Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On Oct 31, 2021: 2 Samuel 15-16 Lessons For Times Of Crisis
Transcript
- Well, this morning I've titled the Message Lessons for Times of crisis lessons for times of crisis and this truly is for David, a time of crisis in the chapters leading up to this, the passages leading up to this we find his son Absalom, leading and mounting an insurrection. He's overthrowing the Kingdom of David and seeking to take control of Israel. So early before you know his father had died, that he was next in line to be king, but he decided I don't want to wait that long. Instead, he comes up with a conspiracy. He figures out a good scheme. It's very effective, and now David is essentially running from him for his life, fleeing out of. Jerusalem, now we looked at on Wednesday the first part of Chapter 15, and considered the schemes of Absalom, and that reason of Absalom. And I would encourage you to to look at that up online and listen to that if you weren't here. Really important insights for us to make sure that our hearts are not scheming like absolute absolute heart was. And it's not a strange thing for schemes to happen within us within our church, within our community, within our society, within the world there's all kinds of schemes, and so understanding that. We're capable of them, but also recognizing how they unfold is really important for us. Well for David, what that meant was his life was now in danger. Absalom was a few miles away in the city of Hebron, now proclaimed to be king. All of Israel was essentially on his side and David in Jerusalem hears the news and now has to flee Jerusalem. He's heading out to the wilderness to save his family. Life he's got a few of his faithful followers with. Him and more people are going to join him as he goes, but he is essentially decided there's no way to survive here in Jerusalem. We have to run for the hills. We gotta head out to the wilderness if we're going to escape this attack from Absalom now as we consider this time in David's life, and I'm sure you can imagine how difficult. Things must have been for David to have his own son turn against him in this way to have his position threatened as king to have to run for his life again, right? Fleeing out of Jerusalem. Then running from before it was King Saul, but now running from Absalom into the wilderness, all of the things that he must have been going through were incredibly tough. It is genuinely a crisis for David and in considering that I like what FB Meyer says, he says outside the story of our Lord the Bible records. Nothing more admirable than David's behavior as he passed through this thicket of thorns. We look at the life of Jesus. We admire how he endured and how he walked through the midst of great difficulty in his life and ministry. FB Meyer says you know second to Jesus that there really is not none other than David looking at the difficulties that he experienced at how he watched through them as a man who pursued. After God's heart. You and I have a great example here in David. Not a perfect example, and we'll see that as we work our way through the chapters this. Running but but a great example for us to encourage us in times of crisis and more than ever we are aware of the reality of times of crisis. Are we not? That that there are real crises that happen in our life. You like that plural of crisis crises? That's good. I think Tom Holman taught. Me that pretty sure. We've faced over the past couple of years, a crisis across the world, and we continue to face a crisis in different ways and many different things happening, whether it be the health crisis or the shipping crisis. And you know the the I mean the words escaping me right now. But you know the flow of. Goods from one place to another. I deal with this every day at work, but for some reason it's not. I'm going to be stuck on it until I think about it until you come up with it. OK, it is. No well logistics, but it's import export, yes? Supply chain, there you go. Thank you Dexter. All right supply chain. Yes it's a supply chain crisis. Long Beach, you hear about the ships, right? Bunch of our flooring is out there on the water waiting to be delivered. Also like so we're dealing with the crisis. Here we're dealing with the crisis there. There's issues nationwide. There's issues statewide. There's issues citywide. There's there. There's things that we face as a church, individually, or churches as a whole. There's, there's crisis. That we face. In your job in. Your workplace, you might face a crisis within your family. You might face a crisis individually, personally, maybe just something deep within. There's there's a crisis going on there. There is all the time occasions for us to reflect on these lessons for times of crisis times where things are tough things. They're really incredibly hard and challenging, and David here provides a great example. Some lessons for us to consider to pray over, to meditate on, and to walk through. That we might be able to walk with the Lord in Faith, and so let's walk through five lessons to consider from David this morning. The first one is going to be found here in second Samuel 15 verses 24 through 26. First or second Samuel chapter 15. Verses 24 through 26. Here's point number one entrust yourself to God. Here's the first thing, first and foremost. Really, in the time of a crisis is we need to learn to entrust ourselves to God. Check out verses 24 through 26. It says there was a doc also and all the Levites with him bearing the. Ark of the Covenant of God. And they set down the Ark of God, and Abathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. Then the king said to Zadock, 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. 