First Kings Chapter 2 and what we're going to be considering
together is the 1st 11 verses of this chapter.
As you can tell, this is a very lengthy chapter, like many
chapters and kings, but we are going to take our time to
dissect appropriate themes or the flow of thought that seems
appropriate to stop at. And so we're just going to,
before we pray, let's just read these verses together without
interruption and just have a frame of what's about to take
place and how we're going to receive from God's word.
First Kings Chapter 2, beginning in verse one, when David's time
to die drew near, He commanded Solomon, his son, saying, I am
about to go the way of all the earth.
Be strong and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the
Lord your God walking in His ways, and keeping His statutes,
His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as it is
written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper, and all
that you do. And wherever you turn that the
Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying,
If your sons pay close attention to their way to walk before me
in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul,
you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.
Moreover, you also know what Jawad the son of Zuraiya, did to
me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of
Israel, Abner, the son of Nur, and Amasa the son of Jether,
whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been
shed in a way, and putting the blood of war on the belt around
his waist, and on the sandals on his feet.
Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his Gray
head go down to Shiole and peace, but deal loyally with the
sons of Barzalai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who
eat at your table. For with such loyalty they met
me when I fled from Absalom, your brother.
And there is also with you Shemay, the son of Gira, the
Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse
on the day when I went out to Mahanayam.
But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by
the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
Now, therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise
man. You will know what you ought to
do to him, and you shall bring his Gray head down with blood to
shield. Then David slept with his
father's and was buried in the city of David.
And the time that David reigned over Israel was 40 years.
He reigned 7 years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem.
So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his
Kingdom was firmly established. Lord, this is your word.
We tremble at it now use this time to Pierce our hearts, to
awaken our affections, to apply its instructions without
hesitation. And Lord, help us seek Christ in
Jesus name. Amen.
The time for King David, that man that we have studied for
years, week after week, Friday after Friday, session after
session, the time for this man to die, has now arrived.
And David here is going to take the opportunity to bring his
son, to look him in the eyes and to grant him final instructions.
As he is coming to the end of his life, he wants to give
direction for Solomon's life. And it's not difficult to see
how this text exhibits timeless wisdom for you and I.
But I believe the best way to benefit from this portion of
Scripture is to not look at it from A1 dimensional point of
view, because it's easy to do that.
It's easy to limit what we're seeing here as a way of
listening in on a monologue, a father speaking into the heart
of his son. But David is not just speaking
to Solomon. David is speaking about other
people. There are three specific
individuals that David brings into this conversation, and by
looking at them as well, not just looking at what is being
set to soma, but looking at them and the complexities of how they
relate to David and Solomon. We will leave this Bible study
richer, greater revelation, greater things to apply to our
lives, a more holistic view of what the Lord has in mind in
this text. And by doing this, I want to
encourage you to read your Bible in a certain way again.
Not to just look at it from 1 limited dimension, but to
consider the other characters, to consider other vantage
points, to consider the multifaceted truths that are
packed into one place. And so the way you and I will
organize our thoughts is to first look at David's
instructions to Solomon, but also to look at what he says
concerning Joab, concerning Barza Lai, concerning Shemay.
It's a very simple way of approaching this.
All we're really going to do is collect some thoughts.
There isn't one main theme here. If there is a theme that you
would like, it's wisdom for life, what to do and what not to
do. I love how the Bible takes
certain people and allows us to see and hear their final words
before they depart. Why is that?
Why does the Bible care to give us the last words of certain
individuals? Surely for us to know how to
finish. Well, surely for us to know what
again not to do, what to do, to understand how our decisions
today will affect our tomorrow's, whether you realize
it today or not. And so let's consider these
words. First, his direct instructions
to Solomon before he deals with these other individuals and what
Solomon ought to do with them When David's time to die Junior,
he commanded Solomon, his son, saying, I am about to go the way
of all the earth. What a fascinating way for the
Holy Spirit to label death. I am about to go the way of all
the earth. Every single person here is
unique. Every single person here might
have a unique journey, but every single person in here, with the
billions of other people who are living today, have one thing in
common among other things, and that is this.
There will be a cessation of this earthly life.
The way of all the earth is death, and the way David speaks
about death is with an accepting tone.
I am about to go the way of all the earth.
He embraces that. And unfortunately there are many
people when it comes to death, live as though it is optional.
Live as though it can be suspended by their will.
It can be delayed at their command.
And that is not true. Though there are practical
things that you and I can do, and God calls us to do to
prolong life, ultimately it is determined by His sovereignty.
But what's interesting here is by David speaking in this way,
he proves that he is accepting this reality.
And some people can't accept that reality and I'll prove it
to you. They don't ever ruminate over
it. Let me ask you a question.
