Outline of 2 Samuel - David, a man after God's own heart
His early successes Chapters 1–10
His grievous sin Chapters 11–12
His genuine sorrow Chapters 13–24
2 Samuel 5-6
Sooo much that could be said about these chapters here. A couple of quick points of thought here:
It's always intrigued me that for all of Saul's kingship, Jerusalem was unconquered and led by the Jebusites and only now in David's kingship is the covenant promise fully realized of a united and conquered Israel. The Jebusites arrogantly asserted that they could defend it with "the lame and the blind" but David was God's man and he conquered it. And he establishes it as the temple capital because it becomes the new "tabernacling" place of God - Jerusalem became the place of God's dwelling for as 5:10 puts it "the Lord the God of hosts was with him."
Today in the New Covenant we have a God who continues to dwell in us by grace. You don't have to pray towards Jerusalem, you have a God who "never leaves and never forsakes you" and that "you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you" (1 Cor. 3:16). Give thanks for God's abiding presence in you today and for His Holy Spirit's help and care. May God help us not to grieve the Spirit of God but to delight in His presence even as David delighted in the presence of the Lord in the Ark's arrival in Jerusalem.
There's also the incident of Uzzah and the ark in chapter 6. This rather shocking incident is one of the biblical bases for our understanding of the so-called "regulative principle of worship" which is why our worship at CBC is so simple. In simple terms the regulative principle means that "we only do what the Bible commands" vs. the normative principle that is standard in most evangelical churches of "only doing what the Bible doesn't forbid." Since God was particular about the way that He is worshipped and that "good intentions" aren't enough, we seek to follow this "regulating principle" only doing what God commands in our New Covenant worship.
About 15 years ago shortly into my ministry, our membership class was something like 22 sessions (I know!! this Pastor Chris guy is crazy!!) until the present day which is now 4 sessions. Here's the class notes that I pulled out of the archives of my hard drive on the Regulative Principle if you want to do a deeper dive into the doctrine:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hudinf9zf7bldopc0n0ng/CBC-Membership-Part-10-Regulative-Principle-of-Worship.pdfrlkey=m0ug8igfahn4aq0x746k8zxr6&dl=0
But more than this, may God help us to anticipate the day of worship this Sunday. I'd appreciate your prayers for my last sermons before vacation.
2 Samuel 9
The Lord’s Supper made me love what Mephibosheth says in 2 Sam 9:8: What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” We echo the same to the King of Glory.
Spurgeon’s devotional on this passage:
Mephibosheth was not an attractive guest at the royal table; yet he had an open invitation because King David could see in his face the features of the beloved Jonathan. Like Mephibosheth, we may exclaim to the King of Glory, “What is Your servant, that You should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” But still the Lord invites us to share intimately with Him, because He sees in our countenances the remembrance of His dearly-beloved Jesus.
It is on account of Jesus that the Lord’s people are dear to God. Such is the love that the Father bears to His only begotten that for His sake He raises His lowly brothers and sisters from poverty and exile to enjoy the king’s court, noble rank, and royal provision. Their deformity shall not rob them of their privileges. Lameness is no bar to sonship; the disabled is as much the heir as if he could run like a gazelle.
Our ability to enter may be impaired but not our right of entry. A king’s table is a noble hiding-place for lame legs, and at the gospel feast we learn to rejoice in infirmities because the power of Christ rests upon us. Yet serious disability may spoil the journey of the best-loved saints. Here is one feasted by David, and yet so lame in both his feet that he could not go up with the king when he fled from the city and was therefore maligned and injured by his servant.
Saints whose faith is weak and whose knowledge is limited are great losers; they are exposed to many enemies and cannot follow the king wherever he goes. This disease is frequently the result of a fall. Bad nursing in their spiritual infancy often causes converts to fall into a despondency from which they never recover, and sin in other cases brings broken bones. Lord, help the lame to leap like the hart, and satisfy all Your people with the bread of Your table!
Like the hymn goes:
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure!
That He should give His only Son,
To make a wretch His treasure.
2 Samuel 10–11
Really interesting to consider the contrast between Joabs plan and reliance on Providence and David’s lack of diligence leading to sin.
First Joab models a good approach to work. You do your best to plan a faithful course and but ultimately you know and rely on the Lords Providence:
“When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.””
2 Samuel 10:9-12 ESV
Contrast that with chapter 11 when David is not doing his job and is left to idle away at home
“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”
2 Samuel 11:1 ESV
This lazing around home instead of faithful engagement led David to get distracted by a sinful temptation and to expend the rest of his time in the chapter planning his sin and then more sin to cover up his other sin.
What are you planning for to do with your time today? May God help us to use our “breath” this day and every one for what is faithful and good. Even if it’s mundane or insignificant in the big picture, let’s plan to do what is good and trust that the Lord will work out the details in His good Providence.
