2 SAMUEL 15 PURSUE GODS HEART IN TIMES OF CRISIS2018 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Samuel 15 Pursue Gods Heart In Times Of Crisis

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2018.

Well, this evening we are in 2 Samuel chapter 15, continuing to look at David and the idea of pursuing God's heart, seeking to please God, seeking to do the will of God. And it's been awesome to see this in David's life because, of course, we know that he's a man after God's own heart. But one of the cool things about going through it this way is we're getting to see what that looks like in a variety of different situations as David is experiencing life.

And just like us, David had highs and he had lows. He had, you know, good times. He had difficult times. He had times in the wilderness and times on the throne and, you know, all of this variety. And so we're walking with him, learning about how to please God and how to walk with the Lord and to do God's will through all of these things.

And we're picking it up here in chapter 15 in one of those tough seasons for David where his son Absalom has decided to take the throne early. He's next in line to be king, but he doesn't want to wait for David to die. And so he is

planned and plotted and worked out a scheme for him to be able to take over the nation right now while David is still on the throne. And so we're seeing him mount up. We saw that last week and we'll see that this week as we continue on here in 2 Samuel 15. We'll begin this evening by reading verses 10 through 18 and then talking about what the Lord has for us. So 2 Samuel 15 says,

Verses 10 through 18, here's what it says. Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel saying, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron. And with Absalom went 200 men invited from Jerusalem and they went along innocently and did not know anything. Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor from his city from Gilo,

Now a messenger came to David saying,

Verse 1.

And the king went out with all the people after him and stopped at the outskirts. Then his servants passed before him. And all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, all the Gittites, 600 men who had followed him from Gath passed before the king.

Here is, there is this revolt, this uprising led by Absalom. David here exits Jerusalem in order to deal with this situation, in order to escape really the immediate and the urgent threat that has been presented through his son Absalom. And so I've titled the message this evening, Pursue God's Heart in Times of Crisis. For David, it's a time of crisis.

It's a time of, well, he has to act quickly because there is a very real threat. And some of the difficult parts of this threat is it's his family. So he's having some family issues here with his son Absalom. And we've been seeing it progress up to this point.

Also, we know it's one of his good friends, Ahithophel, who's part of this. And so there's strong betrayal that's connected to this whole situation. And that's on top of the reality of his kingdom being under threat and the consequences of his sin with Bathsheba, which the Lord told him ahead of time there was going to be these issues as a result of the sin that he committed. And so there's...

guilt, there's remorse over his sin, and realizing the consequences of that. There's family issues, there's kingdom issues, political issues, and all of these things are happening all at once. And so for David, it truly is a time of crisis. And how he handles this crisis is

is, well, much better than other points that we've seen in David's life recently, in the most recent chapters, that he begins to behave wisely. And as he's heading back to the wilderness, I mean, we spent a lot of time with David in the wilderness, and that was uncomfortable time for him, but it was kind of when David was at his best.

when he was in the wilderness and just dependent upon the Lord. And here we see him again. He has to mount up and take action right away because the threat is real and right there. And so he is heading back into the wilderness and he shows some real wisdom as he does so. And so we can learn from him about how to handle these times of crisis. And so first we're going to look at verses 13 through 18 for point number one. And that is, you may need to retreat from

before you advance. What we see David do first off, right when he hears about it, is he begins to exit Jerusalem. Again, in verse 13, it says, now a messenger came to David saying, the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. David is there in Jerusalem. He is, you know, there in his kingdom, but he gets word. He hears the messenger comes and says, look, there's a real issue here.

Absalom is proclaiming himself to be king. And notice the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.

It's not just a few people. It's not just Absalom and his friends, but this is a national thing now that there has been a turn of the hearts. And we saw in the last week at the earlier part of chapter 15 that Absalom stood at the gate there of David's palace and intercepted people who were coming to meet with the king and stole the hearts away. And he, you know, got people to

trust him and want him to be king rather than David. And it's been successful. It's a successful campaign. And so now the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. So Absalom has proclaimed himself to be king.

He has the hearts of the nation as a whole. The nation has turned to Absalom. Absalom is now their king. But here's David, the current king in Jerusalem. What is he going to do? Well, it says in verse 14, David said to all his servants who are with him at Jerusalem, arise and let us flee. Arise and let us flee. Now, I don't know how hard it was for David to speak those words, but

But I would imagine being in his place that it would be difficult things to say, difficult words to say, that we must flee. He says, if we don't, we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us and strike the city with the edge of the sword. David says, right from the get-go, he tells everybody, you guys, we need to run.

