David Ascends the Throne

Let's bow for a moment of prayer together. Father, we're grateful for tonight. What a glorious opportunity you've given to us to study your word and to examine how it is you deal with a man. How you mold a man and make him to the kind of individual you want him to be. Thank you for David's life, King David, and all that you did to move him and to make him the great king of Israel. And so we anticipate, Lord, what you're going to teach us this evening, that we might be true followers of of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We pray this in your name. Amen. If you have your Bible, turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 2. 2 Samuel chapter 2. It's been a while since we have been into the study of David's life, a number of weeks. Somebody had to go on vacation and that's what happens. That would be me. But I know that because you're great students of the word, you bought all the CDs, you listened to them all again, you reviewed everything through 1 Samuel, you understand everything you need to know about the life of David, and you spent the whole summer reading 2 Samuel.

So you're ready to go. And so I'm just going to add a little bit of insight to what you already have read over the last several months and hopefully we can draw some great conclusions as to what it is God wants to teach us. But we are at a place in David's life where he now ascends the throne. When he was 15 years of age, he was in the shepherd fields at Bethlehem and Samuel would come to his home and he would ask to see the sons of Jesse. So Jesse lined them all up and brought them out, all but David.

And as he went through each of the boys, he thought that the oldest was going to be the next king. God said no. Then God said no again and again and again. And Samuel said, do you have anybody else? And Jesse said, well, yeah, I do have one more. He's out in the shepherd fields if you want to want to see him. Samuel said, bring him in. So they did. And sure enough, that was the man. 15 years of age. And now he's 30 years of age. 15 years have passed since he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel there in his hometown of Bethlehem.

God had a plan and God was going to outline that plan for David. In the mind of God, David was the king of Israel. But certain things had to transpire before he actually ascended the throne. David didn't know it'd be 15 years. He had no idea. All he knew is that he was the next king. And so as you know the story, he goes back to the shepherd fields. But there is a battle with a man by the name of Goliath. We all came to recognize who he was and David would end up fighting Goliath, slaying Goliath, coming into the town with a song of praise as Saul has slayed his thousands, but David slayed his ten thousands.

So quickly after his anointing and real quick after he slayed the giant, the present king Saul turned against him. And for the next several years there was a relentless pursuit by Saul to slay David. And through all those years of adversity, David learned to trust God. Did he always do the right thing? No. Did he always say the right thing? No. We have studied those passages of scripture and seen where where David has made some major blunders. But yet God in his grace would do a mighty work in the life of David.

And we come to 2 Samuel chapter 2. Saul is now dead. In 1 Samuel chapter 1, David mourned the death of his arch enemy Saul. He mourned the death of his best friend Jonathan because both of them were killed on Mount Geboa. Their bodies were hung on the walls of Beth-shon. And there was great mourning in David's life. For his king had died. And even though Saul tried to kill him on three separate occasions with his spear, and even though Saul would hunt him down like a dog and try to kill him, David had the highest respect and the highest honor for the king of Israel, Saul.

When Saul dies, David pays him a great tribute. Oh how the mighty have fallen. And he writes a song of praise about his enemy. And he writes a song of praise about his best friend Jonathan. Now that that is over, 2 Samuel chapter 2 is upon us. Let me read to you the first 11 verses, and then we'll look at it together.

Then it came about afterwards that David inquired of the Lord saying, shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, go up. So David said, where shall I go up? And he said, to Hebron. So David went up there and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jesuit, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household, and they lived in the cities of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came, and there anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David saying, it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who buried Saul. And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, may you be blessed of the Lord, because you have shown this kindness to Saul your Lord, and have buried him. And now may the Lord show loving kindness and truth to you, and I also will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. Now therefore let your hands be strong and be valiant, for Saul your Lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.

But Abner, the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim, and he made him king over Gilead, over the Asherites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was 40 years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David, and the time that David was king in Hebron, over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months.

I want you to see four things with me this evening. David's petition, David's ascension, David's commendation, and then David's David's rejection or opposition. We're going to begin with David's petition. The text is very clear when it says in verse 31, then it came about afterwards, after what? After the death of Saul, after the mourning for Saul and for Jonathan, that David inquired of the Lord. You have to stop there. You can't go any further than that. David needs to know what to do next. You would think that after 15 years of waiting to be the king of Israel, he would quickly ascend the throne.

