Life of David - Lesson 33

Faithful Friends - 2 Samuel 16:15-17:29

Prayer:  Lord I thank you for faithful friends, especially for those who support behind the scenes and may not get acknowledged.  Bless them in a special way this day.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1.  Think of one faithful friend who does things behind the scenes that show love & support for you, and does so without asking or expecting to be recognized.  Share a bit about that friend.  What can you do to express your love and gratitude for their friendship?

I hope you were able to think of at least one faithful friend.  I am in the unenviable position of living in a region in which I didn't grow up, and in which I did not attend school.  I moved here in my mid-30s, leaving all of my friends & family (except my son) behind.  As a result I can honestly say I don't have a person at this point in my life that I can call my best friend - I have in the past, but I don't now.  This sometimes leaves me sad & feeling all alone, but then I stop and ponder & realize I have some wonderful faithful friends - I'm not their best friend & likely never will be, but I am loved & supported by these friends.  I'm going to tell you about my faithful friend Phyllis, and she'd probably be embarrassed knowing I'm telling about her, but she really stands out lately.  When the Tuesday morning ladies class this fall needed a new administrator I asked Phyllis (she has the right skills) & she said yes - helping all the teachers (not just me).  When I needed hostesses for an event at my home last week & asked Phyllis she again said yes.  And if she's in town & I need to be away for more than a few days guess who always comes through as a cat sitter for me... that's right, Phyllis.  Phyllis retired this last Summer, and having gone through that myself I've made a point of trying to be supportive of Phyllis as she finds her way in this new era of her life, my prayer is that I would be a faithful friend for her as well.

In todays lesson we're going to see how David's faithful friends show him love and support in this time of great need, many go unnamed but not forgotten - God knows who they are & how they blessed David.

2 Samuel 16:15-19 - Absalom is able to come in and take over Jerusalem without a fight, bringing Ahithophel with him.  Ahithophel had been one of David's trusted advisors, now he is betraying David by siding with Absalom.  But fear not, one of David's faithful friends, Hushai, is here to greet Absalom as he takes over as king - Hushai is also one of David's trusted advisors & is part of an espionage team David has set in place while he's in exile.  Absalom is a little suspicious of Hushai, but Hushai manages to convince him that he's there to serve Absalom now.

2 Samuel 16:20-23 - Absalom is trying to establish his position as king, and Ahithophel advises him to do so by sleeping with the concubines King David left behind to care for the palace.  Though this was sound strategic & political advice, this is not something God would approve of.  Sometimes we too may get advice that is sound for the purposes of finance, position, business or the like - no matter how sound the advice, we need to always ensure that taking that advice doesn't go against God's ways.  No profit in this world is worth a loss in eternity.  Apparently Absalom thought this was good advice & did as Ahithophel advised - Ahithophel had a reputation of providing sound advice.  In doing this one of Nathan's prophecies against David was fulfilled (2 Samuel 12:11b) that "...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".

2 Samuel 17:1-17:4 - Ahithophel continues to give Absalom sound strategic advice, this time about how to best defeat David & return the people who had gone with him.  Ahithophel basically says take a sizable group, 12 thousand men, but don't bother trying to defeat all of David's army, simply target David himself - if you strike David down the people will flee & you won't need to engage David's army.  This is shrewd advice, it's not a contest to see who's army is stronger - this is their own people! 

2 Samuel 17:5-6 - Absalom decides to take advantage of Hushai's service & get a second opinion.  Can you see God at work yet?  Absalom is unwittingly exposing Ahithophel's strategy & allowing himself to be re-directed by someone who has David's best interests at heart.

2 Samuel 17:7-14 - As a reminder from last week, though both Hushai & Ahithophel had been David's advisors, Hushai had been David's most trusted advisor - Absalom knows this.  Hushai undermines Ahithophel's advice, he reminds Absalom that daddy David & his men are experienced successful fighting men, and raises doubts about the ability of this force of 12 thousand in going and killing David.  But Hushai doesn't stop there, after undermining Ahithophel's advice he gives a completely new strategy for Absalom to consider, one that involves a much larger force - he is advising Absalom to go "all in", to use all force at his disposal, and in this way to guarantee success by sheer numbers.

What I find interesting about Hushai's advice is that it sounds humanly sound, and so Absalom & his men take it and consider it better than Ahithophel's.  What Absalom & his men fail to realize is that God is also in the equation, and that no amount of sheer number of human forces is going to win against God.  Absalom is risking much more by taking Hushai's advice, more of his men could be harmed & thus his reputation & strength could be more greatly undermined.  God used David's faithful friend to undermine David's betrayer & to defeat Absalom.

2 Samuel 17:15-16 - Faithful Friends #2 & 3 - Zadok & Abiathar the priests were also left behind by David as part of his espionage network, and Hushai goes to them to get a message sent to David.  Basically he's giving David a heads-up that Absalom is on his way, and advises him to get his entire entourage across the Jordan.  The Jordan river could be crossed, but only with time & effort - if David and his entourage didn't cross the Jordan they'd be trapped up against it as Absalom and his troops arrived.

2 Samuel 17:17-20 - Faithful Friends #4 & 5 - Jonathan & Ahimaaz the sons of the priests, as well as an unnamed faithful servant girl (Faithful Friend #6), are set up to get and pass the message along to David.  At some point in the process this little part of the espionage team gets exposed and a second betrayer, this time an unnamed young man, tells Absalom that something is amiss with Jonathan & Ahimaaz (J&A).  Realizing they are in danger, J&A exit quickly and take refuge at the home of Faithful Friends #7 & 8 - an unnamed man of Bahurim & his unnamed wife.

The couple in Bahurim had a well, and had wisely built their home around the well, forming a courtyard that provided it protection.  I'm guessing that it wasn't common knowledge beyond their circle of family & friends that they had a well, but J&A knew about it and were able to hide there.  The wife pulled the cover over the well, they frequently had covers for wells since they were typically a hole in the ground (no little wall around it like you see in picture books) & you wouldn't want a person or animal to fall in accidentally.  To hide the well the woman simply spread out some grain, making it look as if she were getting ready to work the grain in her courtyard & providing ideal camouflage for the well.

An interesting side note: Shimei, the one who was cursing David & his entourage in Chapter 16, was from Bahurim.  I wonder if this was God's purpose in Shimei's actions - if Shimei were home, rather than following & cursing David, would he have told Absalom's men about the well?

Absalom's men inquire of the woman where J&A have gone, and she tells them they went off toward the brook - she sends them in the wrong direction, this results in Absalom's men going back to Jerusalem empty-handed.

