call to manly courage.

Ephesians 6:13

Context: Take the whole armor of God to withstand in the evil day and stand.

2 Timothy 2:3

Context: Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

Joshua 1:6

Context: God commands Joshua to be strong and of good courage.

2 Samuel 10:12

Context: Joab says, 'Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people.'

Proverbs 13:15

Context: The way of the transgressor is hard.

2 Samuel 23:8

Context: Adino killed 800 at one time.

2 Samuel 23:9-10

Context: Eleazar fought until his hand clave to the sword.

2 Samuel 23:11-12

Context: Shammah stood and defended a field of lentils, and the Lord wrought a great victory.

Ephesians 6:10-18

Context: The armor of God passage, implying spiritual warfare.

Proverbs 22:3

Context: A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.

1 Timothy 6:12

Context: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.

Historical References

Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC)

Context: Leonidas and 300 Spartans held off the Persian army, exemplifying standing fast against overwhelming odds.

Captain Jonathan R. Davis (1816–?)

Context: Mexican War veteran who killed 11 outlaws in a single fight in 1854 California, demonstrating combat mentality.

Mexican War (1846–1848)

Context: Davis served in the Palmetto Regiment, was wounded at Churubusco in 1847.

California Gold Rush (1848–1855)

Context: Davis went to California as a prospector; the gang preyed on miners.

Pol Pot, Stalin, Idi Amin

Context: Examples of tyrants who devalue life, paralleling the outlaws’ disregard for human life.

Black Robe Regiment

Context: Pastors in early America who trained their congregations theologically and militarily.

Important Quotes

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong.

Significance: The foundational Scripture for the entire message, calling for a combat mentality.

Circumstances never make or break a man, they just reveal him.

Significance: Key principle that battles expose existing character, not create it.

I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it.

Significance: Encapsulates the argument for proactive martial and spiritual preparation.

If you try to attack me—and I'll explain why—or my wife, I'm going to fight you. I'm going to punch you with my fist as hard as I can punch you if I have no weapon. And if you break both my arms, I'm going to kick you. I'll kick you as hard as I can kick you. And if you break both of my legs, I'm going to bite you. And if you knock all my teeth out, I'm going to do my best to gum you to death.

Significance: Vivid illustration of the relentless combat mentality Weaver advocates.

You're never going to be holy, you're never going to be godly until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness.

Significance: Applies the combat mentality directly to the pursuit of personal holiness.

I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it.

Significance: Captain Davis’s humble response, highlighting his character and the rarity of such skill.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to 'quit you like men' in practical terms for a Christian today?

Context: Weaver explains the Greek word andrizomai and the military connotations of 1 Cor 16:13.

How can we cultivate a combat mentality in spiritual battles without becoming harsh or unloving?

Context: Weaver applies the concept to fighting sin, sickness, and relational offenses.

In what ways does our culture promote 'girly men' and how should the church respond?

Context: Weaver critiques adult video gaming, coloring books, and avoidance of responsibility.

What is the relationship between trusting God and using practical means of self-defense?

Context: Weaver argues that God ordains means and that refusing them denies His truth.

How does the example of Captain Davis challenge or inspire your view of preparedness?

Context: The detailed account of Davis’s training, skill, and mercy under fire.

Why is unity ('stand fast in the faith') so critical in spiritual warfare, and what breaks it?

Context: Weaver uses the Spartan phalanx and police interrogation to illustrate division.

Applications

Pursue martial and practical training

Summary: Men should seek training in self-defense and weapons use to protect their families and churches, as skills are perishable.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it,' and notes the 50 percent rule under pressure.

Develop a combat mentality for holiness

Summary: Fight against sinful thoughts, relational bitterness, and spiritual apathy with the same determination as physical combat.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'You're never going to be holy... until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness.'

Refuse to be a victim in any area

Summary: Whether facing sickness, tyranny, or personal attack, determine to fight and not give up, trusting God while using means.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When you get tired of fighting, you die,' and describes his own resolve to fight to the death.

Maintain unity in the faith

Summary: Stand together with other believers; avoid division that leads to defeat, and pray for the broader ministry beyond your own church.

Evidence: Weaver warns against broken ranks and urges prayer for 'the ministry' as a whole.

Prepare for coming trials

Summary: Foresee evil and prepare spiritually and practically, as the prudent man in Proverbs 22:3.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'I believe that things are going to get worse... it should motivate us to study and prepare ourselves.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:45:33Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:10:56Z

