John Martin - Class 8: David the Beloved

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   My dear brothers and sisters, and my dear young people, in our last consideration of the life of David, we left him on the top of the Mount of Olives, on his way out of the city of Jerusalem, in disgrace and shame, and being humbled at the city by his own son, his dearly beloved son, brothers and sisters and young people, for David did love him, he loved him deeply.

2. 0:24

   And yet Absalom, in cooperation with the grandfather of Bathsheba, Ahipothal, together, were plotting the ruin of David. And you know, it's generally accepted that the 41st Psalm forms part of the background of that conspiracy. When we look at this Psalm, we can see that these two men took the opportunity which was afforded them, in order that they may overthrow the kingdom of David.

3. 0:54

   We read here, in the 41st Psalm, in verse 1, when David says, Blessed is he that considereth the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the time of trouble. Yahweh will preserve him and keep him alive, and still be blessed upon the earth. And thou wilt not deliver him under the will of his enemies.

4. 1:12

   And Yahweh will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing. Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. And there seems to be, well, for some young people, in this Psalm, the indication that David was on the bed of languishing. He was in the bed of sickness. So much so, that the enemies of David thought for the moment that he would never arise in that bed of sickness, and the day had come when they could seize power.

5. 1:37

   And so they say in first aid, an evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto the head. And now that he lies, he shall rise no more. And when we go through the Psalms, which are written around this period, and you look at the record itself and read between the lines, it would seem that David was overtaken on this occasion by quite a serious complaint.

6. 1:57

   So that they were saying that an evil disease cleaveth fast unto him, and he'll rise no more. And there was a mad scramble for power. And you know, gentlemen and sisters, in verse 9 of this Psalm, David says, Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

7. 2:21

   And this we believe was a reference to a hyphophel. My own familiar friend. And the word familiar friend, part of that word, is the word saline. He was a friend of peace. And whilst I believe it's a reference to a hyphophel, nonetheless the name of Absalom means the father of peace. And he was a friend of peace, say that.

8. 2:43

   But he had lifted up his heel against him. And that verse of scripture becomes a most important verse of scripture because that's the verse that the Lord Jesus Christ took, my dear brethren and sisters and young people, and applied it to Judas Iscariot. He applied it to Judas Iscariot and quoted that verse of scripture that the man who partook with him of the last supper, and had had the audacity to take out of the Lord's hand that bread of life, went out in the night and betrayed him.

9. 3:15

   The same as Ahithophel betrayed David. And it's ironic that Ahithophel and Judas Iscariot came to the same end. They hung themselves. And there you have in the record, in the imperishable record of the word of God, the outstanding indictment of a man like Ahithophel that later on a man should come forth. More evil even than he.

10. 3:39

    Judas Iscariot, of whom Ahithophel was but a shadow. And there in the word of God they are brought together. And not only the Lord Jesus Christ, but Peter also, applying the 69th Psalm to Judas Iscariot. Of how that he fell from his place, of prominence in the world of David, and another to take his place.

11. 3:59

    And in the first chapter of Acts, as you won't terms with it now, Peter makes reference to this fact. And in dealing with the great treacherous and the conspiracy against David, both the Lord and Peter pinpoint these weapons in David's life and bring them right down to their own day and generation and show that what was happening here was prefiguring what would happen to our Lord Jesus Christ.

12. 4:20

    And therefore, brethren and sisters, is it any wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ walked about Israel knowingly, knowing what was ahead of him all the time, and step by step by step he perceived what was ahead of him, not merely by the prophets or by Moses, but in the life of David in the Psalms, he had eloquent testimony as to what he should expect from men.

13. 4:42

    And he would meditate upon these things. As he went to what was, the valley of the Kidron in particular, I believe he would meditate upon that. And you know, brethren and sisters and young people, there's scarcely a day in David's life that's more minutely described. I don't think there is a day more minutely inscribed as the day that he went down, the valley of the Kidron.

14. 5:01

    When almost every step that he took is described by the record, and the people he met, and the things that he said, and what they said in return to his. And we considered some of those things, and we left him on that occasion, as I said at the beginning of this talk, on the top of the Mount of Olives, talking to Hushai the Archive.

15. 5:22

    Hushai the Israelite, a man from a city over on the western side of Palestine. Hushai the Archive, a man whose name is eager. He was eager and enthusiastic, as his name implies. But evidently, as eager as he may have been, David said that if he was to journey with him, he would be nothing but a burden to David.

16. 5:43

    Indicating, I believe, that Hushai was of considerable age. As later on in the record, we get a hint of this, that he was with David of old, says in the record. So he had been with David a long time, brethren and sisters, and he was described by as David's friend. And the word friend there means a lover.

17. 6:02

    It's even used of a husband, an associate, a companion, someone who was deeply, deeply affected by a personality of another person, and so that it was bound to them. And Hushai, the eager, enthusiastic man, was bound to David and met him on the top of the Mount of Olives. And David said he'd back that he might turn the counsel of a Hitler to foolishness.

18. 6:23

    And he did. Not that he did it, but God did it in his mouth. And then, of course, we learned, didn't we, how that David, through the intelligence, through Zadok and Abiasa, through their two sons, Jonathan and Ahimaeus, they brought the news to him down at the falls of Jordan, that he must cross over immediately and go his way on the eastern side of the river Jordan.

19. 6:43

    And David did that, and he went to Mahanaim, the place of the toucan. And there we had the whole cycle of history turned around, Absalom in French, in the place of Selajit. Selajit now on the face of his good looks and the flesh. And David in Mahanaim. Two camps, once again, in Israel.

20. 7:00

    And the fault was clearly on David's shoulders. And he accepted that, brothers and sisters and young people, and never questioned the fact. That he was the one, the prime cause, for having two camps in Israel. That the counsel of Ahizabel was defeated. It was good counsel, make no mistake about that. But David, or rather, if Absalom had followed the counsel of Ahizabel, doubtless Ahizabel would have been successful.

21. 7:25

    David was in no position, no position, brothers and sisters, to resist the onslaught, which could have come quickly upon him, as Israel were momentarily disorganized. He had power with him, sure, but they were momentarily disorganized. And Ahizabel knew that. And Ahizabel also knew, brothers and sisters, that given time, David had the way of the world to bring Israel, to rally them around himself, and to present a very formidable opponent.

