2 SAMUEL 16 PURSUE GODS HEART TOWARD PEOPLE IN CONFLICT2018 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Samuel 16 Pursue Gods Heart Toward People In Conflict

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. You can turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 16. 2 Samuel chapter 16 as we continue to journey through the life of David.

And we are at the point in his life where he is on the run. His son Absalom has risen up against him, has pronounced himself to be king, has amassed an army and turned the hearts of the nation of Israel against him. And so David has had to run from Jerusalem for his life.

And Absalom is coming to get him, but David makes it out of the city. And we saw in chapter 15 that escape and the various people that are involved. And we're continuing that escape. And it's really early still in this process. He's still on the journey out of Jerusalem in chapter 16. And we covered...

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When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys and on them 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 summer fruits, and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, what do you mean to do with these? So Ziba said, the donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruits for the young men to eat.

Verse 5.

Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gerah. Coming from there, he came out cursing continually as he came. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Also Shimei said when he cursed, come out, come out, you bloodthirsty man, you rogue.

The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man. Here in 2 Samuel chapter 16, as David is on his way out of Jerusalem, and

Just still kind of getting a grip on the situation and figuring out what is going on. We see this great conflict that takes place and

Here in chapter 16, we're going to look at some of the people that are involved in this conflict, and not so much the main characters in that it's David and Absalom. Those are, you know, the primary people involved in this, but there's these people around them that are, well, dealing with this conflict between David and Absalom. And this evening, I want to encourage you to pursue God's heart toward people in conflict. As

As we look at chapter 16, we're going to see Ziba and his, you know, response to and his reaction to this conflict and what he thinks is the right thing to do in the midst of it.

We're going to see this guy Shimei and how he responds to the conflict. And then we'll go on to see Ahithophel as well and how he responds to the conflict. And as we look at all of these different people around David and Absalom, as this conflict between David and Absalom is unfolding, we see that none of these guys involved are actually Shimei.

concerned about the heart of God. They're not concerned about pleasing God. What's on their mind is not what is best, you know, for them or what does God want to do in this? What would be pleasing to God? That's not their focus. And so we're going to be looking at what not to do from looking at their example so that we can pursue God's heart towards people who are in conflict with

around us. And I don't know if you're ever around anybody who's in conflict. I don't know if you ever experienced that. You know, you're nearby someone and maybe there's family, you know, members that are at odds against one another or co-workers or neighbors or, you know, maybe it is you. You're in the midst of the conflict and you're one of the primary parties of the conflict. There's a great need for us to pursue God's heart and

towards the people who are involved in the conflict. And that's true whether, you know, it's us or people around us. And so some important things for us to consider about conflict and as fights unfold and battles, you know, develop around us. There's some great insight here that we need to grasp hold of. I would encourage you as we begin to think about the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5.

Just prior to the verses we'll read, Jesus said, you've heard it said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But Jesus says in Matthew 5, verse 44, but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

And he goes on to say that you may be sons of your father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Jesus here makes it clear we are to love God

Even our enemies. Not just the people that are nice to us, not just the people that are good to us, but the people that are evil towards us, we are still to love them. That doesn't mean necessarily that we put ourselves in a place where we can be injured or hurt or harmed, but

but that we still want the best for those who come against us, that we still would desire God's heart for them, that we would still desire for them to be blessed and to know God and to walk with God, to hear from God, that we would still love them. And Jesus not only tells us to do this, but he says, look, if you do this, then you'll be like your father in heaven.

And he talks about how God sends the rain on good people and bad people. The sun rises, not just for those who read their Bible in the morning. The sun rises for those who curse you too. Because God the Father is, well, he loves people.

And this is something that we need to be aware of and really grasp hold of when we talk about conflict because, of course, in the midst of conflict, whether it's us personally involved in the conflict or whether it's people that we love that are in the midst of this battle and our emotions are involved and we're passionate and we love those people. And so we can allow the situation to distort and, well, cause us to forget. God calls us to love even more.

our enemies, those who would want to be our enemies, those who would come against us. That the objective is not to win the conflict, but to win the person, to love people, even who would be the enemies of people that we love. And there's some important truths that are difficult, but important for us to grasp hold of.

