VICTORY OVER DEATH

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In Christ, Mark

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Now Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, said, "Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies."

"You are not the one to take the news today," Joab told him. "You may take the news another time but you must not do so today because the king's son is dead."

Then Joab said to a Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.

Ahimaaz, son of Zadok, again said to Joab, "Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite."

But Joab replied, "My son, why do you want to go? You don't have any news that will bring you a reward."

He said, "Come what may, I want to run."

So Joab said, "Run!"

Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.

While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. The watchman called out to the king and reported it. The king said, "If he is alone, he must have good news." And the man came closer and closer.

Then the watchman saw another man running, and he called down to the gatekeeper, "Look, another man running alone!" The king said, "He must be bringing good news, too."

The watchman said, "It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, son of Zadok."

"He's a good man," the king said. "He comes with good news."

Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, "All is well!" He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king."

The king asked, "Is the young man Absalom safe?"

Ahimaaz answered, "I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king's servant and me, your servant, but I don't know what it was."

The king said, "Stand aside and wait here."

So he stepped aside and stood there.

Then the Cushite arrived and said, "My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has delivered you today from all who rose up against you."

The king asked the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom safe?"

The Cushite replied, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man."

The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Joab was told, "The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom." And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning because on that day the troops heard it said, "The king is grieving for his son." The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. The king covered his face and cried aloud, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, "Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now."

So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway," they all came before him.

2 Samuel 18:19-33, 19:1-8

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

The battle between Absalom’s and David’s forces had ended but word of the outcome had not yet made it back to Israel’s king as he waited at Mahanaim. As 2 Samuel, chapter 18 closes, we see where David is informed as to what happened which included the death of his son, Absalom.

So who would deliver this word to the king?

Well, the scriptures tell us where Zadok’s son, Ahimaaz, first approached Joab, David’s army commander, requesting:

“Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”

We read where he was rejected by Joab who said:

“You are not the one to take the news today…You may take the news another time but you must not do so today because the king's son is dead."

So with Ahimaaz eliminated from being the messenger, Joab turned to another man, a Cushite, giving him the following command:

"Go, tell the king what you have seen."

And with that, the “Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off”.

Well, we see where Ahimaaz, passed over for the Cushite, wasn’t about to give up because he asked Joab to allow him to run behind the Cushite. Joab questioned him, asserting that there would be no reward for giving the news to the king, but permitted him to go after seeing he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

And so Ahimaaz took off, going “by way of the plain” and eventually outrunning the Cushite.

Well back in Mahanaim, we read where “David was sitting between the inner and outer gates” while the “watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall”. And as the watchman peered out across the landscape, he “saw a man running alone” and reported this to David who replied:

“If he is alone, he must have good news."

Well, as the first man came nearer, a man who the seemed to think was Ahimaaz because of the way he was running, he (the watchman) noticed a second man running alone and also reported this to David who said:

“He must be bringing good news, too."

We read where David also added that because Ahimaaz was “a good man”, he would be assumed as bringing “good news”.

Notice David’s hopeful attitude in this passage…a hopeful attitude that fully expected good news to come which would include his beloved son Absalom having been treated gently as he had ordered.

So with this expectation in place, David is approached by Ahimaaz who tells him, “All is well!”, before bowing down “with his face to the ground”. He then says this to David:

“Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king."

We should note here how Ahimaaz gave the Lord all the credit, praising Him and Him alone for delivering and defeating the king’s enemies. But David’s response showed that he was less concerned with the victory than he was about his son as he asked Ahimaaz:

“Is the young man Absalom safe?"

To which, Ahimaaz replied:

“I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king's servant and me, your servant, but I don't know what it was."

Ahimaaz had not witnessed Joab’s execution of Absalom as he dangled by his hair in the branches of the oak tree and so he could not answer David’s question. This led the king to turn his attention to the second man…the Cushite, after asking Ahimaaz to “stand aside”.

