2013-2-27
Introduction II Samuel
New King, New Throne, Same Lord
(Some years ago, a speedboat driver, who had survived a racing accident, described what had happened. He said, that he had been at near top speeds, when his boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size of the angle of the wave sent the boat spinning crazily into the air. He was thrown from his seat and propelled deeply into the water----so deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to remain calm, and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest, to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, then he was able swim for the surface. )
Sometimes, we can find ourselves surrounded by confusing options, too, so deeply immersed in our problems, that we don’t know which way is up. When this happens, we just have to stay calm, and wait for God’s gentle tug on our “life vest” to pull us up, so that we can go in the right direction.
That’s where David was, when 1st Samuel ends and 2nd Samuel begins---- deep in an ocean of confusion-----He had been banished to Philistine territory; then he found out, that Saul was dead, and he knew that he was supposed to be the next king; and then, he didn’t know it, but before he could claim the throne ---he had more pain and hardship to go through, so that his growth and maturity and character, could be developed further, and so that his leadership skills could be recognized by the people who would need to follow him. .
As we begin II Samuel, we’ve almost come to the halfway point, in our study of David’s life. Historians believe, that he lived to be 70 years old and that he reigned for a little over 40 years. So from that, we can surmise, that David was right at 30 years old, when he became king of Judah----and then he was 37, when he became king, over all of Israel.
This whole study we have been blessed with being able to see the historic David, along with the spiritual David.
And the last 3 verses of Psalm 78, even though they are brief, sum up all 70 years, of David’s long life.
“He also chose David, His servant
And took him from the sheepfolds
From the care of ewes with suckling lambs
He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people
And Israel His inheritance,
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands. Psalm 78:70-72
David’s life was lived out just like the Psalm passage says-----God chose David when he was about 17--- and took him from the sheepfolds, to slay the giant Goliath; then for 13 years while David hid from Saul, in the hills and caves of Judah, God grew his character and his ability to lead and govern, through hardship; and then, at the age of 30, God brought David, to shepherd his people Jacob-----and then, for his final 40 years, David shepherded God’s people, according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with His skillful hands.
II Samuel, tells the story, of how David set out to establish his throne, with God’s blessing, following King Saul’s death. In this book, we are going to see David, as a person who really lived his life, with all its ups and downs; and with all its mistakes and failures and all its successes and triumphs-----and we will clearly see, that even though David was a man after God’s own heart, he was still just a man, who had real shortcomings and the same struggle with sin that the rest of us have. And, we can also see, how his relationship with the Lord, didn’t exclude him, from having to deal with the consequences of his sin, any more than ours does------because he had to deal, with the truly, tragic consequences, of his sin with Bathsheba, (that we’ll talk about later) for the rest of his life.
In this book, the second half of King David’s life, is unfolded, and we can see how his reign united Israel, and how it testifies to God’s faithfulness to David and to the Children of Israel, even when they were less than faithful and obedient, to Him-----and, it will testify to His faithfulness to us, too.
II Samuel is a book that’s full of contrasts------the blessing and the curse of power; the sinfulness and the faithfulness, that’s found in the heart of every man, even in the heart of God’s greatest servants; the power, that temptation, lust, and covetousness has, up against even the mightiest of kings; and how even a man of God can fail in major ways, but still receive God’s forgiveness and grace, over and over again.
The resounding theme of II Samuel, is, that even the greatest world leaders and even the most dedicated prayer warriors, and even the most faithful of believers, have to remember, that the kingdom, and the power and the glory, belong to the Lord Jesus alone.
Israel was divided when David first came to power. The Children of Israel, found themselves, in the middle, of an all-out civil-war, caught between David’s army and God’s new regime and Saul’s army and the old one. David had to fight for 7 years to unite Judah and Israel. And we will see how he does it, with integrity and wisdom and submission to the Lord.
David’s accomplishments were wonderful. Territorially, he expanded the boundaries of Israel, from 6000 to 60,000 square miles.-----He finished what Joshua had started, in the conquest of the Promised Land. And, incredibly, he set up extensive trade routes, which spread throughout the known world. And from that, wealth came into Israel, like the nation had never known before. And, He not only unified the nation, from a governmental standpoint, but more importantly, he unified it, under Jehovah God, creating a national interest, in spiritual things.
He was not a priest; he was a king… but he destroyed all the idol altars, and lifted up the role of the priesthood, so that Judaism and the worship of Almighty God, could operate, openly and freely in the land..
David was a remarkable man. He was a brilliant organizer, a brilliant manager, a brilliant planner and a brilliant battlefield strategist , who understood and stayed on the leading edge of military defense. He was a man’s man, and a woman’s heartthrob, and a leader of people.
