Faith The Evidence - Bible Studies

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

God’s Providence Session 14 - When God Says No

The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying God's providence or divine providence in the lives of David and Joseph and how we can apply His providence in their lives to our lives today.

The providence of God or divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. Divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe. He is in control of the physical world. He is in control of the affairs of nations. He is in control of human destiny. He is in control of human successes and failures. He protects His people.

In Session 14 David wants to build a permanent home for the Ark of the Covenant which from the time that the Israelites were freed from Egypt, resided in a tabernacle or a tent. David decided to build an elegant temple. God told David no he was not to build him a temple but that He would build David's house. However He told David though Nathan that He had more in mind for David than him just building a temple. He was going to bless David beyond what he could even imagine. What we learn in this session is that

1. When God says “no” it is not necessarily discipline or rejection. It may simply be redirection, and

2. God does not call everybody to build temples.

For our study we will be using Great Lives: David: A Man of Passion and Destiny, by Charles R. Swindoll, and The Hand of God by Alistair Begg. To study along with us you can purchase the books by clicking the Links here or the images after the notes.

Last week using David’s movement of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem which he had established as the capital of the nation or Israel after he united the nation under his leadership as king, to study the concept of obeying God’s precepts and honoring His principles.

Precept - a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.

Principle- fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

A precept is a rule. The rule is the rule there is no give and take.

A principle serves as the foundation for a belief or behavior, a principle needs to be applied with wisdom.

With the ark of the covenant the principle is that, for Isreal it represented the very presence of God so it needed to be in the place that God said it should be and that was in the tabernacle. David in honoring the principle made the decision that the ark needed to be moved into the tabernacle in Jerusalem from where it was which was which was at a guy named Abinadad’s house where it was taken after the Philistines sent it back to Israel. We talked about the background of it being there last week. David wanted to get it to Jerusalem as quickly as possible, so he had it put on a new cart. The idea or principle was great the problem was that David either didn’t know the precepts or ignored them. Remember a precept is a rule and God gave the rule about how the ark was to be carried. When David obeyed the precept to honor the principle, he was able to move the ark to Jerusalem and into the tabernacle.

Here’s what we learned:

First, the better you know where you stand with the Lord, the freer you can be. When you do the homework, you find out where you stand with your Lord, and you follow His plan, then you are free.

You’ll be misunderstood. But you won’t care that much about public opinion. You’ll care about the Lord’s opinion. There is no freedom like the kind He provides. In a word, it’s grace.

Second: The freer you are before the Lord, the more confident you will become. When you know where you stand, that is real security. If it’s important to God, it ought to be important to you. If God took the time to put it down and it’s a precept, He never changes, and He means what He says.

God sets His heart of favor on those whose hearts are following Him. He honors those who honor His Word. He makes them exceedingly happy. Knowing where you stand before the Lord leads to true freedom. Being free before the Lord, you will become confident, and that is genuine security.

When God Says No

So here’s what David has done since he is not is charge. His reign started in Hebron where he reigns 7 and one-half years. He then unifies the nation and establishes the capital in Jerusalem and completes his reign which lasts a total of 40 years.

David expanded the boundaries of Israel from 6,000 to 60,000 square miles. He set up extensive trade routes that reached throughout the known world. Wealth came into Israel like the nation had never known before.

David unified the nation under Jehovah God, creating a national interest in spiritual things. He was not a priest; he was a king . . . but he lifted up the role of the priesthood so that Judaism could operate openly and freely in the land. He destroyed the idol altars.

The nation is a peace, the tabernacle is in Jerusalem and the presence of God is there because the ark of the covenant is there.

Now David had a time to reflect and because he loves and worships God he begins think of his blessings and as we often do we want to share what God has done for us to others, and to share how we in our limited capacity want to show how much we thank God for blessing us.

So David shares his thoughts to a good friend, Nathan, who also happens to be a prophet. He’s a friend first and he happens to be a prophet.

