2 Samuel 3:1-:39

So we are back in 2 Samuel tonight.

So let's pick up where we left off last week.

We're going to pick up with chapter 3 tonight.

That's page 256 in the Pew Bible.

It's a long passage that we're looking at tonight, so we won't put it on the screens.

But let me encourage you to turn there in a Bible so you can follow along in the text.

Page 256, 2 Samuel chapter 3.

2 Samuel 3 · chapter mention

We're going to cover the whole of the third chapter tonight.

And as you turn there, here's the proposition that I want us to consider tonight from 2 Samuel chapter 3.

2 Samuel 3 · chapter mention

And it is this.

Human corruption cannot confound God's kingdom.

Human corruption cannot confound God's kingdom.

In this chapter that we're going to look at tonight, we've got basically three main characters.

And each of those three characters is pretty much a study in human selfishness and corruption.

So we are going to look briefly at each one of those characters.

And next we're going to consider God's kingdom in all of that.

And then we'll end by making some applications.

So let's dive right in.

Starting at verse 1.

Look at verse 1 with me.

There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David.

And David grew stronger and stronger while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

You'll remember from last week, at this point in Israel's history, there are two rival kings vying for the throne of all Israel.

The second half, actually, of chapter 2, which we didn't get a chance to go over in detail last week,

tells the story of how these rival kings ended up sort of erupting into a civil war in Israel.

On one side was Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, carrying on the house of Saul along with his general Abner.

And on the other side was, of course, David, along with his general Joab.

Two sides, civil war.

And as we know, as we've been following the story of Samuel, that the Lord is with David.

So over time, as verse 1 puts it,

David grows stronger and stronger and the house of Saul grows weaker and weaker.

There's the context.

Jump down to verse 6.

Here's the first character in our story.

Abner.

While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David,

Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

Now, that should come as no surprise.

After all, as we saw last week, Abner was really the one who made Ish-bosheth king after Saul's death.

Abner took him, made him king, and set it all up.

He was the one who was really in control.

He was the neck that was turning the head, right?

And it was Abner who marched out in battle at the second half of chapter 2

who provoked the civil war in the first place.

Now, you have to admit, Abner was, of course,

he must have been a highly talented man.

He must have been skillful in war.

He must have been wise in diplomacy.

He must have been a natural leader.

People must have naturally wanted to follow him.

But as verse 6, this verse we just read, shows us,

Abner's heart is driven by what?

Driven by power.

A desire to make himself strong.

Let's pick up his story in verse 7.

Now, Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizba, the daughter of Aiah.

And Ish-bosheth said to Abner,

Why have you gone into my father's concubine?

Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said,

Am I a dog's head of Judah?

To this day, I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul, your father,

to his brothers, and to his friends,

and have not given you into the hand of David?

And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman.

God do so to Abner and more also,

if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul

and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah,

from Dan to Beersheba.

And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word

because he feared him.

So here is Abner, this man driven by power,

and now he is crossed, his will is crossed by Ish-bosheth.

And in the ancient world,

the action of sleeping with another king's concubine

was basically a symbolic way of claiming authority

over everything else that that king owned.

So it was a pretty brazen act.

And we don't know actually whether or not the accusation was true,

whether Abner actually did this or whether he didn't do this.

But either way, in frustration, taking great offense,

Abner says, forget you Ish-bosheth, and he defects.

He abandons this puppet king that he set up,

and he goes over to David.

Abner couldn't stand to have his will crossed.

But you know, his defection here

probably wasn't just a brash decision in the heat of anger.

Because as we've seen, Abner was no fool, right?

He knew probably at this point that David's side was winning.

And now, here was Abner's chance

to keep seeking power for himself.

He'd give the kingdom to David.

And we imagine in doing so,

Abner would probably secure a place of power for himself

in David's kingdom.

So chapter 3 continues.

In verse 12, Abner reaches out to David

and offers to make a covenant with him.

David accepts.

And in verse 17, Abner upholds his end of the bargain.

He brings the elders of Israel,

that is all the northern tribes

who are against David at this point.

He brings all the elders of Israel over to David's side.

And in verses 20 and 21,

if you scan down there,

Abner and David seal their agreement with a meal,

with a feast,

which was a common way of ratifying covenants

of treaties in the ancient world.