2 Samuel 17:21-23 - J&A make it to David, they pass along the message, and David gets his entire entourage safely across the Jordan.  Meanwhile, Ahithophel sees that Absalom isn't taking his advice & assumes Absalom will be defeated.  Instead of waiting around to be condemned as a traitor Ahithophel heads home, puts his affairs in order, and hangs himself.

2 Samuel 17:24-26 - David moves his entourage on to Mahanaim, they will wait there for Absalom's forces to cross the Jordan & come after them.  Absalom appoints Amasa as his general, Amasa is cousin to both Absalom & Joab (David's general); he is also David's nephew from his older half-sister Abigail (same mother, who probably had been widowed & then remarried to Jesse, David's father). 

2 Samuel 17:27-29 - Faithful Friends #9, 10 & 11 - If you're like me sometimes these names can just seem confusing, but these are significant people and they come alongside David at this point to provide him and his entourage with much needed supplies.  Here's a bit more about these three:

Shobi - an Ammonite, the brother of Hanun whom David had defeated.  Apparently David's treatment of the Ammonite people had been good or we wouldn't be seeing the support of the brother of a defeated warrior.  David was a kindly king to the peoples he conquered.

Makir - this was the wealthy benefactor who had taken in Mephibosheth when he was in exile, before David had called the crippled son of Jonathan to join him in Jerusalem.  So yet another of those who had cared for Mephibosheth was siding with David (also Ziba in Chapter 16).

Barzillai - an elderly but very wealthy man, with family ties to the priesthood, and who supported David all through this period of exile.

David had a way with people, despite being a warrior.  Perhaps it was the poet side of him, the sensitive side, that allowed him to garner such faithful friends.

Closing Prayer:  Lord, we thank you for the gift of friends and for the love & support they give.  Lord help us to be a people who come alongside our friends, to love & support them, even if we're not acknowledged & even if our loyalty is not reciprocated.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  When was the last time you were a "friend in need" to someone?  What was your motivation?  How did helping this person make you feel?

3.  Pray for each other.

Life of David - Lesson 32

Disobedient Sons & Loyal Friends - 2 Samuel 15:1-16:14

Prayer: Lord as we study your word today we thank you that you promise wisdom to those who seek it, help us to be a people who seek your wisdom.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1. What kinds of problems are caused by lies - yes, even "little white lies"?

Absalom is back in David's good graces, but I'm guessing its been made known that he is no longer heir to David's throne, so he's going to take matters into his own hands.  2 Samuel Chapter 14 told us that Absalom was handsome, with an amazing head of hair, and appealed to the people of Israel - he was the A-List celebrity of his day.  So lets see what Absalom does with his popularity...

2 Samuel 15:1 - Two interesting things are happening here: First Absalom has provided himself with an entourage of bodyguards, making a display of royal pomp - this is not something normally done in Israel so perhaps he learned this while in exile with his Grandfather, the king of Geshur.  Second Absalom chooses to utilize horses, it is believed that he was the first Israelite leader to utilize a chariot & horses - there are a couple reasons for this: (Deuteronomy 17:16) God had decreed that the king of Israel was not to acquire a great number of horses, a king riding a horse was considered a king of war where a king riding on a donkey (Jesus) was considered a king of peace.

2 Samuel 15:2-6 - Absalom is handsome, he's got horses & an entourage, he's going out of his way to convince the people that he would be available when they needed him, he's campaigning to be a judge for the people.  He's a hybrid of a con-man and a politician, he's even doing the middle-eastern equivalent of shaking hands & kissing babies.  He "stole" the hearts of the people.  He is a liar & a thief, just like his father the devil.  If you think I'm over-exaggerating just wait and see what he does next.

2 Samuel 15:7-12 - Four Years!!  Absalom has been up to his shenanigans at the gate of the city, telling people what they wanted to hear & drawing them over to himself.  How in the world did David not have a clue?  Was David living in blissful ignorance thinking all was well with the kingdom because people weren't bringing as many problems to him?  How is it David's government hadn't gotten wind of what Absalom was up to?

So now he goes up to daddy the king and lies to his face, he tells David that he wants to fulfill a vow to the Lord when in truth he is hatching a plot against David.  He even claims he's going to worship the Lord, which is far from true.  I'm guessing that Abaslom is fulfilling a vow, but a vow of vengeance, perhaps made when he was under grand-daddy the king of Geshur - a vow to take the throne of Israel by force if necessary (but that is just my guess).

David sends Absalom away in peace, but Absalom isn't interested in peace, he's got everything planned out, and he gathers people in to his conspiracy against the king.  One person he draws to himself is Ahithophel, a wise man & counselor to David - this is a betrayal by a trusted advisor.  Ahithophel was Bathsheba's grandfather, perhaps he didn't like what David had done to Uriah, or perhaps he didn't like Bathsheba being one of many women in David's household, we really don't know.

2 Samuel 15:13-18 - When David gets wind of the conspiracy he chooses to flee, I'm guessing the servant gave him an extensive account of Absalom's actions & forces & that Ahithophel had gone over to him.  By fleeing David spares the city of Jerusalem from attack, and spares his family as well - all but 10 concubines.  These concubines would end up being the cause of the fulfillment of one of Nathan's prophecies (2 Samuel 12:11), when Absalom took over the position of king the concubines became his to take as he pleased - we'll see more about this in next week's passage.  The king still had many who were loyal to him, including some groups of foreigners who had taken David as their king, and they left Jerusalem with him.

2 Samuel 15:19-22 - David addresses the Philistine contingent, he is not expecting them to be loyal to him & releases them from any obligation.  But Ittai & his men have allied themselves with David, they want him as their leader, they must have seen something in him that they'd not seen in other kings (or at least not in Absalom), so Ittai & the Philistine contingent remain with David.

2 Samuel 15:23-29 - Later, as they passed through the countryside there are still many people in Israel loyal to David, and they wept aloud as he passed by on his way to the desert.  But then the narrative backs up a bit to tell us about some things that happened along the way.  Just outside the city, the priests had brought out the Ark of the Covenant & offered sacrifices while the people were leaving Jerusalem.  David asks the priests to remain in Jerusalem, stating that if it is God's will he will be back - the Ark is God's not David's, in the mean time he asks that the priests & their sons provide him with intelligence concerning Absalom & his forces. 

2 Samuel 15:30-37 - Still near Jerusalem, at the Mount of Olives, David leads a group in a humble procession up the mount to pray.  David's prayer is simple: "turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness".  (1 Chronicles 27:33) Hushai was there, another trusted member of David's court, his title from Chronicles of "king's friend" is the official title for the king's most trusted advisor - I'm not sure why he would be a burden, perhaps he was quite old or infirmed (or both).  In any case David asks him to stay behind, to undermine Ahithophel & to provide intelligence to the priests to pass along to him.  David has effectively set up his espionage team, the gathering would be done by Hushai, and the transmitting would be done by the sons of the priests.