We need to run away. Now, to be clear, David is not running away in the sense of he's giving up and surrendering.

But he is running away. It's a strategic running away. It is a strategic retreat, not in a surrender, I give up. If David was going to surrender, he would have just stayed there. That would have been the easiest way to surrender because Absalom's on the way. That would be the place for David to surrender. But he is getting out of that immediate crisis, immediate threat in order to regroup and

and deal with the situation in an appropriate way. The king's servants are with him. It says in verse 15, they say to the king, what we are your servants ready to do whatever my Lord, the king commands. And so again, what probably was pretty difficult for David to give this order to, to send them in this direction, but David,

But his servants, the people around him, are with him, and they're saying, hey, we'll go with you, whatever. Whatever you need, whatever is necessary, we're with you. But you can see from verse 16 that David was planning to come back. He didn't think it was the end, necessarily. In verse 16, it says, the king went out with all his household after him, but the king left 10 women, concubines, to keep the house. So he left these ladies behind to take care of things while he was away, and he was

With the idea that I'll be back. And so there was this idea that he would come back and he had that hope, that anticipation. He didn't know for sure exactly what was going to happen. But again, it wasn't a full out surrender that he was just going to run away and never return. It wasn't a full out surrender where he was just going to let Absalom take him and whatever happened, happened. But it was a strategic retreat in order to

to respond to the situation in a way that would be wise and beneficial to everybody. And so here is David. He's giving the command. He's giving the announcement. We need to leave. We need to run away right away, right now, with haste. We need to get out of here. But again, it is so that he can later advance.

In verse 17, it says, And so now they all make their way out of Jerusalem.

And again, in a time of crisis, you could understand this was a low point. We'll see it in the next couple of verses also. I mean, they are depressed. They are distraught. There is a great discouragement for them as they're going through this situation. But it wasn't the end. And so in this moment of crisis, they are stepping away.

And this is, of course, from a very practical sense, I mean, that is something that is good to do. In the middle of a crisis, emergency happens, you know, you walk in the room and it's flooded. Well, you know, you could just panic and throw your arms in the air and freak out. Or, you know, you could kind of stop and

assess the situation, you know, and then, you know, take some steps to approach it, to deal with it. And I think you get the point, right? You understand that. And in a similar way, that's what happens in life, that as crises happen in our lives, it is easy to just like start reacting and get caught up. But there is that need for us many times to take a step back,

to regroup, to assess, to prepare ourselves for the situation that is at hand. We, well, I was part of a website launch today, and it's kind of a cool project. I wasn't, you know, like, I'm only one piece of a big part of the team that's dealing with that website, but it's a big project. So it's a women's Bible study site, and

And they have, you know, like 40,000 users who are part of this Bible study group. And they do studies every six weeks. And they did a whole like rebrand and relaunch. And so thousands of people are on this website every day. And my responsibility today was to put the new site up in place of the old site as quickly, as smoothly, and as seamlessly as possible. And if I make a mistake,

Well, the website could be down for hours and hours and hours, and lots of ladies could be upset and yelling at me and, you know, not happy about the situation. Even though it's a Bible study site, sometimes clients aren't always appreciative and gracious, you know, when things like that happen. And so as I was taking, I was...

In a similar way, I would take a step back. I would, okay, catch my breath, you know, and as I encountered a problem, and there's always problems, and then I would have to, like, remind myself, okay, catch, okay, now try to, like, calm your mind down a little bit because some of those settings and changes and those things that need to happen, they can have long-lasting impacts. And so there is that need for us to stop and take a step back, to retreat many times and

before we can advance. Maybe think about it this way also. How many times do we recognize, do we see that Jesus would step away from the crowd to spend time with the Father? Now, if you think about Jesus, I mean, he had...

the ultimate message. He had the ultimate, you know, gifts and tools for ministry. You could make the case that, well, he should just be talking all the time. Like, why would he ever step away from the crowd? And yet that was necessary for him, for the ministry, for the work, for the mission that God had called him to.

he also needed to retreat and to go and to spend some time away to connect with the Father, to be recharged and refreshed and prepared. And so then when he went back to the crowd, he was equipped and ready for the work that was at hand. And that is something that we need to keep in mind as we deal with a crisis in our lives, that many times it is easy to get caught up and just to start reacting and to get involved. But sometimes,

Perhaps the Lord would have us to take a step back in some way. And maybe that be just a few moments or maybe that be a couple weeks, depending on the situation and what the Lord wants. But that getting away, that retreating, that regrouping,

so that in preparation for an advance. Again, it's not a surrender. It's not a, I give up and just walking away. You know, I just, I give up on the kingdom and I'm just going to wander off into the wilderness. And, you know, you guys have a good life. That's not what David's doing. He is strategically retreating to regroup, to prepare, to assess what is it that God wants me to do in this situation. You may need to retreat before you can advance.

