David and Abner

Let's pray together. Father, thank you once again for the opportunity you give us to study your word. It truly is the source of comfort and the source of joy, and the opportunity you give us each and every week to spend time studying it is a reminder of how it is. It touches every part of a man, every part of a woman. Tonight, Lord, as we study, enlighten us once again to your truth. We pray in your name, amen. 2 Samuel chapter 3 is where we are. 2 Samuel chapter 3. In chapter 2, David was anointed king over Judah.

Fifteen years before that, he was first anointed by Samuel in Bethlehem. And he went through all kinds of troubles, mainly rejection and persecution from King Saul. And he was on the run for those fifteen years, but now he is king of Judah, not king over all of Israel. That will take place in another seven and a half years. But yet, as king over Israel, or king over Judah, he's going to face a whole new set of problems. You know, life is never free from problems, no matter what position you hold.

Whether you're a king or a president, whether you're a coach or a teacher, whether you're a banker or a lawyer, you've got all kinds of problems, no matter what you do. And how you handle the difficulties that come your way speaks a lot about you as a person, does it not? And so, we see in David's life how he handles issues, how he handles difficulties. He's not going to live a life free from problems. The problems he's going to face are going to be of a different nature. And yet, he will succeed in conquering some of them.

Others, he will fail. And so, as we look at his life, we're able to see what God wants to do. Remember, he was anointed king the second time in Hebron.

That was in chapter two last week. Hebron stands for intimacy and victory. If you weren't with us, you need to get the CD or the tape to be able to listen.

Do we do tapes anymore or is it just all CDs now? I'm not sure. You know, I'm still in the 20th century, so if you want to get a CD, you can, but you need to get it to listen to about what Hebron is all about and how it stands for intimacy and victory. That's where God wanted David to go. That's where he is in chapter three. And so, it becomes a very unique and strategic place for David. And so, we pick up the narrative in chapter three, verse number one.

I'm going to read to you the entire chapter, and then we'll spend time talking about it together. 2 Samuel chapter three, verse number one.

Now, there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually. Sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam, the Jezreelitus, and his second, Caleb, by Abigail, the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite, and the third, Absalom, the son of Maccah, the daughter of Tammi, king of Geshur, and the fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith, and the fifth, Shephetiah, the son of Abitur, and the sixth, Ephraim, by David's wife, Egilah.

These were born to David at Hebron. There will be a quiz afterwards about how many wives he had and what their names were and how you spell them. And it came about while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Ritzvah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone into my father's concubine? Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah?

Today I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David, and yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman? May God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to establish the throne of David over Israel, and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. And he could no longer answer Abner a word, because he was afraid of him.

Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying, Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you. And he said, Good, I will make a covenant with you, but I demand one thing of you, namely, you shall not see my face, unless you first bring Michael, Saul's daughter, when you come to see me.

So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Give me my wife Michael, to whom I was betrothed for a hundred and four skins of the Philistines. And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel, the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Baharim. Then Abner said to him, Go return. So he returned. Now Abner had consolation with the elders of Israel, saying, In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you.

Now then do it. For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people of Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies. And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. And in addition, Abner went to speak in the hearing of David and Hebron, all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin. Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

And Abner said to David, Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires.

So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace. Then Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why then have you sent him away, and he is already gone?

You know, Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to learn of your going out and coming in, and to find out all that you are doing. When Joab came out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of Asherah, his brother. And afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner.

May it fall on the head of Joab and on all his father's house, and may there not fail from the house of Joab one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who takes hold of a distath, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle of Gibeon. Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner. And King David walked behind the buyer.

Thus 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 chanted a lament for Abner and said, Should Abner die as a fool dies? Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters. As one falls before the wicked, you have fallen. And all the people wept again over him. Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was still day. But David vowed, saying, May God do so to me, and more also if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.

Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, just as everything the king did pleased all the people. So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner, the son of Nair, to death. Then the king said to the servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I am weak today, though anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his will.

It might seem to some of you rather laborious to keep reading the text. But that's what we do here at Cross Community Church because we are to be committed to the reading, the exhortation, and the instruction of the Word of God. We read to you the whole story because you need to see it in context to understand exactly what's happening. And there's four features I want to be able to point out to you this evening. First is the fighting of David.

