2 Samuel 19:9-43

tonight.

We're going to look at the end of 2 Samuel 19.

That's page 271 in the Pew Bible. If you want to turn there, that'll be helpful.

We'll kind of walk through this text together and see what God has for us here to learn

tonight. Last week, Greg preached on 2 Samuel

18 and in the beginning of 19 where David mourned the death of Absalom. Tonight, we're going to

look at the rest of that chapter. And what's going on in this chapter is

this is 2 Samuel's account of David's return

to Jerusalem after Absalom's rebellion has come to an end.

In other words, David, the rightful king

is coming home in this text.

And the big question that's looming at this point in Israel's

history is this. How will

David restore unity and peace

to the kingdom?

How's he going to do that?

The king of Israel, after all, was supposed to unify

the nation of Israel in the praise of God.

And actually,

through Israel, the king was really

supposed to unify and eventually unite

all nations in the praise of God.

But right now, at this point in the story,

as we'll see in a second,

David is not coming home to peace.

He's coming home to a fragile

and fractured

and fearful people

who are on the brink of chaos.

My wife and I, as some of you know,

have three young kids.

And when I come home

after work,

when I come home,

what I often find waiting for me

when I step through the door is not peace,

but chaos.

The kids have been playing all day,

so their toys are strewn all around the house.

Dinner is cooking.

Someone's crying.

In short, the Lauer household

around 5.15 p.m. is nuts.

And my wife, Beth,

she is very awesome.

She's great with the kids.

But, you know,

I think anybody at the end of the day,

you know,

those three kids at the end of the day,

they are just toast.

They're ready to unravel.

Of course,

I would love for my kids

to welcome me

at the door

and say,

Oh, Daddy dearest,

welcome home.

We're so glad to see you.

Look at how I've cleaned up all my toys

and made all things ready

for your arrival.

Come, let me hand you

your slippers.

Take this warm cup of tea.

Here's the newspaper.

I shall not bother you

until it be dinner time,

Father.

That, of course,

is not how it goes.

Isn't it the case

that the fallen world

that we live in

does not naturally tend

towards peace and wholeness?

It tends towards

fragmentation and chaos.

I think that is a great sign

of the fact

that things are not the way

they're supposed to be

in our world.

And David,

when he returns,

the kingdom is not stable

and peaceful

and unified.

It's fragile

and it's on the verge of chaos.

So let's jump into this text.

Let's read the first two paragraphs

and let's see how David

goes about making peace

in this situation.

End of verse 8.

Now Israel.

Now Israel had fled

every man

to his own home.

Israel here refers

to the northern tribes of Israel

in the rest of this narrative.

And they've fled

to their homes

because their army

backing Absalom

has just been crushed

by David's army.

So they've fled

every man to his home.

And all the people

were arguing

throughout all the tribes

of Israel saying

the king delivered us

from the hand of our enemies

and saved us from the hand

of the Philistines

and now he has fled

out of the land from Absalom.

But Absalom,

who we anointed over us,

is dead in battle.

Now therefore,

why do you say nothing

about bringing the king back?

You could hear them

sort of arguing

with one another.

And King David

sent this message

to Zadok

and Abiathar the priests.

Say to the elders of Judah,

these are the southern,

this is the southern tribe,

why should you be the last

to bring the king

back to his house

when the word of all Israel

has come to the king?

David apparently

has gotten word

that the northern tribes

are ready to bring him home.

You are my brothers.

You're my bone

and my flesh.

Why then should you

be the last

to bring back the king?

And say to Amasa,

are you not my bone

and my flesh?

God, do so to me

and more also

if you are not commander

of my army from now on

in place of Joab.

And he,

that is David,

swayed the heart

of all the men of Judah

as one man

so that they sent word

to the king,

return both you

and all your servants.

So the king came back

to the Jordan

and Judah came to Gilgal

to meet the king

and to bring him

over to the Jordan.

