A Psalm of Thanksgiving

January 29, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving

Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 22

The Book of Psalms is one of the most beloved books of Scripture in the Bible!

The Book of Psalms is actually the Song Book of Israel.

Although there may be many writers of these songs, it is believed that King David wrote as the hand of God at least two thirds of all the Psalms (songs).

We can also see the hand of the Holy Spirit in every Psalm and David takes no credit for Himself!

It was the Bible translators who penned David’s name to the many psalms that he wrote.

In this song, we see David acknowledge what Jehovah had been to him, and it is important that we see the hand of the Lord in our own lives.

If we take a good look at our lives, we can see the hand of God working in our lives.

David recognized that it was Jehovah who had delivered him all his days.

I can also tell you that it was Jehovah who delivered me through the many dangers in my own life.

No doubt most all of us that know the Lord Jesus as our Savior also know He has been our Deliverer, all of our days.

When we can understand this thing, we can know that the Lord has always had a purpose for us and the reason He has kept us alive.

Without having purpose then, what is life all about?

Most of us realize that we have faced many enemies in our lifetime, and would not have escaped them without the hand of the Lord being upon us.

Most of us know that it is Satan, the Devil who has been our true enemy all of our life, but only after we came to know the Lord Jesus Christ did, we did we learn of the wiles of the Devil.

Eph_6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

It is believed that this Psalm was written before David became King of Israel, when King Saul was trying to kill him.

If Saul had killed David, then the plan of God would not be credible and the Bible would have been just another useless book!

Once David was delivered from the hands of King Saul, David became King of Israel and this deliverance was by God’s hands and not David’s hands.

*2Sa 22:1 And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
2Sa 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
2Sa 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

As we read the story of David in the Bible, we must realize that David was acting with a Higher Power more than most others in the Old Testament, even Moses and Abraham.

The thing about songs is that, if they are not enjoyed or they do not cause some movement by the Holy Spirit then, they should be put aside for some other song.

The fact that more than two thirds of the Psalms of David have remained in the Word of God, have proven that they were songs that encouraged those who trusted Jehovah for their own deliverance.

It is the Holy Spirit that caused their remembrance and their prominence in the Word of God!

Many of us here today have found great comfort in reading the Book of Psalms.

Almost every Christian you meet has a favorite Psalm.

If the Lord Jesus is not your Rock, and not your Fortress, or not your Deliverer, then you are not saved!

David was a warrior and probably fought more battles for the right of the nation of Israel to exist, than any other person then and now!

There would be no nation of Israel if God had not used King David to secure their existence in that day!

The Israelites know this and this is why they love King David so much!

It was King David that established Jerusalem as the capitol city of Israel.

It was king David that bought the land where the Dome of the Rock sits illegally.

It was King David that bought all the land of the Temple Mount.

It was King David that set this land apart to be given for the worship and praise for Jehovah, the One True Living God.

It was David that designated that first Temple to be a house of prayer, through his son Solomon.

Why is the Lord our Rock?

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

As we know these things are all true, why would we not call upon the Lord in our hour of need or at any time we just want to talk to Him.

It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can sit down in the throne room of our God and just have a personal conversation with Him.

*2Sa 22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

We see that David knew that the ears of our Savior are always open for those who love Him!

Most of our lives we find that the enemies of this life are too fierce and too powerful so that no man can help us, but God can.

These things are more prevalent today than they were in the time of King David, and we need to stay as close to the Lord as possible and the Lord Jesus knew this when He ripped the veil of the Holy of Holies into, so that we can go straight to God without going through some priest.

Every child of God has also become a priest for themselves and their families.

Rev_5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Talking to a true priest of God is good, but talking to our Creator is much better!

Sometimes we need both our Heavenly Priest and our Comforter, to feel true comfort!

Our pastors can only help us if he too is a man called of God!

It is only the Lord God Almighty who can save us from our enemies!

1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

Snuggle up to Jesus and He will know what we are going through!

Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

It is only the Lord who can save us from our enemies!

It seems like today we are walking through that valley of death constantly.

*2Sa 22:5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
2Sa 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
2Sa 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

As we know, in a war, we could face an overwhelming enemy and I believe many in America are beginning to feel this way.

This is something we have never had to worry about since the time of our wars with England when our nation first became independent of foreign rule.

With the government we have today and the way our taxes are being spent, we may not be that dominating force in this world that we once were, and this is hard to say, but it may be the truth.

The modernization of our military forces seems to have stopped and the many other things that were a deterrent, which have worked for us for ages, may have aged out of beneficial use.

No one in this government we have today seems to care!

The Democrats are all in step for destruction of America!

The Republicans argue with each other and nothing can be accomplished.

The swamp keeps growing in full power.

We need to get rid of the whole bunch and start with fresh blood.

Washington ruins the lives of good people because corruption reaps corruption!

Most of us feel this way because “the floods of ungodly men have made us afraid”!

Most of us cannot trust many of the medicines that are created for us, and as we have found out, no one can find a cure for this man-made thing called COVID that has been intentionally released into our world.

Stupid governments are still working on plagues that can render armies useless and bombs that can destroy nations.

There certainly have been waves of death, which have compassed us in the last few years and are continuing.

Our true enemies are all those ungodly men who actually run our nation today, who hide in the dark corners of our nation!

The perils that we have been exposed to for the last several years can be described as waves of death.

Listen to Jonah: Jon 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

No one is really working on “waves of life” except the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Giver of Life!

We have only one hope for our world and He is the Lord Jesus Christ, who has already decided that we need a brand-new world that will only be available to those who love Him!

According to the Words of Jesus we do not have the ability to save our planet.

Rev_21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

David was describing a hopeless situation for him and his nation like many of us are thinking today about America.

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer and He will always be the answer and the only answer!

Distress can be described as extreme pain, or the anguish of mind and body, to suffer greatly, harassment, or misfortune.

To David, it was probably the anguish of mind and body because he did not know when Saul would find him or one of his spies and kill him.

We see, we must place our trust in the Lord and keep doing what He tells us to do and He will direct our paths!

*2Sa 22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

No matter what confronted David, whether human enemy, wild beast, or natural catastrophe, the Lord delivered David.

The Lord also delivered David from physical misfortune.

We must understand that the Lord is always present in our hour of need because the Lord is always watching over His children.

Sometimes, the Lord will give us the power to overcome any obstacle the hinders us or the Lord will just remove that obstacle.

Our enemies are never powerful enough to overcome the Lord!

There are many things we need to understand about the Lord.

The Lord is always for us and He is never against us unless we reject Him and His Word!

Psa 56:9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.
Psa 56:10 In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.
Psa 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

This is why we can be at perfect peace within ourselves no matter what we are facing!

We can be at perfect peace, because we serve the only perfect Savior who has the only perfect Words!

*2Sa 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

We need to celebrate the goodness of God every day of our lives!

The Lord Jesus said:

Mat_19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

We can try to think of good people and we would produce many, but in reality, according to the God’s “goodness”, in comparison, we could not call them good at all.

God is good because His ways are perfect and we could never be called perfect, until we are standing in Heaven’s gates.

There are no human beings who can be said to be perfect. We all have our flaws.

Jehovah God has no flaws!

Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psa 12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

This is why the Lord can be our “buckler”, our “shield” of protection, as we go about our days doing our very best to live according to the perfect Word of God!

When we trust the Lord to guide us through every day, then He becomes our strength!

*2Sa 22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
2Sa 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

Though the world laughs at us, we still know that there is One True God and He is our Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament.

The Lord gave David a way to travel in his world and that way was the Lord’s way.

It is no different for any of us today.

The path He has given to us is to follow is His Word, rightly divided.

This is the reason He is the Rock of our salvation!

This is the reason He is our strength!

This is the reason He is our power!

This is the reason that He is the path to a perfect way of life!

Who are the true saints of this world?

It is not those who have been declared by the Pope, even though they may be true saints of God.

It is not those who give the most!

It is not even those who pray the most!

The true saints of God are those, who do their very best, to stay on the Path of God which He has given to us, the Perfect Word of God!

It is these who always have a heart ready to praise God for His goodness!

Our way is made perfect by the pure truth of the only Living God!

*2Sa 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

We must understand that “life” is the essential attribute of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the Living God in contrast to all the dead gods of this world!

The Living God is among us at all times!

It is the Living God who is strong, who is faithful, and who is able to work out my own deliverance for me!

My salvation, is His gift to me if I love Him! He is the God of my salvation!

It is the same for all those who choose Him to be their Rock!

Psa 18:46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Psa 24:5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

It is this same Living God who will avenge His Church, and it may not be very much longer before He does this!

*2Sa 22:48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,
2Sa 22:49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

Just as David was King and those under him his servants, the Lord has made His Church to be kings and priest and again it is the Lord who will avenge all those who do not know the Lord.

As the Lord’s people witness in the name of the Lord, He will not allow them to be shut up by anyone!

Psa 31:8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

God will not allow His voice to be stopped until He takes the Church out of this world, and then, the angels will preach the Gospel to the people left behind.

Rev_14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

As long as the everlasting Gospel is preached, souls can be saved!

In other words, we will be allowed to speak the Word of God and act with the freedom to do so, until God removes His Church and this world will not be able to stop it!

Therefore we need to be offering thanksgiving today.

*2Sa 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

We must not be afraid to offer thanksgiving to the Lord in front of our enemies!

We must not be afraid to worship with our voice’s songs of praise in the name of the Lord!

We must not be afraid to state our commitment to the Lord in front of our enemies!

We must not be afraid to praise the Lord no matter where we are, even in unknown circumstances.

Mat 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Mat 10:20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

No one upon this earth is mightier than the Holy Spirit who abides within all God’s children!

We know the promises made to King David and we know that every promise has been kept up till now and those that are not complete will be completed.

*2Sa 22:51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

As the joint heirs with Jesus Christ, we know that the promise of Mercy extended to the anointed One of God, has also been extended to His children and His brothers and sisters in Christ!

This is God’s plan of salvation, and who are we to question Him or His plans, we owe Him our obedience.

Amen

Good King Bad Parent

January 22, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Kingdom Restored

Chapters 19 through 21

The true characteristics of a good king can be seen in these passages.

Even with all his mistakes as a human being David was still a good king.

Absalom had tried to destroy the kingship of his own father and take over as Israel’s new king, but he had failed.

He failed because his father was a warrior king and Absalom had no experience in leading a nation or the military.

The main reason Absalom had failed was the fact that Jehovah had chosen David to be King of Israel and not Absalom.

It had caused the death of Absalom and another son of David had lost his life.

We must see that our children will follow in our footsteps so we need to lead our own lives in a Godly manner, praying that they follow this path rather than a wicked and corrupt path.

Why are Joe Biden’s children so corrupt? It is because Mr. Biden has been a corrupt politician all his days.

Absalom had divided Israel and David would have to reunite this nation once again.

We can be sure that all the surrounding nations were looking at Israel because of all these things and Israel had begun to look like a weak nation.

A divided nation is always a weaker nation!

The Jews are known to be a stiff necked and disobedient people and they needed a strong leader just as they have today.

To the world America looks like a weak nation today and you can bet wicked nations have their eyes upon us. and those nations that are led by tyrants are laughing at our leaders.

I dare say that if Biden remains president after this next election, America will be drawn into war because him and his policies have made America to be so weak.

We must pray for our leaders no matter who they are!

Only through the salvation of our leaders can they change the way they think!

How did King David restore the nation of Israel?

*2Sa 19:1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.
2Sa 19:2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.

David was a king who could be touched by his mistakes and learn from them.

What Joab and much of Israel saw as a great victory, King David could only see the loss of his son!

We all mourn for the death of our children!

Much of Israel could not understand the emotions of King David, after all, Absalom would have killed him and taken over the Kingship of Israel.

It was a rebellion that could have had dire consequences.

Most of us find it hard to know why David had fled Jerusalem, but it was because King David wanted Jerusalem to always be a city of peace as the name reflects.

In fact, the Lord has commanded that we pray for this and also promises blessings when we do.

Psa_122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Not only are we to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but we will also be rewarded for doing so!

David knew in his heart that his sin had been the main cause of the things that happened to Israel and we should know that this was another reason for his mourning.

David knew he was to blame for all these things even more than Absalom was to blame.

Because of these things David and those with him returned to Jerusalem without much fanfare.

*2Sa 19:3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
2Sa 19:4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Those with David could not feel victorious while their king could only think of the death of his son.

Out of respect for the king’s sorrow, his army came into the city silently in small parties as if they were disgraced fugitives, rather than shouts of triumph for their great victory.

It was a great victory as far as a battle goes, but everyone that died was a citizen of Israel and not just Absalom.

In fact most of the dead were of the ten tribes of Israel and not so much of Judah.

King David covered his face because he certainly felt shame and he knew he was more to blame than anyone else.

When our sin causes harm to our families then we should feel shame!

Many times our children follow in our footsteps and we need to be sure we are leading them on the right path.

The choices we make in life can also affect many other people!

It was time for David to take responsibility for his actions and begin the work to restore Israel as a nation.

*2Sa 19:5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;
2Sa 19:6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.

We have seen Joab at his worst and at his best, but we cannot discard his loyalty to King David.

Joab was quick to see answers to problems and it was time for David to be King and later work on his ability to be a father to his children.

We could see Joab as unfeeling and he was, but David did not need to throw away the fruits of his victory.

He would never regain his nation by showing his emotions to a son that grew an army to kill him and take control of Israel.

Had Absalom had the victory he would have certainly killed his father and all his brothers and probably many others who had fled with David.

