Latest / INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living / What If Someone Kicks You When You’re Down │ Msg 612

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What If Someone Kicks You When You’re Down │ Msg 612 · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: Sandy Alsatter is the director of our children's choir, and
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Speaker 1: these are her parishioners, if you will. They are the
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Speaker 1: ones she meets with faithfully each week, and they have
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Speaker 1: prepared today a magnificent piece that we will enjoy. Why
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Speaker 1: don't you join me in welcoming our children here in
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Speaker 1: the worship service today?
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Speaker 2: Jesus loves me, thanks I know The Bible tells me
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Speaker 2: so Little ones to Him belong They are weak but
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Speaker 2: He is strong Yes, Jesus loves me Yes, Jesus loves
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Speaker 2: me Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.
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Speaker 2: Jesus loves me, this I know. on the boat, taking
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Speaker 2: children on his feet, saying, let them come to me. Yes,
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Speaker 2: Jesus loves me, loves me. As Jesus loves me, as
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Speaker 2: Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me,
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Speaker 2: Jesus loves me. Walking proudly with me on my way.
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Speaker 2: Walking as a friend to you, and to my joy. Yes,
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Speaker 2: Jesus loves me, loves me Yes, Jesus loves me, loves
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Speaker 2: me Yes, Jesus loves me For the Bible tells me
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Speaker 2: so Jesus loves me.
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Speaker 1: I could see your lips moving. We need to sing that,
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Speaker 1: don't we?
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Speaker 3: Jesus loves me this much.
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Speaker 2: I know, for the Bible tells me so.
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Speaker 3: Let all one sin to him be loved. They are weak,
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Speaker 3: but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus
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Speaker 3: loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
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Speaker 1: When the famous Swiss theologian Karl Barth had finished his
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Speaker 1: round the world tour having taught in great stone cathedrals
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Speaker 1: and significant places in metropolitan cities as well as in
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Speaker 1: little churches on windswept hills and grass shacks in the
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Speaker 1: middle of nowhere. Following his teaching in different schools and
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Speaker 1: his ministry in places of other languages and other cultures,
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Speaker 1: he came back home. And when he arrived home, a
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Speaker 1: good friend leaned over and said to him, Dr. Bart,
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Speaker 1: what was the greatest thought you had throughout your journey.
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Speaker 1: And without hesitation, he said, the greatest thought I had
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Speaker 1: was Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible
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Speaker 1: tells me so. I love that true story because it
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Speaker 1: is so true. It's very possible that you know Jesus
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Speaker 1: only as a historic figure, Who came and lived and
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Speaker 1: as you would see it began a religion and then died.
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Speaker 1: And then others have come and gone for great causes.
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Speaker 1: But what you don't understand is that he still lives.
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Speaker 1: He was miraculously and bodily raised from the dead. Having
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Speaker 1: paid the complete penalty for your sins and mine. And
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Speaker 1: knowing that we couldn't help ourselves, he decided he would
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Speaker 1: win us through his love. And you will never know
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Speaker 1: a day in your life when he does not love you.
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Speaker 1: You will never experience doing something so wrong that he
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Speaker 1: will say to you in one way or another, so
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Speaker 1: much for my love. No. He loves you so much
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Speaker 1: that he gave his life for you. The only thing
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Speaker 1: standing between you and him and his father is your
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Speaker 1: trusting him with your life now and beyond now. Someone
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Speaker 1: put it very well when he said, we really don't
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Speaker 1: know how to live until we know how to die.
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Speaker 1: And once we know how to die, we know how
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Speaker 1: to live. You learn how to live and die by
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Speaker 1: trusting in the Lord Jesus, and this is your moment
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Speaker 1: to do that while you're here among those of us
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Speaker 1: who have done the same. If you have a Bible
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Speaker 1: with you, please look in the Old Testament to the
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Speaker 1: rather unknown book of 2 Samuel. Not that familiar to many,
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Speaker 1: but it's filled with great stories, most of which revolve
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Speaker 1: around the life and the reign of David, including his
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Speaker 1: fall and the days that follow. While in the backwash
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Speaker 1: of his pain from the fall and failure, he's on
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Speaker 1: a journey to get away from his son, who is
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Speaker 1: attempting to take the throne from him. And this happens
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Speaker 1: along the way tying in with the words of this
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Speaker 1: message today. What if someone kicks you when you're down?
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Speaker 1: Shimei does that, as you will hear as the verses
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Speaker 1: are read to you. 2 Samuel 16, beginning at verse five.
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Speaker 1: Out of respect for the word of God, may we
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Speaker 1: stand before the God of the word for the reading
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Speaker 1: of the scriptures. I'm reading from the New Living Translation,
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Speaker 1: Your version may read differently, but follow along beginning at
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Speaker 1: verse 5. As King David came to Bahurim, a man
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Speaker 1: came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei,
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Speaker 1: son of Gerah, from the same clan as Saul's family.
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Speaker 1: He threw stones at the king and the king's officers
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Speaker 1: and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. Get out
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Speaker 1: of here, you murderer, you scoundrel, he shouted at David.
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Speaker 1: The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed
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Speaker 1: in Saul's clan. You stole his throne, and now the
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Speaker 1: Lord has given it to your son Absalom. At last,
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Speaker 1: you will taste some of your own medicine, for you
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Speaker 1: are a murderer. Why should this dead dog curse Saul?
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Speaker 1: my Lord the King, Abishai, son of Zeruiah, demanded, let
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Speaker 1: me go over and cut off his head.
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Speaker 3: No.
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Speaker 1: No, the king said. Who asked your opinion, you sons
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Speaker 1: of Zeruiah? If the Lord has told him to curse me,
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Speaker 1: who are you to stop him? Then David said to Abishai,
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Speaker 1: And to all his servants, my own son is trying
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Speaker 1: to kill me. Doesn't this relative of Saul have even
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Speaker 1: more reason to do so? Leave him alone. Let him curse.
