A Man After God's Own Heart (but not perfect)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As we begin today, I want to tell you that I am excited about the new study that we will begin, one week from today. The series is titled: God’s Righteousness In Us, a study of the book of Romans. I’ve noticed that sometimes people want to avoid the book of Romans because it is too hard or too deep. So I’m excited to have another opportunity to teach this great book. So get ready to begin an exciting new study next week, “God’s Righteousness In Us!”
Now today we need to finish up the book of 2 Samuel. And we have come to the final two chapters of 2 Samuel. Today we will be looking at chapters 23 and 24. Chapter 23 begins with the final words of King David. David was/is referred to as “A man after God’s own heart.” But our passage today demonstrates much of his heart, but it also demonstrates one of his most epic failures. He was a man after God’s own heart, but he wasn’t perfect!
In our passage today, we also get a review of David’s Mighty Men! Altogether there are some 37 Mighty Men. We are not going to look at all of them but give you a taste of the mighty things these men actually did.
Then we are told a story about one of David’s epic failures that caused Israel dearly.
And finally, David buys some land to obediently build an Altar to worship God.
So let’s begin, and I need to go quickly! If you have your Bibles, and I hope that you do, turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 23, and we’ll begin with verse 1.
David’s Last Words?
David’s Last Words?
These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs:
First, we’re told that these are the “last words of David.”
We’re told that they are “inspired utterances.”
David is described as “a man exalted by the Most High.”
And he’s described as “the hero of Israel’s songs.”
“The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
Notice that David says he is speaking for God.
So God’s word was on his tongue.
The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’
The God of Israel is speaking.
The “Rock of Israel” spoke to David.
God expected David to rule over the people fairly.
God expected David to rule in the fear of God.
Then God’s earthly ruler will be like the morning sun—at sunrise.
Like the brightness of the sun after the dark rain clouds leave.
That kind of sun produces a blessing on the earth—plants grow.
“If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.
David says that if he and his house were not right with God—God would not have made an everlasting covenant with him.
After all God arranged every part of the covenant.
And God secured every part of the covenant.
And it is God who provided David with salvation from his enemies.
And it was God that granted David his desires.
But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.”
It was God who cast aside the evil men.
These men were like thorns!
The way you deal with thorns is with an iron tool—you use a hoe to cut them out of the garden.
Or David says you might cut them out with the shaft of a spear.
Or worse yet, they are burned off right where they lie.
NOTE: Today we are surrounded by all kinds of evil people. Here’s the key for all of us! God is in control! David knew and understood this fact!
QUESTION: Do we really know and understand that God is in control. I know we say we do, but the question is do we really understand this fact? And more importantly, do we live our lives like this fact is true?
David’s Mighty Men
David’s Mighty Men
When we come to verses 8-39 we are introduced to some of David’s Mighty Men. These were some of the misfit men that gathered around David when he was on the run from king Saul. And they stayed with David throughout his time as king of Israel.
These men were not only mighty, but they were also his trusted men!
In this passage some 37 men are named who’s exploits were well known throughout Israel.
We’ll look at a few of them.
These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
First, we’re introduced to Josheb-Basshebeth—a Tahkemonite.
—He is described as the chief for the three mighty men.
—And it is said that he killed 800 men at one time!
Next we’re introduced to Eleazar the Ahohite.
—He was with David against the Philistines.
—When Israel retreated, he stood his ground and fought until his hand grew tired and froze to the sword.
—The next day, Israel came back—but all they did was strip the dead.
Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
Then we have Shammah the Hararite.
—In a battle in a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from the Philistines.
—This man stood in the middle of the field and defended the field striking down the Philistines.
—And Yahweh brought about a great victory.
Now we’re told a story about a time when these three mighty warriors worked together to do something unheard of!
During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
Remember that these are same three chief warriors just mentioned! Now this is what they did when David was in the cave of Adullam, and a band of Philistines were encamped down in the valley near Bethlehem.
David was held up in the cave.
He was thirsty and made an off the hand comment— “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” Nothing suggests that David expected anyone to do this.
But these three mighty men, brake through the Philistine lines, go and draw water from the well and bring the water back to David!
To their shock, David refused to drink the water, and actually poured it out.
David says it would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives for a drink of water.
The section closes with “Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.”
The rest of the chapter records the names and some of the exploits of the other Mighty Men of David.
Finally, there is one name that is mentioned that you may recognize. Look at the last verse of the chapter.
and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
The final name is the man that David had killed—Uriah the Hittite.
David’s Failure
David’s Failure
I want to call your attention back to verse 5.
“If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.
In this verse, David says that it was God that established him as king. And God did this because of David’s trust in Him.
Now when we come to chapter 24, David’s trust seems to shift. He shifts from trusting in God, to trusting in his military might.
Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
This verse gives some scholars problems. The parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 21:1 places the blame with Satan rather than with God.
Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
This shouldn’t give us a problem in interpretation. God’s anger burned against Israel, because of something that their king, David, did when he listened to Satan’s tempting rather than trusting in God’s provision.
So David calls Joab, the commander of his army and tells him?
So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”
David tells Joab, to go throughout the entire land and register all of the men that are able to fight in the army (if needed).
But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
It seems as though Joab realizes that this is not a godly thing to do.
