In the Aftermath of War

If you have your Bible turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 18 We're gonna finish chapter 18 do all of chapter 19 and the first 22 verses of chapter 20 Yeah, that's what I said, you know That's the plan and so we're looking at the after in the aftermath of war what takes place the war is over David is the victor Absalom is dead his son Ahithophel is dead his famed counselor and 20,000 soldiers of Israel are dead and So the effects of sin continue in the life of David in the nation itself for no one ever sins solo and David's sin affected an entire nation.

Yes, of course He was the leader of the nation and so therefore his private sins became Public sins and so therefore everyone faced the consequences I was sharing with someone not too long ago that you know, this study of David probably has been my most Favorite study since I've been preaching for the last, you know three decades it is probably the most fascinating study because it calls me into account and Through the life of David I've learned more about my parenting or lack thereof More about the consequences of sin and how it affects my life and the life of my family in my church than anything else and I've always been baffled about why it is The auditorium is not overflowing with people to understand the effects of their sin And then I realized that that doesn't really draw a crowd if you could talk to them about the consequences of their sin, they don't necessarily want to hear that and Yet the Bible warns us about sin and its consequences and spells it out for us so that we don't sin See the warnings given in the life of David.

Is that one character in Scripture? That tells us about the horrendous effects and tragedy of Sin in someone's life, even though he's been forgiven of his sins the consequences Continue on and so within the realm of David's life Hopefully you have learned about your life and your responsibility and how it is. God wants to use you To further the kingdom of God and to honor him in the aftermath of war. We're gonna see four things we're gonna look first of all at the messengers of Joab and then we're gonna look at the morning of David and Then we're going to look at the move to Jerusalem David goes back to Jerusalem From Mahoney, and then we're going to look at the malcontents in Israel Hopefully we can cover all this we're going to do a little bit differently instead of reading all that we're going to read We're gonna read one section at a time that deals with each of those four points So we're gonna look first of all at the messengers of Joab.

It begins in verse number 19 of chapter 18 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said please let me run and bring the king news that the Lord has freed him from The hand of his enemies But Joab said to him you are not the man to carry news this day But you shall carry news another day However, you shall carry no news today Because the king's son is dead Then Joab said to the Cushite go tell the king what you have seen So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab But whatever happens, please Let me also run after the Cushite and Joab said why would you run my son since you will have no reward for going But whatever happens he said I will run So he said to him run Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite Now David was sitting between the two gates And the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall and raised his eyes and looked and behold a man running by himself And the watchman called and told the king the king said if he is by himself There is good news in his mouth And he came nearer and nearer Then the watchman saw another man running and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said behold Another man running by himself and the king said this one also is bringing good news and the watchman said I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok and the king said this is a good man and comes with good news Then Ahimaaz called and said to the king all is well and he prostrated himself before the king With his face to the ground He said blessed is the Lord your God who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king And the king said is it well with the young man Absalom?

And Ahimaaz answered when Joab sent the king's servant and your servant I saw a great tumult, but I did not know What it was Then the king said turn aside and stand here so he turned aside and stood still and Behold the Kushite arrived and the Kushite said let my lord the king receive good news For the Lord has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you Then the king said to the Kushite is it well with the young man Absalom and the Kushite answered Let the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be as that young man in other words He's dead now.

There's something interesting here. You need to see You got two men You have two messengers One a son of a priest Ahimaaz He's been used as a messenger already in our story He was one of the guys who hid down inside the well when he was bringing news to David about Absalom's plans and so Ahimaaz Understands that he's the messenger You also have a Kushite. We don't know the name of the Kushite But he also is the messenger He's probably a slave of Joab's but in these two men you have a contrast of service and In these two men you can evaluate your life in light of your service Some would say Well, let me skip that for a minute and come back to it the Kushite Was one who waited to be called But Ahimaaz Pushed himself forward He went to Joab and said I will run to the king I will tell the king what has taken place this day and Joab said no You're not going in fact twice.