As we look at these things. Now, as we begin, we're going to look at verses 1 through 4 for point number 1, and that is don't exploit their conflict. So here's the first thing. We're going to look at Ziba here. And as there's conflict unfolding, as mom is fighting with dad, or brother's fighting with brother, or co-worker's fighting with co-worker, as there is this conflict, there is, in the midst of that conflict, a potential opportunity for

to get something that you want. And that's what Ziba sees here. He sees, this is my chance to get something that I want. Again, in verse one, it says,

Now, again, we spent some time considering this portion last week, so I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time on this, but we looked at it from David's perspective and how he, you know, dealt with that and the decisions that he made. But what I'd ask you to consider this evening is think about Ziba. What's Ziba doing here? What is his mindset? What is his objective here?

as he meets with David with these donkeys loaded with all kinds of goods for David and his men. As he, well, we find out later in 2 Samuel chapter 19, he ditches his lame master. He was supposed to saddle the donkey for Mephibosheth, but he took advantage of Mephibosheth's lameness and brought these donkeys with resources to David. And

It was timely for David. This is an incredibly hard day. He's fleeing for his life. He's got a lot of people to provide for. It was timely for David. We considered that last week. But as you think about that whole situation and how he is bringing, you know, this blessing to David, the heart of Ziba in this is questionable. Maybe more than just questionable, it is wicked. Here is the hardest day of David's life, perhaps.

Now, David went through a lot of hard days. So how would you classify that? You know, maybe we wouldn't say that for sure, ultimately, but it's an incredibly hard day for David. And Ziba says, now's my chance. Now's my chance to get something that I want. David sees Ziba and he sees the supplies. He says, hey, what are you doing with these? And he says, oh, these are for you. And David says, well, what happened to Mephibosheth? And

He tells a lie about Mephibosheth. He said, oh, he's at home. He's thinking that he gets to take over the kingdom today. And so he's preparing for the throne at home. And Ziba here crafts this story. He comes at this particular time. He is looking to exploit this conflict between David and Absalom, to exploit this situation, to take advantage of it, to accomplish gain for himself.

And it works. It succeeds. In verse 4, the king says to Ziba, here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours. And Ziba said, I humbly bow before you that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king. He gets reward from David. He gets to take all of Mephibosheth's property is the reward that David gives him. It's a successful plan, but it doesn't make it good. It's

exploiting David in a moment of hurt and heartache and sorrow, exploiting the situation with his master Mephibosheth. He is not seeking to pursue God's heart.

He's not concerned about, he's not seeking out, what would God want for David? What would God want for Mephibosheth? What would God want for Absalom? What would God want for Ziba? He's not thinking about that. He's not pursuing God's heart. He is pursuing his own thoughts and plans and accomplishing what he can for himself.

G. Campbell Morgan puts it this way, Ziba, a man who for purely selfish reasons took advantage of temporary trouble was utterly despicable. Utterly despicable is how G. Campbell Morgan describes it. This is a despicable thing to do for selfish reasons to take advantage of this situation to try to get...

something that he wants. And again, it worked. And David says, here's all that Mephibosheth has. It belongs to you now. Pastor David Guzik says, this was exactly the response Ziba wanted. Ziba is an example of someone who wickedly used a crisis for his own benefit.

There are people who will use a crisis for their own benefit. I mean, without getting into too much politics, there's, you know, political maneuvering that happens whenever there's a crisis because that is a prime opportunity to get power, to gain an advantage. There's an exploiting of the conflict, of the pain, of the hurt, of the situation that is unfolding.

And when that happens, that is happening at the expense of the pursuit of God's heart. It's not that things shouldn't change in the midst of conflict. It's not that, you know, things can't happen. We do need to make sure that as we navigate times of conflict and difficulty and in the

