2 Samuel 15:13-16:14; Ps. 7

So Absalom usurps the throne & David comes back strong, right?  Nope, he runs away.  Now, before you begin judging him for being weak - he leaves the city in order to preserve it.  David is not thinking of himself, but of the people in his care.  I love that he puts his future in God's hands in verse 25, "Carry the ark of God back into the city.  If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place."  David then goes to the Mount of Olives to seek the Lord's guidance in this matter.  David also sends Hushai back to counsel Absalom.  In this way he will stay apprised of Absalom's plans & Hushai might be able to talk some sense into Absalom.  David also leaves vengeance to the Lord in verses 5-14 of chapter 16.

There are times when life will deal us a low blow.  It may seem unfair and unwarranted.  Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world full of sinful men willing to take what they want without regard for anyone else.  Remember, it all comes down to freewill.  If God interferes with one man's freewill, then freewill no longer exists for anyone.  However, God does help us through the storm.  All we need to do is rely on him & realize what is important.  Is it your position, your power, your wealth, the opinion of others?  No - what matters is your relationship with God.  When you focus on that, all things work out for good.  As we continue to read through the events of Absalom's betrayal, we will see how beneficial relying on the Lord can be.

2 Samuel 15:1-13

Absalom wasn't only prideful and haughty, he was patient and crafty.  He determined to take the throne from his father and he was willing to wait years in order to set up this coup.  He started taking a great show of wealth and power to the city gates.  Then he would stop people and cast doubt in their hearts regarding the king, all the while setting himself up as the compassionate leader.  And it worked - not immediately, but after four years Absalom won the hearts of the people.  He declared himself king in Heron.  Remember, this is where David was originally anointed as king.

I find it interesting that Absalom was able to do this for four years!  Once again, he is taking advantage of his father's weakness when it comes to family.  Once again, we see that a parent must do what is right for his children, not what they want.  David was slow to discipline his children.  He offered forgiveness without repentance.  This allowed his children to continue to make poor choices that affected the entire kingdom.

As parents, we need to learn from David's mistakes.  Parenting a child is one of the hardest things you will ever do.  It takes diligence, compassion, wisdom, and the willingness to discipline in love.  Sound impossible?  It's not.  In fact, we already have a great role model - our Heavenly Father.  God treats us with compassion and mercy; yet, He does what is right for us, not what we want.  He disciplines in love so that we will learn to make good choices that benefit not only ourselves, but those around us.

2 Samuel 14

Joab knows the heart of his king.  He also knows how to best talk with David regarding his wishes.  David is very capable in handling the problems of the kingdom, but not so much when it comes to his own family.  So, Joab presents a problem to David.  Since David is not emotionally vested in the issue, he is able to clearly see the solution.  Thus, David is able to apply that solution to his own problem.

I love the transparency of the Bible.  People are just people.  Yes, they are leaders, kings, prophets.  Yes, they have strong relationships with the Lord.  But they are still people.  They still struggle with the world.  They still occasionally make mistakes.  Being a Christian doesn't mean you are suddenly perfect.  It doesn't mean you have all the answers.  It doesn't mean that you won't make mistakes.  What matters is how you deal with the mistakes.  Do you learn from them?  Do you grow closer to the Lord?

We end the chapter with Absalom.  He is vain and prideful.  When he doesn't get what he wants, he turns to violence.  Obviously, these flaws in his character will lead to destruction.

2 Samuel 13

In 2 Samuel 12:11, Nathan spoke the words of the Lord stating, "I will raise up evil against you out of your own house."  So, what is going on?  Others watch our actions ; "if he did it, so can I."  David's actions with Bathsheba were witnessed by his children.  Our children watch every thing we do - good and bad - and they repeat it.  This, once again, is why our actions are so very important.

So, David's son, Amnon gets a crush on his half-sister.  He fixates on her to the point that he is making himself physically ill.  He takes some bad advice from a wicked friend and makes the choice to take what he wants.  Notice that his mind is made up - he's taking what he want regardless of the consequences, regardless of Tamar's pleas.  He is willing to ruin this woman that he "loves."  After the act is done, his "love" turns to disgust.  Why?  Because it was never about Tamar.  There was no love there, simply lust.  Once his lust was sated, he blames the victim.  Those who justify their sinful behavior will always make their sin someone else's fault.  If she wasn't so beautiful and unavailable, he wouldn't have had to do this horrible thing.

