Shame on Him

March 18, 2025March 18, 2025 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Solomon’s Fame Was Reduced to Shame

Book 1 Kings 10:1-7, 24-27, 11: 4-13

What is fame? Fame is a favorable report of good or great actions that exalt character.

News of the knowledge of Solomon and his wisdom was spreading around the known world of that day.

What is shame? Those things that bring reproach and degrade a person in the estimation of others. Dishonor, disgrace.

Solomon was living on the achievements and the reputation of his father who caused security and peace to come to Israel.

Under Solomon, Israel became a great power ranking almost as great as Egypt which is why Egypt made a bond with Solomon and Pharoh’s daughter became the wife of Solomon.

Israel ranked even as great as Assyria at that time.

After Solomon Israel has never reached those same boundaries.

These things were credited to Solomon’s wisdom.

Solomon turned Israel from a military people to a people of commerce.

In reality, Solomon turned a people made free by King David into slaves and concentrated the wealth of the whole nation in the capital Jerusalem and most of Israel suffered.

As God would say, Israel did not reap the fruits of its government.

The downfall of Solomon began when he listened to his pagan wives and his wisdom left him.

Solomon was by nature a man of peace, yet he maintained a large military scattered in various places to help bring peace.

No nation had defeated his father David, but Solomon had no desire to extend the boundaries of Isreal, and it was possible for him to do so.

Solomon’s chief ally was Hiram, the king of Tyre which is Phoenicia.

The Temple of Solomon was built in seven years, but Solomon spent thirteen years building his own palace which was called the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

It is these things that made Solomon famous throughout the world.

Solomon had many foreign visitors seeking his wisdom.

One of those was the Queen of Sheba.

*1Ki 10:1 And when the queen of Sheba, heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

Sheba was a land in Arabia, which is modern Yemen today, rather than Ethiopia.

Yemen was the chief spice country in that area at that time.

Sheba was about fifteen hundred miles from Jerusalem so this Queen had traveled a great distance requiring a lot of time.

The Temple had been built in the name of the Lord God of Israel.

We can be sure when questions arose about the temple there would be questions about the God of that Temple.

No one else has such a God who is alive!

Much of the world believed that the wisdom of Solomon had come from his God, and they would be correct.

This Queen of Sheba did not make this connection, she came to prove him with hard questions.

Some say these were questions she could not trust anyone else to answer.

Many of the questions could have been hard riddles as some believe.

It does not seem to me that this Queen showed much interest in Jehovah God to her downfall.

Mat 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Could Solomon have answered, what is the purpose of life? We have all asked this question in our lifetime.

Could he have said, “Where do we truly come from?”

There are billions of people out there today who would like to know, “what is the purpose of it all”?

The truth is in Jehovah God!

*1Ki 10:2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

We can believe that this Queen was also seeking a trade agreement.

She brought a large quantity of spices, gold, and precious jewels.

We can be sure that she traveled with military protection, but it is not mentioned, and they would have been stopped and not allowed to enter Jerusalem maybe even the border of Israel.

To travel for fifteen hundred miles meant she was serious about meeting King Solomon.

It seems that this Queen was not the wife of a King but the actual ruler of these people.

She was serious about seeking the answers to great questions of life so she could be a better ruler.

King Solomon answered all her questions!

*1Ki 10:3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.
1Ki 10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,
1Ki 10:5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

Solomon’s kingdom was famous not only for its material prosperity but also for his great wisdom.

King Solomon got so caught up in his wisdom that today we would use the phrase, “he got the big head” and we will soon see how these things affected him.

King Solomon had spent seven years building the Temple, but he spent thirteen years building his own mansion. After this, he rebuilt many cities most of which belonged to Israel, but he rebuilt some cities that did not belong to Israel.

This Queen of Sheba was more impressed with Solomon’s house than she was with the Temple of God.

She was another pagan who had her own false gods.

Solomon answered all of her questions, and this Queen was overwhelmed with the wisdom of Solomon. I do not read anywhere where Solomon gave the credit for his wisdom to His God and our God Jehovah.

No doubt this Queen had all types of questions with some riddles but also diplomatic and ethical questions.

This truth would make Solomon a trustworthy business partner and a possible ally, though her nation was fifteen hundred miles away from Israel.

Today Yemen can fire rockets and drones fifteen hundred miles into Israel and are mortal enemies of Israel.

Of course, Israel can do the same and are still under the power of God.

These servants were the officers and distinguished people who were privileged to sit at the king’s table and were arranged according to rank and were in large numbers at royal banquets.

These ministers were those who stood to serve the guests doubt they were dressed in a way to distinguish them from the guests but were fit to serve royalty.

2Ch 9:4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

The wisdom and prosperity of King Solomon and his achievements had reached the uttermost parts of the world, and this Queen admitted that these reports had been true.

It does not matter so much what this Queen thought of these things, it matters more of what God thought of these things.

Luk 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luk 12:28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Luk 12:29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
Luk 12:30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
Luk 12:31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

As a pagan Gentile, this Queen could not go into the Temple though she may have seen a secret way that the king could get into the Temple.

*1Ki 10:6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
1Ki 10:7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

We must understand the mission of Israel in the time of Solomon and now the mission of the Church is to point all nations to God.

Israel has failed so far, will the Church also fail?

Israel was not to compete with our nations for riches or even military power. Jehovah God is the power of Israel!

Jehovah is the power of the Church.

We are not in some competition with religions!

We have the truth of Christianity!

The Church is to be a bright and shining light in this world.

It was the same for Israel in the days of King Solomon.

The Queen came to Solomon tortured by questions, and it does not seem she got all the answers she needed.

Certainly, the things she said about Solomon were true.

He was the wisest man upon the earth but not as wise as Jesus Christ,

He was the richest man on the earth, but no earthy riches can compare to the Glory of Heaven!

*1Ki 10:8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
1Ki 10:9 Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.
1Ki 10:10 And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon

This queen brought the best spices of Yemen, many of them used in perfumes of that day.
She brought a lot of gold and precious stones.
She brought sweet, scented wood.

This wood Solomon was used in his palace.

2Ch 9:11 And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king’s palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
2Ch 9:12 And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants.

As the Queen was about to leave she made a great speech to those servants of Solomon.

She said from what her eyes had seen and now had heard not even half of the truth of King Solomon was told.

She also took a moment to praise Jehovah that out of His eternal love to His people Israel, he had given them a king to do justice and righteousness.

Some say this Queen was converted to Judaism, but this is not true.

Like many who praised the God of Israel, they observed Him as just another god in the world of many gods just as many think today.

God had His reasons for putting Solomon on the throne of Israel.

1) It fulfilled a promise to David who was a man after God’s own heart.
2) Solomon who was chosen to build the Temple of God.

After this Solomon transgressed against the Lord.

God had written the qualifications for the kings of Israel.

Deu 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Deu 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

King Solomon disobeyed in every area!

1) He had too much gold.
2) He owned thousands of horses.
3) He gathered hundreds of wives and concubines.

All the earth sought the wisdom of Solomon.

*1Ki 10:24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
1Ki 10:25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
1Ki 10:26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
1Ki 10:27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

Solomon was not greater than anyone else and neither was this God’s intent.

Solomon became greater because all the world sought him out for his wisdom.

They brought him gold that he wasted on shields and other foolish things when he could have helped the cause of God, and he could have removed the strain of taxation upon his own people, but he did not.

Solomon made two hundred large shields and three hundred shields of gold that made beautiful displays but were useless in battle.
They were too heavy and too soft to make effective shields.

Each of those shields would be valued at over a quarter million dollars today and the smaller shields at over sixty thousand dollars or about thirty-three million dollars.