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Speaker 1: For the Lord has told him to do it. And
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Speaker 1: perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged
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Speaker 1: and will bless me because of these curses today. So
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Speaker 1: David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei
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Speaker 1: kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as
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Speaker 1: he went and throwing stones at David and tossing dust
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Speaker 1: into the air. The king and all who were with
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Speaker 1: him grew weary along the way, so they rested when
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Speaker 1: they reached the Jordan River. May God open our eyes
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Speaker 1: to this story and help us see not only the
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Speaker 1: story itself, but the mirror in it where we see ourselves,
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Speaker 1: and then the window through which we're able to see
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Speaker 1: the Lord. Please be seated. It's very likely that there
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Speaker 1: are those sitting here today who are having stones thrown
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Speaker 1: at you. Not literal stones, but they come in the
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Speaker 1: form of words or lawsuits or actions. Maybe someone is
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Speaker 1: after you, has something in his heart or her heart
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Speaker 1: that's against you. No matter what you do, you can't
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Speaker 1: stop him. Today you're going to be surprised at the
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Speaker 1: best way to handle people like that. It isn't the
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Speaker 1: way you were raised. It isn't what your best friend
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Speaker 1: might tell you. It's what we will learn from the
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Speaker 1: Lord in his word. Bow with me, will you? If
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Speaker 1: we live to be a hundred, our Father, we will
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Speaker 1: never get over the truth that you love us. What
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Speaker 1: makes it so amazing is that you know us better
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Speaker 1: than anyone else. And yet you love us still. The
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Speaker 1: one who knows us the best loves us the most.
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Speaker 1: On this day when the weather is turning cooler, the
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Speaker 1: seasons are changing. Life turns in a new direction on
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Speaker 1: its axis. It's wonderful to know that our Savior never changes.
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Speaker 1: The same yesterday and today and forever. Because of your consistency,
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Speaker 1: we can count on you to get us through Life's
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Speaker 1: contingencies that come often unexpectedly and occasionally shocking us. It's
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Speaker 1: a hateful world, our Father, and we acknowledge the woundedness
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Speaker 1: that falls in the backwash of such hatred. We all
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Speaker 1: know what it means to be hurt. Truth of the
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Speaker 1: matter is we've hurt others. Quite likely we meant to.
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Speaker 1: We're all a pack of sinners that come together and
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Speaker 1: sing songs that are so important and meaningful and open
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Speaker 1: a book that is eternal and inspired. It seems like
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Speaker 1: even here we're haunted by our own footsteps. that come
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Speaker 1: from our memory of days and years gone by. Thank you, Father,
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Speaker 1: for being so personal and such a loving friend. Thank
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Speaker 1: you for not writing us off. Thank you for never
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Speaker 1: once throwing a stone at us. The love of God
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Speaker 1: is greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell.
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Speaker 1: He goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the
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Speaker 1: lowest hell. Today we bask in that love. We find
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Speaker 1: comfort there and acceptance and grace and mercy. So we
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Speaker 1: pray that we will be in a frame of mind
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Speaker 1: to hear what you have to say from an ancient
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Speaker 1: story that is as relevant as today's newscast, in touch
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Speaker 1: with our times and in keeping with our needs. Oh,
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Speaker 1: loving Father, minister through us and to us as we
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Speaker 1: respond with our gifts And as we listen carefully to
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Speaker 1: counsel that comes from the throne of God, in the
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Speaker 1: name of Jesus, we pray. Everybody sit. Amen. We've all
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Speaker 1: been shot. That's the way presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan put
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Speaker 1: it in one of her articles. We've all been shot.
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Speaker 1: her way of saying that every one of us has
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Speaker 1: been wounded. We've all known what it is to have
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Speaker 1: someone say something against us or do something against us,
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Speaker 1: wound us down deep inside. There were times when the
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Speaker 1: pain was so severe that you weren't sure you could
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Speaker 1: go on. Other times you decided you would just look
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Speaker 1: past it Just consider the source and let it be.
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Speaker 1: And then there were other times when it was more
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Speaker 1: than wrong. It was cruel. You were not just shot,
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Speaker 1: you were stabbed in the back. Or someone applauded when
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Speaker 1: the pain grew worse, like some thoughtless sports fan applauding
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Speaker 1: the injury of a ballplayer on the field. Many of
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Speaker 1: us know and love Rick and Kay Warren. Rick's a
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Speaker 1: pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California. Rick and Kay
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Speaker 1: went through the horror of their 27-year-old son, Matthew, taking
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Speaker 1: his life. Can you even imagine? The pain that that
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Speaker 1: brought to their loving hearts The young man had suffered
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Speaker 1: throughout his years, and they couldn't seem to find the
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Speaker 1: right mix, the right solution, the right therapy. Rick, of course,
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Speaker 1: because of his writings and his great ministries, known literally
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Speaker 1: the world over, which means that he has enemies. Never
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Speaker 1: forget that. The better a person is known, the larger
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Speaker 1: the number of people who strangely and cruelly see them
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Speaker 1: through other eyes. While going through this dreadful experience, Rick
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Speaker 1: released this tweet at the height of his sorrow. Grieving
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Speaker 1: is hard. Grieving as public figures, harder. grieving while haters
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Speaker 1: celebrate your pain hardest. Perhaps you have known this kind
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Speaker 1: of pain. Maybe the details are different, but you've known
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Speaker 1: what it means to be kicked while you're down. It's
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Speaker 1: tough enough to be down, but to have someone celebrate?
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Speaker 1: That's the lowest of blows. Well, maybe not the lowest.
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Speaker 1: Maybe it's the lowest when what you're going through is
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Speaker 1: your fault. Think about it. In addition to the pain
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Speaker 1: of your experience at the time, you have your guilt
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Speaker 1: and the shame that accompanies the wrongdoing of your past. F.B. Meyer,
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Speaker 1: British pastor of yesteryear, put it better than anyone I've
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Speaker 1: ever read. This is the bitterest of all to know
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Speaker 1: that suffering need not have been. That it has resulted
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Speaker 1: from indiscretion and inconsistency. That it is the harvest of
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Speaker 1: one's own sowing. That the vulture which feeds on the
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Speaker 1: vitals is a nestling of one's own rearing. Ah, me,
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Speaker 1: this is pain. Speaking of that, David. If you take
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Speaker 1: the time to return to 2 Samuel 12, you will
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Speaker 1: read of the account where Nathan the prophet confronts David.