Absalom, Tamar's brother, takes her in and cares for her the rest of her days.  Because of Amnon, she will never be married or have children.  Notice, David is angry, but he does nothing to take care of the issue.  Amnon is his eldest son and he lets him get away with this sin.  Unfortunately, this favoritism breeds hate and resentment within David's large family.  Absalom waits two years, building hatred in his heart, until he finally takes matters into his own hands by having Amnon killed.  Absalom then flees to Geshur for three years.  During this time, David longs for his sons return.

So, what can we learn from this?  Once again, it all comes down to choices.  We are faced with temptation every day - are you going to give into it or are you going to walk the other way?

2 Samuel 12:26-31; 1 Chronicles 20: 1-8; Ps 60

The siege of Rabbah was last mentioned in 2 Samuel 11:25.  Here we learn that David and Joab were successful in their campaign.  Remember, this war started when the new Ammonite king humiliated David's ambassadors.  The climax of the war was the defeat of the Ammonite capital and David's coronation as the Ammonite king.  After this another war broke out with the Philistines, but David was also successful in defeated these people.  The reference to giants deals with the Rephaim mentioned in Genesis 14:5.  These were a race of very large humans.

So, why is this here?  It shows a chronicling of the political history of Israel.  War is not new.  There will always be people that seek to take by force other's wealth and power.  Were these ancient times more violent than our own?  I don't think so.  In America we are pretty sheltered from the violence of a fallen world; however, the United States military is fighting or helping in 74 civil conflicts according to this source:  http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/u-s-currently-fighting-74-different-wars-that-it-publicly-admits.html    There are 24 countries in Africa, 15 countries in Asia, 8 countries in Europe, 8 countries in the Middle East, 5 countries in the Americas involved in some sort of conflict.  http://www.warsintheworld.com/?page=static1258254223

War is everywhere.  So how do we not lose hope?  We believe in a God that offers us something better than this fallen world.  As I've been reading the Bible and blogging over the last year or so, I've come to realize that a lot of the issues we deal with boil down to choice.  In a world of free will (free choice) there are people who will choose themselves over the greater good every time.  Maybe I should restate that, "We will all choose ourselves over the greater good some of the time."  These choices lead to conflicts both great and small.  Selfishness, greed, and pride hurt others.  So, why doesn't God stop it?  Because He gave us free will.  He allows us to choose.  If He stops one choice, there is no longer free will.  We are no longer in a relationship with God, but a forced servant-hood.  However, God isn't removed from our troubles.  He gave us a conscience, He gave us the Holy Spirit, He gave us His Word.  He gave us love,joy,  peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control, even through the storm.

David relied on God and he was successful in life.  Did he sometimes make poor choices and have consequences to deal with?  Absolutely.  However, David continued to learn from his mistakes.  He continued to repent and to draw near to the Lord.  The relationship made him successful.  You can be successful too.  Simply draw near to God and line up your choices with His Word.

2 Samuel 12:1-24

So, David thinks he got away with it.  Sure, a man is dead, but Bathsheba is now his wife and every one will simply think she became pregnant after the fact.  But then Nathan the prophet pays him a visit.  Nathan tells a little story of lies and greed.  David is outraged!  How dare a rich man steal the lamb of a poor man, he should be put to death!  He should pay the man back fourfold.  Wise king David is able to make an accurate judgment upon this man, yet he is blind to his own sin.  It takes Nathan to point out the obvious.  

Sound familiar?  How easily do we sin?  How easily do we deny our sins, push them under the rug, hide them from everyone including ourselves.  Yet, we have no trouble pointing out the is in others.  We judge, we gossip, we confront.  All the while, we are guilty ourselves.  Ever heard the saying, "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones?"  How about, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone?"  or "Judge not, that you be not judged?"  

Nathan continues with his message from the Lord - the Lord is enraged by David's actions.  Then David repents and the Lord states that David has been forgiven, but there are still consequences for his actions.  Just as there are consequences for our actions.  Now, the question of the death of the child is difficult to understand, the following statement by Daniel F. Case sums up my thoughts better than I can myself.  