Clean Transcript

Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13. The title of the message today is "Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality." I finally found someone that Bill Potter did not know about. So here we go. 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13, the Word of God says, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong." So my first question is this today: Where are the men? And how is it that in our day and time we have sired a generation of pansies, a generation of gutless, spineless wimps that are absolutely afraid to stand for truth and righteousness and principle? We could ask more questions like, where are the men that are willing to fight for their families, their churches, their society? Where are men willing to fight for principles of right?
#1 | 0:01 to 1:09 | cleaned
I certainly do not agree or endorse Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I do agree with something that he said years ago. He made a comment about "girly men," which I think is very important in today's arena. I think such girly men are everywhere today. Men today had much rather play than to work. They'd much rather be protected than be the protectors. And they'd much rather be pacifistic rather than engage in martial training. In fact, most men today would much rather be amused than to study and to think and to pray.
#2 | 1:11 to 1:49 | cleaned
Not too long ago, Alice and I were at the Denver Airport waiting for a flight. And I looked across from me and there sat a young married couple. I would suspect they were 21 or maybe a little older, maybe a little younger, but around that age, 19 to 22 or 23. And here the husband was sitting there playing with a computer, a computer game, and his wife was coloring in a Charlie Brown coloring book. Now, they were not—
#3 | 1:50 to 2:23 | cleaned
mentally challenged, at least not from appearance, anyhow. But I thought, "Here are children, although they're married, they're still refusing to grow up." I remember seeing years ago a young married couple in a drugstore. Then the drugstore had a little book section, magazine section, and comic books. And this young married couple were sitting in there reading comic books. I knew both of them. And so I inquired with someone I knew in the drugstore, and they said it is their habit to come in every day and read comic books for several hours. Wow. Here are people who are ashamed to grow up, evidently.
#4 | 2:24 to 3:14 | cleaned
I think there's something wrong with a 40-year-old father that can beat his 12-year-old son in video games. And everywhere I go, I see men and women playing video games. Often Alice and I take flights and our flights are four hours, sometimes five. And I have watched people sit and play video games on their phones for the whole time the flight is in existence. No one is reading. Everyone's just simply playing games. So we either have a bunch of girly men or we have a bunch of grown adult children or folks who really and truly have refused to grow up. There is only one area, according to the Bible, in which you and I should be immature.
#5 | 3:15 to 3:58 | cleaned
You say, "Where in the world is that?" Well, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20, "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." So Paul said it's all right to be children when it comes to malice. Malice is when you and I think about anger, and bitterness, and resentment, and staying mad. He said, "You're going to be children then."
#6 | 3:59 to 4:29 | cleaned
What does he mean by that? You've seen children playing together. One gets hurt. He comes running to his mother and says, "Mother, mother, Tommy hurt me." "And where did he hurt you?" "Well, right here." And there's hardly a mark. "Well, you'll be all right, son. Go back out and play with him." And the next thing you know, they're playing like nothing's ever happened. So that's why the Apostle Paul said that in malice we are to be children.
#7 | 4:29 to 4:53 | cleaned
However, when you look at 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 13, it's totally different. He says, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, and be strong." This text is a clear clarion call for what you and I would know as a combat mentality. And this text is decidedly a military text. It is a text that demonstrates awareness, courage, boldness, and strength. Interestingly, the word for "men" in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 13 is a very unique word. In fact, in the Greek, it's called a hapax legomenon. That means it is a word that occurs just one time in the Bible. And the Greek word here is andrizomai when he says in verse 13, "quit you like men." And the word "men" there, andrizomai, literally means to make a man, to make brave, to show oneself brave, and to show oneself a man. So in the connotation here, we are to consider ourselves manly and brave. We are to show ourselves as a man.
#8 | 4:53 to 6:05 | cleaned
That is, we're not to be cowards. We're not to be timid. We're not to be alarmed at our enemies, but we're to be bold and brave. We have a common saying among fathers and sons, especially when we say, "Be a man, son." In other words, son, show yourself a man. In other words, don't be scared, don't be timid, and don't just start crying at anything and everything. And so when we say, "Show yourself a man," what we're saying basically is don't be base, don't be timid, don't be cowardly, don't act like a child. In other words, if you're a man and you're involved in a fight, you keep fighting and you keep on fighting until you win.
#9 | 6:05 to 6:45 | cleaned
Now, what does the phrase "quit ye like men" imply? Well, it implies that when you're attacked, you do not flinch. You do not waver. You do not run. You do not hide. You do not give in. You do not give up. Rather, you maintain your ground. You press forward. You fight. You strike home and you keep fighting until you conquer. In other words, you're not giving up. You're not giving out. You're not giving in.
#10 | 6:45 to 7:12 | cleaned
And what he is teaching us here is decidedly what is known as a combat mentality. So we fight and we fight to win and we keep fighting until we either die or till we win. So when God tells us in this passage to be strong, it means that we're to put forth all the vigor and all the energy that God has given to us. We're not to give up or give out.
#11 | 7:13 to 7:37 | cleaned
Now, each of these terms, as I said earlier, are military terms. For instance, he says "Watch ye." That means that we're to continually be on our guard, lest we be surprised by our enemies. In other words, we put out our scouts, we put out our sentries, we put out our sentinels. In other words, we're making sure that we're not slipped up on, that we're not surprised, and that we are alert and ready to perform our duty. And then he says, "Stand fast in the faith."
#12 | 7:38 to 8:11 | cleaned
What in the world does that mean? Obviously, it means that we keep our ranks. It means that we are not disorderly. We're kind of like the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. We keep our ranks unbroken and close together. Our preservation depends upon our unity. So if the enemy then succeeds in breaking our ranks and dividing us, as a sacred army, then our rout will be inevitable.
#13 | 8:12 to 8:42 | cleaned
Most of you know of the old adage "divide and conquer." The police are really good at this. If they take two men in and they separate them to question them, they would say something like this: "Tommy, you need to tell us what you did." And Tommy says, "No." "Well, what did that preacher do?" "No, I'm not talking." "Well, Tommy, I got news for you. That preacher's already talked and he's told us that you did this.
#14 | 8:44 to 9:16 | cleaned
It was all your idea. It's all your fault. And he's going to bail out and he's not going to be held accountable. It's going to be you." And then Tommy's going to say, "That dirty, lowdown, stinking rascal, I didn't do it. He did it." And the next thing you know, we're confessing together. Let me tell you something. This happens in the ministry so many times. Years ago, I learned this principle.
#15 | 9:16 to 9:42 | cleaned
Every one of us are concerned about—my ministry, when I say "my" I'm talking about individual ministry, we got a number of pastors here. But I want you to think about this. There is my ministry. There is our ministry. And there is the ministry. Do you realize that most pastors are not concerned about anyone but themselves and their work and their church? They very seldom even pray for other pastors and other works. Certainly, I want God to bless my ministry. But I certainly want God to bless our ministry, and I would like God to bless the ministry.