When is the last time that you gave more than 10 seconds
meditating on your mortality? Sounds morbid.
It sounds scary. It sounds strange to do so.
And yet the Bible says it's wisdom.
Teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom.
And so there are those who refuse to accept it, who who
shoo the thought away the the moment it visits them.
And there are others who are willing to accept it.
It's part of their theological framework.
And even if you're not a believer, you understand that
this is just a component of life that is inescapable.
We're all going to die. And though they might accept it,
they don't prepare for it. Dave here not only accepts it,
David is preparing for it. And we need to do both.
So it's one thing to say I acknowledge that this is true.
It's another thing to say now if this is true, what am I going to
do concerning it? And it's absolutely vital for
you to accept and prepare for it because we need to invest in a
life that's going to be eternal. And based on how we even live
with that perspective, it will determine the quality of life
that we know today. You know there's an interesting
verse found in the book of Amos, Chapter 4, verse 12.
If you're 1 to highlight in your Bible, there's a phrase in that
verse that is worth underscoring, and it's in light
of Amos warning the people of God to be confronted with the
judgment of God in their lifetime.
But it's something that we can apply to, something that you and
I will all experience. Amos 412.
If you've never seen this verse, you'll enjoy it.
What does the Prophet say, Therefore?
Thus I will do to you, oh, Israel, because I will do this
to you. Prepare to meet your God.
Oh, Israel, Prepare to meet your God.
How much preparation are people doing with that divine
appointment to meet with their God?
Even you and I as believers have to prepare to meet with our God.
Yes, we will not stand at the Great White Throne, but we will
stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
And I wonder how many believers today have thought about that
conversation with Jesus. What will my conversation with
Christ be like? Am I ready to meet him?
Well, I'd be ashamed if he calls me and summons me before him.
This is important. Prepared to meet your God?
How much preparation are we doing?
We should be doing it day by day, for tomorrow is not
promised. Now David, in knowing that he's
about to go the way of all the earth, gives 3 exhortations to
Solomon. They're there.
And verse two I'm about to go the way to all the earth.
Be strong #1, be strong, Solomon #2 and show yourself a man and
#3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God.
Be strong, show yourself a man and keep the charge of the Lord.
What do you think he means when he says be strong?
Lift some weights. What kind of strength is Solomon
speaking about here? Or David rather?
Any idea? This is what we would all
automatically go through Spiritual strength, right?
Be strong in your soul, be strong in your spirit.
And it's that's obviously included.
But I am under the impression, based on the context, that he's
also speaking about a different kind of strength and an
emotional strength. Why do you think he would, say,
be strong to Solomon? He's on the verge of dying.
Naturally, if your father is going to die and you're aware of
it, that will be especially painful to you as a son.
There's a second reason. Why else would he need to be
told? Be strong, Salman, be strong.
He has to lead the whole nation. And who's not there with him to
give him wisdom and guidance and consolation, The one who's been
doing it for four decades. So David is not going to walk
into this new journey with Salman.
Salman, in essence, humanly speaking, is walking into this
all by himself. David knows this.
David's aware of this. David's about to go the way all
the earth. So he says, Solomon, my son, I
need you to be strong. What do we take from this?
Here's what we take from this. There are certain individuals in
our life who might be particularly inspirational and
influential, who provide almost a supernatural kind of
encouragement and counsel and comfort.
But those people, no matter what they mean to you, are not your
ultimate source. God is.
And David is speaking to his Son
in this manner. He wants him to understand that
despite the fact that I will be absent, there was somebody who
will be with you. Listen, people will come and go
in your life, people who mean the world to you.
Even in those moments, if you truly walk with the Lord, there
should be no reason to completely and permanently
collapse. You have to understand that our
God is a personal God, and that our God is prepared to meet our
needs and to help us flourish every step of the way, every
second of every step of the way. And he can do that directly.
He can do that by raising up new people in your life.
But one thing is for certain that you can count on his
friendship. You can count on him being there
for you as an individual, as a person in your particular life,
with all the circumstances and all the context.
He is right there as though you're the only person on earth.
And here's how and why I believe that This is why David is saying
be strong, because David's instructions here are expanded
in First Chronicles 28. And notice what he says in First
Chronicles 28 to prove that when he's saying be strong, he wants
him to know that the Lord is with him, though he will not be
with him any longer. Look at First Chronicles 28 and
Scroll down here in verse 20. Then David said to Solomon, his
son, be strong and courageous and do it.
Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for the Lord God.
Even my God is with you. Do you see it?
He's with you. He will not leave you or forsake
you until all the work of the service of the House of the Lord
is finished. I love how he says, even my God,
the same God who is with me from the beginning.
