2nd Evangelical Free Church

Blogging through Samuel: Evil appears to prosper but God is in control.

2 Samuel 15

Absalom revealed himself to be the consummate politician. We know that he was vain about his looks and appearance because of the note about his hair in the previous chapter. No doubt he was quite good looking and possessed a great deal of personal charisma that attracted the admiration and acclaim of everyone. We see how he made promises that made David look bad, promises that he could not fulfill even he ever really intended to do so. His behavior resembles our own political climate. And in true political fashion, he used religion and God to mask his evil intentions. He was a self-centered deceitful man who cared nothing about the Lord. He was out to gain power and make a name for himself and in the process destroy all those who get in his way including his father whom he hated with great passion.

When Absalom declared himself King, David and his followers fled Jerusalem. It is strange that he did not consult the Lord, did not make plans to oppose his son and go into battle. Perhaps he thought that this was a fulfillment of Nathan’s prophecy of troubles arising from within his own family. If Absalom’s rebellion was part of the Lord’s discipline, he was not sure he should resist. In addition, he may have been concerned that if he stayed and defended Jerusalem, he would be placing all its inhabitants at risk. Finally, David loved Absalom and did not want to fight or kill him. He cannot enter into battle if his heart was not in it to win. Yet Absalom was perfectly willing to kill David.

Perhaps one lesson we learn is that sometimes it is better not to resist evil-doers but let them have their way. Greater evil may result from our fighting and answering them in kind. Instead we should allow the Lord to defend us and administer justice. Yet the way of the world is always to exact vengeance, to pay back evil for evil. Such behavior leads to ever increasing violence that resolves nothing.

 

Blogging through Samuel: Repentance not revenge should be a way of life.

2 Samuel 14

David did nothing to Absalom except grieve over the loss of one son and the alienation of another. Enmity existed now between father and son because Absalom was angry that David did nothing to punish Amnon for raping Tamar even though the law required payment of a fine and/or marriage, but not death. Maybe he felt guilty because his own personal sin was so much like Amnon’s. Maybe he felt that it was his fault and he lacked the spiritual fortitude to properly discipline any of his sons. Whatever the case, Absalom took it upon himself to punish his brother for the great outrage and violation of Tamar though he lacked the authority to do so. He slew his brother out of personal malice and hate not out of justice or respect for the Lord.  

What is worse is that Absalom thought he had done nothing wrong. This is a common problem in today’s society. People do not want to admit to wrong doing even when it is blatant and when they have been caught red-handed. They prefer to lay blame on someone else, on the government or on their parents. Such people probably had parents who were uncaring, selfish and distant. The children of such parents grow up bitter and self-centered. Many grow up with no sense of morality or personal responsibility. Like Absalom they never admit to having done anything wrong and if they do, it is always someone else’s fault.

The sad thing is that no one can become a Christian without admitting to and confessing his or her own wickedness. In addition Christians must be humble enough to admit that they are wrong and ask for forgiveness regardless of the role others may have played in causing the sin. Reconciliation is impossible without such an admission of guilt and sorrow. 

 

Blogging through Samuel: The sins of the fathers are visited on the children.

2 Samuel 13

We begin to see the serious effects that David’s sin has on his sons. Such effects are a part of David’s punishment but result from the natural consequences of his parenting style which we can assume to be that of neglect and distance. When we read the Psalms we see David as a passionate and sensitive man one who, we would assume, would be a good father and husband. Yet he was a leader and warrior who was seldom at home. From what we see in these chapters we can assume that he rarely spent time with his children developing relationships and trust. If he had spent time with them we can be sure that neither Absalom nor Amnon would have behaved as they did. 

This is not to imply that they learned nothing from David. Amnon certainly imitated his father by lusting after a woman he could not have, his half-sister Tamar, and raping her. As first born and the heir to the throne, he developed a fantastic ego in which he denied himself nothing. Absalom imitated his father by using violence to satisfy his sense of justice. He had no authority to do so and behaved with wicked deceit to satisfy personal vengeance. 

What we learn from these two bad boys is that we ought to be more attentive and compassionate in dealing with our kids. Fathers and mothers who spend too much time away from their kids with work or personal leisure will find their kids indulging their personal lusts in imitation of their parents. We should spend quality time with our children so they grow to love, trust and obey us and so they will share their feelings and doubts. In church, we must do the same for those children whom the Lord sends into our care. Show them the unconditional love of Jesus and they will respond to His call.

