THE EASY WAY ISN'T ALWAYS RIGHT

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

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As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei, son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king's officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!"

Then Abishai, son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head."

But the king said, "What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'"

David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more then this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today."

So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.

2 Samuel 16:5-14

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

Once leaving Jerusalem, fleeing from his betraying son Absalom, we have seen in the scriptures where David and his people had already encountered two people, first meeting Hushai the Arkite and then Mephibosheth’s steward, Ziba. We saw where Israel’s king gained a benefit from both, even though Ziba’s motives were shady.

Well, as we see in today’s passage from 2 Samuel, chapter 16, David and his people met one more person but he wasn’t exactly happy to see them. For we read that as David and his entourage approached the town of Bahurim, Shimei, a “man from the same clan as Saul's family”, came out and began cursing them while also throwing rocks while yelling:

“Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!"

These words from Shimei were definitely bold given that “all the troops and the special guard were on David's right and left”. We read where Abishai, upset and annoyed at the Benjamite’s actions, asked  David why he should allow “this dead dog” (Shimei) to “curse my lord the king” and sought permission to “cut off his head”. Such would have been the penalty for disrespecting and dishonoring the king.

Now, it would have been so easy for David to just give Abishai permission to kill Shimei. After all, he was the king of the Israel and kings in the past had killed men who had been less insolent than Shimei. If he had decided to execute Shimei, none of his people would have questioned it or condemned him for it. In fact, they probably would have felt relieved from not being cursed at and struck by stones.

Indeed, it would have been easy for David to have Shimei killed but what we find the Lord often trying to teach us in life is that doing the easy thing isn’t always the right thing to do. In fact, the easy thing to so often the wrong thing to do for our enemy is skilled at getting us to act impulsively so to lead us into sin.

Well, back to the scriptures where we see David respond to Abishai with words that had to surprise him, saying:

“What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'"

In the past, we have seen David make the mistake of not relying on the Lord to guide him in what he should do but here we get a sense that he is refining his faith and growing spiritually, considering whether or not it is actually God’s will for him to kill Shimei. Obviously, David doesn’t feel it is, actually thinking that it was the Lord who may have been driving Shimei to curse him, using him as an instrument of condemnation…and if that was indeed happening, then who had the right to question what He was doing.

Now, Abishai and David’s people had to be thinking:

“Are you serious David? Do you really think the Lord is authorizing this lunatic to curse us and throw rocks?”

These feelings wouldn’t seem unusual. They would be natural and worldly.

“Just kill him and get it over with. He cursed the king and threw rocks at him to boot. He deserves to die for that.”

But David was cut from a different cloth, a man who was after God’s own heart most of the time. Given this, he didn’t always let the world control his decisions and this was definitely true the older he got as he matured more in the Lord.

And so David told “Abishai and all his officials” to leave Shimei alone and “let him curse”.

Why?

Because “the Lord (had) told him (Shimei) to” do so.

You see, David saw Shimei’s challenge as a test from God. As king, he was placed in a position where a decision had to be made:

Either kill Shimei or spare him.

David felt the Lord wished for him to show mercy towards Shimei, enduring his attacks and even feeling that “the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today”. In other words, there might be a chance that God was testing David to see what he would do regarding Shimei, willing to bless him if he was tolerant and endured the abuse hurled at him.

Friends, rest assured that we will endure our share of “Shimeis” over the course of our lives…people who are going to do things to rub us the wrong way. We might not get pelted by rocks but there will be situations where we will be cursed or insulted or targeted by false gossip. When those times come, we, David, will have a choice to make.

Do we retaliate and get even, seeking to harm our attacker just as they have tried to harm us?

Or do we, like David, seek the Lord before acting and accept that we might need to endure what we’re going through for a greater good not yet seen?

God’s word helps us make the right call as we read these words from James, Jesus’ half-brother:

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12

David “stood the test” because as he and “his men continued along the road”, Shimei paralleled them “along the hillside”, continuing to curse “as he went” while “throwing stones…and showering him (David) with dirt”. Fortunately, the mistreatment didn’t last forever because David and “all the people with him arrived at their destination”. Exhausted from the journey and all that happened, they now had a chance to rest and refresh.