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Speaker 1: For what? For everything. David was in a massive cover-up
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Speaker 1: at the time. It all began in that unguarded moment
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Speaker 1: when he walked on the roof of the palace and
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Speaker 1: looked into the backyard. and saw Bathsheba bathing, lusted after her,
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Speaker 1: asked who she was. He didn't even know his neighbor.
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Speaker 1: Her name wasn't important, even if the servant said to him,
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Speaker 1: this is the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent
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Speaker 1: the servant to get her. He seduced her into his
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Speaker 1: own bed, and there they had sex. That was bad enough,
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Speaker 1: just the account of adultery, But on top of that,
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Speaker 1: she conceived. And now he is in a real pickle.
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Speaker 1: Not only has he broken the law of God and
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Speaker 1: the rules of his own conscience, he now has a
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Speaker 1: baby formed and will be birthed. So rather than just
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Speaker 1: simply opening his heart and saying what had happened and
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Speaker 1: confessing it, and pleading for people to forgive and for
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Speaker 1: her husband to understand. He brings Uriah from the battlefield
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Speaker 1: and he tricks him. He acts as though he's concerned
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Speaker 1: about the battle. He isn't. He wants Uriah in bed
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Speaker 1: with Bathsheba so it will look like it's his baby.
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Speaker 1: Uriah knows nothing of the plot. He's such a loyal soldier.
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Speaker 1: He slept in the hallway. not feeling that he deserved
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Speaker 1: the luxury of a wife for an evening. The next night,
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Speaker 1: David even got him drunk and again suggested that he
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Speaker 1: spend the night with Bathsheba. Uriah didn't do that. And finally,
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Speaker 1: David writes a note, put Uriah on the front of
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Speaker 1: the battle and folds it and gives it to Uriah
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Speaker 1: to give you some idea of how much he trusted Uriah.
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Speaker 1: Uriah took the unread note and gave it to Joab,
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Speaker 1: his commander. Joab read it and one wonders if Joab
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Speaker 1: didn't see through the whole thing. Since when does a
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Speaker 1: king put one of his best warriors in the front
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Speaker 1: of the battle? Knowing it's the most vulnerable place to be,
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Speaker 1: before long, a Philistine spear found its mark and Uriah
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Speaker 1: was killed. David feigned mourning, Bathsheba truly mourned. Shortly thereafter,
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Speaker 1: there was a hurry-up wedding Bathsheba became David's wife while pregnant.
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Speaker 1: All of this was covered up. And for the next
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Speaker 1: number of months, there is a massive continued cover up
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Speaker 1: as this most famous man in the nation fakes it.
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Speaker 1: Life goes on. He continues to judge as the king.
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Speaker 1: He continues to lead, not well, but he continues Until finally,
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Speaker 1: Nathan knocks on his door. David shows him in, not
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Speaker 1: knowing what the message would be. And Nathan, in a
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Speaker 1: brilliant plan, told him a story which created within David
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Speaker 1: a desire to finally address the need. And Nathan told him,
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Speaker 1: you are the guilty one. and the sword will never
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Speaker 1: depart from your house ever. David is crushed and says,
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Speaker 1: as we saw in a previous message, I have sinned,
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Speaker 1: I have sinned. And Nathan assures him he is forgiven,
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Speaker 1: but the consequences remain. Did they ever? The list is heartbreaking.
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Speaker 1: It isn't long before a son named Amnon lusts after
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Speaker 1: a half-sister named Tamar, connives to get her in his bedroom,
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Speaker 1: and he rapes her. Absalom hears of it and waits
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Speaker 1: for David, the father, to retaliate. David does really nothing.
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Speaker 1: He's still guilty in his own sin. He has little
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Speaker 1: energy to deal with Amnon. He's already a poor father.
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Speaker 1: He's a good king, but he's a poor father. And Absalom,
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Speaker 1: knowing his blood sister Tamar was never, ever protected through this,
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Speaker 1: hated his father and turned against him and led an
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Speaker 1: insurrection against David. And by now, on top of all
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Speaker 1: the other things of Bathsheba, heavy with child, David dealing
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Speaker 1: with the guilt, knowing the shame of his wrong, And
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Speaker 1: realizing Amnon is out of control. And by the way,
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Speaker 1: I failed to tell you that Absalom had Amnon murdered.
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Speaker 1: So there's rape, there's murder. And now Absalom deceives the
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Speaker 1: people and wins their hearts. And David finally abdicates the
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Speaker 1: throne and runs for his life barefoot into the hills.
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Speaker 1: It's a scene of David few artists will ever paint.
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Speaker 1: He's humiliated, he's broken, he's lower in a whale's belly.
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Speaker 1: He's absolutely at the bottom. And he finds himself near
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Speaker 1: the village of Bahurim, where we pick up the story
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Speaker 1: in 2 Samuel 16. By the way, before I go further,
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Speaker 1: I think some of you are saying, well, wasn't David forgiven? Absolutely. Well,
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Speaker 1: didn't that mean that all was well? Absolutely not. Some
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Speaker 1: sins are followed by consequences, though there is forgiveness for
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Speaker 1: any sin. These consequences are bitter and difficult. And in
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Speaker 1: moments like this, David must have played back the scene
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Speaker 1: over and over in his mind. Verse 5, chapter 16,
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Speaker 1: as King David came to Baharim, a man came out
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Speaker 1: of the village cursing them. In good old Texas slang,
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Speaker 1: Shimei shows up and cusses him out. He despises David. Why?