2 Samuel 7:1‭-‬3 NIV After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

Great idea. You have been blessed abunatly now you want to honor God by creating a permanent stately place for God’s presence and worship. Great idea go for it.

We’ve all had those kinds of thoughts. God has been so good to me I want to do something to honor him. For some who can afford it it may be to finance a building, or some project. Sometimes was ask God to direct us and we get what we think i what God wants us to do. Because it is a great thing and it will actually honor God we think the vision is from Him. It may not be.

But when it’s not of God, it won’t come to fulfillment . . . nor should it. And it’s often hard to determine which is which. It’s awfully hard. We have to make sure that this is God’s purpose or plan for you. In other studies, we have talked about how God can and does speak to us. A quick review

1. Prayer. In order for God to speak to us, we need to be in his presence listening for his voice. As we spend time in prayer, we may sense God's leading in our lives.

2. His word. God speaks to us through his written word as we study and meditate upon his holy scripture.

3. Circumstances. Many times God will cause doors to open, or others to close. If we are walking in obedience to him, we have to assume that events in our life are ordered by God. They don't just happen by chance.

4. Our heart. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will minister to our spirit and reveal God's plan for us. We will have an assurance deep in our heart. We will feel God's voice guiding us.

5. Others. God can use other believers to bring us his direction. Sometimes we will be singing a song in church, or we will be reading a Christian book, or hear the Pastor's message, or one of our friends will say something that will show us God's will. God can reveal his direction to us through any of these five ways. But even when he does, it's sometimes difficult to discern that what we sense or feel is truly God's plan for our lives so we need Him to confirm His direction the same way He revealed it to us

In David’s case he spoke through his prophet friend David. As a friend Nathan said great idea you have the resources go for it.

However God spoke to Nathan the prophet and told him to go back to David and tell him no I will not allow you to build a temple for me.

2 Samuel 7:5‭-‬7 NIV “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’

We should not feel that if God says no to our noble idea that He is dissing us. It’s just not His plan for us to do this. He may have something more in mind for us. He told David though Nathan that He had more in mind for David than him just building a temple. He was going to bless David beyond what he could even imagine.

First, He reminds David where He had brought him from and where He had placed him and that he will have a legacy.

2 Samuel 7:8‭-‬16 NIV “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. “ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

Speaking of legacy here’ what Solomon who was the son that built the temple said at the temple’s dedication.

2 Chronicles 6:3‭-‬11 NIV While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David. For he said, ‘Since the day I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, nor have I chosen anyone to be ruler over my people Israel. But now I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there, and I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.’ “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’ “The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. There I have placed the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

God says to him, “I commend you for that thought. I commend you for having a heart that is so sensitive to Me that you would want to construct a house of worship for My glory. It is well that it was in your heart. It’s not My plan for you to do that, but I commend you for such a thought.”

SOME EARTHBOUND WISDOM

When God says “no” it is not necessarily discipline or rejection. It may simply be redirection.

Don’t worry about what other people say. You may have shared your dream with others and when it didn’t pan out the way you dreamed it others may ridicule you. They may say you didn’t have enough faith. God punished you for what you did in your life. It didn’t happen so move on. I’m not talking here about your dream but something that you think God either told you or you thought He told you. Remember I said that God may just be redirecting you not rejecting you.

The thing we have to do in our walk with God is to listen carefully from day to day. ” We need to look at it each day, keep it fresh, keep the fire hot, keep it on the back burner, keep askin “Lord, is this Your arrangement? Is this Your plan? If it is not, make sensitive to it. Maybe You’re redirecting my life.”

God does not call everybody to build temples.

That is the role of spiritual gifts in the church. God has different people do different things. They are in different roles but God’s purpose is to edify the church which is us.

1 Corinthians 12:27‭-‬30 NIV Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

1 Corinthians 14:26 NIV What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

Ephesians 4:11‭-‬13 NIV So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

What we should be seeking is God’s long term plan for us not get stuck on that one no to what we thought was a great idea. Thank God for showing us His final plan for us which is eternal life in His presence.

