The Psalm 23 Adventure, Part 58
September 22, 2017
Continuing on with the
picture of the goodness and mercy of the Lord that follows us, let's pick up
today where we left off last week and see how Jesus viewed the concept of
mercy. Jesus equated mercy with
forgiveness -- and that's a concept that really has gotten lost in today's
society. What you are going to see
unfold in today's narrative is absolutely stunning. This ought to help you understand why the
Lord refers to the "sure mercies of David."
Jesus
explained mercy and forgiveness like this when questioned by Peter.
Matthew 18:21-22:
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother
sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto
thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Is
that mercy, or is that mercy? It is also
a picture of forgiveness in a dimension our society is totally oblivious
to. Mercy is also a byproduct of
patience and understanding — and that, as well, is something our society just
doesn’t get.
Let’s
get back to David, and why he could say, “Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
Consider
the following event that occurred when David spoke to Nathan, the prophet.
II Samuel 7:2-3:
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in
an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is
in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.
Do
you see the picture of what has developed in David? His primary concern is not what he gets from
the Lord, but what the Lord gets from him.
This, after all, is what the real heart of worship is like. Worship is not about what we get from God,
but what He receives from us.
Nathan,
of course, sees that heart in David, and because he, too, has that same heart,
he responds in kind. The Lord, however,
has a different plan for David, and that plan is going to unfold much
differently than David sees at that moment.
II Samuel 7:4-17:
And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came
unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt
thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I
brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have
walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
In all the places wherein I have walked with all the
children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I
commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of
cedar?
Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus
saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the
sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou
wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made
thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are
in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a
place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place
of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness
afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges
to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine
enemies.
Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou
shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall
proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I
will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the
stripes of the children of men:
But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it
from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be
established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for
ever. According to all these words, and
according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
If
ever there was an event that would even more firmly establish the mercies of
the Lord in David, this was it! And we
see that mercy in action in a series of events that take place. Watch!
II
Samuel 13 gives us an unfolding picture of an event in which one of David’s
sons, Amnon, rapes his sister, Tamar.
David, of course, was more than angry at his son, but his son, Absalom,
spoke peace to quiet things down.
Absalom, of course, had a hidden motive of his own, and that motive was
revenge against his brother.
We
are told that Absalom invited Amnon to what amounted to a party in which his
servants would be told to watch when Amnon would have gotten himself drunk with
the wine. At an appointed moment when
Amnon would be defenseless because of his drunkenness, the servants were
commanded to kill him.
II Samuel 13:30-39: And
it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David,
saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them
left. Then the king arose, and tare his
garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their
clothes rent. And Jonadab, the son of
Shimeah David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that
they have slain all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead: for
by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he
forced his sister Tamar.
Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his
heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept
the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people
by the way of the hill side behind him.
And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come: as thy
servant said, so it is.
And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking,
that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the
king also and all his servants wept very sore.
But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud,
king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son
every day. So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. And the soul of king David longed to
go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was
dead.
This
is a remarkable story in that we see David with a heart of love and mercy still
extended towards his son, Absalom. And
that mercy is going to be tested in the extreme. First, we see Absalom restored to favor with
David and returned to Jerusalem.
II
Samuel 14:32-33: And Absalom answered
Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to
the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it
had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me
see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill
me. So Joab came to the king, and told
him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself
on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
You’d
think that David’s mercy extended to Absalom would have had a changing effect
on him. In fact, it did not. Absalom took advantage of David’s mercy. The fact that he had essentially gotten away
with murder only increased the rebellion and the arrogance that filled
him. Watch what unfolds next.
II Samuel 15:1-6: And it came to
pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men
to run before him. And
Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so,
that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then
Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said,
Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.
And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and
right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made
judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto
me, and I would do him justice! And it
was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance,
he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all
Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the
men of Israel.
Amazingly,
forty years go by with this behavior going on.
David is busy with the affairs of the Kingdom, ruling in Jerusalem, and
because there was no such thing as the Internet and the kind of instant
communication we have today, he was unaware of what his son was conspiring to
do. Absalom, full of deception and conspiracy,
convinces his father to let him go to Hebron to “pay a vow.”
II Samuel 15:10-12: But
Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye
hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in
Hebron. And with Absalom went two
hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their
simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite,
David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered
sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually
with Absalom.
Next
we read that a messenger comes to David to tell him that his son has conspired
to take the throne. David realizes that
he must take immediate action to preserve the life of his household. He calls them together and they begin a
departure from Jerusalem to a safe haven.
II Samuel 15: 23-30: And
all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the
king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over,
toward the way of the wilderness. And lo
Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the
covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until
all the people had done passing out of the city. And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the
ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he
will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in
thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.
The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art not thou a
seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy
son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word
from you to certify me. Zadok therefore
and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried
there. And David went up by the ascent
of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and
he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man
his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
The
picture of betrayal against David by his own son that unfolds is prophetic of
what is going to take place with Jesus, and it is important to see the
unfolding of David’s mercy in the face of this betrayal. It isn’t only David’s son, Absalom, that has
betrayed him; one of David’s closest friends and counselors, Ahithophel, is
among the conspirators. David is no
dummy! He knows that, except for the
intervention of the Lord, this whole event is going to turn against him
irreparably.
II Samuel 15:31-37: And
one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with
Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel
into foolishness. And it came to pass,
that when David was come to the top of the mount, where he
worshipped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent,
and earth upon his head: Unto whom David
said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me:
But if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be
thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant
hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for
me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. And
hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests?
therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the
king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them
their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok’s son, and Jonathan Abiathar’s son;
and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye
can hear. So Hushai David’s friend came
into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
Do
you remember the story of Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan, whom
David had found and brought into the palace?
He had feared for his life when he heard that his father and grandfather
had both been killed in battle and that David, his father’s best friend, had
been given the throne of Israel. He had
fled to Lodebar (and that’s a story all in itself) where David had found
him. Mephibosheth joins the betrayal of
David — or so it seems.
II Samuel 16:1-4: And when David
was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of
Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred
loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of
summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And
the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the
king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men
to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.
And the king said, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he
abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To day shall the
house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine are
all that pertained unto Mephibosheth.
And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy
sight, my lord, O king.
Are
you seeing this picture unfold? This
isn’t simply the betrayal of David by his son, Absalom: this is a series of
multiple betrayals by people to whom David has shown mercy and grace.
We
need to stop at this point and finish this discussion next week.
For those of you
who’ve been participating in our Monday night Healing Prayer Conference Call,
we just want to let you know that beginning with the month of July and continuing
until the first Monday night in October, we will be taking a break for the
summer. We’ve found during the past
three years of doing this call that participation during the summer months
drops significantly because of folks taking their vacations, and being involved
in other activities. That said, we will
resume our prayer calls on Monday night, October 2nd.
At the same time, in
case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our
Sunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about
10:45AM Pacific. That conference number
is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#. We are now making these gatherings
available by Skype. If you wish to
participate by video on Skype, my Skype ID is regner.capener. If you miss the live voice call, you can dial
(712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in
later. The video call, of course, is not
recorded – not yet, anyway.
Blessings
on you!
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76504
Email Contact:
CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com
All Coffee Break articles are
copyright by Regner A. Capener,
but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in
part, is granted –provided proper attribution and this notice are included
intact. Older Coffee Break archives are available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.
Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email,
please send a blank email to:
AnotherCoffeeBreak@protonmail.com with the word, “Subscribe” in the subject line. To remove yourself from the mailing list,
please send a blank email to
AnotherCoffeeBreak@protonmail.com with the word “Unsubscribe” in the subject
line.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to
participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact
us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit: http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.