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Speaker 1: Because Shimei is of the false opinion that David threw
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Speaker 1: Saul off the throne when he took the throne. He
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Speaker 1: thinks David is guilty of murdering Saul's attendants and warriors
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Speaker 1: and He doesn't realize that David is the one that
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Speaker 1: chose not to retaliate, though Saul treated David with disrespect.
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Speaker 1: There was a time when David could have, in fact,
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Speaker 1: taken Saul's life, and all he did was cut off
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Speaker 1: the hem of his robe and then felt badly about
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Speaker 1: that and confessed it to the king. And King Saul
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Speaker 1: is so impressed with David. Saul wasn't David's enemy, never
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Speaker 1: had been. But this man is of the opinion that
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Speaker 1: he is, so Shimei, on top of everything else, shows up.
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Speaker 1: He's the son of Gerah from the same clan as
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Speaker 1: Saul's family. I love, by the way, I love Alexander
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Speaker 1: White's term for Shimei. He calls him a reptile from
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Speaker 1: Saul's royal court. I think it's a good name for Shimei.
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Speaker 1: You know what reptiles do? They fight and they bite.
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Speaker 1: And here he is doing both. He threw stones at
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Speaker 1: the king. And the king's officers and the mighty warriors,
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Speaker 1: get out of here, you murderer. he screams from the
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Speaker 1: hilltop by the way uh because the text of scripture
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Speaker 1: is inspired we don't have the record of all the
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Speaker 1: cursings so add that to it in your mind he
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Speaker 1: cursed and he cursed and he cursed and he cursed
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Speaker 1: as he threw stones and as he threw dust as
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Speaker 1: he yelled words down from the hillside. Get out of here,
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Speaker 1: you murderer, you scoundrel, he shouted at David. The Lord's
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Speaker 1: paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul's clan.
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Speaker 1: You stole his throne and now the Lord has given
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Speaker 1: it to your son Absalom. At last you'll taste some
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Speaker 1: of your own medicine. Eugene Peterson in the message is
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Speaker 1: even more vivid. Get lost, get lost, you butcher, you
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Speaker 1: hell hound. God has paid you back for all your
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Speaker 1: dirty work. Look at you now, ruined and good riddance,
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Speaker 1: you pathetic old man. How insulting. David's already living with
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Speaker 1: the horrible memory of the wrongdoing of his recent past,
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Speaker 1: and now he's got Shimei throwing stones at him. The
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Speaker 1: attack is really ugly. Some of it is a lie.
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Speaker 1: David isn't guilty of causing bloodshed in Saul's clan. David
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Speaker 1: hadn't stolen Saul's throne. God gave David the throne of Saul.
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Speaker 1: The Lord hadn't given Absalom... the authority to take the
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Speaker 1: throne from David, that came from Absalom's hatred for his father.
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Speaker 1: But when you are in a retaliatory mode, when you
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Speaker 1: are a Shimei, your facts get all screwed up. Facts
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Speaker 1: don't matter. What matters is that you make life miserable
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Speaker 1: for the person you hate. Shimei is finally getting it
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Speaker 1: all out of his system. Now there is one word
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Speaker 1: he uses that is true, and that is He is
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Speaker 1: a murderer. He has seen to it that Uriah is
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Speaker 1: killed in battle. Had it not been for David's plan
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Speaker 1: that he had contrived, Uriah would be alive, but he
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Speaker 1: had him killed. David doesn't justify any of that, doesn't
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Speaker 1: attempt to. Now, in the group is a man named Abishai.
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Speaker 1: You've not met Abishai before, quite likely. Not a well-known
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Speaker 1: name in the scriptures, though he is introduced back in
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Speaker 1: the second chapter. You read of him and his brothers.
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Speaker 1: I'll acquaint you in a moment. But Abishai is standing nearby.
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Speaker 1: Look at what Abishai says. Verse 9. Let me go
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Speaker 1: over and cut off his head. You see, some people
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Speaker 1: have a short agenda. Just let me at him. And
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Speaker 1: he's pulling the knife out. Abishai. He's the son of Zeruiah.
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Speaker 1: So is Joab. So is Asahel. Check it out for yourself.
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Speaker 1: He's one of the three sons of Zeruiah, according to
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Speaker 1: 2 Samuel 2.18. They were all soldiers in David's army.
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Speaker 1: Get this. Valiant, for sure. Fearless fighters. Ruthless, violent, hot-tempered soldiers.
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Speaker 1: Lack of concern over those they injured or killed, they
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Speaker 1: were especially vengeful, the sons of Zeruiah. You wonder what
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Speaker 1: their home was like. Asahel, according to the biblical record,
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Speaker 1: could run like a gazelle. And in fact, he does
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Speaker 1: so as he chases the enemy. Joab becomes the best
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Speaker 1: known of the three. He's a strategist. He is brilliant.
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Speaker 1: David promotes him to become the commander of his warriors.
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Speaker 1: Joab is known for his resourcefulness and his loyalty, but
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Speaker 1: he also could be deceptive and cruel, self-serving and dangerous.
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Speaker 1: But Abishai cut from the same piece of cloth as
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Speaker 1: Joab and Asahel. Abishai on one occasion took his spear
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Speaker 1: and killed 300 of the enemy. He could do this.
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Speaker 1: This is just one fool up on the hillside. Let
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Speaker 1: me at him, David. Let me get at him. This
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Speaker 1: is a strong, determined, tough guy. By the way, do
34:31
Speaker 1: you realize that David names his 30 mighty men in
34:36
Speaker 1: the same book, 2 Samuel 23? Between verses 8 and 39,
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Speaker 1: there are 30 names that appear. Two of the sons
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Speaker 1: of Zeruiah are in the 30. Not Joab, interestingly. Asahel
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Speaker 1: and Abishai. You'll read there of their exploits. David's response
35:05
Speaker 1: is magnanimous. Some of you heard it read and you
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Speaker 1: probably are still wondering how you could say that. See
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Speaker 1: if I can help you. No, the king said, don't.