2 Samuel 16:1-4 - Just a bit further along his way to the desert, just after leaving the summit of the Mount of Olives, another loyal man comes along.  We met Ziba previously in 2 Samuel 9, he was the steward of Saul's family holdings & had kept things in order while the family was in exile.  Ziba had been instrumental in brining Jonathan's crippled (grown) son Mephibosheth into David's court, and providing for him - doing so in service to both Saul's family & the king.  Ziba brings provisions for the king, Ziba would have been old & still needed in his service in Jerusalem.  When Mephibosheth was returned Ziba & his household had to step down from enjoying Saul's holdings as if they were their own, and become Mephibosheth's servants.  Now because Mephibosheth is siding with Absalom David grants all of Saul's holdings to Ziba, this will only work if David gets back his position as king, but it is a beautiful gesture on David's part to someone who has sacrificed for David's sake.  David had not turned his back on Jonathan's son, but Jonathan's son has turned his back on David.  Perhaps he was hoping that his family will be restored as the royal family - something his father Jonathan gave up willingly to David (1 Samuel 18:1-4).

2 Samuel 16:5-14 - One more person along the way, but this is not a loyal friend.  Shimei thought that God was punishing David, and Abisahi (David's nephew & one of his commanders) want's to take off his head.  David will have none of this, David realizes that what is happening may be the fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy, and that this may be part of God's plan.  David even says "the Lord has told him to", David sees God's purpose being played out in the man's cursing (Romans 8:28).  They continue on their journey & finally arrive, and thanks at least in part to Ziba's gifts they are refreshed.

Closing Prayer:  Lord, sometimes our families let us down, sometimes our friends, but Lord we know that you are a friend that remains closer than a brother.  Your Word tells us you will never leave or forsake us, for that we are thankful.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  What makes a faithful friend?  Tell of a time when a friend stood by you.

3.  Pray for each other.

Life of David - Lesson 31

Brother against Brother - 2 Samuel 13:23-39

Prayer: Lord as we study your word today we thank you that your scripture teaches us practical lessons for our lives.  We pray that we would learn from both the good and the bad examples given in scripture, and that we would seek your help and wisdom for living in this fallen world among fallen people.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1.  With which family member do you tend to have the most strife & why?  How might God want you to change in order to glorify Him in this relationship?

There is strife in David's family, David's oldest son (Amnon) has raped one of David's daughters (Tamar, his half-sister), and another of David's sons (Absalom, Tamar's full-brother) is hopping mad about the whole thing... but daddy David, though furious, apparently doesn't do anything about it.  This is a recipe for disaster... 

2 Samuel 13:23-25 - It's two years later & the time for sheep-shearing has come!!  Ok, maybe that's not exciting to you, but to an Israelite of that day it was a festive occasion - perhaps we could compare it to something like our Thanksgiving holiday that's coming up soon.  Either Absalom was in charge of the King's sheep, or had sizable flocks of his own, and the time had come to shear the sheep and celebrate.  Absalom invites all the men in the family to join him, all the king's sons as well as the King and the King's officials.  To invite family to join was not unusual, but to invite this huge family to all come is a very large gathering, so King David declines since it would be a burdensome for all the men to join.  Was David thinking that he & his officials were too old for all this?  Perhaps... This is hard labor followed by partying, something more appealing to a younger group of men.  Despite Absalom's urging David didn't change his mind, but did give his blessing.

Let's look a moment at the possibility of the the flocks being the King's sheep, since that makes the most sense with all the men in the family being invited. 2 Samuel 8:2 - the Moabites are subdued & bring tribute, but what is the tribute they must bring?  2 Kings 3:4 - The annual tribute Moab was to make as a vassal state was 100,000 lambs & the wool of 100,000 rams.

2 Samuel 13:26-27 - Absalom hasn't given up yet, in fact I think things are working according to plan.  What he really wants is to get Amnon to go with him, and the fact that he has to bring all the kings sons along is no problem.  The request may seem suspicious to us, but remember it's two years after Tamar was raped.  Amnon was the oldest of the sons & perhaps the strongest & most experienced of the bunch, he's also the "crown prince", the heir apparent, and as such he could join the celebration as the king's representative - this again makes a lot of sense if this is the King's flocks being sheared.  More hands would make the work go more quickly, and the more the merrier at the after-party.  David agrees & off his sons go to work & to celebrate.

2 Samuel 13:28 - But wait, there's a plot afoot!!  Absalom hasn't forgiven Amnon, and he's certainly not forgotten what Amnon did to his sister.  Absalom tells his men that he will watch for when Amnon is drunk from wine (at the celebration), and then give them the order to strike Amnon down.  He encourages his men to be brave & reassures them that he will take the blame since it is on his order that they are acting.  I'm guessing Amnon was a seasoned fighting man since they would wait for him to be somewhat incapacitated before he was killed.

2 Samuel 13:29 - Absalom gives the order & Amnon is killed.  The rest of David's sons may have thought that Absalom was trying to secure his succession to the throne by killing Amnon.  In any case they got on their mules, the normal mount for royalty in David's kingdom, and fled toward home.

2 Samuel 13:30-31 - In ancient Israel bad news spread faster than Princes fleeing on mules, because an errant report comes to David that all his sons are dead. Apparently others that had been at the sheep-shearing celebration also fled, perhaps they exited before David's sons left, and perhaps by horse (they were available in the area).  David & all his servants tear their robes & openly grieve, David is face down on the ground, utterly devastated!

2 Samuel 13:32-33 - Jonadab, David's nephew, the one who had helped Amnon trap Tamar, he is the one who clears up the matter.  Apparently Jonadab wasn't too happy about how Amnon had acted toward Tamar, since he seems to be in-the-know regarding Absalom's feelings.  He tells David that Absalom has been expressing his intention to kill Amnon ever since Tamar was raped.  Jonadab reassures David that his other sons still live, that only Amnon is dead.

David hadn't dealt with Amnon, and he hadn't dealt with Absalom's anger toward Amnon, the rift hadn't been healed, and so the price of inaction must be paid.  The "crown prince" is now dead.

2 Samuel 13:34-36 - Absalom flees, he knows the penalty for murder & that he is now family enemy #1.  The watchman sees men coming from a distance, Jonadab points out to David that this is his sons returning.  Indeed it is the kings sons, they come in wailing loudly, and they and King David & the servants bitterly grieve.  The sword would not depart from David's house (prophesied in 2 Samuel 2:10), and it is cutting David's family deep in the heart.