Well, we read where the Cushite approached David, exclaiming:

“My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has delivered you today from all who rose up against you."

Again, note how the Cushite attributes the victory to the Lord…the same Lord who had delivered Israel from their enemies for generations. But once more, we see where David was less interested in the deliverance from his enemies as he was the welfare of Absalom as he asked the Cushite:

"Is the young man Absalom safe?"

The reply hit David hard as the Cushite coldly replied:

“May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man."

And with those words, David knew Absalom had died and Israel’s king was devastated by the news for the scriptures tell us that he “went up to the room over the gateway and wept” while saying:

“O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you — O Absalom, my son, my son!"

There was no question that David’s grief ran deep.

Well, Joab and his men followed Ahimaaz and the Cushite in returning to Mahanaim and when they got there Joab was told:

“The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom."

This news crept out and found its way to David’s entire army who instead of receiving rousing praise from their king for fighting so boldly and victoriously got no commendation at all. Instead, David remained submerged in his mourning. This had an impact on the fighting men of Israel who immediately felt unappreciated. Truly, these brave men deserved a much better welcome home than this!

This was Joab’s thought exactly as he went to David and admonished him saying:

“Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now."

Now, let me be clear. It wasn’t that David’s mourning was inappropriate. Rather, it was just ill timed given that his army had just returned from putting their lives on the line for their king and fellow countrymen. They should have at least received some words of gratitude from their supreme leader but that didn’t happen. Joab asserted that David would have actually been more happy if Absalom had lived, even if his entire army had perished in the process.

So Joab advised David to take action immediately or risk losing the loyalty of all his fighting forces, something that would be worse than anything he had experienced since his youth. As the passage ends, we read where David follows Joab’s advice, taking a seat in the gateway as all his men joined him there.

A disaster had been averted.

Now, you might be asking yourself about what we should learn from this account. I believe the Word of God is trying to teach us that we shouldn’t allow death to overshadow victory.

David was so caught up in hoping that his son might survive the fierce war that he ended up distracted from the main goal at hand…defeating Absalom and restoring his power as the king of Israel. We know this because his sole focus when approached by Ahimaaz and the Cushite was on whether or not Absalom had survived. There was no concern for how many of his commanders or men had made it through.

And so when Absalom perished in the battle, David was unable to see anything else except that death and his mourning kept him there, shielded from celebrating the overall victory which included praising his army and showing them his gratitude over their brave fighting.

Underscoring all this is the fact that David never turns to the Lord to ask about what he should do. If he had, the Lord would have surely prepared him for what was to come while providing instruction as to how to handle the news of Absalom’s demise. Instead, David leaned on his own wisdom and understanding, allowing his feelings to get the best of him while nearly messing up the entire matter after his army returned. While wallowing in his sorrow, he nearly lost the allegiance and respect of his men who had defeated Absalom’s threat.

Or to put it another way, David allowed his grief over Absalom’s death to cause him to lose sight of the victory gained.

The life application principle for us today is that we’ll do the same thing…make a mess of our life situations…if we try to take control of things instead of trusting and relying on the Lord’s guidance and leading.

In my nearly 34 years of ministry, I have witnessed many Christians make the same mistake as David, allowing death to overshadow victory. For they are so attached and focused on a Christian loved one while they are alive that they are not ready to respond properly after that loved one dies. This is why Jesus said this in His Sermon on the Mount:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

The “treasures on earth” He speaks of here can easily become a person who we choose to possess like other material items. We make a loved one our “treasure” and by doing so, our heart is in and of them. Therefore, when that person does, we finds our heart is emptied out. Our treasure on earth is gone.

So what are we to do instead?

Focus on the victory vice the death.

For Jesus tells us that we should store up “treasures in Heaven” and we can only do this, when we, and those we love, have placed our faith and trust in Him as Savior. Anyone special to us who die and are in Christ aren’t really dead. Rather, they have changed their address eternally to one that will never change as they move into the mansion Jesus promised to prepare (John 14:1-4).