It is time. I can now be the king. Saul is gone. But David wasn't that kind of guy. We might be that kind of individual, but David was not. And I find it very interesting that David would inquire of the Lord. Lord, where do I go? What do I do? Tell me. I need to know. Now the question comes, why is that so crucial? It's simply because for the most part, when we know what's supposed to happen, we don't inquire of the Lord. We don't go to the Lord. When we have plans and we've made those plans, God has made it known to us, and David knew he was the king of Israel.

Why talk to the Lord about it? What's so important about that? It's important because David had to learn a lesson. So I'm going to review a little bit for you because I know you have forgotten so much of 1 Samuel. So turn back with me, if you would, just for a moment, to 1 Samuel chapter 26. Remember in 1 Samuel chapter 26, David, for the second time, would spare Saul's life.

Saul and his men were camped out. And David and one of his soldiers, one of his nephews, went with him into the camp. And the Bible says in verse number 12 that a sound sleep from the Lord had come upon Saul and his men.

And David walked right into the camp amidst all the men who were sleeping, right up to Saul, took his spear, and took the jug of water that was next to him. Then they walked out, went back to the other side of the valley, and yelled across the valley, Yoo-hoo! Saul! Abner! This becomes very important to the story in 2 Samuel chapter 2. They all come together. It's very important to get that. David crossed over, verse number 13, to the other side, stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them.

And David called to the people and to Abner, the son of Nair, saying, Will you not answer Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who are you who calls to the king? But David wasn't calling to the king. David was calling to Abner, Saul's cousin, the commander of Saul's army. So David said to Abner, Are you not a man? I love that. What are you, a boy? Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord, the king? For one of the people came to destroy the king, your lord.

This thing that you have done is not good. As the lord lives, all of you must surely die, because you did not guard your lord, the lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the jug of water that was at his head, as he holds it up for all to see. See? David publicly humiliates Abner, because in all reality, Abner should have died. He didn't perform his duty. The enemy came into the camp. The enemy was as close to Saul as I am to Mr. Wingard sitting right here, took his spear, took his jug of water, could have taken his life, but he did not.

And David calls Abner into account. Abner will never forget that. He becomes a bitter man. He's embarrassed publicly. And Saul and David have this conversation. This is where Saul says, I've played the fool, and rightly so. That's the autobiography of his life. He did play the fool. And listen to the words of David. Verse number 23, The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness. For the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I refuse to stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed.

Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord. And may he deliver me from all distress. Then Saul said to David, blessed are you, my son David, you will both accomplish much and surely prevail. So David went on his way and Saul returned to his place. That's the last words Saul said to David, you will prevail. I have played the fool. You will prevail. Now what David says is so true. The Lord will deliver me. The Lord will protect me.

But the very next chapter, it says these words, then David said to himself, that's a problem. It's always a problem when you talk to yourself, right? But David didn't talk to the Lord. He talked to himself. Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel. And I will escape from his hand. Wait a minute. David just said that the Lord will deliver me.

The Lord will protect me. The Lord is righteous. The Lord is good. He just said that. Saul just affirmed that David will prevail. And yet in the midst of all that, David says to himself, I got to go, man. I am going to be killed. Really? Because he would lean on his own understanding. He didn't trust the Lord. He leaned on his own understanding. He didn't acknowledge the Lord in all his ways. He reasoned within himself. You know what? It has been almost, at this point it was 13 and a half years, 13 and a half years.

I'm tired of running. I'm tired of sleeping in caves, sleeping on rocks, sleeping underneath the trees, always keeping one eye open while one eye sleeps. And then, you know, rotating them in the middle of the night so I can get some kind of sleep. I am just tired of doing that. I got to go someplace. I'm going to the land of the Philistines. He never asked the Lord to do that. He just did it. Now let me give you the story.

He goes to the land of the Philistines. There he meets Achish, the king. And he becomes the friend of Achish. He convinces Achish that he's turned against his own people. Achish believes him. He deceives. He lies to protect his own skin. Even though he's already said, the Lord will deliver me. But he lives something different. How many times do we do that? We come to church on Sunday. We sing praises to Jesus. And then we say, the Lord is so good. He'll deliver me. He'll take care of me. He'll supply all my needs.

