2 Samuel 19 (Part 2) Bible Study (David Returns & Pardons His Enemies) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

We haven't been in Bible study for a while, and so this is especially exciting for me. I hope it is for you. That's why you're here. So let's go to second Samuel 19 together. Second Samuel chapter 19.

We didn't complete this chapter, and it's because first and second Samuel has the reputation of having very lengthy chapters. And that should be okay for us because we're in no rush, I hope. And that's evident by the fact that we've been in this book for quite some time, but we are coming near the end, and so enjoy every moment of it. But let's go to second Samuel 19 and place your finger with me here at verse nine because that's where we left off. In verse nine, here's what happens.

David now is prepared to return to his throne. For many chapters, we've seen David exiled. He was made a fugitive by his own son who rebelled against him. And we took some time to study invest and investigate David's journey out from Jerusalem towards the Jordan. And part of that study was we saw that David had some conversations, some interactions with specific characters that brought some valuable insight to us in in different manners.

But what we're about to see here upon his reinstallment is a mirroring almost. Because as David is now returning to Jerusalem, we're also going to see for the rest of this chapter him engaging with individuals, some of the same individuals that he engaged with when he had initially left. And we should have no reason to doubt that the Holy Spirit preserved these conversations for us for the sake of our sanctification. That's what I'm looking forward to see with you. In fact, there are four conversations that David has with four different people or groups of people.

The first one will be with the elders of Judah. The second will be with somebody that you're familiar with and that is Shamia or Shammi. Thirdly, we will see David being visited by Mephibosheth. And lastly, we'll see a character that we've seen briefly just for a flash of a moment, but now there's actually gonna be an in-depth conversation with a man named Barzillai. Forgive me if I'm not pronouncing these names correctly or accurately.

I'm trying my best. And you understand as long as you see it here. And Daniel Bennet is not here with his Hebrew knowledge to correct me, so I have a little bit more freedom today. And so David is now going to have these kind of engagements upon his reentrance to his rightful place. Lord, we pray today.

We wanna have freedom, but we also realize you deserve reverence and honor. This is your word. It's holy. You are holy. May the delivery of this word be honorable to you.

May there be nothing of it that is confusing or dishonoring. Lord, may the reception of your word be equally honorable. And may more importantly, may it be embedded in our hearts to produce lasting, genuine, sincere obedience to your name. In these last days, Lord, we wanna know you more. We wanna draw closer to you.

Should you tarry, should you tarry, Lord, we wanna be found faithful for the rest of our days. But if you do return, help us, Lord, to be found with our hearts burning in love with you. We ask these things from the bottom of our hearts. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Let's read verse nine. And all the people were arguing 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. And now he has fled out of the land of from Absalom. But Absalom whom we anointed over us is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?

And king David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, say to the elders of Judah, why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house when the word of all Israel has come to the king? You are my brothers. You are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king? And say to Amasa, are you not my bone and my flesh?

God, do so to me and more also if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab. David is returning to his rightful place, and the first category of people that he engages with are the elders of Judah. What happens? Well, after the news of Absalom's defeat reaches back to the nation of Israel, a debate erupts within its borders. And the debate is around what the nation should do with King David.

And so we see here that they rehearse what David had done in the past. They acknowledge that he had departed from them. They even admit that they have chosen Absalom as a as which was the result of David's exit. And lastly, there's criticism from the people concerning the leadership of why they are hesitating to bring David back, to send word for him to return. And so things are not looking good within and among the people of God at this point.

And we see here that, what these people are doing at this specific time is insightful concerning the human nature itself. Did you notice the timing of which the people decided to consider David to come back. When was it? Look here again. It says here, but Absalom whom we, in verse 10, whom we anointed over us is dead in battle.

Now therefore, now, therefore. So we expect David to come back. Right? Because Absalom, his opposition is dead, and his devious plot to topple the kingdom died with him. But look at the people.

The people now are entertaining the possibility of David coming back only when what? When their choice failed them, when their governance disappointed them, when their decision to oppose God's anointed ended up turning against them. And I looked at that and I thought to myself, the thoughts of these Israelites is so similar to the testimonies of many, perhaps even many of us today. How many of us can rightly admit that Christ only became attractive when our alternative choices let us down? And that is what people are doing today.

There are people today, maybe even the sound of my voice, who are not giving their total surrender and devotion to Christ because they have been giving some perfumed hollow promise from another king that they will be under greater prosperity, greater joy, greater sustenance under their rule instead of Christ's rule. And that's a pathetic motive. Right? I mean, I can say rightfully that was my testimony that when I tried everything else and it all failed, then I knew where to turn to, and I knew who to turn to. That was Christ.

And, again, it it's it's it's not the most, attractive way to coming to somebody for forgiveness, but Christ is so gracious he's still willing to embrace us. Despite the how despicable that reason is, Christ is still willing. And this is not just assumption from an Old Testament text. It's the very teaching of Jesus in Luke 15. You don't have to turn there but you know it very well, the prodigal son.

The prodigal son did not come back to the father at the peak of his success. He did so when his face was caked with mud, and when he was in the muck and the mire. Only when everything was lost, only when he was absolutely at the bottom of the pit could he look up and say, I I need to go back to my father. And the father didn't cross his arms and tap his foot and say, look at you. This is when you come back?

No. He embraces him. He puts a royal robe on him. He puts a ring on his hand. He cuts the fattest calf, and he has a celebration.

