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"The Return Of The King"
• 2.14.16 •
Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- At the end of our section last week, we saw
the fruit of fighting against the Lord in an anti-climactic battle scene played
out in the dense forest of Ephraim.
- Absalom was doomed to fall and eventually he
did when his thick head caught between two low hanging branches of an oak.
Joab, refusing the King's order, speared Absalom to death.
- The trumpet has been blown and now what has
been done must be made known! The King awaits the news of how the battle has
gone. Verse 19.
Text
•
II Samuel 18:19-23 : "Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said,
'Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the Lord has avenged him of
his enemies.' And Joab said to him, 'You shall not take the news this day, for
you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because
the king’s son is dead.' Then Joab said to the Cushite, 'Go,
tell the king what you have seen.' So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and
ran. And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, 'But whatever happens,
please let me also run after the Cushite.' So Joab said, 'Why will you run, my
son, since you have no news ready?' 'But whatever happens,' he said, 'let me run.' So he said to him,
'Run.' Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.'" : Ahimaaz had carried news to David when Hushai sent him with Absalom's plans chapter 17. Apparently, he really enjoyed the
job!
-
The last time had precipitated David's temporary exile. This news was much more
cheery.
-
"God has avenged him of his enemies!" How is that not good? Joab knew
it was much more complex than that given that he would be delivering news
regarding Absalom's death.
-
Joab knew that David would identify Ahimaaz with good news. When the King would
see the Cushite, an Ethiopian, he would wait to hear and not assume.
-
He sent the Cushite running and when Ahimaaz pressed him to run. Joab allowed
him, presuming that he would get there too late. He didn't figure that Ahimaaz
would take a shortcut!
•
II Samuel 18:24-27 : "Now David was sitting between the
two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall,
lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone. Then the
watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, 'If he is alone, there
is news in his mouth.' And he came rapidly and drew near. Then the
watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and
said, 'There is another man, running alone!' And the king said, 'He also brings
news.' So the watchman said, 'I think the running of the first is like the
running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, 'He is a good man, and
comes with good news.'" : The watchmen stood and
noted the Ethiopian's running and then reported Ahimaaz's distinct running
style as he overtook him.
-
A single runner signaled relatively good news. When you saw hundreds of men
running, that signaled something altogether worse!
-
As Joab suspected, when David learned of the run by Ahimaaz, he immediately
associated his presence with good news.
•
II Samuel 18:28-32 : "So Ahimaaz called out and said to
the king, 'All is well!' Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before
the king, and said, 'Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men
who raised their hand against my lord the king!' The king said, 'Is the young
man Absalom safe?' Ahimaaz answered, 'When Joab sent the king’s servant and me
your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about.' And the
king said, 'Turn aside and stand here.' So he turned aside and stood still. Just then
the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, 'There is good news, my lord the king!
For the Lord has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you.' And the
king said to the Cushite, 'Is the young man Absalom safe?' So the
Cushite answered, 'May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise
against you to do harm, be like that young man!'" :
Ahimaaz brought news of David's general victory. "All is well." He
bowed and continued with a general, spiritual sounding platitude.
-
"Blessed be the Lord who delivered up the men who raised their hands
against you." Maybe Ahimaaz thought that this would satisfy the King, but
David's heart caused him to persist.
-
"Is the young man Absalom safe." Oh boy. A direct inquiry which would
necessitate a direct answer, one which would certainly be unpleasant. What does
Ahimaaz say?
-
Notice first that he claims that Joab sent he and the other servant. Joab did
not send Ahimaaz. He was unable to stop Ahimaaz who by the force of his own
will, took the task.
-
There are many with "messages" who have not been sent, but have found
ways to go!
-
Then Ahimaaz goes on to say that he saw a great tumult, but was unaware of what
had come of it. This is a blatant lie.
-
Joab specifically told him that he didn't want him to run because the King's
son was dead in verse 20. This is
why he wanted to reserve him for a more "cheery" moment.