But David was just a flesh and blood human being ----and as wonderful as he was-----he still had 3 major issues, that made him less than perfect----3 issues that dogged his heels every single day of his life---3 issues, that we every one, can identify with-----or can identify with issues like them…
In II Samuel we will see-----
- How he became so involved with public pursuits; that he lost control of his family, and had to pay the price.
- How he indulged his passionate nature in extravagant ways----whatever he did, he did with all his heart----which sometimes was a good thing and sometimes it revealed a lack of self-control.
- How he became a victim of self-sufficiency and pride---he began to believe his own track record, and people died because of it.
(A preacher once warned his congregation about falling into the trap of these 3 issues----he said, that along with the kind of temperament, winsomeness and charisma, that it takes to be a good mentor and a dicipler of people and raiser of children and a strong spiritual leader, there also comes, a set of easy faults, to fall into. To make them easy to remember, he used 4 words that began with the letter, “S”: silver, sloth, sex and self. And almost, without exception, we can say, that when a believer stumbles, one of these 4 “S” words, is what has tripped us up. )
And David was no exception----he stumbled over them just like we all do. But God is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to purify us, from all unrighteousness.
God never took His hand off David:
From the time that the teenage shepherd boy, was anointed to be Israel’s future king, until the day he was officially crowned King David, over all of Israel----God had been training David for His specific purpose.
Like an athlete, training for a marathon, David found that the preparation was hard and demanding, and challenging and lengthy----but he also found that the proving ground was well worth, all the blood, sweat and tears.
As a shepherd, David learned to trust God for his safety, and he developed the compassion that he needed to shepherd his nation Israel.
As a young warrior, David was willing to fight to the death, for the God of Israel, and his bravery made him a national hero.
As the favorite musician to the volatile and unpredictable King Saul, David learned, how to be wise about who to trust, and who to be wary of, and he learned how to respond with mercy, to someone who mistreats you.
As a fugitive, for nearly 10 years, David experienced God’s protection and His deliverance and through his mistakes, disappointments and fear, David learned to trust God’s perfect and patient timing.
As the leader of hundreds of distressed, indebted and discontented men, David grew to be a man of wise discernment and shrewd politics.
And finally, after he led his men to victory in a civil-war, that united his nation, in a way that it not been, since the days of Joshua-----he stepped up to the throne----and was the ruler over Israel’s glory days, when they were respected by every nation they encountered. The kingdom that David ruled over for 40 years, was a forerunner of the kingdom that Jesus will one day rule, over for all eternity.
In the study of II Samuel, we are going to see how King David handled the pressures of success. Often he did well, and sometimes, he did terrible, but through it all----God sustained him and loved him and forgave him and guided him and David continued to grow, “as a man after God’s own heart.” It took patience and discipline and time.
In the age we live in, of fast food drive thru’s, automatic banking and twitter-----we can easily grow impatient and long for quick success, as we struggle to become people “after God’s own heart”. But God isn’t in the business of turning out “instant” disciples.
To train obedient, trusting, followers, takes time------ but time, and knowing its outcome, is God’s specialty.
Paul says in Philippians 1:6, that, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion, to the day of Christ Jesus.”
So, it’s my prayer, as we continue on, in our study of David’s life, that we will learn, like David did, how to be, not a man, “but women after God’s own heart”, and how to face the consequences of our sin, with God’s grace to guide us and to give us strength and peace; and how to trust God more simply, and how to obey Him better, and how to know Him more intimately and with deeper understanding, as we walk through our own days, on this earth.
(Arturio Toscanini , the great conductor was sitting at his podium before a concert one evening. As the orchestra warmed up just minutes before the performance, a bassoon player approached him, in a fearful panic. “Maestro, I am very sorry but my instrument has suffered an accident, and the E-flat will not sound. I am afraid that I will not be able to play tonight.
Upon hearing the news, Toscanini went silent and closed his eyes. The bassoon player cowered in fear of his fury. The great conductor put his head in his hands and continued in silence, adding to the poor bassoon player’s agony.
At last Toscanini looked up and said quietly, “Do not worry. E-flat does not appear in your music tonight.” Toscanini had played trough the entire concert in his mind, reviewing every note that the bassoon player would have to play. With his intimate knowledge of the music, the conductor was able to reassure the bassoon player that everything would be all right. )
David didn’t need to worry about the future and neither do we. We don’t ever have to wonder, if we have what it takes to succeed, with what God wants us to do. God knows the future----he designed it. He has looked ahead to the part that we have to play, in the concert He is orchestrating, and He has good news for us-----“For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the Lord, ‘ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” God has given us everything we need to succeed in His will----we just have to put one foot in front of the other and move forward, with our focus on Him, and He will do the rest.
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