II Samuel 14,15
“Absalom’s Treason” • 3.25.08 • Autonomy, Authority And The Man Of God, Session #25
Intro
- Three years have passed since the end of chapter 13. David has longed for his son, who was guilty of killing his half-brother Amnon.
- Joab has seen the King in low spirits and scripts a plan that will get David thinking about reconciliation. He sends a widow into to speak to David about a fictitious story about her two sons who had fought and one had died. David assured her that her banished son could return.
- The woman virtually turned to David and said, “David you are the man!”
- David always seemed to be affected by stories and again, is persuaded here to allow Absalom to return home.
• II Samuel 14:24 : “And the king said, ‘Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face.’ So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king’s face.”
- Absalom returned, but was still not allowed to see the King, ie., to return to a normative relationship that a prince would have with his Father. He figures that Joab might be a good mediator.
- However, Joab does not return Absalom’s calls. Absalom figures that he had better up the ante, by lighting Joab’s fields on fire. This got Joab’s attention.
• II Samuel 14:32,33 : “And Absalom answered Joab, ‘Look, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, ‘Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.’ Now therefore, let me see the king’s face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me.’ So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.”
- Absalom is welcomed back into the Kingdom and soon restores himself to a princely position.
- He rode with a chariot posse, and positioned himself among the people, standing for the little man out by the city gate, where all the business and complaints were handled.
• II Samuel 15:4-6 : “Moreover Absalom would say, ‘Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.’ And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
- A few years of this and Absalom has secured a place in the hearts of Israel. He begins to ponder that he might be popular enough to effect change in Israel, by setting himself up as King.
- Absalom put his treasonous plan into place, planning to announce himself as King.
• II Samuel 15:12 : “Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city--from Giloh--while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number.”
- Word gets back to David, who seems to be taken completely by surprise. He renders what he has heard to be true, for he immediately makes preparations for an immediate escape.
- Before you know it, David was thrust back into time, where he was again a desert dweller, hiding himself from ever present danger, this time from his own son.
• II Samuel 15:23 : “And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.”
- This story provides us with an excellent opportunity to discuss how one loses authority.
- Jesus has made you and I co-regents, partners with Him in the work of redemption. As a result, we are given authority, if even by proxy to the King of Kings.
- Therefore, I am not just a worker. I am Christ’s ambassador looking for any open door to witness. I am not just an employer. I am Christ’s man, dispensing grace, blessing and even judgment (in temporal things) as He would.
- We are to be authorities in our sphere of influence, to influence for the sake of Christ.
- David began chapter 14 as the king and in just 5 years, two chapters for us, he is running for his life! Let’s ponder what caused this tremendous shift in David’s life and how we can lose authority in whatever position that we are in. King David
- One cannot clearly see Joab’s motivation here. Was he so loyal to David, that he initiated this plan for reconciliation, thinking that it was best to keep friends close, but enemies closer?
- Or, was Joab a man who was looking out for his own interests, making sure that he got a healthy and competent successor? Job security?
- Whatever the case, Joab has not been the most ethical man in the past.
- Joab was a man who David had excused in the past. Joab was the man who, in a fit of revenge, murdered Abner when he had come to David in hopes of transferring the kingdom of Israel.
- Joab had literally gotten away with murder, and then helped David get rid of his problem with Uriah the Hittite. Joab sees Absalom as just another man who can be excused.
- Joab sends this woman in with a very ornate story and a very compelling argument. At the end, David asks for who is behind this story and finds that it is Joab. She tells David that Joab has given the entire story.
- Notice how this woman flatters David: “Oh you are so wise, like an angel of God.”
- David is being actively coerced, and not so subtly. The problem is that he wants to just excuse Absalom and bring him back, so it’s not a surprise when David comes back and acquiesces.
- “All right Joab, you win! Let’s bring the boy back in!”
- What is the problem here? Notice what is not said here and you should be able to pick it up right away: Not even once does he consult the Lord, or recognize the authority of His Word.
- One of our first questions when facing difficult decision is “What does God want in this situation? Is there a specific verse or principle that applies to my situation? Often however, we cede authority when we make decisions based on our own feelings and desires.
- In this case, there are multiple verses that David could have called up that would have dealt with Absalom’s murderous actions.
- Instead of calling up scripture, David settles for the words of men, who appeal to his familial senses, rather than the righteous demands of the Word of God.
- This is seen today, when people around men of God, ask them to “see things reasonably” or “look at things from the other perspective.”