"The death of David’s newborn son seems, at first look, to be a cruel and unfair punishment of an innocent child. There are many commentaries that see this from other perspectives, including that the child would have lived a painful and disgraceful life, as an illegitimate son, and his death as an infant was merciful. Others have commented on the possible ramifications of this illegitimate child becoming king. Still others see the example of atonement, an innocent life being given to redeem the life of the guilty. Frankly, I don’t have a definitive answer. The child’s death does, however, underscore an important truth; our sin affects not only ourselves, but also those around us. The long-reaching effect of a moment of sinful self-indulgence can be disastrous. We seldom pause to consider that factor in a moment of temptation. If we could see the results of our actions clearly, we’d say “no” more often."  (www.case-studies.com/david4)

I would add one more thing to this statement, God is known to make big gestures when dealing directly with his people, especially in the Old Testament.  Each of these big gestures or harsh consequences is used as an example for the people.  David's sin was a big deal.  He was the anointed king of Israel, the spiritual leader of his people.  If David can sin with no consequences, what is to keep the people from sinning?  "If the king got away with it, so can I."  It all comes back to whether or not you trust God to make the best choice in every situation - that is what faith is.  Trusting God even when you might not agree.  Understanding that there is a big picture that we can't see, but we know that we know that God is working for the greatest good.

So, when you fall to temptation, when you sin - you might face some consequences.  Respond like David, accept the consequence, learn from your mistakes, and continue to grow closer to the Lord.  

2 Samuel 11

Is it weird that this is one of my favorite Bible stories?  It's full of lies, cover-ups, adultery, and murder.  So, why do I like it?  Well, because it shows us how powerful a simple choice can be.  See, temptation will always come knocking on your door.  Everyday you will face new choices - how will you proceed?  Will you fall into sin or will you walk away?  A lot of times, we think that giving in won't be that bad.  After all, no one will know, right?  And really, who's going to get hurt?  The story of David and Bathsheba shows us just how slippery a slope sin can be.

See, David's just taking a walk & he sees a pretty woman, a bathing pretty woman.  Now, David is faced with a choice - keep walking & stop thinking about what he just saw, or stop, stare & keep thinking.  Being attracted to the woman wasn't the sin.  Stopping and thinking about what he would like to do with the woman was the sin.  That sin led him to call Bathsheba to his room, where he committed adultery with her.  After the fact, he sent her away thinking no one knows, no harm, no foul.  He thought he could just move on.  Well, next thing he knows, Bathsheba is pregnant & there's no way the baby is her husband's, he's at war.  So David invites him home, tells him to take a break and spend some time with his wife.  He's hoping that he can claim the baby is Uriah's, not his.  But, Uriah is an upstanding man.  He refuses to rest and take comfort when his fellow soldiers are facing hardship.  So, what does David do?  He has Uriah killed in battle.  Then he takes Bathsheba as his wife.  Yikes.

So remember, where did it all start?  Not at the act of adultery, it started back when David was walking and the choice he made to fantasize about Bathsheba.  That one choice forever changed the lives of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah.  As we will see as we continue to read, even more lives will be effected by this sin.

David's sin reminds us that there is no such thing as a small sin.  So, as you walk through this week and through the rest of your life, remember that every choice is the precipice of a slope.  Are you going to throw yourself down the slope, or are you going to turn away and stay on the safe path?

2 Samuel 10 & 1 Chronicles 19

David attempts an act of peace.  The Ammonite king has died and David would like to honor him & continue to keep Ammon as peaceful neighbors.  I love that David is a wise king, but also a compassionate and loving king.  He knows that his relationship with the Ammonites can change in a heartbeat under a new leader, so he sends delegates to honor the old king, and also make peace with the new one.  Unfortunately, the new immature king listens to bad council and decides to make a show of force.  He has half the beard & the bottom half of the garment cut off of the delegates sent by David.  Yes, I'm sure they looked pretty silly, but this act is also incredibly disrespectful.  In humiliating the delegates, they have basically made a statement of war.  Honestly, I see this as a bunch of strutting roosters.  This new king wants to make a name for himself, he wants to show himself to be strong and fierce so others don't mess with him.  He's puffed up his feathers & he's parading around.  Unfortunately, under those feathers is a scrawny juvenile chicken that has just challenged the head rooster in the barnyard.  David wastes no time showing this new king who is boss.

So - two things about this passage:

1)  A show of force is always going to bring trouble.  If you feel threatened, stop and think about the situation.  Is there a better way to handle things?  Are you misinterpreting the situation?  Do you have the back up to follow through with your actions?  Now, obviously I'm not talking about a situation in which you face bodily harm.  In that situation, pray & follow the Holy Spirit's leading.  Actually, that's some pretty good advice regardless - pray & listen to the Holy Spirit.

