The Life of David #5: Building the Kingdom
CCEA
School of Discipleship
February
9, 2025
Introduction
This is our Super Bowl Sunday edition where we are going to do our class
through this YouTube video instead of coming together in person.
Your homework was
to read McGee’s chapter 5, “David Befriends the Son of Jonathan”
So since we are completely online this week, we
won’t be breaking up into small groups, but perhaps you might see some of what
you read about when we jump into our study.
Notes from McGee “David Befriends the Son of Jonathan” Chapter 5
The small black dot on a large white screen – we tend to focus on that one
thing that stands out, or that one thing that is flawed.
The rule for kings was to destroy any threats to the throne.
All descendants of Saul could have been destroyed.
David raises up Mephibosheth – Ziba may have “betrayed” Mephibosheth by
telling David where he was.
Mephibosheth felt he was a “dead dog”.
He was lame in his feet – we are all lame in the feet. David makes lots of references in Psalms to
feet.
David “saved” him by grace.
Let’s recite together Psalm 23:1-4.
If you are watching with family or friends you
can impress them with your Bible memorization!
(Psalm 23:1–4 NKJV)
—1 The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie
down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me
in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Pay attention to that last verse for later …
Your
rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
On to our study…
David is now king of Israel and he continues to
conquer and expand the kingdom.
Building the Kingdom
2Samuel 6 – The Ark comes to Jerusalem
:1 Again David gathered
all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand.
:2 And David arose and
went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up
from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who
dwells between the cherubim.
:2 the ark of God
This is the Ark of the Covenant, as in Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark, as
in the gold covered box built by Moses to house the two stone tablets with the
Ten Commandments written on them.
The Ark was to be a miniature model of God’s throne in heaven.
It was also a place where God wanted to communicate with His people.
(Exodus
25:22 NKJV) And there I will meet with you, and I will speak
with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are
on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in
commandment to the children of Israel.
:2 Baale Judah
Back in the days of Joshua, the Ark had been in Shiloah. But in a battle at
Aphek, the Ark had been captured by the Philistines, where it bounced around
from Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. You might recall the Philistines were getting
mice infestations and a plague of hemorrhoids, so they finally shipped the Ark
on an oxcart heading towards Israel, and it ended up at the city of Kirjath-jearim. It was the people of Kirjath-jearim
that had been watching over the Ark for the last twenty years. (1Sam. 7:1-2)
Another name for Kirjath-jearim was Baale-Judah
(“Lord of Judah”). It is about 8 ½ miles to Jerusalem.
(1 Samuel 7:1–2
NKJV) —1 Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord, and
brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his
son to keep the ark of the Lord. 2 So it was
that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time;
it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.
:2 bring up from there the ark …
When David gathers the people, he gives them his reason for wanting to move
the Ark:
(1
Chronicles 13:3 NLT) It is time to bring back the Ark of
our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.”
We saw last week that David probably asked God for directions by talking to
a priest with an ephod, but the Ark was not a part of that process.
It’s sad to think that this nation of God’s chosen people had not taken
advantage of this most tremendous resource that God had given to them.
They had not cultivated the kind of close relationship with the Lord that
was available to them.
That would be kind of like a Christian not reading their Bible because it
makes them feel uncomfortable.
We have the most amazing book in the universe. Read it!
:3 So they set the ark of
God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was
on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
:3 drove the new cart
Houston, we have a problem.
They are moving the Ark in the wrong way.
The idea of transporting the Ark on an oxcart came from the Philistines.
About fifty years earlier, when the Philistines tried to return the Ark
back to Israel, they had put it on an oxcart.
God designed the Ark with rings and poles so it could be carried on the
shoulders of the priests (Num.
7:6-9), not placed on an ox cart.
(Numbers 7:9 NKJV) …because theirs was the service of the holy things, which
they carried on their shoulders.
It’s kind of like God’s Word or the gospel.
God wants His message to be carried by people, not oxen!
:4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on
the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.
:5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of
fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on
tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.
:6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his
hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
It happens somewhere along the road from Kirjath-jearim
to Jerusalem, today known as “Highway 1”. On our Israel trips, we would often
have a final night’s supper in Abu Gosh, near that area.
:7 Then the anger of the Lord
was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and
he died there by the ark of God.