And we see David here willing to come back to a people only after a great loss, and he is reflecting some measure of the grace of God. Is he not? Absolutely. But, you know, as much as that truth is common, right, that the grace of God is there at all times, at all moments, no matter how much we've disappointed God, turned away from God, he's willing to take us back. There's another truth tied into this that's not emphasized much, and this is it.

Why do you have to wait for your world to collapse before you consider Christ? You don't have to. Okay. It's a testimony of many, and it's it's indicative of the of the stubbornness of our human nature. But why do we have to?

You don't have to. Maybe you're a person here who who hasn't surrendered yet, and my question is you don't have to wait until you get some scars before you do. See, you see here these people realizing what King David had done. Look here again in verse nine. The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines.

Like, David actually did something for us, and it's only now do they realize that Absalom didn't actually deliver. Right? He actually failed us. But you don't have to realize that in hindsight. You can actually know that now.

It was true for David. Right? Because these people were deceived. Absalom did nothing. He showed nothing for himself before he became king.

He just showed him his hair and he he just sweet talked him and and they they ate it all up. But David prior to him becoming king showed and proved himself over and over again. And the people realized he has shepherd us even the during the days of Saul. He is worthy to be our king. Okay.

I I say apply that to Christ. Step back and realize that God has given us a book, a testimony of the person of Jesus Christ and evaluate him. Look at his life. Look at his promises. Look at what he was able to do.

Look what he is able to do. And understand that an honest assessment of of Christ in the Word of God will bring you to this conclusion. No one else is like him, and no one else can deliver like he can deliver, and no one else can deal with the foundation of humanity's problem like him. And you and just from that assessment be wise enough to say, okay. I don't have to explore with other options.

Why don't I save myself time? Why don't I save myself heartache and just give myself to Christ now? That's why people who have the testimony of I remember following Jesus ever since I remember. Those kind of testimonies are precious. They are precious.

They might not be as dramatic and that's what people feel sorry about concerning their testimonies. I don't have this grand moment where things change. I I wasn't a gang member, I wasn't a drug dealer, I wasn't this, I wasn't that. Yeah, but by God's grace you came to an awareness of his goodness and he has preserved you from all perversion and pain. Give him glory for that.

And let it teach others that they can also make that choice as early on as possible, and they can raise their kids with that hope and that ambition, and that we can show the world that he is worthy to be served. We don't have to experiment with the world before we give him our allegiance. And we see here that these people had to experience loss before they realized that the anointed one is the true one. 20,000 Israelites died in the civil war according to second Samuel 18. And, again, it shows that sometimes it takes great loss before people realize, okay, I'm done.

Christ, forgive me. I bow before you. You're you're my lord forever. There's a there's a verse that I shared at prayer meeting last Wednesday, and it's a verse I wanna share with you. You heard me earlier saying that I've been reading Jeremiah's Jeremiah's book, The Weeping Prophet's Writings.

There's one verse that I read probably two weeks ago, and it's been in my heart since. And I can't shake it off, and I I don't wanna shake it off. It's in Jeremiah seventeen fourteen. Jeremiah prays again. He prays to the Lord, and he says to me so powerfully.

He says, heal me, oh lord, and I will be healed. Save me, and I will be saved. For you are my praise. What is he saying there? Heal me, oh Lord, and I will be healed.

Save me, and I will be saved. Meaning, lord, if you really extend your hand of healing, I know that it will be effective. If you really reach out to save me, I know that I will be saved. You actually deliver with your promises. You actually produce results with your claims.

There are a lot of people who claim to heal. There are a lot of people who claim to to say, but they can't actually deliver. But Christ can. And that's what Jeremiah says. You're the only one out of everybody else, all these false gods and all these false prophets, you're the only one that can actually come through.

So heal me. And if you do heal me, I know I'll be healed. Save me. And if you do save me, I know I will be saved. He comes through.

The Anointed One can come through. Our Anointed One will come through if you call upon Him in sincerity and truth. Look at verse 11. King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priest, say to the elders of Judah, why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house when the word of all Israel has come to the king? So David gets a message that there is this disruption in the nation and there's this argument and debate and and strife about what they should do.

But with that, I mean that's encouraging, right? The people are actually considering to bring me back. But with that there's a disappointment Because among all the tribes there is one tribe that is actually showing little to no interest for David coming back, and it's the tribe that you would expect the strongest and loudest sponsorship from. Which tribe is that? Judah.

Is David from Judah? Absolutely. So the people closest to him, the people nearest to him, the people that he shares his heritage with are the ones that are actually expressing no sign of longing for his return. And I think this is a really sober and practical reminder for servants of God today, for for the Christian life in general, that oftentimes where you expect the strongest support from is where you actually don't get it. And the least expected people to actually stand by you in times of need actually do arrive.

That's not to make you bitter and that should not make you cynical, but it should make you prepared. Prepared to realize that even the greatest of people, even the people who share your blood or even share your faith might not show up the way you thought they would show up. And if you think that's unique to us, that's actually something that the greatest men of God experience. Paul himself said at the end of his last letter in second Timothy four verse 16, at my first defense no one stood by me. No one stood by you?

After all the churches you planted? After all the people that saw your miraculous power, God's power through your life? After all the pain and all the letters, no one stood by you at your first defense? Yeah. No one stood by me at my first defense.

Then he says in verse 17, but the Lord stood by me. But the Lord stood by me and what? Strengthened me. You know what that tells me? The Lord standing by Paul wasn't just some doctrinal idea, it was something he actually experienced.