And then we go out, we deceive, we cheat, we lie to make ends meet. That's what David did. He was there for one year and four months. He was there 16 months in the land of the Philistines. Never once did he call upon the name of the Lord. Never once did he seek the Lord. But he was there and won the king over. Until one day, the Philistines go to battle against Israel. And David goes. David goes to war against his own people. And they're marching along. And some of the commanders of the Philistine army say, what are the Hebrew people doing here?

What's David doing here? Isn't this the guy where they sing the song, the song that had been on the pop, you know, 100 chart for many years. You know, Saul has tens of thousands, David has ten thousands. It's repeated again. Everybody knows the song, right? They all know the song. That's the guy. That's the Goliath slayer, the giant slayer. We know he's not going because you know what? If he goes and we go and fight the Israelites, how do we know he's not going to take up arms against us and we'll be caught in between?

No, no, he's got to go back. He's got to go. And they said, no, no, no. He's one of us. He's one of us. You see, David was so convincing. David was so deceitful that he convinced the Philistine king that he was on his side. And Achish said, no, he's one of us. They said, no, he's got to go. So Achish goes back and apologizes. David said, sorry, you got to go back to Ziklag because that's where he was. That was a city that Achish had given to him. So David says, okay, we'll go back. God intervened because David was the one who said, you lay not your hand against the Lord's anointed.

If he goes to battle with the Philistines against his own people, he will lay his hand against the Lord's anointed. How can he do that? But God was so good. God spared him because it was that battle that Saul died. So David goes back to Ziklag. You remember the story? Am I refreshing your memory here? They go back to Ziklag. The city's burned. They go back. They see the smoke. It's all over the place. They get there. Everybody's gone. All the wives are gone. All the children are gone. Nobody's left.

Nobody's there. This is first Samuel chapter 27. Okay. I'm sorry. First Samuel chapter 30. Okay. It says, then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire.

And they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great without killing anyone and carried them off and went their way. Now David and his men didn't know that they were alive. All they knew is that the city was burned. We know it because we're reading the story. Then it says, and when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

They were so overcome with emotion that everyone was gone. Now David's two wives had been taken captive. Ohinoem, the Jesuitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite. Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him. We've got to kill David. We're going to stone him. For all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. David led us here. David brought us here. He had 600 men. He brought them from Judah to the land of the Philistines and they were there because of his leadership.

And now they lost their wives. They lost their kids because of David. He has got to go. We're going to kill him. They were bitter against David. Here it comes. But David strengthened himself in the Lord, his God. For 16 months, David acted independently of God. He went to the land of the Philistines without ever seeking God. He went there and lied and deceived and everything went well for him. It was going good. So he just kept lying and kept on deceiving because everything was okay. And then when his men finally got to the point where they were going to kill him, David went to the Lord.

He strengthened himself in the Lord. Then David said to Abiathar, the priest, the son of Ahimelech, please bring me the ephod. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David and David inquired of the Lord saying, shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them? He said to him, pursue for you shall surely overtake them and you shall surely rescue all. Verse nine, so David went, he and the 600 men who were with him. You see, when David got right with God, his men got right with him. May that be a lesson to all of us as fathers.

When we get right with God, our families get right with us. You see, he had to lead the way and great things began to happen. And they went after them. They got all the women back. They got all the children back and God was so good. So good. And then chapter, the end of first Samuel happens and we find out about Saul, Saul's death.

And David hears about it while in Ziklag, he writes the song in first Samuel one. Now he's in first Samuel two.

He's there in Ziklag. He says, okay, what do I do? So you learn to inquire of the Lord, trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him. He will make your path smooth, but you got to acknowledge the Lord. And David did. The very first thing that David did as King was inquire of the Lord.

He fell to his knees and asked, what do I do? Where do I go? Do I stay here? Do I go someplace else? And the Lord said, get up and go. He says, okay, where am I going? Where am I going to go? And God says, you're going to Hebron.

