Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 22

We have now come to the home stretch in the life of David.  This is the first time I have studied his life so intensely through 1 & 2 Samuel and if there is one phrase I could use to describe his life it would be this….

A Life NOT According To His Expectations

I am amazed at how David managed to still sing praises to God after the life he had.

Many years ago as a shepherd boy… I am sure he never expected to be suddenly summoned by the great prophet Samuel and then anointed to be the next king of Israel.  All he must have thought about then was his flock of sheep and how he must watch out for the lions and bears.

Unexpectedly, he was thrust into the battlefield when Goliath confronted Israel and in the name of the Lord of Host, he defeated the giant with just a sling and stone and God on his side.  Now best friends with the son of the king and a trusted soldier in the palace, he must have thought he would be living the high life now.

Never could he have expected that king Saul would be jealous of him and then he would spend years running away as a fugitive with Saul literally breathing down his neck.  He had chances to kill Saul but chose not to.  Surely he expected Saul to see the error of his ways and stop pursuing him… but things did not work out that way.  Saul remained his nemesis until he died in the battlefield.

Now the way was clear for him to be king and although it took him a few more years than expected, he finally united the whole kingdom.  Surely peace and God’s blessings are now expected after the years of running but yet staying true to God.

But he fell to sin… grave sins.  And his expected blissful family life and blessed kingdom never did materalize.  One disaster after another.  Wife despises him. Death in the family. Family rapes and murders.  Reconciliation was just a prelude to revolt and rebellion.  A favourite son usurps his throne through devious schemes.

Whew!  I am exhausted just thinking about it.  It was certainly a life not according to his expectations… or ours.  I mean… here was a man after the heart of God and yet his life is so chaotic, so unpredictable and so full of troubles.

How many of us feel like this?  Our lives do not go according to plan.  Whatever we want to do, there seems to be insurmountable obstacles in front of us.  Setbacks after setbacks.

Our life …. not exactly the way we expect it would go…

That is why when I read today’s passage, I was truly amazed at David because here he was… after all the turmoils in his life and reaching his last days… he could still sing… not just an ordinary song… but an extraordinary song of praise and celebration to the Lord.  There is much we can learn from his song today.

How Often Do You Sing?

I am not talking about the pop songs or national songs :)  I am talking about how often do you sing unto the Lord?

David sang in the night time (Psa 42:8; 77:6).  He sang with joy in the morning (Psa 90:14).  From the rising of the son to its setting, he sang praises to the Lord (Psa 113:3).  While he lived, he will sing praises to God (Psa 146:1-2).

As I am typing these words, I was chatting with a brethren who was angry about a certain event that just happened.  So my advice was to sing!  (:  Cause in singing praises to God, David could put aside all the unexpected and unhappy things that happened in his life and reminded himself of the loving, merciful, all powerful God who was and is the joy and Shepherd of his life.

And maybe that is what we need to do as well…

When we are faced with roadblocks in our life…. when our best plan for our future seems to be no plan at all… when the life we hope to have is just not happening…

Focus back on God and what He means to me… and with the grace of God like David… we could still find our joy and peace in the Lord God.

I had originally wanted to write more about this song of David but am afraid you would not read it cause it will be too long…

But I read a Christain author by the name of Chuck who said that David sums up his life in four themes:

When TIMES ARE TOUGH, the Lord is our only SECURITY.
When DAYS ARE DARK, the Lord is our only LIGHT.
When our WALK IS WEAK, the Lord is our only STRENGTH.
When our FUTURE IS FOGGY, the Lord is our only HOPE.

This summarises beautifully the song of David and I would just want to add in some things for us to consider as we read through or sing through this song…

First of all, David in verses 1-4 was declaring to everyone WHO IS GOD?  Who is this God that David is constantly singing praises to?  If you, like me, take the time to read through this song slowly, you will see so many charateristics of God that David mentioned…  and am sure it would have reminded you of who God is in your life in the past, in the present and will be in the future.

Secondly, when you look at verses 5-20, you will see how David declared WHAT GOD HAD DONE.

Then you see in verses 21-28, David was wondering HOW GOD SEES ME?

Now with all those things in mind, in verses 29-46, David now reflects on WHAT GOD IS TO ME?

David is fully convince of God’s relationship with him and he with God and expresses confidently WHY I WORSHIP HIM in verses 47-51.

I am really tempted to write more but will stop now and ask that you share instead.  But after all this talk of singing, I must end with a song at least!

I wonder what will be my final song?

Blessed Sabbath!

“We Shall Behold Him”

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 21

When there is an unwanted thing that happens in life, the first thing many of us would do is to look at others and count the ways that we think they might have contributed to the situation. Then the blame game starts.

Today’s chapter however shows us a very different aspect of faith. David’s example here is worthy of emulation in our lives.

Granted that there was a lot of bloodbath, unnecessary killings and conspiracies during the previous chapters, today’s chapter however sees a turn in which the events are pleasing to God.

