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2nd
Samuel 3:1-39 “Now
there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and
the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. 2
And unto David were sons born in
Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3 and
his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third,
Absalom the son of Maachah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4
and the fourth, Adonijah the son of
Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 5
and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David’s
wife. These were born to David in
Hebron. 6 And
it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of
David, that Abner made himself strong for the houses of Saul. 7
And Saul had a concubine, whose name was
Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth
said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine? 8
Then was Abner very wroth for the words
of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head, which against Judah do shew
kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to
his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou
chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman? 9
So do God to Abner, and more also,
except, as the LORD
hath sworn to David, even so I do to him; 10
to translate the kingdom from the house
of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan
even to Beersheba. 11 And
he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him. 12
And Abner sent messengers to David on
his behalf, saying, Whose is this land? saying also, Make thy
league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about
all Israel unto thee. 13 And
he said, Well; I will make a league with thee:
but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face,
except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my
face. 14 And
David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul’s son, saying, Deliver me my
wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the
Philistines. 15 And
Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from
Phaltiel the son of Laish. 16 And
her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned. 17
And Abner had communication with the
elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king
over you: 18 now
then do it: for the LORD
hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all
their enemies. 19 And
Abner also spake in the ears of Benjamin:
and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that
seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin. 20
So Abner came to David to Hebron, and
twenty men with him. And David made
Abner and the men that were with him a feast. 21
And Abner said unto David, I will arise
and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a
league with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in
peace. 22 And
behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and
brought in a great spoil with them: but
Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was
gone in peace. 23 When
Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab,
saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and
he is gone in peace. 24 Then
Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto
thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite
gone? 25 Thou
knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy
going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest. 26
And when Joab was come out from David,
he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of
Sirah: but David knew it not. 27
And when Abner was returned to Hebron,
Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there
under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 28
And afterward when David heard it,
he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD
for ever, from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: 29
let it rest on the head of Joab, and on
all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that
hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth
on the sword, or that lacketh bread. 30
So Joab and Abishai his brother slew
Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. 31
And David said to Joab, and to all the
people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and mourn before
Abner. And the king David himself
followed the bier. 32 And
they buried Abner in Hebron: and the
king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people
wept. 33 And
the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? 34
Thy hands were not bound, nor thy
feet put into fetters: as a man falleth
before wicked men, so fellest thou.
And all the people wept over him. 35
And when all the people came to cause
David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me,
and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down. 36
And all the people took notice of it,
and it pleased them: as whatsoever the
king did pleased all the people. 37
For all the people and all Israel
understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. 38
And the king said unto his servants,
Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? 39
And I am this day weak, though
anointed king; and these men of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the LORD
shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.” Introduction [Audio
version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED666] “2nd
Samuel chapter 3, David has come to the throne in Hebron. Saul is dead, the tribe of Judah, which would
include part of the tribe of Benjamin, has come to David and anointed him to be
king over them in Hebron, the tribe of Judah, his own tribe. In the north, Ishbosheth the son of Saul has
been put on the throne (of the other 11 tribes of Israel) by Abner, a forceful
more dominant personality than Ishbosheth, one of Saul’s generals, Abner no
doubt has done this for his own positioning and his own political ends. And a contest had arisen between Joab and
some of David’s men and Abner and some of Saul’s men, and David it seems and
his men were victorious, only loosing 20, whereas Saul’s army had lost over
300. But in the process, Asahel, Joab’s
brother was killed by Abner, Abner not wanting to be involved in the contest,
begging him to turn away, and Asahel refused to turn away. And then it finally says, that Abner said to
Joab, he said ‘How long is blood going to be shed, it makes no sense,
we’re brethren in the final analysis, the Philistines are our enemies, but we
are one people,’ and Joab then left off and returned. But it says there was continual war. If you look in chapter 3, verse 1, “Now
there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and
the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.”
There is a growing sense that David is in fact the man that God has
chosen, there is constant tension though between the remnants of the house of
Saul and the northern tribes. But there
is constant war until the proper king is acknowledged, same as in our lives,
long war until the right king, the king of God’s choosing is acknowledged. David
And His Wives, What Does That Telling Us? Verse
2 to verse 5 kind of gives us a sketch of David in Hebron, and I think the Holy
Spirit gives it to us, certainly for more than one reason. It says “And unto David were sons born in
Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of
Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal
the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai
king of Geshur; and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth,
Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David’s
wife. These were born to David in
Hebron.” (verses 2-5) Now six wives and six sons,
can’t be anything but trouble [and by the end of David’s seven years in Hebron,
he had sons ages 1 through 7, all running around the throne making life
interesting to say the least]. God had
said in Deuteronomy chapter 17, ‘When you come into the land and you
choose a king, that king shall not multiply wives unto himself,’ now
Solomon would have a thousand, so evidently David thinks he’s adding, not
multiplying. Solomon I guess would be
multiplication. The Holy Spirit is not
just giving us a genealogy, I think it’s telling us more than that. He’s telling us of a chink in David’s armour,
one of his weaknesses. It was common in
that culture for the monarch, for the king to have a harem, even in some parts
of the world today that still goes on. None
of this was uncommon at the time, no doubt God’s design in the beginning was
one man one woman, he’s clear, he tells us that in the New Testament. David here, somehow I think even in this,
he’s in Hebron, he’s recognized now as king of Judah, his firstborn son in
Hebron is named Amnon, which means “faithful,” and I don’t know if it’s
betraying something of David’s heart at this point in time, he’s finally at
rest, him and his army have a kingdom, he’s recognized by all of those in
Judah. Of his wife Ahinoam the
Jezreelitess, his first son he names Amnon, which is “faithful.” Amnon of course will be involved in incest
and there will be trouble as things move forward. His second son, Chileab of Abigail, the wife
and widow of Nabal the Carmelite, Chileab has the idea of “a reflection or a
likeness of the father,” maybe David thought this one’s a chip off the old
block, it seems like he favoured Abigail, it tells us she was beautiful, and
she was spiritual, so he gives him that name.