-
Joab recognized that Ahimaaz liked the glory of encouraging someone and would
enjoy bringing the King some positive news. This wasn't positive news, so
Ahimaaz lied to the King.
-
Consequently, the King set him aside. Consider that for a moment. Ahimaaz had
run all that way, expended all of that energy and found himself standing silent.
-
In a very real way, he had wasted the King's time. Ahimaaz felt like this was
what David needed, but because he ignored Joab's orders, he left his audience
unsatisfied.
-
If you are going to be a messenger for the King, you had better be ready to
deliver God's complete message regardless of whether it's positive or negative!
If not, prepare to be set aside!
-
Understand that you only have so many opportunities. Make sure that you aren't
wasting yours! Let's take our cue from the unnamed Cushite.
- Right at that moment, he came with a
similar beginning to what Ahimaaz had said and in the presence of Ahimaaz,
David asks the Cushite about Absalom.
-
The Ethiopian honoring his orders and the privileged position to deliver the
news, does so promptly, sensitively, and forthrightly. The King knows what he
wanted and needed to know.
•
II Samuel 18:33 : "Then the king was deeply moved, and
went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: 'O
my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O
Absalom my son, my son!'" : David's trembled uncontrollably
in grief and excused himself so that he could weep without restriction. Note
the contrast.
-
When David's son with Bathsheba passed, David put clothes on and took food.
Here, he falls to pieces. It seems that the difference is seen in his wish to
have taken Absalom's place.
-
David was secure in his position with the Lord. When David's son with Bathsheba
died, he was secure in his, the baby son's, position with the Lord. He is not
so certain of Absalom's fate.
-
As a Father, David wished to have taken his son's place. As a believer, David
wishes that Absalom would have had more time in order to get right with the
Lord.
• II Samuel
19:1-4 : "And Joab was told, 'Behold, the king is
weeping and mourning for Absalom.' So the victory that day was turned into
mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, 'The king
is grieved for his son.' And the people stole back into the city that day, as
people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. But the king
covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, 'O my son Absalom!
O Absalom, my son, my son!'" : Naturally, a Father is
going to weep. Unfortunately, David's emotions didn't fit the occasion as the
King. As the King, he was responsible to set his emotions aside for the sake of
his people.
- There will be time to mourn and there will be
plenty of private moments to reflect, but this was a day of victory and David's
mourning confounded his supporters.
- The people expected a party, but the King set
the tone for a dirge. The people were ashamed to be happy. They acted like they
had done something wrong, even cowardly!
• II Samuel
19:3 (NLT) : "They
crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted
in battle."
- David was lost in his own emotions at the
time and cried even louder for his son Absalom. Joab was not going to tolerate
this. Verse 5.
• II Samuel
19:5-7 : "Then
Joab came into the house to the king, and said, 'Today you have disgraced all
your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and
daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, in that
you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that
you regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom
had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. Now
therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants. For I swear by the
Lord, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that
will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth
until now.'" : Joab walks right in with righteous
indignation and scolds the King for his actions. Everyone needs a man like
Joab, as he is here, in their lives!
- David's actions disgraced, humiliated his
servants who had saved his and his family's life. Their faces had dried away
because he acted as though he preferred his enemy to his friends!
- He had made it clear that the only person
that matter to him was Absalom. If everyone but Absalom had died, it seemed as
though David would have been alright with that!
- Joab instructs David to take his place among
the people. Otherwise they would dessert him and he would be in the worst
position of his life! It seems that David took this to heart. Verse 8.
•
II Samuel 19:8 : "Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the
people, saying, 'There is the king, sitting in the gate.' So all the people
came before the king. For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent." : David salvaged the day by coming out to greet the people who
had put their lives on the line for him.
-
All of David's supporters came to the King, but those who were of Israel had
"fled to his tent." This is a way of saying that those who were
defeated went to hide themselves.
-
The man that many in Israel had supported had failed. They are now in an
uneviable position that was not easily remedied. Verse 9.
