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MAY 26
2 Samuel 9-11
It feels too soon in the record of David's life to begin looking at his
ruin, but actually we've been reading about David for about 23 chapters. And
we're not through by a long shot. This is more "history" than Noah or
Abraham received. In reading the Bible and observing what is there, the
"law of proportion" is important. The question to ask is "Why is
so much written about David?" Apparently David is very, very important.
Yesterday I quoted a verse from Paul to Timothy, in which he mentions that
Jesus being descended from David was a part of the gospel he preached. In Romans
1:3 (RSV), Paul says, the gospel concerning his Son, who was
descended from David according to the flesh. Knowing what Paul says in Romans, and the
close attention Jesus' connection to David receives in other parts of the
Bible, it seems safe to say that God's promise to David is huge. The promise is
not only pointing to the redemption of man, but also to the redemption of
Israel and the fulfillment of their purpose before God to be a witness to the
nations. Jesus is the Son of David who fulfills everything.
It is good to keep in mind, that David was a true man of faith and
graciously blessed by God. Remember that, because what you are about to read
about David is shocking, tragic and sad. But then again, there's a lesson here.
Many disciples begin well, but lose their focus on the love and mission of
Christ.
2 Samuel 9
Remember the mention of Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth (M)? I will only
make a few comments on this story, but some of the small details here will be
important later. I'm drawing your attention to this now, because you won't hear
from Ziba again until chapter 16, and you won't know the full story until
chapter 19. You'll get all of this, as you read your Bible year after year and
take good mental notes, so treasure all these little details in your heart.
Vs. 1-8 Notice that the story is about M, but look at all the detail
you have here about Ziba. That detail is very important. Ziba was a steward but
was actually a rich man, living large off of Saul's estate, because there was
no heir. He became a rich man, living under the radar until now.
M is very humble, and probably somewhat fearful of David, too. Being a
cripple in any culture is hard, but being a survivor of the family of the last
king, the king who tried to kill David, would make life harder.
V. 7 Mephibosheth would eat at David’s table always. When the king ate,
he usually had his closest friends and advisors with him. We’ll see this
spelled out more, looking at who ate regularly with Solomon. Probably, David’s
mighty men ate with him as well. This might play a role in the upcoming story.
In any event, M was now a part of this group.
Vs. 9-13 Ziba and his family and his servants became the servants of a
cripple. Not only that, Ziba was now accountable to David. The proceeds of the
land had to be accounted for and given to M. This would change his lifestyle.
Do you see what is happening here?
Vs. 10-11 The phrase, Now Ziba,
is important. This footnote is being given to us for a reason, but you’ll have
to figure it out later. You seldom read about anyone with this many sons, much
less daughters and wives. He had the means to afford this size of family. And
I’ll bet they rode on fifteen donkeys. David didn't have this many sons.
Notice v. 12.
V. 13 To make matters worse, M lived in the capitol city and ate at
David's table in honor. Just imagine what this change meant for Ziba, now
serving an absentee master.
Back to M, he seems like a nice guy and very humble, married with a little
son that makes you think of Mickey Mouse.
So why are we told Now in v.
13? Again, this is introducing an important editorial note. In the NT you never
hear of a cripple being anything but a beggar, much less a great man or a king.
Back then, you reigned because you could defeat those who stood against you.
When this all plays out, it will be sad.
2 Samuel 10
This story sets up chapter 11. It tells you why chapter 11 begins with
Joab fighting against the main city of the Ammonites. Chapter 10 is also
important in that Israel not only broke the strength of Syria, but they
defeated armies beyond the Euphrates into Assyria. The nations knew to respect
David. Israel was now secure in the world.
Vs. 1-5 This began innocently enough. The Lord was actually going to
use this event to bring peace and security to Israel. I’ll bet David even wrote
a psalm about these battles.
Vs. 6-8 This was God’s way of flushing out those enemies of Israel and
David who could have slowly made life miserable for Israel. Here, for no
reason, 33,000 men take to the field against David’s army.
Vs. 9-14 This is one of the few times Joab looks like a godly man. At
the end of this action it looked like the battle was over.
Vs. 15-19 But now the Syrians were mad. They had been hired as
mercenaries. The original fight had nothing to do with them. So the Syrians
gather a mega army. We don’t know how many men were there, but we have some
numbers of chariots and horsemen. The foot soldiers were probably double these
numbers.