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 we get to see David truly entrusts himself to God as he's running for his life out of Jerusalem. He's fleeing out to the wilderness. He is uncertain about what the outcome of this will be, but what he is certain about is that God is on the throne. And the outcome is not absalom's. Will the outcome is not David's will. The outcome is ultimately going to be God's will, and so as the priests who are faithful to David decide to on their own, they're going to carry the Ark of the Covenant. Out with David into the wilderness, they just take it upon themselves. They think the rightful king is leaving the Ark should go with him and so they make this decision. They're they're attempting to serve David and bless David by bringing the Ark of the Covenant along. But David looks at this and says, you know, that's it's not really the right thing to do. First of all, it's not a good luck charm that you know we need in order to have victory, and Israel has been in trouble in the past for using the Ark of the Covenant in that way. Although the presence of God was promised there to be dwelling with the nation of Israel above the Ark, David has spent enough time in the wilderness without the Ark to recognize. God doesn't need the ark of the Covenant to. Be with me in order. For me to be able. To have his presence and to have his protection. And so David says, guys, you know it's better to keep the Ark back. We we must keep the Ark where it belongs back in the city, back in its dwelling place. Where the rest of the people who are not fleeing for their lives, they can still worship God and approach God and dwell with God. We we don't want to take that away. The Lord's going to be. With me, with or without the Ark David size. But we see him not just his faith and understanding about the presence of God here, but but his real trust in God. And his leaving in God's hands. The outcome of all these events. Again in verse 25, he says, if I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back. Regardless of whether the arc is with me or not, that's not the really the issue. The issue is what does God want to do in. The midst of. This crisis, does he want to bring me back? That's a question. It's a question and I think for a lot of us it would be not a question right? But it would be a definite thing. No, I know for sure. I mean David's the rightful king. God would not want Absalom to be king this way, right? Like we could make all of the conclusions and and the logical arguments about why we could guarantee that David would be back, but David says. You know, until God actually says so, where does so? We just have to wait and see. That's not for sure, even though this isn't a good way to become king. The way the Absalom is behaving. That doesn't necessarily mean that I'm guaranteed to be brought back. And David says I'm OK if God says verse 26 I have no delight in you. I'm OK with that. And if the Lord doesn't want me to be. Then let him do his due to me as seems good to him. Let God's will be done. Not my will is what David here is saying. He's entrusting himself to God. Such a great example for us. The best place. For us to be is exactly where God wants us to be. We looked at that earlier in David's life when he was in the stronghold there in Moab, and it was a very safe and secure place. And then the Prophet of God said God doesn't want you here in this safe and secure place you need. To be back in the wilderness, even though you'll be on the run from Saul and your life will be threatened every day. The best place for David was to be right where God wanted him. To be. And so David, as he heads out, he's he's putting himself in that same mindset again. He's taken on that same heart again. He's like Lord whatever you want, you want to bring me back in victory. You want to leave me out there and defeat? That's up to you in trusting himself. For whatever God seems. Whatever seems best to God. Does that mean another ten years in the wilderness? I bet you that thought kind of ran through David's mind right as he was running for from Saul for about 10 years. He might have been thinking Oh no, another ten years in the wilderness. That is going to be tough. It's not what David would choose. But he's willing to say, but if God wants it, but I'm going to trust you that you know best you, you're accomplishing what's best. And I'm going to trust you. With my life with my Kingdom. Whatever you desire to do. Pastor Warren Wisby says when you read David's exile psalms, you can't help but see his trust in God and his conviction that no matter how disordered and disturbed everything was, the Lord was still on his throne. No matter how David felt, he knew that the Lord would always keep his covenant and fulfill his promises. The Exile Psalms you can read through a few different songs that are most likely believed to be some of them for sure, because it's in the title of the song written during this time. Psalm 3, Psalm 7 Psalm 41, Psalm 55, Psalm 63 and you say, wait, I. Didn't get a chance to write that. All down that's OK. Psalm 3, Seven, 4155 and 63. As you read through these psalms. There's some insights here that you can kind of see. It's a it's kind of a cool way to get the behind the scenes. What's happening in David's heart and mind as he's processing all of the difficult emotions as he's working his way through this crisis, we get some real insights into where he's at and his conversations with the Lord as he is working. Through this situation, here's a couple examples in Psalm 3. It tells us right in the title that it's a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son, and so here's one. We know exactly this situation. This timeframe. The opening 3 verses David says Lord, how they have increased to trouble me. Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me. There is no help for him. In God, Selah. But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. He describes the crisis to God. There's a great opposition to me. And their perspective is I have no help in you. Let's stop and pause there for a second Selah, right? I have no help in you, is what? They say. But God. You're my shield. I'm entrusting myself to you. You're the one who lifts my head. You want me back here, that's your doing. That's your role, that's your job. I am trusting you in the midst of this difficult, hurtful, painful crisis. Another song believed to be written during this time. Psalm Chapter 61 hears the first couple lines, hear my cry. Oh God, attend to my prayer from the end of the earth, or out in the wilderness. I will cry to you when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in your Tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter. Of your wings, Selah. David again in the midst of a overwhelming situation. Recognizing confessing my heart is overwhelmed, right? That the crisis is upon me. It is huge. It is hard. It is difficult. It is overwhelming. And so, Lord, what I'm going to do in that is, I'm going to. Lead or ask you to lead me to. The rock I'm going to run to you. You've been the shelter for me. You've been my strong tower. And so I'm going to. Abide with you and trust in your protection. David, throughout this crisis entrusts himself to God. He really surrenders to whatever God wants in this situation. Whatever God wants to do. God, if you want to leave me out there in the wilderness for the next 10 years. If you want to bring me back to Jerusalem, your will be done. I'm trusting you because you know what's best and you are able to accomplish what is best. Again, the best place to be is where God wants you to be on the run. In God's plan is better than a secure fortress outside of God's plan. Whatever God wants. Is what we need and so again point number one is we look at David's example is entrust yourself to God. What kind of crisis? Are you facing what kind of crisis are you experiencing? And maybe there's a combination of things that are happening and and the difficulty mounts up and the emotions are high and the intensity is great. We know, of course, of families within our own fellowship that are experiencing a crisis we we know of situations all around us. We have things that we're facing internally. We need to learn to entrust ourselves to God. I have a alert that pops up on my phone every morning at 6:40 in the morning. It's a daily reminder. It simply says be settled in God's plans. Because I need that daily reminder not to. Make my own plans not to try to force my own way or my desires, but but I need that reminder to deliberately say, OK, Lord. You want for me, that's what I want. However, you want this day to go however you want this week to go the way that you want to occupy my time, my attention, my focus that. Victories all have the defeats, all have Lord. I'm being settled in your plans. I want to entrust myself. To the Lord. And to really rely upon him to let him govern the outcome, whether or not it's what I want. Whether or not it's what I would dream about or hope for. God, what you want? Is what I need the most. So entrust yourself to God, but secondly, we're going to jump down to versus 32 through 36. Here's point #2 to consider less than two from the example of David. Take strategic action, take strategic action. Now I love the balance. Faith and works right, faith and wisdom, and in. Putting things into place so that David would be able. To see God work and to allow God to work in his life in the way that he desired. Let's read verses 32 through 36. It says now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain where he worshipped 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 see to absolom, I will be your servant, O King, as I was your father servant previously. So I will. Now also be your servant. Then you may defeat the Council of of Ahithophel for me. And do you not have zadock and abathar the priests with you there therefore be, it will be whatever you hear from the King's house. You shall tells a doc and Abathar the priest. Indeed they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz and Zadok son, and Jonathan Abathar son, and buy them. You shall send me everything you hear. As David continues on the way. He's journeying still outside of the city, not far from Jerusalem. And there's this. Kind of parade of different people that are meeting with him as he's heading out. And so here comes this encounter with who she now, who she was a good friend of his a wise counselor. And David sees him. And says I have an idea. You could be a secret agent on my behalf. What if I could plant you within Absalom's Kingdom in such a way that you could? Receive information and pass it along to me and maybe provide some disinformation too. Lead them in a path that will not be good for them or successful for them. And we can't get into all the details here, but just prior to Hushai meeting. David, here David heard that ahithophel. His really good friend and counselor had joined with Absalom in the rebellion against David. And that must have hurt deeply again. Psalm chapter 55 one of those exile songs you can read