Psalm, the same God who took me through every single episode,
every trial, every tribulation, every chapter, the same God that
you witnessed even in your young life, who delivered me over and
over. That same God will be with you
also. And let me say this to you.
The same God who led David, the same God who led Solomon, is the
same God who's for you and he's for me.
The same one. The same one.
It bothers me when people approach the Old Testament and
scorn others by drawing practical inspiration from How
dare you? I have every right to come to
the Old Testament and look at Joseph and look at David and
look at Daniel and say the same God who was there for them is
with me. He's with me, and he's telling
that to his son. Be strong and I'm gone.
I'm going, but God's with you. Show yourself a man.
That's the second exhortation.
Show yourself a man. This is a a charge for Solomon
to forsake childish ways and to pursue maturity.
Why is this important, as our brother just alluded to, because
Solomon now is entering and embracing a massive leadership
role. And before he can even consider
transitioning into that, he must first be convinced that I need
to develop a set of convictions, a level of courage and A-frame
of mind in order for me to know true enjoyment and effectiveness
for the things that God has called me to.
And this is a very crucial thing, understanding, especially
for men, that if you are entertaining the idea of
committing yourself or enjoying certain privileges in life, that
you must first be willing to forsake childish ways and
childish things. Show yourself to be a man.
You will not know God's
blessings, though. It's very possible to accept
manly things while still holding and maintaining childish ways.
And so there is a time in life where you have to cut that off
and say I I have to think differently about the way I see
the value of time. I have to think differently
about the way I handle my resources.
I have to think differently about the way I know and embrace
relationships. I have to think differently
about how my decisions are not just individualistic, but they
affect others. I have to think differently.
Solomon could not even begin to become the leader he was called
to be without first becoming a man.
And what's so fascinating here is that that word man, when he
says show yourself a man, is a very gender specific word.
So it's not just a call to be mature, it's a call to be
masculine. That word in certain places in
the Hebrew scriptures, even use for husbands.
Show yourself to be a man. Man.
Not just mankind. Humanity.
Mature. Develop.
No be a man. Now if this goes into the
Internet sphere and reaches the right person or reaches
something in terms of secular podcasts or whatever platform, I
just broke a million hearts right there.
Yeah, be a man. Our society is demonizing men,
demonizing masculinity. And so we see here that the
Bible has a different tone, that there are specific
responsibilities and mindsets that belong to men, and in the
same respect for women. And so Solomon needed to be a
man. And we can take the rest of this
Bible study to understand what biblical masculinity looks like,
but we don't have the time to do.
And that's the frustrating thing about Bible study, that you find
these awesome verses that you can just expand and they can
explode into different places in the Bible.
But then you have all these other verses to deal with, so we
can't do it. So be reminded that Bible study
a lot of the times, our observations, more they than
they are in depth doctrinal dissections of things.
Be a man. Show yourself to be a man.
You know what this verse tells me?
You can be biologically male and not be a man.
Yes, you can be a boy and be 40 years old.
You can be a boy and 60 years old.
Show yourself to be a man. Well, I am a No, no, no.
There are characteristics that define manhood and it's beyond
your biology. What does manhood look like?
If I can push you, it can nudge you in a direction.
I don't want to sound cliche, but just for you to even begin
to understand it, look no further than the Godman, Christ
Jesus. I know that sounds cliche, but
it's not. It's the go to prescription
throughout the New Testament. Let me give you an example.
When Paul charges husbands and points them to an example
concerning how to harbor and how to nurture harmonious and Holy
Family life, who does he point to?
The Lord Jesus Christ. You want to love your wife?
You want to love your children? Look to Christ, look to Jesus.
And then from there, we don't just stay there.
We also look at the whole council of God and see all these
different examples and instructions so that we can
furnish ourselves to be men, to be woman the way God designed us
to. Which brings us to our Third
Point. I wish I can stay there.
But he says keep charge of the
Lord your God. That's the third exhortation.
Keep charge of the Lord your God.
This is what how we connect all these things together.
You can't really be strong spiritually, mentally, even
physically. You can't really be strong.
Nor can you really be who God designed you to be as a man or
as a woman, without the word of God.
Keep the charge of the Lord your God, Because look, our culture,
as crazy as it's getting, there are people who are aware that
there is an attack on manhood. There's an attack on womanhood.
But the issue also is not just in that attack, but the
solutions that the world is proposing.
So you have a lot of guys now that are becoming famous because
they're giving a bunch of fatherless and directionless
young men solutions to what it means to be manhood, to be man,
a man. And it's leading him in the
whole different direction of destruction.
You can't do it without keeping charge of the Lord.
You can't do it without walking in his ways.
He will show you, He will define it for you, and he will empower
you. He will guide you.