I actually experienced the infusing strength of Christ in my life when? In the absence of everybody else. You know what I find interesting? Oftentimes what you'll know is that the personal fidelity of Jesus Christ, that experience will be heightened in the midst of relational turmoil. And so don't let the letdowns and the disappointments of others, even Christians, even Christian leaders, cause you to raise your fist to heaven.

No. If anything, let it encourage you to draw near to Christ, to seek His presence, and to believe that He will actually strengthen you. He will actually make His fellowship known to you. You know, what David is experiencing here is what Christ ultimately experienced in his visitation here on earth. His own did not receive him.

His own did not receive him. And so what that tells me is that even in the particular suffering of rejection or negligence, I can fellowship with Christ. Like I can draw nearer to Christ and expect that as I pour my heart out to him, he he sympathizes. He knows. And if you're gonna serve the Lord, there's one thing that I can promise you with all the joys and all the testimonies and all the wonders that ministry comes with.

People will disappoint you. I'm not talking about the heathen out there. I'm talking about people who fill up pews. They will. People who wear suits and ties, they can.

And so learn now and believe now and even practice this truth to fellowship with the Lord and to expect him to be there when everybody else isn't. This is something that David here is expressing. Where are you? You're my flesh and you're my bone. You're supposed to be the closest to me.

So where are you? And there seems to be some kind of conviction because they're swayed. We're told that they're swayed in verse 14, and he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so they sent word to the king. Now here's what I find fascinating before we move on to the next point. Isn't David the conquering king?

Didn't he just win the opposition? Didn't he just overthrow Absalom, so to speak? Doesn't he have every right to march right back into Jerusalem, to take his scepter, to reclaim his crown, to sit on the throne, and to govern the nation whether they want to or not? The answer is yes. Evidently, David does not entertain the option of forcing his rule on people who are hesitant or not interested in making them him king over their lives.

Newsflash, Christ isn't any different. He's not gonna force himself. I know some people might theologically disagree with me on that. But you read this book cover to cover, and what you realize about the heart of God is that he genuinely desires you to genuinely desire him. And he will you can You can reject him persistently.

You can reject him until your dying breath, and he won't bend you. If you know the truth, hear the truth, and refuse it, he won't bend you and to make you a robot in in your devotion to him. Now that choice of rejecting will come with consequences. Consequences that if not granted would disqualify God and other aspects of his character, namely his justice. Because this isn't just a friendship here.

We're dealing with a king. We're dealing with a judge. We're dealing with one who gave a moral law to humanity. So when we're talking about relationship with Jesus, we're not talking about Jesus being lonely and he wants humanity to occupy more space in heaven because it's a really big place. No.

There is a personal relation, but we're dealing with the cosmic ruler of the universe who is dealing with a celestial ball filled with enemies. And he extends reconciliation to us. And he'll respect your choice. Do you want Christ? He'll come.

You don't want Christ? He'll leave you to yourself. He'll leave you with your idols. He'll leave with your with your sin, and he'll let you do what you wanna do in these sixty, fifty, forty, thirty, eighty years, and then you'll face him and then explain your rejection. So David here doesn't impose his will.

David here doesn't force himself back into the boundaries of Israel. He waits. Do you want me to come back or not? Do you wanna receive me or not? Do you wanna accept me or not?

And he persuades them. They're persuaded, and they invite him. They They meet him at the Jordan. But look here at verse 13. Something interesting happens because everything up to this point is very commendable concerning David.

I argue verse 13 is questionable concerning his judgment. And say to Amasa, are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab. Why does he do this? Well, before we answer that question, does anybody remember who Amasa is?

Yes. Very good. Well, let's turn back if you want the answer in second Samuel 17. And notice here with me in verse 25 exactly who Amasa is. Now Absalom in second Samuel 17, Absalom Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite who was married to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zuriah, Joab's mother.

First things first, Amasa is a relative to David. He's another nephew of David's making Amasa and Joab cousins. So we know here that there's blood relationship. Right? But more importantly, not only is this a relative to David, this is one of David's traitors.

Absalom chose Amazoth to be the general over the army of Israel, and there's no indication that he refused. So we're dealing with a person who has committed great treason. With that background, what is David doing in giving Amasa promotion upon his return to making him the commander of his army. Any ideas? I have two.

Maybe you have more. Any ideas? Yes. Okay. So this is there's a little personal thing to this.

Right? You killed my son. I'm gonna teach you a lesson. I know how much job you prize your position. I know what you do to people who try to or threaten your authority.

You're gone. Okay. There's a personal aspect. But before that, there's a political move here. Here's the political move.

Again, he's trying to persuade the heart of Judah and of the nation as a whole. And so in in showing his willingness to forgive them, despite the fact that they chose Absalom, he brings in a traitor, and he promotes him. And he proves to them, I'm willing to forgive. Watch me. Amasa, you're my new general.

But he's trying to accomplish more than one thing here, and we we touch our brother touched on it. There's a personal aspect to this. It's clear here that that David learned who was responsible for his son's death. Joab. Joab dishonored his word, and that was the line crossed for David.

And so he takes Amasa, and he says, Amasa, I'm gonna make you now the general, and you're gonna take Joab's place. It seems like a very good political move, but, unfortunately, this decision was mixed with personal bitterness. Was this wise or unwise? Politically speaking, politicians would love that. Hey.

That's a good move. Personally and even in God's economy, wrong. Many reasons why it's wrong. Let me give you one. Amasa was incompetent as a general.