What did David do exactly that was pleasing to God?
In a word, he inquired of the Lord rather than go by his own impulses. We consider how this works out in the famine incident.

Addressing the Real Cause of the Famine

No one wants a famine in the land.

In the eyes of the common men a national shortage like this will always be linked to the unwise ways in which the national government agencies have handled situations. Concerning David however, the Bible’s comment is certain and succinct. 1 Sam 21:1 starts by letting us know without a doubt that this is the same David who is still consistent in the way he handles matters.

Will we also seek God’s advice when we need to deal with things? Lest we forget, every thing that we do has an impact on the kingdom of God so we will be wise to learn from David’s example here. When the reason was revealed, it is certain that no one would have guessed that it was due to an old sin of Saul. (Lo and behold!)

This is a crucial teaching for us today. In God’s eyes, decisions made wrongly will certainly have an impact for the future, only because God is a God who hates sin. Let us thus be wise in this regard! This is a very real issue that tends to be overlooked in the daily interactions and dealings that we engage in. Big or small, the sins must be dealt with in a God-pleasing way. In God’s eyes, we must confess and repent and seek His forgiveness (cf. 1 John 1:8-9).

Is there any similar incident in our life that mirrors the fault and sin of Saul? Perhaps it is difficult to know sometimes because even we ourselves don’t know ourselves that well. Therefore, it is imperative that we act like David and supplicate to God, and ask Him to search out the deepest parts of our hearts, and to cleanse us even of the hidden faults and concealed sins (Psalm 19:12-13).

Keeping Faith in earlier Promises

To David, once he realised the great abuse and injustice that Saul had inflicted upon the Gibeonites, he immediately considered the historical treaty that his ancestor Joshua had made with the Gibeonites (cf. Joshua 9:15-17). Though it was a treaty made long ago, what was required was that Israel upheld their end of the bargain.

In God’s eyes, this was a very important matter. The need to honour vows made in God’s name is of crucial importance (Numbers 30:2). The fact that Saul had dishonoured and even defiled the vow was the real issue at hand. This was a grave sin and thus Israel suffered the brunt of the famine. Now that David sought out complete justice and recompense on Gibeon’s behalf, the Lord’s anger was quelled and God was well-pleased. The problem was solved and the sin was dealt with properly.

Today we need to consider our own positions. It is easy to pray and make promises in the heat of the moment. We must however be careful with our words. Let us honour our vows and keep to the covenants we have made with God. Let us be like the man David, learning from his mistakes, and getting back on our feet, and ultimately doing what is right in God’s sight.

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 20

I chose a gloomy picture for a gloomy chapter.

After reading the chapter for today, do you agree with me that like a lot of the chapters we have been reading, it is characteristically violent and depressing?

Besides that, chapter 20 is also the close to a series of events that started with Absalom’s march into Jerusalem with his general, Amasa, and the army he gathered from all the tribes of Israel with the intention of seizing the throne.

Here is a very succinct summary of the events that happened between then and our chapter for today.

1. Absalom and his general, Amasa, march into Jerusalem with the support of the people whose hearts he ‘stole’ (2 Sam 15:6).
2. David flees. David’s personal body guard and the military forces with Joab flee with David.
3. David’s forces engage Absalom’s forces. General Joab kills Absalom.
4. David is upset when he is told Joab had killed Absalom to end the civil war despite the fact that David’s military had won the battle securing David’s kingship.
5. David replaces General Joab with Amasa, the defeated rebel general of Absalom.
6. The tribe of Judah, David’s tribe, rushes to welcome David back to his throne without inviting the other eleven tribes to join them.
7. The northern tribes (Israel) express their disappointment to the southern tribe of Judah who “responded even more harshly than the men of Israel” (2 Sam 19:43).
8. This causes Sheba, a troublemaker from the tribe of Benjamin in Israel, to sound a trumpet and challenge the legitimacy of David as king. All of the northern tribes (Israel) join with him and a second civil war soon breaks out.
9. David orders his new general, Amasa, to organize his troops within three days to pursue Sheba. Remember that Amasa was leading a civil war against David and fighting David’s military less not much earlier. Now Amasa is to organize and lead David’s troops into this second civil war.
10. The military is trying to figure out who the general is: Joab or Amasa?
11. Nobody really knows who the enemy is or who the good guys are anymore. The enemy that was just defeated was the king’s own son who was supported by members of David’s own royal staff. Now David’s faithful military have been placed under the command of the rebel general Amasa and ordered to attack Israel.
12. When David’s troops are assembled under the leadership of Amasa, the former General Joab shows up and kills Amasa.
13. Amasa’s corpse is removed and hidden in the ditch and David’s men march to the northern border of Israel to attack on an Israelite city where Sheba fled.
14. Joab begins to besiege the northern city of Abel-Beth-Maacha. While in the process of battering in their walls, a wise woman looks down from the wall and asks what they are doing. When Joab responds by saying they are fighting the rebel forces of Sheba, the wise woman says his head would be thrown to them. Sheba’s head is then thrown to Joab. The civil war ends and the men return home.
15. General Joab went back to King David in Jerusalem and they lived happily ever after . . . until David orders Solomon to deal with Joab . . . but, that is a story from First Kings.