22. 7:51

    And that's exactly what happened. And Hushar knew that, too. And when Hushar went before Absalom, to make his appeal to him, and to say things he didn't really believe, and impress upon Absalom that the need to wait and to be wary of David, he knew the weakness in Absalom's character. For that boy, as good-looking as he was, and as much as his hair weighed, brothers and sisters, the weight of his hair outweighs a man's courage.

23. 8:20

    And he didn't have the gumption of Joach, and a few others. And Ahizabel knew that, and he could listen. It reminded me of what Hushar said. I want to impress upon you, Absalom, the character of your father. And you can just picture the scene in the court of Absalom as they all in silence would have listened to him show up.

24. 8:42

    And every man would have been cogitating upon the character of David. You know him, Absalom. He's a mighty man. Yes, he is a mighty man. And you know the man that I read him, Absalom, and turning over in Absalom's mind, Joach, Jacobin, Eliezer, Abishael, yes, I know them. They're fearful men. And you know what they're like now, Absalom?

25. 9:09

    They're like a bear robbed of a swirled. And you get near them, and they'll tear you to feet. And there was definitely silence. And of course, you say I delivered his breath. He didn't gave a time, and the heart of Absalom would have melted within him. And you show our council that they get all Israel together.

26. 9:26

    And there's always a feel of the source of the flesh. The weight of numbers. He said, I count that we get all Israel together. And we light upon him as the Jew out of heaven. Silently. And cover him completely like the Jews. And overtake him. And if he gets into the city, he says, you show over.

27. 9:40

    We've got enough men to put a rope around that city and we'll drag it into the river. And that sounded very good. But it was told his council. You show our unit, that Absalom didn't. And the thing that appealed to Absalom about that council was the fact that he knew his father. And there the reputation of David saved him, brothers and sisters.

28. 9:59

    The reputation of a mighty man had saved him. And Absalom gave assent to the council of Hushai. And David got the respite that he needed. And across the river Jordan he went to the place of the two camps. And there he organized his forces. And they were no match for him once he organized those forces.

29. 10:15

    And we come to the second of Samuel chapter 8e. And we come to the occasion now when the battle is joined. And in 2nd Samuel chapter 8e and the first two that David sent forth the third part of the people under the hand of Jehosh. And the third part under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zerawiah, Jehosh's brother.

30. 10:40

    And the third part under the hand of Abishai, the Jibite, the Philistine. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. And the people answered and said, Thou shalt not go forth. For if we flee away they will not care for us. Neither if half of us die will they care for us.

31. 10:59

    But now thou art worth 10,000 of us. Therefore now it is better that thou suffer us out of the city. You're worth 10,000 of us, David. And that was the attitude of mine, gentlemen and sisters, that David got from his men. You're worth 10,000 of us. Abishai couldn't command that sort of allegiance.

32. 11:20

    And the king gave into the pressure. And he stood by the gate. And you can picture the scene at Mahanaim when they marked out in three divisions of the army under those three generals. And when David got them all together, the three of them stood before him. Mighty men. Hard men. And so that all the people could hear him speak to them.

33. 11:40

    Because David wasn't going to speak to his men privately. He was going to put them under an obligation. And he wanted everybody to hear what he had to say. And in a loud voice he told them, Deal gently with the young man after him. And the men of Israel heard that, brethren and sisters.

34. 11:54

    And David wanted them to hear it because he no more trusted David than he trusted a himself. And he wanted the people to understand the message that he'd given them. And the record said that all the people heard when the king gave the captain's charge concerning Absalom. And the men were to say that breathe his confidence in the victory that was come.

35. 12:14

    And you can see how weather strength lied. He wasn't concerned with Joab being defeated. He knew, brethren, that once that man went forth with his brother and with the Philistine sheepdom and with the 600 that this fellow, although he had about 4,000 with him, didn't matter. They were no match for these guys.

36. 12:29

    And he knew that Joab would quickly outwit Absalom and he did. He drove them into the woods, into the woods of Ephraim where numbers didn't matter and they were all dispersed in the woods and he could deal with them individually and just went around picking them off. Far too good for this good-looking fellow.

37. 12:43

    Good luck from ever saving, brethren and sisters. This needed courage and tenacity. It needed strength and wisdom and Joab was packed with that and he drove them into the woods and in no time they were dispersed until, of course, Absalom's pretty head got him in the trunk and he got it stuck in an oak tree.

38. 13:02

    And there's something very political about that, Justice. This pretty head, these flowing locks, brethren and sisters, now tangled in the branches and one can imagine him there between heaven and earth, kicking and gasping for breath. This beautiful boy that rose up against his father and you know the story of Joab when the messenger came to him and said, look, I've seen Absalom hanging to the note.

39. 13:30

    He's hanging by his head. What are you kidding, Joseph? I'd have given you a reward. What, says the man? You'd have given me a reward. Yes, I know. He said, look, I wouldn't care if you gave me a ten thousand shekels I wouldn't have killed him because I heard what the king said and furthermore the man said and he never spoke any more truth than this.

40. 13:50

    He said, I know what would happen, Joseph, if I killed him. The king would command you to kill me and you wouldn't hesitate. And that's what he said to him. You wouldn't hesitate. You'd be down on me like a pack of wolves and he knew it too. And so Joab would. And so Joab says to him, get out of my way.

41. 14:10

    Verse 14 of this chapter says, he says, then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. I may not tarry thus with thee. But in the revised season, they room to that, I will not waste time with the likes of you. As if to say, well look, get out of my way and you are killing him.

42. 14:28

    A lot of rot. All this business, this emotional business about the attachment of father and son. That boy's a traitor. So as Joab was concerned, brothers and sisters, it all added up. Two and two made four. He had an affinity with Absalom. He'd brought him back from Geshe. He was the one that went to the king and got him out of vanishing from his own house.

43. 14:47

    But that was one thing. This was another. Now Absalom was a traitor. He was a traitor of the king's cause. And as ruthless and as bloodthirsty as Joab might have been for his own sisters, this man was not wanting in wisdom. Make no mistake about that. And there were several things with the indicted David where he was not entirely wrong.