Now, for just a moment,

consider Abner here and his thirst for power.

He props up Ish-bosheth

and then hangs him out to dry.

He makes this utterly bombastic claim in verse 12.

Look at verse 12.

He asks this rhetorical question,

to whom does the land belong?

In other words, Abner's saying,

the land really belongs to me.

I'm the one who's going to give it to you.

But then we see in verse 17

that going over to David,

look down at verse 17,

that's exactly what all the elders of the northern tribes,

they wanted at this point.

So Abner here saw a moment of opportunity

when all the chips were in the right place

and he played them for his own power

and his own benefit.

So here then is the first portrait of human corruption,

Abner, the man driven by power

to make himself strong.

But in verse 22,

another character enters the picture.

Joab.

Joab shows up right after this feast

between David and Abner

and when he finds out what David has just done,

Joab says to David in verse 24,

look at verse 24,

what have you done?

Behold, Abner came to you.

Why is it that you have sent him away

so that he is gone?

You know that Abner, the son of Ner,

came to deceive you

and to know you're going out

and you're coming in

and to know all that you're doing.

Basically, Joab is saying,

David, you cannot trust this guy.

He's just here to spy on us

so he can know our movements,

know our weaknesses,

and eventually defeat us.

You've been taken, David.

What is going on?

And on one hand,

you can't blame Joab here, right?

I mean, they're in the middle of a civil war

and suddenly the opposing general

just happens to change his mind

and offer the kingdom to David

on a silver platter,

no strings attached.

A warrior like Joab knows

that that's probably too good to be true.

But you know,

there's a deeper thing going on here

with Joab.

Joab isn't merely concerned

for David's safety

and for David's kingdom.

Because you see,

back in chapter two,

when the civil war broke out

between Abner's army

and Joab's army,

in all of that mess,

Abner ended up killing Joab's brother.

Turn back to chapter two in your Bible.

Turn back a page

to chapter two, verse 18.

Let's read this account.

Chapter two is the first military encounter

of the civil war,

the sort of battle of Gibeon,

and Abner's army is being beaten back

at this point in the story.

Verse 18.

And the three sons of Zeruiah were there,

Joab, Abishai, and Azahel.

Now Azahel was as swift of foot

as a wild gazelle,

and Azahel pursued Abner.

And as he went,

he turned neither to the right hand

nor to the left

from following Abner.

Then Abner looked behind him and said,

is it you, Azahel?

And he answered,

it is I.

Abner said to him,

turn aside to your right hand

or to your left

and seize one of the young men

and take his spoil.

But Azahel would not turn aside

from following him.

And Abner said again to Azahel,

turn aside from following me.

Why should I strike you to the ground?

How then could I lift up my face

to your brother Joab?

But he refused to turn aside.

Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach

with the butt of his spear

so that the spear came out at his back.

And he fell there

and died where he was.

And all who came to the place

where Azahel had fallen

and died stood still.

Here's the background

between Abner and Joab.

And take note here

that Abner killed Azahel

in the middle of battle,

in the middle of war.

Azahel wasn't an innocent victim.

In fact, Abner gave him,

I mean, we just read it,

gave him more than enough time

to pick a different fight.

But Azahel refused

and Abner drove him through

with his spear.

The picture there is

Abner is basically just stopping,

holding out his spear

and Azahel running straight into it.

It's pretty graphic, actually.

But this is something

that Joab didn't forget.

And in the months and years

since his brother died,

Joab was waiting

for his opportunity

to get revenge.

Underneath Joab's outrage

in chapter 3

that David would make

a covenant with Abner

is his thirst

for getting even.

To make Abner pay

for the blood of his brother.

And that's exactly what he does.

Back in chapter 3,

verse 26,

Joab sends a message

to Abner

without David knowing.

And Abner returns

to meet with Joab

thinking that they're going to

seal maybe a sort of pact.

Well, who's going to run the army

now that we're sort of

working on the same side?

And Joab takes him aside privately

and sticks a knife

into his ribs

and murders him

in cold blood.

And the narrator's very clear

that all of this

was motivated

by pure revenge.

Look at verse 30.

So Joab and Abishai,

his brother,

killed Abner

because he had put

their brother Asahel

to death

in the battle of Gibeon.

Portrait number 2.

