1 Kings 2 (Part 1) Bible Study (David's Instructions to Solomon/David's Death) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

First Kings Chapter 2 and what we're going to be considering

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

together is the 1st 11 verses of this chapter.

As you can tell, this is a very lengthy chapter, like many

chapters and kings, but we are going to take our time to

dissect appropriate themes or the flow of thought that seems

appropriate to stop at. And so we're just going to,

before we pray, let's just read these verses together without

interruption and just have a frame of what's about to take

place and how we're going to receive from God's word.

First Kings Chapter 2, beginning in verse one, when David's time

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

to die drew near, He commanded Solomon, his son, saying, I am

about to go the way of all the earth.

Be strong and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the

Lord your God walking in His ways, and keeping His statutes,

His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as it is

written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper, and all

that you do. And wherever you turn that the

Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying,

If your sons pay close attention to their way to walk before me

in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul,

you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.

Moreover, you also know what Jawad the son of Zuraiya, did to

me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of

Israel, Abner, the son of Nur, and Amasa the son of Jether,

whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been

shed in a way, and putting the blood of war on the belt around

his waist, and on the sandals on his feet.

Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his Gray

head go down to Shiole and peace, but deal loyally with the

sons of Barzalai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who

eat at your table. For with such loyalty they met

me when I fled from Absalom, your brother.

And there is also with you Shemay, the son of Gira, the

Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse

on the day when I went out to Mahanayam.

But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by

the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.

Now, therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise

man. You will know what you ought to

do to him, and you shall bring his Gray head down with blood to

shield. Then David slept with his

father's and was buried in the city of David.

And the time that David reigned over Israel was 40 years.

He reigned 7 years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem.

So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his

Kingdom was firmly established. Lord, this is your word.

We tremble at it now use this time to Pierce our hearts, to

awaken our affections, to apply its instructions without

hesitation. And Lord, help us seek Christ in

Jesus name. Amen.

The time for King David, that man that we have studied for

years, week after week, Friday after Friday, session after

session, the time for this man to die, has now arrived.

And David here is going to take the opportunity to bring his

son, to look him in the eyes and to grant him final instructions.

As he is coming to the end of his life, he wants to give

direction for Solomon's life. And it's not difficult to see

how this text exhibits timeless wisdom for you and I.

But I believe the best way to benefit from this portion of

Scripture is to not look at it from A1 dimensional point of

view, because it's easy to do that.

It's easy to limit what we're seeing here as a way of

listening in on a monologue, a father speaking into the heart

of his son. But David is not just speaking

to Solomon. David is speaking about other

people. There are three specific

individuals that David brings into this conversation, and by

looking at them as well, not just looking at what is being

set to soma, but looking at them and the complexities of how they

relate to David and Solomon. We will leave this Bible study

richer, greater revelation, greater things to apply to our

lives, a more holistic view of what the Lord has in mind in

this text. And by doing this, I want to

encourage you to read your Bible in a certain way again.

Not to just look at it from 1 limited dimension, but to

consider the other characters, to consider other vantage

points, to consider the multifaceted truths that are

packed into one place. And so the way you and I will

organize our thoughts is to first look at David's

instructions to Solomon, but also to look at what he says

concerning Joab, concerning Barza Lai, concerning Shemay.

It's a very simple way of approaching this.

All we're really going to do is collect some thoughts.

There isn't one main theme here. If there is a theme that you

would like, it's wisdom for life, what to do and what not to

do. I love how the Bible takes

certain people and allows us to see and hear their final words

before they depart. Why is that?

Why does the Bible care to give us the last words of certain

individuals? Surely for us to know how to

finish. Well, surely for us to know what

again not to do, what to do, to understand how our decisions

today will affect our tomorrow's, whether you realize

it today or not. And so let's consider these

words. First, his direct instructions

to Solomon before he deals with these other individuals and what

Solomon ought to do with them When David's time to die Junior,

he commanded Solomon, his son, saying, I am about to go the way

of all the earth. What a fascinating way for the

Holy Spirit to label death. I am about to go the way of all

the earth. Every single person here is

unique. Every single person here might

have a unique journey, but every single person in here, with the

billions of other people who are living today, have one thing in

common among other things, and that is this.

There will be a cessation of this earthly life.

The way of all the earth is death, and the way David speaks

about death is with an accepting tone.

I am about to go the way of all the earth.

He embraces that. And unfortunately there are many

people when it comes to death, live as though it is optional.

Live as though it can be suspended by their will.

It can be delayed at their command.

And that is not true. Though there are practical

things that you and I can do, and God calls us to do to

prolong life, ultimately it is determined by His sovereignty.

But what's interesting here is by David speaking in this way,

he proves that he is accepting this reality.