#16 | 9:43 to 10:30 | cleaned
And it doesn't really matter to me if revival starts in Virginia, or if it starts in Georgia, or Washington State. Just so it starts. And I don't care who gets the honor and who gets the glory. I'm just saying I want the ministry to prosper and be blessed. I want our ministry to be prospered and blessed, and I would certainly like mine, but mine is insignificant as compared to ours, and ours is insignificant compared to the. So that's what the Apostle Paul said so many times about praying for the ministry as well. So when you get here, you have to understand when he says "stand fast in the faith," he's saying you better stand together. You better not have a broken rank.
#17 | 10:30 to 11:13 | cleaned
In the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, the alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks then held off the Persians in what we would call a famous last stand.
#18 | 11:14 to 11:33 | cleaned
Now, the small force was led by King Leonidas of Sparta. He was blocking the only road through which Xerxes, the king of the Persians, was to pass. And of course, after several days of confrontation, the Persians finally attacked. And when they did, they suffered very, very heavy losses compared to the Greeks who suffered very few losses. On the second day, they attacked again. And once again, the Persians suffered exceedingly great losses and the Greeks very few. Until on the third day, one man who actually betrayed the Greeks showed Xerxes a way around to come in behind the Spartans. And when King Leonidas understood that had happened, he then took his 300 Spartan bodyguards and his 700 Thespian army and allowed all the rest of the army to leave. And these thousand men, especially Leonidas with his 300, were going to stand there and hold off all of these Persians until the rest of the army escaped.
#19 | 11:34 to 12:47 | cleaned
Now, the performance of the defenders at the Battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of advantages of training, equipment, good use of the terrain, and to maximize an army's potential. But as well, it is also a symbol of courage against extremely overwhelming odds. When Xerxes reached Thermopylae, the first thing he did was to send emissaries to the Greek force. And he at first asked King Leonidas to come on to his side, and he offered to make him king over all Greece if he would just come over to his side. Leonidas responded, and he said this to Xerxes: "If you knew what is good in life, you would abstain from wishing for foreign things. For me, it is better to die for Greece than to be monarch over my compatriots." When Xerxes saw that he was refused, he then sent word to Leonidas and his men to throw down their arms. And that is when Leonidas spoke those famous words, "Molon labe"—come and take them. You want them, come and take them.
#20 | 12:47 to 14:15 | cleaned
So "stand fast in the faith" means exactly what it says, that we do not give in, we do not give up, we do not give out. Paul plainly stated this principle in Ephesians 6 and verse 13, when he said, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Take on the whole armor of God. So the command then to be strong signifies that we're not to give in to weakness. We're not to faint.
#21 | 14:16 to 14:48 | cleaned
I've heard so many pastors say, "Well, I'm just tired of it all." Why are you fainting? I've got two messages on how not to faint, how not to faint in the ministry. No, he says that we are to be strong, we're to maintain our courage, we're to sustain and help one another and have no fear, for our great captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the victor in every battle.
#22 | 14:50 to 15:16 | cleaned
And you must remember what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 2 and verse 3. He said, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." It's the same truth that was spoken in Joshua 1 and verse 6, where God commanded Joshua and he said, "Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them." Be strong, be of good courage.
#23 | 15:16 to 15:43 | cleaned
You will do this, I can assure you. And then also when Joab—you remember when he saw that the Ammonites were in front and some of the others were in the rear, I think it was the Syrians that were in the rear, they had hired them. And he found out he was surrounded by his enemies, he said this in 2 Samuel 10 and verse 12: "Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the Lord do that which seemeth him good."
#24 | 15:44 to 16:16 | cleaned
So he says, "Be strong." So we're not to behave ourselves like children, we're to behave ourselves like men. Because children are usually very, very easily terrified. They're very easily scared. Any noise, anything unusual usually terrifies them and scares them. And he says, no, we're to face our enemies with courage and fortitude.
#25 | 16:16 to 16:39 | cleaned
Now, the truth of the matter is this. We're living in dismal times. We're living in perilous times. We're living in extremely dangerous times. And I believe that things are going to get worse. That is for sure. But let me give you a principle. Put this down. Circumstances never make or break a man, they just reveal him. So here's a battle and someone takes up a weapon and charges straight into the enemy and saves his men and defeats the enemy. And someone says, "Well, that battle made him a hero." No, no, no. The battle didn't make him a hero. He was already a hero in his heart. The battle just revealed him. So here's one man in the same battle. He takes his weapon, throws it away, and turns and runs. You say, "Well, the battle made him a coward." No, he was already a coward in his heart. The battle just revealed him. So I'm going to tell you what I believe is coming down the pike is really going to separate the wheat from the chaff.
#26 | 16:40 to 17:38 | cleaned
That is for sure. And we need to understand we need courage and fortitude. Captain Jonathan R. Davis. Listen carefully. Captain Jonathan R. Davis used two Colt pistols and a Bowie knife to kill 11 outlaws in one fight. When you stop and think about what this man did, he killed more in one fight than any other incident that took place on the western frontier. One man, one fight, killed 11 outlaws.
#27 | 17:38 to 18:17 | cleaned
And yet he was outnumbered, he was outgunned, he was surprised, and yet he won the battle. Jonathan R. Davis was born in Monticello, South Carolina in 1816. Following his education at the University of South Carolina, he enlisted in the Palmetto Regiment of Volunteers and was quickly promoted to lieutenant. He was also in the Mexican War, and there he fought with distinction and honor. He was wounded at Churubusco in 1847, along with 1,100 other American casualties.
#28 | 18:18 to 18:54 | cleaned
And in those days, just surviving your wounds with all the infection that was going on and without the proper antibiotics, just surviving your wounds was a miracle indeed, and only the toughest survived. Well, Jonathan R. Davis certainly survived, and he was a tough man indeed. Davis mustered out of the Army in 1848 with the honorary rank of captain, along with hundreds of other veterans. He was set adrift and after the war, he had nothing to do other than to look to the gold fields in California. So he went to California to be a prospector.
#29 | 18:55 to 19:35 | cleaned
It was there his soldierly demeanor, his skills with arms, his unblemished character, earned the respect of his fellow prospectors. Jonathan R. Davis was not only a superior marksman, he was described by a friend as second to none in the art of fencing in the entire state of California. So here's a man who could shoot and a man who could use a knife. As I said earlier, he was never seen without his two Colt pistols and his large Bowie knife.
#30 | 19:36 to 20:22 | cleaned
The gold rush brought many to the gold fields. Unhappily, there were some who went to the gold fields that did not wish to work for the gold. What they planned on doing was let others do the work and they would just simply steal the gold. And there's only one problem with that, and that is those who had done the work and had dug the gold out wanted to keep their gold and they did not want to give it up.
#31 | 20:24 to 20:53 | cleaned