They were eventually taken by a foreign king.

Solomon made silver to be worthless which did not help the economies of the world of that day.

In the end, it was women who truly brought King Solomon down to shame.

*1Ki 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
1Ki 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
1Ki 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

Over half of Solomon’s reign was over by the time the Temple, his own palace, and other buildings were completed.

These things took up much of his personal time.

We could add that during this time Solomon had negotiated peace agreements between Israel and many nations, and those agreements were sealed by the marriage of that ruler’s daughter.

As Solomon began to spend more time with the many wives he had, he was influenced by them.

One man wrote that the home of Solomon was afflicted with the curse of his polygamy and his kingdom with the curse of his despotism, which means he had absolute power, authority unlimited, and uncontrolled power over the people.

Most all alliances Israel had with other rulers ended with the death of Solomon even the long relationship of Solomon with Hiram.

As we looked at last week, no one knew where the Book of Moses(the Pentateuch) was located. Solomon certainly was not obedient to the Word of God concerning the kings of Israel.

Many believe that the prophet Jeremiah wrote this book of First Kings, and he simply says that Solomon loved many strange women.

it is these women who caused the decline of King Solomon!

These things describe a heart that is wandering away from God!

Solomon had seven hundred women who were considered to be his wives.
Solomon had three hundred women with the title concubines.

These were the women who were in Solomon’s harem while he was King of Israel.

Son 6:8 There are threescore queens, fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.

This verse tells us of those women who were in Solomon’s court at one time.

This would be sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.

King Solomon like his father went against the institution of Jehovah.

What is the marriage institution of Jehovah God?

Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

When God gave Adam his wife. God did not do this by forming Eve out of the dust of the earth just like Adam. Then she would be independent of Adam.
God formed Eve from Adam. He does not do this out of his head, for she is not his superior. Nor does he make her out of his feet, for she is not his slave. He forms her from his side.
She is therefore someone of equal value, standing beside him.

Solomon took wives from many nations, also going against the Word of God about strange wives.

Deu 7:3 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
Deu 7:4 For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Solomon not only took these many women into his house, but he also took their gods.

We should understand that someone who knows the Word of God and deviates from it often makes it worse than someone who has never known Jehovah.

When a child of God falls into corruption it is the worst corruption!

The lesson for us who are up in years is, that we may think the dangers of life no longer threaten us but we are wrong.

Satan will do his best to ruin our testimony at any age!

*1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
1Ki 11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

Ashtoreth(Ishtar, Astarte, queen of heaven)) was the Moon goddess of the Zidonians usually associated with Baal(Baalim, Baalism) the Sun god.

Throughout the world, we see temples and pyramids built to honor the Sun god and the Moon god

Milcom(Molech, Chemosh) is the national god of Ammon, God said he was an abomination!

It is this god to whom children were sacrificed. This is the god of the abortionists in my opinion.

Solomon was not seeking God’s own heart as did his father David.

Solomon had temples built for the worship of these false goods and he joined them in their worship of them.

He did the same for all his strange wives!

The word strange means all his wives who were not of Israel, we could say wives from foreign nations.

Certainly, Jehovah was angry with Solomon.

*1Ki 11:9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
1Ki 11:10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.
1Ki 11:11 Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

Do you want to make Jehovah angry? Go against His Word.

Do you want to really get Jehovah riled up? Go against Him after He has warned you!

This is why we have the Holy Spirit living inside us!

Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

What had God told Solomon?

1Ki 9:3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
1Ki 9:4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
1Ki 9:5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
1Ki 9:6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
1Ki 9:7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
1Ki 9:8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

Today we have the Word of if we have a proper translation and we are to do our best to be obedient to it.

As for King Solomon he met with God face to face and he was told the consequences of failing to acknowledge the Word of God.

We know that God will do exactly what he says he will do.

1Ki 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, “Solomon’s servant”, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
1Ki 11:27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father.
1Ki 11:28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
1Ki 11:29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:
1Ki 11:30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:
1Ki 11:31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:
1Ki 11:32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)
1Ki 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

But God will never break a promise he has made!

*1Ki 11:12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

1Ki 11:13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
1Ki 11:14 And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.

Solomon had forfeited the promise made to him from Jehovah.

God would allow the line of David to continue through a son of Solomon because David had chosen Jerusalem and not some other city.

This is a sign of God’s “grace”!

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.
2Sa 7:17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

This promise from God will ultimately be fulfilled through the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see the Lord Jesus Christ did appear Himself to begin the New Testament and the Law of Grace and through His disciples, this word had spread around the world and only those who accept the Work of Jesus Christ, the “Gospel” will be allowed into God’s New Jerusalem and God’s New Heaven where King Jesus will rule forever.

Amen

Asking for the Wisdom of God

February 26, 2025 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Solomon Received Wisdom

Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 1 verses 7 through 12

As we begin this first lesson in the Book of 2 Chronicles, we know that King David had died after ruling all the tribes of Israel for a total of forty years.

Seven years over Judah and Benjamin and thirty-three years over all of Israel.

God had decided that Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, would now lead all of Israel after their marriage.

The first act of Solomon was to take secure control of the throne of Israel.

We know that Adonijah another son of David was trying to take control of Israel with the help of some rich and powerful leaders, but he had failed.

Solomon’s second act as the new King of Israel was to seek the Lord, worship Him, and pray for the wisdom to be King.

The Tabernacle was now in Gibeon, but the Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem because God had chosen Jerusalem to be the place where worship would continue.

King David had built a special Tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant.

I believe that this tabernacle is mentioned in prophecy.

Isa_16:5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

Amo_9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Act_15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

Solomon knew where the Tabernacle was located with the Ark of the Covenant, but the Brazen Altar was at Gibeon, and this is the place where sacrifices were to be made according to Levitical Law

The Brazen Altar was the one place where all sacrifices were to be made, and Gibeon was only six and one-half miles from Jerusalem.

The Brazen Altar is in fact a type of Mount Calvary where our Lord Jesus was sacrificed for our sins.

God had said if anyone offers a sacrifice and brings it not unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, offering it to the Lord then that blood would be applied to that man and he would be cut off.

Lev 17:3 What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,
Lev 17:4 And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:

King Solomon knew this law applied to him as it did to all the children of Israel.

King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings upon this Brazen Altar.

It is the night after the day that King Solomon did this that the Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream.

*2Ch 1:7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

We first see that God knew Solomon needed some guidance just as we all do.

We will also see that God will test King Solomon even though God knew what Solomon would ask Him for.

Solomon had brought all the leadership of Israel and the judges with him to Gibeon.

This included all the heads of the military.

It was important for all the leaders of Israel to know that King Solomon would serve the Lord God of Israel.

What a shame that our leaders will not do this because they reject the God of Truth.

They claim God and reject His Words, and it does not work like that.

Now our nation allows so-called scientists who boast of superior insight into the nature of things to direct our nation.

Many scientists assert that their investigations prove that the teachings of Scripture are false, but real facts show that the Bible has no controversy with real science.

Because Solomon and those leaders acknowledged their need for the Lord, God accepted their worship through those sacrificial offerings.

Today God accepts our worship, if we are sincere because the Lord Jesus sacrificed Himself, and the veil in the Temple at Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom and we can go directly to the Lord in our time of need or any other time.

It was important that the veil was torn from top to bottom. If it had been torn from bottom to top, it would have meant that man had done it

God appeared to King Solomon: 1Ki 3:5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

God appeared to Solomon in a dream that was much more than a dream.

This was one of the more significant dreams in the Bible.

God revealed Himself in various ways in the Old Testament.

There are many places where God spoke audibly to people.