And some people can't accept that reality and I'll prove it

to you. They don't ever ruminate over

it. Let me ask you a question.

When is the last time that you gave more than 10 seconds

meditating on your mortality? Sounds morbid.

It sounds scary. It sounds strange to do so.

And yet the Bible says it's wisdom.

Teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom.

And so there are those who refuse to accept it, who who

shoo the thought away the the moment it visits them.

And there are others who are willing to accept it.

It's part of their theological framework.

And even if you're not a believer, you understand that

this is just a component of life that is inescapable.

We're all going to die. And though they might accept it,

they don't prepare for it. Dave here not only accepts it,

David is preparing for it. And we need to do both.

So it's one thing to say I acknowledge that this is true.

It's another thing to say now if this is true, what am I going to

do concerning it? And it's absolutely vital for

you to accept and prepare for it because we need to invest in a

life that's going to be eternal. And based on how we even live

with that perspective, it will determine the quality of life

that we know today. You know there's an interesting

verse found in the book of Amos, Chapter 4, verse 12.

Amos 4:12

If you're 1 to highlight in your Bible, there's a phrase in that

verse that is worth underscoring, and it's in light

of Amos warning the people of God to be confronted with the

judgment of God in their lifetime.

But it's something that we can apply to, something that you and

I will all experience. Amos 412.

If you've never seen this verse, you'll enjoy it.

What does the Prophet say, Therefore?

Thus I will do to you, oh, Israel, because I will do this

to you. Prepare to meet your God.

Oh, Israel, Prepare to meet your God.

How much preparation are people doing with that divine

appointment to meet with their God?

Even you and I as believers have to prepare to meet with our God.

Yes, we will not stand at the Great White Throne, but we will

stand at the judgment seat of Christ.

And I wonder how many believers today have thought about that

conversation with Jesus. What will my conversation with

Christ be like? Am I ready to meet him?

Well, I'd be ashamed if he calls me and summons me before him.

This is important. Prepared to meet your God?

How much preparation are we doing?

We should be doing it day by day, for tomorrow is not

promised. Now David, in knowing that he's

about to go the way of all the earth, gives 3 exhortations to

Solomon. They're there.

And verse two I'm about to go the way to all the earth.

Be strong #1, be strong, Solomon #2 and show yourself a man and

#3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God.

Be strong, show yourself a man and keep the charge of the Lord.

What do you think he means when he says be strong?

Lift some weights. What kind of strength is Solomon

speaking about here? Or David rather?

Any idea? This is what we would all

automatically go through Spiritual strength, right?

Be strong in your soul, be strong in your spirit.

And it's that's obviously included.

But I am under the impression, based on the context, that he's

also speaking about a different kind of strength and an

emotional strength. Why do you think he would, say,

be strong to Solomon? He's on the verge of dying.

Naturally, if your father is going to die and you're aware of

it, that will be especially painful to you as a son.

There's a second reason. Why else would he need to be

told? Be strong, Salman, be strong.

He has to lead the whole nation. And who's not there with him to

give him wisdom and guidance and consolation, The one who's been

doing it for four decades. So David is not going to walk

into this new journey with Salman.

Salman, in essence, humanly speaking, is walking into this

all by himself. David knows this.

David's aware of this. David's about to go the way all

the earth. So he says, Solomon, my son, I

need you to be strong. What do we take from this?

Here's what we take from this. There are certain individuals in

our life who might be particularly inspirational and

influential, who provide almost a supernatural kind of

encouragement and counsel and comfort.

But those people, no matter what they mean to you, are not your

ultimate source. God is.

God is. And David is speaking to his Son

in this manner. He wants him to understand that

despite the fact that I will be absent, there was somebody who

will be with you. Listen, people will come and go

in your life, people who mean the world to you.

Even in those moments, if you truly walk with the Lord, there

should be no reason to completely and permanently

collapse. You have to understand that our

God is a personal God, and that our God is prepared to meet our

needs and to help us flourish every step of the way, every

second of every step of the way. And he can do that directly.

He can do that by raising up new people in your life.

But one thing is for certain that you can count on his

friendship. You can count on him being there

for you as an individual, as a person in your particular life,

with all the circumstances and all the context.

He is right there as though you're the only person on earth.

And here's how and why I believe that This is why David is saying

be strong, because David's instructions here are expanded

in First Chronicles 28. And notice what he says in First

Chronicles 28 to prove that when he's saying be strong, he wants

him to know that the Lord is with him, though he will not be

with him any longer. Look at First Chronicles 28 and

Scroll down here in verse 20. Then David said to Solomon, his

son, be strong and courageous and do it.

Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for the Lord God.

Even my God is with you. Do you see it?

He's with you. He will not leave you or forsake

you until all the work of the service of the House of the Lord

is finished. I love how he says, even my God,

the same God who is with me from the beginning.