:7 God struck him
I have actual footage …forgive me for the quality, but I did the best I
could restoring 3,000 year old film…and yes, David
does look a lot like Gregory Peck.
Play David and Bathsheba – Uzzah dies
For the simple act of touching the Ark to try and keep it from falling off
the cart, God puts Uzzah to death.
The root problem isn’t that Uzzah touched the Ark, the problem is that they
were transporting the Ark improperly, which led to Uzzah touching it.
Lesson
Understanding Holiness
Holiness is that quality
about God that defines His absolute purity, glory, power, and absence of sin.
“Holy”means to be “set apart”. God is different than we are. VERY different.
From time
to time God needs to remind His people that He is not like us.
Lev.9:22 - 10:3 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu were killed instantly by God’s
holiness when the Tabernacle was first set up because they weren’t doing things
right.
We see it in the
establishment of the early church – Ananias and Sapphira.
They
were struck dead because they thought they could get away with lying and
pretending to be something they weren’t. (Acts 5)
There is a big difference
between what we think of as “pure” and what God thinks of as “pure”
On our own, we can’t be
“pure” enough to know God. We can only
know God because Jesus took our impurities on the cross when He died for us.
But God still wants us to learn to live holy lives here...
(1 Peter 1:14–16
NLT) —14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into
your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better
then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who
chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be
holy because I am holy.”
God
wants the world to catch a glimpse of who He is by our lives.
Because
He is holy, He wants us to learn to be holy.
:8 And David became angry because of the Lord’s
outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this
day.
:9 David was afraid of the Lord
that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
He’s probably thinking, “If this is what happens on the road to Jerusalem,
what will happen when the Ark is in the city itself?”
David doesn’t understand yet what happened.
:10 So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside
into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
:10 Obed-Edom – “servant of Edom”.
Apparently this man had lived at one time in the
Philistine city of Gath, hence he’s known as a “Gittite”.
My guess is that he’s a Levite based on the things spoken of him in
1Chronicles 15.
We will see this man and his family play an important role in the Temple
where they would be “gatekeepers”.
The experience he will have taking care of the Ark
will set him up for helping in the Temple.
:11 The ark of the Lord
remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three
months. And the Lord blessed
Obed-Edom and all his household.
:11 the Lord blessed
Obed-Edom
Just how did God bless Obed-Edom?
How could David tell that God had blessed him?
(1 Chronicles
26:4–5 NLT) —4 The sons of Obed-edom, also
gatekeepers, were Shemaiah (the oldest), Jehozabad (the second), Joah (the
third), Sacar (the fourth), Nethanel (the fifth), 5 Ammiel (the
sixth), Issachar (the seventh), and Peullethai (the
eighth). God had richly blessed Obed-edom.
The implication is that Obed-Edom was considered “blessed” because he had a
lot of kids.
I wonder if Obededom’s wife and other members of his
household became pregnant while the Ark was at his house.
And this “ark”, like God’s Word, the thing we were afraid of, becomes
instead an instrument of blessing.
Quiz Alert!!
Lesson
Children are a blessing
Sometimes if we’re not careful, we only see our kids as causing messes
Play Video: Kid tossing stuff
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1567869837230735?fs=e&mibextid=wwXIfr&fs=e
Or we can get to thinking that our children are just “in the way”.
Play Video: Values – Wet Cement Patience
https://youtu.be/iovJ-IpB29s?si=3LAgIfQbdBO-5f8U
Oh how we need patience.
Children aren’t supposed to be thought of as a “hindrance”, they are a
blessing!
(Psalm 127:3–5
NKJV) —3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of
the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a
warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 Happy is
the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their
enemies in the gate.
How can you not love kids like this?
Play Hezzy Video
https://www.facebook.com/reel/949553036700140
Hey, it’s my class. I can show my
grandkids once in a while can’t I? And
by the way, he’s the child most likely to be tossing stuff off of shelves.
Whether you have kids or not … whether you think your kids are good or not
… whether your kids live with you or are living out of state … children are a
blessing.
:12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs
to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and
brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with
gladness.
David can tell that God is doing something at Obed-Edom’s house. And he wants what Obed-Edom’s got. He wants
God’s blessings.
Can people tell that God is doing something at
your house? Do they want Jesus because of what’s going on in your life?