To Abraham: Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Gen 18:17 And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

To Moses: Exo 19:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

To Isaiah: Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

God also revealed Himself through dreams as we see here with King Solomon.

Whether it was more like a dream or a vision it was interactive and it was real and it honored God.

God spoke to Solomon and Solomon spoke to God and prophecy was fulfilled.

When this is mentioned in the Book of 1 Kings we can see that it is not Jehovah who responded to Solomon but it was Elohim.

Jehovah appeared but Elohim spoke.

When we hear from the Lord Jesus Christ, He is speaking the words of His Father.

In this passage here we see that Elohim appeared to Solomon.

So, even though the Ark was not at Gibeon, God still met with Solomon and talked to him.

We see that even in the times of the Old Testament, God made it clear that He was not restricted to the Holy of Holies or the Ark of the Covenant.

The Holy of Holies was a place where God met the High Priest of Israel.

God said: “Ask what I shall give thee”.

We can take this to mean that Solomon could have asked for anything.

We can just imagine how we would respond if the Almighty God asked us this same question.

We know that we can ask for anything that is in the will of God for our lives, and He will give those things to us.

What did Jesus say?

Mat_7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Mat_21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Jhn_16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Now it does not really say that God would have given Solomon anything he asked for, because God knew before Solomon asked, what he was going to ask for.

We can be sure that God’s response had nothing to do with those one thousand animals that were sacrificed.

It was because Solomon’s heart was surrendered to God at this time!

This is the key to answered prayer! Having our hearts surrendered to the Lord.

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

*2Ch 1:8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
2Ch 1:9 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

It should be very clear that God knows what is in our hearts before we ask of Him!

When we ask of God, we must have faith that He can supply what we ask for or we will never receive gifts from God.

God is not only able, but He is also willing to give us anything, but it must be in His will for us.

God had shown more than great mercy to David, God had also made David a rich man.

Why might we ask?

1Ki 3:6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

David had left all those riches to be used to build a Temple for God in Jerusalem.

At this time Solomon was certainly not a child according to our standards.

He was probably between the ages of seventeen to twenty-two.

The one thing Solomon knew was that he was personally inadequate to fulfill God’s promises to his father David.

The nation of Israel was too great.
There were too many people for him to govern effectively.
The task that was lying before him was just too overwhelming.

Solomon felt helpless.

Solomon likened himself to be a small child.

Solomon knew he lacked the wisdom to be King of Israel.

The laws of Moses stated that Israel had to have a king who was humble and who would remain humble.

A king was required to read the law of God daily and follow it.

Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

No king was to feel he was superior to his fellow citizens.

We know that this is a problem in the last few governments that we have.

Those ultra-liberal Senators and Congressmen men and women treated us as inferiors!

Solomon knew he needed God’s help.

This is exactly where God wants each of us.

The Lord Jesus put it this way: Jhn_15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We have found this to be very true!

What was God’s promise to David?

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.
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.

We know this prophecy did not only concern Solomon but more importantly our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who could fulfill this prophecy.

What did Solomon need?

*2Ch 1:10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?

**By knowledge Solomon meant the ability to gather and understand facts.

By definition knowledge is a clear and certain perception of things that exist.

We have no knowledge of things that do not exist, but God has perfect knowledge of all His creation so human knowledge is very limited.

Knowing these things then keep in mind that ignorance is the curse of God.

We know that Jesus Christ alone possesses all the knowledge of God.

**Wisdom is the ability to apply the facts that are learned.

By definition, wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

Wisdom in fact is one of the names of Jesus Christ: 1Co_1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

We should know that Solomon became king because God was rewarding his father, King David.

What Solomon needed the most was the ‘Grace” of God.

We see that Solomon did not have a clue on how to rule a kingdom.

When we admit what we are, dumb sheep, then God has something to work with.

*2Ch 1:11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:

And God speaks.

What did God tell the Prophet Samuel before this all began?

1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

The word heart is used 833 times in the KJV Bible.

The heart is the center of the physical, mental, and spiritual life of all humans!

It is the heart that is at the center of our physical life.

Act 14:17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

The heart and our mind are closely connected.

It is thought that our heart is the seat of our intelligence.

Pro_8:5 O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Sometimes we think with our heart.

Pro 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

We ponder things in our hearts.

Luk 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

We see the heart and mind connected.

Our emotions are tied to our hearts.

God can see into our hearts, and He knows who his children are and those who are not and never will be.

Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Now we cannot read our own thoughts into this.

This is something God knows, and we cannot know!

The heart is the center of our spiritual life!

Job said: Job 27:6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

It is our heart that will condemn us, but it is also in our heart where we feel the power of God.

1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

It is because our heart is at the root of all our problems this is the place where God does His greatest work!

Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

It is the heart where God sows His seed (the Word of God).

Mat 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

It is in the heart where God will make His home within us.

2Co 1:21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
2Co 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

This is why if God wants to know us, all He has to do is look into our hearts.

This is why we can witness for the Lord.

Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

This is what God saw in the heart of Solomon.

*2Ch 1:12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

There is a principle in the Bible that we have trouble understanding and the Lord Jesus uses it: Mat_25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

We see that King Solomon had enough wisdom to offer up a wise prayer, so God increased his wisdom as the answer to his prayer.

We see that all those who make this world their end will come up short in the gifts of God.

Those who make it to the “Glory World” will not only obtain a mansion in God’s home, but God will give us enough in this world that we live and take care of our families.

Yes, God gave Solomon riches and wealth and honor, but these things had another purpose.

The truth is, if we put the Lord and His ways first in our lives then, good things can happen.

It means following God’s will for our lives, then blessings will come our way!

God freely gives His wisdom if we will just ask Him.

Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Amen

The Promises God Makes

October 29, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Remembering the Promise to David

Book of Psalms: Psalm 132

This is another Psalm that was sung as the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast’s days as commanded by God.

They had begun to remember the promises of God and it brought joy to them just as it does to each of us.

If we take a look into David’s past, we will see all the pains, the trouble, and anxiety he underwent in his lifetime for the cause of God, especially in the establishing a sanctuary in Jerusalem and making preparation for the building of the Temple.

David was building God’s special dwelling place on this Earth, a place where God would meet with His people.

If you do not have a longing to meet with God, then you cannot be a Christian!

You cannot be a Christian because the Holy Spirit will not come to live within you!

Every Christian is a sanctuary for God to dwell in!

If we look at the very first word of this Psalm, we see the word LORD, this is the Almighty God Himself, Jehovah.

David had accomplished what no lowly shepherd could accomplish.

Except we do know of another man who was a shepherd who came to save His people and His name is Jesus the Christ, the Messiah.

We know that special days are set aside to honor special people and some of the heroes of our nation.

In fact, almost every nation has set days to remember their national heroes.

For the Israelites, David was a hero and in fact, David is still honored as one of the Jews greatest heroes.

The Star of David is the national flag of Israel today.

The “Sling of David” is the name of one of the air defense systems of Israel.

This Psalm was probably written for the dedication of the Temple built by Solomon.

We know that David had spent many years gathering the wealth to build a magnificent Home for God, when He would come to visit this planet, but we know that God is everywhere, and He even abides in every “Born Again” child of God.

He lives in every person who has their name written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

David was now dead and gone, we know He is with the Lord, but the Jews had a great fondness for King David.

By remembering the hardships David faced before he was made king, it inspired the Jews to face their own hardships!

It has never been easy to live in this world since the sin of Adam, and it is not always easy to be a Christian.

We do still live in a cursed world!

The word cursed is used seventy-two times in the Bible.