about David writing through and thinking about praying over this situation with ahithophel, his close friend who had betrayed him, and so he just. Heard about ahithophel. His great counselor is now with. He just prayed about that and then here's hushai. And maybe David's making a connection here. Maybe the Lord's answering right now, alright, I prayed I prayed for help with the situation with. The hit the. Felt and then. Here's who shy right there. Perhaps the answer to David Prayer, he says Hushai. You know what the best place for you is not out there. In the wilderness you'll be another mouth to feed, another one to, you know, have to look out for but. Really, you could really do some good work. You could be of great service to me back in the palace. Defeating the Council of Ahithophel. David here is making some strategic moves. Although he's fleeing the city he's running for his life, he's not surrendering. He's not giving up. He's not trying to accomplish it all on his own. He's not trying to figure out a whole plan, he's just setting some. Things in place. Using some good strategy. To give God an opportunity to work in the midst of the situation and guide him in the midst of the situation. Since the hushai, you can provide me some Intel. The priests are there, they're they're with us. They're on our side. You can trust them. They have their sons. They can be messengers, and so you'll be able to pass the word along and and help me understand what actions I need to take. And they're employed right away, as as Hushai goes, he finds out what's going on and there is the the need for David to not camp. About where he was planning to camp out, Hushai sends him word and says hey, you better cross over the river. You know there there is a real danger here and so this strategic action paid off. Immediately in just that first night of where he's to camp and how he's to navigate the next few hours in their wilderness journey. David take strategic action. He sends back khushii he. He's leaving the situation in God's hands at the same time he's not just doing nothing. As we often say, you. Know it's up to us to do our best. 1st and then leave the rest to God that that there is that need for us to be engaged to be using wisdom to be thinking strategically. Not going too far and trying to manage the situation ourselves and take care of all things ourselves, but not going too far the other way and saying, well, I'm not going to do anything. This let what happens happens. It's all in God's hands. Well, God also gave you the capacity for wisdom. He gave you the capacity to think and he wants you to employ strategy. Take action. To give God the framework. With with, within which he can work to accomplish his purposes and trust yourself to God and. Take strategic action. In times of crisis. You need to be careful and deliberate. About the actions that you take. Now strategy, I'm not going to get into a lot of details there, but you know, strategy is is is important that the idea there is that we are being thoughtful. You know Paul talks about us not being unaware of the enemy's devices. The enemy employs great strategy when coming against us. We we need to be strategic and to think through and and sometimes we. We don't really think through our decisions. We don't look at the bigger picture. Sometimes we're just focused on what we want, what we're desiring. We're just focused on what we hope for. And it's important for us to maybe think a little bit beyond that, maybe think more wartime thoughts. Strategy is a, uh, a good word to capture that idea that we need to understand we are in the midst of war. I think over the past couple of years it's been a good wake up call for us as believers. A good kind of shake up for us as Christians that. It's easy for us to get sucked into a slumber and forget that we're in the midst of war, but. Seems like lately we're more aware than usual, right? Looking over the past 1020 years, whatever we're more aware than usual that we are in the midst of battle. We're in the midst of a war. And there is strategy that's required. Strategy that's necessary. Not so much strategy that it takes God out of the equation, or that we try to take the place of God. Or make what we want happen. But not so little strategy that we just sit there and do nothing, but we take the appropriate steps. So we use wisdom. And so, in the midst of a crisis, lessons from David we entrust ourselves to God. We take strategic action, moving on to point #3 we're going to jump now to chapter 16 verses. One through 4. Here lesson #3 make informed decisions. Make informed decisions. Now here we're going to see David. Provide an example for us of the other kind. This is an example of what not to do, and so again we see David as a man. Good man man who pursued guts heart but also not always perfect in all of his behaviors. Check out verses one through 4 here of second Samuel 16 it says. 