Well, looking at the second point, as we continue to consider this idea of pursuing God's heart in times of crisis, point number two is receive some support from new and old friends. Look again at verse 18. It says, Think about who is with David at this point.

David gets up, he leaves Jerusalem. This is not David taking half the kingdom. There's only a handful. It's 600 men. Okay, maybe that's more than a handful. But in comparison to the rest of the nation, it's a handful. It's just a small gathering of people that is with David. But notice who these people are. Now, don't get too...

perplexed about who the Cherethites and Pelethites and Gittites, like we don't have to figure out all those details because it tells us these are the 600 men who had followed him from Gath. Remember when David was in Gath? That was a city of the Philistines. That was when David was living in the area of the Philistines to escape the persecution of Saul. Remember when he was in the wilderness and then the 200 guys gathered to him and then later 400 guys gathered to him and

David had 600 men and we see him kind of go from place to place. He had 600 men. He goes to Gath. He hides out there for a while right before he comes back and is anointed king. What we see here is these are the guys who have been with him for a long time. And really it's the men of

who are around David, who really shine in this whole chapter, in this whole passage. I mean, these guys are loyal and brave and valiant as they are with David in the midst of this crisis. They're old friends. It's hard to say exactly the number of years they've been together, but 25, 30, maybe even 40 years, these guys have been together. They've been with David. They're old friends. They've been around each other for a long time.

Back in 1 Samuel chapter 23, we see David and his 600 men in the city of Keilah, and in a similar situation. They're in the city, they've just saved it, and Saul's on the way, and God tells them, you better get out of here. And so they have to flee out of the city in order to escape the coming of Saul, because Saul would attack the city. And they're in a similar situation now. Here they are, maybe 30 years later.

And they're in the city and Absalom is coming and they could get trapped. They could be stuck in the city if they don't escape. And so they have to get up and exit the city quickly in order to escape. But David's not alone. He has these guys who have been with him for so long. But it's not just those guys who have been around forever. He also has some new friends. Check out verse 19 and 20. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite,

Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today since I know not where? Since I go, I know not where. Return and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you. David has his guys,

They've been with him forever. That's great. He has their support. They're with him in the midst of this. But as he is watching the people, kind of surveying the troops as they're heading out of Jerusalem, he sees Ittai the Gittite. And he says, hey, I'm surprised to see you amongst the group. Why are you going with us? He points out in verse 20, you only came yesterday.

I mean, you just barely got here, and now you're going to come with us, and I don't know what to tell you. I mean, I don't know where we're going to go. There's no plan here. There's no, like, fortress of, you know, solitude or something for us to retreat. We don't have, like, a hideaway that we're, you know, we're not going anywhere specific. We don't know what's going to happen here. You might come with us and just come to die in the wilderness, and

You just barely arrived. So why don't you go back? Go back to Jerusalem. Settle in. Absalom will be good to you. You just arrived. You know, you're not one of the old loyal guys. And so he's not going to deal with you harshly. You're an exile from your own country. And so don't be an exile here too. Just, you know, go back and get settled there in Jerusalem. Verse 21, but Ittai answered the king and said, as the Lord lives and as my Lord the king lives,

surely in whatever place my Lord the King shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be. So David said to Ittai, go and cross over. Then Ittai, the Gittite, and all his men and the little ones who were with him crossed over. Ittai's response was, as surely as God lives and as surely as you, King, are alive, I'm with you. For good, for bad, life or death, I'm with you.