Psalm, the same God who took me through every single episode,

every trial, every tribulation, every chapter, the same God that

you witnessed even in your young life, who delivered me over and

over. That same God will be with you

also. And let me say this to you.

The same God who led David, the same God who led Solomon, is the

same God who's for you and he's for me.

The same one. The same one.

It bothers me when people approach the Old Testament and

scorn others by drawing practical inspiration from How

dare you? I have every right to come to

the Old Testament and look at Joseph and look at David and

look at Daniel and say the same God who was there for them is

with me. He's with me, and he's telling

that to his son. Be strong and I'm gone.

I'm going, but God's with you. Show yourself a man.

Show yourself a man. That's the second exhortation.

Show yourself a man. This is a a charge for Solomon

to forsake childish ways and to pursue maturity.

Why is this important, as our brother just alluded to, because

Solomon now is entering and embracing a massive leadership

role. And before he can even consider

transitioning into that, he must first be convinced that I need

to develop a set of convictions, a level of courage and A-frame

of mind in order for me to know true enjoyment and effectiveness

for the things that God has called me to.

And this is a very crucial thing, understanding, especially

for men, that if you are entertaining the idea of

committing yourself or enjoying certain privileges in life, that

you must first be willing to forsake childish ways and

childish things. Show yourself to be a man.

Show yourself to be a man. You will not know God's

blessings, though. It's very possible to accept

manly things while still holding and maintaining childish ways.

And so there is a time in life where you have to cut that off

and say I I have to think differently about the way I see

the value of time. I have to think differently

about the way I handle my resources.

I have to think differently about the way I know and embrace

relationships. I have to think differently

about how my decisions are not just individualistic, but they

affect others. I have to think differently.

Solomon could not even begin to become the leader he was called

to be without first becoming a man.

And what's so fascinating here is that that word man, when he

says show yourself a man, is a very gender specific word.

So it's not just a call to be mature, it's a call to be

masculine. That word in certain places in

the Hebrew scriptures, even use for husbands.

Show yourself to be a man. Man.

Not just mankind. Humanity.

Mature. Develop.

No be a man. Now if this goes into the

Internet sphere and reaches the right person or reaches

something in terms of secular podcasts or whatever platform, I

just broke a million hearts right there.

Yeah, be a man. Our society is demonizing men,

demonizing masculinity. And so we see here that the

Bible has a different tone, that there are specific

responsibilities and mindsets that belong to men, and in the

same respect for women. And so Solomon needed to be a

man. And we can take the rest of this

Bible study to understand what biblical masculinity looks like,

but we don't have the time to do.

And that's the frustrating thing about Bible study, that you find

these awesome verses that you can just expand and they can

explode into different places in the Bible.

But then you have all these other verses to deal with, so we

can't do it. So be reminded that Bible study

a lot of the times, our observations, more they than

they are in depth doctrinal dissections of things.

Be a man. Show yourself to be a man.

You know what this verse tells me?

You can be biologically male and not be a man.

Yes, you can be a boy and be 40 years old.

You can be a boy and 60 years old.

Show yourself to be a man. Well, I am a No, no, no.

There are characteristics that define manhood and it's beyond

your biology. What does manhood look like?

If I can push you, it can nudge you in a direction.

I don't want to sound cliche, but just for you to even begin

to understand it, look no further than the Godman, Christ

Jesus. I know that sounds cliche, but

it's not. It's the go to prescription

throughout the New Testament. Let me give you an example.

When Paul charges husbands and points them to an example

concerning how to harbor and how to nurture harmonious and Holy

Family life, who does he point to?

The Lord Jesus Christ. You want to love your wife?

You want to love your children? Look to Christ, look to Jesus.

And then from there, we don't just stay there.

We also look at the whole council of God and see all these

different examples and instructions so that we can

furnish ourselves to be men, to be woman the way God designed us

to. Which brings us to our Third

Point. I wish I can stay there.

I wish I can stay there. But he says keep charge of the

Lord your God. That's the third exhortation.

Keep charge of the Lord your God.

This is what how we connect all these things together.

You can't really be strong spiritually, mentally, even

physically. You can't really be strong.

Nor can you really be who God designed you to be as a man or

as a woman, without the word of God.

Keep the charge of the Lord your God, Because look, our culture,

as crazy as it's getting, there are people who are aware that

there is an attack on manhood. There's an attack on womanhood.

But the issue also is not just in that attack, but the

solutions that the world is proposing.

So you have a lot of guys now that are becoming famous because

they're giving a bunch of fatherless and directionless

young men solutions to what it means to be manhood, to be man,

a man. And it's leading him in the

whole different direction of destruction.

You can't do it without keeping charge of the Lord.

You can't do it without walking in his ways.