And this is what's so fascinating, because Solomon is
about to enter into this new journey, this new path of life,
and David feels it absolutely necessary for him to establish a
fresh conviction concerning the supreme authority of the word of
God in his life. Notice the repetition here.
He says verse 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God.
And then he says, walking in his ways and keeping his statues.
Keep it, keep it, keep it. What does he mean by keep it,
guard it, observe it, protect it, cherish it, keep it.
And the way that you will draw from it is when he says later on
to walk before me in faithfulness, with all their
heart and with all their soul, with not just your mental
faculties but with your affection, your devotion.
Don't just have a surface level relationship with the word of
God, hold on to it with your dear life.
Only then will you really benefit from the word of God.
Keep the charge of the Lord your God.
There are many people here, and as I said earlier, who have
unique lives, unique journeys, and what's beautiful about the a
setting like this, a ministry like this, is that there are
different people here who are entering different stages in
life. Some of you are entering school,
some of you are finishing school.
Some of you are experiencing A blossoming of a very special
relationship. Some of you are ready to start a
family. Some of you are venturing into
the business world and have great dreams and hopes of being
successful in one way or another.
Some of you maybe are just settling in life.
Humanly speaking, you're at that point where people tend to
retire no matter what stage in life you're at.
We have to understand the wisdom here is that what new thing we
are walking into cannot cause us to forfeit this principle about
the Word of God. Keep it.
No matter where you go, no matter what comes your way, no
matter what you're exploring, no matter what you're entertaining,
one thing must remain the same. Your love for the Word of God.
It will always be your steering wheel.
You will always seek it. Dig it, mine it, and draw God's
blessings from it. Don't hesitate for those whom
you love. Don't hesitate to pour into them
with that same instruction. Parents with your children as
they're ready to leave the house, as they're ready to
entertain a possible mate, as they're ready to move here or
there. Do this or do that.
Son, daughter, brother, sister, whatever you do, don't lose
sight of God's word less. Other influences captivate you
and draw you away from him. So this is what he was supposed
to do. Be strong, show yourself a man.
And the last thing to embrace the word of God with the fresh
sense of devotion and conviction.
But now he goes off. He says moreover and and verse
5. Moreover, the rewards of keeping
the word of God is that he would prosper in his own way and that
there would be generational blessing specific to Solomon
because there was a Davidic covenant.
But that principle still apply to you and I.
There is generational blessing for the person who choose to cut
the cycle of disobedience and rebellion against God.
To say I'm going to serve the Lord, my house is going to serve
the Lord, and those who come from you will hopefully be
blessed by that verse. 5 Moreover, you also know what Job
the son of Zuraiya did to me, how he dealt with the two
commanders of the armies of Israel, and he mentions them.
We know them Abner and Amasa. And what's the conclusion that
he makes? Kill him.
Solomon, you're wise and do what you think you need to do, but
whatever you think you need to do, make sure one thing happens
that he doesn't go down to the grave in peace.
Then he talks about Barzalai, then he talks about Shemay or
Shemi. Many people accuse David here on
his deathbed, being riddled with bitterness, that he is being
vindictive here and that he is not ending so well.
Is David wrong? Let let's deal with each of
these people separately. Is David entirely wrong in
asking for the execution of Joe AB?
Who would say yes, He's being vindictive here?
Who would say no? This is his right.
Who doesn't know? Well, let's break this down.
Was Job guilty of murder? Yes.
According to the law, that Job deserve to die because of his
sin? Yes.
See, it's that easy. He does deserve to die.
So I'm not among those who who judge David for being
unforgiving here. But I would say that if there's
any wrong in David and what we see before us is that he delayed
in acting upon the judgment that job deserve and leaving that
mess for Solomon to clean up, it's delayed obedience and now
somebody has to carry the burden for that delayed obedience.
And so Solomon here is experiencing these loose ends
and he has to tie him up. And this is unfair, that really
this is unwise for David to do for whatever reason why he
delayed, there is no excuse. It didn't justify this prolonged
and this judgment that is overdue.
So here's yet another lesson of what delayed obedience does.
It causes hurt and strain and problems for other people
eventually, and we delay obedience for many reasons.
One of the reasons why we delayed is because we think that
we are preserving ourselves and others from pain and hurt,
embarrassment, awkwardness. But when you leave it without
dealing with it, it's going to resurface in one day or another,
and it's going to bring even more pain than you would
anticipated originally. So Solomon now has to deal with
this. This is how he has to start his
Kingdom, by killing a man. This is something David should
have done a long time ago, but let's look at it from jobs
perspective. Remember, we're trying to
consider the complexities of this text.
Look at Joe AB right Job here was a man who who was willing to
put on the blood of war on the belt and around his waist and on
the sandals of of his feet. He was willing to comfortably
carry the stains of innocent blood.