We know that the Serpent who was Satan is cursed:

Gen_3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Gen_3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

If you look up the word cursed in the Bible, you will see that many of our leaders of today are cursed by their actions.

Deu_27:25 Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

We know we have been sold out by our leaders for riches, they will never spend.

We know that every doctor who is paid to end the life of an innocent baby is also cursed.

God has also placed a curse on all those who reject any part of the Scriptures:

Deu_27:26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

And to all those so-called churches that have left the truth of the Bible, God says:

Jer_11:3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
Jer_17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

God is very serious about the words He has given us to live by.

Let’s begin.

*Psa 132:1 A Song of degrees. LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:
Psa 132:2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
Psa 132:3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
Psa 132:4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
Psa 132:5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

The Psalmist who wrote this Psalm reminded the Lord how David was devoted to Him.

We all say these things such as, “Lord remember me”.

The truth is that God only forgets when He decides to forget.

His memory is perfect!

He has forgotten our sins, and it is He that said we are covered by the blood of Jesus that has washed away our sins.

Rev_1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

We know that King David had made a vow to find a place for the Almighty God to dwell in Jerusalem.

David was determined that He was going to build a House for God for God to dwell in Jerusalem.

This was David’s vow.

David had endured much suffering at the hands of Saul.
David had endured much suffering in finding a neutral place to worship God.
David had not yet taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites so, this too had to be done.
David had to transport the “Ark of the Congregation “ to this new House of God, but it was not in his hands at this time.
David had to also defend Jerusalem from the attacks of the Philistines two times, while all these other things were going on.

These things may have hindered David in completing his vow to God, but it did not stop Him.

In fact, David said; I’m not going to rest until I build a House for the Lord.

David said it was not right that he was living in a beautiful palace and worshiping God in a tent.

We can see that David’s devotion to God provides a worthy example for us to follow.

Many missionaries today have this same vision as David, to build a house for the worship of our God.

I believe Nathan had this vision and I believe Scott David had this vision.

These were church planters as David wanted to be.

*Psa 132:6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
Psa 132:7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
Psa 132:8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
Psa 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
Psa 132:10 For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.

Though this Scripture is hard to understand, what we do know is that David found the Ark of the Covenant and moved it to Jerusalem where it would remain until 70 AD when Titus destroyed Jerusalem.

At this time nobody really knows the whereabouts of the Ark!

These people recalled the passion of David to obtain the Ark and bring it to Jerusalem where he intended to build a House for God.

The Ark had been gone so long that many people had forgotten about it.

It was David who had to remind the people:

1Ch 13:2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
1Ch 13:3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.
1Ch 13:4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

The people thought the Ark was in Ephratah, but Bethlehem and Kirjath-Jearim were both known as Bethlehem at this time.

There is the city of Bethlehem but there is also the region which was called Bethlehem.

It was Bethlehem Ephratah that provided the sheep for the Temple.

Rth 4:11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem:

Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Kirjath-Jearim would be the place that was in the woods!

We know that David failed the in his first attempt to retrieve the Ark, but he succeeded when He retrieved it according to the Word of God.

We will always fail if we do not do things according to the proven ways of God!

It is easy to see how this Scripture can be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If King David did not have the zeal for the Lord that he had, we do not know if anyone would have remembered the Ark of God.

David challenged the people to get back to the worship of Jehovah God.

David referred to the Ark as the Lord’s footstool.

1Ch 28:2 Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:
1Ch 28:3 But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.

Psa 99:5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

The world knows nothing about the Holiness of God and many in the Church have also.

Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

David built a tent for the Ark of the Covenant, but he must have also built a place where the people could gather to worship though many of them and the priests still went to the Tabernacle that was in Gibeon, but did not have the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy Place.

The reality of these things is that God will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem.

1) The Ark is not only a symbol of God’s presence, but it is also a symbol of God’s power!

2) The priests that serve the Lord will be godly servants and agents of righteousness!

3) The saints of God will be a happy people.

4) God would not reject David’s anointed successor. Solomon would be the next king, but these things also make reference to God’s truly anointed which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today we worship together in a building set up for worship.

It is the people that are the Church.

The building or the place that we worship is just that, a building or a place.

We should never defile our bodies with the sins of the flesh.

We must obey the commands of God which say we are to separate ourselves from all unrighteousness and ungodliness.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Today, God is still searching for people like David who love to worship Him.

Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We must be wholly devoted to the Lord!

Next we will see some of the promises made to David.

*Psa 132:11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
Psa 132:12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.

There is no greater promise of the Lord Jesus Christ than this.

This verse points to the Messiah and His Kingdom!

Psa 89:3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Psa 89:4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

Psa 89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

2Sa 7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
2Sa 7:29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

The thing we know is true is, that a descendant of David will occupy the throne in Jerusalem.

That throne is the government, and that government will be located in Jerusalem and the Messiah will rule the world from Jerusalem.

There were some conditions to be met for each descendant of David.

We should clearly understand that our unfaithfulness cannot defeat God’s purpose and neither could those sons of David who rejected the truth of God.

We know that God will keep His oaths, and He expects us to keep ours!

It is Jehovah God who chose Jerusalem when He could have chosen anywhere.

King Jesus will rule from Jerusalem.

*Psa 132:13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

We know that some of the descendants of David turned from God and He had to discipline them.

The Israelites would be singing this Psalm as they traveled toward Jerusalem.

We know for a time there was no son of David sitting on the throne in Jerusalem, the fulfillment of the promises had been interrupted and it will stay that way until King Jesus takes control of the governments that remain in this world from Jerusalem.

God’s promise will be fulfilled, and the world is moving toward that moment when the Messiah will return.

The promise will be fulfilled in two stages:

1) Jesus Christ returns and rules the entire earth from Jerusalem for one thousand years.

Jer 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

2) When Christ Jesus takes us to New Jerusalem and reigns from there forever and ever.

Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

God promises to provide abundantly for those who are now His people.

*Psa 132:15 I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Psa 132:16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.

I believe this speaks of the point when the Jews will join the Church.

God will provide any and all needs to His children.

The poor will not lack food and necessities as they had on Earth. These are material needs.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Then God will supply their Spiritual needs.

In verse nine we see that it was a prayer that asked the Lord for the priests be clothed in righteousness.

Psa 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

We see in verse sixteen that God has answered that prayer.

I still believe that this is the Jews as they have now joined the Church, and all the saints will shout with joy for the Church is now complete and the Bride of Christ can join with the Bridegroom.

*Psa 132:17 There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
Psa 132:18 His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon himself shall his crown flourish.

The Lord promised to make the horn of David to sprout.

To sprout means to bud to spring forth and grow.

The “horn” is a symbol of power.

This phrase means that a powerful ruler will come forth from the line of David and this ruler will fulfill all the promises made to David.

He will be a lamp or a light to all the world!

The “lamp” and that “horn” mean the Messiah.

1) 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.

2) Jer 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

3) Isa 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

Zacharias the father of John the Baptist said:

Luk 1:69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.

Luk 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

We know what is going on in Israel today is turbulent times for them.

We need to remember these promises of God to David, and they will be fulfilled.

As far as the Church, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem which will take place at the return of Jesus Christ.

We know that the conclusion of God’s plan may be nearing its end, and we will live forever in the presence of the Mighty God!

All evilness and wickedness will be gone, and we will finally be at peace on New Earth and the New Jerusalem.

Amen

When The Lord Jesus is King

August 22, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Reign of the Messiah

Book of Psalms Chapter 72

No doubt that Psalm 72 was written about Solomon the son of David but in reality, the Holy Spirit caused it to be written of Israel’s last and greatest King, which is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

David becomes a prophet in this Psalm.

