II Samuel 19:9-15 – Strategic Alliance
The Living Word With Chuck Davis
II Samuel 19:9-15 – Strategic Alliance
Welcome to "The Living Word" with Chuck Davis. 2 Samuel 19, 9 to 15, Strategic Alliance. And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the ham of the Philistines, and now he is fled out of the land from Absalom. But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?" King David sent this message to Zedak and Abiathar the priest. Say to the elders of Judah, "Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king? You are my brothers, you are my bone and flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring the back the king?" And say to Amasa, "Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in the place of Joab." And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man so that they sent word to the king, returned both you and all your servants. So the king came back to the Jordan and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan. Yesterday we saw the grief of David that was creating confusion, this statement from the people. He defeats the Philistines but he is fled from his own son and they add these words who we appointed. So we see that this confusion has been brewing for a while on the land. How is David to reclaim these loyalties? There is an uncertainty in David right now. He seems to have lost his footing and he reaches out to the elders of Judah, remember this was his old base in Hebron. And he goes to Zedach and Abedithar, the priest, if you remember back in the story they had done some spy work for David when he had fled Jerusalem. He chides them, aren't you my bone and flesh? And he negotiates, he offers them his loyalty by saying, "Am I not the king?" Goes one step further and he says to Amasa, "I will make you the commander of my army." Remember, this was Absalom's commander and he's calling out that he's going to replace Joab who had been loyal to him. Maybe because Joab hadn't listened completely to him when David said, "Do not bring harm to my son." He works it well because he's able to come back across the Jordan and he's met by Judah or the leaders of Judah, we might say in this situation. The so-what of this passage continues to point somewhat to the unraveling of David. Will David get his mojo back? He has wisdom to negotiate. He plays into some of his past loyalty but we see that there's some consequences that are going to be before him in the days ahead. What could have been a glorious finish is somewhat of an unraveling and I just want to remind us that it goes back to David's passivity and his relationship to his family. Most recently after his passivity that led to division and trouble within the camp, he then was feeling unsure of himself and doesn't act in a keenly matter in relation to those who have done sacrifice for him, put their own lives on the line. The now-what in this is just a reminder to us of what needs to be cleaned up in our own situations. Sometimes we leave things out away from us that have been passed problems and we think that it's settled but it can have a way of coming back and biting us at the wrong time. You've heard me say multiple times that no one is as good as their best success or as bad as their greatest failure. It's what we do in between those spaces that becomes the measure of the character that we're growing into and living out of which then becomes the foundation for the legacy that we leave behind. Lord, if there are unresolved issues in our life that have potential to bring long-term consequences and even painful consequences in the future, we ask that you would make us wise to deal with them now in Jesus' name. Amen.