He felt secure all his life. He was bold about it.
He had no sense of fear of God. He had no sense of fear of the
sword of the government. He just did his thing, even
though he he slew and destroyed the lives of two men more
righteous than himself. But what's happening here?
Retribution has finally arrived. It's finally come.
He could not ultimately escape it.
And Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.
I wonder this is an explicit state.
It just came to mind. I wonder if Joe AB was included
in his thoughts when he penned these two verses.
It's an Ecclesiastes 811 to 12. This is one of the most
brilliant insights concerning human behavior, namely among
those who are not in Christ. Solomon makes this observation.
He pens it, but I wonder if Joe, among others, was someone that
came to his mind when he did write it under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. What does he say here in
Ecclesiastes 8? It says here because the
sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily.
The heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil, though
a Sinner does evil 100 times and prolongs his life.
Yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God because
they fear before him. Why do sinners continue to sin?
Because there is no immediate or speedy divine judgment and they
interpret that delay as approval and they continue headlong into
the rebellion. And Solomon says This is why so
many people don't repent because of God's grace.
Believe it or not, God's grace that that window of time where
there isn't any interruption, there isn't any affliction, is
meant to actually cause you to realize how is it that this holy
God has not yet destroyed me? I fall on my face to say I want
to be yours and what do they do instead?
They use it as fuel to continue to harden their hearts and be
brazen faced towards the heavens.
And so it's not a matter of when they'll if, they'll be judged,
but when they'll be judged. There's no question about the
if. It's always about the when and
job. Here is a lesson about how your
sin will find you out. You can think that you tricked
everyone, including God himself, But if you have not repented, it
will find you one way or another.
It will find you. So what's the solution?
Flee to the City of Refuge as quickly as possible.
Come to the foot of the Cross, ask him to wash you fresh in the
blood. And here's the guarantee that he
will always forgive you and restore you.
Job, unfortunately, was too late.
So Job here teaches us about how sin will not be overlooked.
But look now here at this other person in verse 7.
But deal loyally with the sons of Berzalai the Gileadite, and
let them be among those who eat at your table.
Who remembers Berzalai? He was one among a few others
who came to the aid of David while he was pushed out as a
fugitive when Absalom revolted against his father.
And he brought bedding and he brought fruits and he brought
food. And he wanted to make this exile
as comfortable as possible for the true king of Israel.
David. And Berzalai was sought after to
be rewarded immediately. But he says, look, David, I'm
old. I I, I can't even taste the
difference between food. Can I really bear the singing of
people? I'm just going to be a burden to
you if I come with you to Jerusalem.
So here's my servant. Deal with him, and let me just
live and die here in my hometown.
And David wants to reward him, which teaches us that not only
is the sin and rebellion of the wickedness of man overlooked,
not overlooked, neither will be the justice, the loyalty, the
faithfulness of men concerning the cause of Christ that will
not be overlooked either, and that should encourage our
hearts. You know, in Hebrew 610 there's
an interesting verse that again reveals a wonderful diagnosis
not just of human behavior, but of Christian behavior.
You know what you and I are tempted to do as we serve the
Lord. Hebrew 610 reveals what many
servants of God are tempted to believe, especially as time goes
on, especially as you serve God with the people of God.
What did you say in Hebrew 610? This is a beautiful and
encouraging scripture. For God is not so unjust as to
overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake and
serving the Saints as you still do.
Why would he write that? Why would the Holy Spirit write
these things to Christians? I believe because Christians are
tempted to feel overlooked by God.
Is that not the case? And one of the ways in which
many Christians feel overlooked by God is that they interpret
God through people who bear his name.
So you're not appreciated by other Christians.
You're not being acknowledged by other Christians.
You're not being praised and commended by other Christians.
And what do you do? Well, surely then God doesn't
see me how silly what he's saying is.
Men might even the best of men, even the Saints of God, they
might overlook, they might not consider the weightiness and
what your participation does for the advancement of the Kingdom.
But God sees it, and he's not unjust.
He will not forget. He will not fail to consider and
ultimately reward you for that. So keep your eyes on the Lord,
on the Lord, on the Lord. You know why so many people burn
out because of because of this? Is this really worth it?
Is is this really going to count?
Is there really a difference being made?
Is this really being considered? Well, if you keep your eyes on
people, I can see why you would think that way and you would
want to give up. But if you really believe that
there is a God whose character is on the line and would not
dare to overlook your faithfulness, then all of that
will give you the strength to continue on, especially as you
do what in serving the Saints. It's not easy.
Saints Positionally Saints Not always practically Saints
Positionally Saints. Not always practically Saints.
There's another thing. While we're in this verse I
think is worth mentioning. Notice this and the love that
you showed for His sake of the transition would say His name.