This life we go through is indeed a test with many different sections that the Lord uses to assess how faithful and obedient we are to Him and His Word. Some of these sections involve trials and challenges, times when we face the possibility of leaning on our own understanding and wisdom while considering what to do. Thankfully, we have the blessed assurance of knowing that the Lord walks alongside us, every second of every minute of every hour of every day…always there to guide us so to make sure we do the right thing…the thing he wants us to do, even if it’s far from the easy option.

David did it…and so can we.

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.

GETTING THE FULL STORY

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs, and a skin of wine.

The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?"

Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert."

The king then asked, "Where is your master's grandson?"

Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem because he thinks, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.'"

Then the king said to Ziba, "All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours."

"I humbly bow," Ziba said. "May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king."

2 Samuel 16:1-4

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Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, "Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?"

He said, "My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it so I can go with the king.' But Ziba, my servant, betrayed me. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. All my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?"

The king said to him, "Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields."

Mephibosheth said to the king, "Let him take everything now that my lord the king has arrived home safely."

2 Samuel 19:24-30

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

Not long after David had encountered Hushai the Arkite at the summit of the Mount of Olives, dispatching him to Jerusalem to serve as a spy against Absalom, we see in 2 Samuel, chapter 16 where David came upon Ziba, the man he had appointed as “steward of Mephibosheth”. You’ll recall that Mephibosheth was Saul’s crippled grandson who David had taken into his household and treated like family.

Well, Ziba came to David with gifts…“a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs, and a skin of wine”. Surprised to see him, David asked him why he had come to which Ziba replied:

“The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert."

On the surface, Ziba’s actions seemed noble enough and yet we get a sense that David isn’t quite convinced that his motives were true. After all, he had been betrayed enough by others up to this point to perceive deception when it might be happening. And so we read where David inquired about the whereabouts of Mephibosheth and Ziba tells him that he had decided to remain in Jerusalem, adding that Mephibosheth was thinking that “the house of Israel” was going to be given back to him. The assertion here was that Mephibosheth was also seeking to undermine David so to get back his “grandfather's kingdom.”

Well, we see where David was quick to judgment, assuming Ziba was telling the truth and once again feeling slighted by someone he had treated well, he decides to give Ziba everything that belonged to Mephibosheth. This led Ziba to say:

“May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king."

Here, we find that Ziba’s dishonest words and actions led to his own gain and Mephibosheth’s loss, even though he (Mephibosheth) wasn’t given a chance to tell his side of the story. David’s crucial decision was solely based on Ziba’s side of things and as we see moving forward into chapter 19, he made a critical error in not getting the full account of what happened.

For as we fast forward ahead, we see where David eventually returned to Jerusalem after Absalom’s plot went awry and as he entered the city, he encountered Mephibosheth who was finally able to tell his side of everything, leading David to discover that he had been deceived by Ziba.

The scriptures tell us that when “Mephibosheth…went down to meet” David, Israel’s king immediately noticed how disheveled he looked. We read where Mephibosheth “had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely” This had to strike David as being highly unusual for someone who was scheming to undermine him. Mephibosheth’s appearance showed the depth of his sorrow and concern for David and the people of Jerusalem as they were forced to flee a conniving Absalom while he remained behind due to his disability.

Well, noting the appearance, David next asked Mephibosheth why he didn’t go along with him and he replied:

"My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it so I can go with the king.' But Ziba my servant betrayed me. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. All my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?"

We should note several key points here…

First, Mephibosheth was crippled. David knew this well because it was one of the main factors he considered when deciding to take care of him, assigning Ziba as his steward.

Second, David learns that Ziba betrayed and slandered Mephibosheth, tearing him down to try and build himself up. I’m sure David had to have flashbacks to the donkeys that Ziba had brought to him while he was in exile from Jerusalem and figured one of those donkeys probably belonged to Mephibosheth. When all was know, David could clearly see how he had once again been tricked by someone he had trusted.