As disciples we need to remember, and I still forget, that when God
allows conflict and opposition to rise, it is because He is trying to do
something. It isn’t our fault necessarily. He might be trying to flush out the
problems all at once so that He can bless our work in the harvest. When you see
Jesus in conflict with the Jews, you understand that God was using them to get
Jesus to clarify some teaching or something about Himself that brought someone
closer to trusting Jesus. As Jesus abided in the Father, He expected the Father
to work. And the Father did work and brought conflict to the feet of the Son.
When we abide in Christ, sometimes the Lord does this for us too. We are His
servants and it is His harvest, so we just need to be alert, relax and let Him
do His work through us.
2 Samuel 11
V. 1 Sermons have been preached on all of this. David obviously should
have been out fighting.
Vs. 2-5 This "sighting" might not have been an accident. This
was a common time for women to bathe for ceremonial cleansing. David, in his
palace, had a high vantage point.
Now, David had 11 wives and many concubines at this time. So, if he saw
a naked woman, why not make a date with one of them? Actually, I think having
so many wives meant that he was not “one” with any of them.
V. 3 If David didn't already know who she was, this information should
have frozen him. It should have made him afraid. It should have made him rebuke
himself. Unfortunately, once lust is on a roll, it is really hard to stop and
submit to rational thought. As we'll see later, or you can find out on your
own, David definitely knew who she was. I think that he knew who she was, and
the fact that her husband wasn't home is the reason David didn't call in any of
his wives or concubines.
These names are important. Not only will they explain some things that
happen later, but these show how very tragic this was. These names also could mean that David stayed
behind in Jerusalem for this very reason. He knew that none of these men would
be in Jerusalem and that Bathsheba would be alone. This might have been like a
wife asking her husband if he wants to go with her and the kids to the store,
but he prefers to stay home because he's tired. Then, as soon as the car pulls
out of the driveway, he fires up the computer.
Also, just think of this: David crossed a line here from fantasy to
action. This must have taken time. The names above (v. 3) will let you know
that David knew who Bathsheba was and thought that, maybe, he deserved her more
than her husband did. More on this later.
Vs. 4-5 How did David think he could keep this quiet? This had to have
taken some planning.
That she had just cleansed herself meant she had just had her period
(v. 4). It would be another month before she would know she had missed a period
and was pregnant.
So here is the question: Was this mutual consent or was it rape? If it
was mutual consent, both of them needed to be put to death for adultery. It is
hard to imagine this any other way, but those were different times.
Now, what follows is my understanding of the situation:
In Leviticus 19:20 there is a case where a master rapes a slave woman
who is engaged. She is not killed and he is not killed, although he has to pay
for his crime. The reason the slave woman is not charged with any sin is
because she is under the power of her owner. I think this was kind of the same
case with David and Bathsheba. Her husband, Uriah, was a foreigner, and a close
servant/friend of David. David was the ruler of Israel. Socially and
culturally, if David made a demand of her, she could not deny David. This was
more than statutory rape. In that culture, Bathsheba would have been required
to consent, because of David's standing as king and her husband's position
under David.
There is one more thing that points to rape in this situation. Later,
when God judges David, He will tell David that though David did this secretly,
God will do the same thing to David that David did here, and He will do it
publicly. God will judge David by bringing David's own sin back upon him. As a
result of what David did to Bathsheba and to Uriah, David's family will
experience two cases of rape and a murder. His oldest son Amnon will rape his
half-sister Tamar. Then Absalom will murder Amnon, and during the civil war
that Absalom incites against David, Absalom will rape 10 of David's concubines
(wives) openly, on the roof of the palace for all Israel to see. (I wonder if
it is the same roof where David saw Bathsheba.) To further underscore this last
event, look at 2 Samuel 16:21 and see who it was who suggested this. If you
track that name down, this entire act becomes so sad and sick that you want to
wring David's neck.
Now, I'm being a little sketchy here so that if you are interested, you
can track down all the names and figure this out by yourself. When we get to 2
Samuel 16, I'll put all the details together for you. But right now, it is
important to have an idea of what David did here. It was arrogant and ugly.
Many, many people will suffer and the collateral damage will be widespread. And,
David will never be the same. That should inspire us with the fear of God.
And by the way, nothing negative is said about Bathsheba, thereby
suggesting that she was innocent.
V. 6 I wonder if Joab's sneaky mind got a hint of anything here.
Vs. 7-13 God Himself was thwarting David's scheming with a humble,
simple man who was better than himself. What did David think when he saw this
happening? I'm sure he knew it was God, but he kept on sinning. Sin makes fools
of us all.
