Godly fathers-ungodly sons-33

Sorry for this delay, we were out of town and my car broke down on the way home. We did not get home until after 10 pm.

We left with another son trying to take the throne from David, who is now 70 years old and weakening.

1Kings 1:28  Then King David said, "Call Bathsheba to me." And she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. 1:29  The king vowed and said, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 

1:30  surely as I vowed to you by the LORD the God of Israel, saying, 'Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place'; I will indeed do so this day." 1:31  Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, "May my lord King David live forever." 

It is a little strange that of all his wives and of all his sons, that David would make this promise to Bathsheba. Remember that she was the wife of Uriah, whom David had killed in battle.

1:32  Then King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came into the king's presence. 1:33  The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 1:34  "Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' 1:35  "Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah." 1:36  Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! Thus may the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say. 1:37  "As the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!" 

David still had enough strength and presence of mind to prepare the way for Solomon to be king in his place. The other oddity was that normally, the king died before his son ascended to the throne. But, David was encouraged to act quickly as Adonijah was make his move in this apparent vacuum of David’s age and health

1:38  So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 1:39  Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!" 1:40  All the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook at their noise. 

So not everyone in Jerusalem knew of Adonijah’s plans as they celebrated King Solomon.

1:41  Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet he said, "Why is the city making such an uproar?" 1:42  While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, "Come in, for you are a valiant man and bring good news." 1:43  But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 1:44  "The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king's mule. 1:45  "Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. 1:46  "Besides, Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 1:47  "Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!' And the king bowed himself on the bed. 1:48  "The king has also said thus, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.'" 

Nathan’s plan was carried off swiftly and effectively. There was no room for doubt. Solomon was now king and Adonijah was defeated on the 5 yard line.

1:49  Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; and they arose and each went on his way. 1:50  And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 1:51  Now it was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'" 1:52  Solomon said, "If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die."  1:53  So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house." 

Just like with Joab, Adonijah feared for his life and ran to the Temple hoping that this would keep Solomon from killing him. Solomon made a promise to spare his life on one condition. He must give up his wicked plans to take the throne.

What have we learned so far?

David’s sons all wanted the throne.

It would appear that none of them really knew of his plan for Solomon.

Solomon held in his hand the life of his brother Adonijah.

The three older brothers are all dead. Only Solomon and Adonijah are left.

Even though David had other sons, they are not really mentioned as being in line for being king. Quite possibly because they were younger.

More next Saturay.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-32

King David only had 4 sons that were really mentioned in the Scriptures. He had many more sons, but these four were the only ones highlighted. It would appear that they all had different mothers and all tried to become king. Only Solomon would finally ascend to the throne. We have one more son before Solomon to study.

1 Kings 1:1  Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 1:2  So his servants said to him, "Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm." 1:3  So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 1:4  The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king's nurse and served him, but the king did not cohabit with her. 

David was now approaching the age of 70 and was getting weaker by the day. He could no longer feel warm, which many aging people also attest. So what should they do? He has multiple wives and concubines, but none would do? So his servants search for a beautiful girl! If he only needed warmth, why did she have to be beautiful? This unique relationship was never consummated with sex.

1:5  Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. 1:6  His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom. 

We now meet Adonijah. David apparently was not a father who criticized his sons or even disciplined them. He never condemned Ammon, who raped Tamar. He never condemned Absalom who killed Ammon. He wept for Abaslom who tried to kill him.

1:7  He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him. 1:8  But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. 1:9  Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 1:10  But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother. 

He learned from his now dead older brothers. David was getting too old to notice or stop him. He planned this very carefully. He tried to get this all orchestrated before anyone could stop him.

1:11  Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 1:12  "So now come, please let me give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 1:13  "Go at once to King David and say to him, 'Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' 1:14  "Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words." 

If you remember that Nathan was also the prophet that confronted David with his sin of killing Uriah. Now he sets an alternate plan in place using Bathsheba!

1Ki 1:15  So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 1:16  Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, "What do you wish?" 1:17  She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God, saying, 'Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.' 1:18  "Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 1:19  "He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 1:20  "As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 1:21  "Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders." 

Kings will not risk having anyone who can displace him; Even if it is a brother. She begins in reminding David of his plans and promises. Then she gives him the bad news in regards to Adonijah.

1Ki 1:22  Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 1:23  They told the king, saying, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 1:24  Then Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? 1:25  "For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 1:26  "But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 

Nathan arrives on cue and challenges David to act quickly and decisively. There is no time to waste.

1:27  "Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?" 

Nathan and Bathsheba knew the answer to this question, but continued in their veiled plea for David to act quickly. Why did they have to create this plan if they really believed that God had already ordained Solomon as the next King?