44. 15:05

    And this was one case in point. What do you think Absalom would have done had he gone back into that kingdom? Probably got his hair hurt and started another revolt. And Joab knew that. But you see, David was carried away and from this moment on was in the life of David, brethren, sisters and young people, you see the kingdom running down again.

45. 15:23

    It runs down quite a bit and Joab finds in the end that he's got to take the reins of government virtually himself. Why? Because David had committed adultery and murder and he could never forget it. My sin is ever before me. My sin is ever before me. And it clouded his judgment. It clouded his judgment.

46. 15:39

    He couldn't handle people like he used to. No longer could he take men like Raykab and Bayona cut off their hands and their feet and hang them over and pull them head off and act as supreme justice. No longer could David do that. He let them all off. Ziba. Shimeon. Absalom as he would have.

47. 15:55

    He let them all off. What for? To rule him. But if he Joab had no such moral scruple, he wouldn't care what he had done wrong. To Joab, a right was a right, a wrong was a wrong. You forgot what happened yesterday and you dealt with matters as they stood today and he was in war.

48. 16:10

    Get out of my way. I will not waste time with the likes of you. And he went and he plunged three darts into him. These darts, by the way. Why would God use darts? See, to me, brethren and sisters, in those days they used to have those darts which they always used to sharpen on one end.

49. 16:29

    The king used to sharpen his spear on one end because he could invert it, stick it in the ground and be a sign where he slept. But these darts were always sharp on one end for various reasons. They had different purposes with them from goading their mules and so on when they were riding them.

50. 16:42

    And it seems that in Joab's hurry that it's all he had was be sharpened stage. He didn't have these weapons of warfare with him. Perhaps he was supervising the whole battle and wasn't worrying about fighting himself personally so this is all he had. So in his haste he grabbed these three stage that you sharpen on one end and they wouldn't all together be that sharp either.

51. 17:01

    And he drove them into the heart of that sort of body hung in the oak. Didn't kill him. Life still was in him until his arm of her was encompassing about and flew him. And they dragged him down out of that tree. And look what they did with him. As we turn the page for verse 17 And they took Absalom and cast him in a great pit in the world and laid a very great heap of stones upon him and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

52. 17:27

    And then it goes on to speak of that Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a monument. But you see when you put those two verses in their context together in conjunction with each other Absalom had made himself a monument in the King's Dale to remind himself of the great occasion when Melchizedek met Abraham that he might be remembered for that incident.

53. 17:46

    But all that he got in the finished was a heap of stones. And you know a heap of stones anybody who was buried under a heap of stones was buried under a curse. For time and again this is the symbol of a curse in the scripture. Do you remember Achan? They stoned him to death.

54. 18:04

    And as each man threw his stones so the stones built up and he became a heap of stones a symbol of a curse and there was Absalom under the symbol of a curse. Whereas he would of course die with a wonderful monument above his grave but he was not destined to that destiny.

55. 18:20

    No, God swept him out of the way. Where is his long hair now? Where is his good look? Where is his sparkling personality? Where are you? Under a heap of stones. And that's where we're all going. That's where we're all finished. In the grave ultimately. If we by the power of our own personalities we think can sweep out of the way opposition and become great men in Israel we'll find ourselves hanging in an axe.

56. 18:43

    That's not literally but we'll find ourselves at the same end as Absalom. And that'll be the end of all those who would try and usurp power because they think that they are a dandy and a current above everybody else. Because they've got something according to this body or this flesh which appeals to people.

57. 19:01

    And that was the end of that young self. And then we come to a very touching incident. A very touching incident. The time came for that message to be taken to David. And here comes the character of Gerald out in the most eloquent fashion as well as the character of Mahimaeus the son of Zadar.

58. 19:23

    And as they gather together in the wood of each frame and the message was going to go to David we read in verse 19 that Ahimea is the son of Zadar said let me now run and bear good the king's tithing so that Yahweh has avenged him of his enemies.

59. 19:40

    And Gerald said Ahimea do you want to run? I don't think you ought to run. I don't think you ought to go. Because he said thou shalt not this day bear tithing because the king's son is dead. Now note that Ahimea's heard him so that so there's no question in this record that Ahimea knew that Absalom was dead because Gerard told him that he was.

60. 20:06

    Well wasn't it then that Ahimea couldn't bear those tithings for him and sisters because Gerard knew Ahimea's he knew the son of Zadar and he knew what sort of a man he was. He was the son of a priest and you know one of the qualifications for the priesthood is that he's got to have compassion.

61. 20:28

    This was a fundamental thing under the law as it is under grace that anybody who aspires for a priesthood has got to have compassion and this boy the son of Zadar was noted for his compassion and Gerard knew that but this is a moment of triumph for the mighty Gerard he killed Absalom and he's not going to spare David anything.

62. 20:48

    No fella you're not going to run these tithings in your mouth won't sound good. The king's son is dead hey Gerard Cushai and this word Cushai in verse 21 then said Gerard to Cushai go tell the king what thou hast seen the word Cushai is a proper noun it's not the name of a person because the word is really an idiotian.

63. 21:14

    So Gerard turns away from the son of Zadar a man who was noted for his compassion for his gentle ways with people and he swings around and says hey you this Ethiopian service you lose go and tell David what you speak let it be arrogant in man and away he went and the son of Zadar said in verse 22 he said you'd gain the judge but how however let me I pray thee also run after Cushai and judge said wherefore wilt thou run my son seeing that thou hast no tidings ready or as the of the standard version puts it why will you run my son seeing you have no reward for your tidings the tidings are heavy I hear my know that you running why will you go this is not the sort of message that you want to deliver it won't do you any good to deliver a message right there you're too soft for that sort of a thing let that Ethiopian tell him and he'll tell him bluntly without any feeling what did the Ethiopian care he was a servant as he was described later on as a servant of the king that's all he was he wasn't a companion in arms he wasn't a fellow soldier he wasn't a priest of Yahweh he was a servant of the king and a servant of the king only and that's all he was and Jehovah picked him out of random and said you go and kill him and what Jehovah wanted that he was going to tell him was exactly what had going on as if he was saying to all Israel