He said no You're not going But that wasn't good enough for Ahimaaz Because you see he wanted To be the bearer of the news He pushed himself forward into service, you know when the church were always looking for people to serve, right? But we never want someone to push themselves forward too much Because we know their motives are wrong when they do that But sometimes people want to push themselves forward and sometimes, you know in the church We can't get enough people to serve. We want them to serve.

We would wish that someone would volunteer to serve Like Ahimaaz volunteered But he wasn't called Joab had in mind another man the Kushite But because Ahimaaz had already done this kind of thing before and was already used before he Expected to be used again Everyone knows in the church that sometimes we expect to be used again Especially if we've been used in one capacity we expect To be used in that same capacity again Taking no thought about maybe there's plans for somebody else to be used And Ahimaaz Assumed that he'd be the guy You also notice that Ahimaaz never bowed before Joab Because those who push themselves into service don't understand what it means to serve All they understand is that they want to be recognized You notice that the Kushite when he goes to Joab he bows before him because he recognizes that he's truly there to serve his commander He's there at the beck and call of the commander to do whatever the commander wants him to do But Ahimaaz He wasn't that way He expected to be used because he was used before He also was unsubmissive Because Joab said no twice And yet for Ahimaaz that wasn't good enough People who push themselves into service don't understand.

No, all they understand is yes, they don't understand. No How dare you say no to me? And after all Ahimaaz was a lot faster than the Kushite because the Kushite leaves first and Ahimaaz runs and passes him by Which tells us this?

Sometimes because we think we have talent we deserve that place of responsibility But not so in the kingdom of God We think that because we have the giftedness we deserve that place of responsibility like Ahimaaz did Hey, I'm the fastest guy. I can get the news there faster than this Kushite guy can let me take the news And Joab says no you're not going What do you mean?

I'm not going. You can't even reason with a guy who pushes himself into a position of responsibility You can't reason with him because all he can think about is himself All he can think about is what he can do and he can see the forest for the trees Because or the trees for the forest, however that saying goes, I'm not sure how it goes But you know what? I mean, he can't see it because he's so he's so introspective He's so into himself that he just wants the glory. He wants to be the bearer of the news but the Kushite He waited to be called when called he bowed before Joab in submission Because he was willing to do whatever he was told to do without any negotiation without any argument.

I just want to Serve he had a servant's heart He wanted to serve Ahimeas only wanted to serve on his terms in his way. He was the talented one And he knew it and he'd been used by God before And if God's used me before he can use me again No matter what the commander says But God always works through leadership And the commander was Joab And he Would be a one who would be unreasonable but the problem with Ahimeas even though he was talented and More talented in the Kushite in carrying the message because he was a faster man.

He didn't have the right message So when it came time to deliver the right message because the king only had one question He knew they won Because the messenger was coming And he wasn't coming all bloodied and bruised and battered he was coming full-force running It's three miles by the way from Ephraim to Mahanim. So they got to run three miles I'm not sure I can run for three seconds let alone for three miles And so these men so the king knows that good news is coming He's only got one question How is it with my son Absalom, that's the only question that's on the mind of the king But Ahimeas Doesn't have the answer and because he doesn't have the answer the king says Step aside.

I don't need you the Kushite comes He has the answer You see sometimes in our desire to push ourselves into service and even though we're talented and even though we're gifted We might not have the right spirit and the right humility and the right words when needed Because evidently Ahimeas did not have them and David says step aside son You don't have what I need But the Kushite did Kushite had the words that David needed And he gave the words Fearlessly He gave the words now maybe maybe maybe Ahimeas knew what took place but was afraid to say it to the king That could be we don't know maybe he just didn't know But the Kushite he knew and he was unafraid to give the news about the death of Absalom He would give the news because the news was the truth and would speak that truth In just a little story about two messengers we can ask ourselves about our service in the church Do you push yourself forward?

Do you think because you have talent and giftedness you should be doing something rather than somebody else? Do you think you're better than somebody else? You're like Ahimeas Who although you might be more gifted and more talented when it comes to the end the king says step aside son Step aside because you don't have what I need the Kushite Wasn't looking for recognition Wasn't looking for anything but obedience to the call He wasn't trying to step into a position he was just a messenger and They could have called somebody else But Joab called the Kushite.

