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Dealing with Nay Sayers

Today’s devo is a quick thought, something that hit my heart, but not an exegetical deep-dive. David’s son Absalom — still brooding over the injustice in the wake of his sister’s rape and his excommunication following his action in avenging that wrong — seeks to take the throne of his father by force. David, wanting to avoid a bloody battle, flees to safety in the wilderness.

No sooner has he left the boundary of Jerusalem than Shimei, a relative of Saul spots him. Shimei throws rocks, dirt, and insults at David. He is obnoxious to the point that one of David’s men requests to cut Shimei’s head off. David says no, perhaps this rebuke is from the Lord — and even if it isn’t, let God deal with him. And they continue to move on until eventually the man gave up and went home.

You will come across people like this. David knows that he did everything he could to treat Saul fairly and leave his fate to God, yet he made no attempt to defend himself. Instead David took it on the chin, allowed the man to have his impotent rage and keep moving forward¹.

Don’t spend your time thinking about the people who condemn you for things about which they are ignorant. If you are criticized; 1) hear it, 2) pray about it, and 3) evaluate it. But if it is meritless and nothing can be learned or gleaned… ignore it. Yes, those people will continue to natter away, but eventually the truth will show itself. I am fond of saying, “A person’s character will find them out”.

Trust God to take care of the stone & dirt throwers.

2 Sam 15:1-17:14 | 118/365

David would keep a LONG memory, however, as we will see in the coming chapters. ↩︎

Polygamy & Misdirected Self-Loathing

It’s often pointed out that the Old Testament seems to turn a blind eye to polygamy, even appearing to endorse it in some cases. While this is essentially true outside of the first chapters of Genesis, what we do see consistently throughout the Old Testament is unflinching examination of the consequences of plural marriage. Such is the case with today’s reading.

David’s son Amnon (from David’s wife Ahinoam) develops an infatuation with his half-sister Tamar (from David’s wife Maacah) and devises a plan (with the help of his cousin) to get Tamar alone so he can rape her. This plot is successful, and so Tamar is raped by her half-brother WHILE SHE WAS TRYING TO CARE FOR HIM. How twisted is that? If you subscribe to the Jean-Jacques Rousseau philosophy that humans are inherently good, I submit that history has proved otherwise and Amnon is a prime example. Despite Tamar’s protestations, appeals, and even an offer of marriage, Amnon wanted what he wanted NOW.

But where the story takes a strange twist is after he has finished assaulting his sister, he suddenly hates her more than he ever loved¹ her. She again begs him to at least care for her as the law calls for (Deut 22:28-29), but again he ignores her pleas and has his servants throw her into the street and lock the door. This begs the question; why did he hate her? He got what he wanted. Shouldn’t he be happy? Or at least indifferent? Why the anger? I contend that this is because of misdirected self-loathing.

See, sin is only appealing until you actually get it. Then it sears your conscience and it makes you hate yourself. This leads to all kinds of issues. In this case it became focused on Tamar. Somehow in Amnon’s mind it was HER fault that he had done this thing and he couldn’t stand the sight of her because she was a mirror that showed Amnon the sinful desire that permeated his heart. I’ve no doubt family gathering became awkward after that. Don’t forget that Jerusalem was essentially a government town like Washington, D.C., in the United States or Canberra, A.C.T in Australia. AND Jerusalem was only about 10 acres in size. For context, that’s a little smaller than Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City. There’s no way these people didn’t see each other afterward.

We read that David was angry about this, but for two years no punishment came for Amnon. I mean, how could David punish Amnon for the very crime he had himself committed no so long ago? All the while Tamar’s only full sibling, Absalom, was seething with rage. This ongoing rage culminated in a successful plot to kill Amnon. This action sent David into mourning and Absalom into hiding, further tearing apart the family and this also began to bring to fruition the prophecy Nathan gave about how David’s sins with Bathsheba would cause his family to live and die by the sword.

So we can see how the polygamous lifestyle adopted by David lead to death, destruction, and heartache. When we deviate from God’s design bad things happen. We really shouldn’t act surprised. And what’s more… it may well be that God doesn’t condemn polygamy because history and experience have successfully done so over, and over, and over again.

2 Samuel 12:26-14:33; 1 Chronicles 20:2-3 | 117/365

If such a word can even be applied. The Hebrew word here demonstrates little variation in its basic meaning. The intensity of the meaning ranges from God’s infinite affection for his people to the carnal appetites of a lazy glutton (Robert Alden, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). So it is deeply context-dependant. But given the craven nature of the desire and the act, I believe it’s clear that this veers well into the “carnal lust” interpretation and keeps quite clear of the “fatherly love” interpretation.
↩︎

Expectations Are A Window Into Your Heart

There is a LOT to discuss in today’s passage and really, this episode could be a mini sermon series unto itself. But I won’t be talking about David’s “affair” with Bathsheba (I use the word “affair” extremely loosely because let’s face it, she was nobody, she wasn’t going to say ‘no’ to the king. This has every earmark of rape). Rather I want to briefly discuss David’s interactions with Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah.

