2 Samuel 15-16/Proverbs 27

READ: 2 Samuel 15-16/Proverbs 27

David has let God down with catastrophic sinning as king over Israel. His sinning had dramatically affected his ability to rule as he was no longer giving justice to the oppressed nor ruling in righteousness. His son Absalom had returned from exile without a shred of repentance and David had accepted him back. This is going to lead to another catastrophe in David’s life. Please pay attention to how David handled more failures in his life in these chapters. What would David do when his life was falling apart? What would David think of God? What would be David’s response?

REFLECT:

Absalom began by looking like royalty, riding around with a chariot, horses, and fifty men running behind him. He was acting like the king that Samuel warned about in 1 Samuel 8:11. As people would come to the king to make judgments about their disputes, he would tell them that there was no one set up to hear their cases. If he were a judge in the land then he would give them justice (15:4). If people came to bow down before him, he would reach out his hand to stop them, and would greet them with a kiss. Absalom made himself a man of the people and stole the hearts of the people with these actions. After doing this for four years, Absalom told David he was going to Hebron to worship the Lord. But Absalom had sent secret messengers through Israel proclaiming him as king in Hebron. Absalom swayed David’s close advisor, Ahithopel, to his side and the conspiracy to usurp the throne was now in motion.

A messenger informed David that the hearts now belonged to Absalom and David realized he must quickly leave Jerusalem or else be killed along with those left in the city. So David evacuated with his entire house, but left ten concubines behind. Leaving them behind was a symbol of David’s rule in Jerusalem. David was not relinquishing the throne but moving out temporarily due to this threat. David noted that all of these people who attached to David from Philistia were also going with him. David attempted to send them back to Jerusalem. But notice verse 21. “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” (2 Samuel 15:21 ESV) This is what it looks like to follow the king. Where our king goes, we will go, whether for life or for death. You might remember that Thomas said something similar in John 11:16 and Peter showed he would do this in the garden, pulling out his sword when the mob came to arrest Jesus.

In fact, this picture becomes clearer in verse 23. The people were wailing for the king while he crossed the brook Kidron to the Mount of Olives (15:30). This is exactly what Jesus does as recorded in John 18:1. After telling his disciples about his betrayal, they left and crossed the Kidron Valley to the garden where Jesus would pray and be arrested. One more parallel picture to Jesus in this immediate scene. To see the parallel, we must wonder why David was not fighting for Jerusalem. Why not go to battle against Absalom and defend his kingship? We see why in verses 24-30.

Zadok and the Levites also came out of the city with the ark of the covenant. They set the ark down and began offering sacrifices to the Lord. But look at what David said in verses 25-26. David instructed the ark to be taken back into the city. David did not attempt to manipulate God through the ark but would trust in God’s will. David said, “If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me what seems good to him.” David placed himself at the mercy of the Lord. He was unwilling to maintain his hold on his kingship. He would not fight for the throne. He was going to trust in the Lord. He was going to depend on God for vindication. If God wanted him to be king, then he would bring him back in God’s presence. But if the Lord did not take pleasure in him any more, then let the Lord do to him as he deemed fit. What humility! What submission! What devotion to the Lord! He put himself in the hands of God.

This is what we need in life. We need to hit bottom hard to wake up and trust in the Lord. There has to be humility when we hit the bottom. There has to be looking to God when we hit the bottom. This is what David was doing. David was not looking at trying to get God to do what he wanted. He said to leave the ark in Jerusalem. David was ready to go wherever God was going to take him. He was not directing God. He was waiting for God to direct him. This is what it looks like to wait upon the Lord and trust in the Lord. When Jesus traces this same path for His righteousness, not for his sins, He does the same thing as David. He entrusts Himself to the Lord. He does not hold on to Jerusalem or the throne but submits to God’s will. As disciples, we must do the same. Hitting rock bottom hard teaches us to entrust our lives to God.

The knife goes further into David’s back when he learned that his close companion, his trusted advisor, Ahithophel was among the conspirators (15:31). Some of the deepest pain in life comes from the times when those you trust and those who are close to you betray you. Jesus had the same thing happen to him. One of his close companions, Judas, came with the crowd to arrest Jesus. But look at what David did again. David trusted the Lord. He turned to God in prayer (15:31). David asked for God’s hand to be involved in the future circumstances as they unfolded.