Hey you you're going instead you go He said yes, sir And he obeyed And even though we don't know his name He was one who understood what it meant to truly serve his commanding officer Ask yourself this question. Do you really know what it means to serve in the church? You know what it really means to serve your commander-in-chief I'm not talking about President Obama, I'm talking about the King of Kings the Lord of Lords. He's the commander-in-chief And do you know what it means to serve him without pushing yourself into any place of authority?

You know one of the hardest things to learn is that you know What if you're gifted and you're talented and God wants to use you nothing will stop him from using you But know what I've come to notice That the most talented and gifted men in the church are not used because of their arrogance and pride.

Did you know that? It's their arrogance and pride that keeps them from being used by God Where others who don't have that? God takes them and puts them in positions of authority positions of leadership because they have the right spirit attitudes everything attitude is everything and How you respond he asked he wasn't gonna take no for an answer no, I'm going finally Joe I've said Go just run dude run.

I don't want to hear you anymore And he ran But he wouldn't take no for an answer. That's a person who has a hard time submitting to authority. Do you think no? for an answer Well, or do you continue to bicker and bellyache because you can't have what you want I ask yourself that question Because it tells a lot about your character and your response to God's call upon your life The messenger Joab lead us to the morning of David the morning of David. Let's go to point number two.

Here we go Says this Verse 33 and the king was deeply moved Now the word deeply moved means More than just you know saddened He loses absolute Control, he's an emotional basket case listen The messages of Joab Talked to us about our service in the church The morning of David talks to us about us as leaders in the church Those who lead in our response to adversity how it should be and how it shouldn't be and David was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept and Thus he said as he walked all my son Absalom my son my son Absalom Would I had died instead of you Oh Absalom my son my son Check the 19 verse number one Then it was told Joab behold the king is weeping and mourns for Absalom And the victory that day was turned to mourning For all the people for the people heard it said that day the king is grieved for his son so the people went by stealth into the city that day as people who are Humiliated steal away when they flee in battle And the king covered his face and cried out with a loud voice.

Oh my son Absalom. Oh Absalom my son my son Then Joab came into the house to the king and said Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your servants Who today have saved your life in the lives of your sons and daughters the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines? By loving those who hate you and by hating those who love you for you have shown today that princes and servants are nothing to you For I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today Then you would be pleased Now therefore arise go out and speak kindly to your servants for I swear by the Lord if you do not go out Surely not a man will pass the night with you and this will be worse for you than all The evil that has come upon you from your youth until now You know what Joab did a lot of wrong things But Joab was spot-on in chapter 19 Yeah, he was an impatient man.

Yes. He was a murderer and yes We're gonna see him kill somebody again before the lights out here in chapter 20 But he was spot-on with David David's mourning Was disabling listen, is it right to grieve once a loved one dies? Absolutely. You can read it over and over again. Jesus wept when Lazarus died. He loved Lazarus Abraham wept when Sarah died and rightly so he was she was his wife But if you're grieving disables you from your duty and responsibility, it's sin And it disabled David from his duty and responsibility He's the king He's not so lowlife living in the back streets of Jerusalem He's the king of Israel.

He's the leader you have a responsibility you have a duty and the morning of for Absalom by David Disabled him emotionally Disabled him as a leader. He was unable to function in the duties of the king Can't do that if you're gonna lead God's people Yes It's sad When a loved one dies and yes, you should grieve when a loved one dies But it should not disable you from accomplishing the purpose for which God has called you to serve Here he was Weeping Over his son who was a murderer an Arsonist an insurrectionist Who was disloyal?

Who was a liar and a deceiver? But the morning of David for Absalom was more than just disabling It was dumb It was dumb, that's the way says he says these words. Oh My son Absalom my son my son Absalom would I had died instead of you That's just dumb Think about it this way if David dies, who's the king of Israel? Absalom so your king is an arsonist. Your king's a murderer. Your king's a deceiver. Your king's a liar Sounds like Washington, doesn't it? But here's here's your king. Here's your leader.