Was he not? How do we know that? Well, he was the general of Absalom's army, a much larger army than David's forces, and yet he still failed to come close to bringing victory for Israel. And yet David is still willing to put him in a compromising position for the sake of what? To get back at somebody else.

And Amisham, the next chapter, is gonna show just how disqualified he is because he's actually gonna because of his incompetence, he's gonna actually play a role in the potential civil war to ensue as a result of his lack of ability. Here's here's a lesson from this, and it's important especially for leaders in any capacity, but it's especially important it's it's important for all of us in in our decisions in life. Never make a decision. Never make a decision about especially in the context of ministry, never make a decision to promote or place somebody in a particular position if your motive is inspired by anything that is personal. God has set qualifications.

Listen, not just for positions in ministry, but for a spouse, for your friends. And when you, for whatever reason, no matter how strong your reasoning is, no matter how strong your feelings are, when you decide to compromise on those qualifications, you will realize soon enough that you're gonna invite trouble though you satisfied some initial desire in your decision. That's true for marriage. That's true for friendship. That's true for ministry.

There are people who say, just bring this person on in ministry because if not, they're gonna cause problems. That's not how you choose people in ministry. Oh, choose this person because, because, you know, they're gonna offer this to you. They're gonna offer that to you. They're gonna they'll fulfill your fantasy.

They have something to do with this. They have something to do. That's not how you choose a spouse. Alright? It's not.

Well, these are my friends, and and I grew up with them, and we're family. And and and if I choose to follow Christ and not give in to what they want, then it might cause issues, and we have history, and they've helped us out over the years. That's not how you choose your friends. It may satisfy something in the moment, in the time being, but it will invite trouble. It will invite heartache eventually.

That's what we're gonna see with Amasa. And so David here chooses this man. You know what I find so interesting? Because, obviously, his blood is still boiling about what Joab did to his son Absalom. But go to first Kings chapter two, and I want you to see something that is omitted that is, I think, instructive about David's development.

If you go to verse five, he speaks about Joab to his succeeding son, Solomon, and he rehearses what Joab had done making him worthy of some kind of punishment. First Kings two five. David says moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zuriah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether, whom he killed. Who's missing here? His son.

He doesn't mention Absalom. I mean, here we see in chapter 19 that what's motivating him is what Joab did to Absalom, at least we presume so. It makes sense in light of the context. But as time goes by, as years goes by, I think David himself even learned that Absalom's death was necessary. It's amazing what time teaches us.

It's amazing what reflection teaches us. It's amazing how emotions and feelings can blind us in the time being. But God loves to use time to show us where we were wrong. And, hopefully, it doesn't take too much time, and, hopefully, we can learn before before years go by where we could have been right. Right?

So this is the elders of Judah, but now we come to verse 16. The second person that David interacts with. And Shammai, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet king David. And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin, and Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, with his 15 sons and 20 servants rushed down to the Jordan before the king, and they crossed the fort to bring over the king's household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan.

Verse 19 says and said to the king, let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong of the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart, for your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet the Lord the king. You remember Shimei? The scoundrel, the troublemaker.

When David was barefoot headed back to the Jordan with his back towards his home, his family, his his throne, his kingdom, he cursed him from the hilltop. He threw rocks at him. He denounced him. He falsely accused him. And now we see this man coming to David, falling before him, confessing his sin, and pleading for pardon.

And here's what's tricky sometimes about Old Testament narratives. You don't get commentary at times of whether or not something is sincere or whether or not something is suspicious, if something is insincere or something is authentic. And so you come here and I can see how there could be debate whether this man was actually true or if he's actually presenting worldly sorrow. So let's gather the evidence, shall we? I mean, look at it.

You heard me read it, but look at it for a few moments and gather the evidence for yourself. Is Shimei here being honest? Is this actually a genuine repentance or is this something more? Is he being clever? Is he being shady?

Let me show you some of the things that I noticed. The timing of his repentance. Maybe you already caught on to that. It says here in verse 16 that he hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet king David. So the tribe of Judah said, alright.

You persuaded us. We're coming to fetch for you. So they go down to the border. They meet him at the Jordan. And it seems as though the moment the news went out that it is confirmed David is coming back to the throne, Shammai knew he was in trouble.

And so he makes it an urgent matter to flee toward David in order to beg for his pardon. That's an interesting timing. What else stands out to you? What stands out to you from verse 17? How many people came with Shammai?

A thousand? I'm surprised a guy like that had a thousand friends, to be honest. Most of us have a thousand friends on Facebook, and we probably 85% of those are not really friends. Right? This guy was able to gather a thousand friends or comrades or citizens of his tribe, a thousand of them.

And here's what I'm wondering. Is this necessary? I mean, what is this all about, anyway? Why are you bringing a thousand people with you? It seems kinda showy to me.

And so there's something suspicious about even that. Right? And and there's different speculations. Maybe by orchestrating this welcome party, it would soften David up so that if there was any hint of him executing immediate judgment, it would be halted by this bouquet of the tribe of Benjamin. Right?

Very clever. But it's it's like, what are you doing this for? You know? And and then you see him falling before David. That's a that's a posture of humility that's difficult to argue with, but then you could challenge it with this backdrop of a thousand of his own people watching this take place.

So there's some kind of some kind of display demonstration that is a little bit over the top. And when people do things over the top, you wonder what their real motive is. K. What else do we see here? Anything else that stands out?

