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1 Kings 2 (Part 1) Bible Study (David's Instructions to Solomon/David's Death) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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First Kings Chapter 2 and what we're going to be considering
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together is the 1st 11 verses of this chapter.
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As you can tell, this is a very lengthy chapter, like many
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chapters and kings, but we are going to take our time to
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dissect appropriate themes or the flow of thought that seems
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appropriate to stop at. And so we're just going to,
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before we pray, let's just read these verses together without
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interruption and just have a frame of what's about to take
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place and how we're going to receive from God's word.
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First Kings Chapter 2, beginning in verse one, when David's time
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to die drew near, He commanded Solomon, his son, saying, I am
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about to go the way of all the earth.
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Be strong and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the
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Lord your God walking in His ways, and keeping His statutes,
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His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies, as it is
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written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper, and all
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that you do. And wherever you turn that the
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Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying,
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If your sons pay close attention to their way to walk before me
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in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul,
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you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.
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Moreover, you also know what Jawad the son of Zuraiya, did to
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me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of
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Israel, Abner, the son of Nur, and Amasa the son of Jether,
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whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been
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shed in a way, and putting the blood of war on the belt around
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his waist, and on the sandals on his feet.
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Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his Gray
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head go down to Shiole and peace, but deal loyally with the
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sons of Barzalai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who
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eat at your table. For with such loyalty they met
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me when I fled from Absalom, your brother.
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And there is also with you Shemay, the son of Gira, the
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Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse
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on the day when I went out to Mahanayam.
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But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by
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the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
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Now, therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise
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man. You will know what you ought to
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do to him, and you shall bring his Gray head down with blood to
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shield. Then David slept with his
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father's and was buried in the city of David.
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And the time that David reigned over Israel was 40 years.
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He reigned 7 years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem.
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So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his
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Kingdom was firmly established. Lord, this is your word.
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We tremble at it now use this time to Pierce our hearts, to
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awaken our affections, to apply its instructions without
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hesitation. And Lord, help us seek Christ in
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Jesus name. Amen.
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The time for King David, that man that we have studied for
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years, week after week, Friday after Friday, session after
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session, the time for this man to die, has now arrived.
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And David here is going to take the opportunity to bring his
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son, to look him in the eyes and to grant him final instructions.
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As he is coming to the end of his life, he wants to give
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direction for Solomon's life. And it's not difficult to see
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how this text exhibits timeless wisdom for you and I.
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But I believe the best way to benefit from this portion of
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Scripture is to not look at it from A1 dimensional point of
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view, because it's easy to do that.
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It's easy to limit what we're seeing here as a way of
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listening in on a monologue, a father speaking into the heart
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of his son. But David is not just speaking
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to Solomon. David is speaking about other
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people. There are three specific
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individuals that David brings into this conversation, and by
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looking at them as well, not just looking at what is being
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set to soma, but looking at them and the complexities of how they
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relate to David and Solomon. We will leave this Bible study
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richer, greater revelation, greater things to apply to our
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lives, a more holistic view of what the Lord has in mind in
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this text. And by doing this, I want to
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encourage you to read your Bible in a certain way again.
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Not to just look at it from 1 limited dimension, but to
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consider the other characters, to consider other vantage
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points, to consider the multifaceted truths that are
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packed into one place. And so the way you and I will
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organize our thoughts is to first look at David's
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instructions to Solomon, but also to look at what he says
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concerning Joab, concerning Barza Lai, concerning Shemay.
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It's a very simple way of approaching this.
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All we're really going to do is collect some thoughts.
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There isn't one main theme here. If there is a theme that you
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would like, it's wisdom for life, what to do and what not to
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do. I love how the Bible takes
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certain people and allows us to see and hear their final words
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before they depart. Why is that?
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Why does the Bible care to give us the last words of certain
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individuals? Surely for us to know how to
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finish. Well, surely for us to know what
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again not to do, what to do, to understand how our decisions
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today will affect our tomorrow's, whether you realize
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it today or not. And so let's consider these
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words. First, his direct instructions
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to Solomon before he deals with these other individuals and what
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Solomon ought to do with them When David's time to die Junior,
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he commanded Solomon, his son, saying, I am about to go the way
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of all the earth. What a fascinating way for the
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Holy Spirit to label death. I am about to go the way of all
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the earth. Every single person here is
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unique. Every single person here might
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have a unique journey, but every single person in here, with the
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billions of other people who are living today, have one thing in
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common among other things, and that is this.
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There will be a cessation of this earthly life.
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The way of all the earth is death, and the way David speaks
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about death is with an accepting tone.
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I am about to go the way of all the earth.
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He embraces that. And unfortunately there are many
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people when it comes to death, live as though it is optional.
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Live as though it can be suspended by their will.
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It can be delayed at their command.