Don't think for one moment, God doesn't care which city you live in. Don't think for one moment that God doesn't direct you every single step of the way. I've met families of people who just get up and say, you know what? We're, we're, we're moving. We just can't make ends meet here. We're out of here. Where are you going? I don't know. We're just moving though. Have you inquired of the Lord? Nope. Nope. We just can't make ends meet here. We're out of here. Really? Just leave. Or someone says, you know, we're, we're, we're going to leave the church and we're going to another church.

Which one are you going to? Well, we don't know yet, but we're leaving this one. Have you inquired of the Lord yet? Well, not really yet, but you know, we're, we're going to go to another church anyway. Have you inquired of the Lord? Have you sought the Lord? You see, that's just the last thing we do. Not the first thing we do.

David makes it the first thing he does. He's learned his lesson. He learned his lesson for the time being. And so that's what we have to do. That's what the Bible says.

Cast all your cares upon him for he cares for you. I heard one somebody a number of years ago said to me, you know, I love your church, but you know, I just haven't found, I haven't found a husband here. I said, okay. So they said, I'm going to another church. I said, really? They said, yeah. I figured if I go to another church who has more people my age, I might, I might find a husband. I said, is your pursuit a man or is your pursuit God? What's your pursuit? Well, they weren't too convicted because they left, you know?

Oh, by the way, they're still not married. Okay. Because no matter what church you go to, God's got someone for you. My, my counsel was, you know, once you wait and inquire of the Lord, ask God to bring somebody to you. And then you'll know for certain that's the person you're supposed to marry and just be preoccupied with him. But inquire of the Lord, talk to him, cast all your cares upon him for he cares about you. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made own unto God.

Don't be anxious. Don't be worried about what's going to happen next. But boy, I tell you, we worry, we fret, we're anxious about this and that, and we don't know what to do next. So we make a decision. That's what David did. He made a decision back in first Samuel 27.

I'm going to leave. Saul's going to kill me. Even though he said all the right things, his heart, he had to leave. And David was a man who learned to inquire of the Lord. I had to take you back there because it plays such an important part of this story in second Samuel chapter two.

David learned his lesson and he obeyed. Look what it says. So David went up there with his two wives, right? And David brought up his men, verse three, who were with him. Fellows were leaving. He's leading his men out. Notice, by the way, the text leaves out any conversation about, hey, honey, do you think we ought to move?

Do you think it's good for us to pick up and move now, honey? No. He inquired of the Lord. I'm not saying that you don't talk to your wife about things, but what I'm saying is that he exercised supreme leadership by leading through example. Because if he goes back to his wives and says, you know what, I've inquired of the Lord, and this is what the Lord says, they're going to say, if that's what the Lord says, then that's what we're going to do. And he obeyed. He was promptly obedient to the call of God in his life.

And he went and his followers benefited with him. This was David's petition. Next thing I want you to see is David's ascension. It says, then the men of Judah came and there anointed David king over the house of Judah. Judah was the promised tribe, was it not? Very interesting that David is only over the tribe of Judah and not over anybody else. 80 years from now, when Solomon dies, there'll be a divided kingdom. And the divided kingdom will be very similar to where it is right now in 2 Samuel chapter 2, except Benjamin joins Judah.

Very interesting. And the Bible says in verse 11, that David was king over Judah for seven and a half years.

Now that's very important. Why does he become king over all of Israel? Well, there are many, many different views on that. I'm going to give you a take that maybe you might not have ever heard of before. That will help you gain perspective on what's happening in David's life. But before we get there, I want you to notice something about Hebron.

This is one of those nuggets that just a cursory reading of the text, you just will just pass right over it. I had the wonderful opportunity of having devotions with my children in the morning and our devotion centered around the life of David. I practice on them before I come here with you on Wednesday night. So I have three opportunities, Monday morning, Tuesday morning, and Wednesday morning before I get here on Wednesday night to try to get it right. See? And so we sit down and talk. And so we talked about Hebron.

Why does the Lord say, I want you to go to Hebron? Because that's not where Saul's capital was. What's so significant about Hebron? I'm going to tell you about it. Then we'll take you back to it. Hebron symbolizes two things, intimacy and victory. And that's why God says, go to Hebron.