Through belief in Jesus, victory is certain and death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:53-57). Therefore, let’s not do as David did and regress into a vigil of mourning that is so deep that it consumes us. Rather, let us celebrate the new life our loved one has entered into, the new forever life that will be spent with God the Father and Jesus the Son…the new life that will never carry with it any of the afflictions this worldly life brings.

When we look to the cross and then the empty tomb, it’s easy to remain centered on the victory that swallowed up death. For what did Christ Jesus die for anyways as He hung and bled and died on Calvary’s cross? Did He not suffer and die so He could bring the victory to anyone who place their faith in Him?

Friends, Jesus first died and then rose again in the same resurrection power that will be ours one day so that we could have hope, not despair…a fixation on victory, not defeat. Given this, death is only a dark, sad time when we know someone dies who chose to reject Jesus. In my view, that is reason for someone to mourn heavily because the only thing coming next is an eternity in Hell. For them, death still has its stinger.

As I close today, I pray that we all will approach death with the proper perspective with Jesus at the center, the One who should be our greatest treasure…a treasure of Heaven”. Let us always keep the victory He brought at the forefront, a victory that we as believers will surely experience when this life ends.

If you’re reading this today and have not yet accepted Jesus as your Savior, please don’t delay in changing that right now so your death doesn’t have to be steeped in sorrow but rather celebrated as you enter into a new life that will never end…a new life that claims victory over death.

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.

ABUSING AUTHORITY

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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David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. David sent the troops out—a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai, son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, "I myself will surely march out with you."

But the men said, "You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city."

The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best to you."

So the king stood beside the gate while all the men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake."

And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

The army marched into the field to fight Israel and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. There the army of Israel was defeated by David's men and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. The battle spread out over the whole countryside and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword.

Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair while the mule he was riding kept on going.

When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."

Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt."

But the man replied, "Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king's son. In our hearing, the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' And if I had put my life in jeopardy — and nothing is hidden from the king — you would have kept your distance from me."

Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you." So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

Then Joab sounded the trumpet and the troops stopped pursuing Israel for Joab halted them. They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest, and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.

During his lifetime, Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.

2 Samuel 18:1-18

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

The battle had been brewing for some time now.

Absalom had conspired against his father ever since he had been allowed back in Jerusalem after he killed his brother Amnon. And as his following among the Israelites grew, so did his power…a power that led him to go to Hebron and muster his supporters before setting his sights on Jerusalem. After hearing of Absalom’s betrayal, David and his people fled the holy city in advance of Absalom’s arrival.

After receiving counsel and choosing the guidance of Hushai over Ahithophel, Absalom assembled his forces and went after David, leaving war imminent after setting up camp nearby David and his forces.

And so we read where “David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds”. He then “sent the troops out — a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai, son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite” and said to his troops:

“I myself will surely march out with you”.

But we see where the men rejected David’s proposal saying:

“You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city."

David listened to the feedback from his men and he deferred to their judgment saying:

“I will do whatever seems best to you."

And so he “stood beside the gate” as his men “marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands” and gave specific orders to his commanders: Joab, Abishai, and Ittai:

“Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake."

The scriptures tell us that the order was given with such volume that “all the troops heard” it as well before the “army marched into the field to fight Israel and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.” There, “the army of Israel was defeated by David's men” and the “casualties that day were great” with 20,000 men dying on the battlefield. We read further where the “battle spread out over the whole countryside” to where “the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword”.

Okay, so what happened to Absalom? Where was he as his Israelite army was being defeated at the hands of David’s men?

Well, he definitely was in the vicinity of the battle because we see where he “happened to meet David's men” and as he fled from them on his mule, his hair got caught in the “thick branches of a large oak”, leaving him “hanging in midair”…helplessly dangling ”while the mule he was riding kept on going”.