Could we fall into this same type of trap? We often state that we believe God is sovereign over the affairs of men, but sometimes we get impatient or overly concerned about other possible unfavorable outcomes.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-31

While we continue with the sad reality of David and his sons, we must not forget all those who lived before him. We did not study the sons of Adam, Noah, or Abraham to name just a few. There is a vacuum of any good examples of godly fathers having godly sons. Oh they can have one godly son, but all have an ungodly son as well. What came next to the story of David’s sons?

2 Samuel 19:1  Then it was told Joab, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourns for Absalom." 19:2  The victory that day was turned to mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day, "The king is grieved for his son." 19:3  So the people went by stealth into the city that day, as people who are humiliated steal away when they flee in battle. 19:4  The king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!" 

This may be difficult for any of us to truly understand. How can David mourn for Absalom who was going to kill him? How could he put the death of this evil son above the lives of those who fought for him? How could he forsake thanking them? Instead of rejoicing in restoring David, they felt ashamed and forgotten.

19:5  Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, "Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, 19:6  by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that princes and servants are nothing to you; for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 19:7  "Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, surely not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.

Joab was not an empathetic man, but a warrior and killer of men. He did not think twice of killing Absalom, who was in reality the leader of a revolt against David. We would not necessarily go to him for advice, but in this example he was right.

19:8  So the king arose and sat in the gate. When they told all the people, saying, "Behold, the king is sitting in the gate," then all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled, each to his tent. 19:9  All the people were quarreling throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 19:10  "However, Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now then, why are you silent about bringing the king back?" 

There is an honor and duty for someone to escort the king back to Jerusalem. There are two factions, Judah the tribe from which David belongs, and the northern tribes which eventually became known as Samaria.

19:11  Then King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, "Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the word of all Israel has come to the king, even to his house? 19:12  'You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?' 

David chose Judah to accompany him back to Jerusalem. With that he did not choose Israel of the northern tribes.

19:13  "Say to Amasa, 'Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be commander of the army before me continually in place of Joab.'" 19:14  Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, saying, "Return, you and all your servants." 19:15  The king then returned and came as far as the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal in order to go to meet the king, to bring the king across the Jordan. 

So David is saved. He is returning to his throne in Jerusalem. He is accompanied by the men of Judah. David hinted that Joab would soon be replaced by Amasa. Joab was now both a liability, due to his part in the death of Uriah, and an ‘enemy’ for killing Absalom.

Are David’s worries all gone? No, he will die with the many consequences of his poor decisions. Especially those with the raising or his not raising his sons.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-30

We left Absalom’s failed plan to kill his father and take over as King of the nation. How will David deal with his evil, murderous son? Remember, 20,000 men died in his failed attempt.

2 Samuel 18:9  Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. 18:10  When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak." 

18:11  Then Joab said to the man who had told him, "Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt." 

Joab was a man of war and death. He had no special regard for anyone, not even the son of David. Now in his defense, David appeared to not be thinking straight. How would any king handle or deal with a son focused on killing him and taking over his kingdom?

18:12  The man said to Joab, "Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, 'Protect for me the young man Absalom!' 18:13  "Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof." 

This man spoke truth. He, as did all the others, knew what David had commanded. He also knew that if he had killed Absalom, Joab would not have protected him from the king’s wrath.

18:14  Then Joab said, "I will not waste time here with you." So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 18:15  And ten young men who carried Joab's armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him. 

Joab’s life was ‘protected’ in the sense he had participated in Uriah’s death as the request of the king. David had no compassion on Uriah, who was innocent. Joab had no compassion on Absalom, who was guilty.

2Sa 18:16  Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. 

18:17  They took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest and erected over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his tent. 18:18  Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to preserve my name." So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day. 

Prideful Absalom was more interested in protecting his name than preserving his father’s life.

2Sa 18:19  Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and bring the king news that the LORD has freed him from the hand of his enemies." 

18:20  But Joab said to him, "You are not the man to carry news this day, but you shall carry news another day; however, you shall carry no news today because the king's son is dead." 18:21  Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran. 18:22  Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, "But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite." And Joab said, "Why would you run, my son, since you will have no reward for going?"  18:23  "But whatever happens," he said, "I will run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite. 

Apparently, it was an honor to deliver news to the king in regard to important matters, of which, this battle was one.

18:24  Now David was sitting between the two gates; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running by himself. 18:25  The watchman called and told the king. And the king said, "If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth." And he came nearer and nearer. 18:26  Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, "Behold, another man running by himself." And the king said, "This one also is bringing good news." 18:27  The watchman said, "I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." And the king said, "This is a good man and comes with good news." 

You could describe this as wishful thinking. What type of news would be good to David?

18:28  Ahimaaz called and said to the king, "All is well." And he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, "Blessed is the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king." 18:29  The king said, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was." 18:30  Then the king said, "Turn aside and stand here." So he turned aside and stood still. 

