2 Samuel 19:9-10 Folly!

 ”Now all the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king saved us from the hand of our enemies, he delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled from the land because of Absalom. But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?”“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. All the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes of Israel: David survived Absalom’s attempted overthrow, but the kingdom was not yet restored to David.

b. The king saved us…. But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died: The tribes of Israel understood what David had done for them, they understood that they had rejected him and embraced Absalom, and they understood that Absalom was now dead. It left the people of Israel in a dispute about bringing back the king.

i. They only seemed to want David back after the false king, Absalom, failed. In the same way, we often only decide to bring back King Jesus when our false kings fail.

(Guzik)

ii. “The folly of their allegiance to Absalom was clear - it had brought only misery and confusion. They were on the wrong side; they had rejected their true king, and therefore the situation was full of unrest.” (Redpath) 

Folly!

“we often only decide to bring back King Jesus when our false kings fail”!

When we desire things of this earth more than Jesus we’ve made that thing a false king! Examples can be money, cars, houses, property and the like. If Jesus the number One thing in our life and He has given us property then our perspective is correct as long as we remember that the property is His and He blessed us with it.

I’ve been guilty of folly and full of unrest, what about you?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 19:8 Rebuke!

 ”Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, “There is the king, sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king. For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭19‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then the king arose and sat in the gate: David didn’t feel like doing this. His feelings told him to stay locked into his excessive mourning. Yet David let his understanding of what was right override what he felt.

i. We never again hear David crying out, O Absalom. Doing what he needed to do got that song out of his head.

b. So all the people came before the king: This is what they needed to see – David sitting as king in the place of authority (sitting in the gate). This told them that their sacrifice was worth it, that it was appreciated, and that David would continue to reign. Joab’s rebuke worked because Joab cared enough to say it, and David was wise enough to receive it. (Guzik)

Rebuke!

We’ve all been there, done or said something unChrist like and a brother or sister said something like Joab to rebuke us because he or she cared enough to say it!

I admit I struggle with judging people by their outward appearance instead of their heart because that’s what our world has trained us to do for survival!

”But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”“

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I recall one time walking into church and a sister in Christ commented about someone, he looks weird. I replied, it’s a good thing that the Lord looks at the heart. She replied, (her name) there you go again! Please forgive me.

Have you done what we did, judging by outward appearance?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 19:4-7 Encourage The Team!

 ”But the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” Then Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. Now therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants. For I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now.”“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son! David could not stop singing this song. He was still locked into his excessive mourning and lack of perspective. He was mastered by his feelings, and feelings were never meant to master us.

i. God is not against feelings – not at all. Many Christians lack deep and profound feeling and experience in their walk with God. At the same time, feelings were never meant to have mastery over us.

ii. David’s problem was not in what he knew – Absalom’s tragic death and David’s own role in it. David’s problem was in what he forgot – that God was still in control, that a great victory was won, that he had many loyal supporters, and that God showed great grace and mercy to him. When someone is overcome by tragedy or sorrow, the problem is not in what they know, but in what they forget.

iii. “Who ever heard David cry out in godly sorrow, O Uriah, would God I had died for thee!” (Trapp)

b. Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life: Joab gave David a stern wake-up call. “David, your excessive mourning is selfish. It isn’t all about you. These loyal, sacrificial supporters of yours deserve to feel good about their victory and you are making them feel terrible. Snap out of it.”

c. I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well: This is a sharp truth delivered with precision. Joab wanted David not only to see that he was foolish in his excessive grief, but he was also selfish.

d. Now therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants: “Go out and encourage the team – they deserve it. If you don’t you will lose most of them.” (Guzik)

Encourage The Team!

Ministry leaders need encouragement too! Like the supporters of David, people that continually on a weekly basis that pour their souls into a ministry for Jesus need encouragement from their pastors. 

“Go out and encourage the team – they deserve it. If you don’t you will lose most of them.” (Guzik)

Have you ever “burned out” while working in a ministry? I have!

Blessings 

2 Samuel 19:1-3 Excessive Mourning!

 ”And Joab was told, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” And the people stole back into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.“ II Samuel‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people: This was not good. David’s loyal and sacrificing supporters won that day for the glory of God and the good of Israel. Then they felt bad about the victory because David was overcome with excessive weeping and mourning for Absalom.

i. There is such a thing as excessive mourning – mourning that is basically rooted in unbelief and self-indulgence. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul warned Christians: I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.Some Christians sorrow at times of death or tragedy like those who have no hope in God and this is wrong to do.

ii. “If your dear ones are dead you cannot restore them to life by your unbelief; and if they still survive, it will be a pity to be downcast and unbelieving when there is no occasion for it. ‘Your strength is to sit still.’ Remember that you are a Christian, and a Christian is expected to be more self-possessed than those who have no God to fly to.” (Spurgeon)

b. The people stole back into the city that day, as people who are ashamed: David’s excessive sorrow made his loyal friends and supporters feel ashamed that they had won a great victory. (Guzik)

Excessive Mourning!

When David’s and Bathsheba’s illegitimate child died David got up, cleaned himself off and ate. When questioned about his response to the death he responded that he knew he would see his child again, in heaven.

I wonder if David’s excessive mourning was because he knew he wouldn’t ever see Absalom again? With everything written about Absalom, nothing says anything about his faith in the Lord and his actions clearly indicates the opposite.