And consequently, they would fight. Well, for the outlaws, work was hard, stealing was easy, they thought. So in order to make sure that they had an advantage, they would always come in gangs. It's difficult for one or two people to destroy a large gang. Usually a large gang is going to overcome one or two individuals. So individuals who had their gold stolen usually paid the price with these gangs. Gangs were after the thieves' gold and it was safer for them to attack in a gang. But the prospectors, who not only were always armed, when they knew danger was ahead, they never went alone themselves either. They always had several individuals with them. But seldom would these outlaws fight man on man. They were predators and they were interested in just killing and stealing. There was one such gang that was composed of 14 gang members.
#32 | 20:53 to 22:05 | cleaned
Modern day politicians would be happy with this gang because it was truly an example of multiculturalism. The gang was made up of two Americans, five Australians, two Britons, four Mexicans, and a Frenchman. So you can't get more multicultural than that, I don't guess. Just the two previous days, before December the 19th, 1854, they had robbed and murdered six Chinese prospectors and four American prospectors.
#33 | 22:09 to 22:49 | cleaned
Now, let me point out something for you. And it's not just the outlaws. But to people like this, life is exceedingly cheap. They could care less about your life. They could care less whether you lived or died just so they got what you had. Tyrants are much the same. Do you think that Pfizer and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson were really concerned about the adverse effects that the gene therapy shots had on Americans or anyone else?
#34 | 22:52 to 23:31 | cleaned
And the answer is no. Not when you have millions and billions of dollars rolling in. What about the tyrants? Look at Pol Pot, who murdered his own people. Stalin, who murdered his own people. I saw a cartoon years ago. It was not a funny cartoon. It was a political cartoon. Idi Amin. He was on the back of his Jeep with a 50 caliber machine gun. And his people were laying dead in front of him, and he was on the phone and he said,
#35 | 23:32 to 24:01 | cleaned
"Traffic control, I want to report an accident. One jeep and 50,000 natives." Yeah. One jeep and 50,000 natives. They don't care anything about life. Prospectors had friends, too, and they wanted to protect themselves and their gold as well. And when they believed they had an issue, they did not travel alone. So on this occasion, Captain Jonathan Davis was accompanied by his good friend, Dr. Boulevard Sparks, and James McDonald.
#36 | 24:01 to 24:39 | cleaned
So ambushing three men in a lonely canyon must have seemed very simple and very easy for 14 desperados. However, these men had never run into anyone like Jonathan Davis. He was different. They did not know him. They did not know his skills. They did not know his combat mentality. And yet they were going to learn and they were going to learn the hard way. You know, here's a wonderful truth that I discovered years ago. That sooner or later, every bully, every tyrant, every evil person, every criminal is going to meet his match. He's going to run into someone who is not going to submit. I read years ago, just a couple of years ago, about a man who was following an elderly man in Florida. The elderly man was 81.
#37 | 24:40 to 25:36 | cleaned
And he realized he was being tailed. And so he purposely then drove out of the neighborhood where plenty of houses and plenty of children were playing. He did not drive to his home, but he drove to the edge of town. The man kept following him. And finally, when he got to a place that was not populated, he pulled over and as he pulled over and parked his car, he pulled out his pistol and stepped out of the car. And as he stepped out, the man behind him had pulled over, was rushing toward him with a pistol in his hand. And he says, "Give me everything you've got." And the 81-year-old man raised the pistol and shot him three times in the chest and killed him. The man had a rap sheet that long of robbing people.
#38 | 25:36 to 26:29 | cleaned
When I read the article, I told Alice that I was really disappointed. She said, "Why?" I said, "Well, the man asked for everything he had with a .38. He had at least five or six rounds. He only gave him three." I said he should have given them all of it. Well, this is what I'm telling you. Sooner or later, somebody is going to bring the bully down. Sooner or later, someone is going to stand their ground. And the man who's the bully, the man who's the tyrant, the man who's the criminal, is going to learn the truth of Proverbs 13 and verse 15 very quickly.
#39 | 26:29 to 27:01 | cleaned
And that is "the way of the transgressor is hard." And the gang that intended to prey upon Captain Davis and his party learned that truth very quickly because they very quickly not only met their match, most of them met their maker. What happened on this day, historian John Boessenecker calls, and I'm quoting, "the single most extraordinary feat of self-defense by an American civilian in the annals of frontier history." Wow. It was December the 19th, 1854, on a cold day in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.
#40 | 27:01 to 27:44 | cleaned
Three prospectors carefully traversed a red trail in an aptly named Rocky Canyon in El Dorado County, near the North Fork of the American River. Unknown to them, 14 outlaws were hiding on that trail, waiting to ambush them. The 14 outlaws were very heavily armed. Unknown to both parties, unknown to the outlaws, unknown to Davis and his party, there were three miners up on a ridge who saw the entire incident.
#41 | 27:45 to 28:22 | cleaned
They were eyewitnesses to this account. Wow. All of a sudden, 14 outlaws jumped from their ambush and began firing. Davis, Dr. Sparks, and James McDonald were oblivious to what was ahead waiting for them. When they got in the proper range, these 14 bandits jumped out and opened fire on them. James McDonald was killed instantly. He was unable even to present his weapon, much less get a shot off. Dr. Sparks got off two shots before he fell, but both of his shots undoubtedly went wild.
#42 | 28:24 to 29:16 | cleaned
With one of his friends dead and the other gravely injured, Captain Jonathan Davis stood alone in a hail of gunfire. He did not hesitate. He did not run. He did not cower. But he responded quickly, efficiently, with deadly force. Captain Davis later described himself as being in a fever of excitement at that time. Well, I suppose so. With 14 men firing at you, knowing your one friend is dead and the other is badly wounded, and he's in a fever of excitement. He drew those Colt pistols and started firing at the charging outlaws. When his two Colts were empty, seven of the bandits were dead.
#43 | 29:17 to 30:13 | cleaned
Probably none of his shots missed. With seven dead bandits, he was now out of ammo. But thankfully, the outlaws also were out of ammo. But the fight was not over. Four of the bandits charged with a short sword and with knives. Many people never understood the 21-foot rule or the Tueller drill. Hmm. I think the 21-foot rule now has been extended to about 31 feet.
#44 | 30:16 to 30:56 | cleaned
What that means is this. A man with the capability of running can cover the ground of 21 feet or 31 feet in a second and a half. So that means if a man is charging at you with a knife and you have a weapon on your side and you cannot get that weapon out and on target in less than a second and a half, you're dead meat. You can look at it on the Internet, on YouTube. There was a man, of course, holding a rubber knife.
#45 | 30:57 to 31:32 | cleaned
And here the English cops were with plastic weapons in their holster. And when the man said "go," then the man with a knife ran up. And while the cop was trying to get his weapon out, he was slashing him with a knife, not really hurting him, but showing the throat or stabbing or whatever. Not one of the English cops beat him, not one. He got them every time. And so here are four men charging Captain Davis with a short sword and a knife.
#46 | 31:32 to 32:05 | cleaned
Now, let me tell you something. A man that has a Bowie knife or a man that has any knife and he knows how to use it is a deadly person. And Captain Davis was no exception. When he was charged by these four men with a short sword and with their knives, he whipped out his Bowie knife and quickly warded off the thrust from two of the bandits. He stabbed one to death and the other he disarmed by knocking the knife from his grasp and slicing off his nose and a finger of his right hand. The two last attackers were men who had been hurt previously in a fight, and they foolishly and stupidly still tried to attack the man who had just shot seven of their brothers, quote unquote, and then killed or disarmed two more.