I Mean you want him in leadership David Are you really saying that you want your son Absalom who lived a wicked wretched life to be the leader of Israel? Are you kidding me? That's the dumbest thing David ever said Would that I had died What's one thing to say if you have a child who dies would it be that I would die instead of him? I've lived my life. Let him live his life. That wouldn't be a reasonable boy Would it be that I would die that they would live that they might live to to adulthood and have children.

I've lived my life That's not what David's saying Would it be that I died Really Are you kidding me? Is that really what you think David? Because you see word gets back To all of his troops. This is this is how he feels So not only was his weeping disabling Not only was it dumb It was demoralizing He demoralized the whole nation By his weeping Now listen in his demoralizing the nation His weeping also was an evidence of his disbelief In God see what well, why do you say that? He disbelieved the prudence of God his wisdom.

He disbelieved the power of God He disbelieved in the presence of God he disbelieved in the providence of God In his weeping. Oh my son Absalom my son my son Absalom would it be that I had died Proves his disbelief in God's wisdom Remember when the baby died way back in 2nd Samuel chapter 12, this is what he said While the child was still alive I fasted and wept for I said who knows the Lord may be gracious to me the child may live But now he has died Why should I fast can I bring him back again?

I should go to him, but he will not return to me There was a man Who in his contrition Understood That God was sovereign And in the wisdom of God he took his son and when his son died, what did he do he cleansed himself And he worshipped God There's no worshipping of God in 2nd Samuel chapter 19 there David when his son dies See that He disbelieved in the providence and prudence and the presence of God in his life and in the life of the nation He demoralized the troops So much so that they had to go into the city as if they had been defeated They had just won the victory There should have been a celebration The king is at the gate wise the king at the gate because he's welcoming everybody back.

He's high-fiving all the soldiers Yeah, good job giving, you know fist bumps and high five and that a boy and patting him on the butt as they go in Good job guys. All right Not this time He's up in his chambers weeping like a baby Because his son died and Joab says Mr. King Are you kidding me? You better get your tail right back out there And you better encourage your men because if you don't It will be worse for you than anything that has happened in your entire Life from your youth till now.

Wow, that's powerful That's powerful. You better get your act together. You better pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You better man up David You better man up and do the right thing David Stop feeling sorry for yourself, David Get out there and do the king thing get out there and do the right thing Get out there and be a man David go out there and welcome your men. It's a celebration These men gave their lives for you They volunteered to serve you they risked everything for you And this is how you treat them You're telling them that they are your enemy and Absalom is your friend But Absalom was your enemy and these men are your friends wise counsel by Joab Wise counsel This is important Because David had lost his senses Again it's that whole aspect of Relationship over truth it always sends you into a tailspin It will always mess you up emotionally.

It will always destroy your perspective You can't afford to do that David has been doing that chapter after chapter after chapter. Listen, if that's you take a lesson from David's life It doesn't do you any good. It's only gonna make your family worse Not better if you haven't learned that yet, you're probably never gonna learn it until it happens to you Because it's spelled out in every verse in every chapter of David's life from a sin with Bathsheba to the end of his life Gotta learn that lesson and Absalom deserved to die He did for all the things that he did Absolutely.

He deserved to die Because he was a man who had sinned against God Against his father and against his nation David Had made a huge huge mistake, but He did listen to the counsel of Joab he did the Bible tells us in chapter 19 So the king arose And sat in the gate When he told all the people saying behold the king is sitting in the gate Then all the people came before the king At least he listened Took heed to the counsel given to him That he might be the king the people needed to have You know if you're a leader your home your church your workplace You know as a leader you don't respond the same way other people respond You can't afford to do that Because you're the leader You're out front You're showing the way Helping people understand what they need to be doing Here was a man as a king Who had demonstrated his selfishness?

Who had demonstrated to the nation that they meant nothing to him That his son Who had led the nation into a silver war? Was more valuable to him Than those who stopped that war and brought peace to a nation, it's important And David took heed did the right thing He's gonna make some more blunders as we go through the story But but God begins to turn some things around and we see him moving now to Jerusalem He has to leave his camp in Mahanim and he has to make his way to Jerusalem, but notice what happens Okay Verse number Eight now Israel Had fled each to a stent And all the people were quarreling throughout all the tribes of Israel saying The king delivered us from the hand of the enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines But now he has fled out of the land of Absalom However Absalom whom we anointed over us has died in battle now, then why are you silent about bringing the king back?

