SHOULD I GO...AND IF SO, WHERE?

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"

The Lord answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you."

So David went to Baal Perazim and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there and David and his men carried them off.

Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and He answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."

So David did as the Lord commanded him and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

2 Samuel 5:17-25

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

It’s been a few years now since I had to make a very difficult decision. My wife and I had been members of a congregation for over 14 years and during that time, I had been very involved in the life of the church…serving as an elder, committee chairperson for evangelism and witness, worship leader, Sunday School teacher, and singer during my tenure. At the time, the church was everything you would expect a church to be. Loving to one another inside… active locally and globally with solid preaching from an experienced pastor. It was as good as it could get.

But then something happened, not inside our church but outside…something that led to me having to make my difficult decision. For my church was associated with a denomination that decided to change its doctrine in a direction that was in violation of God’s word…and in the end, it was a change I couldn’t ignore in good conscience. It led me to a place where I needed to ask the Lord what I should do…stay at the church or go.

The answer came loud and clear. I was to go.

And so we did go and I wouldn’t be truthful if I didn’t say it was extremely difficult. We had developed so many loving relationships within the congregation and as I stated, I was very actively involved in many ministry areas but in the end, our relationship with the Lord and obedience to His Word were more important and so we obediently followed the Lord’s lead and resigned our membership.

The Lord had answered our question, “Should we go?” with great clarity, telling us to move on. Now we had a second question for Him:

“Where do we go now?”

Confident that the Lord had a place in mind for us, we began to attend different churches, praying for the Lord to guide and lead us to the place He wanted us to be. And after several months of seeking, we settled on a church and its associated denomination that we felt was holding strong to the foundation of the scriptures in all things. It didn’t take us feel blessed to be a part of our new church family and over time the Lord opened up opportunities to serve in many of the same roles I held while at my former church.

Shortly after the COVID period in our country, I once again found myself faced with the dilemma of remaining a part of my congregation or moving on into another church to serve. This time the problem was internal, one that left me feeling betrayed by someone I had trusted. And so I went to the Lord again for guidance and as before, He showed me it was His will for me to move on.

So once again, we prayed over the next step and again, the Lord showed us just the place He wanted us to worship and serve. We’ve been actively doing that ever since and again, I am in many of the same roles with even some additional ones added.

Through it all, I’ve learned that we go through different seasons in life and this includes spiritual ones. Like fall transitions to winter which ushers in a spring that leads to summer before the cycle repeats itself, we move from one point to the other in life. The good news is that the Lord is always there to guide us and dictate moves when they happen as long as we simply trust in Him.

Why go into this?

Because it directly informs our message today as we look at the closing verses of 2 Samuel, chapter 5. Let’s look again at those verses here:

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"

The Lord answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you."

So David went to Baal Perazim and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there and David and his men carried them off.

Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and He answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."

So David did as the Lord commanded him and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.  2 Samuel 5:17-25

Here, we find David, the newly anointed king over all of Israel, at a point where he needed guidance. This was because he faced a threat from the Philistines who went in “full force to search for him”. Yes, this was the same Philistine army that he nearly ended up fighting alongside against Saul and Israel…the same Philistine army that saw its monster warrior Goliath killed by David well before he ascended to the throne. Needless to say, the Philistines weren’t looking for David to exchange pleasantries this time around.

And so David, having heard that the Philistines were looking for him, “went down to the stronghold” and “inquired of the Lord asking:

“Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"

Note here that David could have just made the decision himself. But if he did that, how could be sure that what he was doing what God wanted him to do?

And so David, who we know was described in the scriptures as a man after God’s own heart, wisely asked Him if he should go and He would bring him and the Israelites to victory. In response, we see where Lord tells him to go for He was indeed going to hand over the Philistines to David and his army.

With that, David and his forces went as the Lord commanded and attacked the Philistines as they were “spread out in the Valley of Rephaim”, defeating them at Baal Perazim. Then David did something just as important as being obedient to God’s calling for we read where he gave the Lord all the praise and glory from his victory saying:

“As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me."