2 Samuel 13:37 - Absalom fled to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur.  As soon as I read this I was wondering "why kind of king is this?" & "why did Absalom flee to this particular king & country?"  2 Samuel 3:3 - Absalom flees for protection to his Maternal Grandfather.  Grandpa would have been likely to be sympathetic, this is his grandson who was avenging his granddaughter, and avenging her against someone (Amnon) that wasn't one of his own family.

2 Samuel 13:38-39 - Absalom stays in Geshur for three years.  David longs for his son Absalom, perhaps he realizes that Absalom had worked out the justice for Tamar that he himself had failed to do.  David was consoled regarding Amnon, his grief had dissipated.  Sometimes we judge David because of his inaction, after all he's the king & should be upholding justice not only in the land but in his family.  But David is also a Dad, and you never stop loving your kids even if they make big mistakes or are scoundrels.  David seems to have come to terms with Amnon's death and forgiven Absalom.

Closing Prayer:  Lord God, help us to forgive those who hurt us, help us to forgive those who hurt the ones we love.  Lord please keep us from letting anger eat us up within until it lashes out with dire consequences.  Amen!

Read through 2 Samuel 14 as a preparation for the next lesson.

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  Anger is not sinful in itself, but can lead to sinful actions.  When is anger not sinful?  What is God's purpose in the emotion we call anger?  Discuss the dangers of "stuffing" your anger.  Discuss the dangers of readily lashing out in anger.

3.  Pray for each other.

Life of David - Lesson 30

Trouble with David's Children - 2 Samuel 13:1-22

Prayer: Lord sometimes your Word contains things that are difficult for us to process, painful things, but it reminds us that this life is painful & that your Word is truth.  Help us to work through this painful passage, and help us to be compassionate to those who have suffered deep hurt at the hands of others.  We may not be able to understand the pain another has faced, but we must be ready with listening ears & loving ways.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1.  I want you to think of a time when you or someone close to you was deeply hurt at the hands of another (don't share, just think back). When dealing with deep hurts what helps & what doesn't help?

In our last lesson David was given 3 levels of prophetic consequences for his sin with Bathsheba, one of which occurred almost immediately.  In this lesson we begin to see the other consequences begin to play out.  Many commentators maintain that the reason these things happen are due to David's many wives & concubines, something that puts him in a position of compromise to God's pure ways.  Add to this his own failings concerning Bathsheba, and the result is that David has undermined his own authority within his family to hold his children accountable for their sins.

A bit about David's family at this point, at this point he has at least 8 wives & an unknown number of concubines.  David eventually has at least 17 sons, though there are probably many more than that, and an unknown number of daughters.  Presumably the children were each raised by their own mothers, and dear old dad David probably had little time to interact with all his children.

David's children in this passage are the following:

• Amnon, a son of Ahinoam (wife #2) & David's oldest son
• Tamar, a daughter of Maacah (wife #4) - 1/2 sister to Amnon
• Absalom, a son of Maacah - Tamar's full brother

2 Samuel 13:1 - When we read just this one verse we run into a couple possible misunderstandings:

• First, there would have been no problem with a romance & marriage between these two in those days - they were not full siblings, probably raised in two different households by two different mothers & this sort of thing was not uncommon.  Some commentators say that this was "wrong" because it was incestuous, but the scripture does not support that view, so we need to make sure not to rush to judgement.  After all Abraham "the friend of God" & first of the patriarchs was married to Sarah, his half-sister.
• Second, we need to be careful with the word "love".  This particular Hebrew word for "love" has a few possible meanings, and we shouldn't assume this was any sort of pure innocent care or devotion, as we read the following verses I think this will become clear.

2 Samuel 13:2 - Amnon's feelings for Tamar seem to be a combination of desire & obsession, and apparently all his efforts to seduce her had gone unfulfilled.  The passage tells us Tamar is a virgin, and this is important for a variety of reasons we'll discuss as we continue.  We were told in verse 1 that she was beautiful, and knowing she's a virgin we can assume she is young - perhaps a teenager. From the tone of the passage I'm certain Amnon is not a virgin, in fact he may be as old as in his 30s & is probably a seasoned warrior since he was born in Hebron (2 Samuel 3:2), born when David was ruling over Judah & before he was ruling over all Israel.  At this point Amnon may already have had concubines or wives, but we don't know - at the very least we'll see later that he has his own house & servants & doesn't live in the palace.

2 Samuel 13:3-5 - Amnon is close with his cousin Jonadab, and Jonadab is described as "shrewd".  I'm guessing that these two have gotten into lots of mischief together - not surprising for cousins who are close friends.  Jonadab finds out what is causing Amnon to look "haggard" in the mornings, and comes up with a plan to help Amnon seduce Tamar.

2 Samuel 13:6-7 - Amnon sets the plan in motion, he pretends to be ill & asks his dad (King David) to send his half-sister Tamar to come make him some bread & feed him.  Ok, David isn't dumb, I'm sure he knew that Amnon was attracted to Tamar, and I think he probably was happy to encourage this budding romance - after all, a marriage between the two was not out of the question & Tamar was eligible to be married.  David sends word for Tamar (still living in the palace) to go to Amnon's house & make him some food.  Keep in mind that this is not a strange request, the wives & daughters of the king had special privileges but they were women living in a day when women answered to the men in their lives.  I think it's interesting also that women in these positions at this time in Israel weren't catered to hand & foot, they were expected to contribute their domestic skills for the good of the family.

2 Samuel 13:8-10 - Tamar has obediently gone to Amnon's house, and made some bread while he watched.  She's not stupid, she knows Amnon is interested because verse 2 indicates he's made advances previously.  I'm wondering if she was feeling honored & excited, was Amnon going to ask for her hand?  Marriage to Amnon was probably what she hoped for, it would have kept her close to home, near her family & not married off for political gain; additionally, marriage to Amnon would mean that she might be in line to be Israel's queen (Amnon was David's oldest son).

Tamar takes the bread & serves it (perhaps on a table), but he won't eat, and instead sends everyone else away.  She's not afraid of him, when he asks she takes the bread to him at his bedside.   What is Tamar thinking at this point?  Perhaps she thinks he is not wanting his physical weakness to be seen by all (she believe's he is sick).  Is she hoping he's going to state his intentions & declare his love for her?

2 Samuel 13:11 - Can you imagine how startled Tamar must have been?  She probably had all these romantic imaginations, and Amnon just wants to fulfill his lust.  She's not safe here and she knows it, something in his actions or in his voice or his expression are telling her he's not interested in waiting, he wants her & he wants her right now!  This isn't love, this is lust.  Love thinks of the other person & doesn't put their own desires first, but Tamar is still hoping for love - I think that because of what she tries to get Amnon to do next.  This convinces me she must have been young, because she was still idealistic.

