2 Samuel 23

Samuel 23 begins with “Now these are the last words of David”.  Wow – time to sit up and listen.  What we have here is the last will and testament of King David.  He has settled the crown upon Solomon, and is now ready to give us the final thoughts.  When that happens, it is time to sit up and listen carefully and remember what we are told.  David is a special man.  Check out what we learn about his words:

“the oracle of the man who was raised on high

the anointed of the God of Jacob

the sweet psalmist of Israel

The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me

His word is on my tongue”

These are not ordinary words.  They are God inspired.  God spoken.  He begins by speaking truth about leadership.  “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth”.  Ruling well causes a great outcome.  Leadership provides light and rain to make things grow and become what they can be.  Leadership matters.  At home, in marriage, in families, at work, at church.  We all lead someone.  We are all leaders and leading all the time.

David is clear that his blessing comes from God.  “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire”?  David makes it clear.

1. He stands with God
2. He has a covenant with God
3. He will prosper because of God

It isn’t about him, it is all about God and the relationship they have.

The balance of the chapter calls out the mighty men by name.  There are three groups listed:

1. The first three – the guys who have done the greatest things with David – Adino, Eleazar and Shammah.
2. The next three – these guys were above the rest, but not quite at the level of the first set – Abishai, Benaiah, and the      third unnamed.
3. And then the 31 remaining are named – they were with David and fought mightily

David didn’t do it alone.  He had a group of men who surrounded him and kept him safe and fought by his side.  It is key to success in leading.  Who are on your list of mighty men and women that you will go to battle with?   We are in a war with the enemy.  We need people we can depend on and trust to go to battle with us.  Do you have them?

2 Samuel 22

2 Samuel 22 begins with David praising God.  “David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies”.  How should we respond when God works in our life?  We should praise Him.  Praise Him.  It is that simple.  And it is personal, very personal.  Look at how David talks about His relationship with God.  “The Lord is…

• my rock
• my fortress
• my deliverer
• my God
• my rock
• my shield
• my salvation
• my stronghold
• my refuge
• my savior”

This is not some theoretical relationship – this is very personal.  And that is how God wants it – He wants to be mine.  He wants me to be His.

David tells us the story.  He is being pursued.  His enemies are all over him.  David is overwhelmed and does the one thing he can do.  “I call upon the Lord….and I am saved from my enemies….In my distress I called upon the Lord….he heard my voice….Then the earth reeled and rocked….because he was angry”.  He cries out, and God hears.  When overcome by the circumstances, David cries to God.  God hears.  God responds.  God saves.

So what happens?  God rescues David.  Check out how God responded to David’s plea for help:

-       “Smoke went up from his nostrils

-       devouring fire from his mouth

-       glowing coals flamed forth from him

-       He bowed the heavens and came down

-       thick darkness was under his feet

-       He rode on a cherub and flew

-       He was seen on the wings of the wind

-       He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water

-       fire flamed forth

-       The Lord thundered from heaven

-       the Most High uttered his voice

-       He sent out arrows and scattered them

-       lightning, and routed them

-       He sent from on high

-       He took me

-       He drew me out of many waters

-       He rescued me from my strong enemy

-       the Lord was my support

-       He brought me out into a broad place

-       He rescued me”

Wow – quite a response to David’s cry for help isn’t it?  God is able, He is listening, and He stands ready to act.  The question is – do we pray?  Do we seek His face?  Are we watching His hand?

Seems like quite a response doesn’t it?  What did David do to get God to act that powerfully?  First of all – David asked.  He cried to God.  He didn’t try and fix it himself.  He admitted there was a need for God’s help and he asked for it.  But scripture also tells us this wasn’t the first time David had talked with God.  They were in a relationship, a deep relationship.  In fact, David lived, or attempted to live, the way God desired.  Scripture says God responded “according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me….I have kept the ways of the Lord….from his statutes I did not turn aside….I was blameless before him….I kept myself from guilt….and the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight”.  Want a reason to walk closely with God?  Here is an example of a really good one.  God hears the cries of His own.  David was not perfect.  He was sinner just like the rest of us.  He killed people.  He did things that make us look like angels.  Yet he dealt with those sins, got right with God, and lived as well as He could in God’s presence.  And He reached out to God as His Rock.  Are you walking with Jesus day by day?  Are you building that relationship with the Father?