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And that is not true. Though there are practical
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things that you and I can do, and God calls us to do to
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prolong life, ultimately it is determined by His sovereignty.
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But what's interesting here is by David speaking in this way,
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he proves that he is accepting this reality.
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And some people can't accept that reality and I'll prove it
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to you. They don't ever ruminate over
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it. Let me ask you a question.
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When is the last time that you gave more than 10 seconds
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meditating on your mortality? Sounds morbid.
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It sounds scary. It sounds strange to do so.
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And yet the Bible says it's wisdom.
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Teach me to number my days that I may gain a heart of wisdom.
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And so there are those who refuse to accept it, who who
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shoo the thought away the the moment it visits them.
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And there are others who are willing to accept it.
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It's part of their theological framework.
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And even if you're not a believer, you understand that
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this is just a component of life that is inescapable.
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We're all going to die. And though they might accept it,
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they don't prepare for it. Dave here not only accepts it,
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David is preparing for it. And we need to do both.
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So it's one thing to say I acknowledge that this is true.
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It's another thing to say now if this is true, what am I going to
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do concerning it? And it's absolutely vital for
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you to accept and prepare for it because we need to invest in a
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life that's going to be eternal. And based on how we even live
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with that perspective, it will determine the quality of life
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that we know today. You know there's an interesting
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verse found in the book of Amos, Chapter 4, verse 12.
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If you're 1 to highlight in your Bible, there's a phrase in that
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verse that is worth underscoring, and it's in light
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of Amos warning the people of God to be confronted with the
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judgment of God in their lifetime.
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But it's something that we can apply to, something that you and
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I will all experience. Amos 412.
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If you've never seen this verse, you'll enjoy it.
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What does the Prophet say, Therefore?
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Thus I will do to you, oh, Israel, because I will do this
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to you. Prepare to meet your God.
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Oh, Israel, Prepare to meet your God.
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How much preparation are people doing with that divine
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appointment to meet with their God?
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Even you and I as believers have to prepare to meet with our God.
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Yes, we will not stand at the Great White Throne, but we will
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stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
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And I wonder how many believers today have thought about that
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conversation with Jesus. What will my conversation with
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Christ be like? Am I ready to meet him?
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Well, I'd be ashamed if he calls me and summons me before him.
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This is important. Prepared to meet your God?
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How much preparation are we doing?
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We should be doing it day by day, for tomorrow is not
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promised. Now David, in knowing that he's
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about to go the way of all the earth, gives 3 exhortations to
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Solomon. They're there.
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And verse two I'm about to go the way to all the earth.
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Be strong #1, be strong, Solomon #2 and show yourself a man and
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#3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God.
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Be strong, show yourself a man and keep the charge of the Lord.
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What do you think he means when he says be strong?
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Lift some weights. What kind of strength is Solomon
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speaking about here? Or David rather?
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Any idea? This is what we would all
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automatically go through Spiritual strength, right?
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Be strong in your soul, be strong in your spirit.
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And it's that's obviously included.
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But I am under the impression, based on the context, that he's
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also speaking about a different kind of strength and an
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emotional strength. Why do you think he would, say,
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be strong to Solomon? He's on the verge of dying.
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Naturally, if your father is going to die and you're aware of
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it, that will be especially painful to you as a son.
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There's a second reason. Why else would he need to be
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told? Be strong, Salman, be strong.
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He has to lead the whole nation. And who's not there with him to
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give him wisdom and guidance and consolation, The one who's been
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doing it for four decades. So David is not going to walk
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into this new journey with Salman.
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Salman, in essence, humanly speaking, is walking into this
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all by himself. David knows this.
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David's aware of this. David's about to go the way all
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the earth. So he says, Solomon, my son, I
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need you to be strong. What do we take from this?
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Here's what we take from this. There are certain individuals in
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our life who might be particularly inspirational and
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influential, who provide almost a supernatural kind of
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encouragement and counsel and comfort.
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But those people, no matter what they mean to you, are not your
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ultimate source. God is.
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God is. And David is speaking to his Son
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in this manner. He wants him to understand that
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despite the fact that I will be absent, there was somebody who
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will be with you. Listen, people will come and go
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in your life, people who mean the world to you.
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Even in those moments, if you truly walk with the Lord, there
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should be no reason to completely and permanently
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collapse. You have to understand that our
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God is a personal God, and that our God is prepared to meet our
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needs and to help us flourish every step of the way, every
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second of every step of the way. And he can do that directly.
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He can do that by raising up new people in your life.
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But one thing is for certain that you can count on his
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friendship. You can count on him being there
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for you as an individual, as a person in your particular life,
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with all the circumstances and all the context.
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He is right there as though you're the only person on earth.