Of all the men who had fought. Of all the men who had died. David did not seem in the least interested. His one and only question is about the safety of Absalom!

2Sa 18:31  Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you." 

18:32  Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!" 18:33  The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" 

Again. what information did David seek? Only about the safety of Absalom! His response seems totally out of place to the events that had forced him to flee. What kind of emotional love for a son totally ignores his behavior toward his father? His lament almost came true, in that, if Absalom had succeeded, David would have died.

Many parents today have similar emotional attachments to children and permit them to run wild and ungodly. They make excuses, they deny personal responsibility, and oppose any punishment or condemnation.

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

David failed to train up his first three sons, all who were killed by others.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-29

David is fleeing for his life from his son Absalom. How could a son do this and how did David know he would do this?

2 Samuel 17:15  Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, "This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have counseled. 17:16  "Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.'" 17:17  Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 17:18  But a lad did see them and told Absalom; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. 17:19  And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well's mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known. 

David’s plan to leave Hushai behind to try and thwart Ahithophel’s council seems to have worked. But now they have to get word to David and his men. So the sons of the priests would be the go-betweens. But, even though they stayed outside of Jerusalem, they were spotted by someone who favored Absalom. He immediately sent out servants to stop them, ie kill them!

17:20  Then Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house and said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" And the woman said to them, "They have crossed the brook of water." And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 17:21  It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David; and they said to David, "Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you." 

God’s sovereign control led them to a house favorable to David. A quick thinking woman covered them is a well and then scattered grain over it to conceal them. Then she sent Absalom’s servants in the wrong direction.

17:22  Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan. 17:23  Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father. 

He suddenly knew that he was tricked and exposed. He would rather hang himself than face either King’s wrath.

17:24  Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 

17:25  Absalom set Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother. 17:26  And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead. 17:27  Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 17:28  brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, 

17:29  honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, to eat; for they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness." 

It seems that alot of people knew where to find David to help him. But Absalom’s now has his army in close pursuit. David seems to be seriously outnumbered.

18:1  Then David numbered the people who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 18:2  David sent the people out, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, "I myself will surely go out with you also." 18:3  But the people said, "You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city." 18:4  Then the king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you I will do." So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands. 

The loyal people amassed an army for David in short time. After all David is from Judah and the battle is the Lord’s

18:5  The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom. 

This is a most bizarre request! Absalom has amassed an army to kill him! Yet, he wants Absalom to remain unharmed and alive! Has David’s emotional love for Absalom clouded his thinking?

18:6  Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 18:7  The people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men. 18:8  For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. 

Absalom’s patient planning to take over his father’s throne has cost 20,000 men their lives! Bodies must have been laying everywhere! What will Absalom now do? What will David do? How does this slaughter end?

More next Saturday!

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-28

We left David fleeing Jerusalem for his life. Many accompanied him as he sought safety out in the wilderness. This is somewhat reminiscent of his fleeing from Saul some 35+ years earlier.

2 Samuel 16:15  Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16:16  Now it came about when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" 16:17  Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" 16:18  Then Hushai said to Absalom, "No! For whom the LORD, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 16:19  "Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence." 

Absalom has now taken over in Jerusalem. All of his patient and lengthy planning has appeared to pay off. David’s trusted counselor, Hushai, has come to present himself to Absalom as a loyal aid to his cause.

16:20  Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give your advice. What shall we do?" 16:21  Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened." 16:22  So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 16:23  The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom. 

Apparently, Absalom’s rather indecent act was meant to show that he was now fully in charge. Notice no one sought to seek God’s advice so far in this sad story, including David.

17:1  Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. 17:2  "I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone, 

17:3  and I will bring back all the people to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at peace." 17:4  So the plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. 

Ahithophel is not only a ‘wise’ counselor, he now wants to have the ‘honor’ of killing David himself. Everyone like his plan to go after David with 12,000 men and only kill David. As if those with David would not defend him to their death.

17:5  Then Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say." 17:6  When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "Ahithophel has spoken thus. Shall we carry out his plan? If not, you speak." 17:7  So Hushai said to Absalom, "This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good." 17:8  Moreover, Hushai said, "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people. 17:9  "Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the caves or in another place; and it will be when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.' 

17:10  "And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. 17:11  "But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle. 

Amassing a large army takes some time. It sounds like overkill as David did not leave with an army. However, he would now have time to accumulate an army to defend himself.

17:12  "So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 17:13  "If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the valley until not even a small stone is found there." 17:14  Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel." For the LORD had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity on Absalom. 

They all liked this plan better, as it may seem to be almost foolproof! They basically agreed that you would need an army to go after King David. His reputation as a man of war helped them choose the plan of Hushai.

What have we learned and where is this going?