Third, we see Mephibosheth show his respect and admiration of David, comparing him to “an angel of God”. He didn’t expect anything from David but rather submitted himself to whatever David decided to do about the matter.

Finally, we see Mephibosheth displaying absolute humility as he give thanks for David, confessing that his “grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death” and yet David had shown him (Mephibosheth) mercy, giving him a “place among those who eat at (his) table”. And so already feeling blessed, we see Mephibosheth admitting that he had no right to ask for anything else.

Now…imagine how David must have felt at this point. He had fully believed Ziba without getting Mephibosheth’s side of things…and now that he really knew what happened, he found himself in a quandary…one that would have been avoided if he had not rushed so quickly into judgment.

And so David was forced to retract his earlier decision and ordered that Ziba and Mephibosheth divide the fields and it’s at that point we see Mephibosheth show who truly had integrity as he didn’t complain about surrendering half of his fields to Ziba. He was happy and satisfied enough that David and the others has returned safely and this was more important to him than any material gain.

The Word of God is sending important instruction for us today because I am sure that we’ve all been guilty of jumping to conclusions without getting all the facts as David did in today’s scripture passages.

As I was meditating on this scripture before writing, I couldn’t help but think of a story I heard of while taking a college sociology class on childhood behavior. Specifically, we were studying about how people can be triggered to act in certain ways and the importance of identifying triggers in order to effectively deal with the behavior itself.

The story itself was simple enough.

A mother was shopping at the store and had two young children, a 4 year old boy and a 3 year old girl. While the mother was preoccupied browsing a clothing rack, the kids were doing what kids love to do…playing. It was in the midst of their playing that the little girl pinched her brother hard on his arm and in response, the boy hit the girl causing her to cry. When the mother turned and saw the situation…her daughter crying and accusing the son of hitting her…she immediately paddled the boy, never taking time to find out that the girl had actually started it all by hurting him with the pinch.

Of course, the idea here was to illustrate how the boy’s hitting behavior was triggered by his sister’s initial pinch…thus take away the pinch and the retaliatory hit wouldn’t have happened.

There was also another lesson to learn from this story which was grounded in the mother assuming she understood what happened when she didn’t. This led to a decision that wasn’t based on what truly took place.

You know, the same thing will happen to us if we don’t carefully consider all the facts in a matter before passing judgment, especially when we deal with a matter where there are two sides involved…something that David and the mother in the illustration failed to do.

As we do this, there is one more vital thing we need to do which can ensure we always do the right thing.

We need to turn to the Lord.

In David’s case, had he only turned to God regarding Ziba’s story, it would have been exposed as a ruse, preventing the king from making the wrong call.

In the illustration, had the woman turned to the Lord in the store ever so briefly, first asking Him to help her sort out what had happened, He would have helped her learn more about what really happened so she could respond appropriately.

Today, He’s with us all the same, ever ready to keep us from being betrayed or deceived by someone if we simply just turn to Him in faith and trust. For when we do, He will always take what is in the darkness and bring it to light…not just some of the time but all of the time...helping us see the full story as only He can.

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.

AN ON-TIME GOD

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.

Now David had been told, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "O Lord, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness."

When David arrived at the summit where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn, and dust on his head. David said to him, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; I was your father's servant in the past but now I will be your servant,' then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel's advice. Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king's palace. Their two sons, Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, and Jonathan, son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear."

So David's friend Hushai arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.

2 Samuel 15:30-37

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

On one of my recent posts, a friend left a wonderful testimony written by a grandparent (the friend’s first cousin) who had asked for prayers for her grandson. The boy had suffered a broken arm while on a cruise and was taken to a hospital in Miami for treatment but the family opted to drive home (a 15 hour drive) and have surgery completed there as there were pins that needed inserted in the boy’s arm. The hospital wouldn’t have been able to do the surgery for days due to the unavailablility of their orthopedic surgeon and this prompted the decision.