Then King David sent to Zadok and Abiethar the priest saying Speak to the arrows of Judah Saying why are you the last to bring the king back to his house? Since the word of all Israel has come to the king even to his house You are my brothers You are my bone and my flesh Why then should you be the last to bring back the king? And notice what happens wars over It's done Israel remember we told you when it says Israel in the context it deals with Absalom's army deals with the ten northern tribes Judah was who sided with David Judah was where David received his men from Now this isn't very important in the story Because way back when Saul was anointed king over Israel He began this whole separation process he took his army from the ten northern tribes and not from Judah and there was a separation that was there and That would continue throughout his reign as king When David was finally anointed king, he was the first king over Judah The other ten tribes went with who ish Bosheth From the tribe of Benjamin from the line of Saul It wouldn't be till later That the other ten tribes came under David's leadership When the insurrection happens the ten tribes they go with Absalom not with David and David has Judah And now you get to this point you have Israel saying Who's gonna be our leader?

I mean after all I mean it was David who killed the Philistine. Oh, how quickly we forget It was David who was who has led us and brought us to this place and we did have Absalom But Absalom's dead who's gonna be the king who's gonna lead the way and David's is wondering about what Judah's doing How come Judah's not stepping up to the forefront here and being the leadership and bringing us back? And so he goes to the priest and says, you know what? Talk to the leaders of Judah. They gotta lead the way in this whole thing.

This is important Because it becomes a huge source of conflict in chapter 20 in the chapter 19 chapter 20 So much so That if it's not squelched It will be worse than what Absalom did All this in the aftermath of war You think things are all hunky-dory because the leader Absalom is dead and and the 20,000 Is from Israel are dead and and everything's gonna be okay, but it's not It's not And so there's this disruption who's going to be our leader Who's gonna bring us back and David goes to the priest to go to Judah and then David makes a big blunder says and say to Amasa Are you not bone of my flesh?

May God do so to me and more also if you will not be commander of the army Before me continually in place of Joab What? What are you doing David He takes a guy Who was unable to organize a multitude of soldiers? to defeat David Under the command of Joab who took a little bit of men to defeat an overwhelming amount of men So we know Joab has the commanding skills we know he's skilled in warfare But he takes a guy who's not so skilled in warfare He takes the loser the commander of the losing army and makes him commander of his army Maybe he's doing that because he wants the ten tribes to know that he's putting out a an olive branch so that they can be together Well, that would be wrong if he did that too But on top of that it was really hypocritical on David's part Why well simply because Joab Joab was used by David in many instances Joab was used by David to kill an innocent man Uriah And yet Joab Was used by God to kill a guilty man Absalom And David makes Joab pay for what he did It says you're done I want you Amasa, I want you to be now the commander of the army Next verse says this Then he who's the he Well, it's not David It's not Amasa It's the Lord He turned the hearts of all the men of Judah as one man Said they sent word to the king saying we turn you and all your servants The king then returned and came as far as the Jordan and Judah came to Gilgal in order to go to meet the king to bring the king across the Jordan Now look who shows up Then Shimei the son of Gerar the Benjamite who was from Bahrain Hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David who Shimei remember him last time we saw him He was on top of a ridge Throwing stones at David kicking dust at David and cursing David for all that he's done.

That's the last time we saw him Now he shows up on the scene Look what it says and there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him Was Ziba the servant of the house of Saul with his 15 sons and 20 servants with him and they rushed to the to the Jordan before the king then they kept crossing the ford to bring over the king's household and To do what was good in his sight and Shimei the son of Gerar Fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan So he said to the king let not my lord consider me guilty nor remember what your servant did wrong on The day when my lord the king came out from Jerusalem said the king should take it to heart For your servant knows that I have sinned Therefore behold I have come today The first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

Oh wow Here's a little bit of good news Shimei comes to a place of repentance He realizes that he had sinned against the king and he brings his men with him. He's the first to be there He's the first to greet the king as he crosses the Jordan.

