The Anointed: Was It Worth It?
The Anointed • Sermon • Submitted
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Previously
Previously
Ch. 15-17:
Absalom Commits Treason
David Flees Jerusalem but has Several Spies Within
David Gives Ziba (Mephibosheth’s Servant) All that Belongs to Mephibosheth
David is Cursed by the Benjamite, Shimei
Ahithophel Gives Absalom Counsel that Fulfils God’s Divine Punishments of David
Hushai (David’s Friend/Spy) Gives Absalom Bad Advice
David Sets Up Camp in Mahanaim
2 Samuel 18
2 Samuel 18
The Battle is Now Ready to Begin
We have been Building Up to this for Some Time Now
David Get’s All of His People Together and Organizes Them
He had Commanders Over Each Thousand and Commanders Over Each Hundred
Then He had 3 Generals Over a Third of the Entire Army Each
Joab (Of Course) was Over 1/3
His Brother Abishai was Over 1/3
And Ittai the Gittite was Over 1/3
Ittai was the Leader of the Philistine Exiles Who had just Joined Themselves to David the Day Before David had to Flee Jerusalem
David Told Them to Stay and Live Under Absalom’s Rule
But Ittai Said One of My Favorite Lines in History
But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.”
David Plans on Going Out to Battle with His Army as Their Commander-in-Chief, but They Don’t like that Idea
But the people said, “You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us; even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.”
They Knew, as did the Late Ahithophel, that the Only Person Who Needed to Die for Absalom to be King is David
So David Needs to Stay Within the City Where He will be Protected
The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”
So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
David’s Main Motivation for Wanting to Go to Battle with the Troops Might have Been to Ensure that Absalom wouldn’t be Killed
But Instead, He Ordered the Generals in the Hearing of All His People to Not Hurt Absalom
David had Designed for the Battle to Take Place in a Nearby Forest
This Gave David’s Smaller Army an Advantage Over Absalom’s Much Larger Army
The Battle was Spread Out Over the Entire Countryside and David’s Army Defeated Israel’s
20,000 Men Died
The Text Says that the Forest Devoured More People than the Sword
The Forest Provided the Perfect Environment for David’s Army
Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
The Source of Absalom’s Pride was Now the Cause of His Downfall
One of David’s Soldiers Found Absalom Handing in the Tree and Reported it to Joab
Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’ On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.”
Joab’s Bloodthirsty Disobedience to King David Shouldn’t Even be Surprising to Us Anymore
But this Soldier was Not about to Disobey the King by Killing His Son
Joab Said He would have Rewarded Him for Doing so, but this Man Knew Better
“If I would have killed Absalom, David would find out, and then you wouldn’t have defended me! If you are willing to betray the King, you surely would have betrayed me!”
Joab then Said, “I don’t have time for this!”
He then Took 3 Spears and Stabbed Absalom in the Heart
Then 10 of His Armor-Bearers Began Beating Absalom Until He was Dead
So Joab Blew the Trumpet, Telling All the Troops to Stop Pursuing the Enemy Soldiers
He Threw Absalom’s Body into a Pit and Piled a Bunch of Rocks on Top of His Body
We are Told that Absalom had Set Up a Monument for Himself in the King's Valley as a Memorial to Preserve His Name Since He had No Sons
He had 3 Sons, but They Must have All Preceded Him in Death
So, 2 Monuments Were Made for Absalom
One that Showed Absalom was No Father
Another to Show that Absalom was No King
One of David’s Former Spies, Ahimaaz the Son of Zadok the Priest, Wanted to Bring David Word of the Victory
Joab Told Him that He would Not be Delivering this Message
Instead, Joab Told a Cushite Man to Tell David
But Ahimaaz wasn’t Taking No for an Answer
He Asked Joab if He could Run Beside the Cushite Man
Joab Said, “Why do you want to run and deliver this message? You aren’t going to receive a reward for a message like this.”
Joab Knew that David wouldn’t be Happy about Absalom’s Death, so He was Probably Trying to Spare Ahimaaz’s Life from David’s Wrath
He Didn’t Care about a Reward, He just Wanted to be the Deliverer of the News
Joab Allowed Him to Run with the Cushite
But Instead, He Took a Different Route that Allowed Him to Get to David First
Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.”
Ahimaaz Tried to Deliver Delicate News to David Without Mentioning Absalom
David’s Only Concern was Absalom and Ahimaaz Pretended to Not Know
So David Waited for the Cushite to Get Closer
And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.”
The Cushite Told David the Outcome of Absalom in the Most Respectful Way He Could have Said it
The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Despite the Hard Fought Battle by His Loyal Men and the Victory They Provided for David, He was Not Happy
The Only Thing that Could Make Him Happy is for His Son to be Alive
As a Parent, It’s Hard to Imagine the Pain He is in
As a Husband and a Father, I Understand Completely the Feeling of Wishing it were Him Instead of His Little Boy
Applications:
Applications:
I Want You to Ask Yourself, “Is it worth it?”
Is Sin Worth the Pain that it Causes?
David had to Endure
The Death of a Newborn Child
A Daughter Being Sexually Brutalized
A Son Being Murdered by Another Son
Going to Battle Against His Own Son which Ended with His Son’s Death
If Only David Could Have Seen into the Future to this Moment in Mahanaim
If Only He Could Have Seen Himself Screaming Out His Son’s Name in Bitter Tears
If Only He’d Known What a Moment of Pleasure Would Cause
David, was it Worth it?
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Is Sin Ever Worth the Consequences?
The Physical Tolls it Takes on Our Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Emotional Health?
The Strained or Broken Relationships it Causes?
The Road that it Leads Others Down Through Our Influence?
The Way it Hardens Our Conscience in Such a Way that We No Longer Care?
And the Ultimate Consequence, Separation from God in Eternal Hell?
When Faced with Temptation, Do What David Should Have Done
Ask Yourself, “Is it Worth it?”
If You’re Honest, You’ll Find that it Never is
Now I Want You to Ask God a Question
“Father, was it Worth it?”
Was it Worth Sacrificing Your Own Son to Gain Me?
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
If You Don’t Know Love, then You Don’t Know God
But if You Love then You Know God
If We Have to Ask the Question, “Father, was it Worth it to Sacrifice so Much to Save Me?”...
Then We Don’t Know Love
A Father’s Love Doesn’t Hesitate to Run into a Burning Building, Jump Off a Cliff, or Swim to the Bottom of the Ocean if it Means Saving Their Child
To Our Father, it was More than Worth it!
But What about Jesus?
“Jesus, was it worth it?”
“Was it Worth the Pain, Suffering, Heartache, and Excruciating Death to Save Me?”
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
“Was Dying to Save My Life Worth it, Jesus?”
His Answer - “It was My Joy!”
David, as a Picture of Christ, Would Rather Himself to Have Died than for One Who Belongs to Him to Die
Even if that One is Weak, Sinful, and Imperfect
Jesus Finds His Joy in Being a Sacrifice for Us