64. 22:46

    you heard what David said about Absalom now I've killed him so what let him tell him see what I can but finally the son of Zadok prevailed and Jehovah said oh well what's the difference you go you run and he ran doesn't he he ran like he'd never run before and there's a wonderful character the son of Zadok what could he do the boy would dare him know that it was that David's heart but at least he could drop him the blow if he could do something for his king he would do it and that feeling turned in upon the winds of the wind and he went by the way of the plane he took a different route than that Ethiopian and the Ethiopians were noted for their fleetness of foot and he beat him and as David sat between the outer and the inner gate of the city and the watchman looking down over the plain of Jordan he saw a man running and he called back to David a man alone and David said he's got good tidings he could he did because if there's a man on his own it's good tidings if you see a whole heap of men running that's bad tidings so he said he's running alone it's good tidings and the king said who is it ah he is a good man now David recognized straight away in verse 27 he is a good man he said at the end of that verse

65. 24:00

    and you know your heart breathes for the son of Zadok and I keep calling him the son of Zadok get the point that's what we're called in the book of the sons of Zadok and your heart breathes for this boy because all he wanted to do was to stop at the impact he knew that Absalom was dead and David told him and he came here and the first thing he tried to do to David was to bring out the blessings of Yahweh to try and show David that what had happened that day was a blessing of Yahweh so that this is the first thing he does blessed be Yahweh thy God which has delivered up the men that lifted up the hand against my lord the king so the king wasn't interested in the outcome of the battle he never doubted that what about that and he may have said there brethren and he says wondering what he could say and he said look I saw a great tumult I saw Gerard talking I saw a great tumult but I don't know what it was all about but he did because Gerard told him the king son is dead and in his embarrassment in his desperation he tried to ward that off and as he was doing it he turned aside and at that moment Kutai came running in and he blurted out he's dead and you can see the difference in the characters can't you and you can see their affinity to the king you can see the cold blood of Gerard making the most of the occasion and there was a man who

66. 25:22

    cried as best he could to alleviate the suffering of the king but to no avail O my son Absalom my son my son Absalom with God I died with thee O Absalom my son my son and that voice was echoing around that city bringing a call of gloom over the city of Nahum to camp so much so that David weakened could be heard throughout that city and as the men of Judah came back from the field we read in verse 3 of chapter 19 and as the people get them by and all the people get them by stealth that day into the city as people being ashamed feel away when they flee in the battle and you can see them coming back soft-footing it through the gate not making noise perhaps holding your arm as I wouldn't clap and all you can hear is the wail of David oh excellent my son my son my son my son oh excellent my son would God I'm dying for thee oh excellent my son and the people creeping to the gate dripping atmosphere was built up there until Gerard came and we read in verse 5 the power that Gerard exercised and Gerard came into the house of the king and said thou hast shamed this day the faces of thy servants and you know there was an element of truth in that women and sisters and young people because David had those people had gone out and jeopardised their lives for the king and you see what was happening now David was so overcome not only with his paternal affection for his force but perhaps because of

67. 26:50

    his own crimes he could no longer speak like he used to he could no longer accept the fact that boy was a murderer murdered his own brother Ammon he was a traitor to the cause but he'd done everything wrong in the sight of Yahweh but these things didn't make any imprint upon David all David could think about was my sin is ever before me and that he loved that boy and all David wanted to do on every hand everywhere was to extend mercy mercy mercy and it's an excellent thing but it can sometimes over balance your better judgement and on this occasion I believe the judge spoke a lot of truth when he said in verse 6 that David he said you love your enemies and hate your friends for thou hast declared this day that thou regardest neither princes nor servants for this day I foresee that if Adonance had lived and all we had died this day then it had pleased thee well and it was probably another element of truth in that until we read in verse 8 that the king arose and sat in the gate and the people filed out past him and he honoured them and respected them for the way they'd fought for him you know it wasn't finished it wasn't finished brothers and sisters because we read in verse 13 that David said say ye to Amatha and Amatha of course was the cousin of Jav another nephew of David by a different woman and he says art thou not bone of my bone and of my flesh God do so to me and more also shall

68. 28:17

    be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Jav and that was a stupid and foolish thing to do and you can see now brothers and sisters the way that David's mind was a little bit unbalanced because of what he had done in the case of Bathsheba and the kingdom was running down and this was one of the chief reasons I believe why David poured out his heart on the yellow in the finish praying for the coming of the Messiah because he couldn't handle the situation because sin had blighted his life it had taken the sting out of David it had removed the power in him to exercise true judgment and justice and he was overcome by a motion he said a judgment was overcome and you imagine what he done on this occasion he goes to Amaka now this man now look this fellow had been the captain of the host with Absalom now this is an incredible thing that David should appoint him immediately in the room of Jav to be captain of his host and that brother and sisters was not wisdom that was not wisdom Jav quickly corrected that one but it was not wisdom and what do you find Amasa doing we learn that there was a great fright in Israel we learn brother and sisters there was a great fright in Israel and David was appealing to Judah he was appealing to Judah and Israel to come back to him at this stage and when Israel revolted again he sent Amasa out to quell that revolt and gave him a certain time to get his army together

69. 29:38

    the day did the time tick by the hour come and Amasa was nowhere to be found he was incompetent and that's the sort of idiot that was in charge of Absalom's army no wonder Joab beat them he was incompetent until David turned to Abishai and said you get them ready still leading Joab out of it he hated him and we read that Abishai went and Joab's men and said and Abishai went and Joab's men and of course Joab's sword accidentally fell out and he was going to meet Amasa and in one stride as he picked it up the greedy brother went straight through him he quickly corrected that error and he was once again the captain of Yahweh's army under David but it shows he does not doesn't insistent the awful consequences of that sin of David oh yes his character was being formed alright but look what's happening to the kingdom now because the power was taken out of David's hand to act as he knew he should have acted but he couldn't do it he couldn't do it and if David had ruled any longer than he did then that could have come to disaster before it passed into the hands of Solomon and Solomon did all that David should have done he corrected all the errors that David left undone and he corrected them and put that kingdom on a different footing but it shows you doesn't it the consequences of sin and this is what we ought to be careful of and of course the time came when David went back he appealed to Judah and in verse 14 he bowed the