:12 brought up the ark
David hadn’t understood what had happened when Uzzah was killed. He thought he was doing a good thing, having
the Ark in his capitol.
He didn’t realize that he was doing the right things the wrong way.
The writer of Chronicles gives us a hint that while the Ark sat at
Obed-Edom’s house, somebody must have decided to search the Scriptures to find
out what went wrong. They realized they
needed to have the priests carry the Ark (1Ch. 15:12-13)
Later, David will report to the priests:
(1 Chronicles 15:13
NLT) Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger
of the Lord our God burst out
against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.”
Now they’ll do it right.
:13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he
sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep.
This wasn’t required by God, perhaps David is just trying to be extra
careful.
:14 Then David danced before the Lord
with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound
of the trumpet.
:16 Now as the ark of the Lord
came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window
and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
Michal was David’s first wife. She
was the daughter of King Saul. She knew
how a king was supposed to behave, and in her eyes, David was making a fool of
himself.
:17 So they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for
it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
:17 the tabernacle
A tabernacle is simply a “tent”. This is not the “Tabernacle” that Moses
had set up to originally house the Ark.
David sets up his own tent to be a house for the Ark. Moses’ Tabernacle is still in existence, but
it is at Gibeon (1Chr. 16:39;
21:29; 2Chr. 1:3) and would remain
there at least through Solomon’s reign.
:18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace
offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
:19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of
Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of
meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people
departed, everyone to his house.
:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of
Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel
today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as
one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
:21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your
father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore
I will play music before the Lord.
:22 And I will be even more undignified than this, and
will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have
spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”
:21 It was before the Lord
David wasn’t dancing to make Michal admire him. He wasn’t dancing to impress the maids of his
servants.
He was dancing to worship to His God.
Lesson
The Audience
Some folks have the idea that in the church service, that the people on
stage are performing for the church, and we in the congregation are the
“audience”.
Sometimes even the folks on stage can forget, and
start thinking that you in the congregation are the real “audience”.
The people on stage are supposed to be leading you and I (as the backup
singers) to be performing before a much more important audience.
God is our audience.
I think that sometimes we are way too concerned about what others are
thinking when we worship at church.
I know that at some churches, worship can get a little
carried away.
I’m not advocating that we go cart
wheeling down the aisles of the church, waving ribbons and stuff. I believe it’s important to do all things
“decently and in order” (1Cor.
14:40).
Yet if I were to “evaluate” our times of worship, I would have to say that some
of us tend to err on the side of being too cautious. I think we’re a little too afraid of what
Michal thinks.
I think we ought to be more concerned about what God thinks. I think we ought to be a tad more like David
and keep our focus on the real “Audience”
:23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her
death.
:23 had no children
The implication might be that David and Michal were no longer intimate from
that time on. It could be that she was
simply unable to have children from this time.
Lesson
Bitterness blocks the blessing
At the house of Obed-Edom, the family was blessed with children because of
God’s presence with the Ark.
Yet at David’s house, the bitterness of Michal is choking out the blessing
from her life.
She seems more concerned about what other people think than what God
thinks. Perhaps she feels “embarrassed”
by her husband. She is more concerned about maintaining her image as the
“Queen” before her servants than she is about being a worshipper of God.
2Samuel 7 – God’s Covenant with David
We’re going to hop and skip through this chapter.
This chapter starts with David sitting in his house and thinking to
himself, “Here I am sitting in a house while the ark of God is in a tent. I think I’m going to build God a house!”
At first Nathan the prophet says it sounds like a good idea, but that night
God speaks to Nathan and he goes back to David and
tells him that God said,
“That’s nice, but since when did I ever ask for someone to build me a
house?”
In fact, God promises to build David a house, a different kind of house.
I think that sometimes the things we want to do for God are nothing
compared to what God wants to do for us.
God says…
(2 Samuel 7:12–16
NKJV) —12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I
will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will
establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name,
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be
his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons
of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from
Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your
house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne
shall be established forever.” ’ ”
This promise of a special descendant of David that would have a forever
kingdom is a promise of the Messiah, Jesus.
Jesus the Son of David.
For someone to be recognized as “The Messiah”, or the “Savior”, they would
need to be a descendant of David.
This is why both Matthew and Luke take pains to show the
genealogical link between David and Jesus.