Notice there's a war. The war is not with the Philistines. The war is not with the Amorites or the Amalekites. The war is with Israel. The war is with the people of God. The text is very clear. Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, a long war. The extent of this war was just about seven years, a long time. It wasn't that David was fighting against the enemy. He was fighting against people who were committed to the same God he was committed to. There was a civil war in Israel, the house of Saul and the house of David.

Saul was dead, but his commander Abner, his last son Ish-bosheth, who had been set as king over Israel by Abner, were at odds with David. And so they were at war. And the longer they were at war, David seemed to increase and Saul's house seemed to decrease. One grew stronger. The other grew weaker. But it's important to note that there was war between the people of God. I was reading that and I thought to myself, you know what, that's exactly like it is today, isn't it? Sometimes we're so busy fighting the battle on the inside, we forget that a real battle is on the outside.

We begin to fight with one another and to argue with one another and to bicker with one another and the fighting, the infighting can become so, so overbearing. Turn back with me to the book of James. Let's know what James says about this. He says in chapter three, verse number 13, these words, who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior, his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.

This wisdom is not from that which comes down from above, but it's earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. James says where there is jealousy, where there is selfish ambition, there is disorder everywhere. Abner was a jealous person. Abner was one who had a selfish ambition. He did not want David to be king over Israel, although he knew that God had ordained David to be that king. And he was jealous because of what David did earlier in first Samuel when David embarrassed him in front of the whole army of Saul.

Never forgot that. He was a bitter man. He was the envious man. And there was all kinds of disorder in Israel because of his attitude. You know, I read about that and I think, you know, how many times in our own families is there a problem because of our jealous spirit, our selfish ambition? That's what causes disorder in our homes, disorder in our church. Somebody rises up and they have their own agenda, they have their own desires, they want to do their own thing and they want to do it their way.

Forget about everybody else and all of a sudden there's disruption in the home, disruption in the church. If you go down to chapter 4, James says, what is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? You have quarrels, you have conflicts? How do they happen? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. Wow, that's pretty harsh, isn't it? There's something that you want that you cannot have. So what do you do? You murder somebody.

You murder, that was Joab in our story. That will be David down the road in 2 Samuel 11. He wanted Bathsheba, he lusted after Bathsheba, he took her for his own. He really had violated the law of God, so he murdered Uriah. You lust and you do not have, so you murder. And sometimes it's not so much the killing of somebody as it is the hating of someone. Right? We hate that person and Christ said in Matthew chapter 5 that if you hate your brother, you are a murderer in your heart because it stems from what's inside of a man.

So James says, where are these quarrels coming from? Where are these conflicts coming from? They're from the pleasures on the inside which wage war against your soul. Lustfulness. There's something you want you cannot have, so you murder. You are envious. You cannot attain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. Instead of going to God and asking God and praying to Him, you don't do anything. You quarrel. You fight. You hate. You murder. Then he says, you ask and you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your own pleasures.

You should be going to the Lord in prayer. You don't do that. Instead, you bicker and bellyache and argue and all kinds of quarrels. When you finally do go to God and ask, you ask for wrong motives.

You ask to consume it upon your own lusts. You ask because you want it your way. You ask and pray, Lord, change them, not change me. Change them. Change their attitude. Change their behavior for the motive of making sure things are okay with me. I go with the wrong motive. James says, you know what? There's lustfulness. There's enviousness that seems to permeate your lives. There's prayerlessness and then there's worldliness. He says, you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?

Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. You know, we need to look at 2 Samuel 3 and realize, you know what?

Having conflict in the body is a horrible thing. There was a book written years ago called Great Church Fights. Great Church Fights. Talking about all the church fights in Scripture and down through church history. How they all began and how they ended up in the end. But you know what? As we look at our lives, we look at our families, we look at our church, ask ourselves.

You know, the enemy is always at war with us. Always. And David was set to be the king of Israel. If the enemy can't keep you from being the king, then he's going to hinder you after you become the king. You see, God had a plan and God had a purpose. And God was going to fulfill that purpose. And the enemy could not thwart the purposes of God. So David became the king. And opposition arose as soon as he became king of Judah. And that opposition would continue for seven and a half years. And he would have to learn to depend upon the Lord and follow the Lord.

