Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them. – 1 Chronicles 11:20-21

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 9, 2019): 1 Chronicles 11

The names Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are well-known among connoisseurs of historical adventure novels and beyond. We know them better as “The Three Musketeers.” What is a bit of a surprise, at least to some readers beginning to read the work of Alexandre Dumas, is that the main character of Dumas’s Musketeer novels is not one of the Three Musketeers. In fact, at the beginning of the tale, the main character of the story isn’t even a Musketeer. His name is d’Artagnan, and the story of “The Three Musketeers” is of the adventures of this young man after he leaves home and makes his way to Paris, hoping to become a Musketeer. What might be equally surprising is that the story of d’Artagnan is actually based on a historical figure. The d’Artagnan of Dumas’s novels is a highly fictionalized account of Charles de Batz de Castelmore (1611 – June 25, 1673), who was also known as d’Artagnan and later as Count d’Artagnan. The real d’Artagnan became Captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Seige of Maastricht during the Franco-Dutch War when a musket ball tore into his throat. The truth is that we now know more about the fictionalized d’Artagnan through Dumas’s recreation of him than we know of the historical figure. And in Dumas’s novel, his d’Artagnan becomes the leader of the Three Musketeers, even though he is never numbered among them.

Abishai was the eldest son of the Zeruiah, David’s sister, making him the nephew of the King of Israel. And Abishai had a special relationship with his uncle. When David decides to enter into Saul’s Camp, and ends up getting close enough to the King to steal his spear and water bottle, the only one who he takes with him is his nephew, Abishai.

But Abishai was also a warrior in his own right. With his spear, he killed three hundred men, and his reputation began to grow in Israel. And so, because of his actions and not because of his relationship to the King, Abishai became the commander of David’s Three Mighty Warriors, even though he was not numbered among them.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 12