I want to be the first to say I was wrong Okay, but Abishai the son of Zeruiah Answered and said should not Shimei be put to death for this because he cursed the Lord's anointed Abishai is the brother of who?

Joab Them some fighting brothers right there. This is him killing brothers right there. They're looking just to kill who's everything next Shouldn't we kill this guy? And David then said what have I to do with you? Oh sons of Zeruiah that you should this day be an adversary to me Should any man be put to death in Israel today? For do I not know that I am king over Israel today and the king said to Shimei you shall not die Thus the king swore to him You know David did the right thing there He was willing to forgive Remember what made David a man after God's own heart?

He never sought revenge And he could have very easily said, you know what sorry dude, it's over you had your chance you blew it Abishai off with his head He could have raised it and been in the right to do so But David forgave him That allowed him entrance into his kingdom And then comes Mephibosheth another good news The son of Saul came down to meet the king He had either cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache Nor wash his clothes from the day the king departed to the day. He came home in peace.

Can you imagine now? Remember, he was lame. He couldn't walk But he hadn't trimmed himself. He hadn't changed his clothes. He hasn't bathed He hasn't done anything since David left Jerusalem But remember it was Ziba his servant who said that Mephibosheth went back to follow Absalom Remember that story? So you're saying no, I don't remember that. Well, we covered it. Don't worry about it Verse 25 and it was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king that the king said to him Why did you not go with me Mephibosheth?

Why didn't you go with me? Why'd you side with Absalom? So he answered. Oh my lord the king my servant deceived me For your servant said I will saddle a donkey for myself But I may ride on it and go with the king because your servant is lame Moreover he has slandered your servant to my lord the king But my lord the king is like the angel of God therefore do what is good in your sight He says look I was slandered. I was deceived with my servant Ziba. He lied about me, but look you do what's right You do what you think is best.

We talk about a right attitude You just do whatever you think is best. Oh king For all my father's household was nothing but dead men before my lord the king Yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table memory took Mephibosheth in What right do I have? Yet that I should complain any more to the king. I have nothing to complain about What am I gonna complain about? He took me in He took me in. I I'm Jonathan's son. I'm I'm Saul's grandson You should have killed me, but you took me into your house.

You showed me grace and mercy and kindness. I Have no complaints So the king said to him, why do you still speak of your affairs? I decided you and Ziba Shall divide the land remember he gave everything in Mephibosheth to Ziba earlier on Now the king says You know, I'm gonna do I'm gonna divide now.

He already said that Ziba deceived him Ziba slandered him but David divides everything between Mephibosheth who didn't deceive him who didn't lie and Ziba the one who did lie and did deceive Why would you do that David but he did But look at this response, this is all so good and Mephibosheth said to the king Let him even take it all Since my lord the king has come safely to his house Ziba can have it all here was a man who wasn't looking out for his own interest.

He's he can have it all Because you're back The king is back and Being in the presence of the king is enough for me What an attitude? in in the aftermath of war you begin to see some of the some of the goodness of That God is doing in the lives of Shimei and Mephibosheth and and and these are encouragements to to King David The king's back Being in your presence It's all I care about I don't need other stuff. Let Ziba have it. I Mean, what what an attitude? I mean, what would you do? I'd say I don't know Ziba's not getting half of anything He's lucky to be alive I'm taking it all back he lied that's the way we'd be But Mephibosheth he understood the goodness and the grace of the king He says I had no complaints No, no, but I'm just glad to be in the presence of my king Folks, you know what if you had that attitude You're you're married changes Your ministry in the church changes.

I'm just glad to be the presence of the king You want somebody else to have my ministry? Let him have it. That's okay. I'm just glad to be the presence of the king I if I lose my job, that's okay. I'm just glad to be in the presence of the king God will take care of me. He always takes care of me. I'm just glad to be near That's why the psalm ascends psalm 7 I think it's 73 70 the nearness of God is my good That's my good. God is near. That's good. That's all I need But for most of us, that's not all we need.