But Abner was a jealous man. He was a bitter man. But he had all kinds of selfish ambitions. Things that he wanted for himself. In our story, he had a selfish ambition. He was still a jealous man. He would end up dead in our story because he had accidentally killed one of the brothers. That's in 1 Samuel 2, last week's study. But we'll get to that in a moment. But the fighting of David is crucial to understand that we need to make sure we're the source of quarrels and conflicts among us. Where does it all come from?

Why is it we have them in our families? Why do we have them in our church? Because Satan wants to destroy the relationships that we have and just bring them down. Be aware of those things. The second thing I want you to see is the family of David.

You will note that David has six sons. In verses 2 to 5. Six sons. But you will also note that David has six wives. Okay? He's had two up to this point. He's had three up to this point. Michael was taken away from him by Saul. Michael was given to him. It was Saul's daughter. Way back when he took the foreskins to the Philistines. But Saul took her back. And gave her to another man. So David was without a wife until there was Abigail and Ahinoam. So he had two. Really three. And in the story he adds three more.

In the story he also says, look, I'm not going to meet with you Abner until I know for certain that Michael is going to come back and be my wife again. He's going to add more wives in chapter 5. So the question comes, why is it David had all these wives? Why was polygamy so popular among the kings? What are the pitfalls of polygamy for King David or anybody else? But what this points out to us is a major character flaw in the life of David. A major character flaw. And I'm going to show that to you in a roundabout way as you look at scripture together.

To understand exactly what's happening in David's life. This point here, the family of David, is the main point of our discussion this evening. Because it's imperative that we understand what's happening in David's life. It sets the tone for the future of 2 Samuel. It helps us understand that this side of kingship, what caused David's downfall? What caused him not to be the kind of husband or father he needed to be? So, go back with me if you would to 1 Samuel chapter 2. 1 Samuel chapter 2. 1 Samuel chapter 2.

The Lord God says these very familiar words. Verse number 30. Therefore declares the Lord God of Israel. I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever. But now the Lord declares far be it from me. For those who honor me I will honor. And those who despise me will be lightly esteemed. We have said many times from this pulpit, 1 Samuel 2.30. He who honors me I will honor. That's a promise given by the Lord God of Israel. It's reiterated in John's gospel in John chapter 12 verse number 26.

If anyone serves me let him follow me and where I am there shall my servant also be. If anyone serves me the father will honor him. If you serve me, if you honor me, the father will honor you. So what Christ is saying is exactly what God had said way back in 1 Samuel 2.30. He who honors me I will honor. But the second part of that is he who despises me, he who does not honor me I will lightly esteem.

There are many of us in the room who have missed the best that God wants to give us. We have everything God has decreed, that's for sure. But there are many of us who miss the best that God has for us. And wants to give us. Because we have dishonored him. And he only lightly esteems us. That's important to understand. Turn with me to your Bible to Joshua chapter 1.

Joshua chapter 1. In Joshua chapter 1 verse number 8, you know this verse. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. But you shall meditate on it day and night. So you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success. God tells Joshua, I know that you are the commander over 2 million Jews. I know you live a busy life. But I want you to know that if you meditate on my word day and night. And you strive to do all that is written in that word.

You will experience prosperity and you will have great success. That's a promise that God wants to give all of his children. It's not that it's just given to Joshua. It's a principle all throughout the word of the Lord. You honor me I will honor you. You meditate upon my word. You do what I say you will be prosperous. You will have good success. It's not talking about financial prosperity. It's talking about the blessing of God upon your life. Turn with me to Psalm 84 verse 11.

It says for the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord gives grace and glory. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. No good thing does God withhold from anybody who walks righteously. Who walks uprightly. And then he goes on and says in verse number 12. Oh Lord of hosts how blessed is the man who trusts in thee. So part of walking uprightly is learning to trust in God in all that he says. God promises that no good thing will he ever withhold from those who walk uprightly.

He who honors me I will honor. If you meditate upon my word and you strive to do all that's written in therein. I will make your way prosperous. You will have good success. God wants his best for all of his children. And yet in Jeremiah chapter 5 verse number 25. The Lord God says your iniquities have turned these away.