2)  Look at 2 Samuel 10:12 & 1 Chronicles 19:13 - Joab is encouraging this troops as they face a sticky situation.  They are trapped between the Syrians and the Ammonites.  I love his advice - be courageous, you are defending your people and your homes "and may the LORD do what seems good to him."  That is a powerful statement.  He's not asking God for victory, he's not demanding a certain outcome, Joab trusts the LORD to do what is right.  Oh, that is so very hard for us.  Look, God knows you inside and out.  He knows what you're thinking, what you're troubled with, and the desires of your heart.  He also knows what is best for you AND He sees the big picture.  As humans we can only see what is right in front of us.  We don't see the delicate patchwork that weaves everything together, but God does.  If you know Him, really know Him - you know that God is working for the best outcome according to the big picture.  We might not understand it, we might not ever see the end results (at least until we get to heaven) but we can rest assured that God is doing what is good, and right, and just.  So, don't worry about it.  Don't let life stress you out. Don't fixate on a certain problem and the outcome you think works the best.  Talk to God about your troubles and your desires & then trust Him to do what is good.

Ephesians 4:12 - Equipping the Saints

Yes, this is out of our normal reading.  However, this was my talking point for Sunday morning.  I think it's a good idea to recall every once in a while what we are called to do as Christians.  So, for those of you who attend Victory, you heard me give this talk.  However, these are my full notes:

Equipping the Saints for the Work of the Ministry.

·         This portion of our mission statement comes from Ephesians 4:12 and interestingly enough, it is just a portion of a very long sentence found in verses 11-16.

·         Wow, talk about a run on sentence.  To sum this up, I would say that

o   The work of the ministry is building up the body.  It is transforming people’s lives so that they are conformed to the image of Christ.

o   Equipping the saints is “giving others the tools and knowledge needed to defend their faith, live out their faith, and share their faith with others.” 

·         As for myself, I always think of the Parable of the Sower when I think of equipping the Saints.  Jesus told this parable in Matthew 13:1-13.  A farmer sows his seed, and it falls on four types of ground.  Some falls on the path and is eaten by birds – these are the people that reject God’s Word.  They hear the message and they walk away, they want nothing to do with it.  Some falls on fertile soil and flourishes – these are the equipped saints that do the work of the ministry.  Then there are the seeds that fall on the rocky soil & the seeds that grow among the thorns.  Both of these people heard the message and accepted it as true, but they never moved on from there.  For those on rocky soil, the first time life knocks them down, and believe me, life will knock you down, they throw in the towel and turn their back on their faith – see they were never equipped.  They didn't know who they were in Christ, so they had nothing to hold on to when trouble came a knockin’.  For those among the thorns, the lure of the world got the better of them.  They also didn't know who they were in Christ, so they were ill-equipped to defend their faith against the materialism of this world. 

·        You see, it is important to be equipped in order to stand firm against the trials of life.  You need a faith that is based on an understanding of who you are in Christ that it will flourish and produce good fruit.  As you grow in that faith, you will become an equipper, a person who encourages others.  As you equip others, you will find that you are maturing and learning right along with those you’re equipping.  This isn't a teacher/student dynamic where one person teaches and the other person learns.  It’s a community dynamic where we each share our gifts and abilities to help each other.  God made us to be in relationship – relationship with Him and relationship with others.  Quite frankly that is all that equipping is – forming relationships so that we can build others up while being built up ourselves.  It is in these relationships that we will find the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control that we all long for.  That Christ-shaped hole in our heart will be filled. 

·         I am very thankful that I belong to a church that emphasizes the equipment of the saints because it has made us a strong family church full of rich relationships.  This is a church that focuses on Christ.  This has given me the tools I need so that I never get stagnant, but I continue to stretch, grow and mature in my faith. 

·         This emphasis on equipping starts with Pastor Joe. 

o   He equips us by providing sound Biblical training through Sunday sermons and overseeing the training that takes place in our Sunday Schools, Youth ministry, and Wednesday night programs.  This Biblical training teaches us who we are in Christ so that we can defend and share our faith.

o   He equips us in the way he humbly lives his life.  Pastor Joe is who he is – he is the real deal.  Whether it’s Sunday morning or Thursday night, he is consistent in his character.  His example shows us how to live in Christ.

o   He equips us by his interactions with others.  I have never seen a better example of gentle, loving correction or honest & fair advice.  He truly puts the other person’s best interest first, which means telling us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear.  Yet, he is able to do this in a way that is compassionate and encouraging.  These interactions teach us how to be part of the Body of Christ.

o   I want to take a moment to thank Pastor Joe for equipping us. 