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And here's how and why I believe that This is why David is saying
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be strong, because David's instructions here are expanded
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in First Chronicles 28. And notice what he says in First
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Chronicles 28 to prove that when he's saying be strong, he wants
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him to know that the Lord is with him, though he will not be
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with him any longer. Look at First Chronicles 28 and
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Scroll down here in verse 20. Then David said to Solomon, his
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son, be strong and courageous and do it.
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Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for the Lord God.
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Even my God is with you. Do you see it?
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He's with you. He will not leave you or forsake
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you until all the work of the service of the House of the Lord
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is finished. I love how he says, even my God,
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the same God who is with me from the beginning.
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Psalm, the same God who took me through every single episode,
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every trial, every tribulation, every chapter, the same God that
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you witnessed even in your young life, who delivered me over and
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over. That same God will be with you
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also. And let me say this to you.
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The same God who led David, the same God who led Solomon, is the
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same God who's for you and he's for me.
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The same one. The same one.
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It bothers me when people approach the Old Testament and
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scorn others by drawing practical inspiration from How
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dare you? I have every right to come to
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the Old Testament and look at Joseph and look at David and
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look at Daniel and say the same God who was there for them is
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with me. He's with me, and he's telling
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that to his son. Be strong and I'm gone.
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I'm going, but God's with you. Show yourself a man.
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Show yourself a man. That's the second exhortation.
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Show yourself a man. This is a a charge for Solomon
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to forsake childish ways and to pursue maturity.
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Why is this important, as our brother just alluded to, because
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Solomon now is entering and embracing a massive leadership
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role. And before he can even consider
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transitioning into that, he must first be convinced that I need
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to develop a set of convictions, a level of courage and A-frame
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of mind in order for me to know true enjoyment and effectiveness
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for the things that God has called me to.
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And this is a very crucial thing, understanding, especially
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for men, that if you are entertaining the idea of
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committing yourself or enjoying certain privileges in life, that
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you must first be willing to forsake childish ways and
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childish things. Show yourself to be a man.
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Show yourself to be a man. You will not know God's
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blessings, though. It's very possible to accept
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manly things while still holding and maintaining childish ways.
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And so there is a time in life where you have to cut that off
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and say I I have to think differently about the way I see
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the value of time. I have to think differently
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about the way I handle my resources.
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I have to think differently about the way I know and embrace
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relationships. I have to think differently
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about how my decisions are not just individualistic, but they
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affect others. I have to think differently.
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Solomon could not even begin to become the leader he was called
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to be without first becoming a man.
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And what's so fascinating here is that that word man, when he
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says show yourself a man, is a very gender specific word.
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So it's not just a call to be mature, it's a call to be
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masculine. That word in certain places in
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the Hebrew scriptures, even use for husbands.
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Show yourself to be a man. Man.
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Not just mankind. Humanity.
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Mature. Develop.
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No be a man. Now if this goes into the
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Internet sphere and reaches the right person or reaches
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something in terms of secular podcasts or whatever platform, I
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just broke a million hearts right there.
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Yeah, be a man. Our society is demonizing men,
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demonizing masculinity. And so we see here that the
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Bible has a different tone, that there are specific
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responsibilities and mindsets that belong to men, and in the
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same respect for women. And so Solomon needed to be a
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man. And we can take the rest of this
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Bible study to understand what biblical masculinity looks like,
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but we don't have the time to do.
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And that's the frustrating thing about Bible study, that you find
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these awesome verses that you can just expand and they can
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explode into different places in the Bible.
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But then you have all these other verses to deal with, so we
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can't do it. So be reminded that Bible study
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a lot of the times, our observations, more they than
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they are in depth doctrinal dissections of things.
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Be a man. Show yourself to be a man.
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You know what this verse tells me?
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You can be biologically male and not be a man.
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Yes, you can be a boy and be 40 years old.
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You can be a boy and 60 years old.
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Show yourself to be a man. Well, I am a No, no, no.
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There are characteristics that define manhood and it's beyond
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your biology. What does manhood look like?
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If I can push you, it can nudge you in a direction.
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I don't want to sound cliche, but just for you to even begin
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to understand it, look no further than the Godman, Christ
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Jesus. I know that sounds cliche, but
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it's not. It's the go to prescription
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throughout the New Testament. Let me give you an example.
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When Paul charges husbands and points them to an example
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concerning how to harbor and how to nurture harmonious and Holy
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Family life, who does he point to?
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The Lord Jesus Christ. You want to love your wife?
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You want to love your children? Look to Christ, look to Jesus.
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And then from there, we don't just stay there.
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We also look at the whole council of God and see all these
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different examples and instructions so that we can
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furnish ourselves to be men, to be woman the way God designed us
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to. Which brings us to our Third
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Point. I wish I can stay there.
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I wish I can stay there. But he says keep charge of the
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Lord your God. That's the third exhortation.
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Keep charge of the Lord your God.
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This is what how we connect all these things together.