He will show you, He will define it for you, and he will empower

you. He will guide you.

And this is what's so fascinating, because Solomon is

about to enter into this new journey, this new path of life,

and David feels it absolutely necessary for him to establish a

fresh conviction concerning the supreme authority of the word of

God in his life. Notice the repetition here.

He says verse 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God.

And then he says, walking in his ways and keeping his statues.

Keep it, keep it, keep it. What does he mean by keep it,

guard it, observe it, protect it, cherish it, keep it.

And the way that you will draw from it is when he says later on

to walk before me in faithfulness, with all their

heart and with all their soul, with not just your mental

faculties but with your affection, your devotion.

Don't just have a surface level relationship with the word of

God, hold on to it with your dear life.

Only then will you really benefit from the word of God.

Keep the charge of the Lord your God.

There are many people here, and as I said earlier, who have

unique lives, unique journeys, and what's beautiful about the a

setting like this, a ministry like this, is that there are

different people here who are entering different stages in

life. Some of you are entering school,

some of you are finishing school.

Some of you are experiencing A blossoming of a very special

relationship. Some of you are ready to start a

family. Some of you are venturing into

the business world and have great dreams and hopes of being

successful in one way or another.

Some of you maybe are just settling in life.

Humanly speaking, you're at that point where people tend to

retire no matter what stage in life you're at.

We have to understand the wisdom here is that what new thing we

are walking into cannot cause us to forfeit this principle about

the Word of God. Keep it.

No matter where you go, no matter what comes your way, no

matter what you're exploring, no matter what you're entertaining,

one thing must remain the same. Your love for the Word of God.

It will always be your steering wheel.

You will always seek it. Dig it, mine it, and draw God's

blessings from it. Don't hesitate for those whom

you love. Don't hesitate to pour into them

with that same instruction. Parents with your children as

they're ready to leave the house, as they're ready to

entertain a possible mate, as they're ready to move here or

there. Do this or do that.

Son, daughter, brother, sister, whatever you do, don't lose

sight of God's word less. Other influences captivate you

and draw you away from him. So this is what he was supposed

to do. Be strong, show yourself a man.

And the last thing to embrace the word of God with the fresh

sense of devotion and conviction.

But now he goes off. He says moreover and and verse

5. Moreover, the rewards of keeping

the word of God is that he would prosper in his own way and that

there would be generational blessing specific to Solomon

because there was a Davidic covenant.

But that principle still apply to you and I.

There is generational blessing for the person who choose to cut

the cycle of disobedience and rebellion against God.

To say I'm going to serve the Lord, my house is going to serve

the Lord, and those who come from you will hopefully be

blessed by that verse. 5 Moreover, you also know what Job

the son of Zuraiya did to me, how he dealt with the two

commanders of the armies of Israel, and he mentions them.

We know them Abner and Amasa. And what's the conclusion that

he makes? Kill him.

Solomon, you're wise and do what you think you need to do, but

whatever you think you need to do, make sure one thing happens

that he doesn't go down to the grave in peace.

Then he talks about Barzalai, then he talks about Shemay or

Shemi. Many people accuse David here on

his deathbed, being riddled with bitterness, that he is being

vindictive here and that he is not ending so well.

Is David wrong? Let let's deal with each of

these people separately. Is David entirely wrong in

asking for the execution of Joe AB?

Who would say yes, He's being vindictive here?

Who would say no? This is his right.

Who doesn't know? Well, let's break this down.

Was Job guilty of murder? Yes.

According to the law, that Job deserve to die because of his

sin? Yes.

See, it's that easy. He does deserve to die.

So I'm not among those who who judge David for being

unforgiving here. But I would say that if there's

any wrong in David and what we see before us is that he delayed

in acting upon the judgment that job deserve and leaving that

mess for Solomon to clean up, it's delayed obedience and now

somebody has to carry the burden for that delayed obedience.

And so Solomon here is experiencing these loose ends

and he has to tie him up. And this is unfair, that really

this is unwise for David to do for whatever reason why he

delayed, there is no excuse. It didn't justify this prolonged

and this judgment that is overdue.

So here's yet another lesson of what delayed obedience does.

It causes hurt and strain and problems for other people

eventually, and we delay obedience for many reasons.

One of the reasons why we delayed is because we think that

we are preserving ourselves and others from pain and hurt,

embarrassment, awkwardness. But when you leave it without

dealing with it, it's going to resurface in one day or another,

and it's going to bring even more pain than you would

anticipated originally. So Solomon now has to deal with

this. This is how he has to start his

Kingdom, by killing a man. This is something David should

have done a long time ago, but let's look at it from jobs

perspective. Remember, we're trying to

consider the complexities of this text.

Look at Joe AB right Job here was a man who who was willing to

put on the blood of war on the belt and around his waist and on

the sandals of of his feet. He was willing to comfortably

carry the stains of innocent blood.