(Italics for events in chapter 20)

While I was reading this summary, what went through my mind was - poor soldiers.

Due to the sin of David and the machinations of various people from Absalom to Joab, these poor soldiers (on either side) must have been led on a merry wild goose chase. How confused and frightened they must have been; especially with the gruesome deaths of Absalom and Joab.

Sometimes, we too may be like these soldiers, not knowing who our leaders and our enemies are.

Who should we listen to? What should we fight for? Who should we fight against?

One very important thing we can learn from our chapter today would be not to listen to man but to God. Our chapter shows us very clearly how fickle and ‘many-faced’ man can be. It also shows us how circumstances can make someone our friend one moment and our enemy the next.

However, if we all were to follow what is unchanging and true, we would all be on the same side, fighting the same enemy and not waste our energy fighting among ourselves like the armies of Israel. Just like it is sad that the nation of the LORD should engage in civil wars, it would be even more tragic for the church of Christ, with His Spirit, to have divisions and schisms within her.

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 19

This is a hard chapter to read.  Because even after the death of Absalom, the family and national problems for David just does not seem to go away.  You wonder just how much more can David take?  Wasn’t he the specially anointed one of God?  Didn’t God promised him the throne of Israel?

So why was it that even when the son who usurped him had died - there was a strange sense of reluctance of the people to openly welcome him back to the throne?  In fact David had to ‘instigate’ some action from his own fellow tribe!

I hope you can follow the story cause it can get a bit confusing and I do not intend to give you a summary of this chapter.  So if there any parts you are not clear of, just leave a comment and I will try and explain it. But for today, I just want to take a further look at David… and see what made him a man after the heart of God.

Last Friday, Bro Hon Fah explained the phrase “after the heart of God” to mean an active pursuit of the matters of God.  It suggests a continual effort and strong desire to be like God. And David truly has given us a great example of one who is “after the heart of God.”

In today’s passage, we see a beautiful aspect of the forgiving heart of David… pretty much the heart of our Heavenly Father…

A Heart of Forgiveness

As David returned to Jerusalem, he was met by a man named Shimei.

Does that name sound familiar?  Well… a quick look at 2 Samuel 16:5-23 will refresh our memories.

As David fled the city after Absalom schemed his way to power, Shimei was one that took the opportunity to attack David.  And boy!  Did he attacked David!

He attacked him with terrible and harsh words:  Read again the words Shimei used in 2 Sam 16.  Shimei ‘cursed’ David.  He called him a ‘man of blood’, a ’soundrel’.

Have you ever been cursed by someone?  It does not feel good, doesn’t it?

Or have you ever been hurt by words uttered by someone else.  Words that cut deep into your soul so much so that even months or years after the event, the mere thought of it still slices through your heart and leaves an aching pain.

When it happens, we get hurt and angry.

He attacked him with cruel actions:  Now if cruel words were not enough, Shimei also attacked David with stones!  He threw rocks at David.  He showered dirt at David.  He was relentless in his physical attacks.  He wanted to not only hurt David’s heart with his words, he wanted David to hurt in his flesh also.

In fact… he wanted to publicly humiliate David.

It is already very painful when people hurl words in our direction, or gossip behind our backs.  But when their actions stem to hurt us publicly, it really rips us open to the bone and we are humiliated to our very core.   Ever been there?

He attacked hin with lies:  If what people say about us is true, it may not hurt so much.  Ok… it still hurts a lot but when we are attacked by lies… it is much much more painful, isn’t it?

Some of what Shimei said was true.  David was guilty of murder.  David was indeed a man of blood.

But David was certainly not a scoundrel!  He was chosen by God to be the King of Israel.  Inspite of his failures and foolishness, he was God’s anointed.  He was also a man that feared God and a man of integrity - he refused to kill Saul when he had the chance.

But Shimei shouted out loudly lies after lies - God is now getting His revenge against David for murdering Saul and his family!  Now we all know that Saul committed suicide and his sons died in battle.  Shimei claimed that David stole the throne - again, a lie as David was appointed by God himself to be the king.  And lastly, Shimei said that God had given David’s throne to Absalom.  Lies! Lies! Lies!

Now Shimei is not a very nice man isn’t he?  He is the kind of person who would kick another man when he is down.

David was again at a very low point in his life.  His kingdom and his family life were in shambles.  After a period of peace, quiet and prosperity, he had become a fugitive once again … running away from his own son!  And Shimei now adds injury to insult!

Some of us have been there.  Some of us are still there.

The wounds are fresh in our minds… and suddenly… we are now put in a position where we can exact our revenge.  What will we do?