We read where word of this quickly traveled to Joab, one of David’s three commanders, through one of David’s fighting men. As Joab hears the message, we see him respond in anger toward the messenger saying:

“What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt."

Through his words, Joab showed that he had no intention of being obedient to his king’s command and as we’ll see, he would be far from gentle with Absalom. As for the messenger, he showed his absolute loyalty towards David as he told Joab:

“Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king's son. In our hearing, the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' And if I had put my life in jeopardy — and nothing is hidden from the king — you would have kept your distance from me."

This man could see right through Joab and his flawed personality. For Joab had chastised the man for not killing Absalom but would have done anything but chastise him if he had gone ahead and killed Absalom. Rather, he would keep his distance from the man, ensuring he wouldn’t be seen as being complicit in any way.

In the end translation, Joab was self-centered, only concerned about himself.

For immediately after his conversation with the man, Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you" before taking “three javelins in his hand” and plunging them “into Absalom's heart” while he was “still alive in the oak tree”. And to add insult to proverbial injury, Joab’s act of execution was followed up by ten of his armor-bearers who “surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him” before throwing him into a “big pit in the forest” and piling a “large heap of rocks over him. Then, we read where “Joab sounded the trumpet” halting the troops’ pursuit of the Israelites who “fled to their homes”.

And so Absalom was dead, done in by his long hair which made him an easy target for Joab after he got stuck in the tree. But within Joab’s actions, we see a very disturbing disregard for David, the king he worked for…a disregard grounded in the abuse of power that had been granted to him by a higher authority (David).

Think about it.

Joab was only a commander because David had appointed him as such…and that appointment carried with it the obligation to follow and carry out the king’s orders without deviation or compromise. With the appointment, David delegated a certain amount of power and authority to Joab by merit of making him a commander but this power never was to exceed the king’s. Instead, Joab was to make judgments and decisions on the battlefield and elsewhere based on what was in the king’s best interest…and there was no doubt in this instance that David didn’t wish for Absalom to be killed. And so when Joab decided to plunge plunged his three javelins into Absalom’s heart, he clearly violated the king’s command and abused the power inherit to his position.

The scriptures also show us that Absalom abused his power as well. For “during his lifetime”, he “had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself”. He did so feeling he deserved it since he has no “son to carry on the memory of (his) name”. We’re even told he named the "the pillar after himself”…a pillar that is called “Absalom's Monument to this day”.

All this further reminded me of Saul who had gotten himself in trouble for the same reasons as Joab and Absalom…abusing the power that God had granted him as king through ignoring God’s commands and seeking to glorify himself. You’ll remember that he, like Absalom, even erected a monument in honor of himself at Carmel (1 Samuel 15:12).

This message challenges us to self examine how well we do with any authority that the Lord might grant in life.

For I wonder how God feels when parents abuse the authority granted them by mistreating and/or neglecting their children…children who were entrusted to their care by Lord?

Or how does God feel when elected or appointed officials abuse their governing power and mistreat or misrepresent the very people the Lord granted them the authority to rule over?

Or how does God feel when pastors or priests abuse the sacred power and trust given to them, supporting or participating in false teaching or abusing members of the flock the Lord placed in their care?

Or how does God feel when any person chooses to speak profanity, cursing and using His Name in vain…which essentially serves to make a mockery of the authority vested in that very Name?

And how does God feel when we abuse the power He sends us by way of the Holy Spirit (i.e. grieving the Spirit) or when we ignore the power and authority He sends to us through the Spirit by deciding that our way is better than His?

If we’re honest, I think we all can see where we have abused authority in life and probably have experienced someone else abusing their authority over us. It’s a big problem and this is why this message from God’s Word is so important. For when He grants anyone authority, He expects that it will be respected and used only as He intended it to be used.