Doesn't matter that we're in exile. Doesn't matter where there's no plan. Doesn't matter that we're wandering around. I'm with you, David. And he has this strong commitment to David and David receives that. He doesn't insist. No, no, no. Go back. He says, okay, come on over. Go ahead. Cross over. Join with us. David allows for his old friend's

to be there to support, to help him in the midst of this situation. But he also allows in this new friend who just arrived yesterday to be part of this crisis that he is going through. Alexander McLaren says, "'It was no holiday vow made upon some parade day "'that these brave foreigners were bringing to their king now, "'but it meant we are ready to suffer, starve, fight, "'lose everything, die if need be.'"

to be true to thee. It's kind of old school English, but it's powerful words. Not a holiday vow, you know, not just an easy like, hey, yeah, I'll make a promise and I'll be with you. You know, there's turkey and Thanksgiving and all kinds of stuff. So that's great. Yeah, let's do that together. No, it's not a parade commitment, but heading into this crisis, heading into the wilderness, there is this commitment. There's this promise. I'm with you. And these promises

These people who are coming along with David are huge support for him. I mean, he relies upon them. They are part of the resolution that is going to be taking place over the next couple of chapters. This guy, Ittai, in chapter 18 of 2 Samuel, we'll see David actually makes him a commander in the army and he divides up the army in thirds and Ittai becomes the commander over a third of the army. And he's a commander in the army.

as a result of his commitment to David here and the support that he provides. And so there's all these people now with David, but it's still a crisis. In verse 23, it says, "'And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.'"

The Kidron was a stream that was just right outside of Jerusalem. So Jerusalem was like on top of the hill and then right in the valley there was the Brook Kidron. And so it was just the first thing. It's like the first intersection essentially. So they're just getting started here and yet they are in turmoil. They're troubled. They're weeping. They're in sorrow as they leave this. This is something very hard for them to accept.

But David is able to handle this situation with support from new friends and old friends. And I think it's interesting for us to consider this because, of course, you know, we have our old friends, our go-to people, kind of as we talked about on Sunday. We have our default people that we, you know, look to and rely on and ask for prayer from and all of that. And yet one of the things that God likes to do within our lives and within the body of Christ is to mix things up.

And all throughout the New Testament, we have those instructions and those commands that are given in regard to one another.

And there's the loving one another. There's the serving one another, using our giftings on behalf of one another, praying for one another, confessing to one another. There's all this one another. And it describes, it pictures this back and forth, this giving and this receiving, this sharing of life together. And it is so important for us to engage with one

the people around us in the body of Christ in order to be able to endure and to handle the situations that we face, and especially in times of crisis. And I would encourage you to allow the Lord to minister to your heart about perhaps those who are around you, and you already know who your old friends are. You don't have to, you know, figure that out. They've been with you for 30 years, but

But also maybe there's some new friends that God wants to kind of raise up in your life and connect you with and establish some relationships. And again, Ittai becomes the commander of a third of the army, right? So he becomes a significant part of David's kingdom, his reign, his life as a result of what happens here in Israel.

There are some relationships perhaps that God wants to develop and foster between you and somebody else as well. And so there's new friends as well as old friends that we need in this one another relationship that we have here within the body of Christ.

Paul tells us in Romans chapter 12, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, be of the same mind toward one another, do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble, do not be wise in your own opinion. That there is this need for us to interact, to associate with each other, to get involved, and that, you know, means sometimes uncomfortable situations, times of weeping when, like, hey, if I can avoid weeping, I will avoid weeping. I don't like that, but

There needs to be those times of weeping with those who weep. And sometimes you don't feel like rejoicing, but others are rejoicing. And the Lord will have you get involved and rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep and have this interaction with one another. It's an important part of our spiritual life and our walk with God. And it's especially important in times of crisis that we would have those connections to old friends, friends,

as well as new friends, even if you just met them yesterday. You know, God is able to do amazing things with relationships. And even though maybe we just met yesterday, God can use that in a powerful way in our lives. And so we need to be open for the Lord to work in that way. Well, moving on to verses 24 through 29, we get point number three, and that is trust yourself

to the grace of God. In the midst of a crisis, whatever it is, the news has come, you know, the word has come, and now everything has changed. You know, your whole life is now different as a result of this message that has come. That's what happened to David. And here we find David trusting himself to the grace of God. Verse 24 says, "...there was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God."

And they set down the ark of God and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. Then the king said to Zadok, carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and show me both it and his dwelling place. Here is David is continuing to exit and there's this group of people going. He also sees, hey, the priest Zadok, the Levites,

they are there to go with David also. Now, David allows for the majority of them to come and to be part of this group as they leave Jerusalem. But he looks at the Ark of the Covenant and he says, you know, it's not right for me to take that out of Jerusalem. That doesn't belong with me. It's not mine. It's the Lord's. And so he tells Zadok, you should take that back to Jerusalem.

