2 Samuel 15

Palace intrigue rears its ugly head, as Absalom over a period of years plants the seeds  to overthrow his own father's kingdom. Notice how he 'stole the hearts of the men of Israel' (v. 6): through intercepting and ingratiating himself to visitors who sought justice from the king. Under the pretense of worshiping in Hebron, Absalom uses the city instead as a launching pad for his coup attempt - complete with co-opting David's trusted counselor Ahithophel. 

Not to be outdone, David flees from Jerusalem but sets up counter-intelligence in the person of the priests Zadok and Abiathar, as well as the 'double agent' Hushai. 

David's trust in the sovereignty of God remains, as he refuses to use the ark of God as a good luck charm, but orders it to be returned to the Lord's dwelling place in Jerusalem. David weeps as he ascends the Mount of Olives on his way out of Jerusalem. His fervent hope is that the LORD will let him return, but he ultimately entrusts his fate to his God. 

Questions: 1) Read Luke 22:39-48. See how David's great great great etc. grandson Jesus also agonized on the Mount of Olives. What was His fervent hope (Luke 22:42)? What was His attitude towards His fate?

2 Samuel 14

Remember crafty Joab from 2 Samuel 2 & 3? In an attempt to cut through David's family entanglements of murder, animosity, and bad communication, Joab arranges to send a lady from far away to pretend to seek wisdom from the king. Joab is hopeful that the king will recognize the folly of his current state of affairs by providing a solution to a similar, vicarious situation.

Once the lady fesses up, David recognizes the hand of Joab in the matter (v. 19). Absalom is allowed to come back to Jerusalem, but is in effect under house arrest. Joab has intervened, but time will tell whether his intervention turns out well. Based on his track record to date...

And what does the Bible has to say are Absalom's redeeming characteristics? Physical attractiveness (and heavy hair - v. 26). We have seen in 1 Samuel that stature and other physical characteristics are a poor indicator of leadership qualities, haven't we?

Questions: 1) How is Joab's way of confronting David with a 'back door' approach in chapter 14 similar to the one used by Nathan in chapter 12? How is it different? 2) See the gospel in the woman's comments in v. 14: "But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him." Many hundreds of years later, Jesus would come and claim to be THE way for a banished person to not be estranged from God. Praise His name for devising this way to relationship with Him through Christ!

2 Samuel 13

The consequences of David's sin continue to plague his household, as God's promise that the sword would never depart from his house (12: 10) is manifested in the story of Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom. Like his father, Amnon desires someone he cannot have, so he too concocts a scheme to gain her illicitly. The result? Rape, ruin, and revenge. David's virgin daughter is disgraced, and (ultimately) his first-born son is murdered to pay for it.

Note that David was 'furious' (v. 21)...but his fury didn't include direct intervention with his sons. Consequently, Absalom takes matters into his own hands - setting the stage for further 'reaping and sowing' in David's family.

Questions: 1) Who can take away our disgrace when we sin, or someone grievously sins against us? God's first-born son Jesus was willing to be murdered to redeem our disgrace! Take a moment to express your gratitude today.

2 Samuel 12: 15-31

David begins immediately to experience the consequences of his actions that (as we will see) will plague him from now on. Though his sins are forgiven (v. 13), the repercussions of those sins will reverberate throughout his household...starting with the death of the son from his illicit affair.

Though God has told David through Nathan that the boy will die, David beseeches God, in fasting and prayer, for His favor in the hope that He will change His mind. Note what happens when, in spite of David's fervent pleadings, his son dies. David gets up and after cleaning up, his first act is to worship the sovereign LORD. 

And one final point of grace - God is able to redeem even our worst mistakes for His glory. Though David would reap great sorrow from his actions, in due time the LORD granted him a son with Bathsheba named Solomon (v. 24)...a son that would ultimately be included in the lineage of Jesus (see Matthew 1).