For in the end translation, nothing we will ever do will be worth anything unless we do it through honoring the power and authority of God the Father and His Son Jesus…a power and authority often delegated to us to do their bidding here on earth. And as we carry out their orders, let us always do so in a way that glorifies and honors them, never ourselves.

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.

A HELPING HAND IN TIMES OF NEED

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

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

When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?"

The woman answered them, "They crossed over the brook."

The men searched but found no one so they returned to Jerusalem.

After the men had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, "Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you."

So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

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

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

2 Samuel 17:15-22, 24-29

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

As 2 Samuel, chapter 17 opened, we read about Absalom making plans to defeat his father David after entering Jerusalem. You’ll recall that he asked David’s former counselor, Ahithophel, about what he should do and was told to go after David and his people but kill only his father after which all his followers would be subject to their new ruler.

After receiving this guidance, Absalom called for Hushai who suggested that Ahithophel’s advice was in error and Absalom should take all of Israel after David, killing him and anyone who was following him.

After hearing the two plans, you’ll remember that Absalom opted to follow Hushai’s advice which we knew from the scriptures was really part of the Lord’s plan to frustrate Ahithophel in answer to David’s prayer. Absalom’s decision to not accept his advice hurt Ahithophel so much that he went to his home and hanged himself.

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

And so Zadok and Abiathar arranged for a servant girl to send word to two messengers, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, who were in turn supposed to “go and tell King David”. The girl had to be sent to the two men because “they could not risk being seen entering the city” because they were known to be sympathetic to David and thus would be suspected of conspiring against Absalom.

Unfortunately, despite their efforts to keep the message exchange secret, we read where a young man spotted the two messengers and told Absalom, leading to the two men having to flee for their lives. They “left quickly and went to the house of a man in Bahurim” who had a “well in his courtyard”. And after climbing down into the well, the man’s wife “took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well”, scattering “grain over it” so they would not be detected. We read where “no one knew anything about it”.

This woman was definitely a God-send to David and his messengers for if the message didn’t get to David, he and his people would all be over run and killed by Absalom and his army. And so in a time of need, the woman served as an important helping hand.

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

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

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

It was in the midst of this framework that we see David and his people being blessed because they arrived “hungry and tired and thirsty” from their time in the desert.

Enter more helping hands in time of need in the way of Shobi, Makir, and Barzillai who “brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery” as well as “wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat”. With conflict looming, David and his people were able to nourish themselves and rest before the confrontation with Absalom and the Israelites aligned with him.

In our passage today, we find the Lord revealing two wonderful truths.

First, we serve a God who sends us help in times of trouble. Often times, this comes from more than one person as the Lord blesses us with the help we need to make it through our difficult circumstances.

In David’s case, his upcoming ultimate victory over his betraying son and those who joined him wouldn’t have happened without the help of those the Lord sent to assist them along the way. For we have seen in the scriptures where the Lord brought people into David’s life from the time he fled Jerusalem, aiding him during his exile as he worked to overcome the threat to his throne. Those people included:

- The loyal protection role of Ittai.

- The informant role played by Zadok and Abiathar.

- The supplier role played by Ziba.

- The counselor/advisor role played by Hushai.

- The messenger role played by the servant girl, Ahimaaz, and Jonathan.

- The harboring role played by the wife of the man of Bahurim.

and

- The hospitality role played by Shobi, Makir, and Barzillai.

Many people…each with different roles but all part of the same plan….a plan ordained and directed by the Lord who always sends help in times of trouble to those who are devoted and loyal to Him.

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

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

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

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” v.1

Indeed, He shows Himself over and over and over again to be our ever-present help…often through those He chooses to assist Him and others…those we come to know as our helping hands.

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.

OUR GOOD PARENT

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

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Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel was with him.

Then Hushai the Arkite, David's friend, went to Absalom and said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

Absalom asked Hushai, "Is this the love you show your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?"

Hushai said to Absalom, "No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel — his I will be and I will remain with him. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you."

Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give us your advice. What should we do?"

Ahithophel answered, "Lie with your father's concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench in your father's nostrils and the hands of everyone with you will be strengthened."

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof and he lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice. Ahithophel said to Absalom, "I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed."

This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.

But Absalom said, "Summon also Hushai the Arkite so we can hear what he has to say."

When Hushai came to him, Absalom said, "Ahithophel has given this advice. Should we do what he says? If not, give us your opinion." Hushai replied to Absalom, "The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. You know your father and his men; they are fighters and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops. Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.' Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.”

"So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba—as numerous as the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. Then we will attack him wherever he may be found and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a piece of it can be found."

Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.

When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb.

2 Samuel 16:15-23, 17:1-14, 23

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

As 2 Samuel, chapter 15 came to a close, we saw David’s friend, Hushai the Arkite, arriving in Jerusalem at the same time as Absalom. You’ll recall that David had sent him there to become Absalom’s servant, infiltrating his inner circle so to frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel, David’s former advisor who had betrayed him. Hushai would keep the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, abreast of whatever was being discussed and planned in the palace and they, in turn, would make sure David was aware.

This brings us to our passage for today, where we see Hushai carrying out David’s command after “Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem” with Ahithophel, David’s former counselor with them. As Absalom entered the city, Hushai went to him and proclaimed:

“Long live the king! Long live the king!"

Naturally, Absalom was a bit apprehensive and suspicious because he sensed that Hushai might be still associated with his father and so he asked him:

“Is this the love you show your friend (speaking of David)? Why didn't you go with your friend?"

To which Hushai replied:

“No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel — his I will be and I will remain with him. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father so I will serve you."

And with that, Hushai was in, accepted by Absalom just as David had planned. Soon, he would be used by the Lord to foil Absalom’s plans but there was some unfinished business…an unfinished prophecy from the Lord yet to be fulfilled.

For after David had so sinfully carried out an adulterous affair with Bathsheba which led to her pregnancy and David’s plot to have her husband Uriah killed in battle, you’ll remember that the Lord sent a word to David through the prophet Nathan. In that message, the Lord passed down a penalty that David would suffer for his actions telling him:

“Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel." 2 Samuel 12:11-12

Fast forward from that promise to what we see here in chapter 16 as Absalom asks Ahithophel for advice as to what he should do. Setting the stage for Ahithophel’s guidance, you’ll also remember that as David fled Jerusalem, he left behind his ten concubines to take care of the palace (2 Samuel 15:16). These concubines are the ones that Ahithophel tells Absalom to sleep with so that all Israel would hear that he had made himself a stench in his father's nostrils thus further strengthening his following and power.

And so that’s what happened. We read where a tent was pitched for Absalom on the roof and “he lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel”…just as God had promised would happen, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Well, as chapter 16 ends, we read that Ahithophel’s reputation grew to the place where his advice was considered to be “like that of one who inquires of God”. Breaking the bond between Absalom and Ahithophel would be difficult but as we see, they were no match for God.

For as chapter 17 opens, we find Absalom beginning to plan his attack on David, the final stage in wrapping up his conquest to take away his father’s crown and power.

But Absalom was forgetting one thing. God had appointed and anointed David, not him, to be the king of Israel and therefore only God would remove David from the throne.

And so as the plans were being formed, we first see Ahithophel say to Absalom:

"I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed."

In Ahithophel’s plot, there would be minimum bloodshed. In short, his philosophy was to kill the king in isolation and then those following him would be without a leader. This would clear the way for Absalom to offer himself as their new ruler and scripture tells us that the “plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel”. Still, Absalom decided to get a second opinion and summoned Hushai to ask him what should be done, unaware that he was actually working on David’s behalf and being used by the Lord.