Because he protests—First he says he wants God to multiply David’s troops and let David see that multiplication by 100 times.
Yet at the same time he pleads with David not to count the men.
The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
David overruled Joab and his order remains.
So Joab and the other commanders of the army leave to carry out the king’s command.
In verses 5-7 we are given the relative path that these men took to count the fighting men. Then we come to verse 8.
After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
It only took them 9 months and 20 day—so almost 10 months.
This suggests that this counting was done during a time of peace. While there are not specific time markers to tell us when this took place during a time of peace (because it only took them 9 months and 20 days to go through the entire country.
It may have been in preparation to hand the kingdom over to Solomon.
Or it could of been so David could “boast” about how great his army was.
We don’t know when it was taken, or exactly why it was taken.
Nevertheless, verse 9 tells us the results.
Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
800,000 able-bodied men who could handle a sword in Israel.
And 500,000 men in Judah.
NOTE: 1 Chronicles 21 tells us that the number of men in Israel was 1,100,000, and the number of men in Judah was 470,000. So the question is, why the difference in the number between the two records?
The only idea put forth to reconcile the two sets of numbers is as follows: The 1,100,000 included Israel’s standing army which consisted of 12 units of 24,000 men (an additional 288,000 men) plus another 12,000 that were attached to Jerusalem and to the “chariot cities.” That would bring the total of the standing army to 300,000 men. If you subtract that from the 1,100,000 men you have 800,000 men which is the figure here in verse 9.
The only way to reconcile the lower number of Judah’s men was if the author of Chronicles did not include the 30,000 man standing army of Judah. Add that to the 470,000 and you have 500,000.
This is the strange way that scholars reconcile the differences. The include the standing army in the count of Israel, but don’t in the count of Judah. So it feels like a bit of mental gymnastics to make the numbers match. The truth is we don’t know why there is a discrepancy between the two accounts.
David’s Remorse
David’s Remorse
As soon as the results are given to David, he knows he has done something he shouldn’t have done. Look at verse 10.
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”
He was conscience-stricken and admits that he has sinned greatly.
He begs the Lord to take away the guilt of his foolishness.
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ”
God gives Gad the prophet a message for David.
Go tell David he has three choices to pick from.
He will have to pick one of the three to be carried out.
So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
Option 1: Three years of famine in the land.
Option 2: Three months of fleeing from your enemies.
Option 3: Three days of a plague in the land.
David is told to think it over and pick one.
David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
David’s response.
I am in deep distress. In other words, I can’t decide!
I trust in YAHWEH for His mercy.
But please don’t let me fall into human hands. In other words, I trust God’s mercy, but I don’t trust man’s mercy.
So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel.
The plague began that morning, and lasted the time designated (three days).
70,000 people died.
When the angel came to destroy Jerusalem, Yahweh said “ENOUGH!”
And the angel of Yahweh stopped the plague at the threshing floor of Araunah—A-ron-ah—the Jebusite.
And just like that the plague ends!
When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.”
David saw the angel striking the people.
He cried out to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.” I’m the one who sinned! Not them! They’ve done nothing wrong!
David Builds an Altar
David Builds an Altar
On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
Gad comes back to David with another message.
Go build an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Araunah—A-ron-ah—the Jebusite.
So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
David goes down—as the Lord commanded.
Araunah sees him coming—because David is coming with a bunch of his officials.
So Araunah goes and bows before the king.
Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”
Araunah wants to know why the king is paying him a visit. This was not something that happened every day!
The king says he want’s to buy the threshing floor that belongs to Araunah.
He wants to buy it so he can build an altar to Yahweh—because that is where the plague stopped!
Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
Araunah tells David—Take whatever you want!
In fact, here are the oxen for the burnt offering.
Take the threshing sledges and the ox yokes for the wood to burn.
I give it all to your Majesty, the king!
And I pray that Yahweh might accept the king’s offering!
But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.
David insists on paying:
—Because a sacrifice to Yahweh by David was supposed to be just that a sacrifice.
—David says he won’t give God burnt offerings that don’t cost him!
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver (about 1 1/2 pounds of silver).
NOTE: Chronicles says that David paid 600 shekels of gold (or about 15 pounds of gold). Scholars note that Araunah owned what is referred to as Mt Moriah, and that a second transaction was made later to purchase the entire area. This also included the site upon which Solomon’s Temple to Yahweh would be built.
Although David sinned—as soon as he turned back to God and once again began obeying him, he once again became a blessing to the people around him!
SO WHAT?
SO WHAT?
The biggest “So What” in this passage is that last idea. When you and I fail to obey the Lord, we are often stop being a blessing!
BUT, the minute we turn back to the Lord and begin obeying Him, we are restored to fellowship!
That is the beauty of the truth that we read in verse 25!
David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
David obeyed God and built the altar!
David obeyed God and sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord.
David obeyed God and offered fellowship offerings to the Lord.
AND GOD—He answered David’s prayer on behalf of the land.
And the plague on Israel stopped.
Today you and I need to stop:
Like David we need to repent of any and all sin that is in our lives!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We need to come and offer ourselves as sacrifices to the Lord.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
We need to be conformed to the image of Jesus NOT the image of the world!
And we are to renew our mind so that we are transformed!