This is the prophecy that J. Vernon McGee called “The Most
Outstanding Prophetic Passage” (chapter 4 in your books).
When David hears Nathan’s response from God, he is speechless.
He is blown away that God would make such an incredible promise to him and
his family.
David goes before the Lord and you can read his
words of thanks to God.
And he ends his words of thanks with this:
(2 Samuel 7:29
NKJV) Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your
servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with
Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”
:29 let the house of Your servant be blessed forever
Lesson
Receive God’s blessings
I think that sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that we should
only be concerned for others and never be concerned for ourselves.
We pray for others. We bless others.
But it doesn’t feel right to pray or bless ourselves.
David was saying, “Please God, go ahead and bless me!”
This is not said out of pride, but out of humility and need.
Be sure you are asking God to bless you.
When we recognize our need for God, we realize we want all that God wants
to give us.
2Samuel 8 – More Conquests
David will now face more battles.
He will conquer more of the Philistines.
He will defeat Moab.
He will defeat the king of Zobah and extend his territory all the way to
the Euphrates River.
David even captures “shields of gold” and brought them to Jerusalem.
Why is David doing all
this conquering? Is he going too far?
To Abraham, God promised:
(Genesis
15:18 NKJV) … “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of
Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—
God promised the land
from the Nile to the Euphrates.
God will repeat similar
boundaries to Moses as well (Deut. 11:24)
(Deuteronomy 11:24 NKJV) Every place on which the sole of
your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the
river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory.
See map.
Today, Israel looks something like this.
God’s promise to Abraham looks like this.
David is simply coloring within the lines.
He’s staying inside the territory God had promised to His people.
David doesn’t just do “conquering”.
He also made new friends.
Toi the king of Hamath was impressed by David and they make
an alliance.
Look at vs. 11
:11 King David also
dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had
dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued—
:11 … dedicated these to the Lord
Lesson
Building Materials
These things were brought into the kingdom treasury.
They would one day be used in the building of the Temple
When you read about how Solomon built the Temple, he built out of what his
father David provided. David said,
(1
Chronicles 29:2 NKJV) Now for the house of my God I have
prepared with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold, silver
for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze…
Solomon used these materials in the temple…
(2 Chronicles 4:22
ESV) the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure
gold, and the sockets of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place
and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.
Even the door sockets in the Holy Place were made of gold.
Where did Solomon get the gold to build the sockets?
From the spoils of war. David’s wars, the prize at the end
of a hard-fought battle.
We are “temples of the Holy Spirit”, Paul talked about how we build our
lives:
(1 Corinthians
3:12–13 NKJV) —12 Now if anyone builds on this
foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it,
because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of
what sort it is.
We want to build our lives with things that will pass the
“fire”, pass the test with God.
Some of those things are the spoils of battle.
We build our lives on our victories over sin.
2Samuel 9 - Mephibosheth
:1 Now David said, “Is
there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him
kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
:1 Kindness – “hesed” – can be translated goodness, kindness,
mercy
It is one of the qualities that God tells us defines who He is, used twice
when God tells Moses about who He is…
(Exodus 34:6–7
NKJV) —6 And the Lord passed
before him and proclaimed, “The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin…
:1 anyone who is left of the house of Saul
J. Vernon McGee made a point of how ancient kings would often kill anyone
who might be a threat to their rule, including descendants of previous kings.
But this is not what David has in mind.
He intends to show kindness.
:2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was
Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king
said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!”
:3 Then the king said, “Is
there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness
of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is
lame in his feet.”
We’ve already had a tiny glimpse of this son back in chapter 4 where we
learned how he became lame.
(2 Samuel 4:4 NKJV)
Jonathan,
Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years
old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took
him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and
became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
His name “Mephibosheth” means “exterminating the idol” or “destroying
shame”
:4 So the king said to
him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in
the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
:5 Then King David sent
and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
:4 the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar
J. Vernon McGee felt pretty strongly that Ziba is
trying to “betray” Mephibosheth, giving away his location, in hopes that David
will do what all kings do, get rid of the competition.
That’s an interesting idea.
Lo Debar is up north on the Jordan River near the Sea of Galilee, about
seven miles from Beth Shan.
In a few weeks we will talk about David running from his son Absalom.
Machir will show up again. He’s one of
the good guys who didn’t give up on David and who supported him even when the
rest of the nation defected to Absalom.