Questions: 1) Read Galatians 6: 7-8. The principle of 'reaping what you sow' is just as prevalent in the New Testament as in the Old Testament. God has sovereignly crafted this universe with a 'ripple effect' from our actions. What conclusions can you draw about the long term impact of your short-term actions? 2) When the 'hard word' comes to us - cancer, job loss, abandonment - how do we respond? When we beseech the LORD to change his mind and intervene (and Scripture is filled with examples of God's people doing so), and He does not, can we too respond with worship?

2 Samuel 12: 1-14

The prophet Nathan uses a creative parable to address 'the thing David had done [which] displeased the LORD' (11:27). Note the insight and wisdom of God's man Nathan in confronting David, such that David unknowingly condemns himself before Nathan even says anything about David's specific sin.

And isn't David just like us! Seeing with clarity the sins of others, and burning with anger over their clear unrighteousness, while being unaware or unwilling to see our own grievous sins. And Nathan - fearing the LORD more than the king - calls him on it...rebuking David with specificity for his evil acts. The LORD characterizes David's sins as a personal rebuke of Himself: 'you despised me' (v.10).

To His credit, God's man David doesn't offer excuses, justifications, rationalizations, or threats to the messenger when confronted with his sins. His heart...though laced with the potential for great evil...is sensitive enough to recognize his sin and confess it.

Questions: 1) Do you have a Nathan in your life...someone who loves you enough to confront you when you are wrong? Who is it? If you don't have that, how can you cultivate a deeper accountability relationship in your life? Contact the church or let me know if you would like to become part of an accountability group. 2) How do you respond when confronted with your shortcomings...with anger, defensiveness, or with a heart which knows of God's great grace and forgiveness? Read 1 John 1:8-10, and consider memorizing 1 John 1:9 if you haven't already.

2 Samuel 11 (part two)

The wisdom and creativity in leadership that God has gifted David with, is now used to concoct an increasingly desperate scheme to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. When David learns of Bathsheba's pregnancy, he brings her husband home from the front to sleep with her. Ironically, Uriah's commitment to David and the other troops lets him make the same principled stand that David had modeled in 1 Samuel 21: 4-5, and refuse to have sexual relations. 

Next, David tries to overcome Uriah's resistance by getting him drunk. When that still doesn't work, David plots with Joab to have him killed in battle...a plan that results not only in Uriah's death, but the lives of other loyal, innocent soldiers (v. 17). 

How complete is the self-deception of our hearts when we start down the path of sin!  A second look at a naked woman has now led to adultery, pregnancy, deception to cover it all up, and eventually murder and 'collateral damage'.  

Questions: 1) Reflect...where has God gifted you with talents and abilities? Are any of your areas of giftedness being used for things contrary to His purposes? 

2 Samuel 11, and a Wedding

Well, I'm off to my eldest daughter's wedding in Boston this week...so blogging will be suspended until next week (unless I get some free time :))

 

Are you shocked by David's vile behavior in this chapter, given his track record of walking so closely to God? What a picture of how every man's heart is capable of being led astray by the pleasures of sin. See the downward spiral of sin, and how each succeeding bad decision leads to a worse one: David is in a place he shouldn't be (he should be at war with the troops instead of in the palace in Jerusalem - v.1); he's looking at something he shouldn't be (a naked lady bathing - v. 2); instead of ignoring her, he obsesses about what he's seen (v. 3); instead of fleeing from this married woman, he directs his messengers to bring her back so he can commit adultery (v. 4)! 

If you think this is bad, in future entries, we'll see how the sins just keep coming - as David's adultery leads to deception and eventually, murder. A seemingly innocuous decision, where David momentarily lets his guard down, has enormous consequences for David and countless others.

Questions: 1) Read Hebrews 11: 24 -26. The Bible is nothing if not realistic...sin has a short-term pleasurable component. Why did Moses not give in to the short-term pleasure? 2) Is there any place you shouldn't be, looking at something you shouldn't be looking at...on the Internet, on TV, in magazines or movies? Ask God to empower you to say NO now through His Spirit within you, before the inevitable spiral of sin takes you down a deadly path.