He felt secure all his life. He was bold about it.

He had no sense of fear of God. He had no sense of fear of the

sword of the government. He just did his thing, even

though he he slew and destroyed the lives of two men more

righteous than himself. But what's happening here?

Retribution has finally arrived. It's finally come.

He could not ultimately escape it.

And Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.

I wonder this is an explicit state.

It just came to mind. I wonder if Joe AB was included

in his thoughts when he penned these two verses.

It's an Ecclesiastes 811 to 12. This is one of the most

brilliant insights concerning human behavior, namely among

those who are not in Christ. Solomon makes this observation.

He pens it, but I wonder if Joe, among others, was someone that

came to his mind when he did write it under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit. What does he say here in

Ecclesiastes 8? It says here because the

sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily.

The heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil, though

a Sinner does evil 100 times and prolongs his life.

Yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God because

they fear before him. Why do sinners continue to sin?

Because there is no immediate or speedy divine judgment and they

interpret that delay as approval and they continue headlong into

the rebellion. And Solomon says This is why so

many people don't repent because of God's grace.

Believe it or not, God's grace that that window of time where

there isn't any interruption, there isn't any affliction, is

meant to actually cause you to realize how is it that this holy

God has not yet destroyed me? I fall on my face to say I want

to be yours and what do they do instead?

They use it as fuel to continue to harden their hearts and be

brazen faced towards the heavens.

And so it's not a matter of when they'll if, they'll be judged,

but when they'll be judged. There's no question about the

if. It's always about the when and

job. Here is a lesson about how your

sin will find you out. You can think that you tricked

everyone, including God himself, But if you have not repented, it

will find you one way or another.

It will find you. So what's the solution?

Flee to the City of Refuge as quickly as possible.

Come to the foot of the Cross, ask him to wash you fresh in the

blood. And here's the guarantee that he

will always forgive you and restore you.

Job, unfortunately, was too late.

So Job here teaches us about how sin will not be overlooked.

But look now here at this other person in verse 7.

But deal loyally with the sons of Berzalai the Gileadite, and

let them be among those who eat at your table.

Who remembers Berzalai? He was one among a few others

who came to the aid of David while he was pushed out as a

fugitive when Absalom revolted against his father.

And he brought bedding and he brought fruits and he brought

food. And he wanted to make this exile

as comfortable as possible for the true king of Israel.

David. And Berzalai was sought after to

be rewarded immediately. But he says, look, David, I'm

old. I I, I can't even taste the

difference between food. Can I really bear the singing of

people? I'm just going to be a burden to

you if I come with you to Jerusalem.

So here's my servant. Deal with him, and let me just

live and die here in my hometown.

And David wants to reward him, which teaches us that not only

is the sin and rebellion of the wickedness of man overlooked,

not overlooked, neither will be the justice, the loyalty, the

faithfulness of men concerning the cause of Christ that will

not be overlooked either, and that should encourage our

hearts. You know, in Hebrew 610 there's

an interesting verse that again reveals a wonderful diagnosis

not just of human behavior, but of Christian behavior.

You know what you and I are tempted to do as we serve the

Lord. Hebrew 610 reveals what many

servants of God are tempted to believe, especially as time goes

on, especially as you serve God with the people of God.

What did you say in Hebrew 610? This is a beautiful and

encouraging scripture. For God is not so unjust as to

overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake and

serving the Saints as you still do.

Why would he write that? Why would the Holy Spirit write

these things to Christians? I believe because Christians are

tempted to feel overlooked by God.

Is that not the case? And one of the ways in which

many Christians feel overlooked by God is that they interpret

God through people who bear his name.

So you're not appreciated by other Christians.

You're not being acknowledged by other Christians.

You're not being praised and commended by other Christians.

And what do you do? Well, surely then God doesn't

see me how silly what he's saying is.

Men might even the best of men, even the Saints of God, they

might overlook, they might not consider the weightiness and

what your participation does for the advancement of the Kingdom.

But God sees it, and he's not unjust.

He will not forget. He will not fail to consider and

ultimately reward you for that. So keep your eyes on the Lord,

on the Lord, on the Lord. You know why so many people burn

out because of because of this? Is this really worth it?

Is is this really going to count?

Is there really a difference being made?

Is this really being considered? Well, if you keep your eyes on

people, I can see why you would think that way and you would

want to give up. But if you really believe that

there is a God whose character is on the line and would not

dare to overlook your faithfulness, then all of that

will give you the strength to continue on, especially as you

do what in serving the Saints. It's not easy.

Saints Positionally Saints Not always practically Saints

Positionally Saints. Not always practically Saints.

There's another thing. While we're in this verse I

think is worth mentioning. Notice this and the love that

you showed for His sake of the transition would say His name.

