A HELPING HAND IN TIMES OF NEED

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, "Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. Now send a message immediately and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.' "

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel. A servant girl was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left quickly and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it.

When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" The woman answered them, "They crossed over the brook." The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem.

After the men had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, "Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you."
So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether, an Israelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert."

2 Samuel 17:15-22, 24-29

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Chapter 17 opened, we read about Absalom making plans to defeat his father after entering Jerusalem. You’ll recall that he asked David’s former counselor, Ahithophel, about what he should do and was told to go after David and his people but kill only his father after which all his followers would be subject to their new ruler, Absalom. And after receiving this guidance, Absalom called for Hushai who suggested that Ahithophel’s advice was in error and Absalom should take all of Israel after David, killing him and anyone who was following him. Absalom, after hearing the two plans, opts to follow Hushai’s which we knew from scripture was part of the Lord’s plan to frustrate Ahithophel in answer to David’s prayer. And Absalom’s decision to not accept his advice hurt Ahithophel so much that he went to his home and hanged himself.

Well as our passage opens today, we see where Hushai didn’t waste any time seeking to continue to help his friend David…to be a helping hand in times of need. For we read where he went to David’s priests, Zadok and Abiathar, and told them to send an immediate message to David telling him to “not spend the night at the fords in the desert” but to instead “cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up".

And so Zadok and Abiathar arrange for a servant girl to send word to two messengers, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, who were in turn supposed to “go and tell King David”. The girl had to be sent to the two men because “they could not risk being seen entering the city”. It was obvious that they were known to be sympathetic to David and thus suspected of conspiring against Absalom. But despite the efforts to keep the message exchange secret, we read where a young man spotted the two messengers and told Absalom, leading to the two men having to flee for their lives were in danger. They “left quickly and went to the house of a man in Bahurim” who had a “well in his courtyard”. And after climbing down into the well, the man’s wife “took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well”, scattering “grain over it” so they would not be detected and “no one knew anything about it”.

This woman was definitely a God-send to David and his messengers. For if the word did not get to David, he and his people would all be over run and killed by Absalom and his army. And so in a time of need, the woman served as a helping hand in a real time of need.

Back to the scriptures where we find Absalom's men coming “to the woman at the house” and asking about the whereabouts of Ahimaaz and Jonathan. And the woman coolly tells them that the two men “crossed over the brook”, a lead which Absalom’s men followed but of course their search “found no one” because the men they were looking for were concealed in the well. Not finding them, Absalom’s men “returned to Jerusalem”. The wife of the man of Bahurim had saved the day.

Well after Absalom’s men had gone, the two messengers “climbed out of the well and went to inform King David”, telling him to “Set out and cross the river at once” for “Ahithophel has advised such and such against you”. And David did as they directed, setting out with all his people and crossing the Jordan by daybreak.

Once across the Jordan, we read where “David went to Mahanaim” while “Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel” and “camped in the land of Gilead”. In other words, David and his people were able to stay one step ahead of their pursuers but a conflict was imminent.

And it’s in the midst of this framework that we see David and his people blessed in because they arrived “hungry and tired and thirsty” from their time in the desert. Enter more helping hands in time of need in the way of Shobi, Makir and Barzillai who “brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery” as well as “wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat”. With conflict looming, David and his people would have the chance to be nourished and rested to confront Absalom and the Israelites.

This scripture is yet again a wonderful example of two truths.

First, we serve a God who sends us help in times of trouble. And often times during the course of a circumstance we might be going through, we can see multiple times when the Lord blessed us with help often times through different people along the way.

In David’s case, his ultimate victory over his betraying son and those who joined him would not have happened had it not been for those who the Lord used to assist him along the way. For from the time David fled Jerusalem, the Lord had been bringing people into his life, all of which played a role in him making it through the exile and back to the throne. For as we review we can see many roles played throughout by many different people…the loyal protection role of Ittai…the informant role played by Zadok and Abiathar…the supplier role played by Ziba…the counselor/advisor role played by Hushai…the messenger role played by the servant girl, Ahimaaz and Jonathan…the harboring role played by the wife of the man of Bahurim…and the hospitality role played by Shobi, Makir and Barzillai. Many people…different roles…all part of the same plan….a plan ordained and directed by the Lord who always sends help in times of trouble.

The second truth we’re reminded of is that the Lord is willing to use any of us at any time as an instrument in His plans. He has given each of us special skills and abilities that he expects us to use to His glory…and that glory is no better revealed than when He is working things out in the lives of those who are in trouble.

And just as we have seen people step in and out of our lives when we have experienced difficulties, all playing the role the Lord has called them to in order to achieve His purpose, we need to be ready to be used as well…for He can and will call us at any time, in any place, and in any circumstance to enter in as a helping hand in a time of trouble for someone.

As I close, I need to go back to David and a song he composed which is the 46th Psalm. In it David says the following words, words of praise that I pray we will echo as well. For he says:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

And often times, He is our ever-present help through those He chooses to use as His helping hands.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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