That’s what David did. After Nathan told him that God’s answer to his great idea of building a temple was not not you but your son plus here is what I have in mind for you.

2 Samuel 7:11‭, ‬16 NIV …“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

We know that the fulfillment of that prophecy is Jesus.

David didn’t pout in fact what he did was to thank God for clearing things up for him.

2 Samuel 7:18‭-‬29 NIV Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human! “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. “How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight. “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

When God says no to it’s because He knows better and has a better way so support God’s better way. That’s obedience.

To some, He says, “yes.” To others, “no.” In either case, the answer is best. Why? Because God’s answers, while surprising, are never wrong.

Bible Study Audio

God’s Providence Session 13 - Obey God's Precepts and Honor His Principles

In Session 13 has the right idea to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem which David had moved the capital of Israel. Everywhere the ark of the covenant was placed, God's glory rested there—meaning the light, the shechinah glory of God, rested on the ark of the covenant. That laser like ray from heaven was central to the worship of Jehovah. Since it represented the presence of Jehovah, it was the holiest place on earth.

The problem was that his actions were to honor God's principles, as we will see he did not obey God's precepts, or the commandments on handling and moving the Ark. Because he didn't obey the precepts a man died. When David obeyed the precepts, he was able to move the Ark to Jerusalem and rejoice in its movement.

Now that Saul and three of his sons are dead and David doesn’t have to run for his life he assumes the throne only rules over part of the nation from Hebron. He reigns from Hebron for seven and one-half years then hostilities between those following David and those following Saul’s remaining son and his followers ends and David unites the entire kingdom and moves the capital to Jerusalem, and he reigns from Jerusalem for 33 years. David’s entire reign is 40 years.

2 Samuel 5:4‭-‬5 NIV David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

Now with the nation unified David can do what God had purposed him to do a king of His people.

2 Samuel 5:6‭-‬12 NIV The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David. On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.” David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him. Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

The theme for of study this week is that we must obey God’s precepts and honor His principles. We are going to do that by looking at how David moves the arc of the covenant which had been captured by the Philistines who because of problems they had because of it sent it to back.

Little background the God gave Moses instructions to build this chest to hole the stone tablets that had the commandments that God gave Him. God wrote them. The chest also included a jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded. The main thing about the arrc however was its cover which was the mercy seat where God’s presence resided.

The difference in following the precept rather than just the principle is evident in David's desire to have the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem and in the tabernacle which was in Jerusalem.

Let's read about what happened when made the decision to move it and what happened before it finally got to Jerusalem

Under Saul’s weak, negligent reign, the emphasis on the tabernacle sort of drifted away. During this time a particular piece of holy furniture had gotten separated from the tabernacle. If you can believe it, the enemy had carted off the ark of the covenant.

1 Samuel 4:10‭-‬11 NIV So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Everywhere the ark of the covenant was placed, God's glory rested there—meaning the light, the shechinah glory of God, rested on the ark of the covenant. That laser like ray from heaven was central to the worship of Jehovah. Since it represented the presence of Jehovah, it was the holiest place on earth.

David knew that he needed to put that piece of sacred furniture back in its rightful place. He needed to set it up as God designed it. His heart was after God’s, the point of locating a small piece of furniture and putting it in a certain place. To David, when it came to God no detail was unimportant.

2 Samuel 6:1‭-‬11 NIV David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.

Those who are after God in their hearts care as much about the principles as they do about the precepts.

Obey God’s precepts and honor His principles.

Precept - a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.

Principle- fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

This piece of furniture was absolutely holy. It was set apart by God. That is the principle.

So careful was God with His instructions about it that He even told them how it was to be carried. That is the precept

Exodus 25:10‭-‬16 NIV “Have them make an ark of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.

Numbers 4:15 NIV “After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, only then are the Kohathites to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting.

Uzzah reached out to steady the ark so it wouldn’t fall. That’s all I mean, after all, wasn’t that the practical thing to do? Rather than let it fall off the cart and possibly break or get bent, you have to grab it, right?