That we're doing so in the interest of and for the best interest of the people who are involved and what God has for them and what God would desire for them. And an effective strategy, just because it works, doesn't mean that it's right or good or godly. This would be described as wicked. Think about the Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter one. He talks about those who preach Christ while he's in chains. And he says, look, some of them preach Christ

the gospel in sincerity and not from selfish ambition. But then there are also those who preach the gospel from selfish ambition. And he describes it saying, look, some of them do it out of love. They're preaching the gospel out of love. And others, that's not their motivation. That's not what they're after. It's

essentially Paul is describing, look, I'm out of the picture. I'm in chains. And so Harvey says, hey, now's my chance. Harvey, you know, Paul's not on the scene. So I can come on and be the famous preacher now. And I can take that role and have that honor and have that position. And Paul says, look, they're advancing the gospel. And I'm just rejoicing in that. But there are some who advance the gospel. There are some who pursue ministry. They're

going after those things for good reasons. And there are some who do that for their own gain, for their own benefit. They're trying to exploit the situation for what they can get out of it. I would ask you to consider, have you ever done this? Have you ever taken advantage of a situation? Other people are fighting, there's conflict, and it's a good opportunity for you to get in there and accomplish something that you love.

We all face these kinds of temptations and situations, and some of us are more crafty and master planners than others, perhaps, but we need to recognize the need to pursue God's heart and to keep that first and foremost in the midst of conflict. When family drama develops, when conflict in the workplace happens, when

There can be a great temptation. Now's my opportunity to advance. That guy's doing poorly. That guy isn't going, you know, things aren't going well for him. And there's an opportunity for me to then, you know, jump in there and take that role and get that position. And maybe God wants to work that out for you. But does he want to work that out for you in that way? Is that God's heart for you to behave that way, to deal with the situation in that way?

We need to learn to be like God, to love people, even those who would be our enemies, even those who, you know, if they had the chance, if the situation were reversed, they would take advantage and they would cut us out to be able to, you know, get whatever gain they could get. But that doesn't mean that on the other side, that we're to behave that way. No, we're to be like God. And He

Pulls up the sun every day for those people that hate you as well as the people that you love. Love people who would be enemies even of the people that you love. Well, going on to verses 5 through 8 now, we're going to continue to consider this idea. But now looking at this guy, Shimei, in verses 5 through 8, we get point number two. And that is don't celebrate their conflict.

Verse 5 says, Now when King David came to Baharim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gerah, coming from there. He came out cursing continually as he came. And he threw stones at David and at the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Here we see this guy, Shimei. And he's an interesting guy because he is really upset with David.

And he comes and he is cursing at David. He's throwing rocks and throwing dirt at David as he is running out of Jerusalem. Now I made the point, don't celebrate their conflict. And you might look at these verses and wonder, is celebrate the right word? Does this look like a celebration? Cursing and yelling and throwing rocks and throwing dirt and may not be what we would typically think of as a celebration, but it's

We find it here in the passage. It's clear that Shimei is, he's rejoicing over what is happening to David. He is convinced David is getting exactly what he deserves.

He's convinced this is what David deserves. And I'm so glad to see this day. Yes, be cursed. Yes, be judged. Yes, go out in shame. In verse 7, Shimei said when he cursed, come out, come out, you bloodthirsty man, you rogue.

He's with David coming out of Jerusalem, right? And he's like, yeah, come on out. Get out of here. Go, go, get out of here. You know, that's the idea. He is celebrating the fact that David has to leave because he is

Well, believes that David deserves this kind of treatment, this situation. He calls him a bloodthirsty man several times. Clearly, Shimei is angry. He is upset. He is worked up and passionate. He hates David and he wants to see David destroyed. And so here, as David is experiencing this very humbling situation and difficult pain,

Shimei is rejoicing, celebrating the calamity that is taking place in his life. In verse 8, he goes on to say, He says to David,

You are bloodthirsty. You have taken lives. You have knocked down the kingdom of Saul and you're getting what you deserve. And I am happy to see that take place. Now, this guy Shimei, he's related to Saul and he blames David for Saul's demise. What did David bring upon the house of Saul?

Nothing. David, in fact, had several opportunities to take Saul out when Saul was pursuing him in the wilderness. He had like face-to-face encounters with Saul and opportunities to kill Saul when Saul was asleep and didn't even know that David was there. There was opportunity for David to bring down the house of Saul, but David refused to take the kingdom in that way.

But from this guy's perspective, from Shimei's perspective, he says, you brought down the house of Saul. And that's not the reality. What really happened is God brought down the house of Saul. God brought down the house of Saul, but this guy blames David. And so now when David's life is torn apart and when David's life is in the midst of destruction, he's celebrating. He hates him so much. So much bitterness is evident here in these words. His facts are wrong, but...