David’s reaction is certainly commendable and I wonder if I would ever be able to be like him.  Shimei had wronged David and if anyone deserved David’s hatred and wrath, it was Shimei.  But instead of the expected anger and malice - there as only compassion and forgiveness.

This is a lesson that we desperately need to learn.  And maybe by looking at what David did, it can go some way to help us develop a forgiving heart.

See what David said in 2 Sam 16:11-12…

“… Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day.”

Do you ever think you will say those words in the midst of being attacked by someone?

But we are reminded that we are supposed to do what David did.

We are to place the matter in the hands of the Lord and leave it to Him.

He knows what has been said and done.  He knows what is the truth and what are the lies.  He knows the motives behind the attacks.  He knows just what is needed to be done.

Paul puts it the best when he wrote in Romans 12:14-21….

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

Therefore
“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So the next time you are cursed, attacked, lied about, misunderstood, threatened etc… what are you going to do?

Well… we can act like most people would and handle it ourselves.

Or… we can do what David did and leave it in the hands of God.  Learn like David to deal with these kind of matters at the very moment of offense.  If you don’t, the hurt can fester into something far worse and dangerous.  There is a thin line between resentment and hatred.  And hatred quickly escalates to bitterness and gives way to revenge.

And that will be terrible because that is not what God wants us to do.

A discerning friend told me that it starts from the heart.

Our heart.

Is our heart willing to pursue after the heart of God and be like Jesus who forgives us despite our many many faults?

Or is our heart going to be bound up by our hurt, pain and sorrow and we cannot get past it and see the love of Jesus that has set us free from all this?

Have faith.  Have faith in God for He is on His throne!

Now all you have to do is sing a long!

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 18

The rebellion has finally been crushed but at a lost of 20000 Israelites and the death of Absalom, David’s son. It was a high price to pay and a great lost for David. This event marked the end of the conflict that prophet Nathan prophesied. The sin that David committed (premeditated murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba) has brought about an earthquake within his family, destruction of lives and a humiliating expulsion from his city.

David was a good-hearted man and he wanted his son Absalom to return to him alive albeit his son had committed treason. He did not want to repay evil with evil. David knew that this was the punishment from God, and despite being dethroned and humiliated by his enemies, David took the punishment in good stride.

As Christians at times we do face trials or even the chastening from the Lord. Do we react negatively or strongly oppose to these chastening? Are we able to be like David, who humbled himself, admitted his sins and grieve over his sin? One may say that the death of his son was just events in history, however, if David had not committed the grave sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, these events would not have unfolded. The death of Absalom, Amnon, rape of Tamar and Absalom’s usurp of the throne and rape of David’s concubines was the calamities brought upon by God on him.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”

(2 Sam 12:11-12)

Another character in this chapter that is of focus is Joab. I wonder what are your opinions of this man? In my opinion and study of this character, I come to a conclusion that Joab is very unlike David. He was not a man after God’s heart and was unrighteous in his deeds. Joab is in fact David’s nephew and is the son of David’s sister Zeruiah. In the preceding chapters, Joab was made a commander of David’s army and he rose in ranks quickly.

However, in order to establish his position as a commander, perhaps in today’s term is the Chief of Armed Forces, he deliberately underhandedly murdered Abner who was the right hand man of Saul who wanted to defect to David. Moreover, when David instructed Joab to put Uriah in the fiercest battle front, Joab did it without hesitation for in fact he was never righteous in the first place.

Joab was also a sly fox and in order to gain favour from David, he brokered for peace between David and Absalom. When David ordered all his men not to harm Absalom, it was Joab who murdered the king’s son who was helplessly stuck on the tree.

Why did he not follow David’s instruction? It was not explained, but perhaps there could be a few reasons. One reason could be Joab was very jealous of Absalom and felt humiliated to save Absalom who rebelled against David. He could have feared that if he kept Absalom alive and if Absalom returned to David and they made peace, Absalom could be a threat to his power and status in David’s army.  The last conjecture could be that Joab was responsible for bringing Absalom back and that now Absalom had became a bad egg and a disgrace to him, he decided to cover this mistake by killing Absalom.

Joab is a classic example of human behaviour especially in a competitive environment like in the office.

Joab will go all out to please the ‘boss’ and would do underhanded tactics to secure his position either by backstabbing others or covering his mistakes. His motives are clearly personal and he is unemotional and unhesitant in destroying others.

As Christians, do we behave like Joab in the work place? Do we follow the footsteps of other of our colleagues in doing unrighteous deeds in order to elevate our status or positions in the office? We have to be careful and watchful as it is easy to be caught in such a snare. We ought to be like David, to seek after God’s heart and if we have done something wrong, we have to be brave enough to admit our wrongs and face the punishment be it from men or from God.

As a concluding verse for encouragement,

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. “

(1 Tim 6:11)

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 17

Two characters’ advices
Both devised very good plans
But two very different intents…
Only one shall be heeded in the end.