- Often times, these decisions are ones that our flesh wants to make, the kind where our bodies are comforted and our minds are relieved of any real responsibility.
- When we follow the Lord’s Word, we relieve ourselves of making a subective decision, based either on our feelings or someone else’s clever argumentation.
- David, the likely author of Psalm 119, writes his most verbose Psalm. What is it’s subject? God’s word and the godly man’s response to it.
• Psalm 119:9-11 : “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”
- It did not come in the case of his sister Tamar and it would not come here.
- Absalom at one point, makes a fiery point to Joab, saying, “Look, if I’m innocent, put me back where I belong. If not, kill me.”
- Absalom is tired of waiting, but that’s what David makes him do. Some commentators believe that David is over-compensating for being too lax on Absalom prior to Amnon’s death.
- I believe that there is just as much credence to the thought that David did not want to deal with Absalom. He did not want to enter into a decision, so he did what many men do in such a position: Nothing!
- They procrastinate, put off what they can do today, for tomorrow. Before long, weeks have gone by, months have elapsed and years have been turned on the calendar, and nothing has changed. Absalom, in this case has not seen the King, either for restoration or restitution!
- When David does allow Absalom in, he makes what seems to be a complete non-decision.
• II Samuel 14:33 : “So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.”
- Wait a minute! This man is a fugitive, a murderer and all that happens is a kiss is given?
- Of course, as a Father, one definitely is right there with David, promising the unconditional love that a Father reserves for his child. In that, I can sympathize.
- But to not deal with this issue is to promise the certainty of repitition! Absalom, left unchecked, will be David’s problem in just a short period of time.
- Is there an Absalom in your life, an issue that has been ignored, or placed on the back burner of life? Perhaps it’s small now, only manifesting itself in character deviations.
- It may be sophisticated, difficult, complicated, whichever adjective you might use to put off dealing with it. The quickest way to lose authority in our lives is to leave things undone.
• II Samuel 14:25 : “Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.”
- Absalom was attractive. A handsome prince. The future of Israel.
- To a people who recommended Saul, a tall, dark and handsome figure, Absalom was just the right choice.
- But Absalom was not only attractive, he was also available. He was the people’s advocate. The charming one. The closer.
- Absalom was arrayed with chariots and horsemen who ran alongside of him.
- His business was to get to the city gate. The city gate was more than a large white picket gate. It was more like a large enclosure with separate booths for varying kinds of business.
- Absalom was there early, right in the thick of things. He would hear their arguments, but always plant the seed that he did not really have that much power at the time. But if he did…
- Did David not see this? Ultimately, by his inaction and inconsistency, David opened the door for Absalom to return. Then, he gave Absalom free reign to go and do whatever he chose, without even monitoring the situation closely.
- In this way, David allowed the enemy to gain a foothold, a place from which an attack might be made against him.
- In David’s case, his abdication of responsibility, opened the door for Absalom to be where he was in this moment. Make no mistake. Absalom was complicit and responsible for his actions as well.
- Absalom knew what he was doing. His methodology was well co-ordinated and his plan was carried out beautifully. But David, who should have been on guard, let the enemy march right in.
- We allow the enemy to gain a foothold in our lives in much the same way. Spiritual procrastination, putting off decisions that will be unpopular or difficult for us.
- Most of the time, the enemy gains a foothold because we have allowed tension or anger to build up in our relationships.
- Consider Paul’s words to the church in Corinth. They had been forced to deal with the public sin of one her members. Most commentators believe that it was the man who had slept with his step-mother. The discipline from the church has apparently been a little too severe.
• II Corinthians 2:8-12 : “Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
• Ephesians 4:26,27 : “’Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
- What David allowed to happen historically, we must not repeat emotionally or spiritually.
- There is no surprise in David. One might consider that upon hearing this news, he accepted that Absalom’s rebellion had been a part of God’s judgment for his sin with Bath-Sheba.
- Whatever the case, David immediately makes a decision to run.
- Now, I believe that there is a time to run. Jesus slipped through a mob or two and Paul ran.
- But David immediately, without thought to his appointed position, decides quickly to run.
- This may owe to just how powerful and charismatic Absalom was. Perhaps David HAS seen what Absalom was doing and prepared a contingency for a day like this. It’s uncertain.
- And we might say, “Hey, we don’t know what we might do in this situation either.” Granted.
- However, that being said, David was the God appointed, King of Israel. He was the man that God set up for this position, at this time in history.