2 Samuel 13:12-13 - Tamar pleads with Amnon, she tries to reason with him - what he would do is wicked & shouldn't be done in Israel, perhaps this should read "shouldn't occur among God's people".  She's the daughter of the king, she wants to be married & not just a concubine.  She begs him to ask David for her hand, she knows her father would let them marry.

2 Samuel 13:14-15 - Amnon overpowers & rapes Tamar.  Tamar may have been in love with Amnon, but this is not an act of love on his part.  This is an act of selfishness & an act of hate.  At one time I thought Spousal Rape was something blown out of proportion, but now I personally know a woman who was raped by her husband.  In this woman's case the husband was drunk & abusing narcotic pain killers, but the act she describes was nothing short of selfish and hateful.  Despite counseling their marriage didn't last, mostly because he was hard-hearted toward her.  No means No, even if you're "in love", even if you're drunk, even if you're married... there are no excuses.  Amnon now hates Tamar, and he is blinded by his hatred & is vicious toward her.

2 Samuel 13:16-17 - Tamar is desperate, she's trying to make the best of a terrible situation, she's willing to stay on with him despite his hateful actions because she knows what this will do to her personally if he doesn't take her in.  No longer a virgin she cannot be offered by her father in marriage to anyone.  But Amnon is continuing his vicious behavior, he treats her as less than a concubine & he calls his personal servant to kick her out & lock the door.

2 Samuel 13:18-19 - Tamar is still wearing one of the special robes given to the virgin daughters of the king, these garments indicate that she is a special young lady, one that the king alone could give away in marriage.  She tears the robe, indicating that she has been violated & indicating her heartbreak.  She also places ashes on her head & put her hand on her head and wept aloud - these are actions marking one who is grieving.

2 Samuel 13:20-22 - Absalom attempted to care for his sister, he dealt gently with her & took her into his home to care for her.  Because Amnon rejected Tamar outright Tamar became "desolate", unable to marry & perhaps unable to be taken as a concubine as well (though that may have been out of the question for a daughter of the king).  David is furious, but that's all it says - it doesn't say he dealt with Amnon, it doesn't say he reached out to comfort Tamar.  It's possible that David just didn't know what to do, after all these are both his children, they are children of two different wives, what a mess!!Absalom hates Amnon & won't speak to him, this is a major family rift.

Next time we'll see what happens between these two half-brothers.

Closing Prayer:  Lord, sometimes when we hear about terrible things like this we want to ask "Why?", we want to make sense of it, we want justice, we want to know why you didn't step in and stop it.  Please help us when we ask "Why?", help us to see things through your eyes, and help us to see you at work even when exposed to the evil in the world.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  Share things that you find troubling that happen in this world.  Discuss how God might use them for his purposes.

3.  Pray for each other.

Life of David - Lesson 29

Truth, Consequences, Forgiveness, & Restoration - 2 Samuel 12

Prayer: Lord we are thankful for your hand in our lives.  We thank you that you don't let us go our own way but instead take action in our lives.  I pray that we will learn from David this week, last time we saw the importance of resisting temptation, this time we need to learn the importance of repentance - of coming clean & staying clean with you.  Lord, for whatever areas of our lives that we've failed & fallen we ask for your hand to be on us in order to restore us.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1. What is your favorite Bible parable?  What is the main lesson of that parable?

Last time we met we saw David fall deeper & deeper into the trap of sin.  He started out by being a little too self indulgent, fell into adultery, tried several times to cover up his sin & eventually ended up ordering a man's death in order to cover up what he had done.   If we didn't have the passage recorded in the Bible we might think he got away with it, but he didn't.  

God knew what David had done & God was not pleased, now God is sending Nathan to David to expose his sin.  Why would the sin need to be exposed?  So it could be repented of & David could be clean & forgiven once again.

Truth:

2 Samuel 12:1-4 - Nathan is using a form we're familiar with from the New Testament, he is using a parable.  He tells of a rich man & the awful thing he has done to his poor neighbor.  The rich man who had many sheep & cattle of his own stole a young lamb, the only lamb & beloved family pet of his impoverished neighbor, and used it to throw a feast.  A modern-day equivalent might be: Governor Dayton came into your house, walked off with your cat or dog, and then used it to feed a visiting dignitary.  It is a viciously unkind & unnecessary action, there is no justification for this, this is nothing short of cruel hard-heartedness

2 Samuel 12:5-6 - David's response shows us that he's not aware that what Nathan has told him is a parable.  David is indignant, he wants the man brought to justice at once, he wants not only the debt to be repaid - 4 times was the prescribed amount - he wants the man put to death.

2 Samuel 12:7-9 - About a year had passed, and apparently David had been contentedly living a lie, apparently he hadn't told anyone & apparently he hadn't confessed his sin before God. Perhaps he had justified himself in his own eyes, after all he is the king & has rule over all the people, in any case it's been a year and he's gotten away with his sin... or so he thinks.  So can you imagine how David's heart must have been crushed when Nathan proclaims "You are the man!".  Nathan interprets the parable, God has given David much & would have gladly given him more, but David instead has taken what belonged to someone else.  David is accused of despising the word of the Lord, of doing evil in God's sight.  Nathan doesn't cushion the blow, he proclaims David's guilt in Uriah's death, it may have been an Ammonite sword that struck the blow but David is guilty of murder.

Consequences prophesied:

2 Samuel 12:10-12 - David's sentence involves 3 prophesied consequences:

• A prophecy about the sword not departing from his "house" - from Biblical history we know that 3 of David's sons died violent deaths, and this seems to be a long-term prophecy that would go down through the generations of his family tree.
• A prophecy about a specific calamity that would come upon David & his wives - we will see this play out in chapter 15 when Absalom (David's son) seizes the throne from his father & takes his father's wives.  This is a mid-term prophecy, one that would play out within David's lifetime.
• A short-term prophecy that has immediate consequences, but we'll get to that one in a moment, because suddenly David has a realization!

Forgiveness:

2 Samuel 12:13 - David confesses his sin, notice what he says "I sinned against the Lord".  This isn't between David & Uriah, or between David & any other person, this sin is against God.  David's actions have separated him from God, and David appears to be saying "may God do with me as He pleases, I have sinned against him".  Nathan declared that David is forgiven, he has received God's mercy, he will not be given the death sentence normally required for either adultery or murder (according to God's laws).  Mercy - not getting the punishment you deserve (as opposed to Grace which is getting a gift you can't earn & don't deserve).  Mercy comes when we confess our sins before God, and that mercy is God's forgiveness.

Consequences Begin:

2 Samuel 12:14-15 - Despite forgiveness there are still consequences for sin, the sentence already given remains, and the third consequence is prophesied:

• The child conceived in sin will die.  This is the short-term prophecy, one with immediate consequences.