70. 31:07

    heart of all the men of Judah even as the heart of one man and the king returned in verse 15 and came to Jordan and in verse 16 Shinnei comes out the famous man and this time he's got a thousand men with him and he comes up and says David oh look I was a naughty boy all that cursing you know I don't know what's happening to me I shouldn't have gone on like that I've seen him please forgive me and Abishar I'm living with him forgive him he's thinking of the occasion brothers and sisters when that famous man of vengeance his heart was no different now than it was then given the same opportunity he cut David's rape Abishar knew that and Abishar said listen you forgive him it's foolishness let me handle it what have I done with you you sons of your life again he said let him go and he went by brothers and sisters back into the kingdom a thorn of the flesh down came Zeba the servant of the village he got away with it too all the lies that he told about his lord the lame young fellow all the lies that he told about his he got away with it and he went back into the kingdom and then David met Mephibosheth he came out to meet David not with the force of Jordan but when David got to Jerusalem he came out and then David saw the reason why Mephibosheth never followed him and he stood there aghast at this young man but he'd never cleaned himself up he'd never changed his clothes and he'd never

71. 32:35

    dressed his lame feet from the day that David went out of Jerusalem and there he stood at absolute shopping in the appalling sight of humanity just standing there and David with one glance to see those of his sisters that a seed of Ziba and the reason why that poor fellow could not follow him out of Jerusalem and he just said to David look I'm not going to make any issue about this David I'm just telling you what happened and all I can say is you've been so good to me in the past that whatever you wish to be done well as far as I'm concerned leave a matter there and I believe that in the record when it's read correctly as the original would have it that David did restore his former physician and gave him back half of his goods and put Ziba under him once again and so the king was back in Israel but you know brethren and sisters the rift had not been healed and we read in verse 40 at the end of that verse that all the people of Judah conducted the king and also half of the people of Israel and in all with him all the people of Judah and half of the people of Israel and in verse 42 and the men of Judah answered the men of Israel because the king is new and in verse 43 and the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said we have ten parts in the king and the end of that verse says and the words of the men of Judah were fearful and the

72. 33:56

    words of the men of Israel and there was an abate half of Israel came all of Judah and Judah saying we're his kin you're not as close to him as we are that's nothing to do with it we've got ten parts in the king and there was a bickering and arguing the ecclesia he was still divided there were still two camps the sword shall never depart out of your house and the awful condemnation of Nathan was to have its effect the sword shall never depart out of your house and there David stood at the forge of yours lifting the dead he was king once a day and you can imagine when a man like David comes back and he says to him alright I'm not going to kill you I'm king today why should I kill anybody you said this and sort of indiscriminately forgives everybody wouldn't handle Absalom you can imagine when the people saw the relaxing of the justice of God in the hands of David that this became an opportunity for people to bicker and argue there was nobody there now to stand over the top of them and say now listen look I've had a none of this nonsense either you get together or I'll put the whole lot of you under the sword and David could have done just that with his 600 men but instead of that they saw the weakness of the king and there was this bickering and arguing as always happened when there's a relaxing of principles of justice and there happened to be there a man of Goliath Siva another Benjamite and he drew a

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    trumpet and said we've got no part in David all his only attempt and Ecclesi was stood again and away to Sheba up north to lead another revolving against David and it was on that occasion that David sent Amatha after him wasted his time so Zaz flew him and got him out of the way and went after Sheba himself and went to the city up there of Beth Maaca and brought the army of David to the walls of that city and said a woman who had brains enough to ask Job what he was about and he said I want that man Sheba or I'll put that city in the dark and they threw his head out and it was the end of that revolt and back come David and Job returned over the king to Jerusalem and then we have 2nd Samuel 21 more trouble I'm not going to deal with these chapters in detail we'll move a little bit quickly now because these are incidental with the great things in David's life 2nd Samuel 21 more trouble there's a famine in the land what's the cause of it well the cause of it brethren and sisters was that Saul had slain the Gibeonites and the Gibeonites were under the oath of Yahweh to be protected because Joshua put them under an oath that he would protect them and he had to honour that oath Saul didn't honour so 7 sons of the house of Saul died 5 of them were the sons of Nebat the oldest daughter of Saul who should have been David's wife but his foolish king Saul said oh I'm not going on the

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    promise why should I give Nebat my oldest daughter this little slip thing and I envy him Saul not going to give him and he gave him to a man called Adriel they lost five boys they hung them up to appease the rock of Yahweh because Saul had slain the Gibeonites that's how that marriage ended and that's what the 2nd of Samuel 21 was all about and then and then more from verse 15 onwards the Philistines come back into the picture they can see brothers and sisters that the kingdom of David is weakened they can see the king of heaven not the hole that he used to have so back they come and David goes into the battle and a mighty giant is assigned by the Philistines to take care of David and David courageous as ever is locked in mortal combat with this giant but verse 7 he says Abisho the son of Zeruiah sucketh him the word indicates that he dropped between him and David David and the giant imagine Abisho in this battle brothers and sisters seeing this mighty giant and David not the warrior that he used to be age now telling on him brothers and sisters age telling on him and the giant about the killing and Abisho roaring his way between the Philistines and down he went a mighty man loyal to the end there's something great about these fellows loyal to the end and courageous for these three and then the record goes on the Philistines came back again and again so the enemies of David that he first conquered are back again brothers and sisters all because he despised

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    the commandment of God the sword will never die of your hat the second of Samuel 22 deals with one of the psalms of David a combination of psalms really of how he had been delivered from all his enemies and the second of Samuel 23 deals with the last words of David in the list of the mighty men that he had under his command and then finally in the second of Samuel chapter 24 more trouble more trouble in the land because David foolishly orders the people to be numbered and man and man !