But that doesn't matter. He doesn't care about that because his heart is wrong. It's always the wrong heart to celebrate in the midst of someone's destruction. It's a good indicator of a wrong heart. But here he is. Yes, you're getting what you deserve. Yes, I'm so glad to see this day. Get out of here. Be destroyed. Don't celebrate destruction.

their conflict. Here's this battle between David and Absalom. I mean, a gut-wrenching battle, a gut-wrenching conflict. And Shimei comes along in the midst of this difficult day for David and the great sorrow, and he's cursing. He's throwing stones. He's throwing dirt, piling on

to the difficulty that David is already experiencing. And this is hard for David and his men to take. We'll see that in the next couple of verses as well. But I also want to take some time next week. We'll spend a little bit more time considering this encounter with Shimei and the character of David that's revealed in this is really important to take note of.

But for us, as we look at Shimei this evening, again, don't celebrate their conflict. I would remind you of what the Lord tells us in Proverbs chapter 24. Verse 17, it says, And then verse 18, And then verse 18,

This is an interesting proverb because you just read verse 17 and you think you got a good grasp of what the Lord is saying there. But then verse 18 brings a little bit different perspective into it. Don't rejoice when your enemy falls. And we go, okay, yes. Don't rejoice because that's not right. It's not right to rejoice when people fall, when people are hurt and destroyed. It's not right to let your heart be glad in the midst of that. And then in verse 18 says,

He goes on to say, lest the Lord see it and it displeased him and he turn away the wrath from him. So in other words, you could take it this way. If you want that person to receive the full wrath of God, don't rejoice. Otherwise, if you rejoice, they might not get all the wrath of God. And so you're going to miss out on, you know, them receiving all the wrath of God. And you could kind of twist it that way. But that's not exactly what the proverb is saying. Here's what the author of this proverb is saying. Look, God hates this attitude so much.

He may lessen the wrath that they receive, that they deserve, just to stop you from rejoicing. Because God hates this so much that He'll reduce the sentence. He'll go easy on them because, boy, He does not want you to have that kind of heart and attitude towards anybody. There is nobody that we should rejoice over when they fall, when they stumble. That's really hard for us because we

Sometimes we get all worked up like Shimei, and boy, things are personal, and you hurt my family, or you hurt me, or, you know, there's that connection and that buildup within us, and yet it's quite clear. If we're going to pursue God's heart, how does God feel about that person that we're rejoicing over? Does God rejoice when a person falls?

Is God rejoicing over the situation with David and Absalom right now? Is God pleased with the hurt and the pain and the destruction that is going on? Do you reflect God's heart as you celebrate that situation? Again, we are called to pursue God's heart, to seek after what pleases God and what does God desire? I would encourage you to consider Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 11.

Here's what the Lord says. Several times around that in the book of Ezekiel, God makes it very clear. I have no pleasure in the death.

The destruction that sin brings, the destruction that people experience, the hurt and the pain, the havoc that is brought as a result of sin. I have no pleasure in any of that. The judgment that comes, the wrath of God. We know about the wrath of God, but God does not take pleasure in bringing forth wrath, judgment, penalty, punishment. No pleasure in the death of the wicked. And so it is never in agreement with God's heart for us to

to take pleasure in the death, in the destruction, in the hurt, in the harm of people, even if it would be people who would want to be our enemies or the people who would be enemies of the people that we love. Don't celebrate their conflict. That's not a cause for celebration. The hurt, the pain, the difficulty, it's not reason to rejoice. It's not God's heart.

Well, moving on to verses 9 through 14, we get point number three, and that is don't go too far in defending them. Here is this situation is unfolding with Shimei cursing and throwing dirt and rocks. And you can understand David's mighty men are with him, right? And boy, they could sure take this guy out. And I think it's clear from the passage they really want to. Verse 9, then Abishai, the son of Zeruah, said to the king, why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?

Please let me go over and take off his head. But the king said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruah? Let him curse because the Lord has said to him, curse David, who then shall say, why have you done so?

Abishai was one of David's mighty men. He's one of those guys who has been with David from way before he was king, back when he was on the run from Saul in the wilderness. Abishai was one of those guys. He's been with David for many, many years by this time. He loves David. He loves David.