Absalom’s rapid success also proved to David that he had many enemies in Israel.

The death of Absalom had only proven that he was a worthless son and none of David’s sons were worthy to be the next king but Solomon the son of Bathsheba who she was raising right, according to the Word of God.

Solomon gained much of his wisdom from his mother.

It was time for David to be King David again.

*2Sa 19:7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.
2Sa 19:8 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.

Those who had supported Absalom began to debate if they truly wanted David to be King of all of Israel again.

When the king went and sat at the gate of Israel, probably all his people and his army came and passed in review before him.

David had saved the nation of Israel from years of anarchy and a fresh civil war and he had saved Jerusalem from certain destruction.

Those that supported Absalom had fled to their tents which means they all left Jerusalem and went home with the tales of what had happened.

The hearts of these people had been after Absalom who was now dead.

2Sa 15:13 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

Twenty thousand fellow Israelites had fallen in this battle to usurp the throne of King David.

Over ten thousand of them had died because of the location that King David had chosen to set up his ambush.

Israel was still in turmoil, as many others mourned the death of their own sons and had no pity for King David.

*2Sa 19:9 And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
2Sa 19:10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?

Notice that our Scripture says “all of Israel” for those who had chosen Absalom, but “all of Judah” is referred to as the servants of David.

In order for these tribes of Israel to accept Absalom they would have had to renounce King David and David knew this.

This is why King David did not return until the nations summoned him back.

Had Absalom lived these people were bound by their decision to make Absalom their king, but he had not lived, so they would have to agree that David was to be their king again.

Israel was not in one accord for David at this time.

Some of the older still remembered the attacks of the Philistines and how David had saved them from these things, which was a good thing.

The younger had nothing to base their favor upon as to King David.

Many believed that David was so flawed that he could not be a good king ever again.

This is what happens when a child of God sinks into deep sin, even though they are forgiven by the Lord, they may never be able to be a good servant of the Lord and the world does forget sin so easily, as does Jehovah.

In reality, there was no real reason not to bring back David as King of Israel!

These tribes of Israel presented one stipulation that King David would see that Amasa would replace Joab as general of the Armies of Israel.

Amasa was the son of Abigail, a sister to King David.

Joab was the son of Zeruiah another David’s sisters.

*2Sa 19:14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants.
2Sa 19:15 So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.

We must understand that life duties do not cease just because we are having a bad day!

We should also understand that as David was restored to his throne, we also see a type of Christ as the Lord Jesus will return one day, He will claim the throne of His father David.

The Lord Jesus will put down the rebellion of a world turned to the Antichrist!

We can see Absalom as a type of the Antichrist in these passages.

The Lord Jesus will not only be King of Israel, but He will also be King of this entire world and rule for one thousand years from Jerusalem and there will be a peace that this world has never seen!

The rightful King, King Jesus will return to Jerusalem as did King David!

David had won an easy and a complete victory over Absalom!

We can almost show pity to David if not for the fact we know the truth of David and the things he had done, but he had been forgiven and who are we to not forgive those the Lord has forgiven?

We must forgive those that the Lord has forgiven or we cannot be a true Christian!

David could not mourn for his son until these other things were accomplished.

It was not David who rebelled against these people, it was they who had rebelled against King David, and it was they who should invite him back to the kingdom of Israel.

Many who had cursed David had now repented and welcomed him back to the kingdom.

Even Mephibosheth came to welcome David with a story about Ziba.

If we remember Ziba had brought a different story about Mephibosheth and David did not know the real truth.

Being Judge of Israel and not know the truth of them, David divided the lands of Saul between Ziba and Mephibosheth.

Barzilla who was 80 years old came had welcomed David. This man had supplied the things David and his men needed during his exile and David wanted to reward him.

We pick our lesson back up here.

*2Sa 19:33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.
2Sa 19:34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?

We must understand we will not be rewarded by the Lord for just being obedient to the Word of God.

The reward for this is our salvation and our eternal life in Heaven.

It is when we go above what we are commanded to do that we earn rewards.

Winning souls to the Lord is where we earn our greatest rewards!

The more we are like the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater our rewards will be!

Barzilla had a strong loyalty to the King David and this is the loyalty we need to show to the Lord.

What are we to do?

We are to begin with these things:

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

We must never forget that those who have given their hearts to the Lord and confessed their sins, become the Lord’s brothers and sisters and as His family we are also heirs to His rewards.

After this we are to be kind to one another:

Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Just like Barzilla, as we grow older, we have very little interest in this world and are prepared to meet our Savior.

Barzilla had been very rich himself and even those small pleasures that come from riches no longer were of interest to him.

Money simply cannot buy happiness no more than it can buy our salvation!

We must also not be distressed as we get older, we are almost at home!

We will be going to a place far greater than any paradise upon this earth and we will live eternally in this place called Heaven.

Doing deeds for others makes us feel better than any riches!

Barzilla did have one request.

*2Sa 19:37 Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.

Chimham the son of Barzilla needed experience in a part of the world he had never seen.

Not the riches of David, he was already rich, but the workings of government and the pageantry of royalty while maintaining a relationship with Jehovah.

King David would later commend Chimham with his brothers to the care of Solomon.

1Ki 2:7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.

But, as we know, there are always troublemakers in every crowd.

*2Sa 20:1 And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
2Sa 20:2 So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.

There was a great need for unity, peace, and faithfulness, but there are always those who reject these things.

There are always those who thrive on division in every nation, and nothing will ever please them.

Sheba was a worthless and wicked man.

What would normally be a call to disperse and return to their homes became a call to join this wicked man in rebellion.

Having just gone through the rebellion with Absalom, the nation of Israel chose to come back together under King David, a wise choice.

It was of the mothers of Israel who decided that there had been enough war and they put a stop to this man named Sheba.

*2Sa 20:21 The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
2Sa 20:22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

I believe this woman decided it was not the time to lose more of the sons of Israel to a foolish war and she knew what needed to be done to stop it.

She knew how most of the people felt about ridiculous wars.

Amen

A National Leader’s Grief At the Things He Caused

January 15, 2024January 16, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Great Grief

Book of 2 Samuel Chapters 15-18

Grief is said to be the pain of the mind produced by some loss, or misfortune, or injury, or evils of some kind. It can be sorrow or regret from the things we do ourselves. We can experience grief when one of our family members pass or one of our friends pass or we grieve at the misfortunes of others.

From the beginning of history, insurrection and mutiny have been a problem for most every government.

It happens more often when governments no longer serve the people, they were put in place to do.

Corrupt governments are the leading cause for mutiny by the people.

Many coups or rebellions are justified but there are some that are unjustified.

Whatever means available to correct the evil and unjust acts of governments must be pursued by honorable and just citizens.

We may see this happen in our own nation if corruption persist in our government.

Our own nation is more divided than it ever has been, including the time of the civil war when the North tried to abuse the South over commodities.

Only when a government executes justice and righteousness equally for all its people and protect its borders can it be supported!

When a government supports only its ring leaders it does not deserve the support of the people.

We cannot have a true government when that government is made up of those opposed to the truth of God.

Our lesson today is about a mutiny from within King David’s own family.

When we are suffering from grief from those actions of our loved ones we can only find comfort from the “Grace” of God.

King David was temporarily forced to abandon Jerusalem until he could organize his followers against the coup by his own son Absalom.

Absalom did many things to win over the people while King David became lax in his duties as King because of regret for his sin against the Lord.

King David was of little use in following the will of God at this time.

*2Sa 15:1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

Just as soon as Absalom had gained his freedom began seeking every way he could to win over the people.

Absalom still held his father David responsible for what happened to his sister Tamar and David’s lack of discipline to Amnon and Absalom took upon himself to bring judgment upon Amnon resulting in his death.

Absalom wanted the people to support his actions.

Absalom prepared a chariot similar to what would be used for state occasions while fifty footmen ran at its side, while Absalom rode.

Much like our president’s limousine escorted by men running by its side or twenty vehicles accompanying it if it was traveling.

1Sa 8:11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

David had allowed Absalom to be restored to his royal position of crown prince of Israel, and Absalom took advantage of it in an attempt to destroy his father the King.

What else did he do?

*2Sa 15:2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

We should not think of this gate as the gate of the city because the elders and appointed judges would first handle the problems of the people at that gate.

It was the greater matters that were then sent on to the King.

Absalom stood at the gates near the entrance to the royal house of the King, his father.

We should not suppose that King David was neglecting his judicial duties.

It was those who were on their way to see the king after the elders and judges could not solve the issue they had and Absalom would stop and make them believe that he was better suited to be judge of all of Israel.

We can believe that because of his sin King David could not be a fair judge on any matter concerning such things as adultery, murder, conspiracy, and other such matters that he had been guilty of himself.

We have judges and politicians in place today who have committed gross sins and yet they keep their positions so, how could they rule or vote on matters they are guilty of.

This is known as the swamp in Washington or as one man put it this morning the sewer of Washington that leads all the way to the president.

Absalom was doing his very best to stir up a rebellion against the king, his father, who he now hated.

Absalom’s wickedness was deliberate and well considered and his grandfather, the King of Gesher, probably had coached him in many of these matters.

*2Sa 15:3 And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.
2Sa 15:4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

Absalom would flatter each of those seeking to see the king and would always pronounce a favorable decision in each case and say how differently things would be done if he were in power.

Absalom would say there should be men appointed to investigate the evidence and take it to the king implying that the king’s decisions were just hasty and arbitrary.

What does the Bible say of such men as Absalom?

Pro_30:17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

We do know that the body of Absalom was not buried but was covered with field rocks to keep the animals away from the body.

It was true that at times the king could be overwhelmed with this task which was too heavy for one man.

Absalom did not possess the knowledge of his father and King David was still God’s man and a man after God’s own heart, but far short from being perfect as we all are.

*2Sa 15:5 And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.
2Sa 15:6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absalom had set out to build a highly favorable public image of himself and it was working with those younger people who had forgotten the history of Israel before King David when the Philistines had harassed them and made slaves of them.

We may serve ourselves, strengthen our position, advance our interests, when we are serving others, but when we are doing them a disservice, encouraging them, and helping them, to do evil, we are our own enemies as well as theirs!

In the end Absalom caused the death of over twenty thousand men of the nation of Israel and his own death and David was still king because Jehovah had selected David and not Absalom.

We must be on the side of truth and honesty which in the end will always be the winning side because this is the way of the Lord.

This is the Lord’s creation and we breathe the Lord’s air because He has the Words of TRUTH that can never fail.

We are to be servants of faith in the Lord and only for this will we be recognized!

Mat_25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat_25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Absalom purposely behaved in a deceptive manner, scheming to secure political support.

Sounds just like the modern-day politician.

It is hard to get the real truth out of any of them.

Absalom received permission to go to Hebron on a false vow because he knew if he could win over the people of Hebron then he could raise an army to go against his father, which he did.

*2Sa 15:13 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

Ambition had led Absalom until he had started a civil war in Israel.

A loyal messenger of King David brought him news of the actions of his son and King David elected to flee rather than to stand his ground until he could get organized.

All David knew was that the vengeance of God for his sin was taking place but it was not.

Yes, God had warned David of all these things, but God was not the cause of all these things.

God does not do evil, He allows evil to take place!

It was David’s sin that had caused these things to happen and the fact that being King of Israel had kept him from being a good parent though that was not a good excuse.

Multiple wives was David’ greatest problem with his family!

Multiple children by those wives with each being taught by mothers who worshipped idols instead of being sure his children were taught the ways of Jehovah were the next problem in his family.

David knew what was going on in his family was because he had not been the parent he should have been, and he felt too guilty to deal with it at this time.

David just knew to flee somewhat like he had to flee from King Saul.

David fled until those around him proved that they were still loyal to him.

*2Sa 15:14 And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
2Sa 15:15 And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.

King David left himself no choice but to flee and to do so immediately because many in Jerusalem would be killed and God expected there to be peace in Jerusalem which was true in the time of Solomon and only now when the Lord returns to be King of Jerusalem for one thousand years and there will be true peace in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem may have been destroyed had war with Absalom occurred there.

There were many servants at the Palace all devoted to King David, but not enough to hold off an army.

David had his children and his wives to think about and their safety.

David took all his wives and his concubines but ten, which causes us to think back to the things that Nathan had told to David.

2Sa 12:11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
2Sa 12:12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

The court of David did not desert King David.

Absalom had perverted self-assurance and no proper sense of his own weaknesses.

Absalom chose evil advisers who were more like Judas Iscariot than righteous men.

In fleeing David left ten concubines behind to take care of the royal palace.

*2Sa 15:16 And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house.
2Sa 15:17 And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off.

The king and the officers of his court and his household brought forth a sizable number of people, but not enough to protect them.

All David’s wives and his children and all of his concubines but ten went with him, leaving ten concubines behind in charge of the palace, expecting them to be safe from harm.

Most believe that this place described as “a place described as afar off” was actually a pavilion overlooking the Kidron Valley, known as “The Far House”.

This was a place where King David stopped until all those with him were assembled to get better organized for the journey to safety.

This is also where David’s bodyguard would gather and they would cross the Kidron Valley only when everything was ready for orderly progress when they could travel at a faster pace.

A confused mob breeds panic and invites attack!

We should also notice that most of the official court officials elected to live or die with King David rather than turn to Absalom.

*2Sa 15:18 And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

The Cherethites and the Pelethites were mercenary soldiers, many of who had been with David when he was fleeing from King Saul and had now become David’s personal body guard and a central part of David’s army.

Benaiah was their commander and a dedicated soldier to King David.