And your sins have withheld good from you. Your sins have withheld good from you. God promises he will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly. But if you decide to engage in sin and disobey my word. And do what you want he will withhold good from you. Many Christians have missed the blessing of God in their lives. Because they want to continue in sinful behaviors. Why do I tell you all this? You're going to see in a minute. Look back if you would to Psalm 81. Psalm 81 verse number 13.

Oh that my people would listen to me. That Israel would walk in my ways. I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries. Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to him. And their time of punishment would be forever. But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat. And with the honey from the rock I would satisfy you. God says if you listen to me.

I'm going to feed you with the finest of wheat. I'm going to give you the greatest of all honey. I'm going to subdue your enemies. I'm going to protect your life. I'm going to watch over you. I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to give you my best. If you just listen to me. If you go back to verse 11 and verse number 12 it says. But my people did not listen to my voice. And Israel did not obey me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart. To walk in their own devices. See God wants to do certain things.

He just wants to bless you. He wants to do good to you. He wants you to experience his goodness every single day. But if we rebel against him. And we live in sin. He withholds that good from us. God can't reward disobedience. God can't bless sin. He's got to deal with it. And so many people miss out on the best that God wants to give them. Simply because they want to live in sin. Now turn to Deuteronomy chapter 17. Deuteronomy chapter 17. David the king of Israel is going to miss God's best for him.

God will bless his life. God will honor David. God will bring the Messiah through the line of David. Not because of what David did or didn't do. God brought the Messiah through the line of David. Because that was his predetermined plan in eternity past. But David would miss out on the best of what God had to offer. Because he would live in sin. Deuteronomy chapter 17. Verse number 14. When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you. And you possess it and live in it. And you say I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me.

You shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. One from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves. You may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countrymen. Moreover he shall not multiply horses for himself. Nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. Since the Lord has said to you. You shall never again return that way. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself. Lest his heart turn away. Nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

God made it very clear. When you choose the king that I have ordained for you. He shall not multiply wives. Now was it legal to multiply wives? Yes it was. It was legal. It just wasn't moral. And it wasn't biblical. But it was legal. It's like abortion. It's legal. But it's not moral nor is it biblical. It's like drinking. It's legal. If you're of a certain age. But it's not moral. Nor is it biblical. It's like smoking. It's like sex before marriage. It is legal. But it's not moral. And God made it very clear.

This is what the king must not do. To make sure the king understood that. Listen to what he says. Verse 18. Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom. He shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll. He's got to write it down. In the presence of the Levitical priest. And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life. That he may learn to fear the Lord his God. By carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes. That his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen.

And that he may not turn aside from the commandments to the right or the left. In order that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom. In the midst of Israel. God says.

Listen. When he ascends the throne. He has got to write everything I just said. He's got to read it every day. And why does he write it? Why does he record it? Because he must remember it. He can't afford to forget it. David knew Deuteronomy 17. And yet he multiplied for himself wives. Would it advance his kingdom? Yeah. Would it show his power? Yes. Was it legal? Yes. But it violated what God said in his word. On top of that. In our chapter he says. To Abner's men. I want Michael back as my wife.

That was a violation of Deuteronomy 24. For once the wife was gone. She was given to another man. You cannot take her back. As your wife. Because she now would have been defiled. But David ignored that command as well. And said I want Michael back in my house. You see David had a major character flaw. And it dealt and centered around. His love and his lust for women. It would haunt him to the day he died. And it all began when he took for himself another wife. And then another wife. And then another and another and another.

You see it was something that destroyed David's kingdom. From the inside out. Because he knew what the law of God said. And he just set it aside. And did what he and what the nation thought was okay. And acceptable. It's acceptable to take many wives. Yes. It shows your power. It shows your authority. It shows your aggressiveness. It shows your advancement. It shows what kind of king you are. And yet it tears you down from the inside out. This was a major issue. So let me take it a step further for you.

This is where it gets really good. He had six boys. Three were infamous. The other three were not so infamous. They weren't even famous. In fact, you don't read about them anywhere else in Scripture outside of 1 Samuel chapter 3. Three were very infamous. Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah. Okay? Those three were very infamous. Amnon, the half-brother of Tamar, the half-brother of Absalom, would commit incest with Tamar, the full sister of Absalom. So Absalom would slay his brother. This is down the road.