You might remember under the days of Samuel, there was Eli the priest, and they took the Ark of the Covenant into battle, and it was lost to the Philistines. Perhaps David is thinking back to, you know, those stories that Samuel had told him about and thinking, we don't want to risk that kind of situation with the Ark of God. He's thinking, you know, God's, God's, uh,

plan and the people needing to meet with God, this is bigger than just me. This is not just all about David and, you know, bring the Ark of the Covenant with. It is where it belongs there in Jerusalem. It's the place that God has chosen to put his name. And so even if I have to leave Jerusalem, that doesn't mean that the Ark of God should leave Jerusalem. Zadok the priest and the

The ark belongs with you. You're the rightful king. You know, it shouldn't stay back. And when Absalom is going to be in there, but David says, no, that's the place God chose to put his name. That's where it belongs. And so if I must leave, I must leave. But that should stay where God has placed it. But then he says, if I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord. Grace is often defined as God's favor that we don't deserve.

That's the idea here. David says, if I find grace, if God decides to be gracious to me, he will bring me back. David deserves to be exiled from Jerusalem for his sin with Bathsheba, for his murder of Uriah, for the way that he's handled situations after that. He deserves it. But David here is not exiled.

Just giving in or giving up and saying, I deserve it, so that's it. But he is looking to the Lord and saying, I know I'm getting what I deserve. When the prophet Nathan came to David in chapter 10,

12 or 13, I forget now. But the prophet Nathan told him, look, you're going to have trouble within your family as a result of this whole situation. The sword will not depart from your house. You're going to have difficulty and your own family is going to be a part of the problems that you'll face. David is reaping what he's sown, but trusting in the grace of God. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back.

You don't have to bring the ark with me. If God's with me, he's going to bring you back. I'll see the ark again. I'll come back to his dwelling place. Verse 26, but if he says thus, I have no delight in you, here I am. Let him do to me as seems good to him. Here you see David just fully stepping in to the hands of the Lord and saying, Lord, it's up to you. If you want to be gracious to me and bring me back, praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Yes, please.

But if you say, that's it, David, I'm not pleased. I'm done with you. Well, I'm here and I will accept that also. David is being brought face to face with the consequences of his actions, his behavior. He's appealing to the grace of God. He's trusting in the grace of God at the same time as he's accepting the consequences and results of

of his sin. Pastor David Guzik puts it this way, David's humble and chastened spirit proves he knew God dealt with him righteously. David submitted to God, but with an active submission, not a passive one. He is actively saying, I'm submitting myself. God, I give myself to you. I'm in your hands. If you want to run me out and my ministry, my kingdom is over, here I am. That's your will. I understand that. Lord, if you want to be gracious,

I'll accept that. And you'll bring me back to be in the presence of the Lord. Verse 27, the king also said to Zadok the priest, are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace. And your two sons with you, Ahimez, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar. See, I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me. Therefore, Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem and they remained there."

David says to Zadok, hey, you're a seer. Another word for a prophet. You're a prophet, Zadok. You have a ministry. You belong in Jerusalem to minister to the people.

It's not right for me to just take you for myself and to take you away from, even though, you know, there is this issue with Absalom, there are still people that you need to minister to and just speak on behalf of God for. And even to Absalom, you need to be a, you know, a voice of God in his presence and to him. And so, so that's where you belong. And so David is careful and

Not to just take everybody because, you know, they want to or because he deserves it or anything like that. But he's protecting. You belong to the Lord. You need to be where the Lord has you. The ark needs to be where God has it. That needs to be preserved and protected. And so David here, he's not just, as we talked about, you know, last week, he's not just getting people on his side. But he's making sure to trust the Lord. No, no, no.