•
II Samuel 19:9,10 : "Now all the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes
of Israel, saying, 'The king saved us from the hand of our enemies, he
delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled from the
land because of Absalom. But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in
battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?'" : The people reviewed their history with David.
-
He had delivered them from the Philistines, but he had fled before Absalom, an
action that they misunderstood. Why did he not put down Absalom's rebellion
with force?
-
He had fled for their safety, to draw Absalom away from Jerusalem and prevent
needless bloodshed. They held this against him. Now, he's the only logical
choice so why the hesitation?
-
There was fear that David would punish them for their disloyalty and refuse to
serve them as he once did. They had been the cause of his humiliation by
supporting a rival King.
-
David understood and took the initiative to settle their hearts. Verse 11.
•
II Samuel 19:11,12 : "So King David sent to Zadok and
Abiathar the priests, saying, 'Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are
you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel
have come to the king, to his very house? You are my brethren, you are my bone
and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’" : Zadok and Abiathar were the priests who acted as David's
clarion voices to the tribal elders.
-
He has heard that their intention was to bring him back. He understood the dilemma
and the embarassment that went with their endorsement of Absalom. But they were
his brethren!
-
He calls upon them to bring him back as the King. There was no need to wait any
longer.
•
II Samuel 19:13-15 : "And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my
bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of
the army before me continually in place of Joab.’ So he swayed the hearts of
all the men of Judah, just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word
to the king: 'Return, you and all your servants!' Then the king returned and
came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort
the king across the Jordan." : The grace of the King
reaches across to a former enemy combatant!
-
Amasa was literally his close relation through Zeruiah's sister. He had been
appointed by Absalom to be the captain of Israel. David tells him that he can
use him.
-
Having learned of Joab's disobedience, David now seeks to appoint his
replacement.
-
Joab would not take this sitting down, but the people of Judah saw the King's
grace in action!
-
David didn't argue their hearts to himelf. He bent them gently toward himself.
He extended himself toward them and their hearts yielded to him! It was
unanimous!
-
But he was the one who was wronged? He was the one who deserved to have the
throne! They should be begging him to have mercy upon them.
-
Certainly, David could have run over them and imposed his will upon them by
force. That wasn't the way that he wanted to lead and the people responded to
his gracious invitation.
-
Judah all moved with one heart and sent word to David, promising their
allegiance and support. Judah came to Gilgal, the place where Israel first
camped when Joshua led them over.
-
It's fascinating that they came here, for it was there that Joshua told the
nation of Israel that the Lord had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them.
(Joshua 5:9)
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Gilgal was a place where the past was rolled away and a new future was rolled
out! The people were looking forward to having the King come back into Israel
proper.
Conclusion
- As we close,
note the portrait that we have, both of David as a Father and David as a King.
As a Father, he stands back and grieves over the loss of his son, wishing he
could take his place.
-
In the same way, God the Father saw a rebellious world, bent upon sin and set
up for destruction. How He weeps over those who are lost!
-
But for those who would be found, He sent His Son, who lived perfectly and died
sacrificially to take our place. By rising victoriously from the dead and
living eternally, He prepares a place for us!
-
God's Fatherly love made a way for rebel sons and daughters to be redeemed!
God's love made a way for Absaloms and Absalomesses to come to Him!
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But then we see David as the King who has the rightful keys of authority, who
can simply impose his will and make his return to the Palace to rule
dictatorially. What does the King do instead?
-
He sends out His priests with a message of reconciliation! "You backed the
wrong King. The Right King stands ready to rule your hearts again!" Is
that not what He sends us out to say?
-
I Peter 2:9 tells us that Christians
are a Kingdom of priests! Every believer is a priest! What is our message? II Corinthians 5:18 states that we have
been given the ministry of reconciliation!
•
II Corinthians 5:20 : "Now then,
we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we
implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God." : Our King will not rule our hearts as a dictator. He will rule
our hearts by our own acknowledgment of Him. Now, may we run like the Cushite
and make it so!
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