#47 | 32:05 to 32:59 | cleaned
And now they attacked him. And he quickly and efficiently uses that Bowie knife to kill them. The three remaining bandits run off. In seconds. In seconds, this man has shot seven outlaws. He's also killed four more with his Bowie knife. Now one is still alive, but he's going to die. Davis only suffered two minor flesh wounds. Remember, the men on the hill are watching everything. Davis then took his shirt off and began to tear strips of his shirt. James McDonald was dead, but Dr. Boulevard was still alive. And so he went over and started doctoring Dr. Boulevard and trying to stop the blood and trying to help save him. When he finished with Dr. Boulevard, then he went to the bandits that were still living—even the one with his nose cut off—and tried to tend them and tried to help them.
#48 | 33:00 to 34:21 | cleaned
He had won the battle. He had won the fight. So mercy then was his to dispose if he chose to do so. All of a sudden, these three men who had been viewing everything from on the hill had come down the hill because they had viewed the fight and they came running down the trail. And Captain Davis is here bandaging these men that were still alive, and when he heard the foot beats of these men running and the noise, he then made a quick dive for McDonald's revolver, which was still loaded. And he grabbed it and pointed at the three men and said, "Halt right there or I'll shoot." And the three men identified themselves as John Webster, Isaac Hart, and P.S. Robertson. They explained to him that they had been out hunting game and they had seen everything from the hilltop. And they acknowledged then that Davis and his party had acted in self-defense. And so they then helped him doctor the men.
#49 | 34:22 to 35:27 | cleaned
And then they went back to their camp and brought 15 other men, not only to review the situation, but at the same time to help bury the wounded. As the sun went down, three more of those wounded bandits finally died. The noseless leader confessed to his gang's murder of the 10 people the two days previous on the 17th and 18th. He died the following day.
#50 | 35:28 to 35:55 | cleaned
Now I want you to listen to this. Remember now, 10 people have been murdered. What they found on the outlaws was this: $491 in gold and silver coins. $491. I understand that's gold and that's silver. It would be worth more today compared to today's worthless money. But $491 in gold and silver, nine watches—two silver and seven gold—and four ounces of gold dust. Ten men murdered and that's all they got.
#51 | 35:56 to 36:35 | cleaned
Captain Davis pointed to Dr. Sparks, who is still clinging to life. And he told them that he had a home and a family in Coloma, and he urged that the ill-gotten gain from these outlaws should be given to Dr. Sparks—Dr. Boulevard Sparks—and his family to help him recover. And they all agreed. Listen carefully. After the battle was over, the next day, all the dead were buried.
#52 | 36:41 to 37:15 | cleaned
Being law-abiding men, the group formed a coroner's jury, wrote out a report of the incident, citing all the evidence, the witnesses' statement, and concluded that Davis' party acted in self-defense. Seventeen of those men signed this report, and it was sent to Placerville, California, which was the county seat. Davis then carried his friend Boulevard Sparks to his home in Coloma, but the doctor passed away on December the 26th.
#53 | 37:16 to 37:47 | cleaned
One of the witnesses stated in a letter—listen—"Although we counted 28 bullet holes through Captain Davis's hat and clothes, 17 through his hat and 11 through his coat and shirt, he received only two very slight flesh wounds." 28 bullets in his hat and in his coat. In the months following, many people expressed doubt concerning Davis's deed, and the city folks actually proclaimed it a wild exaggeration. Davis did not seek publicity, neither did he seek notoriety.
#54 | 37:48 to 38:25 | cleaned
But he was kind of stung at the dishonor that was being heaped upon him, and he was certainly stung by the fact that Dr. Sparks, his good friend, and James McDonald were being ridiculed. Finally, Davis and the witnesses appeared before Judge R. M. Anderson in a court of inquiry where detailed depositions and comparisons of statements set the matter to rest. And yes, he did do that.
#55 | 38:26 to 38:56 | cleaned
Now, Jonathan Davis said this—listen to what he said: "I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it. But I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it." Indeed, hundreds of others might have done, but the question would have been, would they have done it so well? Captain Davis possessed what the average man does not possess. Davis not only had his weapons, he was trained with his weapons. And it was not just his weapons and the training that he had.
#56 | 38:57 to 40:03 | cleaned
He also had what most people do not have. He had a combat mentality. In other words, he refused to be a victim. I give you an excellent illustration of this. In fact, I use this in one of my lessons. I have a story, a true story in writing, about a man who was beating his wife. The neighbors heard her crying and screaming. They called the cops. The cops came, blue lights flashing, siren. So the man came outside.
#57 | 40:04 to 40:48 | cleaned
He knew he was going to be arrested. His wife came outside. And yes, she had a black eye. She had a bloody nose, a bloody mouth. And he told the cops he only had on a pair of pants, no shirt, no shoes. He said, "I know that I'm going to be arrested." So he said, "At least let me go back in and get a pair of shoes and shirt."
#58 | 40:48 to 41:15 | cleaned
And the cop said, "Fine." And so one cop stayed with his wife and one walked in with him to the bedroom. It was a double bed, not a queen size bed, not a king size bed, but a double bed, a standard double bed. When the man went to this side of the bed to reach down to get his shoes, the cop automatically went to the other side of the bed so he could watch him. When the man came up, he did not come up with his shoes, he came up with a pistol. When the cop saw that, he drew his pistol. Both men emptied their pistols at each other across the bed, and neither of them cut a feather. No one was hit. Not one.
#59 | 41:16 to 42:09 | cleaned
You say someone is very incompetent. Well, that will show you what pressure will do to you. That will show you what adrenaline will do to you. Do you realize there is a 50 percent rule that is normally taught in training? And that 50 percent rule is this, that under pressure, you're only half as good as your best day on the range. Do you realize if Jonathan Davis was only half as good as his best day on the range, what could he have done without the pressure? Wow. I can only think of biblical illustrations that will parallel and rival the deed of Captain Davis. I want to show you just a couple. If you look in your Bibles to 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel 23. And 2 Samuel 23, you have the listing of David's mighty men. And I want you to notice, if you would, what a couple of them have done. 2 Samuel chapter 23.
#60 | 42:12 to 43:21 | cleaned
and begin looking there at verse 8. Here it is: "These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time." Now that doesn't mean he threw the spear and it went through 800, but he took the spear and in one battle he killed 800.
#61 | 43:24 to 43:50 | cleaned
After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away: He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil. Here's a man that used that sword and he fought so ferociously that his hand clave to the sword, in other words, it cramped around the sword. So when he got through fighting, someone basically had to pry his fingers away from that sword.
#62 | 43:50 to 44:28 | cleaned
Notice what all else the Bible says in verse 11: "And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory." Notice, if you would please, these men fought, these men were outnumbered, these men were outgunned, and yet they fought, they stood, and the Lord wrought a great victory. How did the Lord win such a great victory? It was the men that were doing the fighting, yes, but it was the Lord enabling them, empowering them to fight, who has given them the courage and the might.