Many of the Cherethites were of a Philistine clan who left the Philistines to be with David.

The name Pelethite means runner or courier who were also part of David’s bodyguards but would sometimes be David’s couriers to other nations or otherwise used because of their loyalty.

The Gittites of which Ittai was named were also Philistines who were loyal to King David.

Many of these men were known as mighty men of valor and great warriors who would not abandon David for any reason.

2Sa 15:21 And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.
2Sa 15:22 And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.

David would not allow the Ark of the Covenant to be removed from Jerusalem and sent it back by Zadok the High Priest.

If the Lord does not travel within us then He is not with us in our actions!

2Sa 15:29 Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.

They could also help David better from Jerusalem and we know that God has chosen Jerusalem.

And David proceeded to cross the Mount of Olives.

*2Sa 15:30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

The covering of the head symbolized the heavy grief that David suffered during this time and David travelled barefoot, which was a sign of deep humiliation.

Most believe that it was upon the Mount of Olives where David composed the Third Psalm.

Psa 3:1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.
Psa 3:2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
Psa 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.
Psa 3:5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.
Psa 3:6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.
Psa 3:7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
Psa 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

No doubt that even with his faults, King David was still loved of God and a great King of Israel.

We next see Ziba bring the King and his followers some nourishment along with a story of the possible rebellion of Mephibosheth.

2Sa 16:3 And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.
2Sa 16:4 Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

David did not know whether to believe him or not, but he welcomed the nourishment that he brought.

This is probably when King David elected to divide the land of Saul between Mephibosheth and Ziba which was being fair to Ziba according to the laws of Moses.

Another man related to King Saul, Shimei felt David deserved what was happening to him and cursed David with every breath and David just allowed him to do so as he did feel as if he had been cursed when he was just suffering as Jehovah had said he would.

The Word of God is never wrong and this world will soon see the reality of the truth of God!

By this time Absalom had come to Jerusalem with an army of traitors to Israel.

*2Sa 16:15 And Absalom, and all the people the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

Ahithophel was a man of the Jews who had been David’s private councilor and among the Jews his counsels were regarded as oracles.

In other words though he was not a prophet it was believed that his councils were divinely given or he communicated the divine will of God to men.

Anybody in their right mind would have thought that such a man would never have turned against King David because David was God’s choice to be King of Israel but he did.

He also had a son named Eliam who was one of David’s bodyguards.

It is this Eliam who was considered to be the father of Bathsheba, making this Ahithophel being her grandfather and it is this thing that possibly made him turn on King David.

The Bible does not say and these things are speculation. He certainly did turn on King David and the king was alarmed that he had done so.

2Sa 15:31 And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

David found a way to counteract the council of Ahithophel through another dedicated councilor named Hushai.

Again David wrote another Psalm.

Psa 55:12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
Psa 55:13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
Psa 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

King David was better off without this excuse of a man!

He was wrong but Jehovah is always right as told by Nathan to David.

*2Sa 16:21 And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong.
2Sa 16:22 So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

We can see the hatred of Ahithophel and Absalom that they had for David and the Word of God holds true again.

Wickedness always seems to find its way into many families and it will find its way into our own families if we cannot walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Absalom had taken over Jerusalem without a fight because this is what King David wanted.

Over the years the City of Jerusalem has been overrun and destroyed many times but King David saw fit to not be the cause of the destruction of Jerusalem in his days.

Melchizedek was the first godly King of Jerusalem known as Salem on that day as he met with Abraham.

Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Notice there were no Muslims in that day so they do not have any legal hold to Jerusalem.

Psa 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.

Many believe that the place where Abraham was ready to offer Isaac was the place where Solomon built the first Temple and no doubt this thing took place on one of the hills of Moriah but it was King David who bought the land where the Temple was first built.

2Sa_24:22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.

1Ch_21:20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
1Ch_21:23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.

King David first bought the place where the Dome of the Rock is now built by trespassers and David later bought all the land now called the Temple Mount.

We see that David bought the land of the where the Dome of the Rock was later built for fifty shekels of silver.

2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
2Sa 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

We next see where David bought all the land where the Temple Mount exists for six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

1Ch 21:24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
1Ch 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
1Ch 21:26 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

It was King David who owned all the land of the Temple Mount which he gave to the Lord for a place of worship to be built.

There were no Muslims at this time they did not exist!

Sorry to chase that rabbit but it needs to be said.

The army of King David was about to meet that army of Absalom in a terrible place for war and a place where Absalom lost his life along with many good Israelites that day.

*2Sa 18:14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
2Sa 18:15 And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.

First Joab kills Absalom and it was that long hair he was so proud of that caused him to be the target of Joab’s darts.

And David finds out about the death of his son.

*2Sa 18:32 And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.
2Sa 18:33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

Our children may not always make us happy, but they are still our children!

Amen

Sin Causes A Family Crisis

January 8, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Trouble in David’s Family

Book of 2 Samuel Chapters 13 and 14

Trouble, what does it mean? The Webster dictionary says: To afflict; to grieve; to distress. Disturbance of mind; agitation; commotion of spirits; perplexity; That which gives disturbance, annoyance, or vexation; that which afflicts.

What we will see is that King David had his share of trouble all his remaining days.

David suffered at the hand of God but this did not cause him to be a bad parent. He did that by himself!

In fact, God will never cause us to do terrible things, it is the yielding to our sin nature that is the cause these things.

Did this trouble affect the promise God had made to David? What was that promise?

2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

What was David to learn and the reason God included all these things in the Bible? We will reap what we sow!

Job_4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

In these two Chapters we will see the beginning of David’s troubles and we will also see him fail as a parent.

*2Sa 13:1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2Sa 13:2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.

We can believe that only the Bible would insert such a record of the life of King David and still have believers who have confidence in the truth of the Scriptures.

I believe it is because the Lord does not hide the sin of these historical characters in the Scriptures, that we can have confidence in the truth of the Scriptures.

God does not condone sin, but the Lord Jesus died for all the sin of this world and the fact that we can believe these things happened, proves to us the actions of our own sin nature.

We must be on the alert for the actions of the Devil all the days of our lives!

When the world allows sin to go unpunished, we will see that God will not allow this to happen.

God chastises us because of sin and God’s chastisement can be very harsh.

In our world today, King David would only be guilty of attempted murder if it could be proven and it could not be proven in the days of King David because only Joab and the king knew the truth, which is except for God Himself.

It is because of David’s sin that sin entered his family.

Remember King David also had many wives and this sin will also show up as his children grew into young adults.

What had the Lord said of David’s chastisement?

2Sa 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
2Sa 12:11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
2Sa 12:12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

Some of the things we will see from King David’s own family were rape, incest, revenge, deceit and murder, and there are always innocent victims.

Another thing we will see as the life of King David is opened before us is the fact that many things happen in the homes of the rich when the children are not properly taught the truth of the Scriptures and the sins of this world.

A good steward can come from rich families as well as from a poor family.

Wickedness is a terrible thing and we must defend against it in this world that is so full of it.

The recent slaughter of babies by the Palestinians called Hamas just show us how wickedness has no moral ground and nor does rape and the other atrocities that were committed upon the Jews, just because they were Jews.

This type of terrorism must be abolished along with all other forms of terrorism!

Amnon did not represent human nature that we do not see today. In fact there is so much rape done today that many do not consider it to be such an atrocity to society, but it still is.

Just like the things done by Judas Iscariot, Amnon, and later Absalom, are things we see almost daily throughout this world.

The difference between a sweet child and such corrupt men as Amnon, depends upon the views of society and our society is failing today and leaning toward the dark side of the devil.

We need a society who will express anger and indignation that cannot be mitigated or turned aside and it appears that only true Christians express these things and society does not see much danger from these things.

Certainly, the family of that person such as Amnon have the riches to try to make him completely innocent and lay the blame upon the young lady.

Why is our world so dark today? The innocent are seen as the guilty and the guilty are seen as not at fault.

It was the burning lust of Amnon for Tamar, who was also a child of his father David, which set Amnon on the path to his destruction and his death.

Amnon was at least twenty to have his own house but Tamar was probably still a teenager.

Amnon was a despicable person in his heart!

He craved and lusted so much for Tamar he became ill.

Tamar lived a pure, righteous life and Amnon could not figure out a way to get her into his possession so, a devilish schemer enters into this picture.

Tamar was the full sister of Absalom.

Sometimes our best friends are our own worst enemies!

2Sa 13:3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.

Subtle in this case means; sly, cunning, crafty, deceitful, treacherous.

Jonadab was such a man.

Jonadab creates a scheme so that King David would allow his daughter Tamar to come into the possession of Tamar and he would cause her much harm all her days.

In fact we could say that Tamar never recovered from this terrible thing that happened to her!

The Bible says: Mal_1:14 But cursed be the deceiver,

Sadly, our own Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ was called a deceiver then and now, because He spoke the truth in a world that has gotten even further from the truth.

Mat_27:63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Again this is the greatest problem in our societies today!

2Jn_1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Jonadab was a child of the Devil!

*2Sa 13:6 So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand.

Amnon pretended to be sick enough that his father King David came to check on him and the evil, wicked, scheme of Jonadab was put in place.

Now you tell me, is this not a strange request to make?

King David should have known something was happening that was just not right, but he trusted all his children to do what was right.

We cannot trust our children to always do right when they are spending time together with the wrong crowd!

No doubt David’s children, at least the boys, were hanging out with the well to do crowd of that day.

Jonadab was a cousin to Amnon.

In other words, they were a bunch of spoiled rich brats.

We must also recognize the peer pressure our children are facing today.

We must also recognize that school higher ups intentionally do things that we would object to if we knew about those things.

Sometimes I believe we have forgotten how to be parents just as King David did.

Some were taught the Word of God and some were taught that there were other gods or many gods.

This was a failure of King David as a parent.

Even this would be looked upon in reverse today, as we live in a world that rejects the truth of the Messiah and the truth of the Cross.

When we teach these things, the world will say that we are wronging our children because we live in a sinful and dark world.

Tamar would never have been alone with Amnon had it not been that she was ordered to do so by her father, King David.

In that day girls of her age were not allowed to be alone with boys of her age and older.

No doubt that all the Jewish girls were taught home economics as we would say.

I can remember when these things were taught in High School.

Cooking, sewing and many other things.

Tamar obeyed because Amnon was her brother, not her blood brother, but they both had the same father.

No doubt they had played together as small children.

She had a brother and he was Absalom.

Later when Absalom had a wife, he named his daughter Tamar after his sister who moved into his home it seems after this incident and remained there all her days in shame.

Amnon requested that everyone leave but Tamar, and he did the unthinkable to his own sister.

*2Sa 13:11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
2Sa 13:12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.

Keep in mind that Amnon was heir to the throne of David at this time and it may be this one thing the reason King David did not punish Amnon.

Amnon was the prince of Israel.

The only thing we really know about Amnon is this thing he did to his sister.

Tamar begged Amnon not to do what he did.

Let us look back to the time of Jacob:

Gen 34:7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

Even today many consider Israel to be a holy nation for their relationship with Jehovah.

All acts of rape, lewdness, and indulgence in the sexual appetite, are things that just were not supposed to happen in a holy nation or in any nation.

The truth is, America is not a holy nation anymore because of these same type things and even more such things are happening in our nation because the laws concerning these things are so weak.

We should understand most of those in America do not want a holy nation or they would get off their cans and vote for changes in our government.

The Church is also far too silent because they are afraid, they will be called bigots and many other names but the truth is the truth!

We had better forget what the world calls us and remember that the Lord Jesus died for us!

If Israel and America fall, then the world will be in total chaos!

If Amnon is a type of the world and Tamar part of the holy nation of Israel of which David is king, we will see the beginning of the fall of Israel.

King David did not have it within his power to stop these things because he had been the cause of them, though this was no excuse.

Even when we are chastised of God we are still to act according to the Word of God!

It is the same for America.

We may never heal from the acts that began with Obama and continue with Biden, and America cannot survive four more years of Biden.

In fact we could say the deadly spiral America is in right now began in earnest with the Clintons.

After David came Solomon, who was wise and rich, but he held Israel together with force and taxes and at his death Israel became a divided nation.

Tamar would have nowhere to hide her shame and neither does America today!

*2Sa 13:13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
2Sa 13:14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.

The crown prince of Israel refused to listen to his sister, he allowed his lust for her beauty to overcome his ties to his family.

We could say like father like son!

Amnon raped his half-sister as if she meant nothing to him because she did not!

Tamar told Amnon the truth.

Amnon was just as one of the fools of Israel.

This does not mean he was stupid or ignorant, but he was someone who had abandoned the fear of God!

At the death of Abner, David said these words:

2Sa 3:33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth?

How did the Lord Jesus see these things?

Luk 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

We know that Amnon by the world’s view, would have been the next king of Israel by birth rite and he gave that opportunity away for a few moments of self-satisfaction and also destroyed the life of his half-sister and it cost him his own life.

After this thing took place, Amnon now hated his sister because it had never been about love, it was only about lust.

This is the same story behind many short marriages.

This is the same story behind most the abortions.

This is the story behind the queer movement.

This is the story behind the LBGT movement in America and in the world today.

Lust is a mode of destruction just as is all sin!

True love has been forgotten!

Amnon would fall victim to his half-brother who was a true brother to Tamar, Absalom, who was taking his time and made a certain plan to take vengeance upon his half-brother Amnon.

*2Sa 13:23 And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.

King David had become enraged over what Amnon had done, but King David knew he was at fault for all the things he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah and he did nothing when it was still his place to discipline his children.

David piled sin upon sin rather that accepting the consequences of his sin and growing through them.