Well, unfortunately the Philistines weren’t about to give up. For once more we read where they “came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim”, prompting David to once again go to God and ask whether or not he should go forward and attack again. This time, the Lord had some different counsel, saying:

"Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."

And so David, armed with this direction, “did as the Lord commanded”…and “struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer”. In the end translation, he and the Israelites gained victory but none of it would have been possible without first seeking God’s will…first asking if they should go…and then once permission was granted, where to go. When it all played out, the Lord positioned David and his men right where He wanted them to be so He could deliver them to success…just as He guided my wife and I to new church homes.

So what’s our take away from this passage?

First, God always has a place where He wants us to be. We only need to ask Him where He wants us to go first.

Then, we need to go to where He wants us to go so to experience success and victory in and through Him while we’re there.

The end result of this glorious submissive experience…this surrendering our sense of direction for the Lord’s…is that we will always be led to where we will ultimately give Him all honor, glory, and praise…honor, glory, and praise for His goodness, faithfulness, and guidance that always puts us where He wants us…when He wants us there…to fulfill His blessed purposes through every season in life.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies. " That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."

David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

Now Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem and more sons and daughters were born to him. These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

2 Samuel 5:6-16

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

Once anointed and recognized as king over all of Israel, David wasted little time flexing his military muscle and establishing himself on the throne. For we read in our passage where he and his men “marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there”.

Now the Jebusites were a very confident adversary and mocked David saying:

"You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.”

Unfortunately, the Jebusites were forgetting one very important point for they weren’t just up against David but the Lord as well who would lead His anointed king to victory. For we read that David and his forces “captured the fortress of Zion” and ”took up residence” in it, naming it “the City of David”. And after establishing his throne in Jerusalem, David “built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward”, all the while becoming “more and more powerful”…not by his own might…but “because the Lord God Almighty was with him”.

Now, it’s estimated that some 20 years later, “Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons”. The materials were used to build “a palace for David” and after this, we see where Israel’s king didn’t glorify himself but instead “knew that the Lord had established him” and his reign, exalting “His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel”.

Through his words, we see where David was certainly a stark contrast to his predecessor Saul. For you’ll recall that Saul built a monument to honor himself at Carmel during a rule that the Lord had established (1 Samuel 15). It seems that Saul never fully grasped that it was the Lord who was in control and not him…that it was God who brought exaltation on His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel. Therefore, it was the Lord and Him alone who deserved to receive all the glory and praise.

We see where David did just that. He gave credit where credit was due…wholly to the Lord Almighty. In doing so, he affirmed that he was indeed a God’s own heart.

So what about us today?

Do we give the Lord credit where His credit is due?

Do we exalt, glorify, and praise Him in any and all circumstances…or do we seek to steal His honor away from him and embrace recognition for what we do which is so often done using the gifts that He has granted?

I think we all could look to David and seek to model his humble and praiseworthy attitude toward God…a thankful mindset that was maybe reflected best in these words he wrote in the 86th Psalm:

Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in You.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

Bring joy to your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to You.

Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.

In the day of my trouble, I will call to You for You will answer me.

Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; no deeds can compare with Yours.

All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, O Lord; they will bring glory to Your name.

For You are great and do marvelous deeds; You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever.

For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life — men without regard for You.

But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Turn to me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant.

Give me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Friends, let us use the words within this Psalm to form the following prayer that closes today’s message:

Dear Lord, grant us Your provision and protection…Your mercy and forgiveness and compassion and grace…Your joy and peace and love and comfort…Your forgiveness and goodness and faithfulness and greatness…Your wisdom and good works.

For Lord, nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You fully in our lives…and understanding that without you, we are nothing and without hope. So to You, O God, we give all the glory, honor and praise…all the credit where credit is due…fully to You, now and forever. Amen.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

KNOWING YOUR SHEPHERD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd My people Israel and you will become their ruler.' "

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the Lord and they anointed David king over Israel.