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Speaker 1: Put the knife up. And I like his response. Who
35:22
Speaker 1: asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah? You have a
35:26
Speaker 1: feeling David knew those boys. I don't need that to
35:31
Speaker 1: complicate matters. Remember this, carnality always complicates situations. Abishai's response
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Speaker 1: is a carnal response. This mangy dog has no right
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Speaker 1: to insult my master, the king. Let me go over
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Speaker 1: there and finish him off. No extra charge for this warning.
35:57
Speaker 1: You have friends like Abishai. And when your tail's in
36:01
Speaker 1: a crack and people are making it hard on you,
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Speaker 1: those people will come out of the woodwork and they'll
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Speaker 1: be ready to do the dirty work. They're usually not
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Speaker 1: sensitive to the Lord's will. They operate from a horizontal viewpoint.
36:15
Speaker 1: They're quick to react in anger. They're given to extremes,
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Speaker 1: which will only make matters worse. And let me warn
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Speaker 1: you ahead of time, you'll be tempted to listen to
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Speaker 1: their advice. Don't let him get away with that. You're
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Speaker 1: going to let her act like that? Why, no dirt
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Speaker 1: in her life that would finish her off. Let me
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Speaker 1: spread that around. All of this is from Abishai. That's
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Speaker 1: the way he thinks. And David says, no, no, no,
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Speaker 1: don't go there. Verse 11, hang on. You're going to
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Speaker 1: hear some incredible words from a man who's already low.
36:58
Speaker 1: But at least he's humble. David said to Abishai and
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Speaker 1: all his servants, my own son is trying to kill me,
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Speaker 1: meaning Absalom. Doesn't this relative of Saul have even more
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Speaker 1: reason to do so? What he means by that is
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Speaker 1: the man is broken. His family's been killed in battle.
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Speaker 1: They've gone through all kinds of grievous situations. The man
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Speaker 1: is reacting. Leave him alone. Let him curse. Now look
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Speaker 1: at the next line. The Lord told him to do it.
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Speaker 1: You go, what? Well, let me ask you, is the
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Speaker 1: Lord sovereign over all things? Would this be maybe the
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Speaker 1: Lord's first mistake? No. Remember this, God is not almost sovereign.
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Speaker 1: He is not just about in charge. David knows what
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Speaker 1: he's talking about. The pain I'm going through, this is
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Speaker 1: all part of the Lord's plan. Don't try to make
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Speaker 1: it lighter. Perhaps the Lord will see I'm being wronged.
38:13
Speaker 1: He knows he's being wronged. And maybe the Lord will
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Speaker 1: bless me because of these curses today. Let me pause
38:24
Speaker 1: here and analyze this a little bit as I look
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Speaker 1: at David's response. Let me share with you four things
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Speaker 1: that I think may be helpful as we think about
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Speaker 1: David in verses 10 to 12. First of all, he
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Speaker 1: silenced and restrained any kind of violent retaliation. Learn to
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Speaker 1: do the same thing. You and I need to learn
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Speaker 1: to do the same thing. We need to remind ourselves
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Speaker 1: three words. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Vengeance is
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Speaker 1: the Lord's. Where is that found? Hold your place. Look
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Speaker 1: at Romans 12. Romans 12, very end of the chapter,
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Speaker 1: verse 19, dear friends, never take revenge. You hear that?
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Speaker 1: Never take revenge. I want you to say those words.
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Speaker 1: three words with me, okay? Never take revenge. Some of you,
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Speaker 1: your mouth did not move. You know why? Quite likely,
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Speaker 1: you're a vengeful person. You were raised to get even,
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Speaker 1: to get back. Either this means what it says or
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Speaker 1: it doesn't. You and I know it means what it says.
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Speaker 1: It means your counsel, your habit, the way you've operated
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Speaker 1: your life is wrong. Never take revenge, look at further,
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Speaker 1: leave that to the righteous anger of God.
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Speaker 3: Why?
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Speaker 1: Because scripture says, I will take revenge. I will pay
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Speaker 1: them back, says the Lord. Now, it doesn't say anything
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Speaker 1: about timing here. You want it to say today. I
40:29
Speaker 1: will take revenge today. I will pay them back before lunch.
40:35
Speaker 1: It doesn't say that. He doesn't go by our timetable.
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Speaker 1: When will we ever learn that? Instead, If your enemies
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Speaker 1: are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them
40:46
Speaker 1: something to drink. In doing this, you'll heap coals of
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Speaker 1: shame on their heads. That's what David does when he says,
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Speaker 1: let him curse. This is not referring to national defense.
40:59
Speaker 1: Some people read this and say, you see, we ought
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Speaker 1: to be a passive nation. There's nothing about national defense here.
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Speaker 1: All of chapter 12 is about the believer, the Christian, one-on-one,
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Speaker 1: one with others, So if your enemy, personal enemy, is hungry,
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Speaker 1: do what will help that enemy. Do what will keep
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Speaker 1: that enemy from thinking even worse. And when you do that,
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Speaker 1: you will bring burning coals of shame on their heads.
41:27
Speaker 1: Verse 21, don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil
41:31
Speaker 1: by doing good. We talk about the love of God.
41:35
Speaker 1: We talk about the value of loving each other, and
41:37
Speaker 1: we get an opportunity to do it, and we blow it. Why?
41:42
Speaker 1: Because we don't have to take this kind of stuff. Actually,
41:45
Speaker 1: you do.
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Speaker 4: I do.
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Speaker 1: There are times we definitely need to take it. But
41:56
Speaker 1: what if it's unfair? What if it's unfair? So he
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Speaker 1: silences and restrains any kind of violent retaliation. Second, if
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Speaker 1: you're making notes, he took the high road. He reminded
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Speaker 1: this out of control loyalist That God is still in control. Abishai, Abishai,
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Speaker 1: how long have we known each other and you still
42:19
Speaker 1: don't realize that God's in control of all of this?