 

Blogging through Samuel: Oh what a tangled web we weave.

2 Samuel 12

David went to great lengths to conceal his adultery. Sinners often think they can get away with their sins. They may be able to deceive other people and go unnoticed, but God always sees and knows. Many people sin anyway because they either do not believe in Him or are convinced that He does not mind. They have convinced themselves that there are no consequences to sin. One of the catch phrases of the so-called “sexual revolution” of the sixties that justified “free love” was “Do your own thing so long as it doesn’t hurt anybody.” Today we see the consequences in the high rate of divorce, the breakup of families, abortion, the acceptance of immorality as the norm and the widespread incidence of sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS. Sin always hurts someone and it always has consequences.

 If we don’t think that sin hurts anyone, we should think again. God is hurt by every sin because every sin is an affront to His holiness and goodness and a rejection of His wisdom and lovingkindness. And look at the suffering that results from David’s sin. Since the Lord forgave him, we might think he got off easy. But did he? His sin had adverse and tragic consequences for his family and so for him. Nathan told him of the calamities and bloodshed that would befall his own household because of his sin. Then Nathan told him that the son born of the sinful liaison with Bathsheba will fall gravely ill and die. Some might think the Lord cruel for taking that innocent life. He is not. We just fail to see how serious our sins are and the unforeseen effects they can have on our loved ones. Rather than question God, we ought to repent and change our ways.  

 

Blogging through Samuel: How even the best can succumb to sin.

2 Samuel 11

Up to this point the writer of Samuel has told us nothing bad about David. Now we encounter his dark side. David was supposed to be out of Jerusalem with the army on Kingdom business. Instead he was resting at home. Maybe he was bored with the fighting because a siege can be a time consuming process in which most of the time there is little action. Maybe he arrogantly assumed that the army would do just as well even if he was not there. In any case, staying home was the beginning of his sin for, as we say, idle hands are the devil’s workshop. This sin of not being where God wanted him to be, led to adultery, deceit and murder. 

David was a man after God’s own heart up to this point. If a man as spiritual as he could fall so quickly and so utterly we should look to ourselves. David set himself up for this fall because he chose to stop doing the Lord’s work, to take it easy and indulge the flesh. Very often we too do the same thing, indulge the flesh by forsaking the self-denial and self-discipline that godly behavior demands. We get fed up with the rigor of carrying our cross. We prefer to forsake the glory of the Lord to seek our own. We are attracted by the false pleasures of the world.

Inevitably we sin and one sin leads to another and another as it did with David. Soon we find ourselves so far off the way of the Lord that people can not even tell we are Christians. And what is worse, we have built up such a web of lies, deceit and self-deception that we do not even know it. 

 

Blogging through Samuel: Don’t spread rumors.

2 Samuel 10

Once again we see David extending compassion toward someone who was hurting. The King of Ammon had died and David sent emissaries to extend his condolences to his son. The new king chose to misinterpret David’s intentions aided by the dark suspicions of his advisers. They believed a rumor that David had designs on their kingdom because they judged based on what they heard even though it contradicted what they knew of the goodness and friendship of the past. Their suspicions and misconceptions brought down on them the very tragedy they feared.

The behavior of the Ammonites shows us how quickly people are to believe rumors, to believe the worst about a person even when these contradict what we know from past experience. A suspicious mind tends to misinterpret even the most innocent and innocuous statements, to believe that the speaker has evil intentions. Such rumors and suspicions can wreak havoc on individuals, families and churches for even Christians believe the worst. Yet the Christian is commanded to love his brothers and even his enemies. And love, as the apostle Paul wrote, does not look at the worst but hopes for the best and always trusts even when circumstances may seem to run counter to what one knows. After all, we must keep faith in the love of the Lord even when our pain and suffering would make us wonder what He is doing. 

 

Blogging through Samuel: More of helping the downtrodden.

2 Samuel 9

David showed kindness to another descendant of Saul, a son of Jonathan. He desired to do this to demonstrate that he had no ill-will towards Saul and his family. He did not possess the desire for vengeance which marked worldly kings who sought to exterminate their rivals and opponents. So David was inclined to be kind toward Mephibosheth, a man we have already encountered. He was severely disabled and lame in his feet. In addition he appeared to be emotionally handicapped as well for he called himself a “dead dog”. A person who sees himself as such must possess a very low opinion of himself and be very depressed. 