We have no future history of him, he’s mentioned in 1st
Chronicles chapter 3 under the name “Daniel,” nothing ever comes of him. He’s not in any way called of God or put
before us in the Scripture as we move forward.
The third son is Absalom, which means “father of peace, Abba Shalom,”
interesting, Absalom, father of peace, the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai
king of Geshur [The Kingdom of Geshur, located
east of the Jordan River, coexisted with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah to
its south, and with the kingdom of Aram to the north (in present-day Syria),
located inside the eastern territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.] Now if you
remember, when David had defected in 1st Samuel, and he was
in the area of the Philistines, it said he went out on raiding parties, and he
came to the Geshurites and some other tribes, it says he didn’t leave man,
woman, child alive. Possibly at that
time, he took Maacah and killed the king of Geshur, it seems as they came into
these areas they left no one alive.
Possibly, one of the reasons, and I don’t know, it’s conjecture, that
Absalom, of course as Absalom becomes a man he turns on his father. [I think Pastor Joe may be off on this,
considering where Geshur was, across the Jordan in the middle of the territory
of the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh, meaning the king of Geshur, Talmai was
still alive and well, meaning this was a marriage to a foreign princess. But at the same time, it says in 1st
Samuel 27:8, “And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and
the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for
those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to
Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.”
This brings into question whether this was a different area of Geshur
which was to the south of the Geshur within the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh,
across the Jordan to the east.] Absalom
leads a revolt against David, he drives him out of Jerusalem, he takes his
wives and humiliates his father. Maybe
possibly some of that is sown in David’s cruelty to the Geshurites in taking
this woman, it seems of a non-Israelite tribe, Absalom, isn’t it interesting,
the son of peace, he would be anything except that to David. The fourth, Adonijah, which means “my Lord is
Jehovah,” Adonijah would try to usurp the throne when David died, and he was
the son of Haggith. The fifth,
Shephatiah, “Jehovah is Judge,” the son of Abital, and all of the names of the
sons, you get a little bit of the idea of the machinations of David’s heart, as
he’s there in Hebron for seven years, on the throne. And the
sixth, Ithream, which means “exalted of the people,” maybe he thought he
had great potential, I don’t know, by Eglah David’s wife, “These were born
to David in Hebron.” Now, as he
comes to Jerusalem, after the whole country is united, he takes more wives and
concubines, we have at least the names of eleven more children that are born to
him, ah 1st Chronicles chapter 3, verses 1 to 9
outline some of that, so. The Holy
Spirit is not just giving us here a kind of a genealogy of David’s family,
David’s wives, the Holy Spirit is taking note of a weakness in the man’s life,
whose a man whose heart is after God, this is a man who is very human. [be sure to look up and read 1st
Chronicles 3:1-9.] This is a man who the
LORD loves and he loves the LORD, this is the man that God is
going to use greatly. But this is the
man whose going to fail, and part of that failure will be attached right
there. And there is something in David
that evidently is not satisfied, you know, some of the, in the Middle East,
I’ve been there a number of times, some of the Arabs [Bedouin] have a saying
“one wife is too much, ten is not enough.”
And that says something, just for your information, you can figure it
out for yourself. But the idea is,
Solomon would go to the hundreds, to the multi-hundreds, a thousand, and not be
satisfied. Here is David adding wife
upon wife and will not be satisfied, will take another man’s wife. Jesus, remember the woman at the well, he
says to her, look, ‘If you come to me and drink, I’ll give you water,
living water, and once you drink of it you’ll be satisfied and never thirst
again.’ She said ‘What are
you taking about, Lord?’ He says
‘Well go on, bring your husband here.’ she said ‘Well I don’t have one,’ and
he said ‘You’re right, you’ve had five, and the guy you’re living with
now ain’t your husband.’ She
said, ‘Lord, I perceive you’re a prophet.’ And what he was saying to her, you
can drink of that well over and over and over and over and over, you can have a
hundred husbands and you’re not going to be satisfied. So ladies, gentlemen, stick with one. Ladies, it’s not fair that you to expect the
husband that you have to fulfill the place and life that only Jesus can
fulfill. The idea of what he was saying
to that women is, ‘Look, you can have a husband, and yet there is still a
place where you’re going to thirst within, if you come to me and drink I’ll
give you living water, that thirst will be satisfied.’ David could have just stuck with his
first wife, because he would say of the LORD, ‘As the deer panteth for the water, so panteth my
soul for thee O LORD.’ David will fall into
adultery, David will make his mistakes, and sadly, David will never be the king
that he was before he fell, he’ll still be king, he’ll never be the king he
was. He’ll never be the father he was
before he fell, because now he doesn’t have any right to say anything to his
own kids about their problems. He will
be a much greater psalmist, the Psalms we love, he will write in his brokenness
and in his perception of God’s grace, he will give to us of the depths of his
own sorrow and brokenness, our treasures to us today. In 2nd Samuel 23
when he signs off at the end of his life, he says ‘the LORD’s
anointed, the one God called from the sheepfold,’ he
calls himself ‘the sweet psalmist of Israel.’ He doesn’t say ‘I’m the king, I’m
the giant-slayer,’ he will say ‘I am the sweet psalmist of Israel.’ And I think the Holy Spirit putting something
in front of us as we go forward here.