Sensing that something wasn’t right with this before they departed, the writer called her home orthopedic office where the son had already been seen two years prior for the same kind of break. On that call, the doctor told her that they shouldn’t drive the boy home in his condition for fear that he might lose circulation in his arm if things shifted, potentially resulting in an amputation.

This left the family in a quandary.

They couldn’t return him and yet the hospital wouldn’t be able to do the needed surgery for

But then…God entered the scene.

For the on call doctor back in their hometown, the doctor who the woman had never met, asked if he could have a few minutes to make a call…and less than 10 minutes later, he called back telling them to take the boy to a Miami children’s hospital where a surgeon would be waiting for them to perform the surgery. With this, the surgery was done immediately, allowing the family to return home safely the next day.

Well, there was a matter of gratitude that needed extended to the doctor in their hometown and as the mother and son went to the orthopedic clinic thank him, they discovered that the doctor was actually in the mother’s Sunday School class at church. The mother had made a prayer request through the class leader and the doctor was aware of it when she first called him. Needless to say, the mother was amazed at how the Lord had worked in the matter and this is what led her to share her testimony here on The Christian Walk. In that testimony, she proclaimed how “God is good all the time” for He had placed just the right doctor on call that day and led her to call him before following his instructions. She concluded by saying:

“…this gift from a Father that really takes care of us is one I will never forget”.

Friends, this was just one awesome example of what God does each and every day. Unfortunately, we don’t hear about every place where He moves in amazing ways but He makes it a habit to put the right people in the right places under the right circumstances and at the right time for the right purposes.

We truly do serve an on-time God.

Well as chapter 15 of 2nd Samuel closes, we see David also discovering this truth more than 3,000 years ago. You’ll remember that he had just ordered his priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to return to Jerusalem with the Levites and the ark of God. Once there, they were to listen in on any plans Absalom might have put together and then send word to David so he would be warned in advance.

We pick up with him after this and find him advancing to the Mount of Olives, noticeably disturbed by the events that were taking place. We read where he wept with his head covered as he walked along barefoot. His people were also weeping and mourning as they traveled with him.

Contributing to David’s disappointment and anguish was the report that his once trusted counselor, Ahithophel, had joined in with Absalom’s efforts to unseat his father. We see where this led David to pray to the Lord asking that Ahithophel's counsel be turned into foolishness. Soon, we will see how God answers David’s prayer as he will experience the Lord leading him just to the right person at the right time, just as he did with the mother mentioned earlier.

For as “David arrived at the summit” of the Mount of Olives, “where people used to worship God”, he encountered a man by the name of “Hushai the Arkite”. Standing before David, it was clear that he had torn his robe and thrown dust on his head, clearly showing that he had been mourning as well.

Sensing Hushai could be a key ally in his efforts to stave off Absalom, David seeks to send him back to Jerusalem so to frustrate the efforts of his betraying son Absalom and his equally disloyal counselor, Ahithophel. Given that Hushai was once his servant and Absalom seemed to try and recruit people who were once aligned with his father, David tells Hushai to offer himself as a servant to Absalom, knowing his son would take the bait. Then, once inside Absalom’s inner circle, Hushai would work with the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to relay Absalom’s plans to David. And with that, David's friend Hushai” went to Jerusalem and arrived just as “Absalom was entering the city”.

For David, Hushai was the right person at the right time under the right circumstances to serve the right purposes…all orchestrated by his on-time God.

As you read this today, maybe you have had a similar experience, finding yourself in the midst of circumstances which led you to pray to the Lord…and in response, He provided you the right person or occurrence at the right time under the right circumstances to accomplish the right purpose. Perhaps, you have had your own personal encounter with our on-time God.

If so, please respond to today’s message with your story so to bless and inspire others with your testimony. Maybe it will be a part of another message I write down the road or be used by someone else who needs to be told about a God who never fails us and always acts in accordance with His perfect will at His perfect time.

Today and every day, let us give thanks to the Lord for all that He has been, all that He is, and all He is yet to be.

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.

LORD, YOUR WILL BE DONE

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley and all the people moved on toward the desert.

Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, He will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if He says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him."

The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Aren't you a seer? Go back to the city in peace with your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan, son of Abiathar. You and Abiathar take your two sons with you. I will wait at the fords in the desert until word comes from you to inform me."

So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

2 Samuel 15:23-29

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

As David left Jerusalem with his people, they “crossed the Kidron Valley and…moved on toward the desert, fleeing impending danger from his treasonous son, Absalom. As they journeyed, we get a sense of the great sorrow everyone felt over what was happening as “the whole countryside wept aloud” when “all the people passed by”.

In today’s passage, we learn that the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, were along with David on the trek as were “all the Levites who were…carrying the ark of the covenant of God”. This meant that the Israelites could continue worshipping the Lord while on the run for we read where the ark of God had been carried from Jerusalem and was in their presence. The scriptures tell us that “Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city”.

Now, this wasn’t the first time the ark of God had been taken from the holy city for going back to 1st Samuel, chapter 4, you’ll recall that the Israelites took it with them and then entered into battle with the Philistines only to be defeated soundly, an outcome that had the elders of Israel perplexed. They incorrectly assumed that as long as the ark was present with them, success would follow.

After that failed to happen, those elders had the chance to go to the Lord and inquire as to why they had been defeated but they didn’t. Instead, they decided to sent the ark into the battle with the fighting forces, feeling that the mere presence of the ark would automatically lead to victory. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and the elders’ assumption led to the loss of 30,000 foot soldiers and Eli’s two sons, just as the Lord had prophesied through Samuel. And to add insult to injury, the ark of God was also captured by the Philistines and carried off.

So why did this happen? After all, wasn’t the ark of God representative of His presence and holiness?

Exactly. It was just that…representative but it wasn’t God Himself.

And so where Israel went wrong was doubting in the first place that it may have been God’s will that would lose the battle, even though the Lord had foretold of the loss and death of Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, because of their sinfulness. In the end translation, no mere ark was going to stop God’s will from being carried out. And so, Eli’s sons and a large number of Israelite fighters lost their lives, once again showing that sin does exact a heavy cost when the Lord’s wrath is displayed.

Well, it’s unsure whether or not David was well-versed on the history of Israel and the events of that fateful Philistine battle years prior but as we see in today’s passage, Israel’s king adopts a very different approach and attitude toward to ark than the elders of Israel had done before. For we see him giving Zadok the priest the following command:

"Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, He will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if He says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him."

David’s words show a real level of spiritual maturity, far from where he was when he committed sexual infidelity, deceit, and even accessory to murder during his tryst with Bathsheba. For Israel’s king clearly showed that he know the Lord would deal with him as He pleased and the presence of the ark of God wouldn’t change it. If the Lord favored David, then he would get to return to Jerusalem, seeing the ark and its dwelling place once more. Conversely, if God was displeased with David, then he was ready to accept whatever judgment might come.

In other words, David was willing to accept the Lord’s good and pleasing will in his life, regardless if it involved blessing or discipline.

And so David sent the ark back to Jerusalem along with the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, and their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan. He also gave them instructions to act as informants for him…to collect any information he might need to know about Absalom’s intentions and then deliver that information to David who would “wait at the fords in the desert” until word came Jerusalem.

Friends, David serves as a remarkable model of faith in this passage for we see where he understood that the Lord is above all things and there is nothing on earth that would stop His will from being done…even the hallowed and blessed ark of God.

This made me wonder how well we do regarding this in our own lives. Are we really prepared to surrender everything to the Lord’s will in faith, no matter our circumstances?

How about when tough financial times come?

Do we say, “If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, He will make the way clear for me to restore my finances…but if it’s not His will, then I am ready for Him to do to me whatever seems good to Him. I trust that He will work things for my good eventually.”

What about when suffering happens through a health affliction or some form of addiction?

Do we say, “If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, He will make the way clear for me to be healed or reach remission…but if it’s not His will, then I am ready to wait for Him to work in my circumstances.”