Okay, let's pause there.

So we see the situation here.

The people are scared.

They're arguing

as people who are scared

often do.

Some are obviously worried

that if David comes back

he'll punish them

for rebelling.

Others are probably thinking

that if they don't

welcome him back

it will get even worse

for them

and they don't know

what to do.

And if you think about it

on a broader

sort of political level,

the nation's

in a pretty dangerous

place right now.

They're fragmented.

They're alienated

from their king

who was basically

the military leader

at that time.

They're in the aftermath

of a civil war.

This is just the sort of thing

that an Egypt

or Assyria

or the Philistine armies

would love

to just come rumbling

into Israelite territory

and take advantage

of their weakened condition.

They're in a dangerous spot.

And even Judah,

David's own tribe here,

is uncertain

of what to do.

They too, remember,

went over to Absalom.

But David here,

not wanting

the nation

to be fractured,

wanting them

to be unified,

appeals to Judah

for them not to be

left out or left behind

when he returns

to Jerusalem.

Why should you be

the last to welcome me back?

Aren't we

bone of bone

and flesh of flesh?

And then David

does something

really surprising.

As a sign

of what they can expect

when he comes home,

what does he do?

He makes a guy

named Amasa

the head of his army

in the place of Joab.

Now, you're thinking,

who the heck is Amasa?

What is that?

What difference

does that make?

Well, Amasa, remember,

was just recently

the head of Absalom's army.

This was the opposing general

on the other side

of the civil war.

These were the guys

David was just fighting against,

the ones who just staged a coup

and tried to kill him.

He says, look,

I'm going to extend

an olive branch.

Amasa is general now

in the place of Joab.

David's not going

to enact revenge.

He's going to work

to rebuild the nation,

even if that means

demoting his long-standing

general, Joab,

and putting Amasa

in his place.

Okay, now this,

these paragraphs

are pretty introductory, actually.

This kind of sets up

the rest of the chapter

and what's going to happen.

On his way

back to the Jordan

and back to Jerusalem,

David is going to have

three encounters

that sort of encapsulate

or give a concrete picture

of how David

is going to try

to restore peace

to the nation,

how he's going to try

to be a peacemaker

in the midst

of this really fragile

and fractious situation.

And he's going to do

two things.

On the one hand,

he's going to show mercy

to his enemies,

and on the other hand,

he's going to show kindness

and loyalty

to his friends.

And what the narrator

of 2 Samuel

is trying to show us here,

he's trying to show us

that this is what

a real king looks like.

Not someone

who's power hungry,

not someone

who's vengeful,

not someone

who's self-serving.

No.

A real king

is a peacemaker

who's willing

to extend mercy

to his enemies

and maintain loyalty

with his friends.

So we're going to see

three episodes.

Two of them

are episodes of mercy

and one of them

loyalty to friends.

So let's look at

the first episode

in 16.

Verse 16.

And Shimea,

the son of Gerah,

the Benjaminite

from Baharim,

hurried to come down

with the men of Judah

to meet King David.

And with him

were a thousand men

from Benjamin.

And Ziba,

the servant of the house

of Saul,

with his 15 sons

and his 20 servants,

rushed down

to the Jordan

before the king.

And they crossed the ford

to bring over

the king's household

and to do his pleasure.

And Shimea,

the son of Gerah,

fell down before the king

as he was about

to cross the Jordan.

And he said to the king,

let not my lord

hold me guilty

or remember

how your servant

did wrong

on the day

my lord the king

left Jerusalem.

Do not let the king

take it to heart

for your servant

knows that I have sinned.

Therefore behold,

I have come this day

the first of all

the house of Joseph

to come down

to meet my lord the king.

Abishai,

the son of Zeruiah,

answered,

shall not Shimea

be put to death

for this

because he cursed

the lord's anointed?

But David said,

what have I to do

with you,

you sons of Zeruiah,

that you should this day

be an adversary to me?