Listen, one person is meant to be a life-partner for us [unless that
person turns out to be a non-believer and deserts you, then you may be allowed
to have another, but never two or more at once]. But to put that requirement on that person who
can never fill the place that only Jesus can fill in our lives isn’t fair to
that person. To put that on them, is to
insist they have something in them that they can’t supply. And then to think because you’re not getting
it from them you can get it from somebody else is to start running down rabbit
holes as it were. Here’s David, wife
after wife after wife, and the Holy Spirit is beginning to put in front of us,
one of the weaknesses of David as a man, he’s putting that in front of us
here. So, just a little intermission
there. The
Ambitions Of Abner, The General Who Tried To Be A ‘King-Maker’ Verse
6 says, “And it came to pass, while
there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made
himself strong for the house of Saul.”
no doubt with his own benefit in mind. Now Abner is kind of like David’s Joab,
he’s a rough guy that you’re not sure you appreciate all the time. “And Saul had a concubine, whose name was
Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth
said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine?” (verse
7) Now we don’t know if this is a
valid accusation or not, it seems that Abner gets in a rage after this. Look, in this culture, in this time, if the
king had a harem and the king died, that harem was either set aside and no man
ever touched any of those wives for the rest of their lives, or the harem
passed directly to the heir to the throne.
For any other man to get involved in this, and we’ll see examples as we
move forward in our study, for any other man to try to do this would be for
that man to think that he has some entitlement to the throne itself. So, Abner, if in fact he went into Rizpah, is
posing a real threat to Saul’s lineage, to the throne, to the dynasty. Now we don’t know if that happened or it
didn’t happen. Rizpah, her name means
“hot coal,” so either she was really hot or really not, I don’t know, whether
she looked really good or really bad, if she was a “hot coal,” I don’t know. It may have been hard for Abner to stay away
from this hot coal, I don’t know. “Then
was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s
head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy
father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into
the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this
woman?” (verse 8) now it’s very
interesting, there’s nowhere else in the Bible that phrase is used [except it
is used in the BBC series The Last Kingdom, about the Sword Danes
invading England in the 800s AD, by Sword-Dane warriors, it’s a term of total
disdain. The Danish, and Danish Vikings,
along with their relatives the Irish Tuatha de Danaan are descendants of
the Israelite tribe of Dan, so it could come from Hebrew warriors]. And there’s nowhere else in ancient Near
East literature. So we’re not sure this
is something that was part of Abner the son of Ner, probably something in their
family that said to each other, ‘You dog’s head.’ ‘Am I a dog’s head which against Judah
do show kindness this day presently unto the house of Saul, I mean, I’m on your
side, I’m standing up for the house of Saul against David, the house of Saul
thy father, to his brethren, to his friends, and have not delivered thee into his
hand, I haven’t delivered you over to David, and you charge me this day with a
fault concerning this woman?’ is he saying ‘Big deal, cut me a
break, it’s only one woman, one hot coal amongst many?’ “So do God to Abner, and more also,
except, as the LORD
hath sworn to David, even so I do to him;” (verse 9) Isn’t it
interesting, he knows that God has sworn to David that he would be king, and
now he says to Ishbosheth ‘Now I’m going to switch camps, I’m not going
to put up with this,’ “to translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and
to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to
Beersheba.” (verse 10) God doesn’t
need Abner’s help, I don’t know who Abner thinks he is. “And he” that’s Ishbosheth could not
answer Abner a word again, because he feared him.” (verse 11) Abner’s a
great warrior. “And Abner sent
messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also,
Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to
bring about all Israel unto thee.” (verse 12)
God does not need Abner to do that, Abner is playing politics. God will have his way, we’re going to see if
we have enough time, a miracle, it has nothing to do with Abner. “And he said,” David said “Well; I
will make a league with thee: but one
thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first
bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face.” (verse 13) because, remember David, that was his first
wife, Michal. And it says Saul gave
Michal to David to be a snare unto him, giving you a little commentary on the
girl from the father’s point of view I guess.
But she protected David when he fled, and then after David fled, Saul
took Michal and gave her to another man.