We see his his physical posture. In verse 19, now we see his words. What does he say? Let not my lord oh, now he's your lord. Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant, interesting, did wrong on the day my lord, the king, oh, now he's king.

The king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart, for your servant, there it is again, I'm your servant, knows that I have sinned. So so more than so three times he says, my lord. Three times he says, the king. Twice he says, your servant.

It's much different attitude and language than when David was in his exile. Right? Is it genuine? Well, we see him say something that's that's quite impressive. Three words.

Verse 20, I have sinned. I have sinned. Now if if Shammai would have just stopped there, right, there would be much more to his case of being sincere. But, unfortunately, he feels the need to continue to open his mouth. And by continuing to open his mouth, he says something that is utterly unnecessary and puts him back into the category being suspicious.

If you had just said, I have sinned, wow. Perhaps we would have a wonderful testimony of a truly repented man, a very unlikely man who has repented. But instead, he goes on to add what? Therefore, behold. Like, hey, David.

Check this out. Look what I'm highlighting to you. Behold, what? I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king. Why are you doing that, Shammai?

Why? Just be be be humble. Be straight. No. He has to make sure that David knows that before any other tribe, apart from Judah, any other member of the the the 11 different tribes had come, Shammai came.

And he showed his gratitude, and he showed his penitent heart. Braggadocious, I think. Unnecessary, I think. So if you feel bad feeling a little off about Shammai, don't feel bad. You know why?

Because David did. Abishai definitely did. Look at verse 21. Abishai, the son of Zoriah answered, shall not Shammai be put to death for this? Because he cursed the Lord's anointed.

Like, he didn't buy any of it. I can see right through this guy. Let's just kill him right here and now. And don't be too hard on Abishai. You know why?

Because I believe Abishai had a specific law in the book of Exodus in mind concerning Shammai that he wanted to honor. You know what that law is? It's in Exodus twenty two twenty eight where we're told that we should not revile our God or curse any leader of his people. And that's exactly what Shammai did. And so Abishai wants to, in righteousness, deal with Shammai, and David seems to what we see David often do, extend grace instead.

Right? But read your Bible carefully. Read it slowly and notice the choice words of David. This is what makes Bible study so fascinating. But David said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zuriya, that you should do this day, be as an adversary to me?

Read carefully with me. Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel? And the king said to Shammai, you shall not die, and the king gave him his oath. What phrase or pair of words stand out to you from David's answer?

Very good, Barrett. This day. How many times does he say it? Says, shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? One.

For I do not know that I am this day too king over Israel. And the king said to Shammai, you shall not die, and the king gave him his oath. He repeats the fact that it is this day that no one should be put to death. He doesn't want to interfere with this process of political peace and harmony being sewed together. Right?

He doesn't think it's wise that, this should be clouded by the execution of one of the members, and it could even it could discourage those who have also rebelled against David to to consider him again as a king. So he bypasses it, and it seems as though he lets it go. Or does he? He doesn't. Does he really let it go?

Who says he lets it go? Well, based on my question, I think you know where I'm going with this. Right? At face value, it seems that he lets it go, But he, in fact, has it in his heart until his dying day. Joab was not the only individual that David brought before Solomon, his son, in order what to do with him upon his departure.

Shemaiah is another one. If you want proof of that, go to first Kings chapter two where we read about Joab and look at verse eight instead, and notice what's really going on in David's heart. First Kings two eight, and there is also with you Shammai, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord saying, I will not put you to death with the sword. Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man.

You will know what to do or what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol. So David made an oath. I'm not gonna kill you, But there was fine print. I'm not going to kill you. And he honored his oath, but when it came to the transfer of the kingdom to his son, he brings his son into his room, and he says, Solomon, I'll never forget what Shammai did to me.

You're wise. I think you know what to do. But just in case there's a loss of translation here, make sure he doesn't go to the grave in peace. Interesting. I think there's some valuable lesson there about forgiveness, maybe.

Some would debate and say, well, no. What David is doing here is a just thing because Shammai did break the law. Wrestle with that in your own understanding of the story and see how the Lord leads you. Make sure you use the word of God. So Shammai is the second character, but now we come to the third, a very, very instrumental and important character in the story, Mephibosheth.

Verse 24. And Mephibosheth, the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. What a different presentation than Shammai. There was no entourage.

There was no parade. This man came untrimmed, unwashed, ungroomed, showing that from the moment that he was gone, David was gone, he had not not taken care of himself as a display of mourning. And we have already covered this part back in second Samuel 16. Because remember Ziba came to David and lied to David about Mephibosheth's loyalty to him. Yeah.

You know Mephibosheth, he realized that you upon your departure that God perhaps is bringing the kingdom back to his father Saul and so he he he cut ties with you. I'm sorry to break the news to you. And David prematurely acts upon that news, and what does he do? Who remembers what he does? He transfers all the property that belonged to Mephibosheth and gives it over to Ziba.

And we came to this chapter to satisfy curiosity and to determine that Ziba was in fact lying and to learn a valuable lesson in life that you should not always listen to and absorb and act upon the news from a person who initially gives it. Wisdom says you wait and you investigate. But David, like how the enemy does, was so distraught emotionally and physically and because of his weakness was taken advantage of, and he made a poor judgment. Now Mephibosheth comes back, and we see in verse 25. And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?

Genuine question. Right? Look how he answers. And he answered verse 26, my lord, oh king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said to him, I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king, for your servant is lame.

He has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Do therefore what seems good to you. Mephibosheth highlights the sin of slander. And I believe this is one of the most despicable examples and honest examples of what the sin of slander can actually do. Notice that all it took was a brief report from a man that forever altered the future of an innocent man.