The Advice of Ahithophel

We took over the city of Jerusalem,
then Absalom had a discussion with us his men.

I suggested choosing twelve thousand men,
and I would set out to pursue David that night.
I wanted to catch to David to kill him,
while the people were weary and weak.
Then I will bring back all others who fled with him,
all except David shall not return and the people shall be at peace.

Absalom was delighted upon hearing this advice,
and so were all the elders of Israel.

The Advice of Hushai

King Absalom had summoned me,
and so I gave my advice.

I thought Ahithophel’s advice was not good this time,
because I knew David and his men were mighty men.
I said to Absalom that his father was a man of war,
and his followers were valiant men.
Therefore twelve thousand men was not enough,
I say we should summon more people from the whole of Israel.

So the king and the elders decided to follow my advice,
But I warned David afterwards to escape that night.

Who’s Advice to Follow

Ahithophel gave his advice with a cruel intent,
while Hushai gave his advice with the intent of saving David,
because David had prayed about this,
and God had listened to his prayers (2 Sam 15:31).

Therefore Hushai was purposed by God to serve David,
to defeat the advice of Ahithophel for David’s sake.
Hushai was a faithful friend and good servant to David,
and because of some advice,
he saved David’s life.

Some ADVICE

Able. If we are ABLE to give advice when asked to, then do so. God may have given us the experience, knowledge or wisdom at that moment to advise someone. When we give advice, we serve another person because we are (…or should be) thinking of the person’s needs.

Duty. It may be our DUTY to advise someone. If we only give advice to someone when it’s convenient for us then we lose the opportunity to help that person when they need it. Among friends, between family members, or within church, we give advice to help that person and that is another way of serving one another.

Valid. Our advice must be VALID. Imagine a preschooler advising a teenage student on what to study in university, or how about a single person counselling a married couple, or a sermon speaker sharing a sermon about Sabbath when they do not attend all Sabbath services; it’s just not valid or credible.

Intent. Be sure our INTENT is to genuinely help that person. One reason many people fear to serve others is for fear they are not good enough. God expects us to do what we can, with what we have, wherever we are as long as we are sincere.

Choose. Now it is the advisee’s choice to CHOOSE whether to follow our advice. So give them a choice, give them some space, and also pray for them. Remember we are only human and we can’t be in control of everything but God knows what’s best for us for He purposed the things in our lives.

Enacted. Good advice is ENACTED if it is the will of God. As long as we have done our part, put God in our plans and set out to help that person, we have done our part to serve that person with some advice.

———–

Have I given some “good” advice to help someone lately, or what is some “good” advice I should have listened to?

In times of harshness, a man’s heart is revealed; and the heart reveals a man.

David, with his entire household was fleeing from Absalom, and in this chapter, we can see some characters revealing their ugly hidden selves.

How many ugly characters can you see in this chapter?

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 16

The liar and opportunist - Ziba

• He lied to David about his master, Mephibosheth’s intention of taking back the kingdom from David.
• Taking advantage of Mephibosheth’s handicap and the urgency in David to flee, David made a careless judgment without finding out the truth, David “rewarded” him with all that belonged to Mephibosheth. (16:4)

It was only when David returned from hiding (chp. 19), that he heard from Mephibosheth’s side of the story and realized Ziba was an unfaithful servant and he lied to David.

This character, Ziba, gives us a reminder of the 9^th and 10^th Commandments, not to bear false witness against your neighbor, and not to covet your neighbor’s house.

The “double-faced” accuser - Shimei

• He thought David was being “ousted” by Absalom for good, so he cursed David and his men vehemently. By doing this he had gone against the instruction of God in Exodus 22: 28 that cursing a ruler of the people was forbidden.
• The way he cursed David seemed to show his strong loyalty to King Saul and his household, but was he really so? He reacted differently because he feared for his own life when David returned to Jerusalem, and he asked for forgiveness. (2 Samuel 19: 16 - 20).

In this incident of Shimei’s cursing, David took it all. David allowed Shimei to curse him as he thought this cursing and reprimands could have been “approved” by God. Had David not endured but took the advice of Abishai to kill Shimei, the situation at that time could have been disastrous.

This character, Shimei, gives me the warning of the foolishness of being hypocritical, i.e. taking advantage of the favorable situation to take sides during disputes but not standing on the grounds of righteousness.

We must not react in such manner either in church or in our work places, but we must have the integrity to stand on the grounds of righteousness according to the teachings of the Bible.

Whereas for David, his endurance is worth our emulation, as a Chinese saying goes, “百忍成金” aptly described David’s reaction to Shimei’s curses.

But I believe it was David’s steadfast faith in God that he could endure the cursing. This is also something that we must take note, and that is to always allow God’s words to keep us calm in times when we are being wrongly accused.

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek,

turn the other to him also.