Now in ancient writings, the Code of Hammurabi, the ancient writings
from this part of the world, if you fled your country and you were a traitor,
and you left your wife and she was uncared for, and you forsook her with
everything else, ancient code said another man could take your wife, and if you
ever came back, she did not have to come back to you. But if a man was estranged by war, or he was
captured by another king, and it was against his will, and that woman married
another man, the ancient code said if you ever came back or ever came to
prominence again, that wife had to return to him, it was his wife. So, in the culture here, it’s not unusual
that David is saying ‘Look, you can come, but Saul took my wife when I
was at the lowest point of my life, and one of the things I want you to do,
you’re not going to come and see me unless your return Michal to me.’ When we hear about her we think ‘Why,
David? You got six and this one’s not
anything to write home about.’ And
it seems to be David’s diplomacy here, politically it will point to David’s
sovereignty over the northern tribes also [all 11 of them], and it will renew
no doubt David’s friendly ties with Benjamin, Saul’s house, it’s Saul’s
daughter. So David thinking things out,
I assume here. “And David sent
messengers to Ishbosheth Saul’s son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal,
which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” (verse
14) Remember, that was the price, he
actually brought 200, but all Saul asked for was 100. “And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her
husband, even from Phaltiel the son of Laish. And her husband went with her along weeping
behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner
unto him, Go, return. And he returned.”
(verses 15-16) We don’t know if
these are tears of joy, we’ll hear more about Michal, you’ll understand as time
goes on. [Also, when a guy like Abner
says ‘Go, return,’ you didn’t argue if you wanted to stay
alive.] “Then said Abner unto him,
Go, return. And he returned.” Abner’s
just that kind of guy, this guy’s following his wife wining and crying and
Abner looks at him says ‘Get lost, Go, return,’ and when Abner
says that, “And he returned.” “And
Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David
in times past to be king over you:
now then do it:” listen, Abner is going to condemn himself
here, and confess his own rebellion, “for the LORD
hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all
their enemies.” (verses 17-18) We’re
not sure when Abner knows that was specifically said, but he is well aware that
David is God’s choice. “And Abner
also spake in the ears of Benjamin: and
Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to
Israel, and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin. So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty
men with him. And David made Abner and
the men that were with him a feast.” (verses 19-20) Isn’t that interesting? David has changed so drastically, David is
not embittered at this point in time, David is not vindictive. Chapter 3, verse 1 it says there was a long
war between the house of Saul and the house of David. Now here is one of his main adversaries, he comes
and David receives him, David makes a feast for him, very much like the Son of
David, the Greater David, the King who will say “Blessed are the
peacemakers.” David made a feast for
them. “And Abner said unto David, I
will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they
may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine
heart desireth. And David sent Abner
away; and he went in peace.” (verse 21)
And Abner knows little of David’s heart, I don’t think David was
sitting anywhere thinking ‘I want to reign over ALL Israel,’ very much
the way that Abner thought. ‘I’ll
make a league with thee, that thou mayest reign over all thine heart desireth,’
“And David sent Abner away;” and look “he went in peace.” The Holy Spirit wants us to know this, he’s
going to mention it two more times, because of what’s going to happen with
Abner. I
Suspect God Allowed Joab To Put An End To Abner’s Ambitions As King-Maker, But
Joab Is Not Innocent In This “And,
behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and
brought in a great spoil with them: but
Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he
was gone in peace.” (verse 22) notice
again, “he was gone in peace.” “When
Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab,
saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he
is gone in peace.” (verse 23) third time in a few verses. “Then Joab came to the king, and said,
What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that
thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone?” (verse 24) Now listen, something doesn’t seem congruent
there, that doesn’t go together, ‘Joab said to the king?’ When you come to the king you say ‘Your
highness, lord,’ Joab says to the king ‘What do you think you’re
doing!? Why did you let this guy go?’ Can you imagine, that is not the way to talk
to the king, is it? Is it? How many times have we said to the King ‘Lord,
what do you think you’re doing? Why have
you done that in my life? Why did you
let this happen? What are you doing?’ to
the greater King. I’ve done it. You ever make suggestions? ‘Lord, if I was you.’ No offense, I’m so glad you’re not. You’re glad I’m not too. And he’s glad none of us are. ‘Lord, if I was you I would do this, I
would do that,’ you know, here’s a lesser king, and it seems so wrong. Joab says ‘What are you doing? You let this guy go, why have you sent this
guy away? he’s gone already.’ Joab
is the kind of general, commander, you know he’s great to have with you on the
battlefield, but you don’t want him back in town with you, because you can’t
get rid of him. David’s going to
pronounce a curse on his house here, David’s going to tell Solomon ‘You
gotta get rid of this guy, I tried my whole life,’ David’s going to appoint
somebody else general, Joab’s going to hear about it, he comes to town and
kills the guy, he comes back to David and says ‘Here I am, your general,’ you
just can’t get rid of Joab. And some of
that is very apparent here, when he challenges David himself and says ‘What
have you done? Why is it you’ve let this
guy go?’ “Thou knowest Abner the son
of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming
in, and to know all that thou doest.” (verse 25) he said ‘You know, he just came as
a spy.’ Now Joab doesn’t really
think that, Joab wants vengeance because Abner’s killed his brother. [Joab also doesn’t want Abner around David, he
doesn’t want the competition.] But he
says ‘David, he came in here as a spy, all he wants to do is watch how
you move around, your going out, your coming in, to learn all that he
can,’ “And when Joab was come out
from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the
well of Sirah: but David knew it not.”