Shall anyone

be put to death

in Israel this day?

For do I not know

that I am this day

king over Israel?

And the king said

to Shimea,

you shall not die.

And the king

gave him his oath.

Okay,

so you'll remember

this guy,

Shimei,

or Shimea,

or however you pronounce it,

however you want to pronounce it.

You'll remember this guy

from chapter 16,

right?

This is the guy

who when David

was running away

from Absalom

on his way out of the city

showed up

and just started cursing him

and casting dirt

on his head

and calling him

a ruthless,

bloody man

and said,

you're getting

what you deserve,

David.

And now

that it looks like

David is still going

to be king after all,

lo and behold,

here comes Shimei

as fast as he can

to ask for forgiveness.

Did you notice

how the narrator said

he hurried down

to the Jordan

and then he didn't just wait there

for David to cross the Jordan,

he went over the Jordan

to get to David

as quickly as he possibly could.

And he asks for forgiveness.

And Abishai,

one of David's soldiers,

gives David the same advice

that he gave to David

back in chapter 16.

Do you remember that?

Abishai said in chapter 16,

David,

I've got an easy solution here.

Let's just take this guy's head off.

Done.

And Abishai is sort of like,

you know,

he's kind of a one-track-minded guy.

He's like,

hey,

here's another opportunity,

David.

He's back.

Let's kill him.

But David again

doesn't listen to Abishai.

And instead,

what does David do?

He refrains

from executing harsh judgment

and he grants Shimei mercy.

Now,

was Shimei guilty?

Of course.

He cursed David

up one side

and down the other

on his way out of Jerusalem.

Was Shimei's repentance

and apology sincere

here in chapter 19?

I mean,

he sincerely wanted

to save his own skin.

That's for sure.

Right?

And if David had lost

the war with Absalom,

one wonders whether Shimei

would have been so contrite.

So I think we can question

whether he's really

that sincere here.

But for all that,

David still extends mercy.

He keeps his cool

and he acts with prudence

for the sake

of making peace

in the nation.

Now,

I don't know about you,

but I think

of just how rare

that kind of thing is.

If you and I

are given the chance

to prove someone wrong

or to make someone

pay for wronging us,

I mean,

we often do it,

don't we?

And yet,

David refrains.

He affirms

that what Shimei did

was wrong,

but at least for now

he doesn't make him pay.

And you have to ask,

what is it

that allows David

to respond that way?

How is he,

I mean,

he has every right,

all the authority,

certainly all the power

at this moment

to do exactly

what his young friend

is telling him to do.

And yet,

what allows David

not to respond that way?

Look again

at the end of verse 21.

For do I not know

that I am this day

king over Israel?

What is David saying there?

In other words,

David is saying

that he doesn't have

to prove himself

in this moment.

And he doesn't have

to send a message

to his enemies

and he doesn't have

to nurse his wounded pride.

He tells his young friend,

look,

I know I am the king

right now

and I don't need

to do anything

to prove it.

He is so certain

and so secure

in that fact

that he extends

mercy to this guy.

And he knows

that as the king,

there is a bigger job

to do

than just evening

the score

and making this guy

pay for what he did.

David, you see,

has got this bigger agenda

and he wants there

to be peace

and wholeness

and unity

in the people of God.

And for that end,

he extends this guy mercy.

And friends,

I think the same

will be true of us.

As you and I grow,

in our assurance

of our identity,

not obviously

as God's king,

but certainly

as God's children,

as you and I

become more and more

assured of the fact

that God knows us

and loves us

and has chosen us

in Christ,

the more and more

we will have

a deep wellspring

to pull from

and the more and more

we'll find

that our lives

are caught up

in a much bigger agenda

than just getting even

with the people

who happen to cross us.

In other words,

I think as we sort of

root ourselves

in our identity

of who God has made

us to be in Christ,

we actually get the power

to become peacemakers

and extend mercy

the way David did.