The love that you showed for His sake in serving the Saints.

If you love him, you will serve His people.

If you want to glorify him, you will love His people.

If you are not serving God's people with intentionality and

desire and consistency and commitment, perhaps that's an

indication that your love for His name is cold.

Because what will propel you, what will keep you, is a burning

love for God. The secret is not necessarily to

love people though we are called to love.

Don't hear me wrong here. Don't cut that out and make

something of it that you're not supposed to.

But more than that is to love God, and through your love for

God and through his name and for his name and for His sake, you

love others. So when people give you very

little reason and motivation to love them, it's your love of God

that will consume you and convince you to love regardless

that you showed for His sake. In serving the Saints.

I get very nervous with people who have low views of Christians

and low views of the Church. It says something about their

love for his sake. So bears the line here reminds

us that there's a point coming when the Lord the King of Kings.

Not an imperfect king like David, but the king of kings

will reward us and he will remember the little things that

we've done. Who remembers how old Berzelai

was cuz his age is given to us? Anybody remember who said it?

80 years old, 8080 year old man, look at this now.

And he's not like the early genesis 80 year olds that are

like the modern day 20 year olds.

He's not that kind of 80 because he tells us that he can't even

taste the difference between food and he can't bear too much

things going around and is like, he's like a real 80 year old,

OK, 80 years old. And here's a man who perceives

this opportunity at that point in life to serve the cause of

God 80 and it wasn't some small thing for him to step out and to

help David was to put his life on the line.

Why? Because there was a crazy man

who occupied the throne of the time named Absalom, who is

willing to destroy anyone who showed a hint of allegiance to

his father and Bezola. This 80 year old man says, get

the fruit, get the beds. We gotta help the king.

I love 80 year olds like that. That inspires me.

That motivates me. That tells me that at 80, if God

gives you and I-80, there will still be divine providential

leadings and opportunities to serve the cause of the Kingdom.

And God will reward that kind of service just as he does any

other kind of service. Because we look at that and we

go bedding food, What's the big deal?

We're drawn to other kind of 80 year olds like Moses.

Remember Moses at 80? What did he do?

He let a nation out of slavery. Oh, that's something, whether

you lead a nation out of slavery or you provide bed and food for.

Somebody who is being mistreated, God will reward

both. And if you're 80 and you feel

like all your ministry is is providing bed and food, don't

compare yourself to the guy who's leading millions out of

Egypt. Don't do that.

This is what God's called me to do.

I'll do it and I'll believe that God will not overlook but will

reward even this. What an amazing God we serve.

So we see Berzalai. Now we sandwich between Shimai

and Johab is Berzalai. But we unfortunately come to

another dark scene set of instructions in verse 8.

And there is also with you Shimai, the son of Gira, the

Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse

on the day when I went to Mahanaim.

And when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by

the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.

Okay should have ended there. It doesn't now, Therefore, do

not hold them guiltless, for you are a wise man.

You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring

his great head down with blood to she all.

Is this this is this the same thing going on here as what we

saw with Joe App. It's not.

Well, convince me. Why?

Because shemaid did something very treacherous.

He actually committed treason. He curses the king.

Exodus says do not curse the ruler of God's people.

He flings stones and dust. He falsely accuses the king and

he pretty much wants the king out of there.

That's not a good thing to do. So he's not innocent.

So then again, is David demanding something here that is

righteous and true? And if not, why not?

So Job, he he just ignores it for whatever reason.

Maybe he's afraid that he's going to expose him or fight

against him. He doesn't want to deal with

Job, he says. I'll just wait until my dying

day and give it over to Solomon. What's the difference here?

OK, the difference between Joab and this fellow is what both are

guilty in their own way. But David does something for

Shamai that he doesn't do for Job.

What does he do? He pardons him.

Not only does he part of them, he makes a promise to him and

David even confesses it here. He says it here to Solomon.

I swore to him by the Lord saying I will not put you to

death with the sword. So how is this happening?

Well, let's think back. OK, actually, let's do this.

Let's go back to when he makes that oath and maybe we'll get

come closer to whether or not this is right or wrong.

Go to Second Samuel 19 and look here in verse 23 and you'll see

where he originally made this promise.

Well, you'll notice something he says before this verse that

shows how clever David really was.

And making this oath Second Samuel 1923.

And the king said to Shamai, you shall not die.

And the king gave him his oath. Is he breaking his promise?

No. Yes, maybe.

Look back at what he says in verse 22 because one of his men

was wanting to kill him right on the spot.

But David said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zuriya,

that you should this day be as an adversary to me?

Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day?

For I do not know that I am for do I not know that I am this day

king over Israel? Is there a certain phrase that

is repeated here this day? 3 * 3 times?