(verse 26) Now the well of Sirah,
there’s a debate, there’s two places, one’s only a mile north of Hebron, the
other one’s two and a half miles north of Hebron, the idea is, he wasn’t far
out of town, he wasn’t long gone. And
he’s retrieved. And Joab brings him
back. And no doubt Joab presents this
argument like the king wants to talk to him, no doubt he brought him back in
the name of David, for Abner to turn right around and come back again. So he sends his men after him, ‘You come
back to town.’ “And when Abner
was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him
quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the
blood of Asahel his brother.” (verse 27)
“quietly” is “peaceably.” He
gave Abner the distinct impression they were on good terms and wanted to talk,
he was in good with the king now, he had something to say to him, took him
aside to speak with him peaceably, “and smote him there under the fifth rib,
that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.” an eye for an eye,
tooth for a tooth, very much in the mindset of that culture, and basically in
places in the world today. [Can you
imagine the number of Syrians, should Basher Assad lose his protection, who would
be seeking to kill him in vengeance for lost family members due to this
man?] Abner had smote his brother under
the fifth rib back in chapter 2, verse 23, now he smites him under the fifth
rib. We hear in America of the Hatfield’s
and the McCoy’s, family feuds that go on for long periods of time. You have to understand this, in the Near
East, that is something that goes on for thousands of years. And in this culture, and even in the Bible
there was actually the place for “the avenger of blood,” there were no police
forces, there were no detective agencies.
So if someone killed someone in your family, killed your brother, you
didn’t call the detectives, there was no vice squad, no law enforcement
agencies, it fell on the nearest male member of the family to go and pursue
that murderer, and to find him and to kill him, it was called “the avenger of
blood.” [A one-season, 8 episode series
that just came out on Amazon Prime is called The Terminal List, about a
Navy Seal whose wife and little girl were murrdered, and it is about how this
Navy Seal did the detective work, found out a number of people who were
responsible for this evil act, and went down the list, killing off everyone on
it. It gives a graphic example of what
an avenger of blood does. Mercy was not
a factor in something like this, and you can see why as you watch the story
unfold.] That mentality is very alive in
parts of the world today. Now, the
problem here, is that the Book of Numbers and the Book of Deuteronomy is very
clear in this regards and the Book of Joshua, in regards to several things. First of all, the avenger of blood would go
avenge the blood of a loved one. If the
person had been killed in self-defense or by an accident, then the man who shed
the blood was allowed to flee to one of the cities of refuge, and he would be
safe there. The interesting thing about
our passage is Hebron was one of the cities of refuge. And Abner should have been safe there. Some scholars try to say ‘Well it was
outside of the gate.’ The Hebrew
actually says it was in the middle of the gate, it was in the city wall, in the
middle of the gate, that Joab lured him in there and Joab killed someone who
had defended himself, and he did it right in a city of refuge, and he violated
so much of what was sacred in Israel by God’s Word. Listen, for the sake of vengeance, vengeance,
revenge, it can burn in our hearts. It
can burn in our hearts. Sometimes we
think we are the avenger of blood, and there’s been a wrong, and God has called
us to be the one, the assassin who goes out and evens the score, gossip for
gossip, rumour for rumour, blow for blow--that’s not what we’re taught in the
Scripture. Interesting picture here,
Joab comes in, takes this man, smites him under the 5th rib, just
like he had smitten his brother, and it says he did it for Asahel his brother. David
Makes Sure His Kingdom Is Absolved From Joab’s Murder Of Abner “And
afterward when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are
guiltless before the LORD
for ever, from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: let it rest on all his father’s house; and
let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a
leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that
lacketh bread.” (verses 28-29) David says, ‘Because of Joab, let God’s
vengeance be on the house of Joab, and let there not fail people who are
troubled and warn and broke and crippled from the house of Joab, because of
what he’s done let it all come on his house, let his house be troubled.’ “So Joab and Abishai his brother slew
Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.”
(verse 30) now it gives us more details, Abishai was also involved and it
tells us why, “because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the
battle.” “And David said to Joab, and to
all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with
sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And
king David himself followed the bier.
And they buried Abner in Hebron:
and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and
all the people wept. And the king
lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet
put into fetters: as a man falleth
before wicked men, so fellest thou.