Had he done so David may have saved his son’s life!

There is never an excuse for not disciplining our children!

Pro_22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

David should have at least tried to keep his children straight!

The time of sheepshearing was a festive time of parties and the inviting of friends.

Absalom’s plan to murder his brother was coming together and he knew his father King David would not come to such an event but he asked just to make everything seem innocent.

We see that Absalom knew about deception and in fact had King David have gone Absalom would have tried to kill him.

Absalom hated his father for not punishing Amnon and this one thing was his guide his remaining days.

All the brothers or half-brothers of Absalom also hated Amnon for what he had done but they did not hater their father as did Absalom.

The things Jehovah had told the prophet Nathan to tell David were all coming true.

*2Sa 13:28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.

Absalom felt himself bound in honor to avenge his sisters wrong and welcomed this opportunity to get rid of this blemish on the family of King David.

Keep in mind that with Amnon gone, Absalom was next in line for the throne of King David.

Absalom would become the new crown prince of Israel and Absalom would take advantage of this a little later.

The servants of Absalom would be used to kill Amnon just as the children of Ammon were used to kill Uriah.

God says what He means and God means what He says!

The other brothers of Absalom fled the scene and escaped to tell their father what had happened.

That old troublemaker Jonadab told the king that only Amnon had been killed and Absalom had made this plan from the time of the rape of Tamar.

Jonadab was David’s nephew and any good nephew would have informed the king of the plan of Absalom before it had taken place.

Absalom also fled but he fled to his grandfather, the King of Gesher.

This king’s daughter was the mother of Absalom and Tamar.

Gesher was located between the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon on the Syria side of Jordan.

David had made a covenant with this King and he had given his daughter to David to be his wife to seal that covenant of peace.

*2Sa 13:37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.
2Sa 13:38 So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
2Sa 13:39 And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

After three years King David longed to see his son and the pain of the death of Amnon had now passed.

Absalom, during this time was making an even greater plan to cause harm to his father.

If we look, we can see all sorts of typology in these passages.

Next, we will see the time that Joab send a woman with an attempt to tell a parable, but all she does make a fool of herself.

Remember a parable was an earthly picture of a Heavenly truth.

King David sends Joab to bring Absalom home and as we would say, the plot thickens.

Chapter 14 verse twenty-one.

*2Sa 14:21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.
2Sa 14:24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face.

King David had not banished Absalom, he had stayed away himself.

But for King David not to pardon Absalom for killing Amnon was a dangerous policy.

In fact, it may be that Absalom had been confined to his house on the order of King David.

During this time, to Absalom were born three sons and one daughter and he named this daughter Tamar after his sister who would live the life of a widow for what Amnon had done to her.

Absalom was showing her that he still had respect for her.

It is these types of things that caused many in Israel to take their affection from King David and show it to Absalom.

David was looked upon as a harsh father and a bad parent but praise was shown to Absalom.

*2Sa 14:25 But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
2Sa 14:26 And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight.
2Sa 14:27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

Absalom began a plan to be reconciled to his father David.

In doing so, Absalom sought the praise of all of Israel.

In reality, Absalom was conceited, arrogant, and full of himself, self-exaltation.

Absalom had more pride in his hair than he did of his nation.

We see many such things as these in our young people today!

Absalom did his best to appear as royalty.

These things were working for Absalom.

Absalom did not cut his hair until it got too heavy for him to deal with day by day.

When he did cut it and weighed it, it weighed about five or six pounds.

The daughter of Absalom was named Tamar after her aunt of the same name and it is her daughter Maachah named after her grandmother who later became a future Queen of Judah, wife to Abijah the grandson of Solomon.

As we go on through our lessons, we will see Absalom go against his father David because he never forgave his father for what happened to his sister Tamar.

Amen

A King Confesses

January 1, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Confession

Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 12

What is our confession to the Lord? It is an open profession of our faith.

When we confess our love for the Lord Jesus Christ and our faith in Him, we can be saved.

Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

After we are saved, we can confess our sins and know that the Lord will hear us and then forgive us, this is repentance.

1Jn_1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We already know the terrible things King David had done in his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah but up until this point David had not confessed his sin to the Lord and he had not been forgiven of those sins.

Repentance should consist of four things:

1) A true sense of our guilt and sinfulness.

Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

2) A true knowledge of God’s mercy in Jesus Christ.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

3) Actual hatred of sin

Psa_119:104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

4) Walking with the Lord after salvation.

Jas_2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas_2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Who would have thought that David could have done such things as these?
Adultery, murder, deceit, attempting to hide his sin for fear of the Laws of Moses.

We should clearly understand that our sin will eventually find us out.

Num_32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

Our lesson describes to us how miserable David had become just because he refused to confess his sin.

David had spent the time up to this point trying to hide his sin from all of Israel and he had good reason to.

Two years had gone by and David had thought no more of Uriah.

Our own national leaders show very little concern for that soldier or that serviceman who is willing to defend his nation.

In the laws of Moses, both adultery and murder had the punishment of death.

What would Israel think of him if they found out what he had done?

This is why our own government today tries to hide the things they do as they think they are above the average citizen.

All these things are secondary to what the Lord will do if we do not confess our sins to Him.

He already knows what we have done!

What did God do to David?

Did He remove David? No, David was still the best choice to lead the nation of Israel at that time.

Did God raise up the enemies of Israel to come against David? No.

Did God rain down fire and brimstone upon David? No.

God sent a humble man of God to confront David, God sent the preacher.

We must keep in mind that David was King of all of Israel and David was the law in the land of Israel.

The prophet Nathan simply told a little story that King David could relate to and it, broke David from his stubbornness.

What is worse than sin itself? Being blind and insensible to sin is much worse because this proves just how depraved we really are!

We should also know that chastisement is never a joyful experience and God will never allow it to be because that would send the wrong message!

God will not condone sinful behavior from His children for very long.

Consistent sinful behavior from anyone, is a sign that they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, no matter what they claim!

*2Sa 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2Sa 12:2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
2Sa 12:3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

First Nathan tells David a make-believe story of two different men, one rich and one poor.

Riches of that day were determined by how many animals were owned.

David could relate to this story because he had been a shepherd who had kept the flocks of his own father, Jesse.

The rich man had many sheep but the poor man had only one sheep and he had raised it much like we do our pets and would never have killed the animal for any reason. It was a fine animal with no blemishes and kept more as a pet rather than merchandise.

This one ewe sheep was likened to a daughter to this man and was his only companion!

One day the rich man had a guest to entertain in his home.

*2Sa 12:4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

As this story continues, one day the rich man had a guest to entertain in his home.

Instead of slaughtering one of his own animals for the evening meal, the rich man stole the one and only lamb of the poor man.

He slaughtered this animal and served it to his guest having no concern for the property of the poor man.

It was at this point that King David became enraged with anger.

*2Sa 12:5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
2Sa 12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

David interrupted Nathan at this point and swore to Nathan the Prophet of God that this man should die and also pay for the lamb four times over what was dictated by the Law with animals of the same quality.

Exo 22:1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.

Unknown to David, he had just condemned himself.

It was David who had over three hundred concubines and in reality, he could have had most any single lady in the kingdom of Israel if he had asked.

Uriah had only one wife, Bathsheba.

Nathan interrupted David before he could say another word.

*2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

We can see that our Lord will sometimes use different means than we would even think of to show us our own guilt in sin.

We must also understand that God will never go against His will!

The Lord sent the preacher, Nathan, with this little story that once David understood it, he realized it was all about him.

Up until this point King David had no suspicion that he was this rich man and that he had acted, showing no concern for his neighbor Uriah, who was a valiant soldier and one of David’s great ones.

Uriah had dedicated his life to King David and David had snuffed that life out as if it meant nothing to him.

David had now condemned himself!

David had been blind to his own sin!

We cause harm to ourselves when we refuse to repent of our sins!

God reminded David of how much he had already given to him and God reminds David that he would have gotten even more blessings if he had not done this thing.

*2Sa 12:8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

David was horrified at the picture that Nathan had drawn of his conduct and we will see that David finally realized just how much he had sinned against the Lord against Uriah and against Bathsheba.

His greatest sin was against the Lord.

All sin is against the Lord because we are disobedient to what He teaches us in His Word!

We must realize that any sin we become a part of is against the Lord and that person.

When we do such things, we can expect God’s judgment and God’s chastisement!

We will reap what we sow which is what the Lord tells us!

As terrible as God’s judgment may sound, we should also know that no sin is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.

This is why God’s grace is so prevalent in this the Church Age which could soon be over.

We will also see that in the remainder of David’s life, that David learned this lesson well and he was no habitual sinner in such things as these.

David was never perfect while he was alive!

We sometimes forget the awesome power we have given to our rulers but the Lord keeps them in His sights.

A government for the people is far better than a government for themselves, which is what we have today!

Only David and Joab knew of these things and it had gone no further than this, other than a few of King David’s dedicated servants who would have never turned against him.

What was God’s judgment?

*2Sa 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
2Sa 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
2Sa 12:11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

Whether it was by his own hands or not, King David had murdered Uriah.

It was a premeditated murder!

When our government sends our service men and women into a conflict, they had better do it for the right reasons for they will be held accountable.

If not here on earth, they will be held accountable by the Lord!

David had lusted after a married woman, Bathsheba, this sin David committed before he even took the next step of laying with her.

The sin of adultery is also a terrible sin!

David’s greatest sin was disobedience to the Word of God as is all our sin!

Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

David had not only murdered Uriah, but a man also dedicated to the safety of the king, and it was as if David had done this himself, even if he had used the hands of others to do the deed for him.

In fact David had used the hands of his enemies to kill a valiant, dedicated soldier.

David had used the hands of the enemy of God’s people!

Our greatest enemy is Satan and if we use the hands of Satan to cause harm to others we have sinned terribly.

The Lord is always ready to pardon once we have repented!

David had been able to get away with this thing in the world, but the Lord God of this world sees everything we do.

David later wrote this Psalm and gave it to the Chief musician, which was probably Asaph at that time.

Psa 139:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Psa 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

Psalm 139 is a great Psalm for us to read.

We can see that when David wrote in this Psalm that he clearly understood the power of God to see all our actions in this world.

How would we compare this judgment with the judgment others from God?

Jacob deceived his father, and his sons deceived him. Jacob cheated on his brother, and is cheated by his uncle Laban.

We will see that many similar things of David’s sin will play out in the life of David until his death.

David would see most of these things in his own family, his own children included, and yet he would not be able to stop it.

David’s son Absalom would do things never imagined by a loving son.

In some ways Absalom was guided by the grandfather of Bathsheba who had cared for Uriah.

For the murder of Uriah there would be a fourfold restitution by King David as he had stated himself.

Bathsheba’s baby would die.
Amnon would rape David’s daughter Tamar.
Absalom would cause a rebellion.
Adonijah would try to seize the throne David had given to Solomon.

In many ways King David faced open disgrace from his own family.

David had brought shame and dishonor upon the family of his neighbor, so his own family rights were violated by his own son.

We can believe that sins that follow sin are usually much worse than the sins that caused them!

This still holds true today!

God says to David, you tried to hide your sins, but God said, He would do all these things in the open for all of Israel to see.

*2Sa 12:12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

David had committed terrible sin, but God did not cast him away.

We find that when we commit such sin we may be of little use to the plan of God.

David would remain King of Israel but he was king only politically and no longer spiritually useful in the plan of God.

God did not take away his salvation. David still genuinely believed and trusted in the Lord!

On this one occasion he had yielded to the lust of his flesh and it would cost him dearly, but the Lord still loved David.

We must understand that the Lord will chastise us because He loves us!

If He did not love us, He would just send us straight to Hell!

It is a sure thing that no matter who we are, we will reap what we sow!

1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

And King David repented.

*2Sa 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

We see that once we repent of our sin, we are forgiven and the Lord puts away that sin and He will never bring it up again!

The world will certainly bring it up, but not the Lord.

There is very little mercy in this world unless you are a child of the Devil and he will use you and toss you into the worldly abyss.

In humility and brokenness David confessed his sin, declaring that he had sinned against the Lord Himself.

David made no attempt to rationalize or to justify his actions or his sin.

David spoke from the depth of his heart because he knew his guilt and he knew he deserved to be punished.

The Lord offered up His mercy and it is His mercy we must respond to!

The Lord set aside the death penalty for David which was called for by the Laws of Moses.

David would not be condemned by the world!

Isa_40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

David is in Heaven today along with this child conceived through sin!

*2Sa 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

What is the most awful result when a Christian sins? We give a great occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme!

When these things happen that lost crowd will broadcast it everywhere!

The child would die but all such children go straight to Heaven.

If that poor baby had been allowed to live, those non-believers of that day would rejoice in the fall of David and ridicule the Name of the Lord, just as they do today for anything, they see a Christian do that is wrong in their eyes.

There would be no respect for the Word of God, if we just continue in our sin, claiming that Grace is our ticket to forgiveness.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

We should understand that it was not Bathsheba’s fault her son had died.

*2Sa 12:24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
2Sa 12:25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

David had been comforted by the Lord and he went to Bathsheba to comfort her.

They had both been reconciled to God and it was time for them both to seek reconciliation!

King David took Bathsheba to be his wife and God gave them another son who was Solomon and it is Solomon who would become the third king of Israel.

All the other sons of David were so caught up in sin they would never have made decent kings.

Note: we see immediately see that the Lord loved Solomon, but it does not mean that the Lord did not love the other child for He did.

That child is also in Heaven!

2Sa 12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? “I shall go to him”, but he shall not return to me.