Joab,

the man driven by revenge.

But lastly,

there's David.

In verse 31,

David responds rightly

to Abner's death

by lamenting

and by honoring him.

And he also publicly blames

Joab

for killing Abner.

Look at verse 38.

And the king,

that is David,

said to his servants,

Do you not know

that a prince and a great man

has fallen this day in Israel?

Speaking of Abner.

And I was gentle today,

though anointed king.

And these men,

the sons of Zeruiah,

that is Joab and Abishai,

are more severe than I.

The Lord repay the evildoer

according to his wickedness.

But you know,

even though David responds rightly

to Abner's death,

the narrator here

wants us to see

that not even David

is innocent

in these verses.

Of course,

there's the question

of why David

doesn't remove

Joab from his position.

Think about it.

What Joab did

could have cost

David the kingdom.

His personal vendetta

could have exploded

in David's face,

brought more years

of civil war,

turned the people

against David.

But rather than

removing Joab,

David gives him

what sort of feels

like a slap on the wrist

and moves on.

But there are more

troubling things

that the narrator

wants us to see.

Go back to the beginning

of the chapter.

You notice that we skipped

verses 2 through 5.

But look at them now.

Here the narrator

starts telling us

about David's sons.

And we find here

that David's sons,

many in number,

were not born to one wife.

David's sons

were not born to two wives.

David's sons

were not born to three wives,

but six wives

at this point

in David's career.

And when David

cuts a deal

with Abner

in verse 13,

his end of the bargain

is that Abner

bring him back

his first wife,

Michal.

That would be number 7

for David.

And Michal,

at this point,

has already been

remarried for years.

Look at verse 15.

And Nishbosheth

sent for her,

that is Michal,

from her husband,

Paltiel,

the son of Leish.

But her husband

went with her,

weeping after her

all the way

to Baharim.

Then Abner said to him,

Go, return.

And he returned.

What a sad scene.

This guy's wife

being ripped away

from him

to add another

to David's

collection of wives.

What are we

to make of all this?

Well, I think

there's a right way

and there's a wrong way

to understand

David's multiple wives.

Some would look

at a passage like this

and say,

Look,

these sorts of passages

are proof

that the Bible

doesn't really have

a consistent ethic

when it comes

to marriage.

They would point out

that the patriarchs,

like Abraham

and Jacob

had multiple wives

and here David

has multiple wives.

So they'd say

the Bible

doesn't really teach

just one thing

about marriage.

And because of that,

well,

we're free

to change

and to evolve

as we see fit.

You see,

you can't really trust

the Bible morally.

So this reading goes.

But you know,

that reading

of this passage

can't be right.

And here's why.

First off,

just because something

is described

in the Bible

doesn't mean

it's prescribed.

Do you see

what I'm saying?

In other words,

the Bible's recounting

history here.

It's telling us

what really happened

and it's being

brutally honest.

But it's not saying,

well,

look,

David did this,

so you can do that too.

Are there any indications

in this text

that that's what

the narrator

wants us to get?

But you know,

there's another reason

why the sort of

revisionist reading

can't be right.

I mean,

friends,

you simply have to look,

look at the outcome

of what happens

on account of David

taking all these wives.

Yes,

he had a lot of sons.

Yes,

on the surface,

it seems that he was

establishing his rule.

But his lust

for multiple wives

would bring nothing

but heartache

and dissolution

to his kingdom.

In fact,

in nearly every place

where a man

takes more than one wife

in the Bible,

nothing but trouble

and problems

follow in the wake.

Just think of the story

of Abraham,

Sarah,

and Hagar.

Remember how that one

turned out?

Bitterness,

hatred,

one of them getting

sent away,

sons that ended up

hating each other.

Or think back

to 1 Samuel chapter 1.

1 Samuel 1 · chapter mention

Elkanah has two wives,

Hannah and Penina.

And what's the result?

Bitterness,

jealousy,

heartache.

So friends,

I ask you,

is the Old Testament

saying,

this is just fine.

Is the Bible

being morally inconsistent

and trustworthy?

Of course not.

Anyone who can read

2 Samuel

and not realize

that David's lust

after multiple wives

is nothing less

than a ticking time bomb

waiting to explode

in turmoil

and strife

just doesn't know

how to read a text.