- Again, it’s important to understand that there are times when we cannot just cut and run. Most of the time, we need to stand our ground, count out who is with us, and fight hard till we have nothing left to give but our very lives!
- Where is the courage of the teenage David, who would stand toe-to-toe with the giant champion of the Philistines? Let me suggest that between that time and now, David has allowed his sins to suck out the confidence that once made him stand so strongly.
- Here we see a man, a military success story, run out of town by his 40 year old son Absalom.
Conclusion
- I might paint a little picture for you. In your home, or your sphere of influence, are letting others take from you, the God-given authority that you have?
- Is your authority being questioned or compromised because you have let others influence your decisions? Today, it’s time to surrender my decisions to Christ’s law, be swift in my desire to rectify situations, shore up any areas where the enemy might have a foothold.
- When all that is done, I’ll stand and fight with all the strength the Lord gives me! Will you do the same?
“Absalom’s Treason” • 3.25.08 • Autonomy, Authority And The Man Of God, Session #25
Intro
- Three years have passed since the end of chapter 13. David has longed for his son, who was guilty of killing his half-brother Amnon.
- Joab has seen the King in low spirits and scripts a plan that will get David thinking about reconciliation. He sends a widow into to speak to David about a fictitious story about her two sons who had fought and one had died. David assured her that her banished son could return.
- The woman virtually turned to David and said, “David you are the man!”
- David always seemed to be affected by stories and again, is persuaded here to allow Absalom to return home.
• II Samuel 14:24 : “And the king said, ‘Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face.’ So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king’s face.”
- Absalom returned, but was still not allowed to see the King, ie., to return to a normative relationship that a prince would have with his Father. He figures that Joab might be a good mediator.
- However, Joab does not return Absalom’s calls. Absalom figures that he had better up the ante, by lighting Joab’s fields on fire. This got Joab’s attention.
• II Samuel 14:32,33 : “And Absalom answered Joab, ‘Look, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, ‘Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.’ Now therefore, let me see the king’s face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me.’ So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.”
- Absalom is welcomed back into the Kingdom and soon restores himself to a princely position.
- He rode with a chariot posse, and positioned himself among the people, standing for the little man out by the city gate, where all the business and complaints were handled.
• II Samuel 15:4-6 : “Moreover Absalom would say, ‘Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.’ And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
- A few years of this and Absalom has secured a place in the hearts of Israel. He begins to ponder that he might be popular enough to effect change in Israel, by setting himself up as King.
- Absalom put his treasonous plan into place, planning to announce himself as King.
• II Samuel 15:12 : “Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city--from Giloh--while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number.”
- Word gets back to David, who seems to be taken completely by surprise. He renders what he has heard to be true, for he immediately makes preparations for an immediate escape.
- Before you know it, David was thrust back into time, where he was again a desert dweller, hiding himself from ever present danger, this time from his own son.
• II Samuel 15:23 : “And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.”
- This story provides us with an excellent opportunity to discuss how one loses authority.
- Jesus has made you and I co-regents, partners with Him in the work of redemption. As a result, we are given authority, if even by proxy to the King of Kings.
- Therefore, I am not just a worker. I am Christ’s ambassador looking for any open door to witness. I am not just an employer. I am Christ’s man, dispensing grace, blessing and even judgment (in temporal things) as He would.
- We are to be authorities in our sphere of influence, to influence for the sake of Christ.
- David began chapter 14 as the king and in just 5 years, two chapters for us, he is running for his life! Let’s ponder what caused this tremendous shift in David’s life and how we can lose authority in whatever position that we are in. King David
I. Lets Others Influence His Decisions (II Samuel 14:18-21)
II. Lets Important Decisions Remain Unsettled (II Samuel 14:28)
III. Lets The Enemy Have A Foothold (II Samuel 15:4-6)
IV. Lets Himself Be Run Out Of His Appointed Place (II Samuel 15:13-15)
TextII. Lets Important Decisions Remain Unsettled (II Samuel 14:28)
III. Lets The Enemy Have A Foothold (II Samuel 15:4-6)
IV. Lets Himself Be Run Out Of His Appointed Place (II Samuel 15:13-15)
I. Lets Others Influence His Decisions (II Samuel 14:18-21)
• II Samuel 14:18-21 : “Then the king answered and said to the woman, ‘Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you.’ And the woman said, ‘Please, let my lord the king speak.’ So the king said, ‘Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?’ And the woman answered and said, ‘As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. ‘To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth.’ And the king said to Joab, ‘All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.’” : As we noted earlier, Joab had seen David’s emotional plight. He resolved to make David see some reason, and let bygones be bygones.- One cannot clearly see Joab’s motivation here. Was he so loyal to David, that he initiated this plan for reconciliation, thinking that it was best to keep friends close, but enemies closer?