1. Absalom is going to kill his father and make himself king.

2. Everyone seems to be okay with this.

3. David and his men understand this as well.

4. There is not one mention of anyone seeking the will of the LORD.

5. The odds seem to be in Absalom’s favor.

6. David is fleeing but he has not given up yet.

More next Saturday.

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We left Absalom finally beginning to execute his plan to take the kingdom from his father David and make himself king. What a treacherous son!

2 Samuel 15:13  Then a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." 15:14  David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword." 

Why did David so quickly come to this decision? David was literally fleeing for his life from his favorite son! What did David not know about Absalom and what did he know?

15:15  Then the king's servants said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses." 15:16  So the king went out and all his household with him. But the king left ten concubines to keep the house. 15:17  The king went out and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house. 

This was a very tragic and public retreat. Why did David not stay and fight?

15:18  Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed on before the king. 15:19  Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. 15:20  "You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, while I go where I will? Return and take back your brothers; mercy and truth be with you." 15:21  But Ittai answered the king and said, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be." 15:22  Therefore David said to Ittai, "Go and pass over." So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. 

Why were these ‘foreigners’ more loyal and devoted than the men from David’s own tribe? How could they so quickly turn from David to Absalom? Had David not known what Absalom had been doing? That seems hard to believe!

15:23  While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The king also passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. 15:24  Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. 15:25  The king said to Zadok, "Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the LORD, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. 15:26  "But if He should say thus, 'I have no delight in you,' behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him." 15:27  The king said also to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 15:28  "See, I am going to wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." 15:29  Therefore Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there. 

David was planning as he was quickly escaping. He wanted to know what was going on as he left so he had Zadok stay behind and essentially spy for him. This was all done for self-preservation.

15:30  And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and his head was covered and he walked barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. 15:31  Now someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness." 

One of David’s most trusted advisors joined up with Absalom! Absalom knew he needed help when he became king and he planned ahead.

15:32  It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust on his head. 15:33  David said to him, "If you pass over with me, then you will be a burden to me. 15:34  "But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father's servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,' then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me. 15:35  "Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 15:36  "Behold their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything that you hear." 15:37  So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem. 

David’s other advisor followed him. But, David needed him to thwart the counsel for Abiathar and therefore asked Hushai to return and try to persuade Absalom to trust him instead of Abiathar.

What have we learned about David and his most beloved son Absalom?

1. David never demanded much accountability from any of his sons.

2. David knew immediately that Absalom would kill him to gain the kingdom.

3. David seemed to be totally oblivious to Absalom stealing the hearts of the people right under his nose.

4. David had separated himself from this son for years because he did not reprimand him for slaying Amnon. Yet he mourned to see him. This is hard to truly understand.

5. David’s love for Absalom was not returned by Absalom.

More next Saturday.

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As we left our study last week, it would seem that Absalom and his father David had finally reconciled their differences and were restored. But, as we will soon discover, that is or was not the case.

2 Samuel 15:1  Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 15:2  Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And he would say, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." 15:3  Then Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king." 15:4  Moreover, Absalom would say, "Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice." 

What is Absalom doing? He is acting like the judge of Israel or the King. He has fifty men along side his royal chariot. What a display of power and authority, all created solely by him. This is not orchestrated by David and it would seem that David did not know this or worse yet just did nothing about it.

15:5  And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 15:6  In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel. 

Absalom is playing the long game, just as he did in plotting the death of Amnon. He has no real competition and no rebuke from David. Publicly the nation began to see him as the next king. Trouble is coming.

15:7  Now it came about at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. 15:8  "For your servant vowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, 'If the LORD shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.'" 15:9  The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron. 

David is actually blessing Absalom in this deceitful endeavor. Absalom is doing all of this in plain sight, yet David has done nothing. or so it seems.

15:10  But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'" 

15:11  Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. 15:12  And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. 

Absalom is setting his trap. Remember, David cried over not seeing Absalom and would seem wanted to or needed to believe the best about Absalom. He is gathering support for stealing the kingdom away from his father. Why can’t David or any of his advisors see this? Is Absalom so great a deceiver? Yes! His plans quickly become more sinister.

More next Saturday.

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Absalom had fled to the safety of the kingdom of his father-in-law, but now years have passed. What was David doing since Absalom murdered his half-brother?

2 Samuel 14:1  Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was inclined toward Absalom. 

David missed his ‘favorite’ son but did nothing to restore Absalom to him.

Joab got a woman to appear before David with a story about this problem without naming either. David relented and asked that Absalom would return to Jerusalem. But, there were strange conditions.

2Sa 14:21  Then the king said to Joab, "Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom." 

14:22  Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant." 14:23  So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 

Joab convinced Absalom to return on order from David. Yet, David would not or could not see him.

14:24  However the king said, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face." So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king's face. 

David longed to see Absalom and be restored, but he did nothing to truly make this happen. Instead, he ignored him.

