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"The Thin Line Between Triumph And Trouble" •
12.6.15 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday
Morning Service
Intro
- In these last chapters, we really see the
climax and the extent of David's triumph. We've seen his inauguration as King
over the whole of Israel.
- We've watched as David inhabits Jerusalem and
introduces the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God's throne into the center
of Israel's life.
- After securing the land of Israel, David
expands the influence of the Kingdom in all directions as he imposes his rule
over the neighboring Gentile lands, which begins to expand further east.
- There have been a series of victories without
an end in sight. But in life, it's interesting to see that the end of such things
comes rapidly and in such a surprising way.
- Sometimes, the battle we're prepared to fight
isn't the battle that we're presented with. Let's observe beginning at verse 1.
Text
• II Samuel
10:1,2 : "It happened after this
that the king of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his
place. 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." : The
Ammonites, like the Moabites, were cousins to the people of Israel through
Abraham's nephew, Lot.
- They were located east of the Jordan river and
unlike the Moabites, actually had a friendly relationship with Israel at this
time. In fact, Nahash had recently shown David kindness.
- We don't have a record of that in scripture.
In fact, the last Nahash that we did see almost wiped out the men of Jabesh
Gilead! This Nahash, likely a title, was apparently quite different.
- When he died, David sought to pay his
respects and offer comfort to the new King, Nahash's son, Hanun. Aside from the
King's kindness, this would aid in maintaining the alliance that they had.
- David's servants entered into Ammon with
nothing but kind intentions but his sentiment was not received. Verse 3.
•
II Samuel 10:3,4 : "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?' 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." : Hanun is a new leader and his counselors are paranoid, assuming
that David wanted to use the occasion to spy out and eventually, overthrow their
land.
-
To be fair, as we have studied in chapter 8,
David had successfully managed to assert his authority over the area and was a
viable threat to Ammon.
-
Hanun will not play the fool and responds with a very shameful response. Only a
slave would have a shaved face and the people of the East are extremely modest
with regards to their bodies.
-
Hanun's counselors have led him to a very poor decision. Verse 5.
•
II Samuel 10:5-8 : "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.' 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. Now
when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. 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." : David's servants were humiliated so he encouraged them to wait
at Jericho, the first port of entry back into Israel, until their beards had
grown again.
-
Hopefully, they also put on new pants! Meanwhile, the people of Ammon realized
that they had made a big mistake. They stunk to Israel in an offensive way!
-
Hanun could have acknowledged that he had listened to the bad advice of
paranoid counselors and apologized for his rash action. Instead, he chooses to
escalate his aggression.
-
Ammon assumed that David was set to retaliate, which led to Hanun's decision to
hire this group of mercenaries, I
Chronicles 19:6 telling us that it cost 1,000 talents of silver!
-
Only then, as this group gathered together, did David send Joab out with all of
the army.
-
Ammon positioned themselves at the gate of the city while the mercenaries held
positions in a field opposite the gate. Joab is about to discover that he is
surrounded. Verse 9.
•
II Samuel 10:9-12 : "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. 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. 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. 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.'" : What do you do when the battle line is drawn against you and
the enemy surrounds you?
-
Some might give in and accept terms of surrender. That wasn't Joab's thinking
and it shouldn't be ours!
-
The only way out was to fight and to do so beginning with the very best men
that they had.
-
These were the "proven," "elite" or "choice" men.
These were the men that Joab met the Syrians with. Then, Joab assigned Abishai to
the Ammonite front.
-
They worked in two different directions but were committed to one another.
-
Joab would answer the call from Abishai if things went poorly for him and he
expected to do the same for him if Abishai called.
-
Finally, notice that they would commit themselves to the Lord. Be of good
courage. Be brave for Israel and for the cities of our God! Expend yourself for
the Kingdom.
-
When the enemy comes against us, we must choose to fight and choose our friends
well! Are we surrounded by likeminded people who are available at a simple call
for help?
-
Successful Christian living is rarely experienced in isolation. We need one
another.
-
But when all else is done, you and I commit ourselves to the proper course of
action and we leave the outcome to the Lord!
-
When it comes down to it, fight with all your might and may the Lord do what is
good in His sight! it wasn't long before God revealed whose side He was on.
Verse 13.