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You can't really be strong spiritually, mentally, even
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physically. You can't really be strong.
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Nor can you really be who God designed you to be as a man or
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as a woman, without the word of God.
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Keep the charge of the Lord your God, Because look, our culture,
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as crazy as it's getting, there are people who are aware that
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there is an attack on manhood. There's an attack on womanhood.
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But the issue also is not just in that attack, but the
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solutions that the world is proposing.
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So you have a lot of guys now that are becoming famous because
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they're giving a bunch of fatherless and directionless
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young men solutions to what it means to be manhood, to be man,
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a man. And it's leading him in the
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whole different direction of destruction.
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You can't do it without keeping charge of the Lord.
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You can't do it without walking in his ways.
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He will show you, He will define it for you, and he will empower
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you. He will guide you.
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And this is what's so fascinating, because Solomon is
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about to enter into this new journey, this new path of life,
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and David feels it absolutely necessary for him to establish a
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fresh conviction concerning the supreme authority of the word of
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God in his life. Notice the repetition here.
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He says verse 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God.
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And then he says, walking in his ways and keeping his statues.
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Keep it, keep it, keep it. What does he mean by keep it,
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guard it, observe it, protect it, cherish it, keep it.
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And the way that you will draw from it is when he says later on
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to walk before me in faithfulness, with all their
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heart and with all their soul, with not just your mental
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faculties but with your affection, your devotion.
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Don't just have a surface level relationship with the word of
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God, hold on to it with your dear life.
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Only then will you really benefit from the word of God.
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Keep the charge of the Lord your God.
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There are many people here, and as I said earlier, who have
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unique lives, unique journeys, and what's beautiful about the a
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setting like this, a ministry like this, is that there are
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different people here who are entering different stages in
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life. Some of you are entering school,
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some of you are finishing school.
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Some of you are experiencing A blossoming of a very special
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relationship. Some of you are ready to start a
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family. Some of you are venturing into
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the business world and have great dreams and hopes of being
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successful in one way or another.
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Some of you maybe are just settling in life.
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Humanly speaking, you're at that point where people tend to
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retire no matter what stage in life you're at.
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We have to understand the wisdom here is that what new thing we
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are walking into cannot cause us to forfeit this principle about
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the Word of God. Keep it.
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No matter where you go, no matter what comes your way, no
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matter what you're exploring, no matter what you're entertaining,
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one thing must remain the same. Your love for the Word of God.
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It will always be your steering wheel.
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You will always seek it. Dig it, mine it, and draw God's
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blessings from it. Don't hesitate for those whom
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you love. Don't hesitate to pour into them
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with that same instruction. Parents with your children as
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they're ready to leave the house, as they're ready to
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entertain a possible mate, as they're ready to move here or
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there. Do this or do that.
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Son, daughter, brother, sister, whatever you do, don't lose
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sight of God's word less. Other influences captivate you
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and draw you away from him. So this is what he was supposed
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to do. Be strong, show yourself a man.
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And the last thing to embrace the word of God with the fresh
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sense of devotion and conviction.
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But now he goes off. He says moreover and and verse
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5. Moreover, the rewards of keeping
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the word of God is that he would prosper in his own way and that
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there would be generational blessing specific to Solomon
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because there was a Davidic covenant.
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But that principle still apply to you and I.
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There is generational blessing for the person who choose to cut
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the cycle of disobedience and rebellion against God.
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To say I'm going to serve the Lord, my house is going to serve
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the Lord, and those who come from you will hopefully be
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blessed by that verse. 5 Moreover, you also know what Job
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the son of Zuraiya did to me, how he dealt with the two
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commanders of the armies of Israel, and he mentions them.
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We know them Abner and Amasa. And what's the conclusion that
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he makes? Kill him.
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Solomon, you're wise and do what you think you need to do, but
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whatever you think you need to do, make sure one thing happens
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that he doesn't go down to the grave in peace.
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Then he talks about Barzalai, then he talks about Shemay or
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Shemi. Many people accuse David here on
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his deathbed, being riddled with bitterness, that he is being
26:50
vindictive here and that he is not ending so well.
26:59
Is David wrong? Let let's deal with each of
27:01
these people separately. Is David entirely wrong in
27:04
asking for the execution of Joe AB?
27:11
Who would say yes, He's being vindictive here?
27:16
Who would say no? This is his right.
27:20
Who doesn't know? Well, let's break this down.
27:26
Was Job guilty of murder? Yes.
27:31
According to the law, that Job deserve to die because of his
27:34
sin? Yes.
27:36
See, it's that easy. He does deserve to die.
27:42
So I'm not among those who who judge David for being
27:46
unforgiving here. But I would say that if there's
27:50
any wrong in David and what we see before us is that he delayed
27:59
in acting upon the judgment that job deserve and leaving that
28:04
mess for Solomon to clean up, it's delayed obedience and now
28:11
somebody has to carry the burden for that delayed obedience.