This assurance lets know that every aborted child and every child that dies before they have the ability to know the Lord and know the penalty of sin, are all in Heaven.

The name Jedidiah means “Beloved of Jehovah”.

Amen

King David and Bathsheba

December 29, 2023 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David and Bath-Sheba

Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 11

So far in our lessons we have seen the strengths of King David and we start thinking of him as a man who was above sin, but what we find is that he was actually a human being who also had a sin nature just as we all do and lust may have been his greatest temptation.

God had said that David was a man after God’s own heart and he still was.

Jehovah had these words for King Saul.

1Sa 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: “the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart”, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

We know that King Saul never one time sought the knowledge of the Lord when he took his nation to war and he never tried to get the Ark of God back into its home in the Holy of Holies.

David had lived a righteous life, but suddenly without warning, David was confronted with a temptation that he was too weak to overcome.

We know that David had probably faced such temptation many times because he had many wives. Some were because of politics, but most of them were David’s own desires.

This time we find that there were several differences that the Lord has made known to us.

The Lord never tries to hide the sin of those He has chosen for special work.

It is these things that brought the nation of Israel into a divided nation and a weakened nation could not defend itself from the wickedness of this world that is centered upon conflict and is still centered on conflict.

A little bit of power can change many who were once just part of society.

We should understand that God does not mention a curse just to be saying the words!

God still means what He has said because He says what He means in all curses and in all sin but also in His blessings.

It was David’s sin that almost destroyed his entire family and it was David’s sin that set Israel on a course of destruction which they are still trying to recover from.

When we turn our backs on God, we are simply headed for trouble in our lives and our children’s lives that could go on for generations!

Deu 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deu 28:16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
Deu 28:17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Deu 28:18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
Deu 28:19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deu 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

It was David’s sin that was the main cause of the nation of Israel and to scatter them all over the earth until May 14,1948 when again Israel became a nation upon the some of the same land that God has given to them.

Deu 28:63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 28:64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Deu 28:65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
Deu 28:66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
Deu 28:67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

We serve a loving merciful God but He expects obedience from us all!

Some would try to convince you that the curse of God does not exists today but the same curse to Adam and Eve is the same curse we are under today and will not be over until the Lord Jesus Christ says that it is over.

Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

In the time of King David, the king would go out with his troops in the time of war. David had already reached the age where he was unable to do hand-to-hand combat with the enemy but he at least should have gone out with his troops to direct the battle.

We already know that David was a great military strategist.

It was one of those times and David did not go with his troops and the Bible does not say why he did not go with them.

The Bible just confirms that King David would have been far better off to have gone into battle with his army.

*2Sa 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

Taking this passage word for word it appears that it was after Winter but in the Spring that most of these wars of Israel began.

Because of walled cities an army would lay siege to that city and as those crops began to come in they would have food provided by that city and that would also deprive that city of the harvest and cause them to run out of food.

Why David did not go out with his armies, the Scriptures do not say.

Joab had already wasted the land of Ammon and had now laid siege to Rabbah, the capitol city of Ammon.

Joab had brought many of the treasures to Jerusalem including the crown of the king which was made of pure gold.

1Ch 20:2 And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David’s head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.

We do see where David did make a trip to Rabbah just before the battle ended and at the end, these people of Rabbah were put to work as servants to Israel.

1Ch 20:3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

This verse may sound terrible but it reads the people were given saws and harrows and axes and they were made servants of Israel instead the terrorists that they were.

What had the Lord said?

Eze 25:6 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;
Eze 25:7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

Before King David went to Rabbah he did something that would multiply into unspeakable sin by the ruler of Israel, David, who it was said had a heart that belonged to Jehovah.

It proves that any of us are capable of falling back into sin and it seems we are most susceptible after we have been on the mountain for an extended amount of time.

The valley is a terrible place for most of us but we will spend a good amount of time in the valley because of this world of sin that we live in.

*2Sa 11:2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

All the houses of the Jews had flat roofs that you could walk upon and they were places of storage, and places to observe the stars and to relax as it seems King David was trying to do on this day.

This is when the devil will take advantage of our situation and cause as much havoc as he can in our lives.

King David had a house worthy of a king so it was higher that all other houses around him.

All the Jewish homes had yards that had fences that were higher than the head. We would say privacy fences.

Bathsheba was breaking no law.

A tub was put into the back yard so the sun could warm the water during the day and just at nighttime when the water was the warmest, the owner could bath or in Bathsheba’s case it was a ritual bath.

The outward purification with water, symbolizing man’s need of inward purity before admission into God’s presence.

It was King David who was sinful.

David should have read the Book of Job.

Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
Job 31:2 For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?
Job 31:3 Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?
Job 31:4 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
Job 31:5 If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;
Job 31:6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

We all need to stay close to the Word of God to obey what the Lord has said!

1Co_10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

He looked.
He lusted.
He failed the Lord.

We must understand that Satan has been on the job for more six thousand years and we are numbered by our own years.

In our daily walk, we can be called innocent of the first look upon sin but that second look is the one that causes our sin.

King David could not have known this beautiful lady was taking a bath which was actually a purification bath by the laws of Moses.

David became guilty when he took that second look and then lingered to stare at this young lady.

Then he did much more than this!

*2Sa 11:3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

First King David enquired to whom she belonged to.

We should remember by this time God had brought David’s troubles to an end and King David was the most powerful monarch in that quarter of the known world.

He had reached higher than he ever could have imagined.

No nation had the will to come against Israel in the days of King David that is, up until the time of this period when David allowed sin to come back into his life.

It was bad enough that this young lady was innocent while King David watched her bath, but then when David knew that she was the wife of one of his best soldiers you would think that it would all stop at that point, but David’s lust had already taken over him and he did not care who she belonged to, after all he was a great king. who could challenge him.

So David took the next step.

*2Sa 11:4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.

David had neglected his duty to be with his army which would have been a much better place than where he found himself right now.

We still have to say that Bathsheba was still innocent after all, David was King of all Israel, how could she defy him.

All we can say is the David’s lust blinded him to the clear laws of God’s Holy Word against committing adultery.

Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Lev 18:20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour’s wife, to defile thyself with her.

Lev 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

David disregarded the Word of God.
David disregarded the wreckage he could cause in his own family.
David disregarded the wreckage he could cause in someone else’s family.
David disregarded what could happen in his nation that had just joined together by the Word of God which David had rejected.

In many ways we can relate these things to our own nation that became strong and self-sustaining until the Lord Jesus Christ has been rejected and are now appearing weak to those nations who have feared us for many years.

I do not think we should try to drag Bathsheba through the mud for what happened, as many books and many commentaries try to do.

I believe had she rejected the king things would be much worse for her and her husband!

Rulers have great control over those who defy them even today.

Then she conceived.

*2Sa 11:5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

David’s moment of satisfaction now was having an unexpected consequence.

It is these types of things that keep the abortion industry busy.

People who believe they have to the freedom to be promiscuous and then the freedom to kill an innocent child after such behavior are no more than murderers and fornicators!

Had such a thing been done in the time of David I’m sure it could have been used here, but the laws of God protected that newborn life and this was a child as soon as conception took place.

God says every child is a blessing!

Pro_20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

At any time David could have departed from the evil that was surrounding him, but the hole of evil does not stop until it has been filled.

The Bible says:

Psa 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

King David just dug his hole deeper.

*2Sa 11:6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
2Sa 11:7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered.
2Sa 11:8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.
2Sa 11:9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

When we have sinned against our Savior there is only one thing to do, and that is to ask for forgiveness and then repent.

David devised a plan in an attempt to escape his guilt, but no such plan can fool God!

David sent for Uriah saying he wanted an update report of the progress of the war, when he really wanted Uriah to spend some time with his wife.

Uriah was not just your average soldier! Uriah was one of the band of David’s mighty men.

1Ch 11:26 Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

And:

1Ch 11:41 Uriah the Hittite,

What we find is, that Uriah was a much better man than King David at this time.

David tried with all he knew to get Uriah to go home to be with his wife, in hope that when this child was born it would known as Uriah’s child and David’s problem would be over as surely Bathsheba would not have told Uriah what happened.

Evidently many people had known that Bathsheba had gone to the house of King David.

Uriah was a dedicated soldier who wanted to get back to the battlefield, because his fellow soldiers were there.

No one seems to understand how close fellow soldiers become when they spend time upon the battlefield.

It is an extremely close relationship, as close or closer than brothers.

Now I do not claim to be anything special but when I was in Vietnam I came down with strep throat and reached a high fever until I was almost delirious and my medic called for a medivac. I was at 104 degrees and it was 105 degrees temperature yet I was freezing to death and could not get warm. When I reached the battlefield hospital, I received two shots of penicillin in both hips and two bottles of penicillin and went straight back to my platoon because I did want to be separated from them just in case they got into a firefight. I wanted to be with them because we were brothers!

Uriah was not about to go home to be with his wife when his brothers were in harm’s way!

David’s deceptive plan failed!

David’s first sin was the fact temptation had taken control of him at the sight of Bathsheba undressed.

The first look at Bathsheba was an accident and it was not sinful.

That second look was sin and this is when lust became sin, a sin of the heart even if David went no further.

Mat_5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat_5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Had David gone no further he would have still to confess that sin before God, but David went ever further.

It was a murder of character and in fact called for capital punishment for which both parties were to be sentenced to death.

David did not stop at this point but continued to pile on one sin after another!

In desperation, David made a second attempt to deceive Uriah.

*2Sa 11:12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow.
2Sa 11:13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

David ordered Uriah to stay in Jerusalem one more day and to eat with the King.

It was David trying a feeble attempt to get Uriah drunk enough that he might go home to his wife.

Again, Uriah refused to go home to his wife while his brothers in the army of God was at war.

We know that deception is the opposite of truthfulness!

When we scheme to deceive another person, we are not walking in the truth, no matter if we think we are, we are walking in sin.

Deceiving is lying and David was living a lie.

What does the Lord Jesus say?

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

God adds to this:

Psa 101:7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.

We can see that the Lord is serious about these things!

Book of Proverbs:

Pro 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

King David went deeper into sin rather than confess his guilt and repent, and these things would affect his life and the lives of his family and the whole nation of Israel from that day forward.

*2Sa 11:14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
2Sa 11:15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

Uriah would take his own death decree to Joab the next day.

David wrote a letter to Joab ordering him to place Uriah at the front of the battle and then withdraw from him and Uriah would be killed.

Joab can also be found guilty because he did this thing, which was enough guilt in the eyes of God, but Joab had other reasons.

We can be sure that more soldiers than Uriah were killed that day!

When the lives of our militaries mean nothing to our politicians and presidents we are almost finished as a nation and will like Putin who has murdered over 300,000 of his own people in the Ukraine without remorse.

Joab and King David both knew that the death of Uriah, who was more noble and more gallant than they both, did not come by chance but was intentional murder.

What we know for sure is, that King David should have been with his army. The Devil will always find work for idle hands to do!

It should be obvious that a first sin will lead to more sin if there is an attempt to hide it.

We cannot hide any sin from the Lord.

He knows that sin because it was one of the sins, He died for on the cross of Mount Calvary.

All sin needs to be confessed so it can be forgiven and we can move on with our lives, not causing further damage to those we love!

Amen

A Picture of God’s Grace

December 18, 2023 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 9

David’s Compassion

What is compassion?

A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration.

One of the great pictures of compassion in the New Testament is the work of the Lord Jesus with the wild man of Gadara.

Mar 5:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

Why did Jesus die for us all?

Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Compassion is the key to being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Compassion and kindness must be the traits of all God’s people!

What is one of the two greatest commandments from our Lord and Savior?

Joh_13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh_13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Joh_15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh_15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

The world we live in today has left out love and swapped it for hatred, especially in America!

The Lord provides our needs as He sees them and if we are to be like the Lord Jesus Christ, then we need to show compassion to those that we see who have a need, especially when we have no need of items that could help them.

One of the greatest lessons on compassion in the Old Testament can be seen in our lesson today.

*2Sa 9:1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

We should understand that King David did not know that there were children of Jonathan that remained. He therefore thought he could show his kindness to the next of his kindred.

We should understand that any kindred of King Saul would probably be hidden for fear that David would search them out to kill them.

This is what a new king would do in most cases during the Age of kings, but David was a man after God’s own heart and he would not have done this, especially for the promise he had made to Jonathan.

David was doing his best to fulfill the promise he had made to Jonathan.

1Sa 20:14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:
1Sa 20:15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
1Sa 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.

Jonathan knew in his heart that David would be the next true king of Israel.

It was the custom of that day for the new king to murder all his predecessor’s family and Jonathan wanted David to promise that he would not do this.

This was done to stop any claim the throne by the family of the previous ruler.

We would think that things like this no longer happen in our modern world, but we need only look at what is happening to Donald Trump to know that these things still happen today!

The Democratic party has gone after all the family of Donald Trump in order to keep him from becoming president and are trying to ruin the reputation of Donald and all his family to keep them out of politics in the future.

This cannot be denied!

We can see that not much has changed in politics and world leaders throughout the Ages.

Ecc 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecc 1:10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

We see just about every day the results of new leaders disposing of the old leader in many cruel ways including assassination and use of prison and other ways.

King David did not do these things after becoming King of Israel.

David found one man Ziba who had been one of Saul’s servants.

*2Sa 9:2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
2Sa 9:3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
2Sa 9:4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.
2Sa 9:5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.

I am not going to try to describe this event as Preacher Sam does.

The story of Mephibosheth and King David is a splendid example of the Grace of God.