•
II Samuel 10:13,14 : "So Joab
and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and
they fled before him. 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." :
Joab and Abishai had both groups running before them. Neither of them needed
the other's help! God scattered the enemy before both commanders.
-
An interesting thing happens here though, as the Syrians fled, but were not
defeated and the Ammonites fled, but were now protected within the city walls.
-
Joab didn't prepare for this contingency and returned to Jerusalem leaving the
Ammonites bruised but not beaten. The victory, for the first time in Israel's
monarchy was partial.
-
Additionally, Syria is about to mount a counteroffensive. Verse 15.
•
II Samuel 10:15-19 : "When the
Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together. 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. 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. 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.
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." : The
Syrians made an attempt to unite before Israel on the other side of the Jordan
but it was useles.
-
David himself gathered the forces and met them in Helam and killed seven
hundred charioteers and 40,000 horsemen, striking their commander in the
process.
-
The offensive was over and the Kings of that region were forced to make peace
with Israel. Did you see what happened? David sent Joab the first time. David
led the battle the second time.
- God preserved Joab
and the army in the first round, but God gave David the victory in the second
round. There is a lesson here that will be ignored.
-
The Syrians learned their lesson however and would not help Ammon any further, which
also set in motion a very dangerous scenario.
-
Without Syrian aid, the people of Ammon are simply stuck behind the walls of
their city. Without knowing it, this presents Israel with it's most difficult
challenge to date.
•
II Samuel 11:1 : "It happened in the spring of the
year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his
servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and
besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem." : The spring of the year presented Kings and their armies with
the best weather conditions for battle and Ammon was the first on the list.
-
Israel had been victorious against Ammon's forces and moved against Rabbah, the
capital city of the Ammonites.
-
The collective strength of the Israelite force is now committed to besieging
this city. There isn't any information available regarding the details of this
city.
-
Rabbah means "great" and the word "besiege" means "to
confine." The word "siege" initially came from the term "to
sit."
-
So understand, that this is a great city that is surrounded by David's forces,
who are now stationing themselves in such a way, so as to cut off communication
and supply to the city.
-
They are waiting for the Ammonites to deplete their resources, to give in to the
inevitable and surrender. This required patience and depending on the process, a
potentially great period of time.
-
In such instances, if negotiation failed and siege works proved ineffective, it
was a standstill and the aggressor would be forced to wait out their enemy's
resources.
-
An armed force could be occupied in these campaigns for years! Nebuchadnezzar
will later lay siege to Jerusalem for over two years! (Jeremiah 52:4-7)
-
In all the battling that we have witnessed thus far, this is the first time
that we've seen David forced to wait for the final outcome to be determined.
-
With the battle season having begun and his forces committed to their siege,
David remained at Jerusalem, presumably to wait out the inevitable there
instead of in the field with the troops.
-
Who wants to sit around and wait in a field, when you can wait in your new
cedar home! This turns out to be a tremendous mistake. Look at verse 2.
•
II Samuel 11:2 : "Then it happened one evening that
David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from
the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold." : Can you imagine David waiting for yet another week? Joab hasn't
sent any news and the siege continued on.
-
You can sense a restlessness in David. He doesn't know what to do with himself.
He got up after a late afternoon nap and took a walk on his roof.
-
His entire life's narrative, the movement of the Kingdom will turn on the
events of this one evening in his life! He has no idea that this is the battle
that the enemy has set him up for!
-
In the ancient East, the houses were constructed with flat roofs. As the heat
of the day was gradually trapped in the home, the cool of the evening breeze
was enjoyed on the roof.
-
It's warm in the house, David is tired of waiting and he's fitful. He takes his
ill-fated walk and he saw a woman bathing.
-
From David's vantage point, he could look all around Jerusalem, but all there
was to see on this night was this woman, who was very beautful to behold.
-
When the enemy wants to take a man down, he doesn't send a person that isn't
going to attract his target! And in this case, he hasn't needed to do much
research!
-
David has already shown a history of being susceptible to sexual pleasure
temptation. He already has multiple wives and concubines, but here he is on the
prowl.
-
He is bored, unoccupied and unaccountable. Sadly, in a world of great modesty,
this woman leaves a lot to be desired. Did she not know that she was well
within the King's field of vision?
-
You wish that David would have counted his losses here, just understanding that
this was a fluke circumstance that had gone too far as he stared and fantasized.