As bad as sin is, coming clean and admitting what you've done,
yourself, is more honoring to God than having to be backed into a corner or
trapped and forced into an admission. When we sin and create a tangled
"Gordian Knot" of lies and involvements, it is simple to get out of
it. The next thing you do, after you come to your right mind, is to honor God.
Obey Him and follow, regardless of the consequences, and the knot is sliced
down the middle and God helps you sort out the mess. Keep lying, and you're
imprisoned in the world of your lies.
Vs. 14-25 Can you imagine that David put a letter in Uriah’s hand that
was actually the order to have Uriah killed? Here David gave Joab power over
himself. Joab could figure this out. They all knew Uriah (have you figured out
why yet?) and knew this lowly, foreign guy had a "knock-out" for a
wife. David would never be free of Joab now, because he had become a murderer
just like Joab. David’s conscience would be a mess forever.
V. 17 Notice that in order to get Uriah killed, Joab had to send a
party of men to the wall and some of them were killed too. So actually, many
men died to cover this sin. Now, just like in the situation with Achan, there
is collateral damage and innocent people dying. How sad.
V. 25 Utterly sad. From this point on, David's ability to think clearly
and judge others rightly is destroyed.
Vs. 26-27 There is a reason to fear the silence of God. There is a
reason to be afraid when the intent of our heart is evil and God doesn't allow
anything to stand in our way. David, the man after God's own heart, had sinned
in a way that is absolutely mind numbing. The spiritual powers and the
surrounding nations would mock the God of Israel for this. God would forgive
David, but David will never be the same man. This sin will devastate his own heart,
his judgment, and his family. And as we learned in Exodus through Deuteronomy,
if one man sins, the entire nation will suffer. Israel will suffer, and many,
many more will lose their lives because of one man’s sin.
As we look at what happens here, obviously this is all written for our
instruction and warning. Does God forgive? Absolutely. Should we play with
God's grace and forgiveness, presuming upon His kindness and mocking His love?
Absolutely not. Galatians 6:7 says, Do
not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that
will he also reap. Notice that Paul/the Spirit was saying this to
believers.
God loved David, but He will cut David very little slack in terms of
consequences. As disciples, we also need to fear God. As we follow Christ in
the harvest, in deep humility, we need to tune our hearts daily to God in the
Word and in the Lord's Prayer. Thinking about those last lines of the prayer, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil, we need to remember the danger we face on this earth, that we
are very vulnerable and weak. But for the grace of God, this would happen to us
too.
John 15
So, in this dangerous world, following Christ in the harvest, God the
Father uses the very troubling circumstances, like what the disciples will be
going through, to prune and equip them/us for effectiveness.
There are a few passages in this section that are murky, where someone
could think that a believer could lose their salvation. Not so. The best way to
view this passage is to think of a couple of examples as you walk through it.
First, think of the apostle Paul. He was shaped by the love of Christ,
shaped by the suffering of Christ and shaped by the joy of seeing the power of
the gospel transform lives. Paul lived no easy life, but there is no greater
example, after Jesus, of what this chapter means.
Second, think of someone like David, who was fully saved, yet still
suffered damage and "withering" on earth; because he chose not to
walk close to God. Many believers have injured themselves, and have shipwrecked
their faith and witness for Christ. It doesn't mean they are lost, but they are
damaged and unfruitful.
Vs. 1-11 In the testing the disciples would face, Jesus tells them to
remain or abide in Him. This is not just to "believe" in Jesus or go
to church, it is to remain in His love, His mission and in the reality of the
purpose of His life and death. In trial or persecution, they would be tempted
to "forget" reality, to give up and retreat. If you think of all the
discipleship teaching and warnings Jesus had given them, everything He taught
them fits here. Those who heed His words build a house that stands in trials;
those who hear and don't follow, well, their house gets ruined.
Notice how often Jesus uses the words, abide, bear fruit, and love.
V. 2 Pruning is normal and necessary to our lives following Christ in
the harvest, in this darkness.
V. 4 Bearing fruit is to be looked at as normal and necessary.
V. 5 Abiding in Jesus (responding to Jesus’ presence and actions like
Jesus responded to the Father’s presence and actions) insures bearing much fruit. Apart from me you can do
nothing refers to bearing much fruit. To be fruitless means not to be
abiding in Christ, whether we think we are or not.