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Speaker 1: I'm going through a time of enormous consequences because of
42:27
Speaker 1: my wrongdoing. While the man's method may leave a lot
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Speaker 1: to be desired, he wouldn't be there if the Lord
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Speaker 1: didn't permit his being there. Third, David refuses to defend himself.
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Speaker 1: I mean, you don't see King David saying, hey, Shimei,
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Speaker 1: you reptile. I know stuff on you that these people
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Speaker 1: need to know. He doesn't do that. Let him go, Abishai,
42:57
Speaker 1: let him go. He's a reptile. He's biting and biting.
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Speaker 1: Refused to defend himself in verses 11 and 12. And finally,
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Speaker 1: he left justice with the one who could always and
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Speaker 1: perfectly deal in justice, and that's God himself. Listen to me,
43:17
Speaker 1: please listen. Do not misinterpret God's silence as God's absence.
43:26
Speaker 1: We long for God to speak and to reveal himself
43:30
Speaker 1: and to make it known now. We want relief, and
43:34
Speaker 1: so we come here before the Lord, and we say, okay,
43:39
Speaker 1: step in, Lord, and nothing happens. And it goes on
43:43
Speaker 1: for another week. Lord, Lord, where are you? Where are you?
43:47
Speaker 1: You see, God will always seem slower than we expect,
43:52
Speaker 1: especially when we're going through unfair treatment. But count on this,
43:58
Speaker 1: God misses nothing. You know how you sometimes want to
44:02
Speaker 1: inform God? Oh, Lord, just yesterday, you need to know
44:07
Speaker 1: He said so and so and so and so. You know,
44:08
Speaker 1: the Lord never goes, really? Oh, man, that's really helpful
44:14
Speaker 1: for you to tell me. I wouldn't have known. God
44:16
Speaker 1: never learns anything. God never discovers anything, ever. He knows
44:22
Speaker 1: what's going on, for goodness sake. He knows what you're
44:25
Speaker 1: going through. You are, if you will, the pupil of
44:28
Speaker 1: his eye. He's the one who said, I will teach
44:32
Speaker 1: you and instruct you in the way you shall go.
44:34
Speaker 1: I will guide you with my eye on you. Don't
44:36
Speaker 1: be like the mule. I'm in charge here. Yep, this
44:42
Speaker 1: is not fair. I know. Shimei is out of control.
44:45
Speaker 1: I know. Relax. So David leaves it with the Lord.
44:54
Speaker 1: And we read, You might think because he did that,
45:01
Speaker 1: Shimei finally shut up. No. David and his men continued
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Speaker 1: down the road and Shimei kept pace with them on
45:10
Speaker 1: a nearby hillside, still cursing as he went and throwing
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Speaker 1: stones at David, tossing dust into the air. This is
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Speaker 1: drama on steroids up on the hillside. He's not going
45:23
Speaker 1: to quit. Hateful people don't quit. Believers stop the retaliation. David,
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Speaker 1: I love it when we read, he and his men
45:37
Speaker 1: continued down the road. Wasn't it wearisome? Look at the
45:42
Speaker 1: last verse. The king and all who were with him
45:44
Speaker 1: grew weary along the way. Of course it's wearisome. I
45:48
Speaker 1: know you're tired. I know it's not fair. But when
45:54
Speaker 1: it's time, and when the time is right, He'll take charge.
46:02
Speaker 1: And not until. So, let's do a little analysis that
46:09
Speaker 1: I think is worth our consideration. A couple of observations
46:13
Speaker 1: biblically and then four practical suggestions, and I'm through. Here
46:17
Speaker 1: are the observations. Here's the first. Success and popularity can
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Speaker 1: make you proud or it can keep you humble. Success
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Speaker 1: and popularity can make you proud or it can keep
46:36
Speaker 1: you humble. Choose the latter. How powerful was David? The
46:46
Speaker 1: most powerful man in the land. How famous? He was
46:51
Speaker 1: a household name. Everybody knew King David. By the way,
46:55
Speaker 1: to this day, the Israelites know King David. They named
46:59
Speaker 1: the flag after him. They named Jerusalem after him, City
47:02
Speaker 1: of David. The Star of David, we refer to. When
47:08
Speaker 1: you are that famous, you have to deal with a
47:12
Speaker 1: lot of stuff. Think of the paparazzis that feed on
47:21
Speaker 1: the celebrities. Remember seeing scenes? They can't even take a walk.
47:26
Speaker 1: They can't even have a private vacation.
47:41
Speaker 1: We watch
47:45
Speaker 1: it on the news and we say, well, just be
47:47
Speaker 1: nice to the photographers. You ever put yourself into celebrity shoes?
47:53
Speaker 1: You see, that can make you really, really mean-spirited or,
47:56
Speaker 1: in David's case, humble. George Whitefield was a very well-known
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Speaker 1: evangelist in his day. Matter of fact, wherever he went,
48:07
Speaker 1: his popularity was immense. Get this. Jay Oswald Sanders writes
48:13
Speaker 1: in his book, Spiritual Leadership, Whitefield lived to grow tired
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Speaker 1: of his popularity. He often envied the man who could
48:22
Speaker 1: enter a restaurant and take his choice of food with
48:25
Speaker 1: no one to think of his presence. People who are
48:28
Speaker 1: really well-known can rarely eat a meal without being interrupted,
48:33
Speaker 1: who would feel wearied of being interrupted. But later in
48:37
Speaker 1: his life, following his illustrious career as a world-renowned evangelist,
48:42
Speaker 1: he made the statement, I've seen enough of popularity to
48:45
Speaker 1: be sick of it. Please do not have as one
48:49
Speaker 1: of your goals in life to become known. It's not
48:54
Speaker 1: all it's cracked up to be, according to authorities like this.