We’ve got David standing here mad at the Lord, when, in fact, the Lord was angry at David.

About now you might be thinking, “Well, I thought you said he was a man after God's heart?” I did—or, rather, God did. Does that mean he’s perfect? It does not. Having a heart for God doesn’t mean you’re perfect, it means you’re sensitive. It means every detail is important. And when you see you’re wrong you face it.

Well, what’s right? Let me tell you what’s right. It wouldn’t have been in danger if they had carried it exactly as God had commanded. The Levites were the ones to carry the ark, using the poles that slid through the little ringlets at the bottom of the chest, remember? And the poles were to be put up on the shoulders of these specially chosen men, and they were to balance this holy chest as they carried it from one place to another. But David didn’t do that. He took a convenient route, and he changed the details to fit the expediency of the hour.

If you want to have a heart for Me, then you check My Word and you find either a precept or a principle and you go according to that. When you do that, I'll give you joy like you can’t believe. If you don’t, I will make you miserable.” In fact, in David’s case, the Lord said, “I’ll even take some lives.”

When we begin to care about the things God cares about, we become people after His heart, and only then do we begin to have real freedom and real happiness.

Now let's look at

1 Chronicles 15:1‭-‬15 NIV After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.” David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites: From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the leader and 120 relatives; from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives; from the descendants of Gershon, Joel the leader and 130 relatives; from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives; from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the leader and 80 relatives; from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives. Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.

What’s the big deal, the big message, about the poles and the ringlets? The message is our life. It is the details—the pole and the ringlets—that drive us crazy in our carnal life. We don’t want to take the time to get the poles, or we don’t want togo to the trouble of putting the poles upon the right shoulders. I mean, it’s a lot easier just to use a cart. After all, the American is a pretty pragmatic kind of person. And the Lord can’t be that concerned about details, right? Wrong!

So now David is operating and obeying both the principle of getting the ark in the right place and the precept about how to handle and move it. And he's excited.

2 Samuel 6:12‭-‬15 NIV Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

Why in the world would they get so excited about it? Because they’re free. When you obey, you’re free. When you disobey, you’re in bondage. All around us we see individualsin bondage because they’re in sin, and all they talk about is freedom. They’re not free.

When you’re really free, the people who are not so free willhave trouble with you being free.

2 Samuel 6:16 NIV As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

David didn't care what she thought

2 Samuel 6:20‭-‬23 NIV When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.” And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

THE APPLICATION: SOME LESSONS WORTH REMEMBERING

David’s eyes were on the Lord; Michal’s eyes were on other people.

First, the better you know where you stand with the Lord, the freer you can be. When you do the homework, you find out where you stand with your Lord, and you follow His plan, then you are free.

Many won’t understand, of course. To some, you will be seen as detestable. You’ll be misunderstood. Like David with his own wife. But you won’t care that much about public opinion either. You’ll care about the Lord’s opinion. There is no freedom like the kind He provides. In a word, it’s grace.

God sets His heart of favor on those whose hearts are following Him. He honors those who honor His Word. He makes them exceedingly happy. Knowing where you stand before the Lord leads to true freedom. Being free before theLord, you will become confident, and that is genuine security.

Have you developed a deceitful technique of hiding your disobedience behind the human masks of lies or rationalization or manipulation or blame?

The very best proof of your love for your Lord is obedience. . . nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

You want to be like David? You want to become a man or woman “after God’s heart”? Pay attention to the things God considers important. Sweat the small stuff. In one word: obey.

God's Providence Session 12 - New King New Throne Same Lord

In Session 12 David assumes the throne and rules from Hebron over the tribe of Judah for seven- and one-half years. After war between the supporters of David and those loyal to the descendants of Saul David reigns over the entire nation of Israel, and rules over the entire nation for 33 years. David's total reign as king covers 40 years.