David gets Bathsheba pregnant while her husband is away at war, so he calls him back from the battle for some R&R and expects that Uriah will sleep with his wife and thus muddy the pregnancy timeline creating reasonable doubt that Uriah himself is the father. But, he doesn’t do that. In fact he doesn’t even go home. Not even after David tried to get him drunk. Not while the boys are still at the front, as was the custom at the time:

David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!”
1 Samuel 21:5, NIV

David’s weakness was women. Like I talked about before, the enemy uses whatever vector of attack is most promising. And — here is the key — David thinks Uriah will act in the same way he himself would in that circumstance. This is something we all do. We tend assume that people will act the same way we would, this is known in psychology as the False Consensus Effect. And so when we think someone will do something bad or attribute bad motives to people, we should take a beat and think about why. It could be that we are basing our thoughts and assumptions on previous behaviour (by the person in question, or some other individual from our past), but it could also be that we are getting a glimpse into our own hearts. It could be that our assumptions are causing our own worst tendencies, thoughts, and biases to bubble to the surface. Our suspicions and attributions may be exposing our own sin!

This is good news! Because once we know about a thing, we can address it. But it’s only good news if we take the time to actually consider WHY we feel any given way and ask the Lord for help in dealing with it. Otherwise we might end up heading down a dark trail that leads to terrible outcomes… which is exactly what happened to David.

2 Samuel 11:1-12:25, 5:14-16; 1 Chronicles 3:5-9, 14:3-7, 20:1; Psalm 51

Assuming Motives

David has what might today be described as a “peace treaty” with the Ammonites and their king Nahash, and when Nahash died, David sent some ambassadors to the new king of the Ammonites; his son Hanun. But Hanun listening to the nattering of his commanders who managed to convince him that David was not seeking to extend the peace treaty, but rather that these men were spies. As a result, the ambassadors were shamed and embarrassed and sent on their way. This resulted in a military response from Israel and the subjugation of the Ammonites to Israel as servants.

So then, rather than get the blessing of peace and whatever else might have arisen from the relationship with God’s chosen nation, the Ammonites got less than nothing. They got punishment. What are you missing out on because you have made assumptions about motives? How are you cheating yourself by listening to the idle chatter and gossip of the embarrassingly uninformed rather than seeking the Lord for His guidance and wisdom?

Don’t assume facts not in evidence. Trust the Lord and allow people to show you who they are. This isn’t a call to being foolish or reckless, but give people space to show you who they are before you make decisions. Just yesterday at a Calvary Global Network retreat one of the other pastors shared the following verse. And I’ll end with this today:

To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.
Proverbs 18:13, NIV

2 Samuel 8:15-10:19; 1 Chronicles 6:16-48, 50-53, 18:14-17, 19:1-19 | 115/365

Because He First Loved You

You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn’t speak
You were my eyes when I couldn’t see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn’t reach
You gave me faith ’cause you believed
I’m everything I am
Because you loved me
Celine Dion, Because You Loved Me

The lyrics to this Celine Dion classic are a wonderful encapsulation of how God walks for us, speaks for us, sees for us. I’ve said before that the “Heroes of the Faith” were not incredible men and women of valour who God chose because of their qualifications. They were simply used by him and became notable in history as a result. And those we remember most fondly are the ones who worked to recognize their place and position and power relative to the God who placed, positioned, and empowered them. David does just that when he gets a word from God via Nathan the prophet. David says that he was chosen by God without merit, in the same way the Israel as a nation was chosen without merit. He simply picked them out (well, Abraham, really) and chose to bless them and fulfils promises through them.

Let’s seek to give thanks to the God who chose us, who died for us, who loves us, and who saves us. He makes us into more than we could hope to be on our own and we need to be careful not to take the blessings of God for granted and start getting high on our own abilities. Recognize the source of your skills, abilities, and success.

2 Samuel 7:1-8:14; 1 Chronicles 17:1-18:13; Ps 60 | 114/365

In Defence of Michal

This story is a famous one, which produced the Matt Redman-penned worship chorus “Undignified”. The Ark of the Covenant is finally returning to Jerusalem and there is a grand celebration. I imagine it like the arrival of Prince Ali into Agrabah in Disney’s “Aladdin”. And there is David dancing and singing and praising the God who had anointed, protected, delivered, and sustained him through countless battles and difficult decisions. Meanwhile, his first wife — Michael — is scowling from her second-floor window, then she comes down to meet David. He is wearing an exuberant grin while she accuses him of being undignified and unbecoming of a king. The last we are told of Michael comes in 2 Samuel 6:23 where she remains childless until her death.