What the narrator

wants us to see

is that David too

for all of his virtues

is also

a picture

of our common

weakness

and corruption.

He too

is part of the problem.

He's a man

driven by lust.

Okay.

Now what are we

to make of all this?

Why in the world

is this chapter

in the Bible

other than to be

a bit depressing?

What do we gain

from these three portraits

of our own

corruption in a sense?

It's like we're looking

in a mirror,

our enslavement

to power

and to revenge

and to lust.

Well friends,

I hope we can appreciate

looking at a chapter

like this

that at least

the Bible

is a brutally

honest book.

The Bible

is not willing

for one second

to turn away

from the harsh reality

of the fallen world

that we live in

or the harsh realities

living within our own hearts.

The Bible

is about sinners.

Fallen,

corrupt,

selfish human beings.

Humans just like

you and me.

But the Bible

you see

isn't just

about sinners.

It's for sinners.

The Bible

is written

for

messed up people

like Abner

and Joab

and David

and like

Nick

and Greg

and Matt

and all of us.

People who hoard power,

people who hold grudges,

people who lust

after people

who aren't their spouses.

These are the kind

of people that God

has come

to rescue.

And the God

who inspired

the pages

of this story,

friends,

trust me,

he is not ignorant

and he is not surprised

at anything

that you've done.

And this brings us

back to what I said

was I think

the main idea

that this text

is showing us.

That human corruption

cannot thwart

the kingdom of God.

Where do we see that

in our text?

Well,

take a step back

and take the whole chapter in.

Try to view this chapter

as a whole.

What happens

when we take this

30,000 foot level

and view?

Well,

what happens?

Abner is removed,

David is vindicated

at the end,

and God's kingdom

takes another step forward.

Look at verse 36.

David mourns Abner

and the narrator says,

and all the people

took notice of it

and it pleased them

as everything

that the king did

pleased all the people.

So all the people

and all Israel

understood that day

that it had not been

the king's will

to put to death

Abner the son of Ner.

Do you see what's happened?

The biggest obstacle

standing in the way

of David's uncontested

reign in Israel,

that is the person

of Abner,

has been taken away

and in such a way

that David is totally

innocent of his blood.

And the way in which

this has fallen out

ends up to mean

that the people

love David all the more.

All the people,

the narrator says,

not just Judah,

David's home tribe,

but all the people.

God has just united

the kingdom around David.

So out of the mess

of this chapter,

the power-hungry betrayals,

the revenge-fueled killings,

the patriarchal exploitation

of women,

out of the cesspool

of human corruption,

God is still able

to move his redemptive kingdom

one step closer

to its goal.

Human corruption,

friends,

cannot stop God's kingdom.

But you know,

there's an even greater

example of this

in the Bible,

isn't there?

And it's at the center

of the gospel itself.

In Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

the apostle Peter

stands up in Jerusalem

and gives his

Pentecost sermon.

And in verse 23,

he says to the crowd,

this Jesus delivered up

according to the definite plan

and foreknowledge of God,

you crucified and killed

by the hands of lawless men.

Do you see what Peter's

saying there?

At the cross,

God was able to take

the most horrible sin

of humankind,

the crucifixion

of his own son,

and use it

for the greatest

triumph of his kingdom.

The once for all

defeat of sin

and death

and darkness.

At the cross,

human corruption

could not thwart

God's kingdom.

In fact,

in the mystery

of God's wisdom,

in the mystery

of God's sovereignty

and human responsibility,

the cross,

in a way that boggles

our mind,

was at the same time

both the result

of God's plan

and the result

of lawless men.

God was able

to accomplish

his purposes

even through

the sinful acts

of human beings.

Let me end

with three applications.

First,

I think this text

ought to cause us

to worship God.

Only God

is loving enough

and powerful enough

to advance

his purpose

and his kingdom

even in the face

of the most fierce

human corruption.

You and I

are thwarted

all the time,

aren't we?

My plans

rarely seem

to work out

as planned

even when

everything's going

right.

I have two toddlers.

Our plans

are never

carried out

the way we want

them to carry out

because someone's

dropping something

or someone's

forgetting something

or one of them's

having a breakdown.

When everything

goes right,

even our plans

are often thwarted.