48:59
Speaker 1: Charles Haddon Spurgeon writes, the dangers of popularity and success
49:05
Speaker 1: were constantly before me. T. Leakey in his work Encounters
49:10
Speaker 1: with Spurgeon includes these words from Spurgeon. Success exposes a
49:16
Speaker 1: man to the pressure of people and tempts him to
49:18
Speaker 1: hold on to his gains by means of fleshly methods
49:22
Speaker 1: and practices. Success can go to my head, and it
49:25
Speaker 1: will unless I remember it is God who accomplishes the work,
49:28
Speaker 1: and he can continue to do so without my help.
49:32
Speaker 1: He will be able to make out with other means
49:34
Speaker 1: whenever he cuts me down to size. Hear the humility
49:38
Speaker 1: in that? To one who warned him to beware of
49:42
Speaker 1: the evils of popularity, Spurgeon replied, thank you heartily, thank you.
49:48
Speaker 1: May God reward you for watching over my soul. And
49:52
Speaker 1: as to what my enemies say against me, I know
49:55
Speaker 1: worse things of myself than they could ever say about me.
49:59
Speaker 1: I love that response. David could say that, Abishai. There
50:04
Speaker 1: are worse things about me than Shimei is even mentioning.
50:08
Speaker 1: You see, when you're humble of heart, You don't fight back.
50:13
Speaker 1: You learn from it. You submit to the Lord's hand
50:18
Speaker 1: in it. Please notice never once have I used the
50:22
Speaker 1: word easy. It isn't easy. The spirit-filled life is a
50:29
Speaker 1: real challenging life. It takes humility and it doesn't run
50:37
Speaker 1: easy for us who are independent by nature. Americans rarely
50:43
Speaker 1: breed people like that. And we are guilty of a
50:48
Speaker 1: lot of American Christianity, not biblical Christianity. And no one
50:53
Speaker 1: loves this nation more than I do, but we don't
50:56
Speaker 1: get our theology from our nation. We get it from
50:59
Speaker 1: our Bibles. Our Bibles, never forget that. Secondly, I want
51:07
Speaker 1: to observe Being kicked when you're down can paralyze you
51:14
Speaker 1: or prompt you to keep going. David chose the latter.
51:19
Speaker 1: They continued on to their destination. When you're being kicked,
51:26
Speaker 1: the tendency is to just give it up. I'm pleased
51:32
Speaker 1: to read, the king and all who were with him,
51:35
Speaker 1: though they grew weary along the way, they continued on.
51:41
Speaker 1: They arrested when they got to the destination. They didn't
51:48
Speaker 1: allow the harassment, this out-of-control drama on the hillside to
51:53
Speaker 1: deter them or paralyze them. Let me ask you, and
51:56
Speaker 1: don't answer out loud, obviously, you've been kicked, you've been
52:01
Speaker 1: stabbed in the back, you've been shot, if you will,
52:04
Speaker 1: by someone who has taken advantage of you, and if
52:07
Speaker 1: you're not careful, you have to admit you become paralyzed
52:10
Speaker 1: by it. Believe me, I've had that happen as well.
52:15
Speaker 1: And being paralyzed helps nobody. Continuing on to the place
52:20
Speaker 1: of rest, what a model that is. You've got to
52:24
Speaker 1: go on. So in case I speak to some today
52:28
Speaker 1: who are being kicked while you're down, the worst thing
52:31
Speaker 1: you could decide on doing is simply taking a vacation
52:37
Speaker 1: from life. You're still needed. You're still a Filling a role,
52:41
Speaker 1: you still have responsibilities. You still have appointments along the way.
52:47
Speaker 1: You still have your family to encourage. They also are
52:51
Speaker 1: down because of what you're going through. Your continuing on
52:54
Speaker 1: is commendable. It may surprise you to know that's the
52:58
Speaker 1: reason a number of ministers leave the ministry. My friend
53:03
Speaker 1: David Roper writes in a fine book, A Burden Shared,
53:07
Speaker 1: about that. Roper writes, I often ponder the plight of
53:12
Speaker 1: my friends who are out of the ministry, not because
53:14
Speaker 1: of God's call, but because of people's criticism. Disapproval vented
53:20
Speaker 1: from their congregations fell on them like acid rain, eroding
53:25
Speaker 1: their will to serve. I can understand why they gave up.
53:28
Speaker 1: I grieve for them. Sometimes criticism is unfair, writes Roper.
53:36
Speaker 1: We're set upon by men and women who have unrealistic
53:39
Speaker 1: expectations of us, who do not realize that we too
53:43
Speaker 1: are failures in need of forgiveness. Or perhaps they have
53:47
Speaker 1: a personal ax to grind and they want to deflect
53:49
Speaker 1: blame away from themselves. Or they may represent a power
53:54
Speaker 1: block in the church and resent our leadership. They criticize
53:58
Speaker 1: us because it makes them feel better about themselves. Then
54:03
Speaker 1: it gives four comments about criticism that I thought were
54:05
Speaker 1: worth repeating. I think this is helpful. Number one, criticism
54:11
Speaker 1: always comes when we least need it. Isn't it interesting
54:14
Speaker 1: how that happens? Second, criticism comes when we least deserve it.
54:22
Speaker 4: Often.
54:23
Speaker 1: Third, criticism comes when from people who are least qualified
54:27
Speaker 1: to give it. And fourth, it Criticism frequently comes in
54:32
Speaker 1: a form that is least helpful to us. Good word, Dave.
54:38
Speaker 1: You can be paralyzed by the attack, or you can
54:41
Speaker 1: let it fuel your journey and you continue on walking
54:45
Speaker 1: humbly with your God. Choose that path. Now, four practical suggestions. Ask, remember, rely,
54:55
Speaker 1: and find. Here they are. Ask God to give you
55:00
Speaker 1: a tougher hide. That's right. Ever hunted in an area
55:07
Speaker 1: where there were thorns? You never do that with flip-flops.
55:12
Speaker 1: Never saw a hunter wearing flip-flops or going barefoot in
55:17
Speaker 1: a thorny area. You wear the thickest boots with the
55:20
Speaker 1: heaviest sole, and even then, thorns will come through the soles.
55:27
Speaker 1: When you're dealing with thorny people, you need a thick hide.