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 saddles. Donkeys and on them 200 loaves of bread 100 clusters of reasons 100. Summer fruits and a skin of wine. And the king said to zieba, what do you mean to do with these? Zieba said, the donkeys are for the king household to ride on the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat. And the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness. To drink. Then the king said. And where is your master's son? And Zeva said to the king, indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said today the House of Israel will restore the Kingdom of my father to me. So the king said as Eva 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 As David is continuing to make his way out out of the city again, there is different people meeting him as he goes joining with him. And here comes Ziba. Now Ziba we looked at a few weeks back and. Him being a servant of Saul and David was seeking for a descendant of Saul to do good to to, to bless. In the name of Jonathan. And so that. Person turned out to be mephibosheth, and David blessed Mephibosheth with access to the. Palace with daily provision. With all of the land and property that belonged to Saul. Ziba was the servant of Saul. Now Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth. But here is David's on his way. Ziba comes and meets him. And Ziba has provisions for him which would have been really refreshing. I'm sure helpful in the midst of this journey out. What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? And Ziva has some help and some answers in that regard, but he also has some false accusations. Now here David hears. This account from Ziva it's one side of the story. It's always a dangerous thing to just hear one side of the story, but the other side of the story will come out later on in chapter 19, verses 26 and 27. You'll get to hear Mephibosheth share about his side and what happened there, but this is a false accusation that is made about. The fish at by Ziba. But the problem is, David immediately believes Ziba. Makes a decision about the case. Gives Eva everything that belonged to mephibosheth, you know, makes a clear judgement against Mephibosheth, and now the issue is settled. It is done except for it's a bad decision. It's a bad decision for a couple reasons. And again, it's a example for us to consider. Even though David didn't handle it perfectly. We also are familiar with that making decisions that are bad decisions right and and having some issues as a result, and so we can learn a couple things. First of all, timing is important when it comes to making decisions. This was not the time for David to. Make this decision. This decision didn't need to be made. It wasn't that there was a decision that was required at this time, and right now David is experiencing probably some of the most intense emotions that he's experienced in his life. His son has betrayed him. His son has mounted up an insurrection. He's on the run for his life. This this is not the time to make. There's lots of decisions that David is making right now as he goes, and a lot of those decisions. Had to be made right. Right then, the decision to leave Jerusalem, he had to act quickly. In order to. Save his household from the attack of Absalom. He made a decision. He's on the way out and you know, sometimes. We get into that mode. We kind of. We make a decision. We have to go. So we're making a decision and we're we're moving on. And we get into that mode, and so then now next time there's a decision to make. We make a decision. We got to make it. You know, we we apply the same process to it. We approach it in the same way. But there's different kinds of decisions. And timing is important. It's important to evaluate whether or not we even need. To make a decision at all. It was a bad decision because of the timing because of all that was happening internally for David, but it was also a bad decision because of the information that was involved. Because the information, even if it hadn't been a direct deliberate lie from zebah, it was incomplete. He didn't have all the information and so. It was not appropriate to make the decision. Yet proverbs chapter 18, verse 17, says the first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes. And examines him. The first one, first story, you hear. The first time you hear an account, it's so easy. To just believe that account to believe that story. And I can understand trying to picture myself in David's shoes. I can really understand the desire to make a decision. You know? I look at it this way when I I manage, you know quite a bit of tasks. In projects and when my projects and tasks begin to like where you have to scroll several screens to like view the whole list right? Like it's really overwhelming many times about how much there is to do. And So what I usually do, my tactic at that time is to knock off as many small tasks I can like. Let's just like clear the board of all the unnecessary cruft like get those things done fast. Let's just knock them out so that then we can really focus on the things that matter. I I could see David approaching it this way just like like it's just a little thing. It's just I just I don't want this hanging over me. I don't want to. Put this off and deal with it later. There's so many other things on my mind right now. So many other things weighing on me. Let's just make a decision. Get it done with and so we can move. On to the life threatening things. The things that really matter. But we need to be careful. To gather the information that's necessary, we need to make informed decisions. There's a lot of decisions for us to make. In these days, right? There's a lot of decisions. Over the past year or so, there's been. A lot of decisions. For us as a church, we've had to make a lot of decisions and you know, it's interesting that I have my ideas. But if I just have my ideas about decisions that need to be made, I I should not consider myself informed. Enough to make the decision if I just have my ideas. It's probably not. A complete picture of the situation. If I have one side, not just my ideas, but someone else is idea, one side of an account, one side of a situation I would suggest I'm still not informed. I have zybez account. That doesn't mean that I know the