Faith in the Fray Divided Nation

Faith in the Fray Divided Nation 2 Samuel 15-20:2 D.L. Deckard July 14 th, 2013 My wife and I both grew up in the country Deanna on 13 acres in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains in Washington and I on a couple acres in the foothills of the Sierras. We definitely call the west coast home. Yet four of our early years of marriage were spent in exile in Chicago of all places. As you can imagine, after living four years in Chicago, we were ready to return to the homeland. (No offense to those from the Midwest, but the Midwest is flat, a sweatbox in the summer and frozen tundra in the winter!) After 4 long years, I remember coming back euphoric when we reached the Sierras. I was home! I felt like Dorothy, There s no place like home! There s no place like home! only without the slippers. Home is a word that embodies a sense of joy, belonging, love and blessing. It s the place the heart longs to return. For the Jews in ancient times, Jerusalem and the land of Israel in general represented everything home was supposed to be a flourishing place where one could enjoy the presence of God amidst family. In the passages before us, King David is going to be driven from home and into exile by his own son, Absalom. On the one hand we see the exponential effects of sin. And on the other, we see God s goodness amidst the mayhem. The Conspiracy: The story ended last week with Absalom, the murderer, being welcomed back into Jerusalem with a kiss from David. Like a bad apple, Absalom begins to poison the people through show, seduction and conspiracy. We re told in verse 1 that he got himself his own chariot along with fifty men to run ahead of him. That is, he put on a show as the royal prince wherever he went with some sweet spinners on his wheels as he cruised the streets of Jerusalem. And people took notice of the dashing young noble. You can almost hear the newscasters commenting, Bob, was that Armani that prince Absalom was wearing? Why, yes I think that was Armani, June! What a sight to behold! Absalom would have loved the red carpet on Oscar night! He loved the spotlight. He would also wake up early in the morning and stop people as they made their way to the royal palace for legal decisions saying things like, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you, and Oh that I were judge in the land, subtly throwing David his father under the bus. He won their affection through personal touch and kiss, like a politician rolling up his sleeves to mingle with the commoners. The result?...absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2 Samuel 15:6). After four years of this schmoozing, he asked for permission to head to a neighboring town under the auspices of worship. And as he does he sends messengers throughout the land to form alliances to proclaim himself king. His conspiracy mushrooms. Verse 12 says, And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing (1 Sam15:12). The Exile: Hearing of the conspiracy, David quickly calls for a massive evacuation of Jerusalem. The only thing he leaves behind are ten of his concubines to take care of the royal palace. Then 1

the writer of 2 Samuel takes pains to show David s slow progress east as he leaves home. I can t help but make the association between David heading eastward after his sin, and Adam and Eve s heading east as they were exiled from the Garden of Eden because of their sin. I also can t help but make the association to the nation of Israel four hundred years after David who would head east to the land of Babylon as they were exiled for their persistent sin. David is being driven from home as a consequence of his sin a mini-exile. As he goes he meets different people along the way (the whole journey is recorded in super-slow-mo!). The first stop is at the edge of the city. There David watches as his most loyal troops pass by. They are his personal commandos, his mighty men. But the focus on the text is on one particular warrior, a man by the name of Ittai who happens to be a Philistine warrior who has sworn allegiance to David. The conversation is worth reading. David says to him, 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. 21 But Ittai answered the king, As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be. (2 Sam 15:20-21) This is both an irony and a tribute of God s grace. It s ironic because David s own son wants to kill him while a Philistine is willing to die for David in sworn allegiance to Yahweh. I think this is Yahweh s way of saying to David, You re not alone in this fight. The next stop was across the Kidron brook (which separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives) where David meets two loyal priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. David sends them back as with the Ark as spies and adds some interesting words. He says, If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place (2 Sam 15:25). David is uncertain of the future. He is uncertain whether the LORD will bring him back to His dwelling. That s an uncertainty about the future we can certainly relate to. As David makes his way toward the summit of the Mount of Olives, David receives word that his most trusted counselor and strategist, a man by the name of Ahithophel, has joined the conspiracy. In other words, David has been betrayed by his closest advisor. Ahithophel would play the part of Judas. David would write about it in Psalm 41 and Psalm 55. At this painful news, David prays O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness (2 Samuel 15:31). This tells us that David still trusts the Lord in spite of everything. He s still calling out! And the LORD, graciously, is going to answer that prayer. For the very next stop on the journey east, the summit of the Mount of Olives, he meets a loyal friend and sage by the name of Hushai who agrees to go back to the city to counteract the counsel of the traitor, Ahithophel. Fast-forwarding to the final person they meet before David crosses the Jordan, we meet a foul-mouthed man by the name of Shimei. As David marches on through town with his entourage, this man begins to throw rocks and curse David. He says, Get out you man of blood, you worthless man! (2 Samuel 16:7). Like a broken record he keeps on cursing David like a bad fly that won t leave David alone. You can imagine the scene, David is surrounded by his battalions of loyal green berets and this lone voice is spitting venom and throwing stones at their beloved king. All David had to do is say the word and the man would be turned to hamburger. Abishai, a mighty man credited with killing 300 men with his own hands in battle (2 Sam 23:18) offered to do the job saying (my 2