Well, let's look at

the next meeting

that David has

where he again

extends mercy,

but this time

it looks a little different.

Pick up the story

in verse 24.

The narrator says,

And Mephibosheth,

the son of Saul,

came down to meet the king.

He had neither

taken care of his feet

nor trimmed his beard

nor washed his clothes

from the day the king

departed until the day

he came back in safety.

And when he came to Jerusalem

to meet the king,

the king said to him,

Why did you not go with me,

Mephibosheth?

He answered,

My lord, O king,

my servant deceived me.

For your servant said to him,

I will saddle a donkey

for myself

that I may ride on it

and go with the king.

For your servant is lame.

He, that is Ziba,

has slandered your servant

to my lord the king.

But my lord the king

is like the angel of God.

Do therefore

what seems good to you.

For all my father's house

were but men

doomed to death

before my lord the king,

but you set your servant

among those

who eat at your table.

What further right

have I then

to cry to the king?

And the king said to him,

Why speak any more

of your affairs?

I have decided.

You and Ziba

shall divide the land.

And Mephibosheth

said to the king,

Oh, let him take it all

since my lord the king

has come safely home.

If you look up

before this paragraph

in verse 17,

we're told

that a man named Ziba

also came rushing down

to the Jordan

and crossed over

to meet David.

And you'll remember

that like Shimei,

David was also met

by this guy named Ziba

as he was fleeing

Jerusalem from Absalom.

and Ziba

in that moment

seemed to be

a friend

to David then.

He gave him food

and drink

when David was tired

and thirsty

and hungry

on his flight.

But

in that moment,

if you look back there,

that chapter,

Ziba also sort of says

that his master,

Mephibosheth,

Ziba is the servant

of Mephibosheth.

Ziba says,

Oh, Mephibosheth,

David,

he's gone over

with Absalom.

He's totally abandoned you

and betrayed you.

And in that moment,

David says,

okay, Ziba,

all of his property

is yours.

For your loyalty,

you get his inheritance.

But now,

lo and behold,

as David is coming

back into the land,

we get to hear

Mephibosheth's side

of the story.

And David,

in some sense,

can see Mephibosheth's

side of the story

right before his eyes

because Mephibosheth,

the narrator says,

is a total wreck.

His feet are dirty,

his beard is scraggly,

his clothes are dirty.

In other words,

he's been in mourning,

sadness,

and grief

since David left the nation,

since he had to flee.

And because of Mephibosheth's

disability,

he was lame

in both of his feet,

he couldn't actually

make it out to David

in time to go with him.

He was stranded.

It seems that his servant,

Ziba,

had betrayed him,

kind of left him,

and gone out

and taken advantage

of David

while David

was on the run.

So,

the question is,

who's telling the truth?

Is it Ziba

or is it Mephibosheth?

At this point,

I mean,

David is sort of confronted

with a giant

he said,

she said,

right?

Of course,

on the surface,

it looks like Ziba

is guilty.

Mephibosheth's story

certainly seems more plausible

and he kind of

looks the part too.

But David doesn't rush

to any conclusions here.

Isn't it interesting

that if David showed

restraint

in the episode

right before this

with Shimei

not putting him

to death immediately,

David also shows

some restraint here

by not immediately

reinstating Mephibosheth

and punishing Ziba.

Instead,

David does something

again that's very prudent.

What does he do?

He divides the property

50-50.

And it's almost

like a test.

Do you remember

when Solomon,

David's son,

first became king?

What's one of the first things

that Solomon has to do

when he's king?

Two women come to Solomon

and these two women

both had children.

One of them died

and one of them was alive

and they both come to Solomon

and say,

my child's the alive one

and the other child

is the dead one.

Right?

And they're arguing it out.

And what's Solomon

going to do?

It's a he said,

she said kind of thing.