Naturally speaking, Mephibosheth's life would never be the same. He would lose much of his property. His reputation would be questioned. All because somebody chose to use the weapon of the tongue against him. This is why I believe God absolutely hates the sin of slander because life and death is in the power of the tongue.

You don't need a torch to burn a man down. You can just use those words. You can just use an email. You can just use a tweet or two, and you can destroy somebody. And you think you can get away with it, but eventually, God will bring retribution on behalf of his servants.

But what I also see with Mephibosheth is a valuable lesson about how to deal with this kind of grievous sin. And notice what he says here. Right? Because David David hears what he has to say, and then he comes up with another judgment. He comes up with another settlement, and he says, you know what?

Let why go further with this? Half of the property goes to Ziba, half of the property goes to you. Now we're gonna touch on that in a moment. But let me remind you because we're creatures of repetition. That's how we need to learn.

That's how we learn. Let me remind you something so so so instructive about Mephibosheth's answer in verse 30. Mephibosheth said to the king, oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home. If that doesn't prove this man's innocence, I don't know what does. But here this man, his immediate reflex is, I don't care about any of this stuff.

Never mind my property. And I believe with that, never mind my reputation. And here's the thing that I learned about Mephibosheth, that one of the ways to be an overcomer, one of the ways in which you can righteously deal with robbery, whether that is the removal of things in this life even if that thing is your reputation, and boy do we love our reputations, is to be so enamored with the King and to be so consumed about His will, His program, His glory, His kingdom, that all this other stuff, even if it includes you, doesn't move you when it is affected. Even if it's something as satanic as slander. All Mephibosheth cares about is the exaltation of King David.

All he is excited about is the fact that he is returning to his rightful place. So much so that he's bulletproof when it comes to what happens to his life. And if you understand the truth about who Jesus is, the reality, his future promises, what he will do when he comes back, how he rewards his servants, How he is the final judge about all things including you. Okay. Do what you want.

Say what you want. Bring me to the stake, whether figuratively or literally. He has the final say. And so be like Mary of Bethany where you're so caught up in the worship of Christ that even though other disciples say things about you, you don't say anything. And let Christ defend you.

Let Christ defend you. Pfebashet says take it all. It reminds us again, and it makes me wonder if Solomon borrowed his this tactic from his dad, that when two women came and they argued about which baby, living baby belonged to them, he said cut it in half. Cut the baby in half. And one of the women say something very similar to Mepheviso, the true mother.

Oh, no. Let the child go to her. Don't put him to death. And he goes, you're the real mom. You're the real mom.

So it makes you wonder, is David testing? Is David testing Mephibosheth to see if he truly does love David for who he is by threatening to give what belonged to him away? Whether it was a test or not, what is for certain is that there is no evidence that David reversed or corrected this settlement, which begs the question, is what David did here right or wrong when he said half of it goes to Zebah, half of it goes to Mephibosheth? Right or wrong? And you have to bring evidence if you're gonna say one or the other.

Put an elbow up if you say right. You don't have to put it all the way up. Right or wrong? Wise or unwise? Just or unjust?

Any comments? Oh, for the sake of time, let me spare you. Wrong. Do you know why it's wrong? Not because it's my opinion.

Because he went directly in violation to a law. About what books in the Bible are about law, law, law? Leviticus is one, but it's not there. Law. Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 19. I want you to see this for yourself with your own eyes. Deuteronomy nineteen sixteen. See, this is why we need to know the Bible. We need to know all of the Bible because it actually brings clarity to places where it doesn't seem to have clarity.

So we can know for certain. We don't have to have debates. You don't have to read 10 commentaries. You can know for certain that David was wrong because the Bible says he was wrong. Deuteronomy nineteen sixteen.

Here's what the law says. If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priest and the judges. And what are they supposed to do? Who are in office those days, the judges shall inquire diligently. And if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him as he is meant to do to his brother.

So you shall purge the evil from your midst. That's what David should have done. I'm surprised David didn't do it. He was a man who praised the law. He loved the law.

He devoured the law for whatever reason. He doesn't apply it in this situation. But what David should have done was taken both of these parties, bring them and set up a court date before the priests, before the presence of the Lord, before judges, and do an investigation. Whenever you ignore God's law, injustice and suffering and sorrow is bound to ensue. And that's exactly what we see here.

And this is the part that moved me even more about Mephibosheth. I don't know if Mephibosheth knew this law, but he still even though this was an unfair conclusion, he still expressed his love and loyalty to David. I don't care about anything else. No. No.

You you have rights, Mephibosheth. God has something in mind for you. And with an imperfect king, he still had this unwavering commitment to David. How much more Christ? He perfectly deals with us.

He never makes a mistake in his dealings with you and myself. And yet we're so quick to accuse him of injustice. So quick to accuse him of malpractice. So quick to accuse him of being unfair. And yet we know that he is absolutely, unmistakably, immaculate, and he deserves our devotion.

Don't let Mephibosheth outshine your devotion to your king. He gave it to an imperfect king, a forgetful king, a misdirected king, and we have one who is perfect in all his ways. May he be ever praised. Now we come to the final character. Are you still with me tonight?

I hope so. Let's come to verse 31. Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan to escort him over to the Jordan over the Jordan. Baruzelai was a very aged man, 80 years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim for he was a very wealthy man.