David was a remarkable man. He was a brilliant organizer, a brilliant manager, a brilliant planner,

but he was still a man a human being with faults like all of us. Although David was a “man after God’s own heart” He had some major failures in his life. We talk about some of them in Sesson 12.

Last week we talked about the death of the man who at first trusted David because of his bravery and his ability as a military leader. Because David was so successful, he became paranoid and afraid of Daivd, and he even knew that one day David would become king.

1 Samuel 24:19‭-‬21 NIV When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”

Saul finally admitted that although God allowed him to become king and even blessed him with the Holy Spirit although it was temporary that he had played the fool after that exciting time in his life.

1 Samuel 10:1‭-‬2‭, ‬9‭-‬13 NIV Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.

1 Samuel 26:21 NIV Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.”

The story of Saul ends with a battle against the Philistines where the Israelites were routed, Saul’s sons killed, and he was wounded. Rather than be captured and ridiculed by the enemy Saul committed suicide.

1 Samuel 31:1‭-‬6 NIV Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

Saul’s death opened the door for David to officially become king of Israel although years before God and determined that this would happen.

1 Samuel 13:13‭-‬14 NIV “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

1 Samuel 16:1‭, ‬11‭-‬13 NIV The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

The death of Saul was a pivotal point in David’s life.

Psalms 78:70‭-‬72 NIV He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

These verses sum up David’s life.

Between the years of seventeen and thirty, David is on the run from Saul. At age thirty he becomes king. He was king for 40 years.

For the first fifty years of his life, David walked in the integrity of his heart. The last 20 were not so good but we will get to them later.

Suffice it to say that although some stuff happened during those first 50 years that was not so cool, and we will talk about them too, for the most part David life is model of character and integrity. The last 20 years were mostly downhill.

Let’s first talk about this high point of David’s life. He becomes king, the second king of Israel, chosen and anointed by God himself. David was actually anointed three times.

1 Samuel 16:13 NIV So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
2 Samuel 2:1‭-‬5 NIV In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered. So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.
2 Samuel 5:3 NIV When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

Now David knew that he had been anointed king yet for years he was a fugitive. So he may have been a little hesitant even though Saul was dead, so he relied on his vertical perspective and sought God just to be sure.

1 Samuel 31:11‭-‬13 NIV When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

2 Samuel 2:1 NIV In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered.

He didn’t rush to the throne and take charge. He waited patiently on God for further instruction. He doesn’t immediately march into Jerusalem to take over the whole nation. Instead, following God’s instruction, he goes to Hebron, where he has a limited reign over the people of Judah for seven and a half years. He doesn’t complain. He isn’t anxious. He has learned to wait on God.

Psalms 25:1‭-‬3 NIV In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.

We often get out ahead of God doing things that we believe or even know that God wants us to do but we do it in our effort on our time schedule and it often turns out to be disaster.

While in Hebron David was becoming stronger and solidifying is position as king.

2 Samuel 3:1 NIV The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Unfortunately, however, while waiting for instructions in Hebron David made some bad decisions that affected the rest of his life. We have talked about it before in fact the title of the book we are studying is “Great Lives: David a Man of Passion and Destiny”. That passion is part of him and affected every part of his life including in passion for women. This was actually a weakness in David’s character which affected his reign and his legacy.

We get a hint in the genealogy of David while in Hebron

2 Samuel 3:2‭-‬5 NIV Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

This is six children by six different wives. Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah. And that’s not counting Michal, daughter of Saul, who was his first wife who he had to, leave to stay alive. That in itself is unbelievable to me. It’s now so much the number of children it is the number of wives. WHEW!!

That was just in Hebron David had more children and wives when he later went into Jerusalem and king over the entire nation. The only wives named in scripture is the six mentioned earlier and Bathsheba who we will talk about late, but we know from scripture that he had more wives and also a number of concubines who also had children.

2 Samuel 5:13‭-‬16 NIV After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

His son Soloman who succeeded him apparently had the same problem of an appetite for women.