Well, as we see, Hushai’s advice was the polar opposite of what Ahithophel recommended. In fact, the scriptures tell us how Hushai made it a point to tell Absalom that Ahithophel’s advice was “not good this time”, validating his assertion by saying:

“You know your father and his men; they are fighters and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops. Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.' Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.”

"So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba—as numerous as the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a piece of it can be found."

Hushai’s advice was simple. Send shock and awe on David and his followers.

Absalom would exert his full power by taking all who were committed to him against his father and those with him, leaving no one alive.

The theory was a plain as day. Wipe out your opponent and you will have no opposition.

And so we find Absalom with two very different schemes to consider:

1. The Ahithophel plan - Just kill the king and let all his people come to you as their new leader.

or

2. The Hushai plan - Kill everyone and leave no opponent alive.

So which one would Absalom choose?

Not surprisingly, Absalom goes the power route as he likes Hushai’s idea to assemble a huge force and kill all of his adversaries…his father and all his followers. We get a sense that the Lord knew exactly what Absalom wanted to hear and gave the right words to Hushai to speak. For as our passage closes, we learn that “the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom”…and he simply used Hushai as an instrument of his plan to see that this took place. In doing so, He answered the prayer of David that we saw in chapter 15:

“Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.” v.31

In today’s message, we see how God works in two very different ways in the life of David…and get a snapshot of how He will work in the lives of us as well.

In one instance, we see God approve of an act that was very much against David…an act that was meant to bring consequences for his secret sexual tryst with Bathsheba.  For just as He promised, God brought calamity out of David’s household, giving his wives to his own son, the one close to him who slept with them in the constructed rooftop tent “in broad daylight before all Israel”.

The bottom line was that David’s sin wouldn’t go unpunished…and we see through the Lord’s actions that He will make good on correcting anyone when they decide to go astray and disobey Him, turning to sin instead.

Conversely, we see that God is a God of mercy and grace and love as well.

For after the promised judgment was carried out against David, fulfilling the prophecy given through Nathan, God immediately pivoted to make the way for David to gain victory over his enemies by frustrating the advice of David’s disloyal advisor, Ahithophel, ensuring that Hushai’s advice was accepted while Ahithophel’s was rejected…an outcome that was too much for Ahithophel to handle. The scriptures tell us that he “saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown” where “he hanged himself” after putting “his house in order”. This became the first sign of Absalom’s pending downfall as the Lord prepared to restore David to power.

Friends, in today’s message, we need to see an important truth as it applies to our relationship with God for He is our Father and we are His children. And just as any good parent would do in raising their children the right way, there’s a mixture of discipline and favor exhibited, both exercised by our Lord with the same level of love.

When a child does wrong, a good father or mother corrects their child in a way that intends to teach them about their wrong so to hopefully keep them from repeating it. Most times, the punishment is structured to match the crime.

In David’s case, he had been unfaithful by sleeping with another man’s wife in private and so his punishment ended up having to see his wives bedded by his own son in broad daylight and in plain sight of his people.

Within our own lives, we often see where this old expression comes to life:

“What comes around, goes around”.

I know I’ve experienced this and each time, all I could do is look towards God and say:

“So that’s what they must have felt when I did that to them”.

Lesson learned.

We also see where God looks after us and blesses us, pleased when we do well. He doesn’t continually hold our wrongs against us. Instead, He disciplines us and then moves on…just like any good parent would do for their children as well.

As we saw in the scriptures, God didn’t sustain a grudge against David but instead immediately started to set things in motion so he would be relieved of Absalom’s threat and restored to the throne. In doing so, He showed His love for David and His wish for good things to happen in His life…and as we will see, this is exactly what happened.

Yes…we serve an awesomely good Parent in God our Father. As His children, we should be eternally thankful for Him, ever giving Him honor and praise while in His presence and the presence of others. We can do this by obeying Him in all that we do while following the example of His Son who He sent to show us how life is supposed to be lived…a life that will always delight Him and make Him proud.

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 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

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

** 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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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.