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    man ! man ! scene and there's a famine in the land as Yahweh plagues him because of the matter of a good evening David's heart and feats in more trouble that's a pity no sooner than that's on the way to the Philistines Paul in again David to be killed in battle saved by the skin of his teeth and no sooner this is off the scene than again the anger of Yahweh is back brothers and sisters and now David himself fearing for his life seeing that the enemies of Yahweh are on the resurgence again and the kingdom is flipping out of his hand he thinks I've got a number of people and the man before has had tremendous faith in God now as brethren and sisters he lives under the shadow of the crime that he committed my sin and he gave his name in fear and trepidation of the calamity that he knew it was right over the top of it but with this sheer and sense of knowledge that even though these things were going to come upon him in mortal life that ultimately he would see beyond it all that the kingdom made and it was that finally that caused him to burst through this dysfunction period and to see that doesn't matter what happens in all these troubles one thing had been guaranteed above all else and that was the kingdom and what did it matter but momentarily here with all these troubles coming upon one upon the other quickly David is driven to this extremity of gathering to himself the people and think well I've got a number and in verse 10

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    David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people and David said unto Yahweh I have sinned greatly that I have done and now I beseech thee Yahweh take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done foolishly it was on this occasion brethren and sisters as we read in the first of Chronicles 21 and we'll take our story up in Chronicles now it was on this occasion when he had numbered the people that David attempted to go to Gibeon having numbered the people and having realised the error that he had committed we read in verse 30 of the first of Chronicles 21 that David could not go before it to enquire as God for he was afraid because of the angel of Yahweh and do you know brethren and sisters a remarkable thing happened but here's the story David had numbered the people God had offered him three things and he'd thrown himself on the mercy of God so that he threw himself upon the aspect of the plague and of course throwing himself upon the mercy of God and the plague coming instead of fleeing before his enemies and so on because there was a plague he ran in Israel the king the king was in equal danger with the people a plague to sweep anybody and there's no respect of persons and do you know that when Jared numbered the people he started on this side of the river from a place called Arela which means ruin and he went north came around the top of Israel and finished up in Jerusalem and it's rather significant that in the fulfilment of the

78. 42:14

    wrath of God upon David and upon Israel for all their wages on this occasion that the plague should have been stayed at Jerusalem and it would seem although we've got no proof of it that the king of the ministers were fitting that that plague should have followed the course of the numbing of Joach starting with ruin and coming right around and finishing over the top of the city of Jerusalem so that one day Ornan the Jezus with his four sons of threshing wheat on the threshing floor which they held upon the top of Mount Moriah and he looked behind him and he saw a visible manifestation of the angel of Yahweh and the angel standing there on the shore pointing towards the city of Jerusalem it was next and Yahweh made it visible to Ornan and David saw it and he prayed earnestly brothers and sisters for the mercy of God to come upon him and the plague was stayed at Jerusalem the city of the vision the city of peace and there the plague was stayed and there David was told as he went past Jerusalem to go to Gideon thinking perhaps that all he'd done considering the art was wrong this man's face I believe at this moment of time he was all over the place he didn't know where he was he was shaken to the foundations of his face and he was hurrying up to Gideon perhaps to reinstate the worship there and the angel of Yahweh came between Jerusalem and Gideon and stopped him stopped him I'm telling him no David whatever may have happened whatever the rock of God

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    may have been manifested in the various ways that it has one thing being sure David this is the place of the future temple and it was the place of Mount Moriah where Abraham had sacrificed Isaac we learn that we won't turn it up we learn that by the 2nd of Chronicles chapter 3 verse 1 that it was the place of Mount Moriah where Abraham had sacrificed Isaac and where Solomon was going to build his temple and the sword of Yahweh that had now stood over the city of Jerusalem pointed at that hill and he said David you're not going to give him no I don't want to reinstate the law David not in that sense although David hadn't fulfilled the law he only did this typically but as Yahweh was indicated to him no David I don't want that release David at Gideon this is the place of the temple and now brothers and sisters with the sword of Yahweh falling down between David and Gideon and keeping him in Jerusalem I believe at that moment of time the visible manifestation of the angel the forgiveness of God by sharing the city of Jerusalem was the turning point in David's life and he saw beyond the presence he looked through the gloom and he saw that all the troubles that were coming upon him were going to continue and there was only one hope left for David and that was the future and he then at that moment of time he vigorously prepared in a great form of excitement he prepared for the future and I believe in doing that he overcome all his problems

80. 45:01

    and there's the answer for us and in 1st of 1st of 22 and 1st we read then David said this is the house of Yahweh Elohim and so he gathered the strangers together in verse 2 he made them to use stones for the house of God he prepared iron nails brass he sent messages in verse 4 to Hiram king of fire and he got seed it with and David said in verse 5 Solomon my son is young and tender and the house that is to be built for Yahweh must be exceeding magnitical of fame and of glory throughout all countries I will therefore now make preparation for it so David prepared abundantly before his death and so now gentlemen sisters David is going to prepare for the future and this is all he can do in the second family as far as he was concerned the powerful rule no longer was vested in him morally all he could have got over the sin of God he could have forgotten that he could have said what I've been forgiven for that's all there is to it so I'll just go on my merry way now exercising the righteousness and the justice of God as he's days gone by but he just couldn't bring himself to do it and the power to rule if he should was no longer vested in his hands it was taken out of his hands morally and all he could do now was to turn those hands in preparation for the future and I believe that this is the !

81. 46:37

    he had numbered the people left the Gideon given them the job Shimei everybody else but he saw that whilst he couldn't handle those situations one thing he was related to and that was the future all he could do was to turn his hands to that and he did that and he prepared for that future and in verse 6 of this chapter of Conic he called for Solomon his son he charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel he charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel and then he set it out to Roman sisters in a most remarkable fashion in a most remarkable fashion to prepare for that kingdom in chapter 23 we read that he got all the Levites he got all the Levites and in verse 6 that David provided them his accrosses among the sons of Levi namely Gershon Kohath and Merari and in chapter 24 in verse 3 or verse 4 we read and there were more chief men found of the sons of Eliezer than of the sons of Ishma and thus they were divided among the sons of Eliezer there were sixteen chief men at the house of their fathers and eight among the sons of Ishma so then David divided up the crosses of the priesthood and he took the families of the Levites he divided them up and he divided the sons of Aaron he found among the sons of Aaron brothers and sisters and there was more at the house of Eliezer and there was the prophecy fulfilled of Samuel that from the house of Eli which was