You be where God has you. You put the york where God has it. And you do the ministry that God has called you to do. And I'm going to trust myself to the Lord for him to be gracious to me and merciful to me. And if he's done with me, if he has decided that's it, I'm not pleased and that's the end of the story, well, I will accept that. He's trusting himself, placing himself in the hand of God for God to be merciful and gracious to him.

but it's still difficult for him. I mean, great example here of trust in the Lord, submission to the will of God and submitting himself to whatever it is that God wants. But we can see the challenge as we go on in verse 30 and 31. Here we get point number four, and that is weep and pray. In times of crisis, you may need to retreat. Not that it's the end necessarily, but

Before you can advance, before you can move forward, there might need to be that stepping away, that regrouping. There might need to be that connection between old friends and new friends to help provide the support that you need. You're going to need to come face to face with the reality that maybe this is the new normal. Maybe this is what God has for you. But trust yourself to the grace of God and look to God to be merciful, not to prove your righteousness or to, you know, try to earn or deserve something, but just to present yourself before God. But

At the same time, we go through these things and it has an impact on us. Check out verse 30. It says,

Then someone told David saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, oh Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Here we see David is mourning.

Now, if you could picture Jerusalem a little bit, you might be able to kind of be familiar with this because he's going the reverse route that Jesus took on the way into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, right? Remember that? He goes over on Bethany is where...

Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived. And so he was there. He got the donkey and he's riding the donkey and everybody's, you know, doing the palm branches and he's going down the Mount of Olives and Jerusalem's right there. And he goes up the hill into Jerusalem, into the temple. And so that's the route that Jesus went. Well, David's going the opposite way this time. He is leaving Jerusalem, goes down the valley, crosses the Kidron. He's going up now on the Mount of Olives. And as he's going up the Mount of Olives on his journey away from Jerusalem, he

David is a wreck. He's emotional. He is weeping as he goes. He is mourning with his head covered. He goes barefoot. This is all, you know, part of the way that they expressed and experienced emotions. And all the people who are with him

are in a similar fashion. Their heads are covered, and they went up. And so it's like, you know, there's just this sorrow, this mourning, as they all put their hoods on, and they're just distraught, you know, just emotional as a result of this tragedy, this crisis that has taken place.

And this is one of the things that I really appreciate about the life of David, the emotion that he experiences and that he expresses. We have, of course, the record of much of those emotions throughout the book of Psalms. And I always like to remind us of this. And so I'm sure you've heard me share these things, but

But the Psalms record those emotional experiences. They're real and they're valid and they're an important part of who God has created us to be. And I appreciate that David was not trying to be tough guy, pretend like I don't feel anything, trying to be, you know, like just, you know, a stone face, you know, and no reflection of what's really happening within. But that he was...

First of all, experiencing these things, but then also expressing these things. Emotions, they're part of who God has created us to be. They're part of who we are. They're part of, it's not that we are to be ruled by our emotions. Of course, we know that. But from my experience, a lot of times Christians go to that other extreme where there's like that pretending like they don't exist thing.

Like, I know I'm not supposed to feel that way, so let me pretend like I don't feel that way. But that's not the way to handle emotions. Yeah, maybe you're not supposed to feel that way.

But you can't resolve that by just pretending like you don't feel that way. Part of the process is to feel that way and to take those emotions, to take those things that you're experiencing to the Lord and learn how to process them with the Lord through the scriptures, through the one another, that there is that openness. Some of the things that David says in the Psalms are too far, you know, in the sense like, you know, you see that,

Hey, if you lived out what you're describing there, David, well, that would be wrong. You know, I want to kill you. You know, that kind of thought. It's like, that's, it's the feelings that he was going through. It was the accurate expression of those feelings. It was not the right way to live, right? And sometimes we, well, we have the feelings. We experience the emotions and sometimes

Not necessarily that, well, I'm just supposed to be, you know, tough and not show this. I have to be strong for other people, you know. And there is that. And there's some challenges and issues with that. But then there's also this idea that I know I'm not supposed to feel this way. So let me just pretend that I don't. David here weeps.

It's a tragedy. It's a crisis as he exits. He's not trying to pretend like everything's going to be okay. He's not just trying to push through. But he is open with all who are with him. Friends for 30 years and this guy who just showed up yesterday. He's being real with who he is and what he is going through.

G. Campbell Morgan says, As you look at David, there's, of course, reasons why you might think he's weeping. You know, it would be a tragedy, a great difficulty. He's hurting bad, but it's not selfish tears, G. Campbell Morgan is saying. It's tears of humility.

repentance, brokenness, expressing the things that he is going through within. Here is David weeping as he leaves. It's not directly related. It's a little bit of a side note, but you know, there are some situations where someone is in ministry and

Someone is involved in some capacity and there is sin uncovered. It's revealed. There is some major issue and they have to experience the discipline of the Lord. They have to be removed from ministry. And many times in those situations, there is the question, well, okay, you know, we've dealt with that. We've dealt with this situation. Now, when can I come back to ministry? When can I come back and start to serve again? When can I come back?