We want something else Take it back. It's all we need but it's not all we want. He wants something else But not for my pippa chef Kings back It's all we need Verse 31 now borrows the lie Bars lies 80 years old. What a great guy Remember, he was one of the guys who came and brought goods to David that he might eat and feed his army The guy's 80 years old. I Won't read the story to you because I'm gonna get to the rest of the story He comes back and he's there and the king said I want you to come with me to Jerusalem He says, you know David look, I'm an old dude.

I'm 80 years. I'm gonna die. I don't need any favors I don't need any help. I just want to go back to my home and Die, it's all I would do But I do have a son You can take him David says I'll take I'll take that guy I'll take him and I'll take him back to Jerusalem with me Bars the lies one of those guys who who again? Demonstrating a selfless spirit. It wasn't one of those guys say, you know, I'm 80 years old David I need someone to take care of me and help me out man. Oh, come on, David Let me go to Jerusalem with you take care of you.

Put me in your palace, you know, give me some of your concubines man I'll be all right. Take care of me David. No, he was like, you know what David go ahead and go I don't need to go I'm about to die. I don't want you to be burdened with me Don't just take care of me But my son Take him Again another individual with a selfless attitude God is trying to speak to David through these different encounters of people as he moves back to Jerusalem Because it's not all that way Look at verse number 40 And we're gonna look at the malcontents in Israel Now the king went on to Gilgal and Kimim, which is the son of Barzillai went on with him and all the people of Judah and also half the people of Israel Accompanied the king so you have the people of Judah and you have half of the people of Israel Israel Remember the ten northern tribes And we had all the men of Israel ten tribes Came to the king and said to the king Why had our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and Brought the king and his household and all David's men with him over the Jordan Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel Because the king is a close relative to us Why then are you angry about this matter?

Have we eaten at all at the king's? expense or as anything been taken for us But the men of Israel the ten northern tribes Answered the men of Judah and said we have ten parts in the king Therefore we also have more claim on David in you. Why then did you treat us with contempt? Was it not our advice first to bring back our king?

Yet the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel Now you might not think this is much But look what it says down in verse number six and David said to a bet a bash. I Now she but the son of bickery will do us more harm Than Absalom So be careful This has potential to blow up. Why? Why? Well, the men of Israel were a little perturbed that the men of Judah didn't tell him what they were doing with the king way way way way way Crying like a bunch of babies How come you didn't tell us?

Well, how come you didn't inform us what you were doing? And Judas said wait a minute. We have the formula what we're doing. He's one of us He's nearer to us than he is to you. They say oh, well, we are the ten We are The multitude where's more of us than there is of you You should have been a little bit more considerate and let us the multitude know more about what's happening Instead of just going on getting all the glory by bringing the king back to Jerusalem We have ten parts really because during the Civil War you had no part with the king none You were against the king And they said well whose idea was it to bring the king back?

We it was our idea. We get the glory Everybody should be looking at us It was our idea and Judah says you know what and the words got harsh and more harsh and they got more perturbed and more angry one with each other Simply because somebody was overlooked how petty can we be but that exactly what happens in the church You get overlooked It was your idea. You didn't get the recognition In to get you know, you're all upset and you all get all discouraged and you wonder why you didn't get all the glory And somebody else and it wasn't even their idea and they get all the glory.

That's the way it is today, right? That's the way it was bad some things just never change If I don't get the glory I don't get the recognition I don't get the prominence I don't get the leadership position You're not gonna get it and I'm gonna do all I can to keep you from getting it if I got a backbite about you if I gotta talk to Other people about you if I gotta keep criticizing you I'm gonna make sure you don't get it cuz I didn't get it That's what they were doing So here's how the story gets really really out of whack Now worthless fellow happened to be there whose name was Sheba the son of bickering a Benjamin a Benjamite And he blew the trumpet and said we have no portion in David Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse every man to his tent.

So Israel so all the men of Israel the ten tribes withdrew from following David and Followed Sheba the son of bickering But the men of Judah remained steadfast to their King from the Jordan even to Jerusalem You know what's gonna happen There's gonna be another war because somebody didn't get the recognition and the glory. They thought they deserve There's gonna be another war and David says, you know what? You got to go stop Sheba if you don't it's gonna be worse than what happened with Absalom You got to deal with it right now And they do and they do Verse 6 and David said I'm sorry verse 4 then the King said to Amasa Call out the men of Judah for me within three days and present here yourself So Amasa went to call the men of Judah But he delayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him and David said to Abashi Now Sheba the son of bickering will do us more harm than Absalom Take your Lord's service and pursue him lest he find for himself fortified cities and escape from our night Got to go after him.

