Kingdoms

As we continue on in our study through 2 Samuel, I am struck (though I am not surprised) by how God’s Word speaks today. Even in 2 Samuel—this book documenting the history of God’s people in ancient Israel—God is speaking today. God’s Word is instructive and inspiring; there’s no part of it that isn’t.

Once again, I want to encourage you to bring your own copy of the Bible with you to our gathering here.

You will be well-served by having a Bible with you in church. And again, we’ll gladly buy a Bible for you if you don’t have your own.

Go to www.richhillcc.org/bible, fill out a very short form, and we’ll make sure to get you a Bible.

This Sunday, and every Sunday, we will open the Bible to see what God has to say to us.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to 2 Samuel 2. As you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word!

2 Samuel 2:1–11 NIV

1 In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered. 2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.” 8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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[MAP]

2 Samuel 2 starts a long section in 2 Samuel. By looking at these first 11 verses, we’re setting the stage for what’s next.

There’s a conflict a-brewin’, we might say. Here’s David, the rightful king of Israel. He’s God’s chosen king, the man God has chosen to lead his people. And then there’s a guy named Ish-Bosheth and the kingdom he’s leading, or rather, the kingdom he’s been propped up to lead by a fellow named Abner.

There are three references to David’s being king over the house of Judah. These will guide us this morning and give division to the text for us. Notice the mentions of David as king in vv. 4, 7, and 11.

2 Samuel 2:4 “…they anointed David king …”

2 Samuel 2:7 “… the people of Judah have anointed me king over them …”

2 Samuel 2:11 “… The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.”

All of this occurs after the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1 is consumed with the death of the king and David’s good friend, Jonathan).

After the death of Saul and Jonathan, in the course of time, David inquired of the LORD what he should do.

David makes no move before he seeks direction from the LORD. David wanted to do things God’s way, in God’s time.

David was in the habit of seeking the LORD’s will (a good habit to develop).

1 Samuel 22:3–5 “From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold. But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.”

1 Samuel 23:2 “he inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

1 Samuel 23:4 “Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.”

1 Samuel 23:9–12 “When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will.” Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will.”

1 Samuel 30:7–8 “Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

Over and over, it’s recorded for us that David sought the LORD’s will. He inquired of the LORD throughout his life. So it is in our text today.

2 Samuel 2:1 “In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord…”

We should develop this habit. We should mean the words we pray when we ask that His will be accomplished.

Matthew 6:9–13 “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...”

We—God’s people—must become so habitually used to seeking the LORD that it’s just part of who we are.

This is a problem for me. This is an area in which I lack, but the LORD is working on me.

You see, I fancy myself fairly self-sufficient. I have an education, a degree hanging on my office wall. A brain that works like 1/3 of the time. I’ve pastored/preached for nearly half my life (for 19 of my 41 years).

The problem with this is that I think I can handle things myself, in my strength, in my wisdom. That’s a foolish place to be.

David killed Goliath (an actual giant, not a metaphorical one). David would laugh at us calling our issues “giants”. Laugh out loud. David would text simply, “lol”

David killed an actual giant. He was a mighty warrior. Women sang of him: 1 Samuel 18:7 “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

David, it seems to me, probably could take matters into his own hands and decide what’s best. But David knows better than that. He knows better than the other characters in this story, that’s for sure.

David’s still a fugitive in the sense that he’s probably still being hunted. David had to be careful what he did and where he went; there was political unrest. Many of Saul’s men would have gladly killed David.

So, David inquired of the LORD.

David inquired of the LORD. This is what God’s people ought to do.

David inquires of the LORD what he should do and where he should go. The LORD tells David to go up to Hebron. [MAP- from Ziklag to Hebron].

Hebron is a town rich in history and memories (Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were all buried there). It was the most important town in Judah.

There, in Hebron, David is anointed king over the tribe of Judah.

Dale Ralph Davis writes, “Here, the kingdom of God becomes visible in the world—for those who have eyes to see.

The Kingdom of God (vv. 1-4a)

David, God’s chosen king (going way back to 1 Samuel 16:13), is now, finally, about-stinkin’-time, anointed here by the men of Judah. This is the start of God’s kingdom here on earth, small as it is.

More than 15 years before this moment, David had been anointed by Samuel, chosen from all of Jesse’s sons.

David was promised the kingship, but has been waiting all this time. Waiting for God’s timing, we could say. And David is now just king over one small part of the people.

He’s nowhere close to being king over all Israel (that’s still another couple of years down the road).

But—don’t miss this—this is the start! This is God’s kingdom showing up. Here, for the first time, the LORD Yahweh’s chosen king visibly rules on earth.

David is the king the LORD has chosen. This matters. Not only for David, but for the people of Judah, and for the people of Israel, whether they realize it or not.

