Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 22, 2018 Deposed Background: 2 Samuel 15:1-17:29 Lesson: 2 Samuel 15:10-16, 24-30

Transcription

1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 22, 2018 Deposed Background: 2 Samuel 15:1-17:29 Lesson: 2 Samuel 15:10-16, Motivation: We ve seen King David ascend gloriously up Mt Zion with the Ark; however, in this passage he ascends in humiliation up the slope of the Mount of Olives. In both instances, he acknowledged the presence of the Lord and was intent on His will being accomplished I. Absalom the Troublemaker (15:1-9) So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (6) Absalom was stirring up trouble against the anointed king of Israel. Troublemakers today follow his example: A. A Troublemaker Tries to Act Important After this, Absalom got himself a chariot, horses, and 50 men to run before him. (1) Notice that these trappings of authority were not provided in an official capacity. Absalom simply wanted to make himself look official. (Deut. 17:14-20) A truly important leader doesn t have to act or look important. In fact, a Christian leader should remind people more of a servant than of a king. Gal. 6:3 For if anyone considers himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Luke 22:27 But I am among you as the One who serves. (Rom. 12:1-3; Phil. 2:5-12) B. A Troublemaker Circumvents Lines of Communication with Authority He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate (2) Absalom sought to keep people from talking to the king s duly appointed judges. He worked to foster the belief that they don t care but I can help you. Be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit when complainers keep coming to you instead of church appointed leaders. Dissension and strife result by giving the impression that nobody in authority cares. (Matt. 5:23-24) 1 / 10

2 C. A Troublemaker Demonstrates Concern Without Solutions Look, your claims are good and right, but the king does not have anyone to listen to you. (3) Absalom basically sympathized with everyone s complaints without actually doing anything to help them. It has been well said: You re either part of the solution or part of the problem. Christians are not called to be a sounding board for complainers; we re called to be ministers of the gospel. The clear message in Absalom s strategy involved a) the king is not doing his job, because, b) he doesn t care about you, and c) the only solution is to rebel against authority. (Prov.6:19; I John 3:16-17; James 2:16) D. A Troublemaker Criticizes Authority If only someone would appoint me judge in the land. Then anyone who had a grievance or dispute could come to me and I would make sure he received justice. (4) Absalom began in pride (14:25), continued with criticism (15:3-4), and finished in open revolt (15:10). Popular opinion is easily swayed and continually fickle; the Jerusalem crowd that shouted Hosanna one day were crying Crucify Him later in the week. Because opinion can be manipulated, God gives strong guidelines for submission to authority: Romans 2:1 For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, Romans 13:1-2 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God s command, Titus 2:15 encourage and rebuke with all authority, Heb. 13 Remember your leaders who have spoken God s word to you (7) Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account, so they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you (17), Jas. 4:11a Don t criticize one another E. A Troublemaker is Two-Faced When a person approached to bow down to him, Absalom reached out his hand, took hold of him, and kissed him. (5) Absalom greeted people as an equal when he really wanted to be their king. A troublemaker tends to use people to forward his/her agenda, James 1:8 An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways. 2 / 10

3 II. Entitlement Then Absalom sent messengers throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: When you hear the sound of the ram s horn, you are to say, Absalom has become king in Hebron! 11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they knew nothing about the whole matter. 12 While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for David s adviser Ahithophel the Gilonite, from his city of Giloh. So the conspiracy grew strong, and the people supporting Absalom continued to increase. (15:10-12) A. Treachery When you hear the sound of the ram s horn, you are to say, Absalom has become king in Hebron! (10) J. Vernon McGee Thru the Bible, Vol. 2, p. 222: Absalom is a true politician, isn t he? This is the way many men get elected to office today. They have no qualifications other than the fact that they are good at handshaking and backslapping. There are many preachers who use this method today. They cannot preach, and they cannot teach, but they sure can slap backs. Unfortunately, that is exactly what appeals to us. As far as I can tell from the Word of God, that is the way that the Antichrist will come to power. He is going to be the greatest little backslapper that the world has ever seen. As often happens with troublemakers, the backslapper become a backstabber. (Dan. 7;25, 8:25, 11:36) HCSB: pp : 15:10 The sound of the ram s horn across the land, combined with Absalom s messengers shouting Absalom has become king in Hebron, would enable news of Absalom s assuming the throne to spread quickly. Absalom probably hoped he could get to Jerusalem and take power before David could prepare to defend himself. B. Treason So the conspiracy grew strong, and the people supporting Absalom continued to increase. (12b) Absalom was absolutely wrong! He was an admitted murderer who was trying to undermine the authority of God s anointed leader. Yet, as 3 / 10