2 Samuel 21

2 Samuel 21 has the kingdom of David in a famine.  Not just a little famine but three years in a row.  Things are getting a little rough.  David goes to the Lord to seek what the issue is that is causing this situation.  The problem was that Saul had not kept his promise regarding the Gibeonites.  “The people of Israel had sworn to spare them” but Saul struck them down.  God is punishing the people for Saul’s failure to obey.  David then asks “and how shall I make atonement that you may bless the heritage of the Lord”?

David seeks an answer on how to make things right.  God sends him to the people of Gibeah to make things right.  They asked for seven sons of Saul to be hanged “the seven of them perished together”.  It is a stiff penalty for violating the agreement that had been in place.  It gets a little weird in that David “brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.  And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin”.

So David answered the request of the Gibeonites and had seven of Saul’s sons hanged, and then buried their bones along with the bones of Saul and Jonathan “in a tomb of Kish his father”.  Once done, “God responded to the plea for the land”.  So what is the lesson here?  Obedience is rather important when one makes a promise.  And restitution can cost a lot.

David was under attack by the Philistines.  He has defeated them numerous times in his career, but they keep coming back like a bad dream.  Scripture tells us this important detail.  “David grew weary” as he was fighting against them, and one of his guys, Abishai, came to his rescue.  But at this point David’s men said “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel”.  David had grown old and was no longer able to keep up on the battlefield.  So in their wisdom, his team asked him to remain back at the ranch rather than going into battle with them.  Big step to take – to hand off that important task to others.  But David complies and the chapter ends with a number of other battles with the Philistines where other members of his army were the stars.  Transition is difficult, but very important.  There will also need to be a passing of the torch.  David waits a bit too long to do so, but he finally is guided there and does make it happen before it is too late.

2 Samuel 19

2 Samuel 19 has David mourning the death of Absalom his son.  Seems a bit strange as Absalom had tried to take away his kingdom and kill him.  But David was mourning and carrying on.  Joab was one of the leaders who had caught and killed Absalom as leader of the army.  He had done his job, and was very upset with how David was acting.  After all, this was the outcome that was needed to restore the king to power and put the kingdom back where it belongs.  Joab decides he is the one who needs to jar the king out of his funk.  Joab takes a strong stance and delivers the message that David is focused on the wrong things.

“Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased”.  How’s that for tough love and straight talk.  It was a risky move, but a leadership moment for Joab as he makes it clear that David is not focused on the right things.

How did that turn out for Joab?  Not exactly as he expected.  David replaces him as commander of the army.  He puts Amasa in charge and takes Joab out of power.  Leadership sometimes has a huge price.  Joab delivered the right message.  He didn’t necessarily do it in the right way, but it was what needed to be said.  The army had risked their life to protect the king and his people, and they had won.  So Joab’s leadership was rebuffed and he was removed.  Tough response from a king that wasn’t ready for the message in his sorrow.

David begins to restore the tribes of Israel to his kingdom.  As they begin to return and lineup, a funny thing happens.  They begin to jockey for position.  “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan”.  The tribes begin to get territorial and thinking they should have more power or position than another tribe.  They base it on their relationship, their past history, their performance – all kinds of justification for why they should be the center of attention.  Amazing how power corrupts people.  Not long before they didn’t want anything to do with David as king.  In fact, they were not even aligned with him.  And now, they think they own him, the kingdom and the power.  That is people in action.  All about self.  All about power.  All about taking.  Oh how some things never change!

2 Samuel 18

2 Samuel 18 has David preparing his men to face the army of Absalom his son who was determined to remove him from the throne and take his power and kingdom.  David leads well and appoints his army into groups of thousands and hundreds and appoints men to lead them in these groups.  But in addition to splitting his men into manageable groups that could be led by many commanders, he also split up the overall leadership of his army into three groups.

This is brilliant strategy.  In fact, this decision would prove to be a key in the victory that would come as these three were able to lead their part of the troops effectively and independently of each other.  David appointed “one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai….and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite”.  Three great leaders, each of whom took a third of the troops and led them to victory on the battlefield.