David treated Mephibosheth and his son Micha with the greatest kindness, which was Grace.

He remained in Jerusalem and ate at the King’s table.

Every child of God will one day go home and eat at the table of the Lord Jesus Christ because of Grace.

We know GRACE as “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”.

Ziba had taken over the lands of Saul and was considered to be a rich man himself at this time.

There will be different versions of stories between Mephibosheth and Ziba as time passes.

Mephibosheth was five years old when the Philistines came to the home of King Saul to kill any remaining in the family of Saul, when one of the servants escaped with him and he fell, hitting his head, and that fall caused him to lose the control of his feet making him a cripple for life.

2Sa 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame and his name was Mephibosheth.

Ziba had been a servant in the house of Saul, but was now a free man and he was determined to remain a free man.

King David did not allow this to happen.

Later, what David asked him to do was to become a servant to Mephibosheth.

2Sa 16:1 And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba “the servant of Mephibosheth” met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

It was this same Ziba who brought nourishment to King David as he left Jerusalem to keep from killing Absolom.

During this time that David left his home because of Absolom, Mephibosheth backslide into his old ways and remained at the house of David.

Mephibosheth is also called Merib-Baal and he had a son.

1Ch 8:34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.

These things came a little latter when turmoil entered into David’s life because of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.

So, King David sent for Mephibosheth.

*2Sa 9:6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!
2Sa 9:7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

This is a picture of the Grace that will be shown to every believer by our Heavenly Father for His Son Jesus’s sake.

When Mephibosheth came into the royal court he fell upon his face before King David thinking he was about to lose his life.

David gave Mephibosheth assurance that he had no evil intentions toward him, because David wanted to show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake.

This is exactly what Jehovah our Heavenly Father wants to do for us as He gives us assurance that He will show us a great kindness for Jesus’s sake.

David then issued a royal decree in the name of Mephibosheth.

David gave him back all of his father’s lands, the same land that Ziba had cared for and improved on all those years since the death of Saul.

David could have easily claimed all the possessions of King Saul for himself but he had not.

Saul’s private estate did pass into David’s possession when David came to the throne but David had ignored that piece of land.

This is the Lord speaking to David.

2Sa 12:8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

David had always shown respect for King Saul and all his family.

It was a great privilege to eat at the table of the king and Mephibosheth had this promise all his remaining days.

So, Mephibosheth bowed before King David.

*2Sa 9:8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

In the Israel of that day, a dead dog was considered to be the vilest and most contemptable object possible.

2Sa 3:8 Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman?

2Sa 16:9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

1Sa 24:14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

We need to watch what we call people, as it could have a different meaning to them, than our intent.

When Mephibosheth said these things to express great gratitude saying that by rank King David was exalted much more than he was.

King David knew what Mephibosheth was saying.

We need to do the same without calling names, recognizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted much above us at all times.

*2Sa 9:9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.

Mephibosheth was actually Saul’s grandson, but words of relationships are used in a very different way in the Hebrew.

Ziba was already managing the lands of King Saul, but more for his own rather that for Mephibosheth.

The King now ordered him to manage those same things that belonged to Saul for Mephibosheth and though he was obedient in these things it did not sit well with him.

Ziba had been a slave in the house of King Saul, so he was still better off, but he certainly did not want to become a slave to Mephibosheth.

Under Jewish Law, Ziba was now a fee man and later King David made these things right.

Ziba was also ordered by King David to bring all his own family to serve as slaves and to till the land for Mephibosheth.

*2Sa 9:10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
2Sa 9:11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.

Ziba knew there was not much he could do about what was happening to him and his family.

It was a great honor that David was showing to Mephibosheth and a great picture of Grace for him, but not much honor given to the slave who had been freed at the death of King Saul and his family.

God included this story in the Bible also for us to study.

We might also note that Ziba had employed ten slaves himself.

Many of the slaves of that day were actually fellow Hebrews who had met with hard times and had to indenture themselves in order to pay off some debt but Jehovah had specific laws concerning these things.

There is much more to these stories we will see later.

At least Mephibosheth would not be around much because he was the guest of the King, but he had a son name Micha in one place and Micah in another place. They are one and the same person.

And this son had sons.

*2Sa 9:12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
2Sa 9:13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.

King David showed the “Grace” of God to Mephibosheth all the days of his life, but does appear that Mephibosheth did turn on King David at the time of Absolom’s rebellion.

We will substitute the name Micah for Micha in other places.

1Ch 8:34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.
1Ch 8:35 And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.

We should be able to see that Ziba who had been a free man after the day of Saul’s death, had no real responsibility to be a slave to Mephibosheth nor his family.

The Scriptures have not told us whether Ziba was a Jew but it does appear that he was a true Israelite.

Lev 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
Lev 25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
Lev 25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

So far all I have able to search says Ziba was an Israelite and subject to the Laws of Moses.

Exo 21:2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

It appears that the true reading of the Scriptures that Ziba became a free man and any other slaves of King Saul.

It also appears that Ziba had stayed on to take care of Saul’s possessions after his death which in fact he felt obligated to do until the new king, David decided what he was going to do with that property.

To the above modes of of a slave to obtain liberty, the rabbinical priesthood added, as a fourth, the death of the master without leaving a son, there being no power of claiming the slave, on the part of any heir except a son, that slave would be free.

All the sons of King Saul were dead.

When a slave was set free the Master had an obligation to that slave.

Deu 15:13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:
Deu 15:14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

We should understand that Zida would have nothing if he just ran off so, he stayed to protect these things.

We could call this God’s Grace toward Ziba.

Later, we will see King David separate half the lands of King Saul to Ziba, we can believe that David had become more familiar with the Laws of Moses and made this thing right with Ziba.

2Sa 19:29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
2Sa 19:30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.

All these details will come out because of the coup that Absolom, King David’s own son and some rebellious elders, and politicians, and even some in religion had caused.

King David had only left Jerusalem because he did not want to war with his son Absolom and because he knew he was being chastised of God for his own sins, but God did not want him to leave Jerusalem.

God was not through with David at this time and God would not allow Absolom to become king.

We also see that God does not allow His Grace to go unrewarded to all parties.

God is still no respecter of persons!

These things show us that we can really get down after we recognize that we have sinned against God even when he has forgiven us!

Amen

The Lord’s Promises are Sure

December 11, 2023 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Promise from the Lord

Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 7

There should be no doubt that Chapter Seven in the Book of 2 Samuel is a great chapter and one of the greatest chapters in all the Bible!

Some of God’s greatest promises can be read in this chapter and much of it has already been found to be true by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

One man wrote, The New Testament opens with “The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David”.

This is important because of the promises God made to David are to be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to all prophecy!

Luk 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Luke could write these things because they were revealed in 2 Samuel Chapter Seven and verified by the Holy Spirit.

This was God fulfilling His promise to David!

Peter’ sermon revealed:

Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Act 2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

The Apostle Paul:

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Rom 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) (Chapter 7, 2 Samuel)
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Rom 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Rom 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Jeremiah wrote:

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

We call these things today the Davidic Covenant and this Chapter as a picture of Grace.

God’s greatest promise of “Hope”, the Coming of the Son of David, Christ Jesus Himself.

All our hope is in JESUS!

*2Sa 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2Sa 7:2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
2Sa 7:3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
2Sa 7:4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,
2Sa 7:5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

King David had a burning desire to build a Temple worthy enough for God to dwell as He had in the Tabernacle.

His heart was in the right place.

David had a heart set upon honoring God.

We all should have such a heart!

The pure fact is, that we cannot confine our Lord and Savior, our God, to any one place of worship!

Jehovah just cannot be confined period!

There is no place in this universe where the Lord cannot be found!

No doubt King David had been greatly blessed because Jehovah had given him victory over all the enemies of Israel and Jehovah had established Jerusalem as the capitol city of all of Israel and by giving David great wealth.

David’s name was spoken of all over the world when great names were mentioned.

David wanted to show his gratitude to Jehovah by building a House of God, a great Temple in honor of Him.

The Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of God’s presence and the Ark was abiding in nothing but a tent.

Remember last week’s lesson told us of the Tabernacle of David where the Ark had been placed while the rebuilt Tabernacle was located in Gibeon.

When Nathan became aware of David’s desire, he first told David since God was with him, then surely it would be the right thing to do, to build a Temple for Jehovah.

We must understand that all of Israel considered that Jehovah was only God to Israel and not to any other peoples or any other nation.

Nathan being a prophet of God had encouraged David as a personal adviser would do, but God had other plans and He let them be known to Nathan who took God’s message to King David.

Nathan’s task was to give spiritual and religious advice to the King.

God had not yet spoken to Nathan about this issue, but that night He did, and Nathan had given King David some bad advice which he would have to correct.

As David can be our example in many things but not all things, we can still learn from him.

1) It is only the Lord who can save us from sin, death, and Hell!
2) It is only the Lord who gives us the strength to overcome our trials and temptations in this life.
3) It is only the Lord who enables us to face hardships and misfortune such as disease or a disabling accident.
4) It is only the Lord who loves us even when we are unlovable and who forgives us when we confess our sins to Him, this is called Grace.
5) It is only the Lord who will stand with us in moments of loneliness and when we are facing death.

We can see that we certainly owe the Lord our honor and our praise.

The message God gave to Nathan was one of the most important messages given to any of the prophets!

There is so much of the Old Testament that we could also write in red letters and this message to Nathan was one of the longest times that God speaks in the Old Testament.

1) There were blessings and promises of God to David that would happen in his lifetime.
2) There God’s blessings and promises that were to be fulfilled after David was dead and buried for many years.

Let us revue God’s instructions to David.

1) David would not be the one to build a Temple to God.

In fact it is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can build a true Temple of God!

David was a warrior king and much blood had been shed by his hands and this is not the message a House of God should have.

It is only the blood of Jesus that has cleansing power!

David like Joshua had been the hand of destruction to many people under God’s commands.

1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

1Ch 28:6 And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
1Ch 28:7 Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.

A house of God is a House of Prayer and we should never pray for war!

We must pray for peace and salvation for those who would cause war!

This is why we should pray for the salvation of our President because he certainly does not know God and it appears he could lead us into war.

All the actions of this president show that he has no knowledge of the Word of God and that he has no faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Jas_2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

We cannot leave these things out of the Bible and say we are godly people, especially if our works prove to be against the Word of God!

We are not to judge, but the works of our government speak for themselves!

The Word of God is to be obeyed!

Disobedience to the Word of God especially the words of the Lord Jesus are sin.

We must remember all the Word of God is inspired by God Himself.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

We cannot dictate to others how they should live their lives but we must have laws written that line up with the Word of God!

2) God had never had a house built for His presence; His dwelling place had always been a tent as Israel believed following the Laws of Moses.

It was a place where God showed that it was by the blood that sin could be forgiven but He also said the blood of animals could not erase sin.

We should understand that it is not our Savior who needs us, it is we who have a great need to be in the care of our Savior!

God had never said He wanted or needed such a Temple!

1Ch 17:5 For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another.
1Ch 17:6 Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?

We can also see that it is at times of peace that every government should work on the welfare of its people and not be planning for another war!

As we read to understand what the Lord is saying here, we will see that the Lord was speaking more about the Church rather than the Temple.

The Lord was speaking more about the Lord Jesus Christ than He was Solomon!

*2Sa 7:6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
2Sa 7:7 In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?

What God was saying to David was “are you the one who has been chosen to build a temple for Me to live in”?

Since we now know many of the results of this covenant with David, we also know that the answer is no.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who builds the temples for God to dwell in sometimes known as the Son of David in the Scriptures.

1Co_3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Co_6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Up until the time of Jesus Christ, Jehovah had never had a house built for His presence!

We know that David did not have it in his power to build such a house and neither did Solomon or any other King of Israel or any other ruler upon this earth!

It is true that the Lord had said he would meet the High Priests of Israel in the Holy of Holies dwelling between the cherubim on the top of the Ark of the Covenant.

God had never complained or even asked that any such temple to be built for Him because it is impossible for mankind to build such a place for God to dwell!

This now being understood by King David, Jehovah now covered the blessings He would bestow upon David.

*2Sa 7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
2Sa 7:9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

David the young shepherd boy who killed Goliath was given a place of royalty and power through Israel by Jehovah Himself.

Psa 78:70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:
Psa 78:71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
Psa 78:72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

The Lord took David from the life of a lowly shepherd to the life of a king.

Notice our Savior will at first be the opposite.

Jesus left a life of royalty behind, to become a shepherd of lost human sheep in order to die for our sin.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

You see, we cannot make this passage be about Solomon, it is about our Savior the Mesiah, who is the Supreme Shepherd.

If the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ was to be David’s Son by bloodline, then it was necessary that King David should hold a special place in the hearts of all Israelites and history has proven this to be true.

Israel still flies the flag of David and not the flag of Solomon!

it is because of fables and the many tales by the Arabs, that Solomon is most respected because of his riches and his wisdom.

We should be able to see how Jehovah feels about these things.

After all it was Jehovah who gave wisdom to Solomon and gave him his riches, which for the most part came from his father David.

Solomon was born a rich man and he then used that influence to gain more riches until he was the richest and the wisest of all men, then and now, with these things allowed by Jehovah!

In the Old Testament no king is “Jehovah’s servant” but David; no king is ever connected with Messiah but David.

How did David understand these things?

Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

It seems that David clearly understood what God was saying.

The Lord had blessed David and the Lord had been with David wherever he went.

Through the dark places as well as the clear and easy places!

The Lord had given David the power to conquer all his enemies and Israel was now at peace, a thing that they had not felt since the time of Moses.