whole story. And there are times where we're so convinced by one side that it seems unnecessary to even consider the other side, because this one side is wow. It's so convincing there's no other possible explanation than what this side is declaring. But if I only hear one side, I'm not informed. If I hear both sides. Here's zieba mephibosheth. Then I might be able to say, well, I'm informed now. I've heard both sides. I I would suggest to you. This morning though, that that's. Maybe a little short sighted. If I have both sides. Of the story, maybe I'm informed. But maybe I'm not. I would suggest I'm not really informed. To make a decision. Until God gives me his perspective. You know you might think there's two sides to every story, but Oftentimes God has a different perspective than all of us, and it's his perspective that we need the most. And so it's appropriate to recognize I might know both sides. I might think I have a a great picture because I've heard from all of the you know, testimonies. I've heard all the witnesses I've heard all of you know, I watch CNN and then I watch Fox News. So I have both sides, right? So so I know everything now, but but do you do you? Do you really or is there another perspective that God needs to give you to make the decision? That you need to make, and if you don't have the information. Then perhaps you don't need to make that decision right now. Sometimes again, you're fleeing for your life. There's a situation. There's a decision that has to be made. You do the best you can with what you know with the information that you have and you. Trust God for the end results. But a tactic of the enemy is to use great pressure to make decisions quickly. Damian Cole says haste is the enemy of good decisions. When you're feeling rushed, when when there's a great pressure and intensity to to make a decision that that's the time to really push back and look for. What does God say about this? What is his perspective on this? Proverbs chapter 18, verse 13. He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. An informed decision is 1. That you've heard fully, you've heard both sides. Maybe there's multiple sides. Maybe it's a Octagon. Right, you've heard all the sides, and you've heard from God. And now you're informed. Now you're able to make. A decision. This is really hard to. Do in a time of. Crisis, but listen, we need to be disciplined. We need to trust God enough. To look to him, to hear from him. Now I've often shared it. The hardest time to learn from God during the time of crisis like don't wait till the time of crisis to learn how to hear from God. You need to learn that now and you say, well, I'm already in a crisis. It's too late for me. Well, listen, you're in a crisis now and God is desiring to speak to you and help you make decisions for that crisis. And it might be a hard time. To learn from him, but you can learn to hear from him, but also learn it now, because sorry, I don't mean to bum you out or anything but. This this crisis today is just one of the crises that you will face. And it's probably not the biggest. It might be the biggest that. You face so far. But there's gonna be more and they're gonna be bigger. And so right now is the best time to learn to hear from God, so that in those times of great pressure and intensity you you have that ability you've developed that relationship. So that you can make informed decisions. Listen, I know many of you are facing really difficult situations and you have some big decisions to make. It's tough. And there's a lot of voices. When we were making decisions last year and open, close, open, closed mass, no mass. You know all those things that were happening last year and kind of continued, but the the intensity of these decisions are lesser this year, but. You know, it's amazing because I had a lot of people telling me what other churches were doing during that time. I had a lot of people telling me what the Constitution says during that time. I had a lot of people telling me what they wanted. I had a lot of people telling me a lot of different things. But very few people were telling me. This is something that God has spoken to me and. I find that incredibly concerning guys like in all genuineness. That that needs to be the most important voice. That needs to be the most important factor in our decisions in our Council. Other people and other churches and other. You know, things that that are going on, though those are valuable. We need to get counsel and hear the whole story. But but we need to have God's perspective. First and foremost. And so I know there's in your decisions that you have to make a lot of voices. There's a lot of things that are happening. Let me encourage you in this that you don't have to figure out the right decision for everybody. You don't have to decide, OK? Here's what all Christians should do. You don't even have to decide this is what all my family members must do. You don't have to decide. Here's what all Americans should do. What you really need is an informed decision about what you. Should do. There's all the different sides, all the different opinions, all the different accusations and slanders and conspiracy. And all all. Those things going on, yes. But what's really most important is OK, Lloyd, here's what everybody is saying. But what do you say? What do you have for me? The apostle Paul in Romans 14 says who are you to judge another servant to his own master? He stands or falls. Indeed, he would be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand one esteems one day above another, another steams every day alike. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Paul, they're talking about worship being different on different days of the week, and different festivals and feasts and stuff. But the subject is a little bit interchangeable. The reality is. But the Lord speaks to somebody else might be different than what the Lord wants to speak to me. We all have the same Lord. He has different plans and purposes for each of us. And so mask no mask. Who are you to judge another servant? There is a place for us to allow other people to hear from the Lord and walk with him. But the main thing is what about me? VAX novax. There's lots of pressure. There's lots of voices. There's lots of all kinds of things, but who are you to judge another servant? That the reality comes down to what does the Lord want for me? One person esteems one day? Or you can just maybe say one way above another like I think this is the way. Substitute president one person esteems one president over another right like you can. You can substitute in there and. The bottom line is Paul says let each be fully convinced in his own mind you hear from the Lord. You could be persuaded what God wants for you. We can have discussion about all of these things. Nothing wrong with that. But at the same time we don't have to make the decision. For everybody. Our decision is. Based on the information we have. And our connection to the Lord, and that is. And important. Ability that we need to maintain or to learn how to do to make informed decision and understand that we're not really informed until we've heard from God. Then we can be convinced, persuaded in our own mind. And go forward, and it's not a statement about everybody else or what anybody else. It's just a statement of here's where God is leading me. Here's what God. Has put on my heart. Well, fourth point. As we continue on in Chapter 16, listen for God's correction. Here we come to another encounter, this time with a guy named Chimmi. In verse five and six of second Samuel 16, it says now, when David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the House of Saul, whose name was shimei the son of Gera coming from there. He came out cursing continuously 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 point #4, listen for God correction and you can add on to that. When God correction comes from difficult sources, this guy shimi really doesn't like David as David is in the worst day of his life. Heading out of Jerusalem. On the journey, there's a ravine, and then there's a hill alongside of where their path is and Chimia is running on that ravine, throwing dirt, clods throwing rocks, cursing, David rejoicing, and celebrating over this great difficulty that has happened in David's life. You can imagine the hurt you can imagine the pain, the difficulty that that David is experiencing as he's piling on all of these insults and curses against David. And the guys around him feel it. Verse 9 says, then abishai the son of Zeruiah 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 zeruiah let him curse? Because the Lord has said to him curse David. Who then shall say, why have you done so? And David said to Abisha, 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? Here, as David is being insulted and you know offended by this guy, shimai everybody around him hurts not just as the dirt clods hit them. But it hurts for David to see David treated. This way they're like no way. And so I would say I says. Let me why? Why are we putting up with this? It take Me 2 seconds. I'll go over there. All sliders stroke will be done. We can handle this very quickly. But David addresses him and he says, you know what? This is such an important point that let's listen to let's let everybody hear this. He he instructs Abshear and then he says OK guys, everybody listen up. My own son is out to kill me. It's not surprising that some random benjamites might want to. Kill me as well. This isn't some crazy shocking news, although it's right in our face, it's really offensive. You know all of that, but it's not that surprising. David says, let him alone let him curse. For so the Lord has ordered him. David is not suggesting a prophetic insight here that he knows what God had told him. He's leaving room for. Maybe this is something that God is allowed. Maybe God did instruct shimi. And so he's here at God's instruction. I don't want to fight and resist against the work of God. And so. We need to disallow this now. Again, David is fleeing Jerusalem, but he's not. Shimi was not a physical threat to him, it was insults right. It was hurting his mind, his emotions, his pride but but not. Doing any real physical damage, and so David says. We don't have to deal with this right now. Now if she mad was jumping over them, you know with the sword and trying to take them all out, that would be a different thing and I I would have no problem understanding David defending himself in the midst of that situation, right? But but here he's saying there's insults, there's curses, there's. Dirt clods and rocks being thrown at us but but this is not. A life threatening thing and. In the midst of that, David says, maybe the Lords. Let him to do this. Listen because of our fallen condition because of our sinful hearts. We must invite God to correct us regularly. Every crisis that we face is not necessarily a judgment from God, but every crisis is an opportunity for us to ask. The Lord. Is this something Lord that you want to speak to me through this? Now in Psalm chapter seven, another one of those exile songs most likely. We find David here. Getting to the the words of this benjamite. And he