In Genesis chapter 13, it tells us that Abraham settled in Hebron and there he built an altar to God. Now you need to know that every Jew knows about Abraham. They know about Isaac. They know about Jacob. Oh, by the way, Isaac lived in Hebron and Jacob lived in Hebron. Because it was there where, where Abraham would speak to God face to face. It was there where God told Abraham that he'd have a son. It was there where God changed in Hebron that God changed Sarah's name and Abraham's name. It was there in Hebron where Sarah died.

And there was a cave that Sarah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Leah and Rachel are buried in. It's there, but it goes beyond that because when the spies would go into the land of promise, the 12 spies in the book of Numbers chapter 13 and chapter 14, you can read about it. They went to Hebron and they saw the beauty of the land and the Valley of Eskol is there in the surrounding area of Hebron. And there they got those cluster of grapes so big that two men had to carry them out. And those 12 spies would come back and say, wow, this is the place to be.

This is great. And 10 spies says, no, we can't go in because we're like grasshoppers. And two, Joshua and Kenneth said, no, we can go in because the Lord has given us this land. And you know, the story, they didn't go in. They didn't go in. And Caleb, Caleb wanted Hebron. And because the majority ruled and they did not go in and God made them wonder for 40 years at the age of 85 in the book of Joshua, Caleb says, I have followed the Lord fully. I want the land that God promised me 45 years ago. That's what I want.

And Moses said, and Joshua said to him, because Moses had said that he followed the Lord fully. And Joshua said, I concur. You do follow the Lord fully. And Caleb said the third time in Joshua chapter 15.

Yes, I have followed the Lord fully because Caleb's name means dog. It symbolizes loyalty and all hearts. And he was a man who followed God with all of his heart. He says, I want Hebron. That's where I want to be. That's where father Abraham was. That's where Isaac was. That's where Jacob was. That's where I want to be. I want that land. That's where I went in. I spied it out. That's where I saw the giants. That's the land I want. And by the way, Caleb is the only one who expelled all the Canaanites from his territory.

He was the only one who did it simply because he followed the Lord fully. Nobody else did, but he did. That's why it symbolizes intimacy and victory. It was the intimacy that Abraham had and Isaac had and Jacob had that, that, that Caleb would want to have. And that Caleb, because he followed the Lord with all of his heart, he had given everything to God. He fully followed the Lord as a spy, as a soldier, and as a servant, he was sold out for God. And God gave him what he waited 45 years for. And he, when he went in, he expelled all the enemy from the land.

You read Joshua 15 and Joshua 16, and you realize that everybody else went in and it says, and they could not expel the enemy, and they could not expel the enemy, and they could not, but Caleb did, because he followed God with all his heart. It makes you wonder how we follow the Lord, right? Half-heartedly or with everything that we have. And so God says, David, this is where you're going to go.

You're going to go to the place that symbolizes intimacy, because he was telling David, you're restored. You've been forgiven. And I want you to walk in intimacy with me, because that's the only way you're going to be victorious. If you're walking in intimacy with me, you will win the victory every time. It's when you don't walk with me in intimacy that you begin to wane and lose the battles. And folks, that's the way it is across the board for you and me. If we don't walk in intimacy with God, hand in hand with Him, trusting Him, believing in Him, leaning upon Him for everything, we will lose the battle, whether it's at home, whether it's at work, whether it's at the church, wherever it may be, because we don't have the power needed to succeed.

And God says, God could have chosen any city He wanted, but God chose something very specific for David.

And it was there that David was anointed king of Israel. This is the second anointing. There'll be a third anointing.

This is his second anointing. First one was when he was 15, 1 Samuel 16. Now it's when he's 30, 2 Samuel chapter 2. It's in Hebron, the place that symbolizes intimacy and victory. Folks, this is very important to the story. You got to get this. You're going to see it in just a second.

This is so crucial to the story. Isn't Bible study great? And it's so good. I mean, isn't your head just like, open up, fill me in, fill it up, open up, fill it up. It's like, wow, this is so cool, man. I didn't know all this stuff. Aren't you glad you came? See? And so you're able to put all these things together and say, man, this is so unique. God is so good. God doesn't just say something just to say something. God doesn't just put you in a city, put you in a city. God says, I'll go to St.