55:33
Speaker 1: And the world's full of thorny folks. By the way,
55:37
Speaker 1: I found a great verse recently that you will love,
55:39
Speaker 1: Psalm 119, 165. Write it down, take it by faith,
55:46
Speaker 1: you'll love it. It says, shalom ram, great peace have
55:52
Speaker 1: they who love thy law and nothing will offend them.
55:57
Speaker 1: The Hebrew means nothing will cause them to stumble. When
56:00
Speaker 1: you really love the book as you should, it's amazing
56:04
Speaker 1: how thick that'll make your hide. Stay in this book.
56:09
Speaker 1: It'll toughen you up. Don't be so sensitive. Oh, what
56:14
Speaker 1: do you mean by that? Why'd she say that? Kind
56:23
Speaker 1: of hurtful. Oh, really? We've all been shot. Ask God
56:31
Speaker 1: to give you a tougher height. Number two, remember that
56:35
Speaker 1: God is fully aware and engaged, even though he's silent
56:41
Speaker 1: at the moment. David says, the Lord has told him.
56:48
Speaker 1: The Lord is involved in this. The Lord is there.
56:52
Speaker 1: He's very aware of the Lord's presence. It's easy to
56:54
Speaker 1: forget that. when you're being attacked and people taking advantage
57:00
Speaker 1: of you. Remember this, by the way, God is not
57:05
Speaker 1: almost sovereign. There's no such thing. It's like you're almost
57:11
Speaker 1: a husband. Well, secondhand, maybe that would fit some of
57:15
Speaker 1: you so we won't go there. You're not supposed to
57:18
Speaker 1: be almost a husband. No, I'm being facetious. You're either
57:22
Speaker 1: married or you're not. If you are, you're a partner
57:26
Speaker 1: in life. You're a wife, you're a husband. God is
57:29
Speaker 1: engaged because he's sovereign. Number three, rely. Rely on God's
57:34
Speaker 1: grace to make things right. Perhaps the Lord will look
57:40
Speaker 1: on what's happening and will bring relief. Remember David's words,
57:45
Speaker 1: I'm being wronged and perhaps the Lord will bless me
57:48
Speaker 1: because of the curses today. That's thinking with grace. Rely
57:56
Speaker 1: on God's grace when you deal with people like this.
58:01
Speaker 1: Deal with them in grace. Reach out in grace. The
58:07
Speaker 1: storm increases. Increase the grace. And here's the flip side,
58:13
Speaker 1: number four. Find comfort by resting in God's mercy. God's mercy.
58:24
Speaker 1: Grace is reaching out to someone who doesn't deserve it
58:28
Speaker 1: and giving them what they don't deserve. Mercy is God's
58:34
Speaker 1: ministry to the miserable. You take mercy. Did you realize
58:39
Speaker 1: that in the scriptures there's a reference to the mercy seat?
58:43
Speaker 1: Sit there. When David got to his destination, he rested. How?
58:50
Speaker 3: Mercy.
58:53
Speaker 1: Mercy. You need mercy when you're dealing with the flack.
59:00
Speaker 1: Years and years ago, when I was just a teenager,
59:03
Speaker 1: my older brother Orville, whom most of you have never met, unfortunately,
59:10
Speaker 1: was going through a very difficult, painful time. I can't
59:13
Speaker 1: remember what the difficulty was. But it was with tears
59:17
Speaker 1: that he sat down at the piano, which he played beautifully.
59:22
Speaker 1: And he said to me, Charles, I want you to
59:24
Speaker 1: hear the words of a song, a hymn, written a
59:29
Speaker 1: long time ago. I want you to hear it enough
59:32
Speaker 1: to where you and I sing it together. It's like
59:36
Speaker 1: it happened yesterday. So I listened. Come ye disconsolate, where'er
59:44
Speaker 1: you languish. Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here,
59:54
Speaker 1: bring your wounded heart. Here, tell your anguish. Earth has
1:00:02
Speaker 1: no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Don't you love it?
1:00:11
Speaker 1: Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. David sat
1:00:18
Speaker 1: down and rested and was healed from the mercy of God.
1:00:31
Speaker 1: Will you bow with me, please? Today, I invite all
1:00:38
Speaker 1: of you who are disconsolate. It's an old word for depressed.
1:00:44
Speaker 1: All of you who languish. All of you who are
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Speaker 1: being beaten up. Hurt by some shimmy eye. I invite
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Speaker 1: you to the mercy seat. Fervently kneel. Bring your wounded heart.
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Speaker 1: Tell God all your anguish. And remember, earth has no sorrow.
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Speaker 1: Heaven cannot heal. Father, we're all in need of that healing.
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Speaker 1: Some carry deep scars. Others are still lacerated and bleeding.
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Speaker 1: Some are doing their best to go on. They can't
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Speaker 1: seem to find the place of rest. Some can't even sleep.
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Speaker 1: Remind us, Father, that you have a place for us.
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Speaker 1: From every stormy wind that blows, from every swelling tide
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Speaker 1: of woes, There is a calm, a sure retreat. It
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Speaker 1: is found beneath the mercy seat. And so today, Lord,
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Speaker 1: we come and we rest with you. We leave our
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Speaker 1: case with you. We lay down our arms. We silence
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Speaker 1: all the Abishais in our life. And we step back.
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Speaker 1: and wait on you to work. In your way, at
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Speaker 1: your time, in the name of Jesus, we come. Everyone said, amen.
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Speaker 4: The preceding message, What If Someone Kicks You When You're Down,
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Speaker 4: was copyrighted in 2013 and 2015, and the sound recording
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Speaker 4: was copyrighted in 2015. by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All
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Speaker 4: rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial
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Speaker 4: use is strictly prohibited. In the preceding message, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.
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Speaker 4: is grateful to Stonebriar Community Church for permission to use
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Speaker 4: their 2013 children's choir performance of Jesus Loves Me, arranged
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Speaker 4: by Margaret R. Tucker, copyrighted in 2006 by Choristers Guild.