What do we know about the reign of the Messiah? It has not happened yet.

During the early centuries of the Church there were many groups that denied the humanity of Jesus Christ.

Today, it is in the reverse, the man Jesus is recognized, but there is a denial of His deity.

People believe that Christ was either a liar, or a lunatic, or He is LORD like He says He is.

Jesus Christ is God and not simply God-Like!

Jesus Christ is absolutely equal with God the Father in His person and in His work.

The Lord Jesus Christ is all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of the attributes which make God, God!

Any attack on the deity of Jesus Christ is an attack on the bedrock of Christianity.

I am tired of seeing my Savior mocked in this world.

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

It is a fundamental truth of Scripture that only God is to be worshiped.

Even Satan knows this is the truth!

Mat 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

It is the Trinity of God that is the Lord Jesus Christ:

2Co 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Prophecy says that the Messiah would be King.

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

There will be a people ready to be ruled by the Messiah.

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

God the Father announced the making of His Son to be King.

Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

The Lord Jesus Christ will be the government of this world!

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.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The three offices of the Messiah which are, Prophet, Priest, and King will be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ!

As a Prophet, the Lord Jesus was involved with revealing the salvation message of God.

As a Priest, His work was as an Intercessor, and His saving work.

As King, He fulfill the promises to Israel and He will rule the entire earth.

*****Psa 72:1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

As King David lay on his death bed, he had this prayer for his son by asking God to make him a righteous ruler.

One of the king’s most important duties was to judge disputes and then administer justice.

If Solomon would govern according to the Word of God, the Lord would bless him and his nation’s people.

This same prayer holds true to every ruler, every king, and every president of every nation even today!

God is the source of all “judgment”!

It should be noted that Solomon prayed this same prayer for himself.

1Ki 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

We know that a society cannot exist without laws and these laws are to be expressed and enforced and whoever does this is the ruler but this is just a part of what is needed to govern any people.

*****Psa 72:2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

Psa 72:3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

Psa 72:4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

It is obvious that the courts and prosecutors of today are not interested with righteousness!

It is obvious today that our courts are not fair and impartial but yield to the politics of today!

We should also understand that the children of Israel belong to God just as the Church belongs to God.

The Church is bought and paid for with the Blood of Jesus Christ.

We should also understand that peace will never come to this world because leaders seek their own fortunes rather than seeking the good will of those they were elected to serve.

In old times most of the poor were not that way because of laziness or would not work.

We know this has changed today.

There are still some who are poor for many reasons but there are also many who refuse to work and would rather live off the taxpayer.

In the day of the Kings the poor were powerless to defend themselves and were taken advantage of by greedy and wicked people.

These same greedy and wicked people are going after the middle class today and the middle class is becoming powerless to defend themselves.

It is easy to see that it is the rich who are the cause of the oppression of the poor and they want to keep it that way.

It is a fact that in the day the Jesus Christ rules this earth from Jerusalem the oppression of the poor will end.

It is uncalled for today, but the greedy rich just cannot get enough riches to satisfy them!

Peace can be said to be the absence of fear of the threat of harm along with a sense of security.

We do not have this in America today and it is because of greedy politicians, who always seem to have a better way, but it never turns out that way!

When King Jesus sits upon the throne of David there will be great changes.

*****Psa 72:5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

It is this passage where we begin to see that this Psalm was not just about King Solomon because his life would be similar to the life expectancy we have today.

It is King Jesus in whom we should have a godly fear of throughout time as it we see it today.

The sun and the moon will endure until God brings them to an end and it is only God who can live through all the generations of mankind and forever.

Only God can do these things. It was Solomon’s job to make sure all the people of his kingdom understood this, just as it is the job of every national leader to do today.

We see where this world is failing!

You see, for as long as the course of nature last, we are to fear the Lord.

God promised eternal dominion to the house of David.

Since the Lord Jesus as a man was a descendant of the House of David, and because He is God then these things apply to the Messiah.

Since we are in the family of the Messiah then these things apply to the Body of Christ.

King Solomon was to provide security for God’s people.

King Jesus will also provide security in His Kingdom. He will rule with a rod of iron.

He would rescue the needy.

He would rescue the poor and those who are afflicted, and their children.

These are the ones that the world takes advantage of.

These are the same ones that this government we have now, have taken advantage of.

They have tried to keep the poor, poor so that they will always need the government to help them.

This is why the gates of America have been thrown open for the world to enter so even more people will become dependent upon the government to support them.

This is the way a certain party is trying to stay in power.

The Messiah came to this earth to put a stop to these things.

The Messiah came to rescue the needy and the poor, all those who are Spiritually poor.

David prayed that his son would crush all those who are so cruel in this world.

*****Psa 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

We already know there is a great famine for the Word of God today.

2Ti_4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti_4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Eze 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

Eze 34:24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

Eze 34:25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

Eze 34:26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

Deu 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

Deu 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

David called on his son to be true to Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus will enforce righteousness upon this earth when He sits as King of the World!

*****Psa 72:7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

Does anyone here know how long the moon that we see nightly is going to flourish? I do not either because only God knows.

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 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

All those who are with Christ during His Millennial Reign upon this earth will enjoy lives that are full, and free of fear and oppression.

If the Lord Jesus Christ is going to save us from all these things, then these are the things that are going to get worse especially during the time of the Antichrist.

Keep in mind this is after the Rapture of the Church and the Church will come down again to this earth during the time Christ sits as King of this world and remain the God of all creation.

*****Psa 72:8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Psa 72:9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

What was the Kingdom of Solomon?

1Ki 4:21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Notice Solomon ruled over the land of the Philistines also at this time.

As we apply this to King Jesus:

Isa 60:4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Isa 60:5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Isa 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.

Isa 60:7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Isa 60:8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?

Isa 60:9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.

Isa 60:10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

*****Psa 72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

Psa 72:11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

David prayed that Solomon would be recognized as the world’s leader the sovereign ruler over all the earth.

He asked that God would cause all rulers to pay tribute to Solomon.

As David prayed for his son, he also prophesied of the Messiah.

Solomon did establish an extensive kingdom but he did not rule to the ends of the earth.

Solomon was not King of all kings.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ will fully answer this prayer of David!

Only the Lord Jesus Christ will reign forever over all the earth!

Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

Zec 9:10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

King Jesus will rule this world just as He rules everything that we see and know about. He will rule all His creation.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

David then prays that Solomon will be compassionate toward the people.

*****Psa 72:12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

Psa 72:13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

Psa 72:14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

When is the last time we have seen our leaders be compassionate to all the people?

This is when we know we have a true leader.

Did you know being compassionate to the people is not one of the things that our President is to do.

An American President is to keep our nation safe and make sure the Constitution is being implemented and is the guide to our laws.

If our leaders would show compassion to all the people of our great nation instead of picking out certain groups to show compassion, if you can call it that, to certain groups and cause division in all the rest, our nation would be a better place.

A true leader will deliver all who cry to him who are in need.

These would be those who are poor, oppressed, and helpless beyond their fault.

He is to deliver those who suffer due to circumstances beyond their control.

Most of the problems where people suffer today is because our leaders have made laws that cause friction in the people.

A good leader would deliver those who are oppressed who are law abiding people.

A good leaders would not take away our freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

A good leader would save the people from oppression and stop their adversaries who only deceive and defraud the people.

An unrighteous leader would view the needy with contempt, seeing them as a burden to society and worthless.

Why is our nation faltering? It is because no one wants a righteous leader!

Even Solomon was not a righteous leader many of his days because he taxed the people so he could live an extravagant life.

God told Israel these things about a king:

Deu 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.

Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:

Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Solomon ignored all these laws of God just as most all kings have done even presidents.

But the Lord Jesus Christ was innocent of any wrong doing!

Israel became a rich nation but it was just like today.

The rich got richer and the poor renamed poor and the middle class paid most of the taxes.

David prophesied of King Jesus as no one else could meet the qualifications that God had set in His Laws.

The Jews had six hundred and thirteen laws besides these things that God added to kings.

The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly portrayed the compassionate, sacrificial heart of our Savior because He cannot be different from what He is!

He is still this same Savior today with these same characteristics!

Because of Jesus our souls can be saved from a Spiritual death which means an eternal separation from God in Hell.

The Lord Jesus is soon returning to claim our bodies as well!

Solomon did become the richest man in the world, but a lot of it was wasted when He could have done more for Israel such as tax relief.

*****Psa 72:15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.

Psa 72:16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

Psa 72:17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Verse 15 is hard to understand but it could mean “God save the King”.

People could not only greet him in the customary way, but bring gifts to him and they would pray for him.

Besides the gifts, we still do this for our own leaders.

The gift we can give is to be obedient to the laws of the land that do not go against the Word of God.

A good king would be the source of happiness and prosperity and there will never be but one good king and that is King Jesus.

Another prayer would be for the fertility of the land.

“May there be an abundance of corn in the land upon the top of the mountains?”

“May the fruit rustle like Lebanon”.

“May men flourish out of the city like the grass of the earth.”

This would be praying for the prosperity for the people of the kingdom.

These would be the things that the Lord Jesus will do after He has destroyed the earth. He will make all things new and the earth will again be like it was in the Garden of Eden.

Hos 14:5 I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

Hos 14:6 His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

Hos 14:7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

Isa 27:6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.

There will also be a conversion of the Jews.

Psa 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psa 92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Psa 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

Psa 92:15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Only the Lord Jesus fits the picture painted by verse seventeen:

Psa 45:17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Eph 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

And blessed be the Lord God:

*****Psa 72:18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

Psa 72:19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

Psa 72:20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

When the Messiah sits on the throne of David during the Millennial Kingdom the whole earth will be filled with God’s glory.

Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

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.

Hab 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The Lord did wondrous things as the God of Israel by delivering them from bondage.

The Lord did wondrous things for the Church as he delivered us all from the bondage of Satan.

He did these things because His mercy endures forever!

It is our duty to praise God for what He has done for us and Israel will soon find this same thing out.

It is our honor to praise God.

It is our honor to meet each week in the House of our God to offer to Him our praise.

We will do this in Heaven, we just as well get in the practice here on earth!

It is our duty and our pleasure to honor our God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is only the lord who can do these wondrous things and does them because He loves us!

Me and my brother Mike used to talk about being saved and we would refer to this passage in the Book of James.

Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Our sins, as terrible as they were now are all blotted out in God’s records in Heaven!

Mike is in Heaven now and I owe it to the Lord to spend the rest of my days serving Him!

This was David’s dying prayer for his son Solomon, but the Holy Spirit used this same prayer to prophecy of the Messiah, King Jesus.

Amen

What Legacy Will You Leave Behind

February 20, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Last Days

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 29

Most of us are just ordinary people, but even as insignificant as we are in this world, we will leave behind a legacy, either a good one or a bad one.

We may be remembered only by friends and family, but to some of those we may be important to them.

So, we should ask ourselves what kind of legacy will we leave behind?

As long as we are alive, we can improve our legacy!

After we have been in the family of God for many years, we hope our past life will be forgotten just as the Lord has forgotten it.

So, again, what contribution have we made since our salvation?

We know that the Lord called all His brothers and His sisters into the Church, to begin working for His glory.

This is a much greater task than what David encouraged his son Solomon to do.

Our job is to take the Gospel to the entire world so, did we contribute to this work, we can ask ourselves?

The Lord called His entire Church, individually and collectively, to take part in this ministry!

This may not mean much to the world but it will certainly mean much in the realm of Heaven!

The Lord God our Creator builds much greater temples than the one Solomon built!

Every Temple built by the Lord is for the Lord because it is for the worship of the Living God!

This worship extends outside to the telling of the world “How Great Is Our God”!

Many people have forgotten the purpose of our gathering together.

We gather for the worship of our Creator and our Savior and all other things are secondary to this!

We should love the opportunity and the privilege to gather in the name of the Lord, and to be a part of the continuation of His ministry!

David told Solomon:

*1Ch 29:3 Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,

Our greatest goal should be to undertake a work for the glory of our Savior!

I admit my failure to do so but I am still working on it, to get better at it.

Many are called to specific things for the Lord, but all of us are called to be obedient to the Word of God that teaches us how to be a witness for the Lord.

Many will say, well the I have not heard the Holy Spirit speak to me but the Holy Spirit speaks loudly and boldly to us in the Word of God!

We may not have great riches to give to the House of God, but God would rather have Living Sacrifices than great riches!

Riches maybe of gold and silver but we are God’s jewels!

Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

David set his affection to the house of his God and his God is Jehovah, who came down from Heaven and took upon Himself the Body of Jesus Christ just so He could save a useless beggar like me!

On David’s death bed, he was still encouraging the nation of Israel to get closer to the Lord.

We can never get too close to the Lord!

It was time for Israel to build a house where the Lord God of all this world would come down to visit with His people!

It was a great sum of riches that King David had accumulated for this work yet, it would not be enough so, all the leaders of the twelve tribes were to share their own riches.

They would have no riches if were not for King David!

We should understand that until King David, Israel had no riches.

It was by the economy of King David that these men had accumulated their riches.

They were not to forget the blessings that God had shared with them.

We seem to forget that it is by the blessing of the Lord that we are blessed with what we have, and He only expects us to give back ten percent of those blessings.

David wanted these elders to realize that giving to the construction of the Temple would be the greatest work these leaders would ever undertake!

1Ch 22:14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.

David had given all his treasures to the building of the Temple.

If we figure the weight of a talent was around ninety-five pounds, a hundred thousand talents would weigh four thousand seven hundred and fifty tons of gold.

A talent of gold was double the weight of silver so a talent of silver was about forty-five pounds.

The silver that David gave had a weight of twenty-two thousand and five hundred tons.

We can only imagine what the values of just these two valuable metals would be worth today.

After hearing this, the chiefs of the tribes and the princes of the tribes and the captains of military in those tribes with the rulers of the king’s work, gave willingly.

*1Ch 29:6 Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,

David challenged the national leaders to personally dedicate themselves to the Lord.

We need to challenge our own national leaders today to personally dedicate themselves to the Lord.

We need to do the same in America today!

We must stand up for Jesus and there will be a great turmoil, but until we do this, we certainly cannot claim to be Christian nation.

Remember it was Obama who said he would make sure that America would not be a Christian nation ever again, and it is he who is pulling the strings today, but he does not know the power of God or the Lord Jesus Christ and this battle is His and not ours but we must have a part in it.

If we cannot make a personal re-dedication to the Lord, we do not deserve Him!

We must be willing to consecrate our relationship with the Lord!

So much wealth was given to build the Temple that a treasurer had to be appointed to watch over it.

We should understand that the work of the Lord is enormous, and we as God’s children must give and give willingly to this work of reaching lost souls.

Far too much of God’s resources are used for elaborate buildings and many other things, other than reaching souls for Christ.

The Church has two jobs.

Reaching souls for Christ, and making disciples so they can reach souls for Christ.

Many so-called churches have forgotten the mission the Lord Jesus has given us to do!

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

The people of Israel rejoiced that there would be a “House of Prayer” built in Jerusalem.