And the king said to Barzillai, come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem. But Barzillai said to the king, how many years have I still to live? I like this guy. How many years have I still to live that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? I am this day 80 years old.

Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king.

Why should the king repay me with such a reward? Please let your servant return that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant, Him ham. Let him go over with my lord the king and do for him whatever seems good to you. And the king answered to Him ham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you.

And all that you desire of me, I will do for you. There's so much to say about this fellow, but there are two things I wanna highlight for the sake of time. Number one, his age. Scripture goes out of the way to tell us that he was a very aged man. He was 80 years old.

80 years old, and he's walking all this way, and he's willing to cross the border and all these wonderful things. And the thing that I take out of this is that surely the Lord in all seasons of life has opportunities reserved for us to serve him and his people. An 80 year old man. Now what's fascinating is that that was the age that who started ministry? Moses, 80 years old.

God had something for Moses at 80. Not 18, 80. God uses men, Barzalai, at 80, not 28. And I find that encouraging. And what's equally encouraging is that Barzalai was used by God at 80 and so was Moses, though their fruitfulness looked completely different.

You had an 80 year old man that was used by the Lord to deliver a nation from another nation, like unparalleled. Right? And yet you have this other 80 year old man who brought beds and baskets of food to David and Mahanaim and his men and just made their night there a little bit more comfortable. And both were still servants of God. And I think what's important to to know as servants of God is to refrain from the comparison, the temptation to compares to compare yourself to another servant of God.

Right? Who might be used by the Lord in a different way though they might be in the same season of life as you are. Don't do that. Here's what you have to do is realize and and recognize what God has presented before you and to honor him in that. That's all he requires.

That's all he requires. Don't look at others who are 30 and see where they are. Don't look at others who are 50. Don't look No. No.

No. Just look what God has before you and honor him there, and that's all he desires. That's all he longs for. But the next thing here is his refusal for the reward. I mean, he serves David.

He honors David, and he doesn't do it just like because he had nothing else to do. This isn't a retired fellow who was bored and had a lot of money and didn't know what to do with it. For the fact of this, Barzillai chose to show his allegiance to David at a very, very crucial time when Absalom was supposedly king. This was an act of treason. This was an act of betrayal in Absalom's eyes.

If Barzillai was reported for this, he could have been even at 80 with a man like Absalom easily easily executed. And yet at that time, he chose to step up and show his loyalty to the truth. And when he was supposed to be rewarded for that, rightfully so, he reflects it. And he says, not not to me, but give it to Him, he says, you're a servant. We don't know who Him, he really is, and you don't have to turn it unless you go to second first Kings two.

When you go to first Kings two, we are told that David tells Solomon, deal kindly with the sons of Barzalai, first Kings two seven. So you make that connection, you come to the conclusion that Chimham must be a son of Barzalai. So he's a son. And when I meditated on this, I thought, what a wonderful lesson. Here's the lesson.

That often, one of the joys of being faithful to the lord, even and especially in the latter part of life, is that you can expect there to be generational rewards. Kimham benefited from the loyalty and the fidelity of his father. It it trickled down to him. And I I see so much in in our Bibles that assures us that if we choose to walk with the Lord and stay consistent and persistent with the Lord, if God chooses to expand our seed, then those under your responsibility, those in your life who have been entrusted to you will surely be blessed by you and because of you in some measure. Understand that.

Your disobedience to the Lord doesn't just affect you. It will affect somebody else. Your obedience to the Lord will do the same. And I love to see this old aged man who made a decision to honor God, who still had though his body was filled, he still had a pumping heart to serve God's people. And who benefited from him?

Him, He benefited. And to what extent did Him, Him receive a reward? You know, I looked up his name. He's only mentioned three times, I believe, unless I count it wrong, in second Samuel, and he's only mentioned in one other place, at least his name, in all of the bible. And I think it'll be a nice way to end this bible study by doing a little bible study trivia.

Guess which book? Not first Kings. Not second Kings. Let me give you a hint. Many centuries have passed before he's mentioned again.

Few centuries. Don't use Google. I'll give you a few more moments to think about it. If anybody gets this, if anybody does get this, I will give you a big hug after bible study. So I'm not expecting it, but if somebody does come up with it, oh, you'll have an embrace for me.

Not Hebrews. It's not in the New Testament. There. So let's eliminate that. Alright?

It's not in the New Testament. You are very close, Morgan. It is not in Isaiah, but you are very close. Jeremiah. I want you to see it in Jeremiah 41.

Jeremiah 41. In verse 17. If you have the King James, it's even more clear, but I I believe every word for word translation has the mention of it. It says, and they went and stayed at Geruth Him Ham near Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt. Do you know how David rewarded Barzalai?

Do you know how he rewarded Kimham? He gave him a plot of land near his hometown. Here is a plot of land, and it was named after Kimham, and it remained there as a pillar for generations. You know, when Christ does return, and he will return, in like fashion, he will reward the faithful. Right?

And when he does reward the faithful, and may we be found faithful, his treasures will outshine whatever you imagined. His prepared prizes will be beyond what you can even contemplate. I'm not sure if this is what Barzalai expected, but I just find it to be something of a treat to see Him, Him's name mentioned in Jeremiah and to give the familiar student of the Old Testament a reminder that the king who came back rewarded and promised a reward, and it lasted. It lasted. And, again, as I mentioned earlier with Barzillai, he chose to serve David, and he was recognized for serving David at a particular time in Israel's history when it was very difficult to side with David.