People who are physically handicapped can often fall into despair and discouragement. So too can those who are socially unpopular, not physically attractive, non-athletic, or shy. David’s treatment of this man should teach us how we should treat those who are so unfortunate. He was kind and generous and refused to confirm the man in his poor self-image. When we meet with those who are handicapped, we too must encourage them. We must be generous, loving and kind. It would be wrong for us to ridicule them ourselves or allow others to ridicule or abuse them or take advantage of them in any way.

 

Blogging through Samuel: We can be fearless in battle.

2 Samuel 8

The narrative in this chapter links back to Chapter 5 which recounted David’s victory over the Philistines. As the nations surrounding Israel saw the growth of David’s power and the Kingdom of Israel, they felt threatened. These nations made war on Israel and David responded. Unfortunately for them, David was undefeatable because of the Lord’s power and protection. Perhaps they should have made peace rather than war for then they might have been spared great loss. 

We can be as fearless as David. Since he knew the Lord would protect him, he must have quite daring. We too have that same protection from the Lord. We do not have to worry about going into a military conflict for our battles are spiritual, not worldly. One way in which we wage war is by fighting temptation in ourselves. David’s invulnerability should tell us that we need never succumb as long as we keep close to Jesus. 

Another way we wage war is by spreading the gospel. There too we need not fear what others can do or say to us for the very preaching of the gospel is a victory. We also wage war by opposing evil and standing up for what is right. There is no need for us to compromise with the world and its evil. All of these battles will win for us the crown of glory from the Lord because we have fought the fight and faithfully persevered until the end.

 

Blogging through Samuel: The King as mediator of God’s covenant.

2 Samuel 7

David intended to make Jerusalem the central place of religious worship by building a permanent Temple for the Lord. But the Lord had other plans. David is not to build a Temple. Instead the Lord builds David’s house. The Lord made a covenant with David in which He promised him an eternal dynasty. In addition, He made the King the center of religious and civil culture and Jerusalem the center of worship and religious life. The relationship of Yahweh and the King would be as Father to son. This indicates that the Lord had shifted His method of dealing with Israel to dealing with the King. The King was now the mediator of the covenant between Yahweh and man. He must walk in obedience to the Lord in order to insure the blessings of peace and security on Israel. Otherwise both he and the nation would be disciplined by the Lord.

This new relationship is an example of God’s lovingkindness for it prophesies the mission of the Messiah. He is not only the eternal King who descends from David’s dynasty, but He is also the mediator of the covenant between Yahweh and His people. Although the Kings of Israel obeyed the Lord imperfectly and led the Israelites astray, the Messiah is not like them. His obedience is perfect. Thus, His perfect obedience brings God’s favor and blessing upon all who belong to His kingdom. His perfect obedience also serves as an example to His people which helps them to follow in His lead and to walk in obedience. As we follow Christ’s lead we will be blessed. When we fail to do so we will be disciplined. Such discipline is designed to help us mature in our faith as well as deepen our fellowship with Almighty God.  

 

Blogging through Samuel: What’s up with Uzzah and Michal?

2 Samuel 6

Once David had made Jerusalem his capital, he desired to bring the Ark of the Lord there. This action would solidify his authority and centralize the Kingdom in one place as was the Lord’s desire. The mistake that David made here was not consulting the Lord regarding the proper way to transport the Ark. It was supposed to be carried on poles by the Levites, not on the back of a cart drawn by oxen. This improper planning resulted in the death of Uzzah. He showed a lack of faith by thinking the Lord could not prevent the Ark from falling. He should have known about the danger of touching the Ark but apparently he was never told about it. We learn from him that one cannot always assume to know what God wants especially if we have not read His word or consulted Him in prayer. And in addition the Lord holds people to account for their ignorance. 

When David finally did things the right way, he worshipped the Lord in dance in a way that seemed undignified in the eyes of his wife. Michal did not see his heart or the Lord’s approval, only the foolishness of what he did. And it certainly would seem undignified and foolish for anyone, let alone the King to dance around in a linen garment. Michal was probably feeling quite bitter over the way her life had turned out. She demonstrated the bad attitude many Christians have toward shows of emotion and fervor in worship. Too often we worry about what others will say at the way we look or sound and forget that the Lord appreciates the deep feelings of worship and love that produce spontaneous praise.

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