Louis, go to New York, you know, go to, uh, you know, uh, what, what, what Van Nuys? I don't know. You don't, he doesn't put you someplace unless he has a plan at that place. God cares where you live. He cares what car you drive. He cares how you dress. He cares what you look like. He cares about everything you do. The problem with us is we don't think he does, but he does. And if we just inquire of the Lord and go to him, say, Lord, what do you want me to do? Where do I go? What do I say? You tell me, Lord, I'll do it.

He knows your heart and he tells you, and you say, okay, I'm going, I'm on my way. I'm on my way. He opens his word to you. He shows you what to do and you do it. And this man, David, through his petition teaches as much about how we should respond to the Lord, his ascension to the throne and where it is and why it's so unique. Oh, by the way, Hebron is located on a mountain range. That's about 4,200 feet above the Dead Sea, which provides protection. Okay. There's a valley that's very fertile. So there'd be food for the livestock.

You see what God did? God supplied perfectly for David. David in the right spot. Just perfect for David, the 600 men, their wives, and their children. God is so incredibly good. All you got to do is inquire of the Lord. Just go to the Lord and ask him, Lord, what do you want me to do? And where do you want me to go? He'll show you. God's saying, oh, I don't know. You're going to have to find out. It's a little secret and may, you know, may check under that stone over there or check that chapter over there.

Or how about that verse over there? Ah, no, that's not the place. God doesn't do that. God wants you to know his will more than you want to know his will. That's why the Bible says, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise men.

Ephesians 5, 15. Understanding what the will of the Lord is. A wise man understands the will of the Lord. The foolish man doesn't care. But the wise man, he wants to know the will of the Lord. And so we move from David's petition to David's ascension. Oh, by the way, I got to tell you this. This is so good. Why seven and a half years of not being the king over all of Israel? Why does he have to wait? Let me give you two things to ponder.

One is, you know, sometimes when God moves, he moves in his own time and not our time. And David had learned to wait already. He waited 15 years. Okay. So he could wait another seven and a half years. He could do that because sometimes God promotes slowly and not quickly. We just have to learn to wait upon him. And maybe David had not learned enough of what it meant to be patient, to wait upon the Lord in his call, in his life. I don't know. But I want you to notice something, and this is so rich.

The area in which David did not rule is the area in which when he was in Ziklag with the Philistines, it was going to go to battle against Saul. That's the area. And God says, you know, David, you're forgiven, but there are consequences because he could have very easily been a full-blooded traitor to his own people.

But he wasn't because God spared him. And it was almost like that little reminder to David, you know, for 16 months, you lived in rebellion. You did your own thing. I'm going to let you be king over Judah, but the area that you're not going to rule over is the area that you would have gone to battle with against my people. And so I just want you to know that you're forgiven, you're restored, but there are still consequences for your sin. It doesn't make God mean or God some kind of ogre, because there are consequences for our sin.

Second Samuel 11, he says with Bathsheba, right? God forgives him. God restores him. But the sword never leaves his house. And David's ability, as we will see next week in 2 Samuel chapter 3, where David was really weak was as a father. Great king, but as a father, he was pretty weak. And we'll learn about those lessons in weeks and months ahead. And it would cost him, but there are consequences for the sin. Now, you could read a bunch of commentaries, no one would ever say that. And I could be totally way out in left field someplace, but it seems to me that it's rather coincidental or ironic, or I would use the word providential as to why God made him wait another seven and a half years.

Which leads us to number three, David's commendation. He commends the men of Jabash-Gilead. Now, these guys were indebted to Saul. They were indebted to Saul because way back in 1 Samuel, they called upon Saul for help against the Amorites and Saul came in and helped them defeat them. They loved King Saul. When they found out about Saul's death, they would have to go to a place called Beth-Shon. Now, those of you who have been to Israel with me in the past, we have gone to Beth-Shon on several occasions.

We don't do it every trip, but when you go to Beth-Shon, you can see the place where the bodies of Saul and Jonathan would have been hanged. And so they would sneak into the city, cut down the bodies of Saul and Jonathan, and they would burn the flesh away. It's not cremation. They just burn, because Jews don't believe in cremation. They just burned the flesh away and saved the bones and buried the bones. They loved Saul. And David found out this is what they did. They didn't want the bodies of Saul and Jonathan to be dishonored in the camp of the Philistines.