*1Ch 29:9 Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

It takes a perfect heart to serve the Lord and God is working on us every day to clean our hearts up to be good servants.

People must be reached with the “Gospel of salvation”!

The people of this world are suffering and only the Lord can help them!

The people of the world need the Word of God to become a part of them.

There has never been another such man as King David, who has a legacy of giving to the Lord as he did, except the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up the riches of Heaven to come to this earth to die on a wooden cross to save the people of this earth from a place called Hell!

On a day near his death, King David stood before a massive crowd of national leaders overflowed with joy with the generosity of those who were seeking a relationship with the Lord.

King David realized just how blessed Israel was to have Jehovah as her God.

The House of Prayer that was to be built for the Lord was also to be for the presentation of God’s Word and God’s worship.

Our Lord deserves to be worshiped!

Worship must include adoration.
Worship must include thanksgiving.
Worship must include confession.
Worship must include supplication.
Worship must include intercession.
Worship must include petition, a deliverance from evil.

Now we do not need a building to appear before the Lord, but if you are a child of God you will want to join with the many others who truly want to worship the Lord!

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The Lord God Jehovah is the God of all true believers and there are no other gods, but those of the mind of the non-believers!

*1Ch 29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
1Ch 29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Keeping in mind that the word Israel means “the people of God”, then Jehovah is certainly the God of all His people and He is our Father for ever and ever.

That word “blessed” means that our Lord is the Living picture of Holiness!

He is the Father of all true believers in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ!

He will be our Father forever and ever with a life that has no ending!

Another thing we see is, just like most of us here today, the closer we get to going home the more we like to talk about it.

It is our Lord God who controls all things because all things belong to Him!

He possesses all power and all greatness.
He possesses all glory, all majesty, and all splendors.
He possesses all that is in Heaven and on Earth.
He possesses all greatness.
He is truly exalted above all!

There are many of these things He will share with us if we love Him!

*1Ch 29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
1Ch 29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.

We must clearly understand that any wealth and any honor that comes to us in this world, came by the hands Jehovah God!

Our Lord God is the source of all things good that comes to us in this world!

One of the reasons, the main reason, is so we can give back to the Church for the work of reaching out to lost souls.

Those who have been blessed with such riches should glorify the Lord for those things!

Those who have obtained honor in this world should use it in proclaiming the truth of God!

Those who have been given the strength to overcome life’s obstacles should teach those of little strength how to do the same!

We must all be thankful for the things God has shared with us.

We may not understand why some seem to be better off than others, but we must understand that the Lord is Omnipotent and He always knows what is best for each of us! Amen.

King David acknowledged that his kingdom actually belonged to the Lord.

We need to acknowledge that the United States of America also belongs to the Lord.

Everything upon this earth belongs to the Lord because He created it all!

So many laughs at these things today, but they will one day see the truth of the Word of God!

King David then thanked the Lord for enabling the people to be able to give.

One of the reasons that our government wants us all to not have money is so we will not have to give to our God!

They are so foolish; the Lord does not need our resources!

He allows us to give for His work in order to earn rewards and we earn greater rewards from giving when it hurts us financially.

Isa_55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa_55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

If the swamp in Washington DC and in many states, capitols could understand this, they could do something beneficial for our nation rather than trying to destroy our nation.

Satan is in full control in America because the Church has been so weak!

This is why the Lord tells us this world is not worth saving and He will make all things new.

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.

Why did King David give so generously? Because God was testing the hearts of His people!

1Ch 29:16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
1Ch 29:17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.

Everything we have belongs to God and God will test us time to time to see if our hearts are still in the right place!

God gives wealth as a test to see if that person will return that wealth to Him if He ask for it back.

David knew that God test the hearts of His people from time to time.

We should understand that without a “test”, we will never have a “testimony”!

Without making a “mess” with our lives, we will never understand God’s “message”!

God does not try to hide the terrible things in the life of King David even when He knows much of this world will exploit our mistakes to use against us.

With all the things we have read about King David we could say that David was never really a child of God but we must know that not one of us are perfect.

Not one of us can stand before the Lord and say we are worthy of His love, because we know we are not.

Those that do are self-righteous and will never get to Heaven!

So again what kind of legacy will we leave behind?

When we are in our very last days, what will we tell our children and grandchildren and many of us are blessed with great grandchildren.

In a world that is going to pots, family is still the greatest blessing the Lord gives to us!

We all need to take a pad and pen and record the time each day we spend in prayer for one week.

Most of us would see that we do not spend a lot of time talking to our Heavenly Father.

I am so guilty Lord, help me to do better!

Solomon became the third King of Israel and he sat upon the throne of his father David but watch how our Scripture words this.

1Ch 29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord instead of his father David.

That throne in Jerusalem is reserved for the Lord Jesus Christ and many impostors have tried to rule from that throne and the worst of all those impostors will soon attempt to sit upon that throne and the Lord Jesus Himself will boot him off!

Solomon was coronated a second time and the people celebrated with boundless joy.

Knowing all these things about King David, we should ask ourselves, how loyal are we to the Lord?

How committed are we to serving the Lord?

What kind of lives are we living?

We are all still sinners but we must realize that sin damages our legacy and also shames the name of the Lord.

The traits that we need to serve the Lord are loyalty, allegiance, commitment, dedication, and obedience!

As we go through our day, we must continually magnify the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the most part David had lived a good life.

*1Ch 29:28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.

All the things about King David were recorded.

The Book of Samuel was recorded and we have his records.
The Book of Nathan the prophet of which the Holy Spirit deemed not necessary to be included in the Bible.
The Book of Gad the seer which the Holy Spirit decided was not necessary to be included in the Bible.

This does not mean those records do not exist, it only means that the Holy Spirit did not see it necessary to include those records in the Word of God though He did include bits and pieces of those books in what is the Bible today.

David clearly understood that the Lord was the only living and true God and that it was He who had appointed him to be King of Israel.

If only our leaders would realize this today!

We could make America great again!

Amen

Planning for the Temple of Solomon

February 12, 2024 / Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

David’s Wise Counsel

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 22

At the end of our last lesson we know that after David bought the threshing floor of Ornan, turned it into an altar and he sacrificed to the Lord to stop the plague that the Lord had placed on Israel.

After buying the threshing floor from Ornan, King David then bought that parcel of land that is now known as the Temple Mount.

1Ch 21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

1Ch 21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

1Ch 21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

We can see that there were two separate transactions for the place where Solomon built the Temple that was intended to be a House of Prayer for all of Israel.

We also know that the Muslim have built a false temple that is known as the Dome of the Rock built right upon the threshing floor of Ornan that belongs to the nation of Israel because it was a place given to the Lord by King David.

For all intents and purposes, the Lord has the threshing floor of Ornan safe and secure and protected and preserved by a building provided for by the Muslims.

There is always a purpose behind everything that the Lord does!

These things cannot be denied!

1Ch 22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

The Lord would not allow David to build this House of Prayer because it would have sent the wrong message, but Solomon David’s son, would build this House of God.

*1Ch 22:6 Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the LORD God of Israel.

We should understand that as fathers we do not have the right to dictate the career path of our sons or daughters.

God in His wisdom has given us all the freedom of choice in our lives.

We can, as fathers and mothers, recommend a path we would love for our children to follow.

The best thing that we can do is to be a good example to our children and pray that they learn from the mistakes that we have made in our lives so that they will not make the same mistakes that we made.

If we have been wise fathers, then maybe we can provide the means by which our sons and our daughters may carry out our purpose and some friends to help him in it.

A wise father and mother can largely shape the influences under which our children grow up!