4 long as he acted the way people wanted him to act, they flocked to his side in growing numbers. (John 11:50) III. Fright Then an informer came to David and reported, The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. 14 David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, Get up. We have to flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! Leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword. 15 The king s servants said to him, Whatever my lord the king decides, we are your servants. 16 Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind 10 concubines to take care of the palace. (15:13-16, cf ) A. Bad News The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. (13) What a contrast with 8:11-15! Having conquered all the surrounding nations, King David was opposed only by his own son. In humiliation, he fled his own palace and city, barefoot and weeping (30). B. Advanced Planning David said to all the servants (14) David s quick response demonstrated his years of combat experience and revealed that he had anticipated this scenario. Yet, his disorderly retreat may demonstrate that he didn t consider his son s revolt very plausible. 1. Get up - As Mark Twain famously said Even if you re on the right track, you ll get run over if you just sit there. 2. We have to flee - King David, the victor of so many battles, faced an inglorious retreat. HCSB: p. 522: 15:14 David summoned his servants with him in Jerusalem and insisted they all needed to 4 / 10

5 flee at once. He knew Absalom and his forces would head straight for the capital and attack if necessary. 3. Strike the city with the edge of the sword (15) David fled Jerusalem rather than offer resistance in order to spare the city of David from bloody reprisals by Absalom s soldiers. 4. he left behind 10 concubines (16) Because the palace also represented the seat of government, David didn t want to leave it unoccupied. Unfortunately, Absalom later mistreated these concubines as a further demonstration of defiance. (16:21-22) 5. wherever my lord the king is, whether it means life or death, your servant will be there. (21b) Ittai, the Gittite was a foreign mercenary soldier. He displayed true loyalty in David s worst moment. HCSB: p. 522: 15:21 David excused Ittai from accompanying him, but Ittai swore by the LORD and the king that he would stay with David whether it meant life or death for him. David s integrity still garnered respect. IV. Flight Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set the ark of God down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until the people had finished marching past. 25 Then the king instructed Zadok, Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the Lord s eyes, He will bring me back and allow me to see both it and its dwelling place. 26 However, if He should say, I do not delight in you, then here I am He can do with me whatever pleases Him. 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, Look, return to the city in peace and your two sons with you: your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar s son Jonathan / 10

6 Remember, I ll wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me. 29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there. 30 David was climbing the slope of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he ascended. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. Each of the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they ascended. (15:24-30) A. The Ark they set the ark of God down (24) HCSB: p : 15:24 The ark of the covenant of God was probably brought to ensure God s presence and as a mark of David s legitimate right to reign. Zadok and Abiathar stood by the king who had endorsed their respective ministries and the ministries of the Levites (6:12-18) No doubt remembering the calamitous results of trying to use the ark to force God s hand (1 Sam. 4:3), David sent the priests and the ark back to Jerusalem. David realized that success was a matter of being on God s side rather than trying to get God on his side. B. The Spies Look! Return to the city in peace (27, 31-37) HCSB: p. 522: 15:27 Da vid created a spy network that included Zadok, Abiathar, and their respective sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan. 15:29 Absalom would probably assume David s supporters had fled. He may not have suspected Zadok and Abiathar of siding with his father. C. The Humiliation David was climbing the slope of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he ascended. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. (30) Covering one s head combined with walking barefoot were outward signs of anguish, grief and despair. David made no attempt to hide the dire consequences faced by his followers. 6 / 10