14:28  Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face. 

Remember from last week’s study that Absalom had been gone for 3 years!

13:37  Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 13:38  So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 

13:39  The heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead. 

David mourned for which son? Was it for Amnon or Absalom? I believe it was for Absalom which makes this all very hard to truly understand. It would appear that David struggled to truly forgive.

14:29  Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come. 14:30  Therefore he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 

Who is in charge? David is ignoring Absalom. Absalom is not trying on his own to see his father. So years continue to pass on, as it is now 5 years since Amnon was murdered.

14:31  Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" 

14:32  Absalom answered Joab, "Behold, I sent for you, saying, 'Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there."' Now therefore, let me see the king's face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death." 

Absalom holds Joab responsible and burns his fields. Was that Absalom’ only way to get Joab’s attention?

14:33  So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom. 

Is it all well now between Absalom and David? Has Absalom been fully restored? Is Absalom now content to be back as one of David’s sons?

More next Saturday.

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We left our last study with Absalom’s murder of his half-brother Amnon. He had plotted and planned for two years after Amnon had raped Absalom’s sister Tamar. What will David do?

2 Samuel 13:34  Now Absalom had fled. And the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 13:35  Jonadab said to the king, "Behold, the king's sons have come; according to your servant's word, so it happened." 

Absalom, not knowing what his father would do fled to safety. Jonadab, who gave his plan to Amnon how to seduce Tamar, is in David’s presence. Evil counselors know how to avoid prosecution and remain close to the king. As Jude has warned us, they creep in to deceive.

13:36  As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly. 

This seems hard to fully understand. David did nothing when Amnon raped Tamar. Now instead of commanding Absalom to appear before him, as Absalom is now a ‘murderer’, he wept bitterly over Amnon’s untimely death by deception. This story has many similarities to David’s own saga with Bathsheba and Uriah.

13:37  Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 13:38  So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 13:39  The heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead. 

Amnon fled to the protection of his father-in-law. David, instead to requiring Absalom to come to him, just longed to see him but never summoned him. Absalom murdered Amnon, but it seems that David had moved on from that terrible tragedy and now longed for Absalom to come back to him.

Now we know that from some reason, Absalom appears to be David’s favorite son and even Absalom’s murder of his half-brother did not seem to alter that affection. This seems to be closer to a dysfunctional family than a godly family.

What have we learned thus far?

• David seemed to lack the courage or conviction of reprimanding his sons for obvious evil, ungodly behavior.

• David seemed to ‘love’ Absalom above his other sons.

• Absalom murdered a son of a king, when David would not harm Saul, who he felt was God’s anointed.

• There is little evidence that any of the three oldest sons feared God, acknowledged God, or obeyed God. It was David’s responsibility to teach them God’s word, which includes His laws.

• There is no evidence of David’s prayers during these events.

More next Saturday.

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We studied how Amnon raped his half sister and then discarded her like old clothes. Absalom took her in and plotted and planned his revenge as his father David did nothing.

2 Samuel 13:23  Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. 13:24  Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant." 

Absalom is carefully setting his trap for Amnon while not directly calling any attention to Amnon. Two years have passed and as far as we know David has remained silent.

13:25  But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be burdensome to you." Although he urged him, he would not go, but blessed him. 13:26  Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?" 13:27  But when Absalom urged him, he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 

Absalom did not give in easily and kept pressuring David to send all his sons to participate in this ‘celebration’. What else do the sons of a King have to do anyway? It would seem that Amnon had put it all behind him and thought Absalom had also. Time does not heal all wounds. Wounds that are not attended to do just get infected and worsened.

13:28 now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant." 13:29  The servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose and each mounted his mule and fled. 

Did no one question Absalom’s orders? Where his servants just doing their master’s bidding while they killed a son of the King? Had the Law never been taught to them?

2Sa 13:30  Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left." 

13:31  Then the king arose, tore his clothes and lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 13:32  Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, responded, "Do not let my lord suppose they have put to death all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead; because by the intent of Absalom this has been determined since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 

13:33  "Now therefore, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart, namely, 'all the king's sons are dead,' for only Amnon is dead." 

Here we see Jonadab again. He was the evil friend who gave Amnon the plan to rape Tamar.

13:3  But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 

It would appear that Jonadab changed sides or loyalties. He now reminded David of Amnon’s sin against Tamar, against Absalom, and even against David. It would almost appear that he knew about Absalom’s plan. Here we read that this had been Absalom’s intent since that day two years ago.

What have we learned?

• Beware of from whom we get our advice.

• David’s silence only fueled Absalom’ plans for revenge.

• How could David’s sons have so little regard for others?

• Where did God come into their lives as none sought God’s answers to their problems?