He said he's being very strategic with his words.

Very strategic with his words. No.

He says here, you son of Zaraya, should I this day be an

adversary to me? Should you be an adversary to

me? Shall anyone in the death of

Israel be on this day? For I didn't.

For do I not know that this day I'm king over this day, this

day. What is he saying?

Nobody's dying today. Not today.

Why not today? What's the context of him saying

this? Absalom was killed.

He's returning to Jerusalem, and the last thing he wants to do is

give more people, more reasons to not put their trust in him,

to not give him a warm welcome, to not rebuild his government.

And so he's playing politics here.

He's playing politics. Nobody's going to.

This is a day of celebration. This is a day of restoration.

We're not going to, we're not going to shed any blood here

yet. And he adds to that.

I'm not going to kill him. She might.

I'm not going to put you to death.

And he has his fingers crossed behind his back, in a sense,

duplicity. Some would say that this is the

same kind of scenario as with Joe AB.

I don't believe so. If you want to accuse David of

really having bitterness, it's not with Joe AB.

It's more here than with Joe. AB.

Here is a man who made a promise and he's going to break the

spirit of that promise. How do you understand you will

not be put to death? I'm not going to expect at any

time that I'm going to be put to death for this offense.

David didn't mean that. When the right time came, I made

an oath to shemaid that I would not kill him.

That doesn't mean Solomon. You can't.

So Solomon, this man cursed me. He embarrassed me.

He shamed me. He betrayed me.

Deal with him accordingly. Now, if you're hesitant to

believe that about David, I know we want to hold on to our heroes

in the Bible. I know we want the Sunday School

version of our characters in the Bible.

Even when you look at what Solomon does in response to this

command, is that, I believe an indication that he himself

realizes that there's a confliction with this final

instruction from his father? The Solomon killed Joe AB, does

he? Yeah, yeah.

But the Solomon, a call for his death.

Yes. He calls for his death, and it

was immediate. It was swift.

There was there was no reconsideration.

He kills them at a very tragic place.

We're going to discover. What about Shemay?

Did Solomon kill him in the same way he kills Joe AB?

What does he do with him? He makes a deal with him.

He puts him on house arrest. He extends mercy.

What did David say, though? Make sure you bring his Gray

head down with blood to Sheol. It's almost as though there's

hesitation in Solomon. It's almost as though in not

wanting there to be any accusation against his father.

He gives to my another chance a test, so to speak, to see if his

integrity is true, if he was really a repented man.

So he gives him another test and he fails that, unfortunately.

But I think that says something that he doesn't act upon the

command of his father to immediately kill him because he

understood that even in that oath, it's there's kind of,

there's binding. It's binding.

You know what this is a picture of?

Here's what people tend to do with the relationship between

David and Shamai. They tend to go to that example

to receive instruction on how to forgive.

And you would be right in doing so if there wasn't a First Kings

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

Chapter 2. If it ended with David looking

at Shamai saying you will not be put to death, have a series on

how to forgive and use that as an awesome example, I argue the

opposite. David in this case is an example

of how not to forgive, not how to forgive.

Is it possible to look at somebody who's offended us and

say I forgive you? Is it possible to be in a

complicated issue among different parties in the church

and you sit before the elders, you sit before other mature

believers and say I forgave that person, while at the same time

in your heart you want to kill them, you want to hurt them, you

wish harm upon them, you delight in the thought of them receiving

pain instead of pardon. David is an example of anything

is it's what empty forgiveness looks like, what a deceptive

forgiveness looks like. I'm saying this one thing to you

again. The problem is not whether

Shamay was wrong or not. He was wrong.

The issue here is that David made an oath and he didn't

really keep it and he played around with the wording of it.

I won't do it, but my son Solomon would do it.

How do I know if I've forgiven somebody?

Is it me being able to say it to that person, As difficult as

that might be? No, that's not how you know

you've forgiven somebody. You know you've forgiven

somebody. If you've surrendered whatever

right you feel, you've have to give retribution to them.

That's how you know when that is released.

I will not when and if the opportunity arises, consider

vengeance, retribution, payback, forgiveness says.

I released that concept. I refuse to entertain it.

I refuse to act upon it. And guess what?

That does not mean that with that release comes the release

of the pain or the wrong that you experience.

Somebody gave a very simple illustrations that if you were

to forgive somebody to who who hit you or who crashed into your

car intentionally or whatever the case may be, and you still

have physical pain, that presence of physical pain

doesn't negate the fact that you've truly forgotten that

person. That's true with emotional pain.

So don't interpret your the presence of emotional pain to be

an indication that you have not forgiven somebody.

And so David here unfortunately, has not surrendered.

He's not surrendered what he felt like.

It was his right to pay back somebody who's done him wrong

when he said that. I will not hurt you back.