It’s a small beginning, but it’s here. It’s small, just a startup, but it is the kingdom and the king God has planned. It’s been under His guidance and direction and sovereign plan at every point.

“The kingdom of God has, for the moment, tucked itself away in the hills of Judah. The kingdom of God really is like a mustard seed.” -DRD

It’s small. It’s hidden. It’s largely unknown; mostly unseen. But it’s there.

Matthew 13:31–33 “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Don’t be deceived. Don’t follow the world’s conception of greatness and power and status.

“Do not allow the unpromising form of the kingdom”—be it mustard seed, yeast, David’s little upstart in Hebron—“Do not allow the unpromising form of the kingdom to blind you to the real presence of the kingdom.”

The LORD’s chosen king has started to reign!

It will be a little while before we hear about anything David accomplished and his many victories as king.

It will be a long time before we’re impressed with Solomon’s wealth and grandeur.

From this small start of the Davidic dynasty, we are hundreds of years from the rule of the shoot and root of Jesse—Jesus, the Son of David, the Messiah.

But this is a start. This is the kingdom of God.

The Call of the Kingdom (vv. 4b-7)

Someone tells David about what the men of Jabesh Gilead did for Saul and his sons. And David wants to honor the men of Jabesh Gilead because of what they did for Saul, et. al.

What they did was recorded for us at the very end of 1 Samuel.

1 Samuel 31:11–13 “When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”

[MAP]

The men of Jabesh went, at great risk to themselves, in the middle of the night to remove the bodies of Saul and his sons. The Philistines had their bodies hanged there for everyone to see. The men of Jabesh Gilead did the right thing, the honorable thing in taking them down.

This was also the risky thing to do.

David, from Hebron, thanks the men of Jabesh-Gilead.

But David also wants to give them the opportunity to show allegiance to him, God’s chosen king.

The men of Jabesh were used to making risks; now, let them take another one. They were pretty gutsy when it came to retrieving Saul’s body. Think about what David is asking them to do. And think about where they are [Map: Jabesh-Gilead’s distance from Hebron].

In verses 8-11, we read about the northern kingdom. Ish-Bosheth’s kingdom. That’s where Jabesh-Gilead is located. It’s not part of Judah.

David is asking for these northerners to be the first to acknowledge David’s kingship.

The call of the kingdom, the call from David, is for them to submit to him, the true king. God’s king. The rightful king.

This will take all their courage. And then some. To shun the kingdom led by Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth and to side with God’s King…the call of the kingdom is costly.

The same goes for us. We live in the in-between. The kingdoms of the world all clamor and call. They beg for our allegiance, our affection. The kingdoms of this world want our hearts, our tacit endorsement of their values. They want us on their side.

And, often times, we lean toward the kingdoms of this world. We’re here, after all. “What harm is there,” we ask, “of serving them and giving ourselves to them?”

Jabesh-Gilead is sandwiched-between David’s kingdom (God’s Kingdom) and Abner’s Ish-Bosheth kingdom.

Both are asking for allegiance. Only one can have it.

You can’t split your allegiance, as much as all the temporary, fleeting kingdoms of this world might try to convince you that you can.

“Ah, that’s politics and this is church; they’re different. Go do the church thing on Sundays and focus on politics the other 167 hours of the week.”

“It’s okay; you can do both,” they say, “You should have a little nationalism mixed with your religion.”

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I had coffee with one of my best friends this week. He said this, “People will say Jesus has their allegiance, but their lives show a different loyalty. People give a voice to allegiance all the time.”

What about you? You claim to be a Christian. Is Jesus your King? I mean, really? In the daily moments of your life? Is Jesus King? Does Jesus get your allegiance, your submission, your affection? Or does it belong to another? Does it belong to something else?

The choice is costly. The call of the Kingdom of God is going to cost you; Jesus asks you to leave everything—not some things, not most everything, not everything but your favorite idol or two—Jesus asks you to leave everything behind, pick up your cross, and follow Him.

It may cost you your life. It’s definitely going to cost you some popularity. Your priorities are going to have to change.

You can be a citizen of this worldly kingdom, or a citizen of God’s kingdom. This is how Paul splits it up: you’re either earthly or heavenly.

Philippians 3:18–20 NIV

18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

You can serve God’s kingdom or you can serve the kingdom of this world. You can’t serve both.

David is calling the men of Jabesh-Gilead to give their allegiance to him—the king God has chosen.

Jesus, the One, True, and Only King, is calling us to give Him—and Him alone—our allegiance.

That’s the call of the Kingdom of God.

The Anti-Kingdom (vv. 8-11)

Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, takes Saul’s one remaining son, Ish-Bosheth and he (Abner) makes Ish-Bosheth king over Israel.