The love that you showed for His sake in serving the Saints.
If you love him, you will serve His people.
If you want to glorify him, you will love His people.
If you are not serving God's people with intentionality and
desire and consistency and commitment, perhaps that's an
indication that your love for His name is cold.
Because what will propel you, what will keep you, is a burning
love for God. The secret is not necessarily to
love people though we are called to love.
Don't hear me wrong here. Don't cut that out and make
something of it that you're not supposed to.
But more than that is to love God, and through your love for
God and through his name and for his name and for His sake, you
love others. So when people give you very
little reason and motivation to love them, it's your love of God
that will consume you and convince you to love regardless
that you showed for His sake. In serving the Saints.
I get very nervous with people who have low views of Christians
and low views of the Church. It says something about their
love for his sake. So bears the line here reminds
us that there's a point coming when the Lord the King of Kings.
Not an imperfect king like David, but the king of kings
will reward us and he will remember the little things that
we've done. Who remembers how old Berzelai
was cuz his age is given to us? Anybody remember who said it?
80 years old, 8080 year old man, look at this now.
And he's not like the early genesis 80 year olds that are
like the modern day 20 year olds.
He's not that kind of 80 because he tells us that he can't even
taste the difference between food and he can't bear too much
things going around and is like, he's like a real 80 year old,
OK, 80 years old. And here's a man who perceives
this opportunity at that point in life to serve the cause of
God 80 and it wasn't some small thing for him to step out and to
help David was to put his life on the line.
Why? Because there was a crazy man
who occupied the throne of the time named Absalom, who is
willing to destroy anyone who showed a hint of allegiance to
his father and Bezola. This 80 year old man says, get
the fruit, get the beds. We gotta help the king.
I love 80 year olds like that. That inspires me.
That motivates me. That tells me that at 80, if God
gives you and I-80, there will still be divine providential
leadings and opportunities to serve the cause of the Kingdom.
And God will reward that kind of service just as he does any
other kind of service. Because we look at that and we
go bedding food, What's the big deal?
We're drawn to other kind of 80 year olds like Moses.
Remember Moses at 80? What did he do?
He let a nation out of slavery. Oh, that's something, whether
you lead a nation out of slavery or you provide bed and food for.
Somebody who is being mistreated, God will reward
both. And if you're 80 and you feel
like all your ministry is is providing bed and food, don't
compare yourself to the guy who's leading millions out of
Egypt. Don't do that.
This is what God's called me to do.
I'll do it and I'll believe that God will not overlook but will
reward even this. What an amazing God we serve.
So we see Berzalai. Now we sandwich between Shimai
and Johab is Berzalai. But we unfortunately come to
another dark scene set of instructions in verse 8.
And there is also with you Shimai, the son of Gira, the
Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse
on the day when I went to Mahanaim.
And when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by
the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
Okay should have ended there. It doesn't now, Therefore, do
not hold them guiltless, for you are a wise man.
You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring
his great head down with blood to she all.
Is this this is this the same thing going on here as what we
saw with Joe App. It's not.
Well, convince me. Why?
Because shemaid did something very treacherous.
He actually committed treason. He curses the king.
Exodus says do not curse the ruler of God's people.
He flings stones and dust. He falsely accuses the king and
he pretty much wants the king out of there.
That's not a good thing to do. So he's not innocent.
So then again, is David demanding something here that is
righteous and true? And if not, why not?
So Job, he he just ignores it for whatever reason.
Maybe he's afraid that he's going to expose him or fight
against him. He doesn't want to deal with
Job, he says. I'll just wait until my dying
day and give it over to Solomon. What's the difference here?
OK, the difference between Joab and this fellow is what both are
guilty in their own way. But David does something for
Shamai that he doesn't do for Job.
What does he do? He pardons him.
Not only does he part of them, he makes a promise to him and
David even confesses it here. He says it here to Solomon.
I swore to him by the Lord saying I will not put you to
death with the sword. So how is this happening?
Well, let's think back. OK, actually, let's do this.
Let's go back to when he makes that oath and maybe we'll get
come closer to whether or not this is right or wrong.
Go to Second Samuel 19 and look here in verse 23 and you'll see
where he originally made this promise.
Well, you'll notice something he says before this verse that
shows how clever David really was.
And making this oath Second Samuel 1923.
And the king said to Shamai, you shall not die.
And the king gave him his oath. Is he breaking his promise?
No. Yes, maybe.
Look back at what he says in verse 22 because one of his men
was wanting to kill him right on the spot.
But David said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zuriya,
that you should this day be as an adversary to me?
Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day?
For I do not know that I am for do I not know that I am this day
king over Israel? Is there a certain phrase that
is repeated here this day? 3 * 3 times?
He said he's being very strategic with his words.