• As we will read next week, Absalom was David’s favorite and again David did not say or do anything.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-21

David is a very difficult person to truly understand. Yes, he is a man after God’s own heart, yet he was not a great father as we are beginning to see. The real question that we need to answer is are we good fathers? We will now study the story of Amnon and Tamar.

2 Samuel 13:1  Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. 13:2  Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her. 

What does it mean to do anything to her? We will soon discover that Amnon is a rich, spoiled young man that is used to getting anything he wanted. This seems to include having sex with any woman he wanted. Lust fades fast but true love is far different.

13:3  But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 13:4  He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom." 13:5  Jonadab then said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand.'" 13:6  So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand." 

What kind of young men surround the king’s sons? Certainly not godly men, but men who want to gain favor for themselves, regardless of the cost to others.

13:7  Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him." 13:8  So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 13:9  She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." So everyone went out from him. 

The trap is set and the room is emptied. This already looks bad for Tamar.

13:10  Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. 13:11  When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister." 

This is all he really wanted, sex with his half sister. Did he really think of her or his relationship to her and her brother?Did he worry about what his father would say or do?

13:12  But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing! 13:13  "As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you." 

David violated God’s commands in regards to adultery as he had sex with Bathsheba.

Leviticus 20:10  'If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 

Now we see how Amnon likewise disobeyed God’s commands in regards to a virgin.

Exodus 22:16  "If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 22:17  "If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins. 

Deuteronomy 22:25  "But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. 

Clearly, Amnon was guilty and Tamar was innocent.

13:14  However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. 13:15  Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up, go away!" 13:16  But she said to him, "No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!" Yet he would not listen to her. 

What arrogance, what lack of concern or empathy, and what little concern for anyone but himself.

13:17  Then he called his young man who attended him and said, "Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her." 13:18  Now she had on a long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her. 13:19  Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. 

13:20  Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom's house. 

Absalom seemed to know the character or lack of character of his half brother.

2Sa 13:21  Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry. 

Did David do nothing else once he learned of this? Anger kept to yourself as one of his daughters is raped by one of his sons is not enough. Why did he not summon Amnon to appear to him and order him to marry Tamar? What should a father do?

13:22  But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar. 

Absalom should have been angered and also should have gone to Amnon to confront him with this grave sin. But, Absalom was a patient long planner, as we will see next week.

Lessons and questions.

1. Why did David not do anything?

2. What did David’s lack of action imply to everyone?

3. Why did Amnon think this was okay?

4. What ever happened to Tamar?

5. Sinning against God will result in consequences from God.

More next Saturday.

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David is a study of contrasts. He wrote many of the Psalms He loved studying God’s Word. He stated it was his guide to life, yet he murdered another man and took his wife. His sons rebelled against him. What lessons can we learn from him?

2 Samuel 12:13  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.  12:14  "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." 

Sin has many terrible consequences, but the most grievous to us should be how does the world view God because of us? How and when have given the enemies of God the opportunity to blaspheme God?

12:15  So Nathan went to his house. Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 12:16  David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 12:17  The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 

David had only one hope, would God have mercy on his new born son? Even though God declared that the child would die, David humbly sought to repent and seek mercy and forgiveness from God. This should also be our response when convicted of our sin.

12:18  Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!" 12:19  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 

12:20  So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 

There was no more chances for God to relent from His pronouncement. It was time to return to a life of service to God. Most would think that the physical death would then trigger even greater grief in David.

12:21  Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 

12:22  He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' 12:23  "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 

David knew that there was another life after his earthly life ended. He also knew that God would welcome his son into Heaven. This comforted him.

12:24  Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him 12:25  and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD'S sake. 

God comforted David even as David tried to comfort Bathsheba. She should have known that it was also her sin that displeased God. She was not an innocent victim but a sinner as well.

What can we learn? We will see this one event continue to plague David for the rest of his life. His lack of godly moral leadership in front of the nation and his sons showed the continuing consequences of his sin. We rarely are able to see our sin’s effects on future generations, just as we cannot see the influence our obedience has on future generations. What we can know is that how we live affects many.

More next Saturday.

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David’s legacy as being a man of God has an uncomfortable parallel in his legacy as being a godly father. One does not automatically work in both areas of our lives. In the lives of our children we need to look at outcomes as well. We would wonder at a ‘Christian’ father who had sons who were lawbreakers, thieves, murderers, and rapists. We would rightly question his godly fathering when looking at the outcomes of his sons. This is the issue with David.

2 Samuel 11:27  When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD. 

Did Bathsheba not know that David had orchestrated the death of her husband? God knew!!! David had done evil in His sight!. We must think like Joseph!

Genesis 39:7  It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 39:8  But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 39:9  "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" 

Joseph knew that the first person and the most important person we sin against is God!