And all the people wept over him.” (verses 31-34) You know, David is just so grieved the
way this happened, it was not right. You
know, it’s interesting, if you’ve read, and we have some great books in the
bookstore, on Abraham Lincoln, and how his heart was tortured over the Civil
War, the nation being divided, and how he tried to grind that out before God,
the bloodiest war, and why God would allow that. And I think David here, much in that he longs
to see Israel and Judah united, he longs to see one kingdom under the LORD’s
care. I think that David was just
delighted that Abner came, a known warrior, and realized all the children of
Israel were one nation, and longed to see them united, and David now, broken,
weeping over a man that had long been his enemy. We have lessons to learn here, all of us, and
he said it was so sad, this man, a great warrior in Israel, he died as a fool,
he was slain, struck down in the street, he wasn’t taken in fetters, wasn’t
taken in war. “And all the people
wept over him.” “And when all the people
came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So
do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun go
down.” (verse 35) ‘Now I’m mourning
this day for Abner, I’m not going to eat, I’m pouring out my heart.’ “And all the people took notice of it,
and it pleased them: as whatsoever the
king did pleased all the people.” (verse 36)
They’re taking note of David’s character, and there is growing
favour and loyalty, this man is really broken, he’s not bloodthirsty, he didn’t
want to see these things happen, it’s very interesting to see what’s going on
here. And he set an example for his
future army, his officers and so forth. “For
all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king
to slay Abner the son of Ner. And the
king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man
fallen this day in Israel? And I am
this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be
too hard for me: the LORD
shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.” (verses 37-39) “weak” you’re
translation may say “tender” “I am broken, though anointed king,” ‘Yes, I
might be the king of the nation, but I am broken, this was a great man and a
prince in Israel.’ “and these men
the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me,” ‘too much for me to handle,
Joab and his brothers.’ “the LORD
shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.” (verses 39c) good
lesson for us to learn, you got a Joab in your life? Let the LORD
take care of him. You got people in your
life that are too hard to handle? I
could write a short list [me too], don’t say I’m married to one, that’s not
what I’m talking about here. If there
are in people your life that are too hard to handle, don’t seek vengeance for
yourself, David said the LORD
takes care of that. He does that, he’ll
bring that person down.” 2nd
Samuel 4:1-12 “And
when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and
all the Israelites were troubled. 2
And Saul’s son had two men that were
captains of bands: the name of the one was
Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of
the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth
also was reckoned with Benjamin. 3
And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and
were sojourners there until this day.) 4
And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that
was lame of his feet. He was
five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and
his nurse took him up, and fled: and it
came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 5
And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite,
Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of
Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 6
And they came thither into the midst of
the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him
under the fifth rib: and Rechab
and Baanah his brother escaped. 7
For when they came into the house, he
lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and
beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
8 And
they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king,
Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy
life; and the LORD
hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. 9
And David answered Rechab and Baanah his
brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD
liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10
when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul
is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew
him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his
tidings: 11 How
much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon
his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you
away from the earth? 12 And
David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and
their feet, and hanged them up over the pool of Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and
buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.” Three
People, Two Evil, One Good “And
when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble,” Ishbosheth,
his general’s gone, “and all the Israelites were troubled. And Saul’s son had two men that were
captains of bands:” they were captains in his army, “the name of the one
was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a
Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin:
(for Beeroth also was reckoned with Benjamin. 3
And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and
were sojourners there until this day.)
And Jonathan” now it’s just telling
us this, because we’re going to come to this later, “Saul’s son, had a son that
was lame of his feet. He was
five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and
his nurse took him up, and fled: and it
came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.” (verse
4) this son, Mephibosheth, we’re going to find out, is 5 years old, and
he’s Jonathan’s son. And when word comes
that his grandfather Saul and his father Jonathan were slaughtered on the
battlefield at Jezreel, his nurse who cared for him, and sought to flee, to
spare the life of Jonathan’s son, and somewhere in the process is says, as the
nurse took him up and fled, “and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee,
that he fell, and became lame.” That’s all it says, it doesn’t tell us whether
she dropped him, he fell over the edge of a cliff, or whether it was a back
injury that left him paralyzed, whether his legs were broken, it doesn’t tell
us. It says “she made haste to flee,
that he fell, and became lame. And his
name was Mephibosheth.” It means “exterminating the idol,” it means
“destroying shame,” what was in the heart of Jonathan, his father, when he
looked at his son? Mephibosheth, The
Exterminator of Idols, the destroyer of shame, he must have had great hopes
for his son, great hopes, the heart of Jonathan, Jonathan would have
exterminated all idols as he stood next to David. He would have destroyed all shame out of the
land. David
Avenges The Murder Of Ishbosheth, Saul’s Son “And
the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the
heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.” (verse
5) So
he’s sleeping in the middle of the day, it’s a siesta or he’s a musician, we’re
not told, we’re not sure. These names,
Ishbosheth, Mephibosheth, Isaiah had one really long weird, “And they came
thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched
wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother
escaped.” (6) they came into somewhat of a palace, acting as they would
have gotten supplies, and they smote him under the 5th rib, the idea
is on the left side, hit the heart, it’s a typical deathblow, and Rechab and
Banana escaped, “For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his
bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his
head, and gat them away through the plain all night. 8
And they brought the head of Ishbosheth
unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the
son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD
hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.” (verses 7-8) what’d
he do, just hold it out? They come
thinking they’re going to please David with this. David had learned the hard way that it was
the LORD
that was his strong tower, the LORD
is his rearguard, ‘Though ten thousand fall at my right hand,’ David
would say, ‘Many are they that rise up against me,’ the LORD
was his shield, and David had learned. “And
David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the
Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD
liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,” ‘I’m standing here
alive today because the LORD
takes care of me, not two whackos that are Beerothites,’ “when
one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good
tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I
would have given him a reward for his tidings:” (verses 9-10) So that tells us
what the motive of that Amalekite was, “How much more, when wicked men have
slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore
now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?” (verse
11) Now he says ‘If this man
came to me and told me Saul was dying anyway and begged me to kill him, and he
was wrong for touching the LORD’s
anointed, what do you think I’m going to do with you guys who killed a man in
his own house on his own bed, who was innocent, you murdered him, and you come
to me thinking I’m going to approve of that?