But friends,

for God,

even when everything

seems to be going

wrong,

his kingdom

cannot fail.

God's

God

is

God.

He is

second,

this text

does not

give us

an excuse

to disobey

God.

Abner,

Joab,

David,

they were wrong

to do what they did.

They clearly

disobeyed God's

revealed will

in scripture,

right?

So we must

not think

that just

because,

well,

God's in

control,

that we

can just

do whatever

and disregard

God's commands.

No,

just the opposite.

We should

obey God.

We should

follow his

word in

scripture with

all the

strength that

he gives.

But,

this text

does mean

that we

should not

despair

over our

past mistakes

and our

past sins.

Friends,

Jesus died

on the cross

to forgive

the sins

of all

who repent

and believe.

The apostle

John will say,

if we confess

our sins,

he is faithful

and just

to forgive us

our sins

and to cleanse

us from

all

unrighteousness.

though you

may have

been as

power hungry

as Abner,

betraying

your friends

and just

looking out

for number

one,

though you

may have

been as

bitter

and angry

and murderous

as Joab,

though you

may have

been as

lust driven

as David,

friend,

there is no

sin in

your life

so great

that God

cannot

and does

not

forgive

it

through

the

cross

of

Christ.

And there

is no

sin so

great

in your

life

that God

cannot

bring

his

redemption

through

it

or in

spite

of it.

So do

follow

God's

commands.

They're

for your

good.

But don't

despair

over your

sin.

God's

kingdom

is bigger

and more

powerful

than your

sin

and your

failures.

Third

and last,

as we

see human

corruption,

not just

in our

own

hearts,

but also

in the

world

around

us.

We ought

to apply

this text

by trusting

that God's

power and

God's

righteousness

will

ultimately

prevail

in our

fallen

world.

Each day

the newspapers

carry more

and more

stories about

refugees fleeing

for their

lives,

murders and

wars breaking

out,

hunger and

oppression

persisting,

race relations

deteriorating,

but in

the face

of all

this

brokenness,

friends,

let us

who know

the risen

Christ not

lose heart.

God's

kingdom will

ultimately

overcome all

human corruption.

And that

truth doesn't

make us

passive.

No,

just the

opposite.

It gives

us encouragement,

it gives

us courage,

and it gives

us hope

to pray

for God's

kingdom to

come and

God's will

to be done

on earth

as it is

in heaven.

And it

gives us

the courage

to speak

and to

act as

God's

agents of

justice and

healing right

now.

Knowing that

human corruption

cannot thwart

God's kingdom

gives us the

deep courage

that we need

to act.

And of

course in

doing so we

act humbly,

don't we?

Because we

know that we

too are in

need of

grace.

We too

need God's

kingdom to

overcome our

weakness and

our failure.

We too

need the

Lord Jesus

and his

spirit to

cover our

sins and

to remake

us in

his image.

Friends,

these are the

things that we

need.

We need to

know this.

And so we

can go out

into the

world humbly

and boldly

to be bearers

of peace and

bearers of

grace and

bearers of

justice.

Confident

that our

human corruption

cannot thwart

the kingdom of

God.

God,

let's

pray.

Lord Jesus,

thank you that

through your

cross and

through your

resurrection,

you have

forgiven sins

and you have

granted new

life to all

who come in

humble faith to

you.

Lord,

thank you that

none of the

sins of our

past can

destroy your

saving purposes.

God,

and that you

will work

all things

out according

to your

redemptive plan

in the end.

Lord,

we confess that

in the middle

of the story

of your

redemptive work,

we don't often

see how the

pieces connect.

God,

as we see

heartbreak and

as we see

pain,

we confess

that we doubt

and we wonder

sometimes what's

going on in the

world.

And Lord,

we cry out,

how long?

But oh Lord,

help us to

see that just

as you took

the mess of

this passage

and were able

to bring through

it just a spark

of your good,

God,

one day you

will take the

mess of the

world and you

will flood it

with your glory

and you will

bring healing

and restoration

and peace.

God,

we long for

that day.

We look forward

to it.

In Jesus'

name,

amen.

I want to

mine.

I want to

see you

in Jesus'

name,

amen.

Now,

I want to

let you

call me

an

name,

Moojna,

Wayne.

I lover today

he wanted

to come

to leave

the

tiger

born

to keep

there