There's great loyalty there. There's a great bond between them. They fought battles together and saved each other's lives. They've accomplished great things on behalf of God. They've seen victories and defeats. And so there is this attachment, this loyalty. And Abishai says, this dead dog, what does he think he's doing? Let me go take off his head because he cannot stand.

for this kind of language to be brought against one that he loves so much. He can't take it. He can't. What? Why are you allowing this to happen, David? Let me go take care of him because he should not be cursing my Lord, the King. Oh man, this is offensive what he is saying to you. And there is this urgency in Abishai to go and defend David.

And, you know, the way he's going to do that is I'm just going to go take off his head. Now, Abishai is one of those guys that you can look at and just be in, you can admire his devotion to David. His loyalty to David was, well, it was praiseworthy. He was one that David could rely upon and trust. But as is the case with many things, he also had the potential and maybe the tendency to

to take that loyalty and that devotion too far. It was back in 1 Samuel chapter 26 where we see another similar occasion. David and Abishai have snuck into Saul's camp back when Saul was pursuing him and trying to kill David and

David and Abishai, they sneak into the enemy's camp. They sneak in and they're right there. And Saul's laying there and his water bottle's there and his spear's right there. And Abishai says, let me take the spear and let me just thrust it through. I'll just, it'll just take one strike. I promise I won't miss. He won't feel a thing. He just won't wake up. It'll be over. He won't even know what happened. Just let me do it, David. Let me do it.

This guy who's troubled us so much, who's chased us around the wilderness, let me do it. God wants to give you the kingdom. Let me take care of this for you, David. And David had to withhold him, to restrain him from that. Abishai would go to any length to defend this one that he loved. But David says, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruah? Now, the sons of Zeruah, they're an interesting bunch.

Abishai is one of them. Another one is Joab. Now, Joab, he's Abishai's brother. He has some similar traits. He's fiercely loyal to David, but tended to take it too far. And in doing stuff, what he would say, you know, on behalf of David, he killed Abner, which David didn't want. But Joab saw him as a threat to David. And so I'm going to take care of him for you because he's a threat to you. Even if you don't want me to kill him, I'm going to kill him because that's what needs to be done.

We'll see in the coming chapters that Joab is the one who kills Absalom, even though David doesn't want that to happen. But Joab sees him as a threat. So I got to take care of it on behalf of David. And everything that he would do could be in his mind classified as I'm doing this for David. But the reality is he's going too far in his loyalty, in his defense, taking things beyond their limits.

And again, that loyalty, that love that they have for David, it's admirable. It's a good quality, but it can be taken too far because while the bottom line is we must love God above everybody else. And so there can be an overreach in our defense of those who are hurting ones that we love. There are limits to our response and the limit is,

comes back to what's God's heart? Because I must love God more than I love this person that is being hurt deeply, being offended severely. I must love God more. David goes on now to address this publicly, just in case anybody else is feeling the same way. In verse 11, he says, and David said to Abishai and all his servants,

See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite, let him alone and let him curse. For so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day. David says, okay, public announcement, guys. I just want everybody to know here's the official decision. We're not going to try to kill this guy. Just let him curse.

What if the Lord told him to curse? And what if I just, I bear this well and the Lord sees it and so he has mercy on me because I bore this well. Let's not take his life. Let's not do this. Look, my own son is trying to kill me. Why are we surprised that this guy is shouting curses at me? You know, it's like in comparison, it's this guy is not my son. He's got his grudges. He's got his reasons. But the real issue still is my own son.

He seeks to take my life. And in this, we can see, again, the quality and the character of David in the pursuit of God's heart, entrusting himself to the hands of God, entrusting himself to let God defend him. He restrains his guys. No, no, don't go too far in defending me. There was a need for them to be loyal.

And there was a need for them to be a defense. It describes them as, you know, being on the right hand and left of David. So as rocks are being thrown and dirt's being thrown, you know, they're being shields. And so they're expressing their loyalty and their devotion to David in that way. And that was appropriate. That was proper. But to go and then take the life of this man was taking it too far. That's not what God wanted.

wanted. Now, if God said, go take his head, well, then go take his head. But that's not what the Lord was saying. And so it's not the pursuit of God's heart. Verse 13, And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust. Now the king and all the people who are with him became weary, so they refreshed themselves there.