- Or, was Joab a man who was looking out for his own interests, making sure that he got a healthy and competent successor? Job security?
- Whatever the case, Joab has not been the most ethical man in the past.
- Joab was a man who David had excused in the past. Joab was the man who, in a fit of revenge, murdered Abner when he had come to David in hopes of transferring the kingdom of Israel.
- Joab had literally gotten away with murder, and then helped David get rid of his problem with Uriah the Hittite. Joab sees Absalom as just another man who can be excused.
- Joab sends this woman in with a very ornate story and a very compelling argument. At the end, David asks for who is behind this story and finds that it is Joab. She tells David that Joab has given the entire story.
- Notice how this woman flatters David: “Oh you are so wise, like an angel of God.”
- David is being actively coerced, and not so subtly. The problem is that he wants to just excuse Absalom and bring him back, so it’s not a surprise when David comes back and acquiesces.
- “All right Joab, you win! Let’s bring the boy back in!”
- What is the problem here? Notice what is not said here and you should be able to pick it up right away: Not even once does he consult the Lord, or recognize the authority of His Word.
- One of our first questions when facing difficult decision is “What does God want in this situation? Is there a specific verse or principle that applies to my situation? Often however, we cede authority when we make decisions based on our own feelings and desires.
- In this case, there are multiple verses that David could have called up that would have dealt with Absalom’s murderous actions.
- Instead of calling up scripture, David settles for the words of men, who appeal to his familial senses, rather than the righteous demands of the Word of God.
- This is seen today, when people around men of God, ask them to “see things reasonably” or “look at things from the other perspective.”
- Often times, these decisions are ones that our flesh wants to make, the kind where our bodies are comforted and our minds are relieved of any real responsibility.
- When we follow the Lord’s Word, we relieve ourselves of making a subective decision, based either on our feelings or someone else’s clever argumentation.
- David, the likely author of Psalm 119, writes his most verbose Psalm. What is it’s subject? God’s word and the godly man’s response to it.
• Psalm 119:9-11 : “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”
II. Lets Important Decisions Remain Unsettled (II Samuel 14:28)
• II Samuel 14:28 : “And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king’s face.” : Let the force of this verse hit you. Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem. This phrase is a familiar one. Absalom had waited for justice for two full years.- It did not come in the case of his sister Tamar and it would not come here.
- Absalom at one point, makes a fiery point to Joab, saying, “Look, if I’m innocent, put me back where I belong. If not, kill me.”
- Absalom is tired of waiting, but that’s what David makes him do. Some commentators believe that David is over-compensating for being too lax on Absalom prior to Amnon’s death.
- I believe that there is just as much credence to the thought that David did not want to deal with Absalom. He did not want to enter into a decision, so he did what many men do in such a position: Nothing!
- They procrastinate, put off what they can do today, for tomorrow. Before long, weeks have gone by, months have elapsed and years have been turned on the calendar, and nothing has changed. Absalom, in this case has not seen the King, either for restoration or restitution!
- When David does allow Absalom in, he makes what seems to be a complete non-decision.
• II Samuel 14:33 : “So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.”
- Wait a minute! This man is a fugitive, a murderer and all that happens is a kiss is given?
- Of course, as a Father, one definitely is right there with David, promising the unconditional love that a Father reserves for his child. In that, I can sympathize.
- But to not deal with this issue is to promise the certainty of repitition! Absalom, left unchecked, will be David’s problem in just a short period of time.
- Is there an Absalom in your life, an issue that has been ignored, or placed on the back burner of life? Perhaps it’s small now, only manifesting itself in character deviations.
- It may be sophisticated, difficult, complicated, whichever adjective you might use to put off dealing with it. The quickest way to lose authority in our lives is to leave things undone.
III. Lets The Enemy Have A Foothold (II Samuel 15:4-6)
• II Samuel 15:4-6 : “Moreover Absalom would say, ‘Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.’ And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” : Much of Absalom’s appearance is revealed to us in chapter 14.• II Samuel 14:25 : “Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.”
- Absalom was attractive. A handsome prince. The future of Israel.
- To a people who recommended Saul, a tall, dark and handsome figure, Absalom was just the right choice.