David planned to go along with the troops into battle.  “I myself will also go out with you”.  But wiser minds took control and said “You shall not go out….it is better that you send us help from the city.”  It was suicide to have the king out there in the middle of tens of thousands of soldiers.  They would target him and find a way to kill him.  David doesn’t argue but listens to those he had put in authority.  Another wise decision by the king when he says: “Whatever seems best to you I will do”.  He listens and does as asked.

David had asked that his son Absalom be spared, but when Absalom has an issue with an oak tree capturing him as his mule went under the tree and caught him, and word gets to Joab, he is immediately killed.  There was no way they were letting this guy be spared after causing war to try and take the throne from David.  News comes back to the king, and he “was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept”.  Even thought Absalom was trying to kill him, King David still loved his son and mourned his death.  In fact, he goes so far as to say “Would I had died instead of you”.  Pretty strong words from a man whose life was being threatened.  But a father’s love is so strong – and David shows just how much he loved his son – even if he was a bad boy!

2 Samuel 17

2 Samuel 17 has Absalom getting counsel about what to do with his father David.  He wants to attack and take David out, so he gets counsel from Ahithophel to do exactly that.  Recruit 12,000 men and go get David.  But Absalom decided to get another opinion, so he reaches out to Hushai who has a different opinion.  His direction was that attacking David would be a bad decision the way Ahithophel had advised.  So now Absalom has two different opinions to deal with.

Absalom decides “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel”.  This approach was to gather all the army and attack en mass.  But Hushai had some loyalty to David so he sends a couple priests to go warn David of the plan.  David needed to get the people across the Jordan so they weren’t easily attacked – and that is what happened.

The messaging to David was a bit challenging because as the messengers went, they were noticed so Jonathan and  Ahimaaz were hidden in a well until those looking for them took off to a different place.  “After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David”.  They had been saved by a female servant who hid them in a well and sprinkled grain over the cover.  The warning was heeded and David led his people across the river.

On the other side, David’s men “brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, 29 honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat”.  They were taking care of the people and getting them fed.  There was wisdom in meeting those needs and being sure the people were cared for.  For now, the attack has been stalled.

2 Samuel 16

2 Samuel 16 has David being met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth.  David and his men were met with a load of food that Ziba had prepared for him and his men.  “Today the house of Israel will give back the kingdom to my father”. David gave Ziba what was his and continued on his way.  As he reached Bahurim, Shimei was accusing David of all sorts of wrongs done to Saul.  It is interesting that he not only attacked David with words, but also “threw stones at him”.

That seems like a pretty big mistake doesn’t it?  Throw stones at the king.  And not just a little bit, but Shemei was walking along the road on the other side and kept throwing rocks at David.  His men wanted to get rid of Shimei, but David intervenes and looks to see if this was a message form God.  David was sensitive that this rock throwing maniac may have been a message from the Lord, so he refuses to allow the men to get rid of Shimei.  David just continued on and ignored this distraction rather than make it a big deal and take action.
Sometimes we just need to ignore the distractions and not react.  It would have been easy for David to just turn his guys loose and get rid of Shimei.  But that would not really have gained much.  By continuing the journey he just walked  away from the situation.  But as they continued their journey, back on the ranch David’s son Absalom was creating a different kind of havoc.  He went into David’s concubines and made himself “a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened”.  He did it in public by pitching a tent on the room where the concubines lived.  And he did it in the sight of all Israel.  That was quite a message to send to the king.

2 Samuel 15

2 Samuel 15 is a chapter of deceit and power seeking.  Absalom is scheming to take over the kingdom from his father David.  He stands by the gates greeting people coming into the city to see the king, and intercepts them offering to be their judge and resolve their issues.  It wasn’t his place – but he stole the job and used it for his own gain.  “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” by serving them in place of the king.  Not with the king’s permission, but deceitfully just taking on that role.  Remember that Absalom is not only son, but also has been invited back to the kingdom after killing another of David’s sons.  This is a breach of trust at extreme levels.

After four years of this, the plan moves to the next level.  Don’t miss the fact that this was not some simple short term situation – Absalom intentionally worked to steal the hearts of the people for four years.  I can’t explain how this didn’t hit someone’s radar at the kings palace but somehow it went on under the radar.  And after Absalom thought he had enough loyal followers, “the conspiracy grew strong” and the motive became clear, he was out to overthrow the king.