I will not come after you. This is unfortunate.

It's unfortunate to know that after all those years, David had

something in his heart against this man and it revealed itself

on his deathbed. This is the last thing we see of

David before he dies. And then we are told we get an

obituary in verse 10. Then David slept with his

father's and was buried in the city of David.

And then we're told how long he reigned, and we're told that

Solomon sat on the throne of David, his father, and his

Kingdom was firmly established again.

I told you how in First Chronicles 28 you get an

expanded version of what we see here, David's last moments in

life. In First Chronicles 29, you get

added details about the description of David's summary

of life. I want, I want you to see there,

First Chronicles 29, as we close in verse 28 and First Chronicles

1 Chronicles 29:28

29, verse 28, we read then he died at a good age.

He died at a good age, full of days, riches and honor.

And Solomon, his son, reigned in his place.

Good age, full of days, riches and honor.

If you disassociate God's faithfulness in those things.

Even the heathen want to die this way.

Who doesn't want to end their lives in this way?

A good age full of days, riches and honor on top of it?

Yeah, that's the way I want to go.

Again, if you don't, if you don't filter that verse in light

of God's covenant to him and his faithfulness to him, who doesn't

want that? Don't strive for that.

If those things are tied to God's dealing with you and your

life, to glorify himself and so be it.

But to look at those things on a superficial surface level way,

this is what most people want to do.

They want to live like that. They want to live and end in

this way. But there's another commentary

on how David ended his life. And that's what you and I should

strive for. Whether these things are present

or not, whether these things grow or not, Whether these

things come with us to the end or they vanish as we go.

The way of all the earth. Can I show you where that is?

Does anybody know where I'm going?

Acts 13. Good guests though, Acts 13,

Acts 13:36

verse 36. Look what the Holy Spirit says

about David here. And this is what you and I

should say. Oh God, let this be said of me.

Acts 1336. For David, after he had served

the purpose of God in his own generation, after he had served

the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was

laid with his fathers, and saw corruption serve the purpose of

God in his own generation. And understanding that we are

all headed the same place, that same entryway into eternity.

Is that your desire, Lord, please.

With riches, Without riches, With honor.

Without honor, Full of days or short life.

Humanly speaking, whatever it takes for me to serve your

purpose for my life in this generation, so be it.

Please let it happen. Please don't let me miss the

purpose that you have for me. And again, that might look like

a bezel eye where you serve God. That might not seem impressive

to the human eye, or it might be something spectacular like what

Moses did. That doesn't matter as long as I

know that I fulfilled his purpose.

You know how people have like, life versus life versus what's

your life versus what's my life versus like?

How can I pick? There's a whole library here.

But if there was, at least at this point in my life, a life

verse? Nobody asked but I just thought

I would share with anyway. Not Acts 1336, Acts 2024, Acts

2024. I love this verse.

It's what Paul says to the elders and emphasis.

And maybe it's your life for us too.

But I do not account my life of any value, nor is precious to

myself. If only I may finish my course

in the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify

to the gospel of the grace of God.

There is 0 value to my life apart from me fulfilling the

ministry that I received from God no other purpose.

My life is not precious apart from me knowing and obeying the

purpose of God for my life. Radical Christianity No

Christianity 101 This isn't radical.

It should be all of our life verses and God will help us and

he will energize us and he has given us studies like this and

time in the word on your own to see what not to do and what to

do and how it's possible to live with bitterness in my heart to

the last breath that I have. Lord, please no rescue me from

it. It's possible to live in sin and

thinking that I can prolong my life without any intervention

from God and be surprised, if not in this life, in the life to

come. Oh, it's possible to feel

overlooked and to feel as though that I don't have anything of

value to offer. And we'll be shocked at the end

of it all to realize that God will reward us for even giving a

glass of water. Oh, it's possible to start well,

as Solomon did, and not end very well.

And what we want to do Say, Lord, through all of these

things that I've learned, help me do one thing, fulfill my

purpose, and to consider that the most precious thing about my

brief existence on the earth. And He will help us.

He will help us. Let's pray.

Thank you, Father, for this time.

As rewarding as it is, though, we also feel that there's so

much more that could be said. So we pray that these

observations that were made together would encourage us to

think deeper, to meditate longer, to explore further how

these things relate to us, how they reveal you, your wisdom,

your love, Your Holiness. Father, as we as we pause now to

meditate and to ultimately give you the sacrifice of praise and

response. Be glorified.

Be glorified, Lord, Be glorified.

Not just in our discovery of these things, but in the

application of them. Help us.

We want to live for you, Lord. And so we say again, thank you

for your word. Thank you for your mind being

revealed to us. Maybe Now reflect it in every

way possible in Christ and we pray.

Amen. Amen.

Let's stand and worship the Lord together.