(2 Samuel 17:27–29
NKJV) —27 Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the
son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from
Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and
flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds, 29 honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the
people who were with him to eat. For they said, “The people are hungry
and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
I wonder if that future deed had any connection to what David is about to
do in this chapter.
:6 Now when Mephibosheth
the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face
and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here
is your servant!”
:7 So David said to him,
“Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s
sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you
shall eat bread at my table continually.”
:7 …kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake
Lesson
Keep your promises
David and Jonathan had made a “covenant”, a promise with each other. Here
was the promise:
(1 Samuel 20:14–15
NKJV) —14 And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not
die; 15 but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no,
not when the Lord has cut off
every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
Since most ancient kings killed any threats, David might have reasons not
to keep his promise to Jonathan.
But that’s not who David is.
Moses wrote,
(Deuteronomy
23:21–23 NKJV) —21 “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord
your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. 22 But if you abstain from vowing, it shall
not be sin to you. 23 That which has gone from your lips
you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised
with your mouth.
Jesus, the “son of David”, told us to keep our promises. He said,
(Matthew 5:37 NKJV)
But
let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For
whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Jesus’ little brother James (also a “son of David”) wrote,
(James 5:12 NKJV) But above
all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by
earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your
“No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.
Have you made promises that you need to keep?
People get a glimpse of the Son of David in us when we keep our promises.
:8 Then he bowed himself,
and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead
dog as I?”
:8 look upon such a dead dog as I
Lesson
Undeserved Favor
That sounds like someone who has received grace, like we have from Jesus.
Mephibosheth understood that he would most likely be put to death for being
one of the last remnants of King Saul’s family.
Yet instead he is elevated and brought to the table of
the king.
The songwriter Leeland wrote a beautiful song called “Carried to the
Table”. I’ll put the link to it in my
notes. It will take you to this moment where a crippled Mephibosheth talks
about David’s kindness to him.
Leeland – Carried to the Table
I won’t play it here because I’m afraid YouTube will block my video, so it’s
better if you watch it on Leeland’s page.
This is also an echo of what should be going on in our hearts when we look
at what Jesus has done for us.
As sinners, we too are like “dead dogs”, underserving of any kindness.
Yet Jesus paid for our sins at the cross and has invited
us to His Table.
It’s kind of like what the thief on the cross must have faced when he got
to Paradise later that day…
Play The man on the middle cross – Alistair Begg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPqDkRjQHms
In vs. 9-15, David’s promise towards Mephibosheth won’t just be words.
David is signing an executive order and giving Mephibosheth all of his grandfather’s lands.
David will ask Ziba and his family to serve Mephibosheth.
They are to work the fields of King Saul, while
Mephibosheth will live with King David.
Mephibosheth will be treated like one of David’s sons.
2Samuel 10 – Ammonite Trouble
:1 It happened after this that the king of the people of Ammon died, and
Hanun his son reigned in his place.
:2 Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as
his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning
his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon.
:2 Hanun the son of Nahash
Nahash was the name of the king who had laid siege to Jabesh Gilead after
Saul had been anointed king over Israel (1Samuel 11), about sixty years prior to this. He was the
one who demanded that the people either fight or come out and let him poke out
their right eyes. The people of Jabesh Gilead sent out messengers who told Saul
about the attack. Saul raised an army and rescued the people of Jabesh Gilead.
This Nahash might be the same Nahash, or it could Nahash Jr. Apparently,
the Nahash in our passage had been kind to David.
We don’t know the particulars.
Perhaps when David was fleeing from Saul, he had found refuge among the
Ammonites for a time.
David now sends servants to convey his condolences towards Hanun at the
loss of his father, the king of the Ammonites.
Nahash = “serpent”
Hanun = “gracious”
People in the Bible don’t always match their names. This “Nahash” was kind to David. Hanun will be anything BUT gracious.
We’ve already peeked ahead to see that there will be another “son of
Nahash” who will show kindness to David when David is on the run from Absalom:
(2 Samuel
17:27 NKJV) Now it happened, when David had come to
Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon,
Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite
from Rogelim,
Shobi might be the brother or Hanun.