He doesn't.
•
II Samuel 11:3 : "So David sent and inquired about
the woman. And someone said, 'Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the
wife of Uriah the Hittite?'" : David
saw this woman and then investigated, sending out a person to find out about
the unnamed woman. It had been late, it had been dark and the woman was an
unknown.
-
He had to know who this woman was. Why? He can't leave the moment alone. He is
unsatisfied with merely a look. He has to fulfill his lustful fantasy.
-
"But he has multiple wives? He also has sexual companions in the
concubines that attended to him!" The appetite for lust can never be
satisfied! It will always crave more.
-
This is when the story begins to turn a bit. The person that he sent replied
that this woman was Bathsheba. That didn't ring a bell other than it was a pretty
name to go with the sight.
-
She's the daughter of Eliam. You and I many not know who this person was, but
there is a significant reason to know that David knew.
-
Turn over to II Samuel 23:34.
Bathsheba was a relative of an important set of individuals in Israel. Chapter 23 records the names of the most
honored men in Israel during David's time.
•
II Samuel 23:34 : "Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam
the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite," : Eliam is
one of David's most honored men. Bathsheba is his daughter! But Eliam is also
Ahithophel's son. Who is Ahithophel?
-
I Chronicles 27:33 discloses that he
was David's counselor whose advice was taken as an oracle of God! (II Samuel 16:23) Ahithophel, David's
trusted counselor was Bathsheba's Grandfather!
-
David is asking about his own counselor's granddaughter! This is getting sticky
and even a little creepy, as she may have been very young to his quite old!
David isn't a young man at this time.
-
But then, the messenger brings a third point of contact. She is the wife of a
man!
-
That should have been enough!
David asks who she was and she was a man's wife!
-
But this is not just any man, for she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite! In I Chronicles 11, the author lists the
mighty warriors of Israel. In verse 41,
Uriah the Hittite is listed!
-
This isn't some unnamed soldier in the army. This is a man of distinction
recognized by David as an exceptional warrior. This information is quite
helpful and the answer is good for us to hear.
-
When we are thinking about being involved with someone who is not our spouse,
it's good to know that that person is a person's daughter, grandaughter and
wife, potential or actual!
-
He or she is not merely an object of our affection or the subject of our
fantasy. They are people who are related to people who have spent a life loving
and protecting them.
-
This should have been enough, but it wasn't. Verse 4.
•
II Samuel 11:4 : "Then David sent messengers, and
took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from
her impurity; and she returned to her house." : David ignored the warning implicit in Bathsheba's
relationships. He treated her like a piece of property. He went and acquired
her, as though she were on a market floor.
-
She came to him, at his request, by his doing and then he engaged in sexual
relations with her. In the realm of scripture, David is given the brunt of the
blame.
-
She had just finished her menstrual cycle and had taken part in the cleansing
rituals that were common for a woman to go through. This is important to know
in establishing this next point.
•
II Samuel 11:5 : "And the woman conceived; so she
sent and told David, and said, 'I am with child.'" : There could be no other Father than David. Can you see David's
face as he hears the news? Can you feel his heart drop as he understands the
implications?
-
Can you see his mind race as he considers what must be done now? The news that
should have brought delight brought depression!
-
The memory of the excitment and the thrill gave way to dread and horror! What
will he do now? How will he respond? We'll begin looking at that next week.
Conclusion
- In closing, a few points stick out that must
be acknowledged. Our first and greatest defense against falling into sin is
falling into line!
- Discovering our gift, understanding our role,
recognizing our contribution, and committing ourselves to living in that light,
protects and preserves us like nothing else.
- You are the most secure when you are the most
useful to the Lord! Inactivity breeds insensitivity! The safest place for a
Christian soldier is the battle line that God has chosen for them!
- In this moment of history, the King loses
sight of the Kingdom. Gratefully, our King Jesus, kept His eyes focused on the
joy set before Him!
- In this moment, David gives everything for an
day of pleasure. In Christ's moment, He gave in to the day of torment for His
body and soul, that He might have an eternity of joy!
- We understand a man like David because he is
as flawed as we are. We worship the Man, our God and Savior Jesus Christ
because He was tempted as we are and yet kept Himself from sin!
-
David gave everything away for the sake of his lust. Jesus gave Himself away
for the sake of His Father's love for us!
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