David is warned of the pending effort and decides it is time to get out of Dodge while he still can.  So the king and his servants pack up and begin to head out of town.  The king stood and watched who was proceeding with him, and a couple of folks are stopped and talked with.  The first was Ittai the Gittite who had only recently came to the king.  David says “You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us”?  It wasn’t making sense that Ittai would become a fugitive as he hadn’t been with the king for long at all.

I love the answer.  “But Ittai answered the king, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be”.  That is loyalty my friends.  That is putting the well being of another ahead of our own.  Ittai had no reason to make this choice other than the will to serve the king.  And that wasn’t looking like all that great of a decision at the moment.  But his loyalty was stronger than his desire to protect his own life.  He was committed to serving the king.  Want to make an impact for life – be loyal to those in your patch!

2 Samuel 14

2 Samuel 14 is the story of restoration.  Absalom has been living away after killing his brother Amnon for raping his sister.  He had fled to Geshur to escape being killed by the king and his men.  Joab knew that King David had a heart that “went out to Absalom”.  Even though he was angry that Absalom had killed his other son, he knew that deep down the king still loved his son.  So often we allow “life” to get in the way of relationships.  Something happens and we separate ourselves from those we love.  Absalom did a bad thing but David knew it was deserved.

Joab was a wise man.  He asked a woman named Tekoa to take a message to the king that would cause him to rethink the situation at hand.  Tekoa came and painted a story of mercy and grace.  She set up the picture perfectly, and when the king agrees that this situation had to be fixed she said this: “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again”.  Don’t you love it when that happens?  You hear the story and get involved to correct the situation only to find out that you are the one the story is about.

It took a lot of guts for Joab to get involved here.  He wasn’t sure what would happen or what the kings response might be.  Tekoa also showed great courage – she was the one who had to actually go deliver the message.  But God used here mightily to make peace and lead people to move toward restoration.  God took a servant’s heart and a willing messenger to begin to restore a relationship that had led to separation for many years.  The king said “go, bring back the young man Absalom….Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.”

Can you imagine the joy Joab had as he went and brought Absalom back?  Absalom lived apart from the king, but wasn’t satisfied with being unable to see his father the king.  So he made numerous requests to Joab to come see him, but Joab refused.  So Absalom sets Joab’s field of barley on fire.  That seems a bit over the top, but it did work and Joab came to see why he did that.  Absalom asks Joab to go to the king and allow him to come see him.  Joab does, the king agrees, and Absalom comes into the kings presence where he his greeted.  Restoration is hard work.  This would not have happened if not for the work of Joab and Tekoa who were willing to get involved in a messy situation to bring God’s grace and mercy into the middle of a very messy situation.  We need to listen to God’s leading as we too may be called to help restore relationships in our patch, starting with our own!

2 Samuel 13

2 Samuel 13 is almost asoap opera kind of chapter.  One of King David’s sons – a guy by the name of Amnon – was obsessed by one of the king’s daughters named Tamar who was a beautiful woman.  He woke up daily wanting to have her as his how.  Amnon was a sneaky guy, and he “lay down and pretended to be ill” and when the king came to see him, he asked that Tamar be sent to care for him.  So he deceived the king and got David to send Tamar to his place.

Tamar, being the good daughter she was, went to Amnon’s house to prepare food for him.  You can predict what happens.  Amnon tried to manipulate Tamar to come to be with him and said “come lie with me, my sister”.  He was unable to get her to feel sympathetic or even interested, and she replies “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing”.  He had her alone – got the chance to ask her what he wanted – and got told no.  But he wasn’t used to not getting his own way and he raped her.

Then in true idiot style, he blames her and sends her off.  “When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry”.  But unfortunately David didn’t do anything about the situation other than be upset.  No punishment or pain.  However another of the king’s sons named Absalom who was brother to Tamar was outraged and began to plot revenge as he hated Amnon for what he had done.  He waited a few years until he could arrange the opportunity but then got Amnon onto his turf and killed him.

Absalom flees along with his servants fearing for his life.  He stayed in Geshur for three years.  Family strife, ultimately caused because the king did not address and deal with sin in his son, led to more bad stuff in the family.  We need to lead well as fathers.  We need to not just have anger, but seek God’s instruction on how to correct issues that come within our families.  This bad son Amnon, because his dad failed to discipline him, ultimately caused another son Absalom to react and then run in fear from his dad.  A very bad outcome for a family that should have had everything they needed and more.