He'll slay his brother. Absalom, because of his father's inability to lead his family, begins to usurp the authority of his father and take over the kingdom. As he does, he dies. And Adonijah, he wanted to ascend the throne before Solomon did. He went after one of his father's concubines, which was a violation of the law of God, and he was killed. Why do I tell you that? I tell you that because David was a horrible father. A horrible father. In fact, David could be king of Israel, but David could not be an elder in the church of Jesus Christ.

Isn't that amazing? He can be king over Israel, and people sing praises to his name, but he could never be an elder in the church of Jesus Christ because his home life was so bad. It was horrible. Which leads me to this. Because we're doing this study with our men, the hour following this, it's important to understand exactly what we do when we gather together. In chapter 1, we said last week, the author talks about, in the book, Family Driven Faith, talks about the area of our professional life and our personal life.

As a professional, you're a lawyer, you're a businessman, you're a teacher, you're a president, whatever you are. But in your personal life, you're a husband and a father. And the question comes, which title is more important to you? Mr. President? Or Daddy? Father? Husband? Coach? Teacher? Which title do you want to hear most in your ears? And the challenge for the men is, there is a professional side. David's profession was king of Israel. He was the king. That was his professional side. But his personal side, he was a husband many times over, unfortunately.

He was a father many times over. But he didn't cherish that nearly as much as he cherishes kingship. How many men in this church and other churches cherish their professional life, but don't cherish their personal life as husband and as father? See, that's important. Because, you see, as husband and as father, my responsibility is to be the provider and protector of my home and the priest and prophet over my home. And so we come to chapter 2 this evening in our study in this book about no rivals to God.

David had rivals to God. What was David's rival to God? And the rival is Exodus 20, verses 3 to 5, the very first commandment.

Thou shalt have no other God before me. None. None. No other God before me. And yet David had another God that reigned supreme. There was a rival in David's life. That rival was other women. And his lust for other women, it would take precedence. It would cause him to compromise the law of God. It would cause him to sit back and say, it's okay. It's legal. Everybody says it's acceptable. Everybody else is doing it. God will forgive it. Oh, yes, God does forgive. But the consequences remain. And in David's life, the consequences in his family was absolutely devastating.

Solomon would multiply wives and concubines way beyond what his father David did. And those wives and concubines did turn his heart away from the Lord. See, God says, I want no rivals in your life because what those rivals do is turn you from me.

There is no God but the one true God. And the exam that we have with our men after our services over this evening as it applies to the life of David is that David had another God. There was a rival in David's life. And that rival took precedence over what God said in Deuteronomy 17. You shall not multiply for yourself wives. But David did anyway. He did it anyway. And he gives a whole story in here about a young man by the name of Thomas who was a model student, a model Christian in his church, who loved the Lord, who went on missions trips, was a model Christian in his church youth group, and was a great kid.

And his parents wanted to send him to a Christian university, and they did. And he went off to a Christian university. He walked away from the Lord. He started drinking, getting involved in all kind of wrong things, was kicked out of school. His father came to Votibachum and said, What's wrong? What happened to my kid? What happened? And as they began to talk together with one another, they realized, Votibachum realized, that there was another God in their lives. They spent their whole lives from the time the kid was six years of age putting him in sports and programs, getting him a personal trainer by the time he was nine.

And then when it came time to be involved in travel ball, get this, he would begin to miss church on Sundays to play travel ball. And so they were teaching their son, if something happens on Sunday that's more important than church, do that, not church. And what they did was set up in their son's mind that there was a rival to God. And that rival is something that you want to do that's more important than what God says you need to do.

And they began to realize that what they did is they trained their son. They spent all the time, all their money training their son in athletics, but never spent time training their son in the ways and words of God. And the father said, well, I thought the youth pastor was going to do that. It's not the youth pastor's responsibility to do that. It's the father's responsibility to do that. And he missed it. And when he went back and he began to ask the questions, what happened? As he began to examine his life, he had modeled to his son, there is something more important on Sunday than God, and that's to make sure you're able to advance your career, be better at what you do.