28:17
And so Solomon here is experiencing these loose ends
28:22
and he has to tie him up. And this is unfair, that really
28:25
this is unwise for David to do for whatever reason why he
28:29
delayed, there is no excuse. It didn't justify this prolonged
28:34
and this judgment that is overdue.
28:38
So here's yet another lesson of what delayed obedience does.
28:43
It causes hurt and strain and problems for other people
28:46
eventually, and we delay obedience for many reasons.
28:49
One of the reasons why we delayed is because we think that
28:51
we are preserving ourselves and others from pain and hurt,
28:54
embarrassment, awkwardness. But when you leave it without
28:58
dealing with it, it's going to resurface in one day or another,
29:02
and it's going to bring even more pain than you would
29:05
anticipated originally. So Solomon now has to deal with
29:10
this. This is how he has to start his
29:12
Kingdom, by killing a man. This is something David should
29:16
have done a long time ago, but let's look at it from jobs
29:20
perspective. Remember, we're trying to
29:21
consider the complexities of this text.
29:24
Look at Joe AB right Job here was a man who who was willing to
29:29
put on the blood of war on the belt and around his waist and on
29:33
the sandals of of his feet. He was willing to comfortably
29:36
carry the stains of innocent blood.
29:39
He felt secure all his life. He was bold about it.
29:43
He had no sense of fear of God. He had no sense of fear of the
29:46
sword of the government. He just did his thing, even
29:49
though he he slew and destroyed the lives of two men more
29:52
righteous than himself. But what's happening here?
29:59
Retribution has finally arrived. It's finally come.
30:03
He could not ultimately escape it.
30:08
And Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.
30:12
I wonder this is an explicit state.
30:14
It just came to mind. I wonder if Joe AB was included
30:19
in his thoughts when he penned these two verses.
30:23
It's an Ecclesiastes 811 to 12. This is one of the most
30:27
brilliant insights concerning human behavior, namely among
30:31
those who are not in Christ. Solomon makes this observation.
30:37
He pens it, but I wonder if Joe, among others, was someone that
30:41
came to his mind when he did write it under the inspiration
30:44
of the Holy Spirit. What does he say here in
30:46
Ecclesiastes 8? It says here because the
30:51
sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily.
30:57
The heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil, though
31:01
a Sinner does evil 100 times and prolongs his life.
31:05
Yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God because
31:09
they fear before him. Why do sinners continue to sin?
31:15
Because there is no immediate or speedy divine judgment and they
31:21
interpret that delay as approval and they continue headlong into
31:30
the rebellion. And Solomon says This is why so
31:34
many people don't repent because of God's grace.
31:37
Believe it or not, God's grace that that window of time where
31:41
there isn't any interruption, there isn't any affliction, is
31:45
meant to actually cause you to realize how is it that this holy
31:49
God has not yet destroyed me? I fall on my face to say I want
31:53
to be yours and what do they do instead?
31:57
They use it as fuel to continue to harden their hearts and be
32:05
brazen faced towards the heavens.
32:10
And so it's not a matter of when they'll if, they'll be judged,
32:13
but when they'll be judged. There's no question about the
32:16
if. It's always about the when and
32:19
job. Here is a lesson about how your
32:21
sin will find you out. You can think that you tricked
32:25
everyone, including God himself, But if you have not repented, it
32:31
will find you one way or another.
32:33
It will find you. So what's the solution?
32:35
Flee to the City of Refuge as quickly as possible.
32:38
Come to the foot of the Cross, ask him to wash you fresh in the
32:40
blood. And here's the guarantee that he
32:43
will always forgive you and restore you.
32:45
Job, unfortunately, was too late.
32:50
So Job here teaches us about how sin will not be overlooked.
32:54
But look now here at this other person in verse 7.
32:56
But deal loyally with the sons of Berzalai the Gileadite, and
33:00
let them be among those who eat at your table.
33:02
Who remembers Berzalai? He was one among a few others
33:06
who came to the aid of David while he was pushed out as a
33:08
fugitive when Absalom revolted against his father.
33:12
And he brought bedding and he brought fruits and he brought
33:15
food. And he wanted to make this exile
33:17
as comfortable as possible for the true king of Israel.
33:20
David. And Berzalai was sought after to
33:26
be rewarded immediately. But he says, look, David, I'm
33:29
old. I I, I can't even taste the
33:32
difference between food. Can I really bear the singing of
33:36
people? I'm just going to be a burden to
33:38
you if I come with you to Jerusalem.
33:39
So here's my servant. Deal with him, and let me just
33:45
live and die here in my hometown.