Matthew 5:39

The stinky traitor - Ahithopel

• He was David’s counselor (15: 12), a counselor could be a counselor because the king trusted in him, but he defected from David and became a traitor.
• He gave a very outrageous and abhorring advice to Absalom to have sexual relation with David’s concubines in public! This act greatly strengthened Absalom’s followers by making it clear that he was claiming the throne.

Such a character like Ahithopel is indeed terrible, for the betrayal of one’s trust is outright, simply evil!

Hushai, even called as a friend of the king (v 17), also falls into this category of a betrayer of trust.

There may come a time that we have to face dire situations, and as such we may be pushed to make certain decisions.

Our decisions that we have to make and the action that we have to take can affect not only ourselves, but also the people around us.

So it is good that in times of peace, we must take the opportunity to prepare ourselves by spiritually nurturing ourselves through the Word of God.

And constantly ask the Lord to search our hearts, just like how David prayed,

Examine me, O LORD, and prove me;

Try my mind and my heart.

Psalms 26:2

May God help us to avoid falling into becoming any of the negative characters mentioned in this chapter, but to learn from His wonderful attributes and to grow in His image.

Shalom!

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 15

Absalom was really something, wasn’t he?

The more I read about this character, the more I marvel at the depth of his character - he seemed to be someone rather scheming and capable of much more….

Chapter after chapter, the things he does shock me.

He stole the hearts of the people

Today’s chapter started with an account of how Absalom won over the hearts of Israel. If we were to read and ponder deeper, it is interesting to see that many of the ‘tricks’ Absalom used are actually techniques we can learn from and use in our own personal evangelism!

A Bible commentator noted the following (among other things):

1. He carefully cultivated an exciting, enticing image (chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him)
2. He worked hard (Absalom would rise early)
3. He knew where to position himself (beside the way to the gate)
4. He looked for troubled people (anyone who had a lawsuit)
5. He reached out to troubled people (Absalom would call to him)
6. He took a personal interest in the troubled person (What city are you from?)
7. He sympathized with the person (your case is good and right)

I thought it might be good to draw some lessons about personal evangelism here since today happens to be a Sabbath Evangelistic Service.

In doing personal evangelism, our outward appearance does matter. Because first impression does count, dressing modestly and neatly would send off a good message to the receiver. Even more importantly is our reputation which others have known us to be. Are we known as he who goes to church faithfully every Friday night? Or she who always talks about Jesus? Or are we the one who gossip behind people’s back? Or the ones who play tricks in order to gain benefits?

Working hard is of course a given. Sometimes this means going out of our way to make sure a truth-seeker is comfortable in church. Or that, despite our own busyness, we still remember to send that reminder sms to encourage a friend to attend church. Even more importantly, we need to work hard with a willing heart. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). If we are working hard grudgingly, we have just discounted all our hard work. They wouldn’t mean as much to God.

We need to know where to ‘position’ ourselves. Not only do we go out into the masses to distribute church tracts in order to reach more people, we should also consider ‘positioning’ ourselves in such a way that people can easily find us. Even if we have a good reputation as a Christian, people still cannot come to God through us if we are always hiding in a corner of the office during lunch or praying alone in one of the classrooms during breaks. In other words, we need to make ourselves available, positioned somewhere where we can be reached easily. Some suggestions would be to hang around church’s dining area during the lunchtime break, or occasionally coming online on MSN for those who do not have the habit to do so. You never know what surprises you might get.

When Jesus was on earth, He once said this, “Only the sick need a doctor” (Mark 2:17). He specifically went to sinners who had a need, and indeed most of the times, these are the ones who are willing to hear about Jesus. Are there any troubled souls around you? Perhaps it may be over exam stress, or over work fatigue, or over the real meaning of life. Start with these people!

In my opinion, for us to persist in evangelism work, it is really important that we develop an interest in people. We need to be interested in people! After all, every one of us is created by God. And every one of us is different, and special. Hopefully, this would motivate you to want to reach out to more souls to bring them back to Christ.

Most of us might have heard of this exhortation before: Be a friend first. When there are new faces in church, rather than bombarding them with our church doctrines all at one go, try to make friends first and hopefully through the friendship, there will be more chances for that person to know God. We could ask them more about themselves (most people would not mind talking about themselves, if they have a willing listener!), what they do, how did they come to know God, or what made them interested to step into church etc.

In personal evangelism, a very important skill to have is listening. And people can generally tell if you are a good listener, or if you have been sincerely listening, by the way you answer. Listen in such a way so that we may feel for the person. Maybe that person might be moved by your sincerity to want to know about the God whom you worship!

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Apparently, Absalom knew of these techniques to reach out to people and to win their hearts over. The only difference was that he did not do it out of a pure motive.

It is interesting to note that the word ‘stole’ was used, and this meaning was only made obvious to me in the Chinese translation (押 沙 龙 暗 中 得 了 以 色 列 人 的 心). He won the hearts of people over without them even knowing about it! It was secretive, like in the dark. At this juncture, perhaps we can ask ourselves if there have been anything that had secretly stolen our heart, without our knowledge!