82. 48:02

    the house of Ishma the priesthood would pass and reaching even further back in history Sinihash the son of Eliezer that steered a man and a woman together both of them together because they were perpetrating a immoral act and he appeased the wrath of Yahweh and Yahweh said to him because of his action in turning away the wrath of Yahweh and showing himself jealous of the cause of the truth he was giving the priesthood and here it is and the cycle had turned and the house of Ishma is fading out of the picture and there's quite as many men in the house of Eliezer and in all there were 24 of them there were 24 causes 1816 and in the book of Revelation we have the 24 elders who are going to be kings and priests and reign on the earth and in chapter 25 amongst David's other preparations he got the seniors together Asa T-man and to do something who should prophesy prophesy with hearts with fulgurys and with cymbals prophesy with music tell a story and at the end of verse 7 we read that these people numbered 288 and in the book of Revelation we've got 144 thousand and this is just twice that number that is without the thousand but it's 288 as it is 144 but nevertheless here's the shadow is thrown forward as a fulfillment of the book of Revelation and what are they doing they're harping with their hearts in the book of Revelation they are the saints of God and they're prophesying with music and I believe that there will be music in the kingdom but it means

83. 49:44

    more than that brethren and sisters for music music is part of a man's soul the bible is full of music it speaks to the glory of God it speaks to the majesty of the creator it speaks of the extension of his mercy speaks of everything and it gets into a man's being and it fools him with the songs of God and so it's part of a man's character so the heart is a symbol of the heart and there are in the book of Revelation 144,000 the anti-typical men of David here and David got them all in it all of these vast preparations for the kingdom and as he prepared brothers and sisters he grew on and we come back to the first of kings chapter 1 but in the midst of this separation and you can imagine David's feelings on these occasions but in the midst of these fearless preparations for the kingdom old age was catching up on him he was 69 years of age and David was old and sick in the years and they covered him with clothes but he got no teeth what a pathetic picture this is and you can see this aged man looking at all the troubles being overcome with the presence of the moment mumbling the people and then racking up the people and saying look I've got to try and hold this nation together perhaps it's the law perhaps I would have to give it and then being stopped by Yahweh and saying look David come to your center this is the throne this is the flood and David sees not for the first time but now

84. 51:15

    realising the full impact of what he's been told and looking beyond the troubles he sees the glory of the kingdom and thinks to himself I can affect no more in Israel but what I can do I will do I will prepare for the future to lay the foundation for Solomon my son and in that foundation he saw the foundation of a greater son David foresaw the Lord always before his faith and now he prepares the future and you know it's rather a tragedy I feel but in the midst of these feverish preparations the king finds himself day by day going weaker and weaker as he's numbering the gold weighing the gold weighing the silver getting the iron sending messages to Hiram ordering up the courses of preachers getting the fingers together laying down his elaborate and detailed separation with the kingdom of Solomon and day by day his strength is airing out of him until he finds that it comes one morning he cannot get up and no longer can King Go prepare for the future and he's as good as dead and at that moment of time the sword was never going to cry out of his hand and another one of his boys thought it was time of his became king of Israel Adonijah Yahweh his lord and he took the opportunity in this first chapter of Kings to usurp the kingdom and in verse 5 we read that Adonijah the son of Haggad exalted himself saying I will be king and he gave it a following a month soon in verse 7 at last at long last Joab the son of Zerui

85. 52:55

    the moment of fruit had come for Joab brothers and sisters he saw the king in bed he saw him as a cold slab of flesh no life left in him and the great loyalty that Joab had shown David and great truly was and I believe genuine because of his position of course but loyalty none the less and that great loyalty brothers and sisters the test had come now as to what that loyalty was based upon was it based upon David as an individual as a person only or was it based upon truth and Joab revealed himself of what he was because he saw in David brothers and sisters the epitome of all that he admired in men strength courage he saw strength and courage in that man and now he saw him a cold slab of flesh in fear and Joab hoped an aspiration of the future could no longer be lifted on that man and he shifted his allegiance at last and with him went a buyer to the priest of the house of Ishma Zadok Zadok was the house of Eliezer and a buyer to the house of Ishma followed Adonijah but with David there was still Zadok there was still Benaiah and he was still making the prophet in verse 8 Zadok the just one of the house of Eliezer and who was Benaiah you know who Benaiah was brothers and sisters he was the captain of the host of the Gentiles in David's kingdom and he was the man that got Jehre shot under Solomon and it shows you how influential David was towards the Gentiles and Benaiah was captain of David's

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    foreign body guard and he was the man who stepped at last to do the Jehre Jews a man who commanded not Israel but another nation and there was a foreshadowing of the inclusion of Gentiles in the Pope of Israel when the kingdom is set up under the greater than Solomon and they went down to En Robel a spring outside of Jerusalem where there was a great rock just around the valley of Himmon just outside the southern walls of the city and Adonijah invited them all down there and they had a little party together the climax was going to be the crowning of Adonijah and they were going to rake out of En Robel and say to the people Adonijah reigns and the king's in bed he can do nothing about it I've got the kingdom and in that moment David and sisters faithful Bathsheba the daughter of the host the covenant knew the promises of God in relation to Solomon he went to Nathan and the two of them together appealed to David and David told them to get Solomon put him on his own mule which was a symbol of the kingship to ride through the springs of Jerusalem and go to the spring of Gihon and whereas then Robel was down just beyond the southern wall of the city the spring of Gihon was just outside the eastern wall of the city and they were only separated by a few hundred yards and so while Adonijah is down there under the instructions of David that people suddenly see Solomon on the well-known ass of the king who would be known everywhere and as

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    they saw him ride that ass they knew this that no man dare put his foot across the ass of the king unless he was commanded to do so because that was death and they would have known that that man was told that by David and therefore they bowed before Solomon and he rode out to the spring Gihon the virgin fountain and there he was the king and then we read in verse 34 or verse 40 rather and all the people came up after him that is after Solomon and the people piped with piped and rejoiced with great joy so that the earth raced with the sound of them and a few hundred yards down the valley and if you saw that place you could imagine how Adonijah would have heard this you couldn't miss it but down the as the valley of the kidron brothers and sisters steep valley as it is not very deep but it's very steep either side but all of it on one side and the slopes of Zion on the other and as that valley of course came down and joined with the valley of Hinnom down there was then noble and you can have just a few hundred yards up north as the earth ramed with God's name the king Solomon and that voice echoed down the valley of the kidron and said it reverberated around the room in which they were gathered in and over what's that what's that and as the voice of the people was heard Jonathan the son of Abiotha burst into the room because Solomon's king and Adonijah went for his life and grabbed