2 Samuel 12:1  Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 12:2  "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 12:3  "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 

We often see things clearer through a contrast. God sent Nathan to convict David about this evil he had done. This is an excellent example of specks and logs in our eyes.

12:4  "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 

This immediately would require us to be incensed about this unfair injustice. Those with plenty often see themselves above the normal laws and traditions of most of the rest of this world.

12:5  Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 12:6  "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion." 

It is far too easy to see the hypocrisy in David’s response. Isn’t the life of a man made in God’s image infinitely more valuable than a lamb? Yet, David says he deserves to die. The Law says that David is guilty and would deserve to die.

12:7  Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 12:8  'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 12:9  'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 

Everyone knew that David was King and held the power of life or death over anyone who came before him. In that manner he was like all the kings around him. But, Nathan came with God’s message and David had to be afraid for his own life.

12:10  'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 12:11  "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12:12  'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" 

This is a prophecy that will come into view in a few more studies. God is pronouncing judgment on David and on some one in the future who will rise up against him.

David has now lost moral authority over his sons and much of his household plus Joab.

More next Saturday.

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While it is well understood that David was a man after God’s heart, he still was also a sinner by nature. This sin with Uriah’s wife didn’t happen overnight, but was some time in the making. We slowly lose resistance to a sin and it soon takes us places we never intended. This was the case with David and Bathsheba,

2 Samuel 11:5  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." 11:6  Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David. 11:7  When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. 11:8  Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. 11:9  But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 

David was now working to control the damage his affair had caused. This was a well planned scheme to hide his sin. God would not let this sin go unpunished or undetected.

11:10  Now when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" 11:11  Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing." 11:12  Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 11:13  Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house. 

Uriah was more righteous than David! David’s problems began when he no longer went out to battle with his men, but instead stayed in his palace when all the eligible men had left Jerusalem.

11:14  Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 11:15  He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die." 11:16  So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. 11:17  The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. 

David now had an accomplice in the murder of Uriah. Uriah had to die so David’s sin could remain hidden. He knew that it was against the Law of God to have sex with another man’s wife. It was his life and reputation that was at stake.

11:18  Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. 11:19  He charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, 11:20  and if it happens that the king's wrath rises and he says to you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 11:21  'Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?'—then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'" 11:22  So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 

11:23  The messenger said to David, "The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. 11:24  "Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead." 

Now Joab and David were off the hook so to speak. After all, men die in battle all the time and Uriah was simply one of many who would die in battle.

11:25  Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab, 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it'; and so encourage him." 11:26  Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 

This sad story would later find its impact extend far into David’s life and the lives of his sons. Sin has consequences far into our futures. There is no little sin and none can be hidden from God.

The rest of this story next Saturday.

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Our trip was extended due to family concerns. We are now safely back home.

David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he was not a godly father. This is the challenge when studying David.

1 Samuel 13:14  "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 

We all know that David started with a heart seeking to glorify God. But, things changed as he aged.

2 Samuel 3:1  Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually. 

3:2  Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3:3  and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; 3:4  and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 

3:5  and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron. 

These first three sons, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, caused David grief, sorrow, and many problems. The first thing to notice was they all had different mothers. Who was raising these boys to become men? As we continue our study, we will discover that David may well have been an absent father.

We must add one more wife and son. This is the greatest contrast to our beginning verse.

2 Samuel 11:1  Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 11:2  Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 

11:3  So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 

The servants knew that this woman was another man’s wife. In fact, this man was now in battle for David. Uriah was well known to David as he was with him when Saul pursued David to kill him.

11:4  David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 11:5  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant."

How brazen was David! His servant warned him but he still sent messengers, plural, to invite her to be with David. She did not refuse to go.

2 Samuel 23:8  These are the names of the mighty men whom David had;

2 Samuel 23:39  Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all. 

Uriah had risked his life for David. He was now in battle once again risking his life for David. What was David thinking? He already had many wives and 10 concubines!

When is enough really enough? What kind of example was he giving his sons, his servants, his wives, and Joab as well? David was now losing all his ‘moral’ authority.

More next Saturday.

We have to be on the road for twelve days

We will be back on Saturday April 5th and hope to be able to send out our next study on that Saturday.

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We now come to face one of the most terrific examples of ungodly sons, but unfortunately they are all sons of David. David was a godly shepherd that became King after he was anointed by Samuel. David is mentioned throughout the Bible some 970 times, 55 times in the New Testament and 915 times in the Old or First Testament. Let us learn about David from the beginning.

1 Samuel 16:1  Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons." 

Saul had disobeyed God and now see that God had prepared his replacement. We all probably know this story but we need to see how David was chosen, how he lived, and then how this all came into focus as he began having sons.

1 Samuel 16:2  But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 16:3  "You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you." 

16:4  So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" 16:5  He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 

16:6  When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him.