1 Kings 11:1‭-‬6 NIV King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

Obviously, God “allowed” both David and Solomon to have these wives, but allowance is not the same as approval. Their decisions were in direct violation of God’s Law, and there were consequences.

David had a total of twenty sons and one daughter, Tamar. Sheis listed among the children of Maacah in Hebron, who was also the mother of Absalom. There is a story about Tamar Absalom and their half-brother Ammon but that is for later.

While David was king his reign while in Hebron was limited because some of Saul’s military leadership apparently didn’t accept David as king.

2 Samuel 2:8‭-‬9 NIV Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

But there were issues between Abner and Ish-Boseth which caused Abner in the end to align himself with David and end the division in Israel read 2 Samuel chapters 2-4.

2 Samuel 5:1‭-‬2 NIV All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’ ”

Now with the nation unified David can do what God had purposed him to do a king of His people. He made Jerusalem the capital and then begin to solidify the nation

David was a remarkable man. He was a brilliant organizer, a brilliant manager, a brilliant planner.

But he was still a man a human being with faults like all of us. I mentioned earlier that although David was a “man after God’s own heart” He had some major failures in his life.

First, he became so involved in public pursuits that he lost control of his family. The man had too many wives and too many children to lead and read properly.

He had undisciplined children. As we’ll see in chapter 18, Absalom rebelled. He deceived his father and pushed him from the throne. Tragically, David fled like a wounded animal. Another son, Amnon, raped his own half-sister, Tamar. In his later years, when David was an old man, his son Adonijah, like Absalom, also tried to usurp the throne.

1 Kings 1:1‭-‬6 NIV When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our Lord the king may keep warm.” Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her. Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

The key is in verse 6, His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?”

David’s second failure was that he indulged himself in extravagant extremes of passion. Whatever he did, he did it with all his heart. When he fought, he fought to the bitter end, completely vanquishing the enemy. When he loved, he loved with all his heart, and the numerous wives and concubines were examples of this passion.

David’s third tragic failure was that he became a victim of self-sufficiency and pride. In simple terms, David began to believe his own track record.

2 Samuel 24:1‭-‬4 NIV Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.” But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my Lord the king see it. But why does my Lord the king want to do such a thing?” The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

This was not as a consequence of the numbering of the people, but in consequence of that which ultimately led to that act. We are not told why the anger of the Lord was kindled, but doubtless because He saw both in king and people that rising spirit of earthly pride and reliance on earthly strength which led to sin.

Joab said, “Why do we want to do that?” And in so many words, David told Joab, “Don’t be insolent with me. Don’t be insubordinate. You do as I say.” So Joab did, and 70,000 died as a judgment from God—judgment against the king’s pride.

THREE LASTING LESSONS LEARNED AT DAVID’S EXPENSE

1. Prosperity and ease are perilous times, not merely blessings. Most of us have hit the middle-aged strides where you don’t have to worry too much about the things that used to take a lot of time. Take heed! Prosperity and ease are more often than not, perilous times.

2. Gross sin is a culmination of a process, not a sudden act. Back in 2 Samuel 3, you’ll remember, David was already amassing his fortune along with a number of wives. But when was enough enough? When he had a harem full of them and he was still not satisfied, driven by lust for more? Gross sin isn’t a sudden action, it’s a process that culminates. And one who commits it says to himself in the morning hours that follow, “I can’t believe I did that.”

3. Confession and repentance help heal a wound, but they will never erase all the scars.

If we’re honest enough to admit it, there are times that we sin, saying, “Well, I can do this now and then confess and repent, and God will forgive me.” And that's true. But I must warn you, you can never erase the scars. He will heal the wound, but

He will leave the scars. And your children may suffer as a result, and their children after them. That’s the heartache of it all. Sin has terrible wages.

The only hope we have is daily dependence on the living Lord. It’s the only way we can make it. He’s touched by our feelings of infirmity, our weaknesses, our inability in the dark and lonely times to say no. He’s touched by that. And He says, “I'm ready with all the power you need. Call on Me and I’ll give you what you need.”