paraphrase), Hey boss you want me to squish this fly? To this David basically says, Let him curse. You can sense the weight of David s failures pressing down upon his head as he goes. By the time David and his people make it to the Jordan River, the text says, they were weary (2 Sam 16:14) done, spent, exhausted, out of gas emotionally and physically! The Plan: Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem Absalom rides into Jerusalem like a Peacock with all of his royal feathers out ready to claim his ill-gained prize. He summons Ahithophel David s lead counselor and trusted friend-turned traitor, and asks him what to do. First, Ahithophel tells him to sleep with David s concubines where everyone could see the tent. This was a way of publically burning all bridges with David. There s no going back. So Absalom sleeps with David s concubines. This, too, is part of David reaping what he sowed (2 Sam 12:11-12). He took Uriah s wife in secret and Absalom takes David s wives in public. You reap what you sow! Next Absalom asks for a battle plan. Ahithophel, whose counsel is regarded as if it s the Word of God (2 Sam 16:23), says (my paraphrase), Let me take 12,000 men and go now and pounce on David while he s still weary. We ll catch him by surprise and send his army into confusion. And once David is dead the people will rally to you. His plan is speed! Then, providentially enough, Absalom invites Hushai to give counsel the wise friend of David sent back to counteract Ahithophel s counsel. (Hushai managed to gain Absalom s confidence). Basically Hushai says, Your Dad is a mighty man of great military prowess! He also has an entire company of Rambos, each of whom can take down hundreds of guys each. So let s be conservative and gather all of the armies of Israel. And with you at the helm, we will descend on David like dew on the earth! Hushai has appealed to Absalom s vulnerability his vanity. You can almost hear what s going on in Absalom s heart, Yeah what a great display of military glory and power! So he chooses to take Hushai s counsel. This is the turning point. But the writer gives us a glimpse into Who is behind it. It says, For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring harm upon Absalom (2 Sam 17:14). That s precisely what David prayed for. And that s precisely what Yahweh ordained from his throne. Ahithophel want off and hanged himself, like Judas, probably because he could see the handwriting on the wall Absalom was going to lose. Meanwhile, word gets back to David about the plan. And while he s in exile across the Jordan the LORD supplies him with provisions. The text says: 27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, 29 honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness. (2 Sam 17:27-29) Do you see what s happened? The Lord has been supplying everything David has needed loyal warriors, a loyal counselor, answered prayer and physical provisions. The War 3

Now David is ready! Absalom gathers his armies across the Jordan while David musters his thousands of men under three generals Joab, Abishai, and Ittai (the loyal Philistine). The only request from David was that they deal gently with Absalom a request that Joab would flatly (wisely?) disregard. There s not much description of the battle other than Absalom and his army were defeated and pursued by David s men. The result? 20,000 men die. In the process of retreating, Absalom rode his little mule through some thick forest and managed to get his peacock hair tangled in an oak tree so that he was left mule-less, hanging from a tree suspended between heaven and earth (2 Sam18:9). And there, while hanging from a tree, Joab thrust Absalom through the heart with three spears (one would have sufficed). You can tell Joab is outraged. I find it interesting that in this conspiracy against David that the war ends with Absalom hanging from a tree. It was a sign of curse to hang from a tree according to Moses (Deut 21:23) and Paul (Gal 3:13). It reminds me of another conspiracy against the LORD s King, also in Jerusalem. Only this Jewish King wouldn t escape as David did. He would die as Absalom did suspended between heaven and earth, cursed on a tree, the righteous taking the place of the guilty. David deserved to hang on that tree. But divine grace forgave him and passed his condemnation to another. One dies so another can live. When David finally hears the good news that they have won and that Absalom was dead, he laments uncontrollably, Absalom, Absalom! The day of victory is so covered by David s public lament that the army tucks its tail between its legs and heads back to the city in shame. To this, Joab gets up in David s grill and says (my paraphrase), Get your head together, man! These men risked their lives for you and all you can do is weep over the one who betrayed you! I swear everyone is going to abandon you if you don t get ahold of yourself. As mentioned last week, David s heart after his sin lacked stability. He lacked a clear commitment to justice, wisdom, and here self-control. That s what moral failure does it turns one s spine into jelly. David s emotions overpowered his prudence and his care for his own men. And whatever you may think of Joab s colorful life, he sure was a godsend to David on a number of occasions. This was one of them. David sobered up his emotional state and went to his men. The Return: The end of the story has a lot more detail to it, but the short of it is that David is brought back to Jerusalem, back home, by the people of Judah and later the people of Israel. David s kingship has been publically confirmed by Yahweh. David is still, despite his sin and subsequent failures, God s chosen king. The reason we considered the story in its entirety is to see the big picture. As with last week, David s exile continues the theme with greater scope; namely, that the social consequences for sin are enormous. What began as adultery has divided his family, his country and left 20,000 men dead along with another son. This point is simple enough to say, What a man sows, that he also reaps. Don t mess around! The second thing we observe has to do with enduring faith amidst failure. David s life is a rollercoaster of foibles and blunders. Yet through it all, he still looks to the Lord, praying for his help. Psalm 3 tells us that in these dark moments David prayed, Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! (Psalm 3:7); But I call to God and the LORD will save me (Psalm 55:16). He knew in his heart that the LORD does not say No to those of humble faith. That s one of the 4

marks of true faith. It doesn t give up no matter how dark it gets. It reminds me of the words of Job, Though [the LORD] slay me, I will hope in him (Job 13:15). No matter how difficult things may get in your life brother, sister or church don t ever lose faith. Don t ever give up hope in the LORD. Even in Jesus darkest moments he never lost faith in his Father. And why should we endure in faith? Because God endures in grace toward those who trust in him. God grace provides for the tangible needs of his people all along the way even in exile. The LORD provided loyal friends, protection, counsel, food, support for David at every juncture. And then the LORD brought him back. What an important lesson on the enduring and manifold nature of grace. God will provide what is needed along the way. And he promises to bring us home. God will not keep his people in the desert places forever. He will not leave those who trust in him in the exile of discipline for long. He will show himself faithful in his sovereign grace toward all who trust in him. And he will bring us home. 5