What if conflict happens within our work, church, family, or friendships?

Do we say, “If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, He will make the way clear to reconcile my differences with others…but if it’s not His will, then I am ready to patiently wait for Him to do whatever seems good to Him.”

Live life long enough and I think we all learn that it’s easy when everything is going well and during those times, we typically don’t turn to the Lord as much as we should because we tend to take Him for granted.

But things don’t always stay great, do they?

Change can happen leading us into times of difficulty…like as it did for David…and when those times come, we would be well served to just commit our trust to the Lord, waiting for His will to be revealed and carried out in our lives in faith. For just as David proclaimed, God knows what’s best for us and will do whatever seems good to Him because He wants things to be good for us, even if it means we have to struggle or endure hardship.

As believers, we need to simply remember that the Lord will always bring us through our circumstances…but in His way. This life attitude is embedded within the prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name,

Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done

on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  Matthew 6:9-13

Indeed, let us always submit ourselves to the Lord, ever asking for His will to be done in our lives on earth as it is in Heaven as we fully submit ourselves to Him in trust and faith, now and forever more.

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.

FAITHFUL ALLIANCES

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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So the king set out with all the people following him and they halted at a place some distance away. All his men marched past him along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

The king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us when I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your countrymen. May kindness and faithfulness be with you."

But Ittai replied to the king, "As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be."

David said to Ittai, "Go ahead, march on."

So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

2 Samuel 15:17-22

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

As chapter 15 of 2nd Samuel opened, we saw David’s son, Absalom, turn on his father, conspiring to draw Israel’s favor from him in order to take his place on the throne. His rise to power at Hebron resulted in David sensing the impending danger and so he quickly fled the city “with all the people following him”, traveling awhile before halting “at a place some distance away”.

Well, as they stood pat, we read where all of David’s men “marched past him, along with all the Kerethites, …Pelethites and…six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath”. All these forces “marched before the king”.

Note the number of Gittites that composed David’s group. What made these six hundred men unique is that they weren’t Israelites but rather Philistines who were in exile from their homeland, having just joined David the day prior.

Given this, we read where David spoke with their leader, Ittai, asking:

"Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us when I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your countrymen. May kindness and faithfulness be with you."

Here we find David being unselfish and showing concern for the Gittites. He could have only been concerned with his own safety and kept quiet. After all, he would need all the support he could get if he was attacked by Absalom.

But David wasn’t like that.

We get a sense that he genuinely cared for the Gittites and felt it was a lot to ask of them to journey along when he had no idea about where they would be heading and what might happen along the way. And so we see where David urged Ittai and his men to depart and go back to their homeland where they could be comfortable and safe among their own people, not doing so out of resentment but rather with blessing, wishing kindness and faithfulness on them all.

Now, Ittai could have accepted this offer and left with his men after David, the king, had granted him permission to go but that didn’t happen. For the very kindness and faithfulness that David had wished for the Gittites ended up being shown to him as Ittai replied:

"As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be."

And with this vow from Ittai, David tells him to, “Go ahead, march on"…which is exactly what he did…advancing forward with “all his men and the families that were with him”.

In Ittai, we get a glimpse of what true loyalty, support, and fellowship look like as he formed a faithful alliance with the Israelite king David who he had just encountered a day prior. Through his actions, we are shown the kind of relationship that the Lord expects us to have with one another.

You see, Ittai knew that staying with David wouldn’t lead to easy times for the king and all who were with him were fleeing a legitimate and dangerous threat. Indeed, there was a lot of uncertainty ahead and yet, Ittai refused to turn away from David and allow him to go forward without his support, vowing to remain steadfastly devoted “as surely as the Lord lives”.

The latter part of what Ittai promised was critical for he invoked the name of the Lord in a way that showed how he understood the importance of standing by someone in need because that’s exactly what God does for His people…every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Indeed, the Lord doesn’t abandon anyone just because the times get tough. Rather, it’s during those times that He draws ever nearer out of love…and we need to do likewise as we support each other.