So he says,

well,

you say one thing,

you say another,

cut the baby in half,

and you each get to take

one part of it home.

And one woman says,

great,

fine by me,

sounds like a good deal.

And the other woman says,

no,

let her have it.

And right away,

everybody knows

who the real mother is.

The one who wanted

the child to live

even if she would lose him.

And I think in some sense

when David says,

look,

let's just cut the property

50-50,

we get to see immediately

where Mephibosheth's heart

is at.

Because in essence,

what does Mephibosheth say?

He says,

you know what,

David?

Let Ziba have the whole thing.

Why?

Because if I have you,

if you've come home

and you're going to reign,

then I've got everything I need.

I don't need property,

livelihood.

I don't need that.

You're here.

That's what matters.

Now pause,

let's just pause

on that for a minute.

Friends,

do you want to know

whether or not

you really get

the gospel?

Do you want to know

whether you really grasp

the heart of what

Christianity is all about?

So often at the heart level,

what we're really saying

spiritually is this.

I'll follow Jesus.

I will believe in him

as long as that helps me

get what I really want.

Or,

at least,

I'll follow him at least

if it doesn't get in the way

of what I really want.

But you know

that you're really

starting to get it.

You know that your heart

is really starting to change.

When you start to say,

you know,

actually,

the most important thing

in my life

isn't whether or not

I get this particular thing.

But the most important thing

is to have Jesus himself.

That's what really matters.

To have him

reigning in my life,

it doesn't matter

if I get this,

that,

or the other thing.

I've got him.

In other words,

when your heart starts to see

not Christ

as a means to an end,

but himself

as the end,

that's when you're

starting to get it.

When you start to see

that being in a relationship

with him,

that's the greatest thing.

And isn't that what

Mephibosheth is saying here?

David,

look,

the land is not the thing.

You're the thing.

To sit at your table,

to be a part of your family,

that's what I care about.

So you can give Ziba

the property,

I don't really care.

What I care is

to be reconciled to you.

That's the heart

that really gets it.

Friends,

is that you tonight?

It's a hard question.

Or is something

more precious to you

than having God himself

in Christ?

Are you seeing

your relationship with God

as just a means to an end?

Are you seeing it

for what it is,

the very end

for which you were created?

To know him

and to love him

and to be in fellowship

with him.

Is that the most

precious thing to you?

Let's look at David's

last encounter here.

And here we see David

not dealing with his enemies

like Shimei or Ziba,

but he's dealing

with a friend here.

Let's pick up

in verse 31.

Now Barzillai,

the Gileadite.

That's a sweet name

by the way.

Anyone here expecting?

Barzillai.

Put that one

on your short list.

That's a good deal.

Barzillai,

the Gileadite,

had come down

from Rogalim

and he went on

with the king

to the Jordan

to escort him

over the Jordan.

Barzillai was

a very aged man,

80 years old.

He had provided

the king food

while he stayed

at Mahanaim

for he was

a very wealthy man.

And the king

said to Barzillai,

come over with me

and I will provide

for you with me

in Jerusalem.

But Barzillai said

to the king,

how many years

have I still to live

that I should go up

with the king

to Jerusalem?

I am this day

80 years old.

Can I discern

what is pleasant

and what is not?

Can your servant

taste what he eats

or what he drinks?

Can I still listen

to the voice

of singing men

and singing women?

Why then should

your servant

be an added burden

to my lord the king?

Your servant

will go a little way

over the Jordan

with the king.

Why should the king

repay me

with such a reward?

Please let your servant

return that I might die

in my own city

near the grave

of my father

and my mother.

But here is your servant

Kimham.

Let him go over

with my lord the king

and do for him

whatever seems good

to you.

And the king answered

Kimham shall go

over with me

and I will do

for him

whatever seems

good to you

and all that you

desire of me

I will do for you.

Then all the people

went over the Jordan

and the king

went over

and the king

kissed Barzillai

and blessed him

and he returned

to his own home.