:2 I will show kindness to Hanun
kindness – checed – goodness, kindness, faithfulness
You could make a point that David is only doing for Hanun what he had done
for Mephibosheth. David might have
thought to himself, “It’s a good thing to show “kindness”!” Usually it is…
:2 the land … of Ammon
Play Rabbah map clip.
This next event takes place at the city of Rabbah,
the capital city of the Ammonites. Today
this ancient city is known as “Amman”, the capital of modern Jordan.
:3 And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you
think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to
you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city,
to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”
:3 to spy it out, and to overthrow it
Hanun has some suspicious people around him. They think that David isn’t
really trying to be nice. They think that David is going to take advantage of
the situation and end up overthrowing the Ammonites.
Lesson
Misunderstandings
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, no matter how nice we are, people are
going to misunderstand us.
Play Video: The Manslater
Illustration
WORDS WOMEN USE
The following is from a manual for men who want to understand what their
wives really mean.
FINE
This is the word we (women) use at the end of any argument
that we feel we are right about but need to shut you up. NEVER use fine to
describe how a woman looks. This will cause you to have one of those arguments.
FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes
that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so I
feel that it’s an even trade.
NOTHING
This means something and you should be on your toes.
“Nothing” is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to
turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. “Nothing” usually signifies an
argument that will last “Five Minutes” and end with the word “Fine”.
GO AHEAD (with raised eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting
upset over “Nothing” and will end with the word “Fine”.
GO AHEAD (normal eyebrows)
This means “I give up” or “do what you want because I
don’t care.” You will get a raised eyebrow “Go Ahead” in just a few minutes,
followed by “Nothing” and “Fine” and she will talk to you in about “Five
Minutes” when she cools off.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but
is still often a verbal statement very misunderstood by men. A “Loud Sigh”
means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment and wonders why she is wasting
her time standing here and arguing with you over “Nothing”.
SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a verbal statement. “Soft Sighs”
are one of the few things that some men actually understand.
She is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe and she will stay
content.
THAT’S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman
can say to a man. “That’s Okay” means that she wants to think long and hard
before paying you retributions for whatever it is that you have done. “That’s
Okay” is often used with the word “Fine” and used in conjunction with a raised
eyebrow “Go Ahead”. At some point in the near future
when she has plotted and planned, you are going to be in some mighty big
trouble.
PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an
offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or
reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair
chance to tell the truth, so be careful and you shouldn’t get a “That’s Okay”.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint, just say you’re
welcome.
THANKS A LOT
On a more serious note…
This is much different than “Thanks”. A woman will say,
“Thanks A Lot” when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have
hurt her in some callous way and will be followed by the “Loud Sigh”. Be
careful not to ask what is wrong after the “Loud Sigh”, as she will only tell
you “Nothing”.
When you find yourself in a battle that you don’t understand, there is a
good chance that someone has misunderstood.
It might be you. It might be the
other person. Could be both.
:4 Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards,
cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.
:4 shaved off half of their beards
The whole point was to send David’s servants away shamed and embarrassed.
By the way, shaming the other person isn’t going
to help any argument.
Shaving off a person's beard is still regarded in some parts of the world
as a great indignity. In David’s day, it was a sign of slavery, only slaves
shaved their beards. You could spot a runaway slave because he didn’t have a
beard.
Probably the idea here is that half of the face was shaved, and the other
half remain bearded, adding to embarrassment.
Cutting a person’s clothes off like this also brought shame.
(Is 20:4 NKJV) —4 so shall the
king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as
captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to
the shame of Egypt.
:5 When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly
ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then
return.”
:5 Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown
Lesson
Patience in restoration
David doesn’t want his men to face the extra humiliation of returning to
Jerusalem and have all their friends and comrades see them in their embarrassing
state.
It’s better for them to hang out in Jericho and wait until their beards are
grown back enough, and then come back to Jerusalem.
In his book “Lectures to My Students”, Charles Spurgeon takes this phrase
and applies it to men who have had moral failings while in ministry.
…“When a preacher of righteousness has
stood in the way of sinners, he should never again open his lips in the great
congregation until his repentance is as notorious as his sin.” Let those who
have been shorn by the sons of Ammon tarry at Jericho till their beards be
grown; this has often been used as a taunt to beardless boys to whom it is
evidently inapplicable, it is an accurate enough metaphor for dishonoured and characterless men, let their age be what it
may. Alas! the beard of reputation once shorn is hard
to grow again. [1]
This morning I was reading about another Israelite
waiting for restoration in Jericho…
(Mark 10:46–52
NKJV) —46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His
disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by
the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus
of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on
me!” 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more,
“Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded
him to be called.