Very strategic with his words. No.
He says here, you son of Zaraya, should I this day be an
adversary to me? Should you be an adversary to
me? Shall anyone in the death of
Israel be on this day? For I didn't.
For do I not know that this day I'm king over this day, this
day. What is he saying?
Nobody's dying today. Not today.
Why not today? What's the context of him saying
this? Absalom was killed.
He's returning to Jerusalem, and the last thing he wants to do is
give more people, more reasons to not put their trust in him,
to not give him a warm welcome, to not rebuild his government.
And so he's playing politics here.
He's playing politics. Nobody's going to.
This is a day of celebration. This is a day of restoration.
We're not going to, we're not going to shed any blood here
yet. And he adds to that.
I'm not going to kill him. She might.
I'm not going to put you to death.
And he has his fingers crossed behind his back, in a sense,
duplicity. Some would say that this is the
same kind of scenario as with Joe AB.
I don't believe so. If you want to accuse David of
really having bitterness, it's not with Joe AB.
It's more here than with Joe. AB.
Here is a man who made a promise and he's going to break the
spirit of that promise. How do you understand you will
not be put to death? I'm not going to expect at any
time that I'm going to be put to death for this offense.
David didn't mean that. When the right time came, I made
an oath to shemaid that I would not kill him.
That doesn't mean Solomon. You can't.
So Solomon, this man cursed me. He embarrassed me.
He shamed me. He betrayed me.
Deal with him accordingly. Now, if you're hesitant to
believe that about David, I know we want to hold on to our heroes
in the Bible. I know we want the Sunday School
version of our characters in the Bible.
Even when you look at what Solomon does in response to this
command, is that, I believe an indication that he himself
realizes that there's a confliction with this final
instruction from his father? The Solomon killed Joe AB, does
he? Yeah, yeah.
But the Solomon, a call for his death.
Yes. He calls for his death, and it
was immediate. It was swift.
There was there was no reconsideration.
He kills them at a very tragic place.
We're going to discover. What about Shemay?
Did Solomon kill him in the same way he kills Joe AB?
What does he do with him? He makes a deal with him.
He puts him on house arrest. He extends mercy.
What did David say, though? Make sure you bring his Gray
head down with blood to Sheol. It's almost as though there's
hesitation in Solomon. It's almost as though in not
wanting there to be any accusation against his father.
He gives to my another chance a test, so to speak, to see if his
integrity is true, if he was really a repented man.
So he gives him another test and he fails that, unfortunately.
But I think that says something that he doesn't act upon the
command of his father to immediately kill him because he
understood that even in that oath, it's there's kind of,
there's binding. It's binding.
You know what this is a picture of?
Here's what people tend to do with the relationship between
David and Shamai. They tend to go to that example
to receive instruction on how to forgive.
And you would be right in doing so if there wasn't a First Kings
Chapter 2. If it ended with David looking
at Shamai saying you will not be put to death, have a series on
how to forgive and use that as an awesome example, I argue the
opposite. David in this case is an example
of how not to forgive, not how to forgive.
Is it possible to look at somebody who's offended us and
say I forgive you? Is it possible to be in a
complicated issue among different parties in the church
and you sit before the elders, you sit before other mature
believers and say I forgave that person, while at the same time
in your heart you want to kill them, you want to hurt them, you
wish harm upon them, you delight in the thought of them receiving
pain instead of pardon. David is an example of anything
is it's what empty forgiveness looks like, what a deceptive
forgiveness looks like. I'm saying this one thing to you
again. The problem is not whether
Shamay was wrong or not. He was wrong.
The issue here is that David made an oath and he didn't
really keep it and he played around with the wording of it.
I won't do it, but my son Solomon would do it.
How do I know if I've forgiven somebody?
Is it me being able to say it to that person, As difficult as
that might be? No, that's not how you know
you've forgiven somebody. You know you've forgiven
somebody. If you've surrendered whatever
right you feel, you've have to give retribution to them.
That's how you know when that is released.
I will not when and if the opportunity arises, consider
vengeance, retribution, payback, forgiveness says.
I released that concept. I refuse to entertain it.
I refuse to act upon it. And guess what?
That does not mean that with that release comes the release
of the pain or the wrong that you experience.
Somebody gave a very simple illustrations that if you were
to forgive somebody to who who hit you or who crashed into your
car intentionally or whatever the case may be, and you still
have physical pain, that presence of physical pain
doesn't negate the fact that you've truly forgotten that
person. That's true with emotional pain.
So don't interpret your the presence of emotional pain to be
an indication that you have not forgiven somebody.
And so David here unfortunately, has not surrendered.
He's not surrendered what he felt like.
It was his right to pay back somebody who's done him wrong
when he said that. I will not hurt you back.