David became famous throughout the known world!

*2Sa 7:10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
2Sa 7:11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.

God had described to Abraham a place where his descendants would live and it was called the Promised Land.

Throughout the Bible, up until this time of King David, Jehovah had promised a land to be given to Israel, His people.

The time had come that Israel would be no longer pilgrims wandering from place to place, always living as foreigners in a strange land.

This promise is to the Church.

All believers become the children of God by being “born again” then adopted into the family of God.

So as believers, we are pilgrims and strangers in this place called earth because Heaven is our home.

Could this promised land be that permanent home where they could live in peace and no longer be threatened by their enemies?

Coud this be the place where wicked people and wicked nations would no longer oppress them as they had always done?

What does the Book written to these Hebrews say?

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Abraham was looking for a much better place than any place on this earth.

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

The Lord God Jehovah did give the land called Israel to these who traveled according to the promises of Jehovah. All the Land that Abraham walked upon and all the land conquered by King David.

There has never been a place called Palestine and there have never been any true Palestinians.

There were never many drifters who lived on this desert land and each one of them were paid for the land they said they owned.

Most of the world knows this but the lies of the Muslim continue to thrive by foolish people who would rather do away with history.

Again we can see that the Land given to the tiny nation of Israel as still a temporary thing.

All the truths come only by the Lord Jesus Christ who was rejected by the Jews because even these Jews had refused to look at the truth of the Scriptures!

The Lord God Jehovah promised King David a future rest from all his enemies, meaning both a military rest and a Spiritual rest.

We must know that there is a day coming when David and all God’s people will be given permanent peace from all enemies.

What does a rest from God really mean?

That God’s people will live victorious lives over all the enemies that try to defeat and destroy us day by day.

One day we will live within God’s victorious power over all the enemies of this life.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Heb_4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb_4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Though David may not have understood all these things, he probably understood more that we give him credit for!

David wrote many of the Psalms and this is the reason we can find peace as we read them.

We also know that Solomon and the future kings up until the time of Jesus the Son of Joseph who was in the line of David were included in this prophecy given to King David.

Of all the promises ever made by the Lord, these are some of the most important.

*2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

These promises in this chapter pointed not only to Solomon the son of David but also to the Lord Jesus Christ in the bloodline of King David.

1) A dynasty for David.
2) An offspring of David raised up by Jehovah Himself.

To Abram:

Gen 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
Gen 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Act 13:21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
Act 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Act 13:23 Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

3) A kingdom established by God Himself:

Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

4) A Spiritual house of worship:

Zec 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

Joh 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Joh 2:20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
Joh 2:21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
Joh 2:22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

5) An eternal throne or kingdom:

1Ch 22:6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.
1Ch 22:7 And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:
1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
1Ch 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.
1Ch 22:10 He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.
1Ch 22:11 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Luk 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
Luk 22:30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

A descendant who would be the Son of God.

*2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

The Scriptures say:

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Mar 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

God’s Son who would be punished for sin:

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Heb 5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

a) Men would inflict God’s Son:

Act 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

b) God’s mercy and love for His Son cannot fail:

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

c) God repeats this promise to Isaiah who told all the world:

Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isa 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

Zec 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

We should understand that all these things were told to King David word by word!

Amen

David’s Transgression

May 4, 2014 / Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

David’s Transgression

2 Samuel 23; 24

Chapter 22 gave us a record of King David’s “Song of Praise”. King David gave the Lord much praise for delivering him out of the hand of all his enemies going back as far as Saul.

When the Lord Jesus died on the cross it was so we could be “delivered” from all our sin but even after this God will continue to “deliver” us all the days of our lives from the actions of Satan!

Chapter 23 contains some of the last words of David and we should look at some of them.

*****2Sa 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
2Sa 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

It is believed that David wrote 73 of the Psalms, in the Book of Psalms, but in these few verses, we have the last Psalm that David wrote.

We should immediately notice in verse 2, that David’s psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit. This confirms what is written in the New Testament.

2Ti 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

This verse also gives us the goal of every true teacher and preacher. “His Word was in my tongue”.

I know I am not much of a teacher but “if His Word is in my tongue” then at least I know I am speaking the truth and if I can just get myself “out of His way” then He can use me even when though I lack in so many of the abilities of a good speaker.

It takes godly leadership to be a true servant of the Lord and that begins with God’s written Word!

God gave David a heart of integrity and God will do the same for every believer.

*****2Sa 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

David never ceased to marvel how the Lord could take a lowly shepherd and make him a King.

But David never realized that the Messiah, that was promised from his own seed, would not come as King of Israel but He would first come as the Lamb of God and the True Shepherd of all people.

But David also knew that every King and every Ruler was to be “just” and rule in the fear of God!

*****2Sa 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

This verse describes to us something that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished but no man on the Earth has.

This was the goal of David and it should be the goal of every “Born Again” believer!

Jesus said:

Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We must hold up “the pure light of a consistent life” against the evils of this world or we will appear to be just another sinner and God’s Word will not be effective in us!

This does not mean that God will train to just be put on display before this evil world!

God just expects us to do the best we can to be like His Son Jesus and act more like John the Baptist.

Joh 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

We have no light in ourselves, our light must come from the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****2Sa 23:5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.

The house of David had suffered much because of David’s own sin. In fact “the sword would truly never depart from the house of David” and went all the way to the Cross!

But God knows all things and He still made an everlasting covenant with David while he was still alive.

That is the exact same thing God does with each of us when He saves us!

God knows that we will fail from time to time. When we do, then we must ask for forgiveness and for reasons I cannot explain nor understand, God will immediately forgive us of our sin.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Why? Because God has made us an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure!

Just as God promised David, He makes that same promise to every believer!

Act 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, “I will give you the sure mercies of David”.

Notice that word “sure”, these are the promises God gives to us when He saves us!

David would not live long enough to see the covenant fulfilled and the Messiah come but he knew these things would happen.

David knew this to be true as did all the prophets but most of them looked to the Second Coming and missed that Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, the Lamb of God!

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

King Jesus will still execute judgment and justice on this Earth!

But there is still more.

*****2Sa 23:6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:
2Sa 23:7 But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

That same Savior, Jesus Christ, will also execute judgment on His enemies.

Sons of Belial, are men and women who are truly worthless! They are reckless and full of lawlessness!

To clearly understand we must know that they are the followers of Satan.

The followers of Satan are all those that reject the Word of God.

To reject the Word of God makes you then, “ungodly”!

Jesus described them this way:

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

They ignore the Word of God!

They are like thorns that are so prickly and sharp that they cannot be handled by human hands but there is “One” who can handle them.

The remaining verses in Chapter 23 tell us about David’s “Mighty Men”. We can see why the army of Absalom never had a chance against these mighty men of the army of David.

So we will move on to Chapter 24.

*****Chapter 24:1 And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

In last weeks lesson we saw how David had given praise to the Lord for being his “Rock” and his “Deliverer”.

We also know from a study of the Old Testament that the size of the Army of Israel has never been important when battling her enemies.

What history has told us about King David is that, after his kingdom was reunited and Israel had survived the 3 years of famine and hardships, that David spent his remaining years, near 7 years, gathering the things for the Temple.

It is very possible King David began to let his own pride again interfere with good judgment.

When this happens the “Tempter” will show up.

***1Ch 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

We can see that the Lord lifted that “hedge of protect” from around David one more time.

God allowed Satan to tempt David in order to accomplish His purpose!

Satan opposed God’s people throughout the Bible and He still does in our day!

Satan tempted Eve.

Satan attacked Job on two occasions.

And Satan accused Joshua the High Priest in the Book of Zechariah.

There was nothing wrong with taking a national census if it was done by the Word of God.

A true census would count every citizen from the age of 20 and above and a “half shekel” would be gathered and this money would be given to the work of God.

This later became known as the Temple Tax.

But we will see as we go forward that this was not David’s intention.

*****2Sa 24:2 For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.
2Sa 24:3 And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?
2Sa 24:4 Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

We can see that King David began to count his strength by the size of his army and not the power of God.

When things get to going real good we always seem to forget the Lord who provides all our needs!

We can also see that Joab, through all his evil deeds has regained control of David’s Army.

Besides the Mighty Men of David, the remaining army was probably more loyal to Joab.

Even Joab knew enough to know that what King David was doing was wrong, because he had witnessed Israel win many battles not having the greater numbers.

King David even wrote a song about such things as this:

Psa 19:13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

We need the help of God to restrain us from the power of sin!

But we cannot twist the Word of God around to allow us to think we have the freedom to sin!

*****2Sa 24:5 And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:
2Sa 24:6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,
2Sa 24:7 And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.
2Sa 24:8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
2Sa 24:9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

Joab may have actually counted all of Israel but King David was only interested in how large his army could be.

King David wanted the world around him to know that he could place over a million man army on the battlefield if he needed to.

If we think about it, we could say that David was at this time, acting like the leader of North Korea, or Putin of Russia, but God is never impressed with these things and to Him it is a great sin to rely on our own strengths and not on the Lord.

The Bible still says:

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ “which strengtheneth me”.

The opposite of this is that we can do nothing without The Lord Jesus Christ!

Just as soon as David realized what he had done, he knew he had sinned and he repented of his sin.

*****2Sa 24:10 And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

David had begun to trust in his own strength.

David wanted the world to know that it Israel’s army that was so strong and not Israel’s God!

David had collected a “half shekel” from each person, “by force” to start a building fund for the Temple that Solomon would build but God will only accept “free will offerings” for these things.

The Tabernacle had been built with a free will offering and the spoils of Egypt:

Exo 35:5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,

God loves a cheerful giver and is best pleased with a free-will offering!

Our gifts are our acknowledgement that we have received all things from the Lord and are “willing” to dedicate ourselves to Him!

Jesus Christ became poor for our sakes to make us rich in eternal things!

We must be willing to give of the things that He provides while we are yet living in this world!

David realized he had done foolishly and that this sin was even greater than what he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah.

And God again sent the prophet.

*****2Sa 24:11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
2Sa 24:12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
2Sa 24:13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

King David had been relying on his own understanding so God gave David the option of choosing from these three judgments.

God had already made certain things known to His people when they allowed pride to rule their lives.

Lev 26:19 And “I will break the pride of your power”; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass:
Lev 26:20 And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.
Lev 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.

1) If David thought he was in charge, then he could choose 7 years of famine. Maybe he and his government could possibly make it rain. Or maybe they had saved up enough as Joseph had in Egypt to feed all his people.

2) If David thought so much of his army then, he could choose to flee before all the enemies of Israel for three months. Maybe by their own strength, without God they could survive.

3) If David thought his government was so great and so advanced, maybe the nation could survive 3 days of a fast moving plague or virus throughout all the land.

These things were not new, they were what God had said He would do!

Lev 26:16 I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Lev 26:17 And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

What choice would you make?

What is the truth?

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

We should always keep these words in our mind when we are under temptation to sin.

Satan may tell us differently but it is God who runs this world!

What did David do?

David did what we all should do.

David begged for mercy!

*****2Sa 24:14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.
2Sa 24:15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

It is always the wise thing to do to fall into the hands of God.

Because, No one loves us as God loves us!

In a war, David may could have protected himself.

In a famine, David’s riches might have sustained him.

In the pestilence, Davis was just as exposed as all of Israel!

It was the just and right thing to do to be in as much danger as his people.

This was another test before God executed judgment and the Lord sent the pestilence and in 3 days this rapid moving disease killed 70,000 men.

These 70,000 would have been from those that were counted, not women and children!

And where did this take place?

*****2Sa 24:16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.
2Sa 24:17 And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.
2Sa 24:18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Repentance is a change of mind and a change in direction and a change of purpose of life.

God has never had to change His mind.

God has never had to change His purpose.

But because God is merciful, He may change His direction and this is why our prayers can be effective!

David was allowed to see this angel of God’s judgment poised to enter into Jerusalem and God changed His direction!

For David, he needed a change in his mind, a change in his purpose, and also a change in his direction and as sinners it is the same for all of us, as it was for all of Israel.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

It is important for us to know this location where this angel was seen.

Wheat was reaped by the sickle and bound into sheaves and taken to the threshingfloor to be separated from the chaff.

It was only then that the clean grain could be ground into flour, something usable while the chaff was burned.

Jehovah God has fed his people with the finest of wheat and the finest of that wheat is Jesus Christ, the bread of life.

In verse 23 we will see that Araunah was the deposed King of the Jebusites, the former rulers of Jerusalem.

This is the place David offered sacrifices and the place where Solomon later built the Temple.

And just as important, this is the very place on Mount Moriah where Abraham had been asked to offer up Isaac.

*****2Sa 24:19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
2Sa 24:20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
2Sa 24:21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

David had built his palace on the lower part of the city and this not a fit place for winnowing the wheat.

King David could have just taken this property.

Or, King David could have certainly just borrowed this property.

But, King David insisted on buying this property because David now understood “the high cost of sin” and he knew he could not offer the Lord “something that had cost him nothing”.

What is a sacrifice?

The sacrifice did not originate with man but is, God appointed!

What was the first sacrifice?

God killed an animal, a lamb, to provide clothes for Adam and Eve.

But the sacrifice must be according to God’s will, as Abel offered and not as that of Cain.

The Bible teaches us that there is a difference in clean and unclean things.

And every sacrifice in the Old Testament pointed toward the Lord Jesus Christ.

We cannot take from another, to offer to the Lord, for ourselves!

*****2Sa 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
2Sa 24:24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

This verse tells us that Araunah, the Ornan of the Book of Chronicles, had been the King of the Jebusites.