Everyone feared Saul, even the elders. But, few feared God. Remember man looks on the outside but God looks on the inside. Jesse had many sons, but only one would be chosen.

16:10  Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 16:11  And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 

Usually the oldest is most often chosen for almost any important task or appointment. But, God chose the youngest son, David.

16:12  So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 

David is now publicly anointed by Samuel. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him and rested within him. We often can take for granted, that while the Spirit was not evidence of anyone’s salvation in the First Testament, but is our proof of our inheritance and adoption into God’s family in the New Testament.

16:14  Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 16:15  Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 

This is a very sad spiritual reality. If the LORD’s Spirit is now within you, you are vulnerable to have a demonic, evil spirit take up residence inside of you or terrorize you.

16:16  "Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well." 16:17  So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me." 16:18  Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him." 

16:19  So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the flock." 16:20  Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. 16:21  Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 

Favorable first impressions don’t always last. Especially when they challenges our authority and power.

16:22  Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." 16:23  So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. 

This is not intended to show us that music causes evil spirits to leave us. In this example it is the truth, but not necessarily applies to anyone else.

A great beginning does not automatically guarantee a great ending. In fact, the ending is far more important than the beginning.

Philippians 2:12  So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 2:13  for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

Living the ‘Christian’ life is work. We all struggle against our flesh daily.

Hebrews 12:1  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

12:2  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Don’t take your foot off the gas. Run to win, which means to end your life bringing glory to God alone.

More next Saturday.

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Even godly fathers often show ungodly actions to their sons. So their sons who may be godly, often make the same mistakes. So before we go onto our next godly father, we will conclude our study of Abraham with an unfortunate event in the life of Isaac. This sad story has many common points with Abraham’s life.

Genesis 26:1  Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 26:2  The LORD appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 26:3  "Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 26:4  "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 26:5  because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws." 

So here begins the similarities with the life of Abraham. As you remember, in Genesis 12 we read of the famine and Abraham traveling to Egypt. It seems that Egypt is the place to go if there is a famine. In this instance, God warns Isaac not to go to Egypt.

26:6  So Isaac lived in Gerar. 26:7  When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "my wife," thinking, "the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful." 

Same story, same lie. Again, did Isaac not truly trust in God? God repeated His promise to make a great nation out of Isaac. Abraham was to be the father of a nation that would come with forth blessings to all the world.

26:8  It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 26:9  Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, 'She is my sister'?" And Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'I might die on account of her.'" 26:10  Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." 

Abimelech is more of a title than a name. It is not the same Abimelech that dealt with Abraham some 40+ years earlier. However, Isaac used the same false reasoning to duplicate the same lie as his father. The fear of self-preservation often trumps doctrine and the very words of God.

26:11  So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." 

Like father like son is an often used worldly proverb, with some biblical truth intermixed. Fathers are to train their sons. Why did Isaac follow this example?

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

We don’t have the whole story, but it has so many parallels that we can assume Abraham or Sarah told Isaac the whole story. What can we take away?

• Our example as fathers is often more powerful than our words.

• We cannot move on in life without prayer and wisdom from God.

• Even if we have to wait 25-40 years, God is still faithful.

• We need to take God more seriously than most do.

More next Saturday.

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Abraham’s life is full of contradictions. Did he really believe God? Why did he let Sara be taken from him twice? Is he finally ready to believe God and obey God in all things?

Genesis 22:1  Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 22:2  He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." 22:3  So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 

What is God commanding Abraham to do? Yet, now he obeys and immediately sets out to the mountain that God had instructed him to travel to with Isaac.

22:4  On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 22:5  Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you." 22:6  Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 

Imagine what was going thru Abraham’s mind each day as he made his way to the mountain. Surely, God would soon tell him to stop!

22:7  Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 22:8  Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. 

We now read what Abraham believed. While ready to obey, in his heart he wished for a different ending.

22:9  Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 22:10  Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

22:11  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 22:12  He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 

God waited until the last second. Why? God wasn’t testing Abraham so He could know Abraham’s heart. God was testing Abraham so Abraham would know just how much he really trusted God.

22:13  Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 22:14  Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided." 

Much like when the Israelites were ready to cross the raging Jordan; the river did not dry up until the priests put their feet into the river.

Joshua 3:12  "Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 3:13  "It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap." 

3:14  So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 3:15  and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 3:16  the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 

3:17  And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan. 

What can we learn?

First, God will reveal our true hearts to us in a variety of ways.

Second, God demands and deserves obedience regardless of our current circumstances.

Third, God’s timing is not our timing. Abraham was 75 when God promised him a son and was 100 when Isaac was born.

Fourth, we must learn to trust God even when it seems like it would be impossible to believe God. The waters receded when their feet were wet. A ram was provided when the knife was poised. Couldn’t God have revealed these things before the last second?

More next Saturday.