Here we learn from Abishai, we need to be careful not to take it too far. We love people. We see them being hurt and injured. We need to defend them. We need to be loyal, but we also need to keep the priorities straight and pursue God's heart first.

to love God above all else. And so we can't defend all the way that we want to, perhaps. We can't fight all the way that we want to, perhaps. We can't be loyal in the full extent of what we would desire because we must be loyal to the Lord first. Well, the final point we'll look at, finishing off the rest of the chapter, is don't escalate their conflict. So as we're dealing with people that are in conflict,

Here's David and Absalom. They're the primary people involved in this conflict. There's all these other people around. Some of them are involved in order to exploit the conflict and to get something out of it for themselves. Some of them are just looking on and just like, wow, this is so amazing. I can't wait. I've been just dying to see David be destroyed and in pain in this way. And there are these different responses, but

Here, as we finish off, we're going to look now to Absalom and his arena, what's happening there with particular, in particular, this man Ahithophel, who is David's advisor. But we start out looking at a man named Hushai in verse 15 through 19. Let's read that and then we'll get into what it means. Meanwhile, Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel was with them.

And so it was when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, long live the king, long live the king. So Absalom said to Hushai, is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend? And Hushai said to Absalom, no, but whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be and with him I will remain. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son?

As I served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence. Here in these closing verses of the chapter, we're going to see two advisors, Hushai and Ahithophel. Now, Hushai was loyal to David, and we saw him back in chapter 15. He was wanting to go with David out into the wilderness, and David says, no, it'd be better if I could send you back to

to be with Absalom and go be a spy, essentially, in his camp and defeat the council of Ahithophel.

In 2 Samuel 15, verse 34, David gives him this instruction, go back and be a counter to the wisdom that Ahithophel is going to give. And so here he is, the spy in the enemy's camp on behalf of David. But notice, Hushai is not there to assassinate Absalom.

He's close enough to, right? He's there. He's able to interact. But that's not his purpose. That's not what he's doing. Again, he's not taking that defense too far. He is following the instruction that he's been given. And he is there to be accepted in the court and provide counsel that contradicts that of Ahithophel. Verse 20, then Absalom said to Ahithophel, give advice as to what we should do.

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. So Absalom comes into Jerusalem. He's just barely starting to, you know, get settled in there, and he's

He says to Ahithophel, what should I do? Give me some advice. What do I need to do next? And Ahithophel says, well, you need to engage in some immorality. That's going to be the best thing for your kingdom. What is going on here with Ahithophel's

Well, it was a custom of their day that kings would behave in this way in order to demonstrate their dominance, in order to demonstrate, I am king now. And so they would take over the previous king's harem or their concubines. And so there was some customs that were involved here. But there was also a much deeper and more sinister aspect

plot that was going on because, well, of Ahithophel's heart and where he was at with the Lord. And that was that he was far from the Lord. He wasn't seeking after God's heart. It's evident from this advice. F.B. Meyer, the commentator, says this. He says, "...beware of any advice which complies with and gratifies the impulses of your lower nature or your sinful nature."

He who begins by counseling you to do what is morally wrong can never be trusted as an advisor. Looking at the advice of Ahithophel, we need to recognize this is not good advice, first of all, because what he called Absalom to do was sinful. And advice...

to sin is never good advice, okay? So if that's not clear, let that be clear. It's wrong, and so that kind of wisdom is not the kind of wisdom that you want. James talks about wisdom that comes from above, and wisdom that does not come from above, and there can be great strategy and great counsel from a worldly perspective that does not include the plans of God and the heart of God, and it's

a wisdom that will bring destruction. And that's the wisdom that Ahithophel is offering here. But that's not the way that it was perceived. If you jump down to verse 23 for a moment, it says, now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. Ahithophel had this reputation. If you go ask counsel of Ahithophel,

Whatever he tells you, it's like it's God speaking to you. It's like the oracle of God. It's like, I mean, he's not a prophet. He's not saying, thus says the Lord. He's not speaking on behalf of God, but he is so wise. When you go talk to Ahithophel, it's like you're talking to God. That was his reputation. That was the perception. And perhaps, probably, it's likely that he earned this reputation because he really did have great wisdom before.