I will not come after you. This is unfortunate.
It's unfortunate to know that after all those years, David had
something in his heart against this man and it revealed itself
on his deathbed. This is the last thing we see of
David before he dies. And then we are told we get an
obituary in verse 10. Then David slept with his
father's and was buried in the city of David.
And then we're told how long he reigned, and we're told that
Solomon sat on the throne of David, his father, and his
Kingdom was firmly established again.
I told you how in First Chronicles 28 you get an
expanded version of what we see here, David's last moments in
life. In First Chronicles 29, you get
added details about the description of David's summary
of life. I want, I want you to see there,
First Chronicles 29, as we close in verse 28 and First Chronicles
29, verse 28, we read then he died at a good age.
He died at a good age, full of days, riches and honor.
And Solomon, his son, reigned in his place.
Good age, full of days, riches and honor.
If you disassociate God's faithfulness in those things.
Even the heathen want to die this way.
Who doesn't want to end their lives in this way?
A good age full of days, riches and honor on top of it?
Yeah, that's the way I want to go.
Again, if you don't, if you don't filter that verse in light
of God's covenant to him and his faithfulness to him, who doesn't
want that? Don't strive for that.
If those things are tied to God's dealing with you and your
life, to glorify himself and so be it.
But to look at those things on a superficial surface level way,
this is what most people want to do.
They want to live like that. They want to live and end in
this way. But there's another commentary
on how David ended his life. And that's what you and I should
strive for. Whether these things are present
or not, whether these things grow or not, Whether these
things come with us to the end or they vanish as we go.
The way of all the earth. Can I show you where that is?
Does anybody know where I'm going?
Acts 13. Good guests though, Acts 13,
verse 36. Look what the Holy Spirit says
about David here. And this is what you and I
should say. Oh God, let this be said of me.
Acts 1336. For David, after he had served
the purpose of God in his own generation, after he had served
the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was
laid with his fathers, and saw corruption serve the purpose of
God in his own generation. And understanding that we are
all headed the same place, that same entryway into eternity.
Is that your desire, Lord, please.
With riches, Without riches, With honor.
Without honor, Full of days or short life.
Humanly speaking, whatever it takes for me to serve your
purpose for my life in this generation, so be it.
Please let it happen. Please don't let me miss the
purpose that you have for me. And again, that might look like
a bezel eye where you serve God. That might not seem impressive
to the human eye, or it might be something spectacular like what
Moses did. That doesn't matter as long as I
know that I fulfilled his purpose.
You know how people have like, life versus life versus what's
your life versus what's my life versus like?
How can I pick? There's a whole library here.
But if there was, at least at this point in my life, a life
verse? Nobody asked but I just thought
I would share with anyway. Not Acts 1336, Acts 2024, Acts
2024. I love this verse.
It's what Paul says to the elders and emphasis.
And maybe it's your life for us too.
But I do not account my life of any value, nor is precious to
myself. If only I may finish my course
in the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify
to the gospel of the grace of God.
There is 0 value to my life apart from me fulfilling the
ministry that I received from God no other purpose.
My life is not precious apart from me knowing and obeying the
purpose of God for my life. Radical Christianity No
Christianity 101 This isn't radical.
It should be all of our life verses and God will help us and
he will energize us and he has given us studies like this and
time in the word on your own to see what not to do and what to
do and how it's possible to live with bitterness in my heart to
the last breath that I have. Lord, please no rescue me from
it. It's possible to live in sin and
thinking that I can prolong my life without any intervention
from God and be surprised, if not in this life, in the life to
come. Oh, it's possible to feel
overlooked and to feel as though that I don't have anything of
value to offer. And we'll be shocked at the end
of it all to realize that God will reward us for even giving a
glass of water. Oh, it's possible to start well,
as Solomon did, and not end very well.
And what we want to do Say, Lord, through all of these
things that I've learned, help me do one thing, fulfill my
purpose, and to consider that the most precious thing about my
brief existence on the earth. And He will help us.
He will help us. Let's pray.
Thank you, Father, for this time.
As rewarding as it is, though, we also feel that there's so
much more that could be said. So we pray that these
observations that were made together would encourage us to
think deeper, to meditate longer, to explore further how
these things relate to us, how they reveal you, your wisdom,
your love, Your Holiness. Father, as we as we pause now to
meditate and to ultimately give you the sacrifice of praise and
response. Be glorified.
Be glorified, Lord, Be glorified.
Not just in our discovery of these things, but in the
application of them. Help us.
We want to live for you, Lord. And so we say again, thank you
for your word. Thank you for your mind being
revealed to us. Maybe Now reflect it in every
way possible in Christ and we pray.
Amen. Amen.
Let's stand and worship the Lord together.