King David could not build a Temple for the worship of the Lord but Solomon could, and King David began assembling most all the materials that would be needed, for the Lord had provided King David with the plans to build such a Temple and the finances to do so.

*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.

As far as meetings go, this is the most important meeting that Solomon would have in all the days of his life!

This was not David trying to tell Solomon how to live his life.

When David was made King of Israel, the nation was weak militarily, and economically and politically.

Solomon would now inherit a kingdom that had a solid foundation.

You see, we live in a land that is becoming weak militarily, and becoming weak economically, and weak politically but as the children of God, we will inherit the things of our King Jesus that is built upon a solid foundation.

Luk_6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

In the time of David, he did not have time to build upon the infrastructure of Israel for battling with Israel’s enemies, but Solomon would inherit a kingdom that was at peace and the enemies of Israel would not be prone to attack Israel.

He could take on worthy projects and the Temple of God should be first on his lists and David would be gathering the building materials for him and would give him the plans for the building of the Temple, which came from Jehovah.

The Temple would never have been a proper place of worship if it were built by bloody hands!

We could say the same thing about the Muslims places of worship today.

The builder of any place to worship the Living God, must be a man of peace and a saver of life and not a destroyer of life!

Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.

We can see that only the Lord Jesus Christ meets these requirements and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who builds all the Temples of God today!

We will see many times Solomon as a type of Jesus Christ.

Why was King David giving this request to his son Solomon?

*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.

1) David had a burning desire to personally build a Temple to worship Jehovah.

2) Jehovah would not allow David to Him such a Temple due to the way he had lived his life.

3) David shared to his son Solomon that Jehovah had chosen Him to be the next King of Israel and for Solomon to build this Temple.

Remember all of David’s sons who were born before Solomon had become worthless human beings who had no cause to change their ways and two of them had died in their wickedness.

God would give him a son who would be a man of peace, a man free from enemies and warfare.

For David, Solomon was this son, but we know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the true fulfillment of this promise made to David!

What had God said?

“I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his day”:

*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.

These words were never about Solomon!

These words were about the Lord Jesus Christ and are still in our future.

The days of Solomon were at peace until he had finished the construction of the Temple, but just as soon as Solomon began to turn his back on God those days of peace ended.

Remember Solomon had over seven hundred wives and he was pulled into false religion by them.

1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

Peace began to fade away and Solomon’s enemies began to show up.

1Ki 11:23 And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah:

1Ki 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.

Jehovah does not say things that are not true!

In the days of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be true peace in this world for one thousand years, for the Lord Jesus will rule with a “rod of iron”.

Moses was the first man of importance who had a rod, a wooden staff sometimes called the “rod of God”.

Exo 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

The brother of Moses, Aaron, was the one that bloomed. A dry stick came to life, which was a type of the nation of Israel but it could also be said to be a type of the lost come to the new life, that Born Again life by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Num 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

Aaron’s rod was placed inside the Ark of the Covenant to save for future generations.

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

But it was another Son of David and not Solomon that would one day rule this world with a rod of iron.

A rod then is the symbol of power and authority!

Psa 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Rev_12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev_19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

These things are still in our own future for the Church must first called out of this world and shortly after this there will be seven years of tribulation with the last three and a half of those years being terrible until the Lord Jesus returns to put down all rebellion.

Then the Lord Jesus will sit on the throne of His Father David and these things written here will come to be true!

And we know that wise King Solomon did not ever build a true house in the name of Jehovah, and the throne of Solomon did not last forever!

These things the Lord Jesus did!

1 Co_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?

Then the Lord will remove His Church before the Tribulation years begin.

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Then there will be those years of tribulation.

Mat_24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

The Lord will put down the rebellion upon this earth and then He will sit upon the throne of His father David, and not of the throne of Solomon.

Because David’s heart was for the Lord and Solomon’s heart was for his wives!

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:

Solomon’s job was to build a worldly Temple for the worship of Jehovah that was supposed be a House of Prayer for all the people of Israel.

So, David completes his prayer and his blessing for his son Solomon.

We know that Moses and Jacob gave dying blessings which were prophetical, and so, would be this blessing from King David.

When we have communion, it is said that we are partaking of the “Cup of the Lord’s blessing”.

*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.
1Ch 22:12 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.

The Almighty Living God did give these things to Solomon.

Solomon became the richest most prosperous man in the world.

Solomon became the wisest man in the world, accept for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Solomon became the most understanding man in the world in his days.

But Solomon did not keep the Law of God all his days!

One of the most important things that we can learn from the Word of God is discernment!

It is discernment that enables us to judge what is the correct and proper way to act in our everyday lives!

The Bible says we must guide every decision we make with discretion.

Psa 112:5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

And our enemies cannot stand it when the Word of God is always right!

Psa 112:10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

Our lives will be so much better if we are obedient to all the Word of God!

In fact, how long we will get to spend time with our families will depend on how well we keep the Word of God!

Pro 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Pro 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

David told his son Solomon that it was his duty to build that first Temple as a place to worship.

David then told his son Solomon that he had already purchased the building materials for this Temple.

David had already assembled a great work force who were already working upon those great marble stones and the timber that would be needed.

Solomon’s duty was to supervise the construction of the Temple by following God’s plan and put this plan into action.

1Ch 22:16 Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the LORD be with thee.

The greatest thing we can give back to the Lord after the salvation gifts He has given to us, is obedience to the Word of God!

David had more children than Absalom and Amnon, and David commanded all the princes of Israel to help his son Solomon.

There were also each tribe of the sons of Jacob that had princes.

1Ch 28:1 And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king, and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.

*1Ch 22:17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
1Ch 22:18 Is not the LORD your God with you? and hath he not given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.

Before David died, he issued a private charge to his son Solomon, but he also issued a private charge to all the leaders and the princes of the twelve tribes, to help Solomon to build the Temple we know as Solomon’s Temple.

God had certainly been with all of Israel the days David was King of Israel.

God had certainly given them peace throughout all the land and had subjected their enemies under the rule of Israel.

In a way, these tribal leaders were heavily obligated because of the blessings down through the years of David’s rule.

In comparison, just as David challenged the leaders of his day, we the Church are challenged today.

Of all the blessings that had come to Israel none of them had been given the gift of salvation as we have been given.

We owe far more dedication to our Savior than these who had certainly been blessed but not with eternal blessings.

Every mission that our Church is involved in and the ministry of our own church deserve our wholehearted dedication!

We must be faithful in supporting every project because the Lord is still building Temples at the same time, He is building human lives!

*1Ch 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD.

At this time David gave Solomon the plans for the construction of the Temple and in a lot of ways it followed the plans given to Moses for the Tabernacle of the Congregation.

1Ch 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:

1Ch 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

We should understand that when God plans it will be a perfect plan and our job is to “Be Strong And Of Good Courage And Do It”.

When God is involved in the planning, then it is God’s pledge in the accomplishment because God’s plans never fail!

God has never asked but one thing from us and it is “FAITH”!

It is “faith” that gets us saved!

Once we are saved, then that same faith will carry us to the work of God which is building temples, human temples.

Rom_12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

After our salvation God is asking for the use of our bodies.

Our sacrifice is being dead to sin, but living for the work of the Lord.

God just asks for our reasonable service.

God just ask us to continue the work that the Lord Jesus Christ was doing before He gave His life for us!

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

LESSONS IN GOD'S WORD

Taking time to read the Bible

King David

Shame on Him

Asking for the Wisdom of God

The Promises God Makes

When The Lord Jesus is King

What Legacy Will You Leave Behind

Planning for the Temple of Solomon

Good King Bad Parent

A National Leader’s Grief At the Things He Caused

Sin Causes A Family Crisis

A King Confesses

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