And all the while they were teaching their son to violate the first commandment. There's no God but the one true God. And in the life of David, it happened there too. That's why the parallels are just so unique to all of us. Listen, anytime you say to God, you know what, Lord, I can do this on Sunday because it's more important than what you want me to do in terms of my worship. You have already erected an idol in your heart. God wants no rivals, and God wants no refusals. None. Don't refuse my authority in your life.

Don't set up something that's more important to you than me in your life. Once you do that, you will compromise the truth of God's Holy Word. That's what David did. There was a rival. There was an idol in his life. And we look at the Scriptures, and you can tell what idols fall under.

You know, men will be lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 2 Timothy chapter 3. Lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God. They love themselves. They love pleasure. They love the world and all that's in it. They love money and their pursuit of money. And it begins to send a message to the family that there's something more important in our lives than God that will cause me to violate parts of Scripture just so I can fulfill the pleasures of my idol in my own personal life. Happens all the time.

Happens on very subtle times, very subtle ways. But if you don't catch it early and often, it will grow to such an extent it will bring destruction to your own personal life and to your family. That's what happened to David. Just kept multiplying the whys, multiplying the whys, multiplying the whys. Having boy after boy after boy after boy after boy. All the while, it was leading him further and further, further down away from God. So by the time you come to 2 Samuel 11, he sees something, someone he has to have.

Even though God said no. He had to have her, Bathsheba. He calls her to her chamber. She has to come. He's the king. She has to be there. And you know the story of David and Bathsheba? We'll go into it in great detail in 2 Samuel 11. But what happened was a series of events that caused him to break every one of the Ten Commandments. Because it was lustful pleasure. There was a rival in his life. There was another God. The God of lust, the God of passion, the God of sensuality that caused him to ride further and further and further away from the one true God.

And it destroyed his family forever. You think the study of David isn't an important study? You think that what we're covering doesn't relate to everybody in this room? Oh, it does. This hits us right in the places we don't want to be hit at. But it's all true. In just a little few verses about David and his wife and all these boys that he had. And it goes quickly into verse number 6. Very easy to pass over. But what happens here is a multiplication of sin that took place way back with Abigail and Ahinoam.

Which now multiplies itself even further down the road that will cause David to go further and further away from God. Was he a man after God's own heart? Yes, he was. Yes, he was. God forgave him when he asked for forgiveness because God does that. He was a man who passionately sought after God. But there was that besetting sin he could not get rid of. What's that besetting sin in your life that you just can't get rid of? What's that one thing that just keeps bringing you down and bringing you down and bringing you down?

You just got to have it. You got to have it. You got to do it. You got to do it. You got to be there. You got to be there. What is that one sin? God says, I want to give you all my goodness.

I want to bless your life. I want you to experience the riches of my kingdom. I want to give you everything that I have. But your sins have caused me to withhold good from you. Jeremiah 5, 25. I want to give them to you. I do. But you got to walk after me. Because no good thing will I withhold from those who walk uprightly. Those who meditate on my Word, strive to do all that's written therein. I'll make your way prosperous. I'll give you good success. I'll do that. Because that's what I want to do.

The question is, how bad do you want God to do that? Don't erect those idols. Little children, 1 John 5, 21. Flee idolatry. Run away from anything that takes precedence over God. That's number one in your life.

Run from it. We'll see you at point number three. From the fighting of David to the family of David. Number three.

To the favoring of David. And briefly, story of Abner, Ish-bosheth. And how Abner turns on Ish-bosheth. Remember, he's getting stronger in the house of Saul. But the house of Saul is getting weaker. Abner has risen to power over Ish-bosheth. Because he was a weak man. He's the man of shame. And Abner had risen above him. And Ish-bosheth accuses him of going into one of his father's concubines. Now, it was against the law to take a father's concubine. Couldn't do that. 1 Kings speaks about that. And Ish-bosheth accuses Abner of doing that.

And Abner goes bonkers. He goes ballistic on Ish-bosheth. So much so, he says, okay, I'm done. I'm done here. I'm done with your kingdom. I'm giving this kingdom to David. God will use the wrath of men to praise his name. God's going to bring about his purposes no matter what we do or what we think. And God is going to use Abner to bring the kingdom of Israel under David's rulership. All because he has a selfish ambition. All because he's a jealous man. All because he wants to be the leader in the army of David.