God didn't take it easy on David, God dealt a hard blow in 3 tough consequences, any one of which would have been a severe punishment.  There is a long-term prophecy against his family line, a mid-term prophecy against himself & his wives, and a short-term prophecy which will take his baby boy.  God was hard on David because God loved David, sometimes God deals tenderly with His people when they fall & sometimes God is tough.  From my recent studies in the life of Elijah I've seen that God deals tenderly with those who fall when they are broken, and here we see that God is tough with those who fall when they are in defiance.

The child is struck ill.  There is a part of me that wants to say "but this baby didn't do anything wrong!"  I need to remember that this is God at work, and God is always loving & always just.  For anyone else that is struggling with this I'd ask that you hold off on thinking God is being cruel, because there is a verse later in today's passage that gives us deeper insight.

2 Samuel 12:16-17 - David pleads with God for his baby boy to be spared.  David fasted, he spent his nights on the ground (fasting from comfort as well as from food).  The elders were quite concerned, they couldn't get him to get up off the ground or to eat with them.

2 Samuel 12:18-19 - God says no.  Ouch!!  David has been God's man up to this point & will be again, but this time God said no, and the child died.  David's servants aren't sure what to do, David has been beside himself up until now & they fear for how he will react once he knows his child has died.  If you've ever known anyone who has lost a child you know how devastating that can be, there is something in our guts that tells us it's unnatural for a child to die, and it is a crushing blow.

Restoration:

2 Samuel 12:20-23 - David's reaction to the news of the death of his son puzzles his servants, they expect him to grieve even more.  David's reaction may seem strange, but after 7 days of fasting & prayer David has God's perspective on the situation.  

I lost my Dad to cancer, watching my Dad die & knowing he was dying was extremely painful - it was a period of extended grief for my family prior to his death.  This wonderful sweet man of God was put through a living hell on this earth, it seemed so unfair.  When my Dad finally died the family experienced an unexpected surge of joy, my Dad was no longer suffering & we knew with confidence that he was walking with the Lord - and in fact most of us experienced a jealousy of sorts, that he was able to go before us & we'd been left behind.  People didn't understand what my family experienced, even believers didn't & usually don't understand still, but God gave us a glimpse of things from a heavenly perspective.

David gets up, washes up, puts on some lotion, and puts on some clean clothes.  This marks the end of his period of fasting & prayer.  The very next thing he does is goes to the house of the Lord (the tabernacle) and worships God.  After he has worshipped God he goes home & eats a meal.  David has been Spiritually & Physically restored.

The servants don't understand, they are like the people I said didn't understand my family, so they ask & David attempts to answer, but I'm guessing they still might not have understood.

God is not cruel, verse 23 makes it clear that David knows that his baby is now being nurtured in the hands of his loving God - the child will not be returned to David, but David will some day be reunited with his child in heaven.  Was it cruel for God to take the child?  Absolutely not!  That child was in a much better place than he would have been living out a mortal life on earth, he was in the loving arms of God.

2 Samuel 12:24-25 - David is doing much better but poor Bathsheba has probably been trying to nurse the baby back to health & likely feels like a failure.  David goes & comforts Bathsheba, the love of a husband can do wonders for a hurting wife, and David is a loving husband to Bathsheba.  In time another son comes along for David & Bathsheba, that son we know would eventually become King Solomon, a man loved by God, and God assigns him a name that means "loved by the Lord".  David is emotionally restored, and his family with Bathsheba has been restored.

2 Samuel 12:26-31 - During this period Joab has been out leading a portion of the army, still swatting at those annoying Ammonites, and he's laid siege to the royal citadel (fortress).  Joab sends word that he's cut off the water supply & it's time to bring the rest of the army & take care of the Ammonites for good.  Joab says something odd, he basically says "get out here & help me finish this or this kingdom I've defeated is going to be mine", that's some pretty strong words from the General to his King, but they are words that get David back to doing the job he should have been doing to start with (instead of lazing around the palace seducing the neighbor girl).  This in effect brings about David's positional restoration, that of being the active king.

Rabbah is captured, and the crown is taken - symbol of the authority of their king - and it is symbolically place on David's head to signify him as the new authority over the Ammonite people.  From the passage we read that the crown contained a talent of gold (about 75 pounds) and was set with precious stones.  Apparently the Ammonites had a great deal of wealth in valuable items in Rabbah, and David took the wealth of the city as plunder.  David also took the people and put them to work as laborers to the benefit of Israel (common practice of the day).  From there they went out and conquered all the rest of the Ammonite towns, bringing the entire peoples of the Ammonites under David's rule.  Finally these pesky Ammonites have been taken care of, and the army returns to Jerusalem.

Closing Prayer:  God we thank you that you show us that there are consequences for our sins, but we thank you even more that these consequences are designed for our sanctification & restoration.  Help us to have soft hearts so that you can deal with us tenderly, keep us from being hard hearted & having to face such dire consequences, but in either case Lord keep us close to you.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  Read Psalm 51, this was the Psalm written after David was confronted by Nathan.  What in this Psalm could you point to as evidence of true repentance on David's part?

Life of David - Lesson 28

A Major Blunder, an Attempted Cover-up, and a Murder Plot - 2 Samuel 11

Prayer: God we thank you that when your Word speaks of your people, of your chosen, that it is brutally honest.  We thank you that an imperfect fallen person was "just the right man" & "a man after God's own heart".  We're far from perfect, we need the encouragement that comes from knowing you use flawed people to do your will.  We're saddened by the failings of believers, and pray for the sanctification of your church.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1.  Talk about the types of sins that trap people - especially people in your generation, after some discussion pray for strength when facing temptation.

You may have already guessed which passage we're at in David's life.  Despite all the amazing Godly things David he is best known for this terrible episode in his life.  It's like we see on the evening news, it's the bad news that gets the most attention.  This passage saddens me, but at the same time encourages me - you see, despite David's failure (and this is a biggie) he's still the "man after God's own heart".

The Major Blunder:

2 Samuel 11:1 - It is Springtime in Israel, and the army has gone out to deal with the Ammonites once again (the same pesky group that started all the trouble in last week's passage).  Apparently David didn't feel like going, even though he could have, so we get the sense that he's decided to take it easy, to indulge himself & enjoy the many benefits of being king.  1 Corinthians 10:12  This should be a warning to us, it's usually when we start getting a little too "comfortable" in our salvation that we get tripped up - we're just not paying enough attention or getting lazy in our faith.

2 Samuel 11:2 - Red Alert! Red Alert! Warning! Danger!!  David is restless, has too much time on his hands & perhaps is a bit bored.  He decides to go for a walk out on the roof in the evening.  Sounds innocent enough, right?  Roofs in that area were flat & frequently were used as outdoor rooms.  Eastern palaces of that era typically had a king's bedchamber on the 2nd floor (for privacy), with a door that opened up onto a stretch of flat roof which had been furnished as a private area to relax, this is where we find David taking a late night stroll.  Perhaps he heard the splash of water & looked out over the edge of his roof to see who else was up & about that night, whatever the case he looked out & saw a woman bathing - a very beautiful woman.  