- But Absalom was not only attractive, he was also available. He was the people’s advocate. The charming one. The closer.
- Absalom was arrayed with chariots and horsemen who ran alongside of him.
- His business was to get to the city gate. The city gate was more than a large white picket gate. It was more like a large enclosure with separate booths for varying kinds of business.
- Absalom was there early, right in the thick of things. He would hear their arguments, but always plant the seed that he did not really have that much power at the time. But if he did…
- Did David not see this? Ultimately, by his inaction and inconsistency, David opened the door for Absalom to return. Then, he gave Absalom free reign to go and do whatever he chose, without even monitoring the situation closely.
- In this way, David allowed the enemy to gain a foothold, a place from which an attack might be made against him.
- In David’s case, his abdication of responsibility, opened the door for Absalom to be where he was in this moment. Make no mistake. Absalom was complicit and responsible for his actions as well.
- Absalom knew what he was doing. His methodology was well co-ordinated and his plan was carried out beautifully. But David, who should have been on guard, let the enemy march right in.
- We allow the enemy to gain a foothold in our lives in much the same way. Spiritual procrastination, putting off decisions that will be unpopular or difficult for us.
- Most of the time, the enemy gains a foothold because we have allowed tension or anger to build up in our relationships.
- Consider Paul’s words to the church in Corinth. They had been forced to deal with the public sin of one her members. Most commentators believe that it was the man who had slept with his step-mother. The discipline from the church has apparently been a little too severe.
• II Corinthians 2:8-12 : “Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
• Ephesians 4:26,27 : “’Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
- What David allowed to happen historically, we must not repeat emotionally or spiritually.
IV. Lets Himself Be Run Out Of His Appointed Place (II Samuel 15:13-15)
• II Samuel 15:13-15 : “Now a messenger came to David, saying, ‘The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.’ So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, ‘Arise, and let us flee; or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.’ And the king’s servants said to the king, ‘We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.’’ : David is told by a messenger. He has been in his hilltop home, away from the voices of his people. He is told that the people have joined their hearts to Absalom.- There is no surprise in David. One might consider that upon hearing this news, he accepted that Absalom’s rebellion had been a part of God’s judgment for his sin with Bath-Sheba.
- Whatever the case, David immediately makes a decision to run.
- Now, I believe that there is a time to run. Jesus slipped through a mob or two and Paul ran.
- But David immediately, without thought to his appointed position, decides quickly to run.
- This may owe to just how powerful and charismatic Absalom was. Perhaps David HAS seen what Absalom was doing and prepared a contingency for a day like this. It’s uncertain.
- And we might say, “Hey, we don’t know what we might do in this situation either.” Granted.
- However, that being said, David was the God appointed, King of Israel. He was the man that God set up for this position, at this time in history.
- Again, it’s important to understand that there are times when we cannot just cut and run. Most of the time, we need to stand our ground, count out who is with us, and fight hard till we have nothing left to give but our very lives!
- Where is the courage of the teenage David, who would stand toe-to-toe with the giant champion of the Philistines? Let me suggest that between that time and now, David has allowed his sins to suck out the confidence that once made him stand so strongly.
- Here we see a man, a military success story, run out of town by his 40 year old son Absalom.
Conclusion
- I might paint a little picture for you. In your home, or your sphere of influence, are letting others take from you, the God-given authority that you have?
- Is your authority being questioned or compromised because you have let others influence your decisions? Today, it’s time to surrender my decisions to Christ’s law, be swift in my desire to rectify situations, shore up any areas where the enemy might have a foothold.
- When all that is done, I’ll stand and fight with all the strength the Lord gives me! Will you do the same?
1 comment:
1 Read Luke 19:11-27. What implications does this verse have with regard to our responsibility to live authoritative lives? In light of these verses, how might we re-think our stations in life?
2 David let others color his thinking about Absalom. The Bible tells us that in the counsel of many, there is safety (Proverbs 11:14). Discuss how to discern when counsel from multiple sources might still be the wrong counsel. What are some tangible signs that you can point to?
3 David allowed Absalom to gain a foothold by his inaction toward him. We can do the same thing spiritually with the enemy of our souls. In what scenarios are we most likely to give the enemy a foothold in our lives? How can we avoid this?
4 David quickly surrendered his position and fled from Absalom, when he likely should have stood his ground and fought. As men, what positions have we surrendered authority in? For men who have, what is the Lord’s counsel to them, that they may resume their rightful positions?
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