David was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned forty years. In Hebron, he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

2 Samuel 5:1-5

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

In chapter 3 of 2nd Samuel, we read where Abner and David came to an agreement. Abner, who had been the commander of Saul’s army but was seeking to form an alliance with David, promised to convince the Israelites to recognize David as their king. This would allow David to rule over the entire nation. In return, David asked that his wife, Michal, be returned to him.

And so this is the way things played out but unfortunately Abner didn’t get to see his end of the bargain because you’ll remember that he was murdered out of revenge by Joab at the end of the chapter.

Despite this, we see where God’s plan still came to full fruition in chapter 5 of this book as “all the tribes of Israel” come to David at Hebron and say:

“We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"

And so with that, David and “all the elders of Israel” made a “compact…at Hebron before the Lord” and he was “anointed… king over Israel”, a reign that the scriptures tell us lasted thirty-three years beyond the seven years and six months he had ruled over Judah.

As we look closer at the content within these five verses, we find three main points about David found in the words of the Israelites present at his anointing. Let’s take a moment to examine each one.

1. The people of Israel were David’s flesh and blood.

"We are your own flesh and blood.”

We know that David was an Israelite, the son of Jesse of Bethlehem. And so to the Israelites, he was one of them…a brother who followed and served the same God…the almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses.

Indeed, David was family and this helped the Israelite people feel comfortable embracing him as their leader.

2. David was already a proven leader.

“In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.”

David had already displayed his bravery and fighting prowess at a very young age when he defeated the mammoth Philistine warrior named Goliath. Then, as he grew older, he further cemented his reputation through his many battle victories while leading Israel on their military campaigns. Saul might have been king but we see where the Israelites viewed David as a leader too, worthy of replacing Saul as their king.

3. God had appointed David to be king.

“And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd My people Israel and you will become their ruler.'"

It goes without saying that of these three main points, this was the most critical and important. For the Israelites knew that David had been selected by God to be their ruler and shepherd…and therefore, if it was God’s will for David to be king, then it needed to be the will of the Israelite people as well.

And so it was as they anointed David as the king over all of Israel. They now had a shepherd…one who would protect and watch over them…one who would care for them and provide for their needs. Ironically, we remember that David was a shepherd boy when God chose him to follow Saul in the first place.

And so David knew all about being what it took to be a shepherd. It was in his blood and he had lots of experience in taking care of flocks that he was responsible for. He (David) also made it clear that he had a Shepherd as well (capital S) in the way of God who led and watched over him…a Shepherd who he would write these words:

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23

Indeed, David knew his Shepherd intimately. He understood that the Lord was the One who led him, guided him, protected him, comforted him, and ultimately anointed him shepherd His people. To accomplish this, all David had to do was carry out the direction of His God and guide His people the way He wanted.

Friends, this is all we need to do to in order to lead people in the Lord as well, first seeking God’s will and then leading people in the way He desires. In other words, we shepherd by first recognizing and then submitting ourselves to our Shepherd.

Well, it should be of little surprise that Jesus, God’s one and only Son, would also have words to share with us regarding this matter. Consider what He said in John’s Gospel:

“I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the Shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

"I am the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.”  John 10:11-16

David knew his Shepherd and all He did for him. This helped him know how to be a proper shepherd himself.

As we read the words of our Savior…the good Shepherd…we’re reminded of all we gain from knowing Him in our lives.

For He knows us and we know Him.

He protects us from our enemies even if it means He must lay down His life for us.

He is willing to sacrifice everything for us, His sheep, because He loves us so very much.

Today and every day, let us give thanks that we are a part of Jesus’ flock, under the care of the good Shepherd who shows us how to shepherd others…just as David learned from God, His Shepherd.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NO EXCEPTIONS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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Just then David's men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron because David had sent him away and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner, son of Ner, had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

So Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner, son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing."

Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it.

Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach and he died.

Later, when David heard about this, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner, son of Ner. May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food."

(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner."

King David himself walked behind the bier. They buried Abner in Hebron and the king wept aloud at Abner's tomb. All the people wept also.

The king sang this lament for Abner: "Should Abner have died as the lawless die? Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before wicked men."

And all the people wept over him again.

Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. So on that day, all the people and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner, son of Ner.

Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"

When Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. Now Saul's son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Recab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have lived there as aliens to this day.

(Jonathan, son of Saul, had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

Now Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, your enemy who tried to take your life. This day, the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble when a man told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"

So David gave an order to his men and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.

2 Samuel 3:22-39, 4:1-12

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

In the middle of 2 Samuel, chapter 3 we saw events transpire that elevated David into power as king over all of Israel. Everything seemed to be looking up for him as well as the people as God’s anointed one finally assumed the position of leadership that the Lord had in store.

But as we turn to the end of the chapter and the opening verses of chapter 4, we see things abruptly change as murderous sin enters on the scene in two different scenarios.

Unfortunately, we see this happen all too often, right? For just when it seems like life stabilizes and we’re in the midst of peace and good, here comes Satan with his evil deeds, trying to sow disruption and chaos in the midst of our solace?

Well, going back to the scriptures, we see where things start to go awry after Joab returned from a raid, bringing with him a “great deal of plunder”. And as he and his soldiers arrive, they learn that Abner had come to David, conferred with him, and then was “sent away…in peace”.

Well, Joab bristled at this news and went directly to David saying:

“What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing."

We see where Joab makes Abner’s visit seem as if it was done with an evil, scheming intent but actually it was Joab himself who was evil and scheming as he attempted to mask his own personal contempt for Abner behind a concern for Israel’s safety. In his eyes, it was far easier to paint Abner as an untrustworthy ally instead of a murderer…the one who had killed his brother Asahel.

So unable to convince David to eliminate Abner, Joab decides to take matters into his own hands. We read where he “sent messengers after Abner” without David’s knowledge and after they “brought him back from the well of Sirah” to Hebron, the scriptures tell us that “Joab took (Abner) aside into the gateway, as though to speak with him privately” and then “stabbed him in the stomach” killing him. In doing so, he felt he had avenged “the blood of his brother Asahel” but all he really did was murder Abner, plain and simple.

When it came right down to it, Abner didn’t murder Asahel. Rather, he killed him in the line of battle…and there’s a difference.

You’ll recall that Asahel was pursuing Abner and his intent wasn’t just to share pleasantries. No…Asahel wanted to slay Abner. And you’ll also remember that Abner didn’t want a confrontation with Asahel, trying to convince him to stop his pursuit but he refused to listen. So in self defense, Abner turned and protected himself against Asahel, killing him with his sword.

This was far from what happened with Joab who didn’t have the guts to challenge Abner to a fight. Instead, he made it appear as if he wanted to speak to him and then stabbed him. His actions were cunning and premeditated…and frankly, cowardly. They were also sinful and in violation of God’s commandment to not murder.

Well, we read where David later heard about Joab’s actions and proclaimed:

"I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner, son of Ner. May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food."

Here, we see David wanting to make it clear that he had no part in the murder of Abner. Further, we didn’t want there to be any perception that he condoned the actions of Joab. And so we see where he condemns Joab for what he did, highlighting the sinful nature of his actions before the people and the Lord. Additionally, David commands all his people and Joab to tear their clothes and put on sackcloth to express their sorrow and mourning over Abner’s death.

David particularly took the death hard as Abner was buried in Hebron. We read the words of his lament as he said:

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die? Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before wicked men."

And with this, David refused to eat as he grieved, saying:

“May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

His behavior was effective for we read where that day, “all the people took note and were pleased” with David and everything he did, knowing that he “had no part in the murder of Abner”.