Then
they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is
calling you.” 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus
answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind
man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” 52 Then Jesus
said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he
received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
Bartimaeus wouldn’t stop crying out until he got Jesus’ attention.
Do you need restoration?
Ultimately, true restoration comes from Jesus, the Son of
David.
He makes blind eyes see.
The rest of the chapter details the battle that is going to come as each
side organizes their troops for battle.
The Ammonites will hire an army of Syrians to help them.
Joab and his brother Abishai take the troops of Israel to battle.
And Israel wins.
:6 When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to
David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the
Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and
from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.
:6 Ammon sent and hired the Syrians
The Ammonites know they’ve insulted David, and they get ready for the war
that they assumed was going to come.
Play “Syrian Allies” map video.
The Ammonites hire their neighbors to the north, the Syrians, to help them.
Rehob, Zoba, Maacah, Ish-Tob
:7 Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the
mighty men.
:8 Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at
the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and
Maacah were by themselves in the field.
The Ammonites station themselves in front of their city, while the Syrians
surround the Israelites out in the field outside the city.
:9 When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he
chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the
Syrians.
Joab quickly puts together a plan and divides his troops into two groups.
He takes the smaller group of stronger fighters and has them face the Syrians
out in the field.
The Syrians are the stronger fighters, the “mercenaries”. Joab takes on the
tough assignment.
:10 And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his
brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of
Ammon.
The larger, less experienced force of Israelites will face the Ammonites.
:11 Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall
help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come
and help you.
:12 Be of good courage, and let us be strong for
our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”
:11 then I will come and help you
The picture is that Joab and Abishai’s armies will have their backs to each
other and if one gets into trouble, the other will come to help.
Lesson
Fighting for each other
It’s real easy to be fighting
with each other.
It’s better when we’ve got our backs to each other and are fighting for
each other, fighting against the real enemy.
(Ec 4:9–12
NKJV) —9 Two are
better than one, Because they have a good reward for
their labor. 10 For if they
fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who
is alone when he falls, For he has no one
to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can
one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
This is what true fellowship is supposed to be all about.
We should be on each other’s side.
We should be stronger being together.
:12 let us be strong for our people
Lesson
Man up
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
(1 Co 16:13 NASB95) Be on the
alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Some of the translations (like NKJV) have “be brave”. But the Greek word is based on the word for
“man” and carries the idea of making a man out of someone.
be brave – andrizomai – to
make a man of or make brave; to show one’s self a man,
be brave
Sometimes I wonder if we’ve lost what it means to “act like men”
It’s time to “man up”.
:13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the
battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
:14 When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also
fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to
Jerusalem.
:15 When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together.
:16 Then Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond
the River, and they came to Helam. And Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army
went before them.
:16 Hadadezer
The Syrian king of Zobah (2Sam.
8:3). David has already defeated him once, but now he’s rebelled
by helping the Ammonites, and is now again confronting David directly.
:16 Helam
Play Helam map video. The battle
takes place here. Helam is between Rabbah of the Ammonites,
and Damascus.
:17 When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the
Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array
against David and fought with him.
:18 Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred
charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the
commander of their army, who died there.
:19 And when all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that
they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon
anymore.
:19 made peace with Israel
There will be peace between Israel and the Syrians, but the battle with the
Ammonites isn’t actually done yet. They have yet to actually
capture the capital city of Rabbah – that will happen at the end of
chapter 12.
Lesson
After the battle…
We sometimes like to bask in the glory of victory.
Yet David is about to have the greatest defeat of his life. Not from an Ammonite, but from another man’s
wife.
Be aware that after the “great” times, there can be difficult times.
We let our guard down.
We can face temptations, depression, surprise attacks.
Quiz
Fill in the blank:
From the lecture:
1. Children are a ____________
From Memorization:
2. Your rod and Your staff, they ________ me
Homework
Assignment:
Read McGee chapter 6 – “The King Said He Was Wrong”
Memorize Psalm 23:1-5
:1 The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still
waters.
:3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
:4 Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are
with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
:5 You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup
runs over.
Blessing