I cannot say, “And David became king and they all lived happily ever after.”
I am excited for the section of David’s life we are heading into! Let me tell you why.
It is a section full of failures, consequences, shame, frustration, heartbreak, and disappointment. But it is also full of success, glory, fruitfulness, promises, grace, and forgiveness.
We are living in this section!
But we are specifically living in the next couple of episodes: David’s house will grow stronger, while Saul’s house will grow weaker.
2 Samuel 3:1 (ESV) — 1 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
When you become a believer, you enter into Christ’s kingdom. Someday he will be king completely. But will he be king today? How much so? Will his reign increase or decrease inside your heart?
Title: King Jesus Seeks To Reign In You Completely
1 Christ will not force you to follow him (2 Samuel 2:1-7).
1 After this David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
4b When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6 Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
1 After Saul’s death, and after his elegy for Saul and Jonathan, David inquired of the LORD. He wanted to know if he should go up into any of the cities of Judah. Remember, he’d been living in Zicklag, a Philistine town, while out of fellowship with God. The LORD replied, ”Go up.”
1 But since God had not told him a specific location, David inquired again, ”To which shall I go up?” God told him to go to Hebron, which means ‘communion’ or ‘fellowship,’ for God and David would enjoy one another once again!
Grace!
God is not wearied!
God loves to progressively unfold his will!
2-3 David went up to Hebron with his two wives (more on that next week) and his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron.
4 Once in Hebron, men of only the tribe of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
This was, of course, only a partial anointing. David would reign over Judah for 7.5 years, but over all Israel for another 33.
In this, David reminds us of Christ, who will one day reign over all, but today reigns over whoever chooses him.
4-6 One day, a group told David that the men of Jabesh-Gilead had buried Saul. David, far from harming these men for their allegiance to Saul, honored them by pronouncing a blessing upon them for their loyalty to Saul their lord. David wish the LORD would show his steadfast love to them.
7 His conclusion? Let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.
At this point:
David would seek the Lord about each progressive step.
David would not become king through aggression or force.
David would gently pursue those he wanted to lead.
Jesus will not force you to follow him.
He obeyed his Father to become your king.
He did not become king by aggression or force.
He gently pursues you.
Matthew 11:28 (ESV) — 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Follow him!
John 7:37 (ESV) — John 7:37–38 (ESV) — 37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
At the end of the feast of booths they would commemorate God’s miraculous provision. One way they did that was by offering water from the pool of Siloam.
On that great day, Jesus said these words.
Heart check: Do I thirst?
Moses, to Israel before his death:
Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV) — 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…
How to follow Jesus:
1 Learn from him.
2 Talk to him.
3 Obey him.
4 Serve him.
2 Christ has challengers to his reign (2 Samuel 2:8-10).
8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9 and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
8-11 Abner, who was the son of Ner (Saul’s uncle, making Abner Saul’s nephew). In an attempt to retain some semblance of a kingdom, Abner installed Ish-bosheth the son of Saul as king over everyone else, all Israel. He did this in Mahanaim, far from David and the Philistines. There is a lack of consensus on how long David and Ish-bosheth simultaneously reigned, for Ish-bosheth might have only reigned two years the beginning or end of David’s reign, or if it took him five years to gain all Israel, making him have some reign for all of David’s seven years.
But, of course, it couldn’t be easy for David to ascend to the throne. Even after Saul’s death, Saul’s family is an impediment to David’s progress.
Jesus has challengers to his reign.
8-11 Ishbosheth: I think June called him ‘weaky.’
Changed from Ish-Baal.
Literally, man of “lord” or “master”.
Saul persumably did not intend to honor the false god Baal when he named his son.
It could mean merely “man of the Lord.”
But biblical authors, and later scribes, would’ve hated the usage, so they substituted Baal for Bosheth.
Bosheth: Literally, shame.
This happens elsewhere: Mephibosheth (for Jonathan’s son — 2 Samuel 4:4, 1 Chronicles 8:34), Jerub-Besheth (for Gideon, who was called Jerub-Baal after destroying his fathers idols —2 Samuel 11:21, Judges 6:32).
David vs. Ishbosheth / Beloved vs. the man of shame
Shameful challengers grasp for the throne.
Classic:
World / Flesh / Devil
Lust of the eyes / Lust of the flesh / Pride of life
Heart & Soul series:
Pleasure / Sex / The Body / Money / Relationships / Children / Accomplishments
Church in Ephesus: Acts 19:18–19 (ESV) — 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all…
James 5:16 (ESV) — 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed…
3 Christ will fight little by little, day by day (2 Samuel 2:12-17).
12 Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. 17 And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
12-14 After some time, Abner went out with his forces to Gibeon, where they met Joab and his forces. They met at the pool of Gibeon (seventy feet long and forty feet wide), sitting on either side of the pool. Abner proposed a competition. Some think this was for fun and sport, while others think he was emulating the Philistine method of representative combat.
15-16 Twelve warriors from each side were chosen, and everyone died in the ensuing battle. They named the place Helkath-hazzurim, the place of daggers, suggesting the type of combat they engaged in.
17 But after that initial tie, the battle grew fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
It was one day of fighting, a day where the servants of David beat the opposition.
The Christian life is daily (not weekly, monthly, or yearly). Every day there is a fight!
Jesus will fight little by little, day by day.
Romans 8:4 (ESV) — 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV) — 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Steps to experience NEWNESS OF LIFE (Romans 6:1-4).
1 Know you are dead to sin with Jesus.
Romans 6:6 (ESV) — 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
2 Consider this to be a fact (Romans 6:11).
Romans 6:11 (ESV) — 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
3 Give yourself and your body to God (Romans 6:13).
Romans 6:13 (ESV) — 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
Resist surrendering your body to sin.
Feed, entertain, pamper, entice, expose to temptation…do all this to the body and your throne will be taken!
Relinquish your body to God.
Eyes, ears, mouth, tongue, hands, feet, etc.
4 Christ will not use your self-sufficiency (2 Samuel 2:18-32).
18 And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” 21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?” 27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore. 29 And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim. 30 Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David’s servants nineteen men besides Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner’s men. 32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
18-23 Next, we read of a specific part of the battle, a part which precipitated future battles, for in this one Asahel, Joab’s brother, would die at the hands of Abner.
24-32 The fighting finally ended for the day, but only after Abner and Joab conferred with one another from hilltop to hilltop. Joab agreed with Abner’s assertion that brothers should not war. 360 of Abner’s men died that day, while nineteen (excluding Asahel) of David’s servants also died.
18 Asahel was swift of foot as a wild gazelle: Thought Abner pleaded with Asahel to turn aside, Asahel would not. It cost him his life.
Asahel’s speed cost him.
Asahel’s giftedness cost him.
But only because he trusted in it.
Jesus does not want to use self-sufficiency.
The attitude at Babel persists today: Genesis 11:4 (ESV) — 4 “…let us make a name for ourselves…”
19th Century American Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, in his essays on “Self Reliance” — Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.
Not so, Ralph!
Jesus gives gifts — spiritual and natural — to his people, but our trust is to be in him.
Peter had to go through a process before he could actually live the way he intended.
Luke 22:33 (ESV) — 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
Close
King Jesus wants to reign completely in you.
John: John 3:30 (ESV) — 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