You know, we're looking out in our world today, and you don't need to be a prophet to understand that in America, in North America, it's becoming increasingly, day by day, more difficult to associate, claim, profess Jesus Christ. I believe more than any other time in American history, I'm sure that's that's not up for debate. It's very obvious. That makes some people scared. That makes some people scared to have children.

That makes some people scared to do ministry. We're already seeing people in leadership positions that are demonstrating fear and concern for the sake of preservation of what? A building? Of what? A paycheck?

Be a prophet. Die for your God. Die for him. And this might be a frightful sight, but let me tell you, I believe it's one of the most exciting times to be a believer in Jesus Christ. You know why?

Because we get to serve Christ when it really does cost us. If this is the trajectory that we're heading in, then it's actually going to cost you to bear the name of Christ. And guess what? He's worthy. He's worthy of it.

And guess what? Just like Barzillai and King David, King David recognized that this man served them at a very, very inconvenient moment of history. And I have no doubt in my heart that as Christ looks down upon this generation of believers, even in the West, he will recognize who will be faithful. He will recognize who's who stood for him and who remained and who chose to make a difficult decision, though it's not difficult to say, I will side with the king no matter who sides against him. It wasn't popular to be with David.

And in your lifetime and mine, it's gonna be increasingly unpopular. You know, I was I don't have any social media. I recommend it. From time to time, I just allow my web browser to take me as far as I can go before it says, you need the app before you can look further in these timelines. And I went on Twitter, and I saw something about the LGBT thing.

You know? It's everywhere now. And, it was some kind of legislation or something that was being proposed, and I read the comments to it. And overwhelmingly you know what people were saying? Anybody who stands against the LGBT agenda there's more letters being added.

I can't keep up, but I'm just gonna say LGBT. The LGBT agenda should be arrested. And that was the common comment. Should be arrested, should be indicted, should be arrested, should be imprisoned. That's the language.

It wasn't like that a few years ago. It is like that now. And it's gonna go perhaps from Twitter comments to actual law. If God doesn't have mercy on this nation, God doesn't step in and spare us from the direction that we're headed to, then that will very likely be a reality. Get serious with your devotion to God now.

Stop waiting until the knife reaches your neck. I look at some people and I think, like, what are you waiting for? We had something unprecedented happen in the past three years. We had the whole world shut down, and we had the push for an antichrist system so aggressively forced upon us. And God lifted that and has given us another opportunity to serve him with a little freedom that we have left.

And Christians are still not getting it. A lot of them are not. I don't know what has happened to the Christians of this generation, but they got very quiet, generally speaking. I know some are very grateful that the doors have opened again and that we're in these places again, that we get to host meetings and and do what we're doing. But for many people, something happened to them post COVID.

I can't put my finger on it, but it's eerily disturbing. I don't know if part of it is because we've been hammering in people's minds. You know, we're the church. We don't need to meet during that whole fiasco. Holding on to that, now that the doors are open.

And now, church leaders who said they're saying, Oh, no. You come back. You need to meet. I don't know what it is. But it's concerning to me.

May the lord give us his zeal. May he make us ready because he's already given us a very strong hint of how things can change very drastically. The Bible is a Bible of history, but it's also a book that tells us us the future. We know what's going to happen. And it's not just to make us apocalyptic buffs and prophecy hunters, and it's to make us ready for what's coming.

The stage is being set. The stage is being set. If I were to preach out of the book of Revelation, especially Revelation 13, talk about the Antichrist and the Antichrist system, back in the eighties, people would think, oh, that's way far off. If I preach a series on it now, we can look at everything and say, it's here. It's it's right before us.

And it happened so fast. I never thought that in my lifetime, at this point in my life, I would see what I'm seeing now. I never thought. I'm sure you feel the same way. And here we are.

I believe we're only at the threshold. So what are we gonna do? Well, we're gonna get ready because he's worthy to be served. I'm excited. I don't wanna be presumptuous.

I don't wanna be like Peter and make these boastful claims, but I do wanna honor him. And I hope you feel the same way. With that being said, let's pray. Father, we thank you for this Bible study, and we thank you for people who love the church. We thank you for the people here who love your truth, who love to know all that you have to say.

Lord, may that remain as our heartbeat moving forward in this life. We ask, oh, God, that you would give us the resilience, the boldness, the hunger, the passion to be close to you, to be ready to sacrifice whatever you demand of us as you are continually being pushed out of our nation. May we go with you into exile. May we stand for you no matter what Absaloms rear their ugly heads. No matter what the majority chooses to do with King Jesus, may we choose to pledge our loyalty to Him regardless the cost.

Lord, we pray that this church and the churches that are represented here, that they would experience a fresh move of the Spirit with, not apart, but with and through the proclamation of the word of God. That there would be a revivals in our local churches across the land. That there would be a revival of truth. There'd be a revival of the the gospel being declared and sound doctrine being heralded. And a people who not just know this stuff, but live it and apply it without shame, without hesitation.

Lord we choose to give you glory. We choose to honor you tonight in light of this study. You are the Son of David, the true and lasting eternal King. And these things are but shadows. These things are but principles that point to the greater person.

And for this, we say, come, Lord Jesus. Lord, rule and reign in this world forever and ever. We are tired of this world. And yet, Lord, we trust and we know that your your your return is at the perfect time. And until then, help us be busy serving you, inviting people to you, and being equipped by your spirit and by your truth to do so with great fruit.

Lord, we love you and we honor you. We give you all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand and worship the Lord before we head back to our own little castles and honor God tonight.