The king went

on to Gilgal

and Kimham

went with him.

So here we see

that David

doesn't forget

the kindness

that this man

Barzillai

showed to him

when he was in need.

And when Barzillai

refuses to accept

David's offer

of coming back

with him to Jerusalem

David doesn't

get offended.

Instead he finds

a way to honor

his old friend

nonetheless

by blessing

this young man

Kimham

in his place.

I think there's

a critical

actually lesson

in this paragraph.

Think about David.

David is putting

out fires

left and right

isn't he?

He's got huge

massive problems

to deal with.

The nation

is on the verge

of crumbling

and yet

he doesn't forget

and he doesn't

take for granted

the friends

who actually

stood by him

when he was in need.

I think this is

a really good reminder.

You know it's important

to think about

how we treat

our enemies

and we've been seeing

how David

is an example

of prudence

and mercy

in that regard

but friends

we also need

to think about

how we treat

our friends.

Think about

the people

who are close

to you

who stand

by you

the people

who encourage

you

and who support

you

and who are there

for you

when you need

them.

Are you taking

them for granted?

being a peacemaker

being an agent

of God's kingdom

is just as much

about loving

our spouses

and showing

kindness

to our fellow

church members

and being grateful

to our friends

it's as much

about that

not taking

those people

for granted

working hard

at cultivating

those relationships

is as much

about that

as it is

about forgiving

our enemies.

And notice

how David

here is not

easily

deterred

his plan

A

doesn't work

Barzillai

declines

the offer

to come

to Jerusalem

and then

what does

David do?