And there's an old saying, I don't remember exactly who originated it, but a long time ago, there's an old saying that says, I think it's probably Spurgeon actually, that you can come back to ministry when you're as well known for your repentance as you were for your sin. When you're as well known for your repentance, then it'll be time.

For you to resume that type of ministry, that type of service that you were involved with. And I think that's reflected here in David. I think that's, he was well known. I mean, his ministry,

his household, his palace knew about the situation with Bathsheba. And then they saw Uriah come back and then they saw Uriah go and then, you know, find out that he was dead. And then David marries Bathsheba and there's a baby that's born and the baby, you know, like they watched all of this unfold. And here is David weeping, receiving the consequences, receiving the, you know, the results of this and,

and becoming well known for his repentance, for his sorrow, for this situation as he weeps as he goes. And I think it's a good reminder and good example for us. But it's not just all of the things that we've been talking about so far. In verse 31, someone tells David, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. Ahithophel was his good friend.

his counselor, the guy he went to for wisdom. That was the default guy for David. That was the guy he always went to, to get counsel, to seek out what is the right approach for this situation. And now this guy, his friend, the counselor, has joined with Absalom against David. Now,

There's probably some good reason for that. Ahithophel probably had some bitterness issues with David because we find out from other places in scripture that Ahithophel was the grandfather of Uriah. And so Bathsheba was his father.

granddaughter-in-law. It was his family, and it was Uriah that, you know, David killed. And so there was, you know, obviously some issues there. And so Ahithophel now has sided with Absalom in this whole thing. And David, in the midst of that, prays, O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And so we see David weeping, and we see David praying.

He's weeping. He's experiencing the emotion. He's experiencing the consequences. He's, you know, trusting himself to the grace of God. And in the midst of that, he is also praying.

He's praying for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness. This betrayal hit David hard. Not only is his son turned against him, but his counselor has turned against him. David writes about this a little bit in Psalm chapter 55, and you can check out that for a little bit of the emotion side of it and where David's heart and mind was at in the midst of all of this. But in verses 12 through 14, he specifically talks about

Ahithophel. He says, it was not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me, who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man, my equal, my companion, and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked to the house of God in the throng. We worshiped together. We sat together in church, David says. You know, we spent time and prayed together. We sought out what the Lord wanted to do together. And

And it was you, Ahithophel, the one that we had this strong relationship, you know, together, and yet you turned against me. And so he is, again, weeping, praying, working with God through all of the things that he's experiencing, through the emotions that he's processing, through the betrayal that has gone on, through the crisis that is at hand.

David here provides a good example for us. Pursue God's heart in times of crisis. Be real about how you're feeling. Be real about the emotions that you're experiencing and the pain that is there. And go through that with the Lord. Process that with the Lord. Weep as well as pray. Well, finishing it up, point three.

Number five in verses 32 through 37 is plan ahead strategically. In verse 32, it says, now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain where he worshiped God, there was Hushai, the archite, coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. David said to him, if you go on with me, then you will become a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, as I was your father's servant previously, then you will be a burden to me.

So I will now also be your servant. Then you may defeat the council of Ahithophel for me. God begins to answer David's prayer, specifically the prayer, you know, with the issue of Ahithophel. And as he comes over the mountain, here is Hushai, another guy who is known for his wisdom. And in that, God's going to be dealing with the wisdom that will be provided by Ahithophel to Absalom.

And so here's this guy, Hushai, and he says, hey, I'm with you, David. But David says, look, you're old, man. If you go with me out in the wilderness, I'm going to have to be like holding everybody back. Hold up, everybody. Hushai is still coming. You know, it's going to be difficult for you. It's probably better if you don't come with us in the wilderness. That's going to be pretty rough. But, you know, you could put your talents and gifts to work in another way. And that is to go to

be a covert agent in the cabinet of Absalom, to go provide counsel that seems wise, but that is against the counsel of Ahithophel and with the protection of David in mind. In verse 35, he says, do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there?