It’s Abner running the kingdom through Saul’s son. Ish-Bosheth is king in name and position only; it’s really Abner. Ish-Bosheth is merely king-ish.

Carl Keil writes this: “The promotion of Ish-Bosheth as king was not only a continuation of the hostility of Saul toward David, but also an open act of rebellion against [the LORD]. The LORD had rejected Saul and chosen David to be king over Israel…even Saul had been convinced of the appointment of David to be his successor to the throne.”

Abner knows this. Abner’s move is not only a precursor to a predictable conflict (lots of battles and blood ahead), but it’s also blatant disobedience.

Abner knows the LORD Yahweh had promised the kingship to David. Abner even uses that knowledge as part of his own argument in 2 Samuel 3.

Ol’ Abner opposes God’s chosen king, and opposes the LORD’s own kingship and will. He knew what God wanted, but chose to fly in the face of it.

Abner knows better. But that makes no difference in his action. He goes ahead and sets up the anti-kingdom.

Abner is loyal to the old regime and, I’m sure, has a desire to protect his own interests. Abner’s issue is pride. Control. This is the draw of the human ambition in contrast to following God’s guidance.

There is conflict between Abner’s anti-kingdom and the true Kingdom of God. You’ll see this as you read on in 2 Samuel 2-5.

This kingdom conflict between the Kingdom of God and every other kingdom will continue, in one form or another, until Jesus comes in power and glory.

Matthew 13:41 “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.”

We’re presented with a daily choice of which kingdom we’re going to serve. Which kingdom will we give our lives to?

Warren Wiersbe points out that David “invited the brave men of Jabesh-Gilead to cast their lot with him. They had been valiant for Saul, and now they could be valiant for David. Some warriors from Gad (where Jabesh was) had already joined David’s army while he was in Ziklag (1 Chron 12.8-15). By doing so, those men affirmed that David was God’s anointed king.”

That’s good.

But Wiersbe continues. This is sad stuff.

“Unfortunately, the people of Jabesh-Gilead did NOT choose to submit to David, but instead followed Abner (and Saul’s weak son, Ish-Bosheth). The people of Jabesh-Gilead allowed their affection for Saul to blind them to God’s plan for the nation.

How often in the history of the church have God’s people allowed human affection and appreciation to overrule the will of God! Jesus Christ is King, and He deserves our submission, loyalty, and obedience. To put human leaders ahead of God’s anointed King—Jesus—” is wrong.

It’s support of the wrong kingdom.

Here in 2 Samuel 2, it’s only the house of Judah who is following David. One small tribe. It’s a mustard seed start.

This is our place and our calling. Even in low times. Even when everyone else goes the way of the world. Even with other professing Christians sell their birthright for a bowl of stew (be it political, partisan, or nationalistic).

We heed instruction from Jesus, to seek first the Kingdom of God.

We need to listen to God’s Word when it tells us what to do:

1 John 2:15–17 NIV

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Evaluate where your affections lie. Your desires are reflective of the kingdom you serve. Your energy will be spent on whichever kingdom you belong to.

>Singer/Songwriter, Rich Mullins, the GOAT, was killed in a car accident on September 19, 1997 (27 years ago this past Thursday).

I listened to several of his songs this week. He has one lyric that fits this sermon perfectly:

“The stuff of Earth competes For the allegiance I owe only to the Giver Of all good things” -Rich Mullins

As a Christian, you have been transferred from the kingdom of the world and have been brought into the Kingdom of the Son He loves!

Colossians 1:13–14 “For [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Our call, as people who belong to His Kingdom is to reorient our minds. Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

"Those who have come to Christ have transferred Kingdoms and have sworn allegiance to a new King. His agenda is theirs.”

We’re all in a battle of the kingdoms. Each one of us. Christians, especially.

If the enemy can get you to focus yourself on worldly kingdoms, that’s success.

If he can distract you and make you more concerned about elections and national events, he’s won.

He’ll use whatever temporary, flashy, earthly trinket available to win your affection and allegiance.

We need to realize there is only ONE KINGDOM that’s worthy of our lives, our allegiance, our obedience, our energy.

There’s only ONE KINGDOM and ONE KING worthy of our affection and worship: the Kingdom of God and of His Christ, the Kingdom Jesus inaugurated, the Kingdom Jesus teaches about, the Kingdom where the Crucified and Risen Savior Reigns forever and ever.

“Don’t be double-minded, lukewarm, loving the world and things of the world, all the while claiming to be one His devoted followers.” - Tom A.

Don’t be tempted. Don’t be pulled. Don’t be swayed by the kingdoms of the world.

Die to yourself.

Repent of your sin.

Kill your idols.

Hide yourself in Christ.

Follow Jesus.

Submit to His Kingdom.

Give yourself to His rule and reign.

Wholeheartedly follow Jesus the KING and live!