When everything we have of Moses and God’s Law forbids that, tells us
that it’s wrong.’ “And
David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and
their feet, and hanged them up over the pool of Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and
buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.” (verse 12) So, kind of a
gory little snapshot there of things happening in the quiet of the day in
Hebron. 2nd
Samuel 5:1-8 “Then
came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold,
we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2
Also in time past, when Saul was king
over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD
said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain
over Israel. 3 So
all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a
league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. 4
David was thirty years old when
he began to reign, and reigned forty years. 5
In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven
years and six months: and in Jerusalem
he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah. 6
And the king and his men went to
Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou
take away the blind and lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking David cannot come in hither. 7
Nevertheless David took the strong hold
of Zion: the same is the city of
David. 8 And
David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the
Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he
shall be chief and captain [1st Chronicles 11:6]. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame
shall not come into the house.” David
Is Anointed King Over All Of Israel--All 12 Tribes “Now
“Then” now we’ve been waiting for this “Then” for a long
time. David, it brings us to when David
is 37 years old, we are at least 20 years now after Samuel had come and poured
the oil on David and anointed him to be king of Israel. And all that while, he was God’s anointed
king, he was not yet the king God had anointed him to be, and God was making
him into that man. And God sums up those
20 years with a “Then” as he can do that in our lives. He comes to the day that he long awaits, he
has a calling on our lives, he knows how valuable each one of us are, he knows
the potential of one life, he knows what might be wrought out for his purposes
and his Kingdom, in eternity, through each one of us, and he takes us to his
own seminary, and he takes us through the ropes, and he prepares us, he changes
us and he forms us, and the day comes and he says “Then” and that’s
where we’re at, at this point in time, “Then” Listen, “Then came all the tribes of
Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone
and thy flesh.” (verse 1) Listen, David’s
not out campaigning, David’s not out trying to round them up, Abner who said he
was going to do it is dead, he had nothing to do with it, it just says “Then
came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold,
we are thy bone and thy flesh” because it was God’s “Then.” “Then came all the tribes of Israel to David
unto Hebron,” this is the first time that we have all of the tribes of
Israel together since the end of the Book of Joshua. This is the first time this is being realized
under a monarchy in Israel, without David’s efforts, without his working, “we
are thy bone and thy flesh. Also
in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and
broughtest in Israel:” ‘You’re the one who led us in battle, we found
victory, you were our leader even under Saul,’ “and the LORD
said to thee, Thou shalt feed [thou shalt
shepherd] my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king
to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.”
(verses 1-4) this is the third anointing now of
David. He was anointed by Samuel,
somewhere between 15 and 17 years old, as a youth, ruddy, the horn of oil was
dumped upon his head. He was anointed
back in 2nd Samuel chapter 2, all of the men of Judah came to him
and anointed him king in Hebron. Now
this is the third time, the entire nation comes. Now listen, it’s a picture of Jesus Christ,
in so many ways it’s a picture of the Lord.
The Lord will never force himself down our throats, he waits, he waits
until we come willingly, and say ‘you’re King, you’re our kinsman Redeemer,
our bone and our flesh. Whenever there
was victory it was because you led us in and you led us out.’ Listen, I’m going to read, you don’t have
to turn there, I’ll read, it’s in 1st Chronicles 12:23-40,
because it says “They came,” “And these are the numbers of the bands that
were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom
of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.”
I want to give you a little idea of what
happened, it says, ‘The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were
six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed to the war. Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of
valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. Of the children of Levi” these are
Levites, priests coming from all over Israel “four thousand and six
hundred. And Jehoiada was the leader of
the Aaronites,” Aaron’s lineage, the priestly line “and with him
were three thousand and seven hundred; and Zodak, a young man mighty of valour,
and of his father’s house twenty and two captains. And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred
of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto
the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul. And of the children of Ephraim twenty
thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the house
of their fathers. And of the half tribe
of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name to come and make
David king. And of the children of
Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what
Israel ought to do;” and how we need to be men and women that have
understanding of the times that we live in today, and how necessary for us to
know today what we’re to do in the world we live in, there has never been a
time when each one of us should be exhorting the folks that are around us to be
Christ-followers, to be followers of God’s inerrant Word, to be seekers of the
Holy Ghost, that men’s faith would not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the
power of God, there has never been a time when it’s been more crucial for God’s
men and women to understand the times they live in, the urgency of the hour,
and what that means, and what we ought to do, these are great people to have
around you. [Comment: The times we live in now as compared to the
year 2010 when Pastor Joe gave this sermon are even more crucial for us to have
an understanding of. To come up to speed
on those times and events, see https://unityinchrist.com/topical%20studies/America-ModernRomans5.htm.] “the heads of them were two hundred;
and all their brethren were at their commandment. Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle,
expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep
rank: they were not of double heart.” 50,000
men that could keep rank and weren’t going to turn and run chicken in battle. “Of Naphtali a thousand captains, and
with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand. And of the Danites expert in war twenty and
eight thousand and six hundred. And of
Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand. And on the other side of Jordan, of the
Reubenites, and of the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all
manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand. All these men of war, that could keep rank,
came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one
heart to make David king.” Approximately
the numbers here, 339,600 men, over a thousand captains, there’s over 340,000
men of war, come to Hebron to put David on the throne, to anoint him, to make
him king. “And there they were
with David three days, eating and drinking:
for their brethren had prepared for them. Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali,
brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat,
meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and
sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.”