says, oh Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands. He leaves it open too. Maybe I need to be instructed here. Maybe I need to be corrected here. Maybe there is something that needs to be addressed. In my life. Here David provides for us. A great example. Are you humble enough to consider that your enemy might be right about you? I know that's hurtful or hard and difficult. But are you humble enough to accept correction from your enemy? The commentator, Kenneth Chafin says the willingness to listen to one's critics, and even to ones enemies, may be the only way to discover the truth of God. This opens the possibility that we may do well at times to listen to people who wish us harm. But tell us the truth. In the midst of crisis. We need to be open and humble enough to listen for God's correction, even from the sources that we don't want to hear correction from that there might be a word from the Lord. In this one who has brought the attack? Now, that doesn't mean it's for sure from the Lord, right? Like all things, we test it by the word of God. But to be humble enough and open enough to. Say God, your your your God and if you. Want to correct me? Through someone that I don't like or care for, or someone that wants to hurt me. But I want to receive your correction. I want to receive your instruction I I want to. Be open to that and Lord if there is, if there is any truth to this. If if this is something that you're saying to me something that needs to be addressed. David was willing to receive that. To consider it to allow the Lord to. Speak to him through it. Because of our fallen condition. We must invite God correction regularly. Well, finally lesson #5 and it's just one verse and I'm not going to elaborate so you. Can rest. Easy lesson #5 found in verse 14. Do not forget to rest. Check out verse 14. It says now the king and all the people who are with him became weary. So they refreshed themselves there. I thought this was a a good point to. Consider a good point to end on. Don't forget to rest in the midst of a crisis. Burning the candle at both ends, running from here to there, putting out fires here and there dealing with high stress, very difficult things. Emotions are high, you know all of these things happening. I find it interesting. That they would be able to just. Right? And refresh themselves. They found a littlebrook. They sat down for a little bit. It's like our lives are threatened, right? There's all this great pressure, but they're able to. Just like let's let's just rest for a little bit refresh ourselves. And it's important for us to remember to do that. Don't forget to rest. Don't forget you need a good night's sleep in the midst of a crisis. I know you want to toss. And turn and wrestle and. You know all of that, but you need to rest. I know there's so much to do, and there's 1000 things to do, and if you could only get this one more thing done then things would be so much better. But don't forget to rest your mind needs rest your heart. Needs rest, your ears need rest so that you can hear. From the Lord. And so don't forget to kind of step away from the busyness, the pressures, the anxieties, all of the things that mount. And to allow yourself to have some quiet time quiet time with the Lord quiet time with one another. Don't forget to rest in the midst of a crisis. Again, I know we all face. A lot of difficult things right now. Stay in California or move out of California. That might be one decision. Take the shot. Don't take the shot, there's a lot of pressure right now. I know in a lot of different industries. What do I do? It's a time of crisis. We can consider the example of David. Situation in the workplace crisis at home lost a loved one. How do we handle this? There's all of these emotions. There's decisions to make. What do we do? We're all going to face. Many more times of crisis. And so let's learn from the example of David and trust yourself to God. Take strategic action. Make informed decisions. Listen for God's correction. And don't forget to rest. Let's pray, but I pray that you would help us as we navigate Lord, the crisis that we might be facing, the crisis that we will face in the near future. Lord, you want to speak to us and lead us and guide us through the midst of these storms. You want to be our strong tower. And to uphold us with your righteous right hand and so help us to run to you. To truly entrust our lives to you, Lord not to be so bent are our own will and desires and purposes and goals. Lord that we try to insist on or hold fast to what we want. But Lord, may we really surrender ourselves to you and Lord if you want to bring us back in victory if you want to send us out to wander for a while. If you want to lead us into battle or. Take us to a safe haven Lord, that's that's your will. That's your plans. It's your desires that that we want fulfilled in our lives and so would help us. To stay close to you to hear from you. And God, I pray for our decisions, Lord, that you would help us to recognize when they're not informed. Or that you would help us to recognize when we're just hearing one side. Or maybe a couple sides, but we haven't heard from you, Lord, may we be really aware of the need to hear from you. Teach us, Lord, how to hear your voice. Teach us Lord, how to turn up the volume on your. Voice so that. Your voice matters more than all the others. But we look to you, what do you desire for us? Help us Lord. To lay aside some time to rest with you. To be led by you. To experience your plans because we know what you desire for us. Ultimately is for our good. We pray this in Jesus name.