A couple things should get our attention here, this woman was not behaving in a modest way - as was the way of most Hebrew women.  A modest woman would not have bathed in a place where she could be observed, and this woman is in plain sight of the  king.  The other thing we should notice is that the scriptures call her very beautiful, not just beautiful, and the scriptures rarely include the word "very" so this is no exaggeration, she was a knock-out.  Was she hoping to be seen by the king?  It seems that this was the case.  It reminds me of the time Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to JFK, which raised eyebrows in that day - google it if you don't get the reference. 

2 Samuel 11:3-5 - Who is at fault here?  Both are at fault, she tempted & he gave into temptation - using his position as king as a means of manipulating the situation.   I want you to know that these few sentences probably took some time, there was time to make an inquiry & time to be introduced & time for the seduction to reach it's dreadful conclusion.  The note about purification is how we know that she was not already pregnant by Uriah, and that the child that resulted from their actions is indeed David's.

Uriah was one of David's mighty men, he was off at war, and while he was off at war his wife was at home tempting the king.  Uriah was a Hittite, a foreigner, who had become a Jew by choice - even taking on a Hebrew name, the fact that his home was in close proximity to the palace indicates that he may have been a man of high rank.  Bathsheba was also a foreigner by birth, a Gilonite, the daughter of another of David's mighty men.  I'm guessing Bathsheba may have been attracted to David for a while, she & her family may have been part of the band of misfits that had been traveling with David when still in the wilderness. (Both Uriah & Bathsheba's father Eliam are listed in 2 Samuel 24 as part of David's Mighty Men)

The Attempted Cover-up:

2 Samuel 11:6-9 - David has Uriah called back from the war under a pretense that he wanted to know how the war was going.  The fact that David's actions didn't arouse suspicion is another indication of Uriah's high standing among David's men.  David "plays nice" and tells Uriah to go home & relax for a while, and even sends a gift on to Uriah's home showing his favor.  David thinks his plan is going well but Uriah doesn't go home, instead he chooses to sleep at the entrance to the palace along with David's servants.

2 Samuel 11:10-11 - David discovers Uriah didn't go home and questions him, he wants to know why he didn't take the opportunity to rest well at home since he'd come from quite a distance.  Uriah's response tells us a lot about him, he's a man of honor.  Uriah wasn't going to go enjoy all the comforts of home while the rest of the army was off fighting.  Compare that to David's recent behavior, David chose to stay home and take it easy & even played around with another man's wife.  Uriah is demonstrating his camaraderie & solidarity with his fellow soldiers & refusing to enjoy his own home, bed, and wife.  A foreigner's devotion & honor has outshone that of the Hebrew king.

2 Samuel 11:12-13 - David hasn't given up trying to cover-up his actions, so he tries once more.  This time David gets Uriah drunk... but despite having too much to drink Uriah keeps his honor & once again sleeps with David's servants.  This cover-up attempt has failed, when the child Bathsheba is carrying is born Uriah will know it is not his.  This is a serious problem for both David & Bathsheba, Leviticus 20:10 & Deuteronomy 22:22, God's law prescribed serious consequences (the death penalty) for both of them.

The Murder Plot:

2 Samuel 11:14-17 - David is now taking desperate measures, he sends Uriah back to war with his own execution orders carried in his hand.  Did Joab know what was going on?  Did he suspect?  It is not known, but he knew his king had asked him to arrange for Uriah to die, and so he did as he was asked.

Uriah died a hero's death, and David - the man after God's own heart - is the villain.  Sometimes we think that because we're believers we aren't as evil as those in the world around us, that just isn't true!  We are all born with a sin nature, we all are fallen, none of us is any better or any more deserving; however, a heart that is passionate for God draws us to God, and it is by His goodness we are saved.  David still has a heart that is passionate for God, but he's lost his way.

2 Samuel 11:18-25 - The news comes by messenger that Uriah is dead, Joab is shrewd in how he has the message delivered so that David will know that the deed has been done but the messenger won't understand.  David sends a message back to the front indicating his understanding & instructing Joab to carry on.

2 Samuel 11:26-27 - Bathsheba observed the standard mourning period, this would have been about 7 days, then she is taken to the palace to become one of David's wives.  I wonder if there was any real love for her husband, she may have cared about him but it may have been an arranged marriage that wasn't satisfying, we just don't know.  In time the baby is born, a son.  This final attempt at a cover-up appears to have succeeded, but if it had we wouldn't have this passage recorded for historical posterity.  Even if David hadn't been found out by men his actions would have been known by God, he simply wasn't going to get away with murder.  God is displeased, and God is not going to let David keep his sins hidden, God is going to cleanse David once again.

When we sin we don't simply sin against other people, in fact it's not our actions against other people that carry the greatest consequences.  David reflecting back later on this episode wrote Psalm 51 (Psalm 51:4).

Closing Prayer:  Lord help us to diligently keep watch over our what we look at, what we listen to, what we read, what we think, what we say.  We ask that the power of the Holy Spirit would guard our hearts & minds.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  We know that any sin causes separation from God, but what is it about sexual sin that makes it so especially heinous?  Try to come up with verses to support your thoughts.

3.  What warnings would you give to a friend you discovered was being tempted in an area of sin?  How might you come along side to help?

Life of David - Lesson 27

When God's people are Misunderstood - 2 Samuel 10

Prayer: God we thank you for being our defender in a world that sometimes finds our very existence offensive.  We thank you that your love isn't based on what people think of us, but on your very nature instead.  Help us Lord to be willing to be uncomfortable for your name's sake. Amen!

Quickly Form Groups:

1. Briefly have each person share something about their lives that their non-believing friends don't "get", pray for each.

David is a good king, he's shown himself to be honorable & to be a man who keeps his promises - like we saw last time when he kept his promise to Jonathan to show kindness to Jonathan's family.  David was also the kind of king that wasn't ruthless to the other nations around him, he didn't go looking for a fight; in fact, he had good relations with the king of at least one of the surrounding nations - and that's where our passage begins.

2 Samuel 10:1-2a - We start with some sad news, a friend & ally of King David has died - someone who had shown kindness to King David.  David makes up his mind to show kindness to King Nahash's son & successor Hanun, so he sends a delegation to Hanun to express his sympathy.  This delegation was likely people from within David's royal court, trusted friends & advisors, and they most likely came bearing gifts.  This action on David's part shows his compassion but also his wisdom, he wants to keep peace with this neighboring nation, and that nation has a new king.