7 V. Opposition (16:1-23) A. Saul s Family Opposed David (16:1-14) 1. Ziba All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours (4) Believer s Study Bible, p. 442: 16:3-4 Ziba s calumny against Mephibosheth succeeded, even though it was highly improbable. David was not thinking clearly at this point. He yielded to Ziba s lie and released the possessions of Mephibosheth to Ziba. 2. Shimei he was yelling curses as he approached. He threw stones at David and at all the royal servants, the people and the warriors on David s right and left. (5b-6) It s a little comical to picture one bitter man attacking David and his hundreds of mighty men. 3. Abishai Why should this dead dog curse the king? Let me go over and cut his head off! The king replied, Sons of Zeruiah, do we agree on anything? HCSB: p.5 24: 16:10 Do we agree on anything? Is literally What to me and to you? it may be rhetorically asking what interests David and Abishai have in common (cp 19:22; Jdg 11:12; 1 Kg 17:18; 2 Kg 3:13; 2 Ch 35:21; Jn 2:4). This expression reveals David s exasperation with the sons of Zeruiah his sister, here more specifically focused at Abishai. The sentence that begins with He curses me this way may also be translated as if he curses me this way and suggests that David was unsure of the source of Shimei s words (v. 11). B. Absalom Entered Jerusalem (16:15-23) One of the keys to great leadership is to listen to wise counsel. Absalom flunked the test 7 / 10

8 by listening to Ahithophel. Believer s Study Bible, p. 443: 16:23 Ahithophel, the opportunist, made friendship a matter of personal prosperity. First David and then Absalom viewed him as a wise counselor, trusting his word as if it were an oracle of God. David s prayer (15:31) eventually was answered by God (17:14) when Ahithophel s counsel was rejected and Ahithophel took his own life (17:23). Typical of the result of this charlatan s advice was Absalom s public affair with the concubines of David (16:21). VI. Exile (17:1-29) A. Hushai Stalled for Time (17:1-14) Again, Absalom listened to the wrong advice. Ahithophel argued for a quick strike while David s force was in disarray (1-2). Hushai counseled Absalom to wait until he could marshal all the forces available in order to crush David (12). Little did Absalom know that Hushai was trying to gain time for his true master. B. David Escaped to Mahanaim (17:15-29) During times of stress and crisis, true character and loyalty is revealed. It s not difficult to be a bandwagon Christian or church member when everything seems to be on a winning track. It s only during those times of pressure that men like Jonathan and Ahimaaz (17) become heroes by risking their lives. It s during times of crisis that fairweather friends like Ahithaphel end associations entirely (23). It s when all seems lost that men like Shobi, Machir, and Berzillai (27) can rise to the occasion and provide lifesaving ministry. Application 8 / 10

9 1. Troublemakers stir up strife in an organization, often for self-serving reasons. 2. Popular opinion is not necessarily an indication of truth or God s will. 3. True loyalty and friendship can be demonstrated during desperate times. Leader Pack Item 4: Poster: The Ark of the Covenant; Item 10: Handout: 2 Samuel and the Psalms; Item 12: Handout: Movement/Locations of the Ark. No Illustrator Article Notes: **You may access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: g ; Dates: 7/22 HB Charles guest speaker; 7/20-26 RUSHWEEK 2018; 8/4 Inspirational Writers Conf.; 8/1 2 Welcome to the HUB; 8/13 All-Staff with FBA in Loop; 8/19 Kickoff Sunday; 8/25 ReFuel: Parenting with Purpose Conference; 9/3 Labor Day offices closed; 9/14-16 SPF Camp; 9/15 Men:Serve; 9/21 Marriage Matters; 9 / 10

10 9/23 LBS Fall Luncheon; 9/30 MIYCO; 9/30 SPF Family Camp Reflections in Oasis; 10/7 First Camp Reception 12:30 4:30; 10/14 Parent Commitment; 10/19-20 Women s Retreat; 10/27 Men:Serve; 10/31 Light the Night. 10 / 10