The Apostle Paul had something to say about faithful alliances as he wrote this in his epistle to the Romans:

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” 12:10

Here, the Word of God makes it clear that we’re expected to stand by one another out of a sense of brotherly (and sisterly) love…a love that leads us to a sense of devotion and caring that is selfless and honors another person or persons above ourselves. It was this kind of special agape love that led our Savior Jesus to willingly be crucified on Calvary’s cross and so to bear our sins and purchase our pardon, desiring to be in fellowship with us now and forever.

He expects us, as Christians, to live likewise. Consider these words from John’s first letter:

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another… 1 John 1:7a

The scriptures teach us that true fellowship with one another can only happen through first having true fellowship with Jesus as He comes to live and abide in our hearts, minds, and souls. For when He dwells within us, then and only then are we walking in the light…and not just any light but His light…the light of the One who is The Way and The Truth and The Life (John 14:6).

Given this, why do we see so much conflict within the Christian church today among believers?

Perhaps the answer is found in people claiming to be in Christ but yet refusing to completely die to self so that Jesus might fully live within. We can’t just give our lives to Him in part. He expects us to fully surrender, allowing Him to take over our lives completely. This would lead us to be totally led by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God into obedience and a place where loving, faithful alliances with one another would be as natural as breathing. It’s the place Jesus called us to when he said this in John’s Gospel:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

“Love one another as I have loved you”.

Jesus commanded it and it’s up to every Christian to carry it out.

Let’s make sure we do it in every situation within every day the Lord provides.

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.

THE FRUITLESS NATURE OF CONSPIRACY

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, "What town are you from?"

He would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."

Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are valid and proper but there is no representative of the king to hear you." And Absalom would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice."

Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: 'If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.'"

The king said to him, "Go in peace."

So he went to Hebron.

Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'"

Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength and Absalom's following kept on increasing.

A messenger came and told David, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword."

The king's officials answered him, "Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses."

The king set out with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace. So the king set out with all the people following him and they halted at a place some distance away.

2 Samuel 15:1-17

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

As 2 Samuel, chapter 14 closed, we saw where David had made amends with his son Absalom who he had turned away from for so long after Absalom killed his brother Amnon. At that time, we got a sense that Absalom had yearned for the reconciliation to take place but as chapter 15 opens, we see where Absalom had other things in mind regarding David and his throne.

For we read where Absalom began to assert himself around Jerusalem, providing himself with “a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him”. He would also “get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate” and as “anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision”, he would first see if the person was from “one of the tribes of Israel” before telling them that their claims were “valid and proper” even though “no representative of the king” would be able to hear them. He then would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice."

Of course, all of this was intended to undermine David and enhance Absalom’s public image. He further worked to advance himself by reaching out his hand and taking hold of people who would come to him, kissing them as they bowed “down before him”. Note that he only did this for the Israelites who “came to the king asking for justice”.

How effective were Absalom’s actions?

The scriptures tell us that he “stole the hearts of the men of Israel”.

The operative word here was steal because that’s what he was up to…stealing his father’s favor and honor from the people of Israel. For Absalom’s words implied that his father, the king, was not capable of appropriately handling the complaints and cases of his people…but if given the chance, Absalom would make sure the people would get what they needed…what his father wasn’t providing. All they needed to do is appoint him (Absalom) as the judge over the land.

It’s here that we first get a taste of what Absalom is really up to for his interest was to unseat, not support David.

Well, this went on for four years after which we see where Absalom asked his father to let him “go to Hebron” because he needed to “fulfill a vow…made to the Lord”. He then elaborates further by saying that while he was “living at Geshur”, he made a promise saying:

"If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron."

Not suspecting anything was awry and trusting his son, we see where David granted his son permission to go to Hebron in peace, ironic because there was nothing peaceful about what Absalom was about to do.