As Christians today, we want to win hearts too, but we want to win hearts over for Jesus.

casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Techniques may help bridge that gap between us and the other party. However, only by the power of the Holy Spirit can one be fully convinced in the faith. Therefore, at times, perhaps we need not know anything else except Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and allow the power of God to be manifested (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). 
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Some other thoughts that lingered:

What do you think about Ittai the Gittite’s decision to follow King David? Can we draw a parallel to the way we follow Christ today?

Hushai was called David’s friend (2 Samuel 15:37). Jesus also called us His friends (John 15:13-15). What are the conditions to be called as friends?

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 14

Yesterday, we read that Absalom fled and went to Geshur and was there three years.  This was due to his part in the murder of Amnon and although David grieved deeply and longed to be reunited with Absalom, nothing happened.

What follows in today’s passage is really like a soap opera.

Joab perceived that the king’s heart was concerned about Absalom: David was obviously troubled by his estranged relationship with Absalom - and he decided to do something to bring David and Absalom together.

He got a woman of Tekoa to tell a fabricated story of one son dead and another threatened with death.  The whole aim was to direct David to make a judgement and in so doing, realized his folly and seek a reconciliation with Absalom.

Does this sound familiar?  Prophet Nathan had used this same tactic to allow David to realize his own deep sin.  Now Joab was using something similar to illicit a response of forgiveness and acceptance from the king.

Read through this story carefully and think…

• Why was it that Joab wanted David to be reconciled with Absalom?
• Was David right in forgiving Absalom despite his violent murder?
• Was there true repentance and reconciliation on the part of both David and Absalom?

Actually, I read through this passage at least 3 times before writing this and each time… I had slightly different thoughts.  Maybe you can share them with me or ask your questions here…

But today… I would just like to concentrate on this verse which I found most interesting….

For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.

2 Samuel 14:14

This image of water that has been spilled on the ground cannot be gathered up again is a beautiful picture of opportunity lost.

If you spill a glass of water on the ground, you certainly can’t put it back into the glass.

The point is that there is finality about death that cannot be recovered from on this earth.  Within strained family relationships the death of one of the parties ends all opportunities of reconciliation.

The woman of Tekoa was reminding David about the finality of the potential death of Absalom without both father and son reconciling.  If the bitterness and lack of communication continued between them, one of them will die first and thereafter… all hopes of problem rectification will be lost.

Two very big lessons for me here.

Do This Quickly!

First is that we need to be careful in our families (at home or our family in church) that when there is some kind of conflict over some issue, we need to get it settled quickly.  Now I know from personal experience that it is very difficult.

Some of the relationship issues that exists have been due to deep grievances and hurt that has been inflicted upon you by the other party (pretty much like what Absalom did to David).  Some of have been due to misunderstandings.  Some of just been due to the fact that we have differing points of view.

You have your own reasons why relationships can be estranged.  And you find it very difficult to even contemplate the thought of being reconciled.

But there is a big need for us to try and make things right with that person.  Whenever I read Matthew 18, I get very worried.

This is because I am not sure when I view the various issues I have in church around me, that I am not proud and think too highly of myself and look down on others (Matt 18:4-5).

This is because I am not sure if what I have done, am doing or behaving is causing a fellow brethren to sin and fall (Matt 18:6-7).

This is because when I look at myself, I know that I definitely fall short of the example and love of Jesus in seeking out the wayward and lost sheep…. some who have dropped off because I have not done my part (Matt 18:10-14).

This is because in many cases, when a brother has hurt me or sinned against me (at least that’s what I think), I have not applied the principles that Jesus has laid down in Matt 18:15-17.  And yet, I always quote Matt 18:20 to say that God is always in our midst.

This is more so in many cases where I feel and know that I deeply need the forgiveness of Jesus for my many many shortcomings and expect Him to forgive me… and yet… find it so so so very difficult to even show a glimpse of forgiveness to those who have hurt me.  And so, it is terrifying for me to hear Jesus saying “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matt 18:35)

Joab’s purpose of getting David to reconcile with Absalom may be politically driven or it may be because of his deep loyalty to David and did not want to see him in pain and sorrow.

But whatever his reasons are, we should reflect on ourselves to see… if there is any conflict or issue that needs to be resolved… let us do so…. and do it quickly.

I know it is much easier said than done… and I am still working on it.  So please pray for me.

God’s Mercy and Justice

When I read this phrase in 2 Sam 14:14, tears cannot help but well up in my eyes…

“… but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”

God devises means so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.  Read that again slowly.

This is our God.  This is my God.

Despite my many sins and constant falling short of His glory, He still has His mercy and He will seek a way to bring me back to Him again.  And I wonder … whatever did I do to deserve this?

But there is a warning for me as well in today’s passage.  It is true that God finds a way to bring us back - but not at the expense of justice.  God reconciles us by satisfying justice, not by ignoring justice.