previously. But at this time, his heart is far from God. Now, it's often been noted that Ahithophel is the grandfather of Bathsheba and Uriah. So when David committed adultery and

killed Uriah, that there is likely here, you know, a cause for Ahithophel to be turned in his heart against David. And there was a, there was a bitterness there. There was something that was going on where now he has strayed from wisdom. He still has great strategy. And, and what he says to Absalom is actually what does happen. I mean, his, his

Logic is sound. His reasoning is sound, but his heart is far from God. What he says is if you do this, then all Israel will hear that you're abhorred by your father and the hands of all who are with you will be strong. There will be this strengthening of your rebellion against David if you do this. Verse 22 says,

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. So Absalom acts on this wisdom. There is some interesting parallels and ties to what previously happened in David's life. David was walking about the top of his palace when he saw Bathsheba and lusted in his heart and committed adultery.

And here on the top of that very same palace, they pitch a tent and Absalom commits this horrible. The Lord told David in 2 Samuel chapter 12 that the things that David did in secret, well, they would be done against him before all of Israel. And so here we have this prophecy fulfilled before all Israel. Absalom is doing what David did, but against David with David's concubines.

And this whole thing, this whole scenario escalates the conflict. This is pitting Absalom and David against each other to another degree. Ahithophel is not looking at God's heart in the situation. He's making the conflict worse and more sure. William MacDonald puts it this way.

Such an act, disgraceful in itself, would be an unspeakable insult to David, would make reconciliation out of the question, and would constitute a direct claim to the throne. This act would be such an act that reconciliation would be out of the question. As unlikely as it may seem, there was still the opportunity, there was still the possibility that David and Absalom could be reconciled. That was still a potential opportunity.

But Ahithophel, he's not seeking after that. He doesn't want peace. He wants there to be this battle. And so he advises Absalom to do something that would put reconciliation out of the realm of possibility. Let's make this permanent for sure. I mean, you could see in the heart of David, as you go on, you'll see, I mean, if he could have peace,

found a way to coexist, to reconcile with Absalom, he would have taken that route. But this act now cements this path. It's permanent. There's no going back. It's all at the advice of Ahithophel. Pastor David Guzik points out, Ahithophel was willing to see these women abused. Absalom grievously sinned and the kingdom of Israel suffered greatly simply to satisfy his longing for

for bitter revenge. Again, you could look at the customs and say, well, this is part of the customs. You could look at the strategy and say, well, that's a really effective strategy. You know, I forget that guy, some guy, you know, he burned his ships when they reached the new world so that the people would be committed to the, you know, making it work and everything. And they wouldn't be trying to, you know, escape and go back. And they would be full, you know, hearted in their

decision to go forward in that, you know, Ahithophel's advice causes that, and they go, you know, full forward into, they're going to go into battle against David, you know, coming forth from this. And so logically, strategically, rationally, all of it is accurate to what Ahithophel says, but at the expense of, well, these ladies who are abused, Absalom, who furthers his issues with God in

This sin that is going on, the whole kingdom now that is going to suffer as a result of this path. But Ahithophel, he is not seeking out the heart of God for Absalom. He's not seeking out the heart of God for these ladies. He's not seeking out the heart of God for all of Israel. He is seeking for what he wants to happen. What he really wants to happen is for the conflict to be escalated. Because he...

Like Shimei wants to see David destroyed, wants to see that destruction take place. We need to be careful to pursue God's heart towards people who are in conflict. To be careful that we don't have a part in the escalation. The conflict may escalate, but to make sure that we're not part of that, that we're not part of, unless God wants that conflict. I mean, sometimes there are battles that need to be fought, but

Not talking about those situations, but here where there's this conflict, where there's this battle, and where we would perhaps speak into someone's life or give counsel or give advice. I always bring up this guy, but it was just one of those pictures that just stays in my head. This guy I used to work with at Paychex, and he would have this advice. Anybody who was talking about any kind of relationship problems, you know, with their husband or their wife, and he'd say, I can tell you how to answer that.

You know, you're fighting over the toilet seat being up. Well, here's how to answer that. But every time he gave advice, it was always...