Now, what made Absalom’s deception so much more evil and sinful was that he chose to invoke the name of the Lord to make his lie more convincing. He had no intention of going to Hebron to give God any honor or worship. Rather, he only wanted to glorify himself while further usurping the authority and rule of his father for as soon as Absalom arrived in Hebron, the scriptures tell us that he “sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel” who said:

“As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'"

A trumpet sound was often used before an important proclamation was made in biblical times and here we see where Absalom would use it to finally reveal his treachery, having himself declared king of Hebron while his father was still on the throne in Jerusalem.

We read where Absalom had built quite a following over his four years of secretly trying to chip away at his father’s support among the people. In fact, “two hundred men from Jerusalem” accompanied him to Hebron, although they went completely unaware of Absalom’s true reason for going there. We see where “Ahithophel the Gilonite”, a former counselor of David, was summoned to join forces with Absalom as his “conspiracy gained strength”.

Well, we see in the Bible where word often traveled fast and it didn’t take long before a messenger came to David and told him about what Absalom was up to, saying:

“The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom”.

Of course, these words brought a great deal of distress to David who sensed immediately that he and his people in Jerusalem were in grave danger. And so we see where he issued the following orders:

"Come! We must flee or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword”.

To which his officials answered:

“Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses."

And so David “set out with his entire household” and all the people following him before halting “at a place some distance away”, only leaving behind “ten concubines to take care of the palace”. Once again, David was on the run…something he was all too well familiar with after continuously having to try and elude a pursing, murderous Saul. Now,  he would have to escape from his own son…a son who chose to betray him.

Of course, this isn’t the only time we witness betrayal in the scriptures. For when we get to the New Testament, we see an even greater act of disloyalty happen when Jesus is sold out to the Sanhedrin by Judas, one of His chosen disciples…not for the gain of a kingdom but rather for a mere thirty silver coins (Matthew 26:14-16). It’s also interesting to me that a simple kiss was also involved in both of these incidents.

It was the last thing David did to Absalom before he launched his deceitful plot while Judas used it as a way to identify Jesus so He could be arrested. You may remember Jesus say to His betrayer:

“Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” Luke 22:48

What made Judas’ evil action significantly greater than Absalom’s was because it started Jesus traveling down the road to His crucifixion…a crucifixion that the Jewish religious authorities believed would eliminate Jesus for good.

They couldn’t have been more wrong after the tomb ended up empty.

Going back to our passage for today, Absalom’s intent was to eliminate his father from Israel’s throne but as we will soon see, he too was wrong to think he would be successful in carrying out such treachery.

In both these cases, success was never going to happen because neither Absalom or Judas were carrying out God’s will, at least not knowingly.

Absalom never asked God whether he should try and overthrow his father. Rather, he took it upon himself to try and take what wasn’t meant for him to have. And as we will see, he will fail in his efforts, dying while trying as his attempted conspiracy only led to his demise.

Likewise, Judas betrayed Jesus out of greed, not because he knew it was what God wanted him to do. And through his act of conspiracy and betrayal, he found himself awash in his own guilt for selling out His Lord, ultimately taking his own life. Like Absalom before him, his conspiracy led to his downfall.

Friends, the Lord is trying to teach us all an important lesson in all this. For too often, people scheme and connive against others, slyly thinking their conspiring efforts will lead to their benefit as they operate out of the view of those they wish to violate. Like Absalom and Judas, they are willing to sell out someone else for their own gain…whether for power or money or sometimes even revenge.

With this, all of God’s people need to keep something in mind that Absalom and Judas chose to forget.

For God sees everything. He sees into the cracks and crevices of every heart and soul…exposing evil desires and plots well before they are ever hatched. With this, no one ever gets away with anything, no matter how airtight their plan may be because nothing is concealed from the Lord.

Friends, this alone should deter someone from ever conspiring in any way…because conspiracy is only fruitful when it is done in a way that is deceptive and there isn’t a single person who can get over on God. He who is perfectly true sees through every lie.

In today’s passage, we saw where Absalom was a man who sought out and won over the hearts of the men of Israel…but as we will see, he would be no match up against his father, David, who was a man after God’s own heart. Soon, God will triumph and give his anointed and appointed king the victory over a son who will fully come to realize the fruitless nature of conspiracy,

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.