#63 | 44:29 to 45:18 | cleaned
Let me make some applications. I want you to listen very, very carefully. You must understand and you must comprehend the value of martial training. Most people have never trained, do not desire to train, and will never train. I've heard every excuse under the sun as to why men do not train. "I don't have time." "It costs money." "It's too far to travel." Let me tell you something, I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it.
#64 | 45:21 to 46:09 | cleaned
My wife and I took Shorinji Kempo. We both got to be second degree black belts. Do you realize I've never, ever been in a fight? I don't desire to be in a fight. Don't want to be in a fight. But the only time I almost got into a fight, the only time I had a much younger man threaten me—and you know what I did, I could not control myself when he threatened me.
#65 | 46:11 to 46:38 | cleaned
I laughed in his face. I said, "Son, if you jumped on me, it'd be the worst mistake you've ever made in your entire life." I had no desire to hurt him. Could I mash him in the ground? Of course I could have. I was in the best conditioning I'd ever been in probably in my entire life at that particular time. Two days later, that young man came back to me and apologized.
#66 | 46:40 to 47:07 | cleaned
And he said, "You're right." He said, "If I jumped on you, it'd been the worst mistake I'd ever made in my entire life." See, I'd rather have the training and never need it. Someone has said that training with weapons is like training with a parachute. If you ever need it and don't have it, you'll never need another one. And that's certainly the truth. And you have to understand that martial skills are perishable skills and a lot of skills require muscle memory. And if you're not usually conditioning yourself and continuing with that, that muscle memory is going to fade. If you have a family, you're responsible for their protection. Pastors, if you have a church, you're responsible for their protection. One of the hardest jobs I ever had was getting preachers to train.
#67 | 47:08 to 48:07 | cleaned
When you look at what I preached yesterday, those preachers, those black robe regiments, most of them trained their own men. Not only theologically, but practically and militarily. Because they believed that they were responsible for the people that God had given unto them and they were going to protect those people.
#68 | 48:08 to 48:31 | cleaned
Finally, after a number of years, I did get some preachers to come out and train—some of them, you know. But let me make another application: you must understand and you must rest and you must comprehend the value of martial training, you must. The second one is, where are the men that are ready, willing, and able to defend themselves and their families and their communities? You don't have to be a member of the armed forces in order to possess a combat mentality.
#69 | 48:36 to 49:04 | cleaned
If you do not determine to fight, you will lose. If you do not determine to be the victor, you will be the victim. If you do not determine to go home alive, you will be left dead on the street. A combat mentality is absolutely necessary. Listen, let me ask you a question. Do you want to be holy? Do you want to be godly? Do you want to be obedient? Do you want to honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Wow.
#70 | 49:06 to 49:31 | cleaned
You say yes, of course. Do you realize you need a combat mentality? Look at the filthy thoughts. Look at the ungodly thoughts. Look at everything that floods your mind. You must determine you will fight. Because you're not going to allow that trash in your mind. You're not going to allow that in your life. You're going to fight to be holy. You're going to fight to be godly. Look what happens when brothers offend you, when brothers upset you or when you upset them. You have to hide those emotions and say, "I am not going to get bent out of shape. I'm going to do what God says.
#71 | 49:31 to 50:05 | cleaned
I will resolve this in a biblical manner." It requires a combat mentality. Paul said, "I die daily." Paul said, "Fight the good fight of faith." You're never going to be holy, you're never going to be godly until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness. You're not. Here's something else, you need a combat mentality when it comes to sickness. When it comes to disease. When it comes to cancer, when it comes to anything else. I have no idea how many people that I've watched die.
#72 | 50:05 to 50:49 | cleaned
But I can tell you what most of them said to me right before they died. These were their words: "I'm just so tired of fighting." Let me tell you something, when you get tired of fighting, you die. When you give up, when you give in, you die. I don't care if we're talking about holiness. I don't care if we're talking about disease. You need a combat mentality.
#73 | 50:55 to 51:34 | cleaned
Do you remember in Ephesians chapter 6? I know you do. Verses 10 through 18, all of the armor that God has given for us and given to us. Why in the world would God give us all of that armor if he did not expect us to fight? We sing "Onward, Christian Soldiers, marching as to war," and we don't fight. No. No. Let me tell you something else, when it comes to fighting, when it comes to a combat mentality, you have to understand this.
#74 | 51:36 to 52:18 | cleaned
We must trust in the Lord. But we must use the means that he places at our disposal. I wonder what Samson could have done with an AR-15. Yet he just used the jawbone of an ass to kill a thousand Philistines. I want to tell you something. My attitude and my philosophy is this. If you try to attack me—and I'll explain why—or my wife, I'm going to fight you. I'm going to punch you with my fist as hard as I can punch you if I have no weapon. And if you break both my arms, I'm going to kick you. I'll kick you as hard as I can kick you. And if you break both of my legs, I'm going to bite you. And if you knock all my teeth out, I'm going to do my best to gum you to death. I'm just not going to give in, I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to give out. I'm going to leave the win or you're going to kill me.
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Now you say, "How in the world would you say that?" Does anybody here know what the sixth commandment is? "Thou shalt not kill." That's a negative. You could quote that as "Thou shalt not take life except on God's terms." And there are 17 reasons in the Bible where life can be taken on God's terms, plus one more, which is self-defense, because when God says "Thou shalt not kill," that's the negative. The positive is "Thou shalt preserve life." That means I have a duty, I have a responsibility under God to preserve my life and also the lives of others and especially the lives of my family. You see, God is absolutely sovereign. He's ordained the means for our protection and the people who will not use those means are really denying God and his word and his truth. You see, this combat mentality, "quit you like men and be strong," is taught in the word of God.
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And in light of all the tyranny that is happening today, all the lawlessness that is happening today, all the danger that is prevalent in our society, it should motivate us to study and prepare ourselves for the danger that lies ahead. You must remember the truth of Proverbs 22 and verse 3, where the Bible says, "A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished." We may not ever be as expert as Captain Jonathan R. Davis.
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But one thing we can develop. We can develop from the scripture a combat mentality and use it to live a holy, godly life and to use it to fight for everything that is true and righteous and holy and godly. That is why the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 12, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life." Let no man despise thy youth. Fight! Fight! Where are the Christians who are willing to fight? Fight against sin. Fight against wickedness. And fight for truth and holiness. We need a combat mentality. Watch ye. Stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee. We thank you for your word, we thank you for your truth, and we pray, Father, that you would indeed make us fighters for truth and righteousness. And give us the combat mentality to live holy and godly lives. Help us in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray, amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:45:33Z

Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver uses 1 Corinthians 16:13 as a call for Christian men to develop a combat mentality—vigilance, steadfast faith, courage, and strength—in spiritual and physical battles. He laments the prevalence of immature, passive men and illustrates the concept with the historical account of Captain Jonathan R. Davis, who killed 11 outlaws in self-defense. Applications emphasize martial training, personal responsibility for protection, and fighting against sin, sickness, and tyranny.

Introduction: The Problem of Girly Men

Weaver opens with 1 Corinthians 16:13 and decries a generation of cowardly, immature men who avoid responsibility, work, and martial training, preferring amusement and protection.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 16:13

"Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong."

Biblical Call to Manly Maturity

Paul’s command to be children in malice but men in understanding (1 Cor 14:20) contrasts with the military language of 1 Cor 16:13, which calls for a combat mentality of bravery and steadfastness.

You say, "Where in the world is that?" Well, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 14:20

"Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 16:13

The Danger of Divided Ranks

Historical Example: The Battle of Thermopylae

Leonidas and his 300 Spartans exemplify standing fast against overwhelming odds, refusing to surrender their arms with the famous words 'Molon labe' (come and take them).

So "stand fast in the faith" means exactly what it says, that we do not give in, we do not give up, we do not give out. Paul plainly stated this principle in Ephesians 6 and verse 13, when he said,

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 6:13

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Take on the whole armor of God. So the command then to be strong signifies that we're not to give in to weakness. We're not to faint.

Circumstances Reveal Character

Battles do not make heroes or cowards; they reveal what is already in the heart. Upcoming trials will separate the wheat from the chaff.

The Story of Captain Jonathan R. Davis

Aftermath and Vindication

Witnesses confirmed the self-defense; Davis was cleared by a court of inquiry. He humbly attributed his feat to what hundreds might do, but Weaver emphasizes his combat mentality and training.

Biblical Parallels: David’s Mighty Men

Adino killed 800, Eleazar fought until his hand clave to the sword, and Shammah defended a lentil field alone. The Lord wrought victory through their courage and skill.

Applications: Martial Training and Combat Mentality

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 6:12

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life."

Captain Jonathan Davis and a Combat Mentality

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	782223501917
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice
Genre	Sermon
Date	2022-07-06
Dictation Name
Book	Book 083: Proverbs: Wealth, Defense, and Justice — Chapter 5
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Problem of Girly Men: Weaver opens with 1 Corinthians 16:13 and decries a generation of cowardly, immature men who avoid responsibility, work, and martial training, preferring amusement and protection.
Biblical Call to Manly Maturity: Paul’s command to be children in malice but men in understanding (1 Cor 14:20) contrasts with the military language of 1 Cor 16:13, which calls for a combat mentality of bravery and steadfastness.
Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 16:13: The Greek word andrizomai means to act like a man, showing courage and not flinching. The verse uses military terms: watch (be alert), stand fast (keep ranks united), quit like men (fight without retreat), be strong (exert all vigor).
The Danger of Divided Ranks: Standing fast means maintaining unity; division leads to defeat. Weaver illustrates with police interrogation tactics and applies it to pastoral ministry, urging prayer for the broader ministry beyond one’s own church.
Historical Example: The Battle of Thermopylae: Leonidas and his 300 Spartans exemplify standing fast against overwhelming odds, refusing to surrender their arms with the famous words 'Molon labe' (come and take them).
Circumstances Reveal Character: Battles do not make heroes or cowards; they reveal what is already in the heart. Upcoming trials will separate the wheat from the chaff.
The Story of Captain Jonathan R. Davis: Davis, a Mexican War veteran and skilled marksman and fencer, was ambushed by 14 outlaws in 1854. He killed 11 with pistols and a Bowie knife, suffering only minor wounds, and later showed mercy to the wounded.
Aftermath and Vindication: Witnesses confirmed the self-defense; Davis was cleared by a court of inquiry. He humbly attributed his feat to what hundreds might do, but Weaver emphasizes his combat mentality and training.
Biblical Parallels: David’s Mighty Men: Adino killed 800, Eleazar fought until his hand clave to the sword, and Shammah defended a lentil field alone. The Lord wrought victory through their courage and skill.
Applications: Martial Training and Combat Mentality: Men must value martial training for protection of family and church. A combat mentality is essential for holiness, resisting sin, enduring sickness, and facing tyranny. Trust God but use the means He provides.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Modern men are immature and cowardly