·         Now, you might think, well I could never be an equipper like Pastor Joe.  And you are right, but only because you aren’t Pastor Joe.  You are exactly the equipper that God made you to be.  He created you with your own talents and gifts.  So use your gifts to equip others.  Maybe you -

o   Have a great positive attitude – simply offering a smile can help someone through their day.  You would also be a great candidate for being a greeter or usher.

o   Maybe you love to cook or sew– prepare a meal or a make blanket, be part of our outreach ministries to those in the hospital, those recovering from illness, those in need.

o   Are you a prayer warrior?  Pray for someone, join our prayer ministry.

o   Are you a tradesman?  Donate your services to others in our body, or to the maintenance of our building. 

o   Do you love to read your Bible and study the Word?  Teach a class, share your knowledge with others. 

o   When it comes to equipping others, the sky is the limit.  Do whatever it is that God put on your heart to do. 

·         Quite frankly, sometimes our feelings keep us from doing the work of the ministry.  Maybe you mentored someone & they walked away.  Or you prayed for someone & they didn’t receive it.  Maybe you put all your time and energy into a project and it turn out the way you envisioned. You’ve been let down, disappointed, hurt.  I going to share a little secret with you – your feelings don’t get to dictate your actions.  It doesn’t matter how you feel, just do the work of the ministry anyway.  Pray, love, forgive regardless of what life throws at you.  Because it’s not about you, it’s about him and his big picture.  You might not see results, but God does.  He has a plan and a purpose for you – when you step out in faith & just do it anyway, well you’ll be walking in His will, you’ll be living in His image, you’ll be growing and maturing and suddenly you’ll find that your feelings are starting to line up with your actions.  Your disappointment has turned to excitement.  Your sorrow has turned to joy. Your hurt has been healed.    So, when it comes to doing the work of the ministry, just do it anyway. 

       www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZjTBW-raGw‎ - Martina McBride, Do It Anyway

2 Samuel 9

This passage shows us just how unique David really was.  In ancient cultures, when a new family took over a throne, it was common to kill everyone in the previous king's family so as to assure that no one had a claim on the throne.  Yikes, life was pretty rough for royalty.  One day you're living it up, the next your running for your life.  But anyway, David had full confidence in the Lord.  He wasn't worries about what mere man could do to him.  God gave David the throne, and God would take it away if He so saw fit.  This confidence led David to reach out in love and compassion to Saul's heirs.  Mephibosheth was the son of David's dear friend Jonathan, who was the son of Saul.  Mephibosheth was dropped by his nurse while they family was fleeing after the death of Saul.  The fall caused permanent damage, making Mephibosheth unable to support himself.  Thus he considers himself a worthless person - a dead dog.

Yet David treats Mephibosheth as family, as worthwhile.  He shows him compassion and friendship.  We can learn a lot from David.  There are many people in our lives that we may overlook - people associated with those that have "done us wrong", people that seem to have no worth, people that are less fortunate than ourselves.  David shows us to treat these people just like you would want to be treated.  He reminds us of the golden rule.  Think about those in your life - are you living by the golden rule?  Are you treating others the way you want to be treated?

2 Samuel 8 & 1 Chronicles 18

These two chapters catalog David's defeat of several enemies.  It is important to note that Joshua and the Israelites did not conquer all of the Canaanite enemies during their push into the promised land.  This failure to follow through with God's word left the Israelites vulnerable to attacks - which happened many times during the time of the Judges & Saul.  David honored the Lord and finished the work by defeating many of the enemies that had plagued Israel.

So, what can we learn from this?  Listen to God & do what He says.  God knows our hearts & the hearts of those around us.  God has a purpose and a plan.  If you ask the Lord for guidance, be prepared to follow it.  The Israelites cried out to God for freedom, yet they didn't follow God's plan, leaving themselves open to attack.  When you cry out to God, don't leave yourself open.  Instead, know that His plan has a good and true purpose that will keep you out of trouble.

2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17

David wants to build a "house" for the Ark, for God.  However, God appears to the prophet Nathan in order to make a covenant with David.  God will bless David's family.  God will put David's son on the throne and that son will build God a house.  These two passages in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles are known as the Davidic Covenant - a dynasty is promised to David.  However, this passage is not simply speaking of David's governmental role.  It also refers to David's role as the representative of God's people.  This dynasty will be passed down through David's lineage to Jesus.  As our representative, Jesus was able to take the punishment of death on the cross for us.

When I read these words, I am encouraged.  God has a plan and a purpose.  I might not know the plan now, but I can trust that He is carrying out that good and perfect purpose in all that He does.  We might not see the fruits of the labor, but be assured that the fruit is coming.  It may be in your lifetime, it may not be until hundreds or thousands of years later - but it will come to fruition.  So, trust God - it's all going to work out.