33:50
And David wants to reward him, which teaches us that not only
33:53
is the sin and rebellion of the wickedness of man overlooked,
33:59
not overlooked, neither will be the justice, the loyalty, the
34:03
faithfulness of men concerning the cause of Christ that will
34:07
not be overlooked either, and that should encourage our
34:11
hearts. You know, in Hebrew 610 there's
34:14
an interesting verse that again reveals a wonderful diagnosis
34:17
not just of human behavior, but of Christian behavior.
34:20
You know what you and I are tempted to do as we serve the
34:22
Lord. Hebrew 610 reveals what many
34:25
servants of God are tempted to believe, especially as time goes
34:29
on, especially as you serve God with the people of God.
34:34
What did you say in Hebrew 610? This is a beautiful and
34:37
encouraging scripture. For God is not so unjust as to
34:42
overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake and
34:46
serving the Saints as you still do.
34:49
Why would he write that? Why would the Holy Spirit write
34:52
these things to Christians? I believe because Christians are
34:57
tempted to feel overlooked by God.
35:00
Is that not the case? And one of the ways in which
35:04
many Christians feel overlooked by God is that they interpret
35:09
God through people who bear his name.
35:13
So you're not appreciated by other Christians.
35:14
You're not being acknowledged by other Christians.
35:17
You're not being praised and commended by other Christians.
35:19
And what do you do? Well, surely then God doesn't
35:21
see me how silly what he's saying is.
35:25
Men might even the best of men, even the Saints of God, they
35:29
might overlook, they might not consider the weightiness and
35:33
what your participation does for the advancement of the Kingdom.
35:36
But God sees it, and he's not unjust.
35:39
He will not forget. He will not fail to consider and
35:42
ultimately reward you for that. So keep your eyes on the Lord,
35:47
on the Lord, on the Lord. You know why so many people burn
35:50
out because of because of this? Is this really worth it?
35:57
Is is this really going to count?
35:59
Is there really a difference being made?
36:00
Is this really being considered? Well, if you keep your eyes on
36:04
people, I can see why you would think that way and you would
36:07
want to give up. But if you really believe that
36:10
there is a God whose character is on the line and would not
36:16
dare to overlook your faithfulness, then all of that
36:20
will give you the strength to continue on, especially as you
36:24
do what in serving the Saints. It's not easy.
36:31
Saints Positionally Saints Not always practically Saints
36:36
Positionally Saints. Not always practically Saints.
36:40
There's another thing. While we're in this verse I
36:43
think is worth mentioning. Notice this and the love that
36:46
you showed for His sake of the transition would say His name.
36:52
The love that you showed for His sake in serving the Saints.
37:01
If you love him, you will serve His people.
37:04
If you want to glorify him, you will love His people.
37:11
If you are not serving God's people with intentionality and
37:15
desire and consistency and commitment, perhaps that's an
37:20
indication that your love for His name is cold.
37:27
Because what will propel you, what will keep you, is a burning
37:32
love for God. The secret is not necessarily to
37:38
love people though we are called to love.
37:40
Don't hear me wrong here. Don't cut that out and make
37:43
something of it that you're not supposed to.
37:46
But more than that is to love God, and through your love for
37:48
God and through his name and for his name and for His sake, you
37:51
love others. So when people give you very
37:56
little reason and motivation to love them, it's your love of God
37:59
that will consume you and convince you to love regardless
38:07
that you showed for His sake. In serving the Saints.
38:12
I get very nervous with people who have low views of Christians
38:15
and low views of the Church. It says something about their
38:18
love for his sake. So bears the line here reminds
38:23
us that there's a point coming when the Lord the King of Kings.
38:28
Not an imperfect king like David, but the king of kings
38:31
will reward us and he will remember the little things that
38:35
we've done. Who remembers how old Berzelai
38:37
was cuz his age is given to us? Anybody remember who said it?
38:43
80 years old, 8080 year old man, look at this now.
38:50
And he's not like the early genesis 80 year olds that are
38:53
like the modern day 20 year olds.
38:55
He's not that kind of 80 because he tells us that he can't even
38:59
taste the difference between food and he can't bear too much
39:02
things going around and is like, he's like a real 80 year old,
39:06
OK, 80 years old. And here's a man who perceives
39:10
this opportunity at that point in life to serve the cause of
39:14
God 80 and it wasn't some small thing for him to step out and to
39:22
help David was to put his life on the line.
39:24
Why? Because there was a crazy man
39:27
who occupied the throne of the time named Absalom, who is
39:29
willing to destroy anyone who showed a hint of allegiance to
39:32
his father and Bezola. This 80 year old man says, get
39:36
the fruit, get the beds. We gotta help the king.
39:40
I love 80 year olds like that. That inspires me.
39:45
That motivates me. That tells me that at 80, if God
39:49
gives you and I-80, there will still be divine providential
39:53
leadings and opportunities to serve the cause of the Kingdom.
39:59
And God will reward that kind of service just as he does any
40:02
other kind of service. Because we look at that and we
40:05
go bedding food, What's the big deal?