Over the years I have continually heard how terrible Michael is here. The angry, bitter, queen of sourpuss castle. Yet, every time I read this story it breaks my heart. Here is a woman who has been little more than a political pawn her entire life. First Saul uses the promise of her hand in marriage to lure David into a situation where he will hopefully be killed (but David kills 200 Philistines), then she betrays her father to successfully help David escape… yet he never returns for her. Instead he marries two other women. So she re-marries. Then some time later David decides he wants her back, and so she is torn from the arms of her current husband in a dramatic scene that would tug the heartstrings of even the most calloused individual. This excellent article by the Gospel Coalition summarizes Michael’s life thusly:

Used. Abandoned. A victim of infidelities. Rejected. Scorned. Kidnapped. This just about sums up Michal’s life.
Lynne Moses, https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/coping-with-a-husbands-betrayal-a-lesson-from-michal/

Michal did not see God’s victories. She didn’t see God’s provision. She saw a man who already had two other wives, forcefully bring her back into his home, then add many more wives again. She knew little of God and of grace and David failed her. That’s right. David failed her. This confrontation was an opportunity to see how hurt she was. How far from God. How he had not taken care of her needs (never mind paying ANY attention to Deuteronomy 17:17). David didn’t need to apologize for dancing, but he DID need to apologize for being a poor husband to his wife.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: David is regarded as great by history BECAUSE God used Him. Sometimes we think David was a great man. False. David was a man who was deeply flawed (as each of us are), but who sought the Lord. David did a poor job of shoring up his weak side, and we will continue to see how this becomes his downfall, and indeed even the downfall of his son.

Just because David did many good things doesn’t mean we need to give him a pass for the bad things he did. There were warning signs along the way to Bathsheba, and he ignored them. He blew through the stop sign then found himself in a wreck. It’s hardly surprising. Perhaps if he had taken batter care of his first wife, he could have finished his race with a better win-loss record.

He need to live in a way that communicates the Gospel with those we love. I would be heartbroken as a pastor if my wife and kids felt like I cared more about the church than I did about them. If they were bitter at God not because of HIS actions, but because of MINE. Let’s make sure we take care of those in our own households, too.

2 Samuel 6:12-23; 1 Chronicles 15-16 | 113/365

What’s Your Vector of Attack?

While David is separated from Michal (who helped saved his life in his flight from Saul) he married two other women. And here again we are told that he gathered “more” wives and concubines. Most of David’s life and actions… 99% (probably MORE than that if we’re going by word count) is upright, virtuous, and worthy of emulation. The way he desires unity, honours the Lord, and seeks His counsel in every leadership decision is commendable. But here we have him amassing wives, in fairly straightforward contravention of Deuteronomy 17:17’s command for kings not to take many wives.

If you know the story of David, you know that this chink in his armour — this Achilles’ heel — will lead to the biggest and most egregious series of sins and terrible decisions that will leave an indelible scar on his story for the rest of time.

I remember years ago hearing famous evangelist Greg Laurie talk about the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) and cleverly referring to them as Gold, Glory, and Girls/Guys. Every sin boils down to one of these three. And one of them is your weakness. One of them is your vector of attack. And when Satan comes for you, he isn’t going to go after your strong side. He’s going after your weak side! Shore up the area where you are most vulnerable. Take every thought captive (1 Corinthians 10:5) and force it into submission to Christ. Like anything else, you need to train the part of you that is weak to become strong. Find an accountability partner, talk openly about those things which represent your vector of attack. Allow the sunlight to prevent the mold of sin from forming in your life.

I guess what I’m saying is: don’t struggle alone and hope it goes away. Take practical steps to defend the weakest part of you against attacks and temptations from Satan.

2 Samuel 5:1-6:11; 1 Chronicles 3:4, 11:1-9, 12:23-40, 13:1-14, 14:1-2, 8-17 | 112/365

What’s In It For Me?

From David’s early life, it’s easy to see why he became so beloved. His respect for God’s plan and timing, his patience, his loyalty, his desire for peace, his goal of unity in the kingdom of Israel. Quite a stark difference from Saul’s near-mad behaviour, likely due to the tormenting spirit sent by God. I personally imagine this spirit to be less of a malevolent being causing mischief in Saul’s mind and more of a withdrawing of the grace of God that had previously protected Saul from his natural tendencies. But either way these two kings ran things quite differently. And when we look at the wider behaviour throughout the kingdom we can see why David stood out above the pack (and why he loved Jonathan so much — his heart was also for the Lord and for unity in Israel).