2 Samuel 12
Find, treasure, love and keep people in your life who are willing to tell you "You are the man!" (v.7) when you are "the man" or "the woman" They are true friends. Give thanks for them if you have them and tell them if you haven't before.
2 Samuel 13–14
When I preached chapter 13 I called the it the chapter we hate and need. The Bible addresses hard topics, like rape head on to help us see the ugliness of sin. Dale Ralph Davis has a few more insights from these chapters:
- Lust is not love - genuine affection does not do harm nor is it deceptive or just focused on sex. True love nurtures and cares for the partner and is not exploitative.
- Sin breeds passivity and cowardice - Why didn't David enact justice to prevent the murder of Amnon? Was it because of the guilt over his own sin. Often we are unwilling to hold others accountable when we should because of our own sinful weakness
- Manipulation vs. Genuine Repentance - Joab is clever in using the woman of Tekoa, but, the consequence is that there is no real healing. David acquiesces to Joab's manipulation but doesn't actually restore Absalom.
- Sentimentality is not the same as justice - David is moved by the story told by the woman of Tekoa, but, emotional parenting does not substitute for dealing in righteousness and justice between his children. Which leads to the last one:
- Reconciliation is not just allowing someone back into your life. The proximity of Absalom (bringing him back) didn't actually deal with the sin and so the situation was more of a "cold war" which leads to more disaster.
As Christians, God has given us a means for real reconciliation in Jesus Christ. There may be ways that appear easier to avoid dealing with sin but it almost always ultimately comes back in more intensity. May God help us to deal with sin in our lives head on and to reconcile truly and not superficially. We are sinners, but, we have a gracious Saviour and the only reputation that matters is the one we have with Him.
2 Samuel 19–20
If you ever wondered about why Israel split the way it did (10 northern tribes “Israel/Samaria” and 2 southern “Judah”) this verse lays the foundation:
“And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.”
2 Samuel 19:43 ESV
This is borne out in chapter 20 when Sheba (Benajaminite) leads a rebellion further fracturing the tribes. Folks are more interested in tribalism and political power than in true unity. What’s sad in this situation is that David is largely silent and inactive to bring about unity and shepherd his people. Joab is an example of ruthless human power and solutions but he is not a Shepherd king
Again underlining the limits of human leadership and our need for a true Shepherd King Jesus.
Interestingly chapter 20 also highlights the value of ordinary people speaking wisely in difficult times (especially in the context of David’s failure to intervene) that have a significant redemptive effect like the woman that called out to Joab from the ramparts of the city of Abel of Beth-Maacha. She challenges the ruthless authority of Joab and limits bloodshed. This is important for us to see that growth in wisdom blesses everyone and that corporate sanctification (a broad movement in all of us being more holy, godly and wise) is fundamental to the wellbeing of the church and by extension our society. In other words we all need to strive after godliness for our mutual benefit!
May the congregation of CBC be blessed with many such men and women in the mould of the anonymous woman of Abel of Beth-Maacah
2 Samuel 22 - 23
Beautiful to see the relationship here between history and psalmody. Here at the end of his reign David reflects on Gods role in His life leading into his final words in chapter 23 (which also channel other Psalms but not so closely). An excellent thing for us to do in prayer and as we approach worship this Sunday. This chapter is essentially Psalm 18 (which according to commentators is a more liturgical form).
How has God been a rock, fortress and deliverer to you? You might profit by structuring your prayer of response to this reading around recalling and rehearsing Gods past grace to you even as you seek it for today, tomorrow and the days to come.
This is Jonathan Leeman on good authority:
King David, who knew a few things about the topic, offered this description of authority in a section described as “the last words of David” (2 Sam. 23:1):
When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. (2 Sam. 23:3–4)These verses offer a lovely scenic view for parking the car and beholding. You see a sherbet morning sky. The sun rises, changing it to blue. Its light warms the earth, giving life and vitality to everything and everyone scurrying about. Then the rain comes. Each droplet trickles into the dirt, soaking roots and strengthening leaf and blade, so that moist grass glows green under the returning sun.
This is what good authority does.
Good authority strengthens and grows. It authors and creates. It’s the teacher teaching, the coach coaching, the mother mothering. It’s the rules for a game, the lines on a road, a covenant for lovers, the lessons for a child, the chance to grow and expand and eventually take dominion ourselves.
One of history’s greatest secrets, hidden by the blindfold that Satan and sin places over our eyes, is that God means his authority to grow and expand us, not to shrink and snuff us out. God means for us to be like him—conformed to his image—rulers and authors and builders who create for the praise of his beauty and grace. Yet Satan uses our appetites (as well as the bad examples of authority figures failing us) to convince us that God will fail us.