II Samuel 19:16-43 – Forgiveness of Enemies
The Living Word With Chuck Davis
II Samuel 19:16-43 – Forgiveness of Enemies
"Welcome to the Living Word with Chuck Davis." 2 Samuel 19, 16 to 43, forgiveness of enemies. And Chime, the son of Gera, the Benjamin from Baharim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin, and Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul with his 15 sons and his 20 servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king. And they crossed the fort to bring over the king's household and to do his pleasure. And Chime, the son of Gera, fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan. And said to the king, "Let not my Lord hold me guilty, or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my Lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart, for your servant knows that I have sinned, therefore behold I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph, to come down to meet my Lord the king." Abishai, the son of Zeruah, answered, "Sha'nachimai be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed." But David said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruah, that you should this day be an adversary to me? Should anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel? And the king said to Chime, "You shall not die, and the king gave him his oath." And if Abishai, son of Saul, came down to meet the king, he had neither taken care of his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me?" He answered, "My Lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king. For your servant is lame. He has slandered your servant to my Lord the king, but my Lord the king is like the angel of God, do therefore what seems good to you. For all my father's house were but men doomed to death before my Lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I than to cry to the king?" And the king said to him, "Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided you and Zibba shall divide the land. And Mephibosheh said to the king, 'O let him take it all since my Lord the king has come safely home.' Now Barazalai, the Gila Dait, had come down from Rogalim and he went on with the king to the Jordan to escort him over the Jordan. Barazalai was a very ancient man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food until he stayed at Mahanayam, for he was a very wealthy man. The king said to Barazalai, 'Come over with me and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.' But Barazalai said to the king, 'How many years have I still to live that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my Lord the king? The servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? Please let your servant return that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant, Shimham. Let him go over with my Lord the king and do for him whatever seems good to you. And the king answered, 'Shimham, shall go over with me and I will do for him whatever seems good to you. And all that you desire of me I will do for you. Then all the people went over the Jordan and the king went over and the king kissed Barazalai and blessed him and he returned to his own home. The king went on to Gilgal and Shimham went on with him. And all the people of Judah and also half the people of Israel got the king on his way. Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, 'Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen away and brought the king in his household over the Jordan and all David's men with him?' All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift? And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, 'We have ten shares in the king and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?' But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. This is a really long passage but there was really no place to break it. If you remember this man Shimhi had cursed David back in chapter 16. Now to his face he pleads for his own life. Someone in the crowd, 'A man by the name of Abishai, the son of Jeruai, answered, 'Shall not she might be put to death for this,' because he cursed the Lord's anointed. This cursing of the Lord's anointed and honoring the Lord's anointed has been one of the back themes throughout all of the David's story. What we see is that David forgives even Mephibosheth, who lies and uses flattery and is approached to David, 'David's love surpasses any kind of loyalty that's given back to him.' And the men of Judah come in and they take over. There's some kind of alliance forming that's happening here. Between David and the men of Israel, the Judah representatives are a little bit concerned about this. But the bottom line I think the so what of the story is that David deals with compassion and mercy on those he could have completely wiped out. Maybe the reason for this is because David experienced so much mercy from the hand of his God. The now what is an invitation for me to go do likewise. Knowing proper boundaries in my life but knowing how to give people benefit of the doubt by extending mercy and compassion and grace in difficult situations. So Lord help us. It's not natural to us. As David was a forerunner of Jesus, so Jesus is the only one who makes it possible for us to live this way. Fill us afresh with the spirit of Jesus that we might be people of mercy out to this world in Jesus' name, amen.