Indeed, when we are under the chastening of God, we may feel like banished ones. Yet we, even as His banished ones, we belong to Him and can trust that He will devise means to bring us back to Him.  The way is through Jesus and His work.  He has stood in the place of guilty sinners as He hung on the cross and received the punishment that we deserved.

And this is just a much needed reminded as we come to the end of a work week and prepare to enter the Sabbath.

God’s Justice … mingled with Mercy.

Such love barely deserved.

“Forgive Me… I’m so SORRY “

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 13

If this is the first time you are reading this chapter, I am sure you must be turning to the cover of your Bible to check if it is really the Bible you are reading!

The shameful and torrid events that unfold before our eyes would not seem out of place in a Hollywood movie or the latest soap opera.  Love, Lust, Plots, Rape, Hatred, Revenge, Murder.  All ingredients for the script writers and yet.. here we read of it in the Bible… and it is just in one chapter alone.

I do not know how you feel after reading this passage… but I am sure you agree… this is not one chapter you would readily read aloud to your children or discuss with anyone…  just because the events are so shocking.

Or are they?

After David committed grave sins in 2 Sam 11, Nathan rebuked him in and said that the sword shall never depart from the house of David (2 Sam 12:10).   Subsequent events showed that although David sincerely repented and received forgiveness, the discpline and judgement of God came down strongly on David and his family.  His first son with Bathsheba died despite all his prayers.  And now… more tragedy was to befall his family.

One of his daughters was raped.  He lost not only one son, Amnon, through the hands of another son.  He also lost that son, Absalom, who fled from the house of David after he ad killed Amnon.

What are some of the things that came to mind as I read this chapter?

Be Careful Who You Listen To

I have mentioned the names of Amnon and Absalom.  But there was someone else that was a big culprit in the start of this whole problem.

That was the cousin of Amnon - Jonadab.

Now Jonadab encouraged Amnon to commit this sexual crime.  I am not sure what was in it for him but he clearly instigated Amnon to take action (2 Sam 13:3-5).

Many a times, we are very vulnerable to hye advice of our relatives or good friends just because we are close to them.  And even though we may know that what we are thinking of doing is wrong… because we have these “好兄弟” to give us ‘advice’, to egg us on, we gain the confidence to carry out what we know is wrong.

But the lesson for me is this… we must make sure that we evaluate every piece of advice by God’s standards, even when it comes from people that we like and trust.

Love and Lust

Sounds like the title of a movie doesn’t it?

But love and lust are very different.  After Amnon raped his half sister, his “love” turned to hatred.  Although he had claimed to be in love, he was actually overcomed by lust.

Love is patient.  But lust wants immediate satisfaction.

Love is kind.  Lust is harsh.

Love does not demand its own way.  Lust does.

We all know what love is from 1 Corinthians 13.

Lust may feel like love at first, but when physically expressed, it results in self-disgust and hatred of the other person.  Very much like Amnon.

What about you?  What about me?

Are there things in our lives that we think we love but actually they are just expressions of our lusts and desires?  We think that something is very very important to us and we cannot eat and sleep without it.  Everywhere we go, we think of it, and dream of it?

How do we know it is love and not lust?

If you can’t wait, what you feel is not true love.

Our Sin Makes Us Powerless

I have already briefly spoken about the effects of David’s sin on his family.

But here is one more thing about sin.  When we have sinned, it makes us much weaker and unable to confront and instruct another person of a similar sin.

Consider this.  Look at what happened.  Does it not resemble what David had done?

Amnon forced himself on his half sister after resorting to scheming and abuse of his position of power.  David did likewise when he took Bathsheba.

Absalom plotted and had Amnon killed.  David did the same thing with Uriah.

But do you noticed the actions or inactions of David?

In 2 Sam 13:21 - when he heard about the rape of Tamar - he was angry.  But there was no record of him taking any action.

And when Absalom had Amnon murdered… again David did nothing.  He did not pursue Absalom and take him to justice but instead, just yearned for Absalom cause he loved him very much (2 Sam 13:39).

In both cases, David could not take the moral high ground becausehe was just as guilty as they for the sins that were committed.   And I am sure he felt powerless in wanting to admonish them because of this.

Have you ever felt the same way?

There are times when I want to tell my daughters off for losing her tempter.  But then I find it difficult to say it with power and authority because she has seen me lose my temper many times.

I want to tell them to study harder and do their work more consistently.  But after having regaled them in stories of how I was a very lazy, carefree student who did the minimum necessary … those words seem rather hollow.

I think you get the picture.

Sin makes us powerless. And that is the reason why we must flee from sin.

Not just for the sake of our own salvation.  But also for the sake of our loved ones as well.

David’s sin affected his family and prevented him from being the authority figure required to bring his family up in the Lord.  Let us watch out for sin… lest we are also powerless in what we want to do as well.

May God help us all.