2 Samuel 10:2b-4 - What a shame, David's actions which were spurred on by his compassion are completely misunderstood.  The Ammonites have not been wise, surely there was a better way to guard themselves against a perceived threat, they could have simply turned the delegation away, instead they seem to be inviting trouble.  Let's take a look at what they did to David's men:

• They shaved off half of each man's beard - Leviticus 19:27; Isaiah 7:20 - The beard of an Israelite man was symbolic of his relationship with God, their particular type of beard set them apart as God's chosen in a visible way.  In most Eastern cultures of that day a beard was only shaved off during times of deep mourning.  For the Jew, a beard being shaved or pulled off at someone else's hand was sometimes used a symbol of God's displeasure - showing that the people weren't really being God's people.  It could also be a sign of being cut off from God - Isaiah 50:6 - this prophecy was fulfilled by Christ, his own people rejected him as one of them & took away a symbol of him being a Jew - thus symbolically cutting him off; in addition, it was also symbolic of him being "cut off" from fellowship with the Father at the crucifixion.
• They cut off their garments mid-buttock & sent them away like that - Wow, I can't imagine the humiliation this caused.  Being uncovered in this way is humiliating to anyone, but not only would it humiliate them they would be exposed as "different" since all Jewish males were circumcised (not practiced by any other cultures at this time).  This was a customary way, in that place & time, to treat prisoners of war...

2 Samuel 10:5 - How does David respond?  He sends messengers to greet his delegation & help them recover.  I'm guessing his messengers would have been sent with fresh garments for the delegation, though we don't know.  What we do know is that David set aside time for his men to recover, and a place for them to recover that had them hidden away - Jericho was still in ruins in David's day per the Lord's direction.  David showed compassion and did what he could to help them regain their dignity - remember these were members of David's royal court & likely also some of his dearest friends.  What I find equally interesting is what David doesn't do, he doesn't get ticked off and start a war, perhaps he considered that Hanun's grief may have blurred his judgement - just a thought, we really don't know.  David didn't retaliate - Roman's 12:19 which quotes Deuteronomy 32:35 - he let the offense go, leaving their fate in God's hands.

2 Samuel 10:6 - At this point the Ammonites realize that what they've done is going to cause problems in their relations with Israel - now that they've had some time to think through their actions.  I wonder if David's inaction, his lack of retaliation, is what caught their attention?  But they go from one foolish decision to another, instead of reaching out to broker peace they automatically assume that David is hatching some sort of big plan to do them in, and this new wrong assumption on their part leads them to start a war.  The Ammonites must have feared the strength of David's army, because they're not content to fight alone, they hire in additional forces to assist them: 20,000 Foot Soldiers (Aramean from Beth Rehob & Zobah), King Maacah & 1,000 of his men, 12,000 men from Tob - totaling 33,000 additional troops.

2 Samuel 10:7 - David now is forced into a war, why?  Because he wanted to show compassion to the son of a friend that died.  Have you ever been misunderstood?  I have been, I've been accused of some terrible things by people who didn't understand that I was acting out of kindness, care, or compassion - and it cuts deeply.  I've had people I thought were friends turn their backs on me, and undermine me (start a war of a different sort), because they were upset about something I'd done with good intentions.  Though times like these are painful, as believers we should expect this is we are openly living out our faith in front of our unbelieving friends - Luke 6:22.

2 Samuel 10:8-12 - The Ammonite troops formed lines in one area, near the entrance to their city, while their hired troops (Arameans) were in open country nearby.  I'm guessing the groups would have been relatively evenly split, if so the Ammonites would have been around 30,000-40,000 men strong.  The forces of Israel under Joab were right in the middle, not a good strategic position; however, Joab divides the forces between himself and his brother Abishai.  Joab took the more skilled troops with him, presumably to tackle the more skilled forces of the Arameans.  Abishai took the greater number of troops, though not as highly skilled, against the Ammonites.  The brothers agreed that if either struggled the other would come to help, but they knew that God was the one in control of their battle - their service under David had taught them well.

2 Samuel 10:13-14 - From our study of 2 Samuel 5 last Spring I told you that conservative estimates of the size of David's combined army (with the former army of Saul) would have been about 350,000 men at the time he became king over all Israel.  I'm guessing that these forces hadn't dwindled, but they may not have all been called out into this battle.  Needless to say, when the smaller group of David's forces head toward the Arameans they flee - likely they knew it would be a slaughter if they stayed put.  Once the Ammonites see their hired warriors have fled they also flee & take refuge in their city.  At that point Joab simply leads the troops back to Jerusalem, the conflict appears to have been settled - or has it?

2 Samuel 10:15-16 - Apparently the Arameans had their reputations in danger because they had fled from a battle that they'd been hired to fight.  The first time there had been 33,000 of the Aramean forces and that wasn't enough, so this time they brought a bunch of their countrymen from further away (from the other side of the Euphrates) to join their fight.

2 Samuel 10:17-19 & 1 Chronicles 19:18 - I don't like mosquitos, I'm allergic to them & get terrible hives when bitten, but even if it weren't for that I think they're pesky critters.  I really dislike them when they buzz my ears or fly into my eyes, I find this behavior  downright obnoxious!  I think that's how David was feeling about these Arameans, he'd swatted at them already trying to shoo them away, but they just aren't getting the message.  

This time David is responding in person, he leads the troops into battle & Israel is the victor (hmm, this was predictable).  David's men killed 7000 charioteers (the 700 in 2 Samuel is believed to be an ancient copyists error - 1 Chronicles is believed to have the correct number), as well as 40,000 foot soldiers.  Ok, do the math, that's 47,000 killed - and the first time they'd only come with 33,000 troops!

The Arameans got the picture, they weren't going to defeat David, so they brokered peace with Israel.  They also got wise about the Ammonites & wouldn't act as their hired guns anymore.  I'm guessing the Ammonites decided to just keep to themselves after this... my mental picture is of them cowering inside their city walls afraid to upset the neighboring kingdoms - after all they didn't want their beards cut off & their buttocks exposed.

Closing Prayer:  God we thank you that you are the defender of your people.  We know that when people come against us because of you that you are standing with us and for us, that is such a comfort.  We thank you for your word that shows us your faithfulness toward your people, a faithfulness that is seen by looking at how you have worked for the sake of your name's sake throughout history.  We thank you that you choose to work through us to continue to do your will in this world, help us to lean on you for the strength & courage to do what you ask.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again:

2.  Share about a time when someone lashed out at you because they were suspicious of your intentions.  How did that impact you?  Have you specifically forgiven them?

3.  Share about a time when you felt God was fighting your battle on your behalf, giving you victory.  What did you learn from that?  How can you use your story to encourage others?