40:08
We're drawn to other kind of 80 year olds like Moses.
40:10
Remember Moses at 80? What did he do?
40:11
He let a nation out of slavery. Oh, that's something, whether
40:16
you lead a nation out of slavery or you provide bed and food for.
40:21
Somebody who is being mistreated, God will reward
40:25
both. And if you're 80 and you feel
40:29
like all your ministry is is providing bed and food, don't
40:32
compare yourself to the guy who's leading millions out of
40:34
Egypt. Don't do that.
40:39
This is what God's called me to do.
40:40
I'll do it and I'll believe that God will not overlook but will
40:46
reward even this. What an amazing God we serve.
40:51
So we see Berzalai. Now we sandwich between Shimai
40:56
and Johab is Berzalai. But we unfortunately come to
41:01
another dark scene set of instructions in verse 8.
41:04
And there is also with you Shimai, the son of Gira, the
41:07
Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse
41:11
on the day when I went to Mahanaim.
41:14
And when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by
41:17
the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword.
41:22
Okay should have ended there. It doesn't now, Therefore, do
41:28
not hold them guiltless, for you are a wise man.
41:31
You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring
41:33
his great head down with blood to she all.
41:38
Is this this is this the same thing going on here as what we
41:41
saw with Joe App. It's not.
41:45
Well, convince me. Why?
41:47
Because shemaid did something very treacherous.
41:49
He actually committed treason. He curses the king.
41:52
Exodus says do not curse the ruler of God's people.
41:57
He flings stones and dust. He falsely accuses the king and
42:02
he pretty much wants the king out of there.
42:05
That's not a good thing to do. So he's not innocent.
42:12
So then again, is David demanding something here that is
42:16
righteous and true? And if not, why not?
42:30
So Job, he he just ignores it for whatever reason.
42:33
Maybe he's afraid that he's going to expose him or fight
42:36
against him. He doesn't want to deal with
42:37
Job, he says. I'll just wait until my dying
42:39
day and give it over to Solomon. What's the difference here?
42:45
OK, the difference between Joab and this fellow is what both are
42:51
guilty in their own way. But David does something for
42:54
Shamai that he doesn't do for Job.
42:55
What does he do? He pardons him.
42:59
Not only does he part of them, he makes a promise to him and
43:03
David even confesses it here. He says it here to Solomon.
43:07
I swore to him by the Lord saying I will not put you to
43:10
death with the sword. So how is this happening?
43:19
Well, let's think back. OK, actually, let's do this.
43:21
Let's go back to when he makes that oath and maybe we'll get
43:23
come closer to whether or not this is right or wrong.
43:25
Go to Second Samuel 19 and look here in verse 23 and you'll see
43:37
where he originally made this promise.
43:40
Well, you'll notice something he says before this verse that
43:44
shows how clever David really was.
43:45
And making this oath Second Samuel 1923.
43:48
And the king said to Shamai, you shall not die.
43:51
And the king gave him his oath. Is he breaking his promise?
44:00
No. Yes, maybe.
44:04
Look back at what he says in verse 22 because one of his men
44:08
was wanting to kill him right on the spot.
44:10
But David said, what have I to do with you, you sons of Zuriya,
44:14
that you should this day be as an adversary to me?
44:17
Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day?
44:19
For I do not know that I am for do I not know that I am this day
44:22
king over Israel? Is there a certain phrase that
44:26
is repeated here this day? 3 * 3 times?
44:33
He said he's being very strategic with his words.
44:35
Very strategic with his words. No.
44:37
He says here, you son of Zaraya, should I this day be an
44:41
adversary to me? Should you be an adversary to
44:44
me? Shall anyone in the death of
44:45
Israel be on this day? For I didn't.
44:47
For do I not know that this day I'm king over this day, this
44:50
day. What is he saying?
44:52
Nobody's dying today. Not today.
44:59
Why not today? What's the context of him saying
45:02
this? Absalom was killed.
45:05
He's returning to Jerusalem, and the last thing he wants to do is
45:08
give more people, more reasons to not put their trust in him,
45:13
to not give him a warm welcome, to not rebuild his government.
45:19
And so he's playing politics here.
45:22
He's playing politics. Nobody's going to.
45:24
This is a day of celebration. This is a day of restoration.
45:27
We're not going to, we're not going to shed any blood here
45:30
yet. And he adds to that.
45:35
I'm not going to kill him. She might.
45:39
I'm not going to put you to death.
45:42
And he has his fingers crossed behind his back, in a sense,
45:47
duplicity. Some would say that this is the
45:52
same kind of scenario as with Joe AB.
45:54
I don't believe so. If you want to accuse David of
46:00
really having bitterness, it's not with Joe AB.
46:02
It's more here than with Joe. AB.