Weaver argues that contemporary men avoid responsibility, prefer amusement, and lack the courage to fight for truth and family.

He describes a generation of 'pansies, gutless, spineless wimps' and gives examples of adults playing video games and coloring books.

1 Corinthians 16:13 is a military call to a combat mentality

The verse uses military terms to command vigilance, steadfastness, courage, and strength, not passivity.

Weaver explains 'watch ye' as posting sentries, 'stand fast' as keeping ranks, 'quit you like men' as fighting without retreat.

Circumstances reveal, not create, character

A battle does not make a hero or a coward; it merely exposes the heart’s existing condition.

Weaver states, 'The battle didn't make him a hero. He was already a hero in his heart. The battle just revealed him.'

Captain Davis exemplifies the combat mentality

Davis’s training, skill, and refusal to be a victim enabled him to overcome overwhelming odds, demonstrating the value of preparedness.

Weaver recounts Davis killing 11 outlaws with pistols and knife, noting his prior military experience and fencing skill.

Christians must fight spiritually with the same mentality

The armor of God in Ephesians 6 implies a fight; believers must actively resist sin, endure hardship, and pursue holiness.

Weaver asks, 'Why in the world would God give us all of that armor if he did not expect us to fight?'

Self-defense is a biblical duty

The sixth commandment’s positive requirement to preserve life mandates using means to protect oneself and family.

Weaver cites 17 biblical reasons for taking life on God’s terms plus self-defense, and says refusing means denies God.

Scripture References

1 Corinthians 16:13: The primary text: 'Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong.'
1 Corinthians 14:20: Paul says to be children in malice but men in understanding, contrasting with the call to manly courage.
Ephesians 6:13: Take the whole armor of God to withstand in the evil day and stand.
2 Timothy 2:3: Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Joshua 1:6: God commands Joshua to be strong and of good courage.
2 Samuel 10:12: Joab says, 'Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people.'
Proverbs 13:15: The way of the transgressor is hard.
2 Samuel 23:8: Adino killed 800 at one time.
2 Samuel 23:9-10: Eleazar fought until his hand clave to the sword.
2 Samuel 23:11-12: Shammah stood and defended a field of lentils, and the Lord wrought a great victory.
Ephesians 6:10-18: The armor of God passage, implying spiritual warfare.
Proverbs 22:3: A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.
1 Timothy 6:12: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.

Historical References

Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC): Leonidas and 300 Spartans held off the Persian army, exemplifying standing fast against overwhelming odds.
Captain Jonathan R. Davis (1816–?): Mexican War veteran who killed 11 outlaws in a single fight in 1854 California, demonstrating combat mentality.
Mexican War (1846–1848): Davis served in the Palmetto Regiment, was wounded at Churubusco in 1847.
California Gold Rush (1848–1855): Davis went to California as a prospector; the gang preyed on miners.
Pol Pot, Stalin, Idi Amin: Examples of tyrants who devalue life, paralleling the outlaws’ disregard for human life.
Black Robe Regiment: Pastors in early America who trained their congregations theologically and militarily.

Important Quotes

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, and be strong.

The foundational Scripture for the entire message, calling for a combat mentality.

Circumstances never make or break a man, they just reveal him.

Key principle that battles expose existing character, not create it.

I'd much rather have the training and never need it than to need it and never have it.

Encapsulates the argument for proactive martial and spiritual preparation.

If you try to attack me—and I'll explain why—or my wife, I'm going to fight you. I'm going to punch you with my fist as hard as I can punch you if I have no weapon. And if you break both my arms, I'm going to kick you. I'll kick you as hard as I can kick you. And if you break both of my legs, I'm going to bite you. And if you knock all my teeth out, I'm going to do my best to gum you to death.

Vivid illustration of the relentless combat mentality Weaver advocates.

You're never going to be holy, you're never going to be godly until you learn to fight against sin and wickedness.

Applies the combat mentality directly to the pursuit of personal holiness.

I did only what hundreds of others might have done under similar circumstances and attach no particular credit to myself for it.

Captain Davis’s humble response, highlighting his character and the rarity of such skill.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to 'quit you like men' in practical terms for a Christian today?

[Context]

Weaver explains the Greek word andrizomai and the military connotations of 1 Cor 16:13.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a combat mentality in spiritual battles without becoming harsh or unloving?

[Context]

Weaver applies the concept to fighting sin, sickness, and relational offenses.

[Question]

In what ways does our culture promote 'girly men' and how should the church respond?

[Context]

Weaver critiques adult video gaming, coloring books, and avoidance of responsibility.

[Question]

What is the relationship between trusting God and using practical means of self-defense?

[Context]

Weaver argues that God ordains means and that refusing them denies His truth.

[Question]

How does the example of Captain Davis challenge or inspire your view of preparedness?

[Context]

The detailed account of Davis’s training, skill, and mercy under fire.

[Question]

Why is unity ('stand fast in the faith') so critical in spiritual warfare, and what breaks it?

[Context]

Weaver uses the Spartan phalanx and police interrogation to illustrate division.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:10:56Z