(verses 23-40) Sounds like a
great barbeque, doesn’t it? “for
there was joy in Israel.” 1st
Chronicles 12:23-40 if you want to read that on your own. You know, it just tells us here, “So all
the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league
with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.”
(verse 3) that’s over 340,000 warriors from all
over the country, that scene is just incredible. “David was thirty years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” (verse 4) until he was
70, “In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years, and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three
years over all Israel and Judah.” (verse 5) The
Taking Of Jerusalem From The Jebusites And
listen to this, verse 6, “And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto
the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land:
which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the
lame, thou shalt not come hither:
thinking David cannot come in hither.”
that is quite a regal statement, “the king and his men,” hundreds of
thousands of them. Israel has a king
now. The king and his men, I want to be
one of those. Don’t you? The king and his gals, ok. “And the king and his men went to Jerusalem
unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou
take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come hither: thinking David cannot come in hither.” (verse
6) Listen, Jerusalem was on the
central ridge of the Jerusalem mountains, it was the heart of the land, it was
the most strategic place in the land.
The Psalmist will say “As the mountains are around Jerusalem, so
is the LORD
around his people.” You know, those of you who have been there
with us, been there many times, you have the valley of Kidron on one side, the
valley of Hinnom on another, Jerusalem was really only approachable from the
north, it was defendable, as we read through here it’s going to be called a
fortress, it’s going to be called a stronghold, it was the center ridge of the
land, and the Jebusites were there, and nobody had ever taken them. And it’s almost like David says, ‘No more
messing around, now it’s time.’ The
king is there, and it says they went to the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the
land, and look, “which spake unto David,” they yell over the wall,
“saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come
hither: thinking David cannot come in
hither.” so they’re mocking him, saying ‘We’re going to go to bed,
we’re gonna leave the blind and the crippled guarding the wall, and unless you
can get past them you ain’t getting in here.’ Because it was a fortress that withstood for
centuries, since Genesis chapter 12, early, since Abraham came into the land,
the Jebusites, it was a stronghold, it had never really been taken, since the
Book of Genesis, and that’s going to end now, it’s going to end. And they mocked David, they said ‘You’re
not getting in here,’ now what had happened, those of you who have gone
with us, David’s going to say [in 1st Chronicles 11:6] ‘Whoever
gets in there and whoever opens the main gate, is going to be my main guy,’ now
of course it’s going to be Joab, who he already thinks he wants to get rid of,
and he’s going to prove he’s the main guy, it’s called Warren’s Shaft today,
you can look down it, it is Joab’s tunnel.
You go to the south of the Temple Mount, there’s the City of Zion, which
we’re looking at here, and the Spring of Gihon which is down there. The ideal thing was to have a water source
inside the walls, then you were impregnable, you have great walls, you couldn’t
get through the walls of the city, and you had a water source, you could stay
there forever, for years. So there’s a
long shaft that’s carved straight down through the rock, you think of guys with
hammers and chisels that did this, this is determination. These are not people used to instant-on
cameras, instant breakfasts, instant-on television, these people worked for
years to accomplish something. And Joab
found that shaft, he got in where the Gihon Spring was, and he climbed up that
shaft and got into the city to open the gates.
It doesn’t give us the whole story here.
That’s not the point here, that God is making. God says “the king and his men went to
Jerusalem” to the heart of the land, “unto the Jebusites,” ‘and they
mocked him and said ‘You’re not gonna come in here, you can’t even get past the
blind and the lame,’ thinking that David was not able. Listen, “Nevertheless David took the
strong hold of Zion: the same is
the city of David.” (verse 7) this
is hundreds of years gone, one verse, one verse, all that’s over, one verse, ‘nevertheless
David took the city of Zion.’ “And
David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the
Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he
shall be chief and captain [1st Chronicles 11:6]. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame
shall not come into the house.” Look,
here it is, finally this stronghold is taken.
It’s interesting, that the problem all along was never the battle, it
was just finding the right king. The
problem is never the battle, it’s the right King. The problem is never the battle. Listen, I have husbands and wives sit in my
office and they argue with each other, it’s always a lordship problem, ‘Well
I would submit to him if he’d love me the way Christ loved the Church,’ ‘Well
I’d love her the way Christ loved the Church if she wasn’t such a bobcat, if
she was submissive,’ no, no, the problem here is you don’t have the right
king, your husband’s not the King, your wife’s not the King, your behaviors and
your actions are to be determined by the King.
Once you have the right King, you can take the heart of the land. It’s a Lordship issue. ‘Well I have this problem with anger, I
have this problem with forgiveness,’ you don’t have the right King, you
have a problem with it, do you have the right King? ‘I have a problem with
pornography,’ you have a Lordship problem, because if you could hear the
right King telling you ‘Get away from there, turn that off,’ you
wouldn’t have a problem at all. If the
heavens split open tonight and you saw him coming through the sky on a white
horse, you’d have immediate victory over pornography…[transcript of a
connective expository sermon on 2nd Samuel 3:1-39, 2nd
Samuel 4:1-12 and 2nd Samuel 5:1-8, given by Pastor Joe Focht,
Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116] related
links: Audio
version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED666 The
times we live in now, as compared to the year 2010 when Pastor Joe gave this
sermon, are even more crucial for us to have an understanding of. ` To
come up to speed on those times and events, see https://unityinchrist.com/topical%20studies/America-ModernRomans5.htm
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