Go get him for seven so Joab's men went out after him along with the Karathites and the pilithites and all the mighty men and they sent and they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of bickering When they were at the large stone Which is in Gibeon Amasa came to meet them now.

Joab was dressed in his military attire and Over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath Fastened at his waist and as he went forward it fell out and Joab said to him Amasa is it well with you my brother and Joab took Amasa by the beard With his right hand to kiss him But Amasa was not on guard against a sword which was in Joab's hand so he struck him in the belly with it and Poured out his inward parts on the ground and did not strike him again and he died Joab was a ruthless individual You're not gonna lead my army No way So dressed his military attire He comes up to Amasa the sword slips out into his hand grabs him by the beard.

How you doing, brother? And down he goes But the main thing about this is The army does nothing Listen to this. It says then Joab and Abishai and His brother pursued Sheba the son of bickering Now there stood by him one of Joab's young men and said Whoever favors Joab whoever is for David. Let him follow Joab But Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway And when the man saw that all the people stood still He removed Amasa from the highway into the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone Came by him and stood still as soon as he was removed from the highway all the men passed on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of bickering Imagine this here is this this man Lying in a pool of blood on the road and no one's moving until he moves Take him throw him off cover him and they all follow Joab Now Joab must have been one impressive commander For them to overlook His heinous crime to follow him to pursue Sheba And they did They followed him to pursue Sheba the son of bickering See why did this is so why did God do that?

Why would God allow that to happen? Because that's you got to ask that question. Oh, it just seems like it's just so uncalled for Let me remind you of the words of 2nd Samuel 12 1 The sword shall never depart from your house David, okay Amasa was David's Nephew his death was part and parcel The sword never departed from David's house But he also was the captain of Absalom's army he too was an insurrectionist one who rebelled against the king He failed The king he was not loyal to the king in God in his righteous judgment Had every right to take Amasa's life Just so happens that he was brutally murdered by Joab And the story goes I only have a few minutes left That he pursued Sheba The son of bickering now, he must have been some powerful individual We don't know who he is, but he was able to get all the tribes to not follow David anymore So he had to be some powerful person But he flees way up north in Israel and they pursue him and they get to the fortified city of Abel And Joab's gonna tear down the city.

I'm gonna rip it wide open And a woman comes out and says Joab the commanding officer. I need to talk to Joab Let me talk to Joab And so Joab gets an audience with this woman So he approached her verse 17 and the woman said are you Joab?

He answered I am Then she said to him listen to the words of your maidservant and he answered I am listening Then she spoke saying formally they used to say they will surely ask advice at Abel and thus they ended the dispute I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city even a mother in Israel Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord and Joab answered and said far be it far be it from me that I Should swallow up or destroy Such is not the case But a man from the hill country of Ephraim she was not a bickering by name has lifted up his hand against King David Only hand him over and I will depart from the city and the woman said to Joab behold His head will be thrown to you over the wall Then the woman wisely came to all the people and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of bickering and threw it to Joab so he Blew the trumpet and they were Dispersed from the city each to his tent Joab also returned to the king at Jerusalem The guy who wanted to be the head of the ten tribes lost his head They cut off his head Threw it over the wall.

There it is Joab says oh, yeah, we can go back to Jerusalem now No more civil war No, you read these stories the men that they're amazing What God's doing but it's all about God and sovereignty how he's orchestrating everything in the life of people to bring about a sovereign purpose God is going to do a work in David's life. He's going to work in Israel's life But all these stories and all these people play an intricate part in the plan of God May we learn the lessons God wants for us as we study his word together.

Let's pray father Thank you for tonight a chance to be in your word. Once again, what a joy to know that you are sovereign rule overall Our prayers that we'd learn much from what we've studied and that father we'd apply these lessons to our lives That we might live in the light of our glorious King in Jesus name, amen