Ahithophel's advice, here's how you can really irritate them. They say they're irritated by this. Here's how you can really irritate them. It's like, I'll give you something to cry about. And every time it was like, man, the advice that was given was horrible. And there are some people that just like to kind of like, you know, fan the flame of the conflict and watch everybody burn. And it's entertaining to watch perhaps. But whether it be for entertainment value and

Wanting to see the drama unfold or for whatever other purposes, we need to be careful to pursue God's heart and not escalate the conflict. That's not what God desires from us. It's not God's heart for the situation, for it to get worse, for there to be more anger and animosity towards each other. Think about Paul.

writing to the Philippians. He says, I implore you and Syntyche to be of the same mind. And then he says, I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me. There's these two ladies at odds with one another. It's the last time that ever happened in a church, but it happened. Just kidding. I implore these two ladies. They're at odds. There's this fight.

Be of the same mind. And so there's a responsibility for the two people involved. Hey, figure out a way to resolve this conflict. But it's not just up to you. And I urge you also, true companion, whoever you are reading this Philippians letter, whoever you are in the church of Philippi, help these ladies.

Don't escalate the conflict. Don't jump in there and say, oh yeah, you know what? Here's a good response or here's a good reply. Here's a way to really get under their skin. I'll tell you how to. No, no, no. Be those who come alongside to deescalate the situation, to bring peace and reconciliation and harmony. The Corinthians, remember they were fighting over which one was their favorite pastor?

Paul says, you guys are carnal. This is not what you are to be fighting about. James says, where do wars and fights come from among you? Don't they come from your desires for pleasure, that war in your members? There are battles, there are conflicts that we face, but if we will pursue God's heart, what he wants for us, what is pleasing to him,

For us, for our behavior, for the people that are involved, if we will seek out what is pleasing to God, it is not going to be for an escalation of this conflict. It is going to be for a resolving, for a reconciling if it's possible. We need to be like God and love all people, even those who would be our enemies, even those who would be enemies of the people that we love. And so pursue God's heart.

towards people in conflict. Don't exploit their conflict for your own gain, for something that you can get out of it. Don't celebrate their conflict when it's someone that, you know, hey, maybe they are getting what they deserve, but God doesn't take pleasure in the death and the destruction of the wicked. And so we need to learn not to as well. And don't go too far in defending them as the ones that we love are involved in the conflict. We do need to be loyal. We

But to love God first and make sure we keep that perspective. And then also we need to make sure that we don't escalate the conflict and make things worse, pouring gas onto the fire that we would watch them burn or whatever the agenda is. But that's not the heart of God and recognize that. And I want to close with this last verse from Matthew chapter five, verse nine. Ronnie, you can come on up. He's going to close us in a worship song. But

Here's what Jesus says in Matthew 5, verse 9. What does God value? God values warriors when they're fighting for his cause, for his fame, for his glory, for what he desires. There is a need for warriors. And sometimes there is conflict that is inescapable and that we're called to.

But this kind of personal conflict that we're seeing and talking about here in 2 Samuel, it's a different kind of conflict. And to this, the Lord would say, blessed are the peacemakers. Not those who come in and take advantage of the conflict or celebrate and rejoice over the destruction that's happening or escalate the conflict and make things worse. But blessed are those who come in and seek to bring help, seek to bring peace. And notice, they shall be called sons of God.

They shall be called children of God. And that's not just because, you know, hey, you know, you're doing something good, so we'll call you a child of God. That's because this is how God is. God's a peacemaker. So blessed are you when you're a peacemaker because that's when you're most like God. In the midst of conflict, in the midst of those around you who are in conflict, blessed are the peacemakers because they are the ones who are most like God. Let's be peacemakers.

as we pursue God's heart. Amen. Lord, I pray for each one of us and the people around us as there is conflict, Lord. There are battles about serious things, about silly things, Lord. There's a variety of emotions and things going on. I pray that you would give us great wisdom. And as we began, Lord, that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we would have insight and help to be able to bring peace, to pursue your heart for us and

and for everyone involved, Lord, that you would be honored and pleased with how the situation is resolved and handled. Help us, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's worship the Lord together. And as always, feel free to minister to one another and pray for one another as God pumps your heart. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.