Ishbosheth (Saul’s son) accuses Abner (Saul’s general) of having an affair with his wife. While Abner never actually denies it (at least according to what’s recorded) he does get quite upset with the accusation and switches to David’s side. Abner offers to use his political connections to bring the other tribes to the unification table. David is fine with this.

BUT Joab (David’s general) does like this and executes a plot to kill Abner. Upon learning of Abner’s death David mourns and curses Joab and his brother for what they’ve done. David is NOT fine with this.

THEN a pair of brothers (Recab and Baanah, Ishbosheth’s captains) plot to kill Ishbosheth. They do so successfully and bring his head to David in another attempt to curry favour. They are executed for this act. David is NOT fine with this.

David is trying to bring unity, but everyone else is just looking out for #1. Motivated by personal sleight, revenge, or political power. And all of these motivations result in death and destruction!

This is a powerful reminder in our own lives. If we are just chasing things that bring us pleasure rather than seeking the Lord, what we are ACTUALLY chasing is our own destruction. Now, it may not come as quickly as it did for Joab, Abner, Recab, and Baanah, but it will come. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on the Lord and leave the rest up to Him.

2 Samuel 3:6-4:12 | 111/365

David Pours One Out

This account strike anyone else as weird?

David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!” So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord and said, “O Lord, I will not do this! It is equivalent to the blood of the men who risked their lives by going.” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors.
2 Samuel 23:15–17, NET

Why would David pour out his desired drink offering — one for which his greatest warriors, The Three, risked their lives? It doesn’t make any sense! I looked for guidance from serval online resources, but struggled to find any explanation that rang true. Lots of talk about the comparison to blood and how the Law would not allow Israelites to drink the blood. Another suggestion was that the water was “too good for [David]”. This still didn’t really seem to fit for me. Then I stumbled upon another brother who had the same problem, the late Jay Guin. He pointed me to a commentary by one Hamilton Smith which reads:

Many would have been ready to risk their lives in carrying out some service for the benefit of the kingdom; but these mighty men were ready to face death in order to do something that was wholly for the gratification of the desire of David. They broke through the host of the Philistines, drew water from the well, and brought it to David. This act of devotion delighted the heart of David, and he sees in it a sacrifice of which the Lord alone is worthy. Hence, refusing to drink the water, he pours it out before the Lord.
Edification Vol. 6, 1932, page 169.

It seems entirely plausible to me that David felt these men risking their lives for a whim of his was not appropriate. Their lives could only be laid down in service of the LORD, not of David’s wants and desires (seems David would soften his position on that later) and so he took the plunder acquired by these great warriors and poured it out to the Lord. Thus giving their battle, victory, and possible sacrifice back to Him — the ONLY one who was worthy of such risk and effort.

Let’s make sure that we, likewise, use our most valuable resources on the most valuable things: Jesus and His Gospel.

2 Samuel 2:1-3:5, 23:8-39; 1 Chronicles 11:10-47 | 110/365

Providence, Self-Restraint, & Contradictions

There was too much in today’s passage to choose a single item, so here are some quick-hit thoughts on a couple different parts of what we read.

Providence: David and his troops set out with the Philistines on their campaign into Israel, but several of the Philistine leaders do not trust David and send him home. During that campaign Saul and his son (David’s beloved friend, Jonathan) are killed. Note how God used the Philistines to help David maintain his position of innocence in the death of the king to whose throne he stands next in line? God’s providence is incredible. This is why we should praise God for closed doors… and He isn’t done!

Self-Restraint: Because David could not go on the Philistine campaign, he was forced to return home… where he found Ziklag had been raided by the Amalekites (he wouldn’t have known this until it was far too late if he HAD successfully accompanied the Philistines)! Then, with all his 600 men ready to revolt David pauses to consult the Lord. “God, should we go after these raiders?” WHAT? Gut-check time: would you do this? If your family had been abducted would you ask God how to proceed, or would you go full Liam Neeson? I’m forced to admit that I likely would not take the time to consult God here. This is an area of growth for me, at least. Possibly for you as well?

Contradictions: In 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles we are told that Saul fell on his sword and died after being wounded by a Philistine arrow. But an Amalekite found David and told quite a different story about killing the wounded king would clearly would not survive. What are we to make of this? The Bible is clearly in historical error… better burn it and turn from our faith… right? This is one of those “contradictions” that never made any sense to me. There are two primary theories for how to reconcile these accounts. The one that was proposed by my Bible College Prof was that this Amalekite stumbled upon Saul and his armour bearer on their swords, but not quite dead and finished them off. This is plausible and you can believe this if you find it compelling. I think it needlessly complicates things. This Amalekite lived in Israel as a foreigner and knew that David was heir to the throne of Saul. So, seeing his dead body, took the crowd and armband to David and took credit for the final blow I an attempt to curry favour with David. It… uh… didn’t work.

Have a fantastic day trusting in God’s faithful guidance!