So what they did is that they went in, snuck in, retrieved the bodies, burned off the mutilated flesh, because they were completely mutilated, saved the bones, and buried the bones, and gave them a dignified burial. David found out about it and commended them and said, The Lord commends you as well, and the Lord will show His goodness to you, and the Lord will show His kindness to you. God is going to be good to you, and so will I. David's commendation to these men was fabulous. You see, David had no bitterness against Saul, none, none whatsoever.

He could have said, Let the man just hang on the walls. I mean, that's probably a good thing for him after all the bad he did to me. But David wasn't that kind of person. He never sought revenge. So David commended them. Here's what you need to see. Even though he commended them, and even though he told them he was king over Judah, the men of Jabesh Gilead did not submit to David as king. They submitted to Ish-bosheth and Abner. Their relationship with Saul was strong, so strong, so deep, so committed, they were willing to compromise that which they knew to be true to maintain a relationship they had with a man, even though he was dead.

They felt indebted to his son Ish-bosheth. How many times do we have our senses clouded because we are so emotionally wrapped up in an individual that we just will not submit to the truth of Scripture, even though it's right in front of us? Folks, that happens so many times. We value the relationship over the truth, and therefore we compromise the truth. That's never a good thing. And the men of Jabesh Gilead, they weren't evil men. They weren't nasty men. They just were so enraptured with Saul, so committed to Saul, so indebted to Saul, they wanted to maintain a relationship even though it was through his son Ish-bosheth, of whom God said, no heir of Saul's will be on the throne.

The kingship was wiped out of his family. They just could not let go. How many times do we find ourselves in that kind of situation? We just can't let go of a relationship, even though we know it's not right, even though God has said something completely different. We just can't let go. Let me tell you something.

Do the hard thing, because it's the right thing. Follow the truth, obey the truth, and watch what God does. Point number four. This is what we call David's opposition, but Abner. Just to let you know that even though God appoints you as king, appoints you as leader, it doesn't mean that everything's going to be smooth sailing. There will always be opposition. Whenever God appoints, whenever God directs, whenever God leads, even though he says he'll make the path smooth because you trusted in him, it doesn't mean that path will be without opposition from the enemy.

But Abner, those but-ologies of scripture are just so big, aren't they? They're like a big symbol, they bang. But Abner, nah, he wasn't going to do it. Are you kidding me? After David embarrassed me in front of all my men in front of King Saul, do you think I'm going to submit to him? Not on your life. I'm not going to follow that wacko. I'm not doing that. No, no, I'm taking soldiers last boy, Ish-bosheth, whose name by the way means man of shame, man of shame. I'm going to follow a man of shame.

Hey, who's with me? The rest of Israel was. The rest of Israel was. I mean, I mean, really? Now it's not that he didn't know David was the next king. I mean, I can take you back to first Samuel where Saul would reiterate to everybody, yeah, David's the king.

He's the next guy. He's the man. So Abner knew. Abner knew that Saul had said that David was the next king of Israel. He knew that. He knew what God said about the line of Saul and not sitting on the throne of Israel. He knew all of that. He just didn't care. Just didn't care. He had another plan. He had another way. He had his way. He had Ish-bosheth. I'm going to make him king. And I'm going to convince everybody else to follow him because he's Saul's son. And after all, Saul was our beloved king.

So he played on the nation's emotions and got them to fall in line with Ish-bosheth. Wow. How amazing is that? And so, listen, this is so, this is so incredibly good because when Saul was king, his kingdom was in Gebeah. Gebeah. Abner doesn't use Gebeah as the place for rulership. He goes to a different place. He goes to another spiritual place. He goes to another place where Jacob was because you see, he has to counterfeit the real thing, right? I mean, David's in Hebron, the place of intimacy, the place of victory.

Well, I got to find a place that I can have Ish-bosheth rule and it's got to be a spiritual place. So everybody knows that I'm spiritual too. That's what he does. So what does he choose? He chooses a place very familiar to the people of Israel. But Abner, the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army had taken Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. Now, if you read Genesis chapter 32, you realize that God had told Jacob to leave Laban and go back to the promised land. And God said to Jacob, I'll be with you.