V. 6 To me this is the same thing that happens to the salt that loses
its saltiness or to a man who builds on the foundation of Christ with wood, hay
or stubble. There is waste and loss during this lifetime, loss of reward and
humiliation before Christ. Of course there is salvation and entrance into
heaven, but as through fire.
V. 7 Notice the conditional nature of this promise. If a person abides
in Christ (His love and mission and the reality of the purpose of His life and
death) he will ask according to this reality in order to bear fruit for Christ.
That prayer will be answered. Why?
V. 8 The Father will grant this prayer, because He is glorified when we
bear much fruit and so prove to be
disciples of our Lord.
Just in case we get lost here; what is bearing fruit? It is our lives
being involved in and focused on being witnesses for Christ so that others may
find salvation through Him. It is duplication. Whether we are doing this alone
or doing it with the church, it is living as a witness to Christ. It might mean
serving so that the church can reach out and make disciples, but it is living
to follow Christ so that fruit can be borne for Him. Jesus said that the sower
and the reaper are both responsible for the harvest, and both are blessed. Our
service in the harvest is part of the harvest. The fruit is people coming to
Christ. Jesus defines fruit in John 12 when He says that if He, Himself, died
He would bear much fruit. This fruit is the outgrowth of His death and
sacrifice. It is people; it is us; it is those who are still lost and need to hear
the message. Saved people are the fruit of the travail of His soul. I know for
some people, the bluntness of hearing that we are only here on earth to be
witnesses to Christ seems oppressive, but it is the reality of living as
disciples on this dying planet. Sharing His love is a privilege.
Vs. 9-11 It is all about joy and love in the context of following
Christ in the harvest and not giving up or hiding. If we "hide"
anywhere, it is in the love of the Father and the Son.
Vs. 12-17 Notice that the call to love
one another is in the context of the mission, abiding in Christ, bearing
fruit. Jesus invites us as friends into the very mission and plan for which He
gave His life.
Notice that the commandments are in the context of, and defined by, the
harvest, abiding and bearing fruit.
V. 16 The promise of answered prayer here is for that person bearing
fruit in the harvest whose heart and desires are locked into following his
Savior and bearing fruit.
V. 17 It is a precious thing to be united together by Christ and His
mission. In Christ, it is the church, groups of people somewhere on this earth
in their own small portion of the harvest field, whom God is using to bring the
gospel to the lost. We need to love and care for one another, to encourage and
guard each other, to "have each other's backs." Our love is sort of
like “Band of Brothers,” and forged in His death and sacrifice for us. In the
military, you have to be willing to protect your fellow soldier with your life.
Greater love has no one than this, that
someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). When you read Paul,
you notice the strong bond he had with those who labored with him "side by
side" in the gospel. Paul often called them fellow soldiers.
Vs. 18-25 Notice that Jesus immediately brings them back to the reality
of their situation.
Vs. 26-27 Therefore, the giving of the Spirit is to equip, empower,
comfort and encourage them and us as we all follow Christ in the harvest.
Psalm 119:49-64
Back to the David we love, who was still afflicted and hadn't been
ruined by success. This ought to tell us something too. Our hearts are closer
to God when we are being pruned and when we feel we can’t survive without being
in the Word every day. So we need to make sure we are pursuing Christ in the harvest,
sweating and straining for Him. God made sure Paul had a thorn in the flesh to
humble him, but Paul himself knew of no other way to live. Paul said, that I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death (Phil.
3:10). Notice how close to God David was when He really, really, really needed
the Lord. Remember too, that the same guy who wrote this, when he became
comfortable and successful, also did what we have just read in 2 Samuel. That frightens
me.
Vs. 49-56 God’s Word gave David hope in his afflictions. Our problem
isn’t finding afflictions. Our problem is finding hope in afflictions, and
notice where David found this hope. It was in God’s Word and promises and rules
and law and statutes and precepts.
There is no shame in admitting we are wrecked by the sin within us and
are spiritually “bi-polar,” if we will take our “meds” daily, living in the
Word of God. Paul said that he would gladly boast of his weakness, because when
he was weak, he was strong in Christ.
Vs. 57-64 Knowing God’s promises kept David from giving in to the
despair of having so many enemies. The Word revealed God’s steadfast love to him and led his heart in praise.
Proverbs 16:1-3
I guess another way to say this is, "if we deeply abide in Christ,
our plans and work, our spirits and vision, our hearts and our tongues will be
pleasing to the Lord." That's what I want, and the way to be like this is
to abide in the love of Jesus my Savior.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point
of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I
understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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