A HELPING HAND IN TIMES OF NEED

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In Christ, Mark

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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

** 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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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.