Therefore, it will be that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Indeed, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimez, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And by them, you shall send me everything you hear. So Hushai, David's friend, went into the city and Absalom came into Jerusalem. So Hushai goes, he accepts the role, accepts the position, and he goes and he

takes up that position in Absalom's kingdom. And we'll see that unfold further in chapter 16. But here you see David planning ahead strategically. Again, he's not giving up. He's not leaving Jerusalem and he's just, he's going to wander off into the sunset. You'll never hear from him again. He's retreating so that he can advance. And even though he's distraught, even though he's an emotional wreck, even though he has been betrayed and he's upset and he's messed up, he is looking ahead and

And he's not sabotaging himself. Sometimes we do that in the midst of a crisis. We sabotage ourselves because we're hurting so much. It's like, let me just, you know, pull the pin out of the grenade and just, you know, experience all the damage. Sometimes we sabotage ourselves in the midst of a marriage crisis, you know, and you guys know how it is. Like you're in the middle of an argument and you know, well, if I say this, then things are really going to blow up.

And sometimes it's like, well, we're so upset. We're so, you know, distraught. Well, let me go ahead and say that. Now, I would never do that, but Kim does that to me all the time. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Boy, I just sabotaged myself, didn't I, right? You know, in the midst of a financial crisis, boy, it can be tempting to just give up. Like, you know, you can't pay the bills, so might as well max out the credit cards, right? Right?

You sabotage yourself that way. You're making things worse. You're not thinking ahead. You're not looking ahead. You're not looking for God to provide a way out of that. You're just making things worse and giving up. And that's not what David was doing. He's hurting. He is distraught. He doesn't know if God's going to bring him back. But he is taking steps to prepare for that if God would so choose. And so he sends Hushai.

Go be a voice of wisdom. Be my eyes and ears in the palace. You have the priests. You can send them. If God's going to bring me back, I'm going to need you. David here is planning ahead. And in the times of crisis, it can be easy to feel like and to kind of give in to this idea that it's over and to just give up, to just blow it up. That's not what the Lord would have us to do. There's hope.

God still has a work. He is still able to bring forth good, even when what we're experiencing is the fruits of our own issues and, you know, things that we've brought upon ourselves, which is the case here with David. But God's not done with David. Plan ahead strategically. Now, that doesn't mean you have to figure everything out, but it does mean that you should stop and think, am I going to regret this? You know, when the Lord brings me back,

You know, the whole time that David was in the wilderness while Saul was persecuting him, there was that idea, that understanding. If I take the throne in a wrong way,

oh, that's going to be an issue for me. I'm going to have some regrets. Remember even when Abigail met with David and said, look, don't kill my husband because that's going to be blood on your hands. And when you become king, you'll have this kind of like thorn in your side as a result of the action that you took. And no, don't take that. Don't do those things that you'll regret because of the plan that God has for you. And in the time of crisis, many times,

it can be hard to see that there is a plan ahead. And so we can blow up those grenades and, you know, cause that great damage. But don't give up. Plan ahead strategically. Don't allow yourself to go there and just, you know, give in to those temptations that you're going to regret later on. No, when God brings you back, when God, you know, resolves the situation, when he resolves the crisis, you don't want to have those kinds of regrets.

Start planning and preparing for the recovery and looking ahead and understanding that God has a work there. He still is able to bring forth good. So don't give in and give up in the time of crisis. And so here David provides for us a great example. Pursuing God's heart. The man after God's own heart as he handles this crisis. Giving us the example. Sometimes we need to retreat so that we can regroup. We can

Figure out where we are, what God wants, and then move forward from there. We can't do it all by ourselves, so we need support from old friends, from new friends, ministering to one another, giving and receiving. There is that need that we have for one another as we trust ourselves to the grace of God.

being real with what we're experiencing and the emotions, the weeping, as well as the praying. And we're processing those things with the Lord as we look ahead at what he has in store for us and that hope that he will be gracious and merciful to us. Let's pray. Lord, I do pray for our hearts. I pray for us, Lord, and wherever we might be and facing times of crisis, Lord.

If we're not in one at the moment, Lord, you know there are crises yet that we will experience. There's afflictions that we face and difficulties that are part of life. And I pray, God, that you would help us to be men and women who pursue your heart in the midst of it, Lord.

that you would teach us, Lord, that you would help us to be able to catch ourselves, that we don't just get caught up in the panic and frantic and start doing things that we'll regret later, but Lord, that we would stop, that we would take a step back, that we would connect with you, that we would be real with you.

and allow you to help us through as you lead us, as you guide us, as you bring people around us to help us go through these things. God, help us to be able to endure and to experience these things that happen in our lives in a way that is glorifying to you and honoring to you. Lord, that we would be men and women who do your will. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

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