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    hold of the horns of the orchard because he knew he was in serious sorrow and Solomon gave him a response and then Solomon became king but now a remarkable thing happens alright Solomon's the kind king isn't he he rode upon the king's mule the people recognized this he sat upon the throne and the people had proclaimed him king but you see this was not good enough it wasn't good enough while there was a position of the people to recognize him as king because of what he had done yet nevertheless there had to be some authorization of this that could never be mistaken and there's only one way in which that could be done there's only one way in which that could be done do you know what that way was there's only one way possible and that David had to be resurrected from the dead and that's what happened doesn't the sisters that man came back from the dead not literally he was still alive but that man was in a bed there was no heat in his body they couldn't get any heat in his body he was Solomon on the throne it was a pottery kingdom that he was on because he was only proclaimed there by a portion of the people so all the rest of Israel sat up aboard didn't know anything about this and it had to be authorized by the king in a manner which could never be mistaken and for the occasion brothers and sisters David threw back his dead clothes and he stood on his feet and Israel saw before them a miracle they saw the resurrected

89. 58:58

    king and you know we talk about the promises to David and we say they can't apply to Solomon because it says I will be his father and he shall be my God but the thing is those words are applied to Solomon we say it can't apply to Solomon because if there's ten thy days be fulfilled thou shalt split with thy father and I think this is a valid reasoning but there was a sense for him and his father in which David did split with his father and in a typical way was resurrected from the dead but we say that it couldn't be fulfilled in Solomon because God said that your eyes would see it but in the first of Kings chapter one and verse 48 he says and also thus said the king blessed be the Lord God of Israel which hath given me one to sit upon my throne this day nine eyes even seeing it and we quote all these reasons to prove that the promises could not apply to Solomon but you see brothers and sisters we've got no need to adopt those to prove the point all you've got to do is quote the first chapter of Luke the thirty first chapter of Jeremiah the sixth chapter of Zechariah the ninth chapter of Amos that's all we've got to do and to show that hundreds of years after David had passed off the scene the promise was still unfulfilled but there was a sense in which that promise did apply to Solomon I say there was a season which did apply because in Solomon's lifetime and in his reign there was typically

90. 1:00:21

    set before him the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ and David in a typical way rose from the dead to proclaim Solomon's king and we conclude in the first of Chronicles chapter 28 with a picture of David coming out of almost his death there to proclaim before all Israel the fact that Solomon was indeed king of Israel we read in verse 1 that David assembled all the prisoners of Israel read in verse 2 then David the king stood up upon his feet and there's a tremendous amount packing to that statement and you can imagine that this was the effort that was required for David the king to stand up upon his feet and in a symbolic sense he came from the dead to see his kingdom established and he left them in no doubt as to where the issue stood and he said in verse 5 and of all my sons for the Lord has given me many sons including Adonijah he has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel and I can imagine David saying that and you can imagine the king standing there brothers and sisters a pale weak figure a body that couldn't generate any heat and of all my sons and he's given me many sons that's the boy know that about it now my argument now because the naked is hearing him talk and they're all there to listen to it but this took almost a resurrection through this we turn the page and not only that we turn the page and we see over on this next page what went

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    on on that day because in verse 11 we see that David publicly he gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the temple verse 12 tells us it was a pattern that he had of the spirit and verse 19 tells us all this said David did Yahweh make me understand in writing by his hand upon me even all the works of this pattern and you can imagine him on that day bringing along Solomon the man of peace and saying this is the boy the man of peace he had two names Solomon did Jedediah and Solomon and the name Jedediah is a kidded name and the name David they both mean beloved so he was the beloved of Yahweh but a man of peace and the man singing along Solomon was the beloved of Yahweh the man of war and he had the pattern of the temple and he told the people look at that pattern the spirit of God is upon me the anointed of God I am the spirit of God is upon me and I have understood by the power of inspiration the pattern of that temple and he publicly handed that to Solomon no doubt about the message and he giving over to the people and he made an appeal in chapter 29 gentlemen sisters !

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    for the people to assist Solomon on the house of God and by his very example of the people he had shown that he had been a marvellous example of affection towards the house of God and in verse 9 tells us that the people rejoiced so that they offered willingly because with perfect heart they offered willingly to Yahweh and David the king also rejoiced with great joy and then David set before them in verse 11 the very foundation of the kingdom of God and in all that glory he said I know

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    and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is God God is the kingdom of Yahweh and thou art exulted as head above all let no one run away with any idea as to who was really the king of Israel and David said that the victory he had gained the majesty of the occasion the glory and the greatness of this occasion belonged to Yahweh and not the Solomon order himself let the people get that naked and in verse 15 he said for we are strangers and sojourners as were all our fathers what a remarkable statement on a day like that when all the heaps of gold and silver iron wood grass seed and everything was there heaps upon heaps preparing for the building of one of the greatest temples of all history and Solomon was there with all this and he says let's get this fact clearly fixed in our mind that all this glory is Yahweh and you and I are simply strangers and sojourners we don't own a spirit not a world we do we own and he set that before the people that they might never forget they forgot them all right because no freedom was sojourners and they sat down they worshipped and kissed every brick thinking that this represented their glory and their strength that it is and David tried to get that message too and then at the end of the story we have a magnificent picture in the 22nd verse of the same chapter and they did eat and brim before Yahweh on that day with great

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    gladness and they made Solomon the son of David king the second time and anointed him unto Yahweh to be the chief governor and they got to be free and what a remarkable set of circumstances we've got here the beloved of Yahweh David the man of war the warrior who had filled all the victories that led to this great moment and here's the beloved Solomon the man of peace and he crowned a second time that's significant isn't it the Lord Jesus Christ was called king of the Jews and Pilate wrote it over his cross and that was a crown a crown put there by a gentile who recognized that man's claims as being barrowed and he's going to be crowned again as the great king and the man of peace and right alongside of Solomon was Zadok and now he's been to see the and the house of Eliezer comes in the promise and there's a king priest and who is he he's Melchizedek king of righteousness as Zadok Melchizedek and there's Solomon the man of peace and he's king of Salem and there we have brethren sisters in those two men the Melchizedek priesthood king priest reigning over the earth of peace and we read then Solomon sat upon the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David his father and prostit and all Israel obeyed him and we appreciate appreciate