The second scenario is found in chapter 4 and involved Saul’s remaining son, Ish-Bosheth. You’ll remember that Abner had appointed him as leader over Israel with the exception of Judah where David had been anointed king. But when Ish-Bosheth “heard that Abner had died in Hebron”, the scriptures tell us that “he lost courage” which led to “all Israel (becoming) alarmed”.

Now, whether this had anything to do with what took place next is unknown but nonetheless “two men who were leaders of raiding bands” for Ish-Bosheth, Baanah and Recab, “set out for (his) house”, arriving “in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest”. And after slipping into the “inner part of the house as if to get some wheat”, they found Ish-Bosheth asleep in his bedroom and “stabbed him in the stomach”, killing him before cutting off his head.

Thinking they had done something noble by killing Israel’s leader so David could rule over all, Baanah and Recab took the “head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron” and said to him:

“Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

Of course, there was only one problem with their statement. For they had never asked the Lord if it was His will that they kill Ish-Bosheth and so there was no way they could have been carrying out the Lord’s will. They were about to find out that there is a heavy price for sinning and then acting as if God endorsed it.

For we see David answering “Recab and his brother Baanah” saying:

“As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, when a man told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more — when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"

And with that, “David gave an order to his men” to kill Bannah and Recab, cutting off “their hands and feet” and hanging “the bodies by the pool in Hebron”…a public display of the judgment anyone else would face for sinning against God by taking the life of another. Meanwhile, the “head of Ish-Bosheth” was given a proper burial “in Abner's tomb at Hebron”.

With this, a simple question:

What part of God’s commands do people have such a hard time understanding?

For when God tells His people not to do something, He expects them to do just that…not do it…period. We are to do it simply because He said so…without question…and knowing that there are no exceptions.

God commanded, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3) and yet people willingly choose to give their devotion to things of the world over Him…the One who is to have no rival.

He also commanded, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:4) and yet people choose to worship many worldly people and possessions as if they are gods. In fact, there’s even been a very popular television show called “American Idol” which millions watched weekly during its airing.

The Lord commanded, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:7) and yet not a day goes by where someone doesn’t profanely use the Lord’s name in vain.

He demanded that His people “remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:8) and yet that day is treated just like any other day of the week.

God gave the order, “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12) and yet people decide to disregard and disrespect their parents all the time and often at will.

He clearly said, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) and yet people needlessly kill others every day, showing no sanctity for human life.

In regard to marriage, He demanded that “you shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and yet husbands and wives chase after their own desires, commit infidelity, and break their marital covenant, seemingly without conscience.

The Lord commanded, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) and yet people regularly decide to take what is not rightfully theirs, even taking things from stores without paying.

God ordered, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16) and yet people don’t hesitate for a moment to spread gossip or intentionally lie in order to falsely accuse or smear the name of another person.

Finally, the Lord demanded that we not “covet your neighbor's house...your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17) and yet we are so quick to envy others who might have more than we have, unwilling to just be content with what the Lord has provided.

And so as we read about the murderous actions of Joab, Recab, and Baanah, we could always adopt the attitude that this isn’t applicable because we may have never murdered anyone or have any intention to do so. We could do this but it would be a shallow approach to interpreting the message that God is trying to convey here.

For God doesn’t expect us to just conform to one of His commandments…He commands and expects that we obey all of them.

No debate needed for we need to remember these words from Jesus’ brother James:

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10

And so my prayer for us all is that we’ll follow this guidance spoken by Moses when he said:

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commands and obey Him; serve Him and hold fast to Him. Deuteronomy 13:4

Here, we find the keys to keeping all of God’s commands. They include:

1. Following and holding fast to Him without compromise.

2. Revering him with the respect that He deserves.

3. When we follow and revere the Lord, He will lead us so that we obey Him and keep His commands as we serve Him with all that we are…heart, mind, body, and soul.

Friends, this is the life that God expects us to live. All we need to do is live it…with no exceptions.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.