Do you fly to God during times of mourning?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 18:33 Cry Of God!

 ”Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: “O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!”“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The king was deeply moved: The Hebrew idea of deeply moved implies a violent trembling of the body. David felt completely undone at hearing the news of Absalom’s death.

i. In part, David was so deeply moved because he knew that he supplied the soil this tragedy grew from.

· The soil came from David’s indulgent parenting.

· The soil came from David’s sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, after which God promised David: The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife…. I will raise up adversity against you from your own house (2 Samuel 12:10-11).

· The soil came from David’s own sinful indulgence of his passions and smaller rebellions against God, which sins and weaknesses were magnified in his sons.

ii. David’s sorrow shows us that it isn’t enough that parents train their children to be godly; they must first train themselves in godliness. “We cannot stand in the presence of that suffering without learning the solemn lessons of parental responsibility it has to teach, not merely in training our children, but in that earlier training of ourselves for their sakes.” (Morgan)

b. O my son Absalom; my son, my son Absalom: David mourned so much for Absalom because he really was his son. David saw his sins, his weaknesses, his rebellion exaggerated in Absalom.

i. “Everything in the story leads up to, and culminates in, this wail of anguish over his dead boy…. Five times he repeated the words, ‘my son.’” (Morgan)

ii. “This surely had a deeper note in it than that of the merely half-conscious repetition of words occasioned by personal grief. The father recognized how much he was responsible for the son. It is as though he had said: He is indeed my son, his weaknesses are my weaknesses, his passions are my passions, his sins are my sins.” (Morgan)

c. If only I had died in your place: David wanted to die in the place of his rebellious son. What David could not do God did by dying in the place of rebellious sinners.

(Guzik)

i. “So in the cry of David, we actually hear the cry of God, for His lost children. His desire to restore, His desire to forgive.” (Smith)

Cry of God!

Smiths comment is something to ponder on!

Can you hear the cry of God over you?

Can you imagine God crying over His Son when He died on the cross for us?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 18:28-32 Enmity Of A Son!

 ”So Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, “All is well!” Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king, and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my Lord the king!” The king said, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about.” And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still. Just then the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “There is good news, my Lord the king! For the Lord has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you.” And the king said to the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” So the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my Lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!”“ II Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭28‬-‭32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Is the young man Absalom safe? This was David’s only concern. He should have been more concerned for Israel as a nation than for his traitor son. At the same time, David’s question is an example of the great bond of love between parent and child, and between God our Father and His children.

i. “He might have said, ‘Is the young man Absalom dead? For if he is out of the way there will be peace to my realm, and rest to my troubled life.’ But no, he is a father, and he must love his own offspring. It is a father that speaks, and a father’s love can survive the enmity of a son.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “Our children may plunge into the worst of sins, but they are our children still. They may scoff at our God; they may tear our heart to pieces with their wickedness; we cannot take complacency in them, but at the same time we cannot unchild them, nor erase their image from our hearts.” (Spurgeon)

b. I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about: Compared to the Cushite, Ahimaaz was a better runner but a worse messenger because he didn’t know his message. A message can be delivered beautifully, but the messenger’s first responsibility is to get the message correct.

c. May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man: Without saying it directly, the Cushite told David that Absalom was dead. (Guzik)

Enmity Of A Son!

I can relate to king David! We adopted our son but unfortunately he is not in a good place. We poured our lives into him and I doubt that I will see the seed we planted grow in my lifetime. But our God is great and miracles still happen! We pray for him daily and just maybe, God will answer our prayers!

Can you relate to David over Absalom?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 18:19-27 Messenger Of Bad News

 ”Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has avenged him of his enemies.” And Joab said to him, “You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king’s son is dead.” Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran. And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.” So Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?” “But whatever happens,” he said, “let me run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite. Now David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone. Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he came rapidly and drew near. Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “There is another man, running alone!” And the king said, “He also brings news.” So the watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man, and comes with good news.”“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭19‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. You shall not take the news this day: Ahimaaz wanted to take David the news of Israel’s victory and Absalom’s death. But Joab wanted to spare Ahimaaz the son of Zadok the burden of being the messenger of bad news.

b. Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite: Ahimaaz was faster than the other runner. Since the messenger was someone David knew (Ahimaaz), he assumed it was good news (He is a good man, and comes with good news). (Guzik)

Messenger Of Bad News 

Why would anyone want to be the messenger of bad news? I was holding my mothers hand when she took her last breath on this earth, kissed her on her forehead and then had to be the messenger of bad news and inform my father, brother and sisters she was gone. 😢

Have you ever had to be the messenger of bad news?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 18:18 Memorials

 ”Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.“ II Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself: This is what we would expect from a self-centered, self-promoting man like Absalom. Joab made sure that Absalom did not have a memorial in death, but Absalom made himself a memorial in life.

b. I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: Absalom did have three sons (2 Samuel 14:27). From this statement, we surmise that they died before their father did.

(Guzik)

Memorials

Some people build themselves a memorial in life while others build one in death. 

I don’t care to have either one with one exception, I would like to be remembered for a legacy of my love for Jesus as a faithful servant.

”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.“ ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

To me that would be the greatest honor.

What about you?

Blessings 

Absalom-monument