Well fine

see you later

no

he gladly

goes along

with plan B

right

he'll show

kindness

to the servant

instead

bring him

along

I'll shower

blessings on him

for your sake

in other words

David's going

to show

loyalty

and gratitude

to his friend

and he's going

to do it

in a way

that matters

and that counts

to him

to Barzillai

not to David

friends

when you think

about showing

kindness

to those

who are

closest to you

to really

blessing them

to really

showing them

gratitude

are you

thinking about

what would

be meaningful

for that

person

or are you

doing it

sort of

according to

your own

agenda

and what

you think

they should

like

are you

like

Homer Simpson

who buys

Marge Simpson

a bowling ball

for her

birthday

oh

you're not

going to

use the

bowling ball

Marge

I'll take

it

friends

we should

rather be

ultimately

concerned

about what's

going to

show that

person

loyalty

and kindness

and gratitude

and bless

them

Barzillai

comes up

with this

plan

here's my

servant

take

this servant

boy to

Jerusalem

and shower

blessing

on him

that would

not have

been a

sexy

flashy

proposal

to David

would have

been much

more great

to take

this aged

old guy

to Jerusalem

and have

him sit

at his

table

and look

at how

great

that is

but no

David

says great

Barz life

that's what's

going to

bless you

bring him

along

I'll make

him one

of my

own

David's

ultimately

concerned with

what's going

to show

him

that he's

grateful for

his loyalty

and love

and I think

that's worthy

of our

imitation

but you know

friends for all

that when we

come to the

end of this

chapter we

see something

again that's a

little surprising

David has

done his

best at

this point

to repair

and restore

the nation

he's showing

mercy to his

enemies

he's showing

kindness to

his friends

he's being

prudent and

wise and

thoughtful

he's being

a good

king

but in

the end

it doesn't

seem to

have been

enough

let's pick

up with

the rest

of verse

40

all the

people of

Judah

and also

half the

people of

Israel

brought the

king on

his way

then all

the men

of Israel

presumably

all those

who didn't

show up

came to

the king

and said

to the

king

why have

our

brothers

the men

of

Judah

stolen

you away

and brought

the king

and his

household

over the

Jordan

and all

David's

men

with

him

they're

accusing

them

of

going

behind

their

back

and

bringing

David

home

and not

letting

them

join

the

party

and all

the men

of

Judah

answered

the men

of

Israel

because

the

king's

our

close

relative

why

then are

you angry

over

this

matter

have

we

eaten

at

all

at

the

king's

expense

or

has

he

given

us

any

gift

the

implied

answer

there

is

no

we

haven't

gotten

any

profit

out

of

this

deal

and

the

men

of

Israel

answered

the

men

of

Judah

we

have

ten

shares

in

the

king

and

in

David

also

we

have

more

than

you

why

then

do

you

despise

us

were

we

not

the

first

to

speak

of

bringing

back

our

king

it

was

our

idea

in

the

first

place

but

the

words

of

the

men

of

Judah

were

fiercer

than

the

words

of

the

men

of

Israel

end

of

chapter

despite

all

of

David's

robust

peacemaking

activity

the

nation

still

descends

into

pettiness

and

tribalism

and

pride

and

it

ends

like

a

shouting

match

between

two

kids

on

the

playground

except

with

much

more

dire

consequences

because

as

we'll

see

in

the

next

chapter

as

a

result

of

this

fracturing

a

whole

other

rebellion

breaks

out

and

the

nation

again

descends

into

war

with

itself

so

what

does

it

mean

friends

I

think

it

means

that

not

even

great

David

can

finally

heal

the

divisions

that

tear

us

apart

the

chapter

ends

crying

out

with

the

need

for

an

even

greater

David

for

an

even

better

king

and

friends

that's

what

the

Bible

is

all

about

it's

about

one

who's

come

to do

just

that

you

know

when

Jesus

Christ

came

to

earth

one

of the

things

he taught

his

disciples

was this

blessed

are the

peacemakers

for they

shall be

called

the sons

of God

and in

some sense

that's what

we've been

thinking about

tonight

how to be

peacemakers

but you

know

at the end

of the day

Jesus

didn't come

just to

teach us

what we're

supposed

to do

he came

to

he came

to

do

what we

couldn't

do

he came

to

extend

a

mercy

and to

extend

a

kindness

to such

a degree

and to

such a

depth

that even

the most

violent

of our

divisions

can be

healed

in other

words

Jesus

Christ

came

not just

to teach

peace

but to

make

it

definitively

once and for

all

how

because you

see friends

for all

of those

men

and women

for everyone

who puts

their trust

in Christ

his death

on the cross

heals

the most

severe

division

that any

of us

ever

experience

the division

that exists

between us

as sinful

human beings

and our

holy

wise

and good

creator

God

and as

the son

of God

Jesus

came as

our

perfect

representative

fully

in the

flesh

living

a life

that we

should

have

lived

dying

a death

that we

deserve

to die

dying

in our

place

and then

rising

again

to prove

that the

penalty

for our

sins

have been

paid

in full

when we

trust

in him

and friends

the reality

is

is that

when we

come to

know

the

peace

of being

reconciled

to God

through

grace

something

that David

could never

do

no human

king

could reconcile

us to

God

but Jesus

can and

did

once we

come to

know

that

reconciling

grace

the apostle

Paul says

is that

then

we're

actually

reconciled

to one

another

that when

the wall

between

us and

God

came crashing

down

the wall

between

one

another

came

tumbling

down

with

it

David

did his

very best

to unite

the people

around his

kingship

but it's

still broke

and it's

still splintered

but when

Jesus Christ

was exalted

on the cross

our enmity

was finally

taken away

because before

the cross

we're all

equal

no matter

what our

tribe

no matter

what our

background

we're all

sinners

and we're

all recipients

of a steadfast

love and

grace like

we could

only imagine

and that

puts everything

else in

perspective

and friends

as we

the church

come to

grips with

that and

grasp that

and hold

tightly to it

in the power

of the Holy

Spirit

you know

what happens

the church

actually becomes

this great

signpost

of the

reconciling

power of

the cross

of Jesus

his own

reconciling

power

that today