The cascade of problems did not stop for David. In chapter 16 the servant of Mephibosheth, Ziba, came to David. Remember that Mephibosheth was brought into the house of David and ate at David’s table. David promised to care for Mephibosheth, keeping his covenant with Jonathan, even though Mephibosheth had nothing to offer David. David was showing grace to Mephibosheth. Ziba came with resources for David to feed David and his men. David asked where Mephibosheth was. Ziba told David that Mephibosheth was staying in Jerusalem thinking that this will be the opportunity to restore him to the throne. How insulting! What a slap in the face this must have felt like to David! Think about all that David had done for Mephibosheth and this is the loyalty that he received in return! David then gave everything that belonged to Mephibosheth to Ziba because of his lack of Mephibosheth’s faithfulness and loyalty. Since the servant showed loyalty to David, David now blessed him with all that had been given to Mephibosheth.

But the insults had not stopped yet. As David and his men travelled into the wilderness, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family named Shimei came out and started cursing David. He shouted to David, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!” As he shouts these curses at David, he is throwing rocks at David and his men (16:5-7). But look at what he told David in verse 8. "The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in Saul’s household. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!" One of David’s fighting men, Abishai, asked David why they should be listening to this dead dog. Makes sense, right? How dare you curse the king? How dare you throw stones at the Lord’s anointed? Further, please note that what Shimei was saying is not true. David had not wiped out Saul’s household. David had not been a man of blood to the house of Israel. David had been reserved and had not seized the kingdom for himself. David brought justice to Saul and Jonathan when they were killed by the Philistines. Shimei was just wrong, making up lies, as he cursed David.

But notice what David did in verses 11-12. First, David held his peace and allowed the slander to happen. He did not go over and kill this man. Not only this, David said that he deserved this. The Lord had told him to do this. David knew his sins and realized that he must accept the consequences for his sins. Notice in verse 12 that David’s hope was that his righteous restraint will be seen by the Lord and the Lord would repay him good for the evil that was being done against him now. David said he will do good in the face of this evil with the hope that God will do good to him later for his righteousness. David did not retaliate but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. This also foreshadows what Jesus will do towards those who mock and slander him (cf. 1 Peter 2:23). The rest of the way Shimei followed them, throwing rocks and dirt at them as they went. What a picture of humility and faith again!

RELATE:

David shows us an important picture, teaching us what to do when we let God down. What I want us to focus on is that David accepted the consequences of his sin. He accepted what was coming to him and still entrusted his life to the Lord. David was losing everything and he understood that this was what must happen to him. David knew that he must deal with his sins and the outcome of those sins.

Friends, we cannot avoid the consequences of our sins nor should we blame God when we suffer for our sins. This is the way God has set up life. We will pay consequences for our sins. We cannot blame God and we cannot blame others for the pain we must endure for our sinning. We may even suffer for things we do not deserve. What Shimei was saying and doing was not right and not fair. Should Shimei be throwing rocks at David? Should Shimei be lying about David’s life? No, but David accepted this as the consequences for his sins. True repentance accepts the consequences of our sins, even if we think they are unfair in our minds.

REST:

Consider all that Jesus endured for us as the consequences of our sins, not his own sins. We can stand firm through suffering and endure the pains of life, just or unjust, because we can see what Jesus has done for us. He suffered for us. He endured more than we endure. Our suffering is for our learning, so that we will hit bottom and truly trust in the Lord rather than ourselves. When you let God down, learn from the failure. See that the failure came from trusting in ourselves and not God. Let the pain of our sins be the reminder that we want to keep away from sins. Sinning does not provide the joy that it promises, only pain. Finally, see our suffering for our sins as from God’s hand. Do not resist what God has put in place in your life. It is there for spiritual growth and learning. Accept your new circumstances and trust God to take your through this dark valley.

TAN TEE KHOON

(Content adapted and used with permission from West Palm Beach Church of Christ Bible Study Notes on 1 & 2 Samuel)