The “threshing floor of Ornan” was bought for 50 shekels of silver but after this sacrifice was made and the hand of God was stayed, David went back and purchased the entire property.

King David bought the entire piece of land of the Temple mount through a legal transaction and it still belongs to Israel today and not to the Muslim world.

And it was David who built an altar where Mohammed later laid claim to the Dome of the Rock.

*****2Sa 24:25 And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

What were King David’s greatest sins?

1) The sin of Bathsheba and the death of Uriah.

Out of that Solomon was born.

2) The sin of numbering the people of Israel in the wrong way.

Out of that the Temple was born.

BUT, What God did for David cannot be used as an excuse for sin!

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

We should remember King David paid a heavy price for his sin with the things that happened in his family and there would be some other things even before Solomon was made king.

But we can still see the truth of the Word of God!

Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”:
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, “even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord”.

We are saved by the merciful, Grace of God!

If not for “Grace”—God’s Riches At Christ Expence–There would be no “Salvation”.

It’s all about “Grace”!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

David’s Song

April 27, 2014 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Song

2 Samuel Chapter 22

At the end of last week’s lesson we learned that King David had finally come back to Jerusalem.

David had been restored as King but as we know once there is a civil war it takes many years for all the scars to heal.

Chapter 21 through 24 gives us an epilogue of the life of David after these days.

We should not forget that David was the Lord’s anointed King.

And King David was the recipient of the Lord’s covenant promises.

And we will see today where King David takes the time late in life to express his thanks to the Lord his God.

What had David learned in all these years?

Number one: The Lord is the true source of all military successes and all personal successes.

Number two: It takes faithfulness in the Lord to enjoy the Lord’s favor!

And number three: The Lord’s covenant promises to David will be fulfilled despite all his weaknesses and all his failures.

We have already seen much of the fulfillment of the promises made to David.

We know the Messiah has come and we know him as the Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not know if David saw the church in the future. We do know that David knew a great deal of God’s salvation plan.

The one thing that we should know for sure is that no matter how dark the days are and no matter how painful the memories, we can always praise the Lord for what He has done!

So let’s begin:

*****2Sa 22:1 And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

When King David wrote this song, this verse tells us that he was not referring just to the deliverance from Absalom and being restored as King of Israel.

David wrote this song as this verse states because he had been delivered so many times from the hands of all his enemies and that included being delivered safely from King Saul.

The main thing that David had realized in all his years that he has not giving God the praise that He deserves.

King David has now realized that God does as He pleases, and all things are done according to His perfect will!

Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

And we all should realize that God cannot ever do things that are not in harmony with His nature!

The most important of these things is that God cannot go back on His Word.

2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

God speaks the truth because God cannot lie!

In fact if we had another name for God, the name should be Truth!

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

It is only the Lord God Almighty who can deliver us from this evil world!

Psa_31:15 My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

From the moment we are born until the day we die, we are in the hands of our Deliverer.

The choice to be delivered is given to each of us and this is the most important choice we have to make all of our days!

We must answer that question which is, “just how important is our God to us”?

*****2Sa 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
2Sa 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

We can see that David just could not find enough words to describe our God.

We can search to the ends of this Earth and in every language possible and we could not find the right words to describe our God.

He must certainly be our Rock!

Moses wrote that God is our rock!

Deu 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

We must certainly know that the Lord our God is a faithful. God and he keeps his covenant and shows mercy to them that love him and keep his commandments.

We must all claim the Lord Jesus as our “Rock”, just as David did and we must all drink from this same “Rock” just as the children of Israel did in the wilderness!

1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Because that “Rock” is The Lord Jesus Christ!

It is only then, that the Lord can be our “Fortress” in times of trouble.

We can be sure as long as we are in these bodies of flesh, we will have some troubles

It is only then that the Lord can be our “Deliverer” from all our troubles.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the God of our “Rock”!

It is in the Lord Jesus Christ in whom we must “trust”!

When we “trust” the Lord Jesus Christ then He becomes our “Shield”!

In other words when the Lord Jesus Christ is our “shield”, no weapon formed against us can prosper.

Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. “This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD”.

When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, He becomes “the horn of our salvation”!

When the Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to that cross He replaced all those meaningless sacrifices that had been tied to the “horns” of the altar.

We can grab on to our own salvation because those same “horns” are the emblems of power and dominion and glory in the sacrifice of the “Lamb of God”!.

It is when the Lord is in full “glory” when we see Him at His best!

And He then also becomes our “Hightower”!

A Hightower is a place that the enemy just cannot reach!

Therefore our Hightower then becomes our “Refuge”!

Jesus Christ becomes our “Hiding Place”, our “Refuge”, and the place where we can ride out the storms of this life, unseen by the enemy!

We are “saved from the violence coming to this world” after the “Rapture of the Church” during the Tribulation Period!

But we must first “call” on the Lord!

None of these things can take place without “Salvation”!

*****2Sa 22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: “so shall I be saved from mine enemies”.

We must have that personal relationship with our God and in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus said:

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

We could call on Buddha but we would get no help!

We could call on Mohamed and we would certainly get no help!

We could call on any other name under Heaven and there would be no help!

There’s only one name to call and there is only one way to reach Heaven!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We must cling to this truth because this is His “truth”!

It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can be saved from our enemies and from our sin!

And why should we call of the Lord?

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

*****2Sa 22:5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
2Sa 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
2Sa 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Once we become aware we are living in the “waves of death” we can begin to see “the floods of ungodly men” that surround us.

We are foolish not to be afraid!

Death and Hell are two separate things but they have joined forces against God’s people.

In the book of Revelation we read these words:

Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Death may be the end of misery in this world, but Hell should be a reminder that that misery is eternal without the “Real Life” that is in the Lord Jesus Christ!

We will not know “Real Life” until we are glorified with a body like that of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is in the misery of life on this earth that brings such a distress.

And we have His promise that He will hear our voice and His Temple will become Our Temple!

But He cannot hear us if we have sin in our heart!

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

But there will still be some terrible times to be faced.

*****2Sa 22:8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
2Sa 22:9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
2Sa 22:10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

These things that David has written, go far beyond any poem that describes David’s own personal deliverance.

If we remember the very moment that the Lord Jesus Christ said “it is finished”, we should remember the great earthquake, and midday darkness at the scene of the cross.

But even these things are just a taste of what is coming in great day of judgment, when God will shake the earth and the sea and the dry land, all at the same time.

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

When will these things happen?

Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

We would have to be dead in our own graves, or completely blind, to not realize that we are living in these days!

We can see Noah and David are both “types” of the Lord Jesus Christ our Creator!

And all these things describe the sufferings of Christ and the glory that will follow.

These are some of the prophecies that the Apostle Peter wrote about:

1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
1Pe 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

As Noah and his family, a total of eight were delivered, and as David was also delivered, so it will be for the Church of the Living God!

*****2Sa 22:11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

The cherub were mighty angelic beings. In fact Cherubim are the highest order of the angelic beings.

Cherubim had extraordinary appearances.

Eze 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
Eze 1:6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
Eze 1:7 And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.
Eze 1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.
Eze 1:9 Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.
Eze 1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle. Proof:

Satan himself had once been a Cherub.

Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

But when we see pictures of the cherub today we see pictures of babies with wings, or toddlers with wings and bows, not a picture of the Cherub that the Bible describes.

The cherub are always associated with the presence of God in the Bible and there are many babies in Heaven but neither babies nor anyone else that make it to Heaven become angels or cherubim.

Angels are spirit beings “who do not have bodies as we know bodies” and are not subject to death!

Angels are another created being that go back to the first verse in the Book of Genesis.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

God gives us a description of what He created on this Earth but God also created all the things in Heaven at that same time.

Heb 1:14 Are they not all “ministering spirits”, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Angels are ministering “spirits”!

Luk 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Angels cannot die and a glorified Saint of God can die no more when they have received the eternal glorified body like that of Jesus. There will be no “second death” for the child of God!

*****2Sa 22:12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
2Sa 22:13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
2Sa 22:14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

There should be little doubt that David knew these things from the 5 Books of Moses.

Exo 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
Exo 19:18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
Exo 19:19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

When God speaks in the end, the entire world will understand Who is speaking!

*****2Sa 22:15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
2Sa 22:16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

There should also be no doubt that many these things happened in the time of Noah to include what Moses had also seen at the Red Sea.

But only in modern sea exploration have we learned about the “Channels of the Sea”!

In fact we may know more about outer space than we do about the depths of our own oceans!

We can see that God was expecting scientist to see His creation using modern scientific methods and be amazed at such creations but foolishly most of them reject Our Creator!

What are the “foundations of our world”?

The foundations of our world are the everlasting love, the everlasting wisdom, the everlasting power of God, in which all the Persons of the Godhead are in God’s great design blended together and concurring with each other in unity and seen through the person of Lord Jesus Christ!

There is no foundation beyond these things!

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, “and by him all things consist”.

It is this same Creator who is also Our Great “Deliverer”!

*****2Sa 22:17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
2Sa 22:18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
2Sa 22:19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
2Sa 22:20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

The Lord “prevents” because “He goes before us” and there is nothing evil that can get up, over, or around Our Almighty God!

24 times in the Gospels, Jesus says “follow me”.

That large place is His purpose for each of us and in the end “His Own Place”!

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

And the Lord will then reward us according to how we have fulfilled His purpose for us.

*****2Sa 22:21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
2Sa 22:22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
2Sa 22:23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
2Sa 22:24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
2Sa 22:25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.

Remember we have no righteousness in our selves! Our righteousness is as filthy rags!

We also have no cleanness in our selves, “we must be washed” in the blood of Jesus!

Job said:

Job 9:20 If I justify myself, “mine own mouth shall condemn me”: if I say, I am perfect, “it shall also prove me perverse”.
Job 9:21 Though I were perfect, “yet would I not know my soul”: “I would despise my life”.
Job 9:22 This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

We must keep the Word of the Lord.
We must not depart from, nor forsake our God.
We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

It is only then that we can reap “the rewards” of salvation!

David had this same feeling when he had been delivered from all his enemies!

Jesus Christ is our Light in this dark world!

*****2Sa 22:26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
2Sa 22:27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
2Sa 22:28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. 2Sa 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.

The Lord is faithful to those that trust Him.

In fact, the Lord is faithful to all His Written Word!

2Th 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

But the Lord is unsavory to those who have twisted morals and reject Him.

Tit 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

And what is the greatest thing we realize as the children of God?

*****2Sa 22:30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
2Sa 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

For Jesus Christ is my God!

Joh 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

When you find the Lord Jesus Christ you have found God!

*****2Sa 22:32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
2Sa 22:33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
2Sa 22:34 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
2Sa 22:35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
2Sa 22:36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

If we can remember the covenants God has already made with His people, we should begin to realize that God is always doing great things for His people!

There is nothing else in all God’s creation that is like Our Lord, He is the Rock by which we exist!

Isa 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

When we know the Lord our Savior we can never fail!

*****2Sa 22:37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.

It is a fact that true life in Heaven will be a glorious thing but even in this life there is joy in salvation!

Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

There is great joy in salvation!

And God is always busy behind the scenes, doing great things for His people!

We can have many blessings while we yet live in this flesh, and more gifts by His hands, but there will only be One Jesus Christ who paid our sin debt.

But when we know Our Savior, we will also know The Lord Jesus will return in judgment!

*****2Sa 22:38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
2Sa 22:39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
2Sa 22:40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
2Sa 22:41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
2Sa 22:42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
2Sa 22:43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
2Sa 22:44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
2Sa 22:45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
2Sa 22:46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

There is no doubt that David was looking back and had recalled how the Lord had helped him during his difficult times.

But these words cannot apply to just to David or any other man.

God has always rewarded those that follow in His ways and has always punished the evil in this world!

These words also speak of the Second Coming of the Messiah.

Yes, The Lord will return because we serve a Living Saviour!

*****2Sa 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
2Sa 22:48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,
2Sa 22:49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up
against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
2Sa 22:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
2Sa 22:51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for
evermore.

Our God is alive!

He is active in our lives the moment we call on Him to save us!

God has given us the ability to choose and the choices we make have a great affect our lives as we live and certainly on the life we will have after the death of this flesh.

Along with “choice” God has also given us the ability to “trust”!

It is necessary to “trust” to exist as a society.

But is is Our God who must be the object of that “trust”!

Psa 65:5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

Until Holy Spirit conviction came to us to convict us, we were not seeking God, we did not desire God, and we went about our days not thinking about God!

But while we were yet ungodly, God sent His Son to save us, “because He is merciful”!

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

It is that “trust” that comes with salvation where we can begin to please Our God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The major theme of David’s song is “the Lord’s protection and His deliverance”.

The Lord is our protector and our deliverer!

Verse 51 closes with “He is the tower of salvation”.

The Anointed One is the “Messiah”, the promised seed of David!

But also like David, God is active in our lives both on happy occasions and more so those times when we are sad, if we only ask Him.

God has a specific purpose for each of us!

Just as we should rejoice knowing the Lord as Our Savior, God rejoices more, to be a part of our lives.

The gentle hand of God is molding and making us every moment we live in His Name.

Because just like Jesus, we that know God, are his sons!

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Abba still means a father of tenderness.

That is Our Savior!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD

Taking time to read the Bible

Book of 2 Samuel

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Good King Bad Parent

A National Leader’s Grief At the Things He Caused

Sin Causes A Family Crisis

A King Confesses

King David and Bathsheba

A Picture of God’s Grace

The Lord’s Promises are Sure

David’s Transgression

David’s Song

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