So the story goes that he goes to David and says, Look, I'm going to bring all of Israel under you, David. It's your land anyway. Oh, by the way, the phrase, the throne of David, is used for the first time in the Bible in verse number 10.

It will later be known as a messianic term, the throne of David. But it's the first time it's used in the Bible.

Just in case someone ever asks you that question on the street one day. When was the first time the throne of David was ever used in the Bible?

You can tell them. 2 Samuel, chapter 3, verse number 10. And yet, Abner comes together and says, Look, I'm going to give you all the rest of the tribes. All of Israel is yours, David. David says, Okay, I want Michael. I want her back. So they make this covenant, they make this pact to bring her back. And her poor husband. I mean, isn't anything wrong? He goes after her weeping and crying. Oh honey, come back, come back. What's he going to do? The king says, I want Michael back as my wife. A violation of Deuteronomy 24.

But I want her back. And this poor guy, man, he's like, Oh man, what happened to me? And Abner says, Go home. Go home. It's over, dude. Forget about it. She's gone. He turns around and goes home. What a sad story for that man. So he goes in. There's a feast for him. He leaves. Joab comes back. And Joab, this leads to the point before the frustration of David. He says, What's going on? Abner was here. You let him go? Abner killed my brother. He killed my brother. It was by accident, by the way. Because the text says that Ashael kept running after Abner.

Kept running after him when all the army stayed back in chapter 2. Kept running after him, running after him, running after him. And Abner just stopped in the butt of a spear. Went right through his side and killed him. It was an accident. But Joab wouldn't forget about it. So Joab called him in to Hebron. Hebron was one of those cities of refuge. It was a place of protection. But Joab would kill Abner. Kill him. Because he was a man of vengeance. And David wasn't. That's the thing that David has going really well for him.

He wasn't a man of vengeance. And so when David found out that Abner had killed, that Joab had killed Abner, he wept. He wasn't happy. He made Joab and all of his men tear their clothes and weep as well. Made them all go to the funeral. Made them all be there. Because David wanted to make sure that all Israel knew that he did not order the death of Abner. And they all knew it. They all realized that David was that man of integrity. That he didn't do that. And David's ways pleased all of Israel. And this was the beginning portion of how all of Israel would come under David's reign as leader over all of Israel.

Because of one man's selfish ambition led to another man's vengeful spirit. Which led to the rise of David over all of Israel. Because God works out His plan perfectly every single time. God is never thwarted by our sin. God is never thwarted by our rebellious actions. God has a plan that runs smooth all in His own timetable. And David concludes with these words in 1 Samuel 3, verse number 39. David maintained an attitude of never having a vengeful spirit. That's one thing we can say about David.

He was not a man of revenge. He knew that the Lord would repay. The Lord would take care of him. Oh, I wish He would translate that over to every area of his life. But as you will see in weeks and months ahead. That David's downfall was the inner man. And the passions and desires he had for other women. It's a sad commentary on a great man. He couldn't separate his professional life. He separated his professional life from his personal life. But in all reality they should be one and the same. Should they not?

Who I am in the marketplace should be exactly who I am in my home. Who I am in my church. And David wasn't that. He lived a life of duplicity. He lived one way as king. He lived another way as father and as husband. And the Lord will open our eyes to more of that as time goes on. But may we be reminded that God expects from His people obedience to His word no matter what. God wants no rivals in your life. He wants everything that you have totally committed to Him. Let's pray together. Father God we thank you for tonight and a chance to be together and look at your word.

Truly Lord it's an eye opener. Truly Lord we wonder so many things about David. Yet he was used in such a powerful way by you. And yet he's a reminder to all of us that how easy it is for us to fall into sin. How easy it is for us to just to violate scripture even though it might not seem like much. Because what he did was legal and acceptable in the sight of all of Israel. And yet it wasn't acceptable in your sight Lord. Help us father to be the kind of people that only worry about what you think.

And forget about what everybody else thinks. What do you think? What do you say? So we might get your take on every situation. That we might live in obedience to your word. I pray for every man in this room. That Lord he would live a life at home the same way he lives everywhere else. That he would truly be a man of God. A man of integrity who seeks your will and serves you. We love you Lord. We thank you for this opportunity. In Jesus name. Amen.