Oh, I'm Jacob and I'm going back. So he goes his way back. The problem is if he goes back to the land of promise, he has to meet his brother Esau. That's a little bit of a problem for Jacob because you know, the whole story and the deceit and all that went to place with his mother. It's kind of a bad thing, but he's got to go back. He's got to find Esau. So he's going back. He's got his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and they're going back. They got their kids. They're on their way. They got their goods.

Somebody comes back and says, got news for you. You don't have to wait to meet Esau. He's coming to meet you. Now he's really scared. He's really scared. And he goes to this place called Mahanaim, which means two camps. If you remember our study in Genesis 32, we said the two camps, some say it's, it's Jacob's camp, his hosts, as well as the angels, because he saw the angels around him. Others say it's two hosts, meaning there's angels before him and angels behind him, meaning a solid protection of Jacob and his family.

But if you read the story carefully, Jacob is absolutely terrified amidst the protection. Why? Just like Abner, he lacked confidence in the providence of God, because God said that the older would serve the younger. God said that before they were born. He lacked concern and commitment to the providence of God. He lacked confidence in the power of God to protect him, just like Abner did, just like Ish-bosheth did. So in the realm to counterfeit all that was taking place, they lived out Jacob's life because they didn't believe in what God said.

That's why they were there. All the while to counterfeit to the nation of Israel, a spiritual location, a place of two hosts, the protection of God. But God doesn't protect them. Why? 2 Samuel 3, 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. Wow. David will wait. If you read on in 2 Samuel chapter two, the battles begin between Abner, his men, and Joab, commander of Judah, and his men. It begins the battle between 12 men from each side, where all 12 men are slain. They all die. And Abner leaves with his men. And when David's nephews follows him, he's killed. And the battle ensues. And thus the battles become stronger and stronger and stronger over the seven and a half years.

The only problem is, is that Abner's company becomes weaker and weaker, and David's company becomes stronger and stronger. David ascends the throne. He had learned to trust God amidst adversity, and now he's going to learn to trust God amidst prosperity. Oh, he will be prosperous. There will be many wonderful things that happen in his life. But David, like most, has a hard time with prosperity. I know you don't like to hear that because we all wish, boy, I wish I could just experience a hard time with prosperity just for a little bit.

But it's a lot easier to trust God amidst adversity than it is amidst prosperity. But he had spent 15 years amidst all kinds of adverse circumstances, this nearly escaping death on several occasions, learning to trust God. Was he perfect at it? No, he wasn't. But he was growing. He was getting better at it. And now it's time. The providence of God, it was time to ascend the throne. It was time to rule over Judah. And seven and a half years down the road, he will rule over all the land of Israel, just like God promised.

But in the meantime, he must continue to learn and trust the Lord. And so many times, David will falter. The good news is, is that God is the great restorer of man, the forgiver of man. And we can praise him for that. I would trust that you would learn the lessons of 2 Samuel chapter 2 and learn to follow in the footsteps of David as he inquired of the Lord and sought the face of the Lord in terms of direction in his life. And knowing that where God led him was the exact place that God wanted him to be because God wanted him to walk in intimacy so that he would always gain the victory.

God wants the same thing for you. Let me pray with you. Father, thank you, Lord, for tonight. You are so incredibly good to open up to us this chapter and let us see the nuggets that are there to be able to be challenged in our own spiritual lives. Oh, God, you are incredibly good to us. Our prayer, Father, is that we would learn the lessons of 2 Samuel 2 as fathers, as mothers, as children, sons, daughters, as grandfathers, grandmothers, employers, employees, teachers, coaches, players, daily workers, whatever it is we do.

Maybe we're retired and we're at home each day. We still need to inquire of the Lord as to what we do next. We still need to seek your face and walk intimacy with you. And my prayer is that for everyone who is here tonight, that you would bless them so immeasurably for being here, that your word would take up residence in their hearts and they would be the kind of people that you want them to be for your glory and for your honor. And we will give you praise and we will give you thanks because you are our God and we are your people.

In Jesus' name, Amen.