46:06
Here is a man who made a promise and he's going to break the
46:12
spirit of that promise. How do you understand you will
46:17
not be put to death? I'm not going to expect at any
46:23
time that I'm going to be put to death for this offense.
46:29
David didn't mean that. When the right time came, I made
46:35
an oath to shemaid that I would not kill him.
46:37
That doesn't mean Solomon. You can't.
46:39
So Solomon, this man cursed me. He embarrassed me.
46:46
He shamed me. He betrayed me.
46:50
Deal with him accordingly. Now, if you're hesitant to
46:55
believe that about David, I know we want to hold on to our heroes
46:59
in the Bible. I know we want the Sunday School
47:03
version of our characters in the Bible.
47:09
Even when you look at what Solomon does in response to this
47:11
command, is that, I believe an indication that he himself
47:14
realizes that there's a confliction with this final
47:18
instruction from his father? The Solomon killed Joe AB, does
47:24
he? Yeah, yeah.
47:28
But the Solomon, a call for his death.
47:31
Yes. He calls for his death, and it
47:34
was immediate. It was swift.
47:35
There was there was no reconsideration.
47:37
He kills them at a very tragic place.
47:39
We're going to discover. What about Shemay?
47:43
Did Solomon kill him in the same way he kills Joe AB?
47:47
What does he do with him? He makes a deal with him.
47:51
He puts him on house arrest. He extends mercy.
47:56
What did David say, though? Make sure you bring his Gray
47:59
head down with blood to Sheol. It's almost as though there's
48:04
hesitation in Solomon. It's almost as though in not
48:08
wanting there to be any accusation against his father.
48:12
He gives to my another chance a test, so to speak, to see if his
48:16
integrity is true, if he was really a repented man.
48:21
So he gives him another test and he fails that, unfortunately.
48:25
But I think that says something that he doesn't act upon the
48:29
command of his father to immediately kill him because he
48:33
understood that even in that oath, it's there's kind of,
48:37
there's binding. It's binding.
48:41
You know what this is a picture of?
48:45
Here's what people tend to do with the relationship between
48:47
David and Shamai. They tend to go to that example
48:50
to receive instruction on how to forgive.
48:52
And you would be right in doing so if there wasn't a First Kings
48:55
Chapter 2. If it ended with David looking
48:59
at Shamai saying you will not be put to death, have a series on
49:04
how to forgive and use that as an awesome example, I argue the
49:09
opposite. David in this case is an example
49:12
of how not to forgive, not how to forgive.
49:18
Is it possible to look at somebody who's offended us and
49:21
say I forgive you? Is it possible to be in a
49:26
complicated issue among different parties in the church
49:30
and you sit before the elders, you sit before other mature
49:32
believers and say I forgave that person, while at the same time
49:37
in your heart you want to kill them, you want to hurt them, you
49:45
wish harm upon them, you delight in the thought of them receiving
49:51
pain instead of pardon. David is an example of anything
49:57
is it's what empty forgiveness looks like, what a deceptive
50:02
forgiveness looks like. I'm saying this one thing to you
50:06
again. The problem is not whether
50:07
Shamay was wrong or not. He was wrong.
50:09
The issue here is that David made an oath and he didn't
50:15
really keep it and he played around with the wording of it.
50:21
I won't do it, but my son Solomon would do it.
50:26
How do I know if I've forgiven somebody?
50:30
Is it me being able to say it to that person, As difficult as
50:33
that might be? No, that's not how you know
50:37
you've forgiven somebody. You know you've forgiven
50:40
somebody. If you've surrendered whatever
50:42
right you feel, you've have to give retribution to them.
50:47
That's how you know when that is released.
50:53
I will not when and if the opportunity arises, consider
51:02
vengeance, retribution, payback, forgiveness says.
51:08
I released that concept. I refuse to entertain it.
51:11
I refuse to act upon it. And guess what?
51:14
That does not mean that with that release comes the release
51:17
of the pain or the wrong that you experience.
51:23
Somebody gave a very simple illustrations that if you were
51:25
to forgive somebody to who who hit you or who crashed into your
51:30
car intentionally or whatever the case may be, and you still
51:33
have physical pain, that presence of physical pain
51:38
doesn't negate the fact that you've truly forgotten that
51:39
person. That's true with emotional pain.
51:42
So don't interpret your the presence of emotional pain to be
51:46
an indication that you have not forgiven somebody.
51:51
And so David here unfortunately, has not surrendered.
51:55
He's not surrendered what he felt like.
51:58
It was his right to pay back somebody who's done him wrong
52:01
when he said that. I will not hurt you back.
52:03
I will not come after you. This is unfortunate.
52:08
It's unfortunate to know that after all those years, David had
52:12
something in his heart against this man and it revealed itself
52:17
on his deathbed. This is the last thing we see of
52:25
David before he dies. And then we are told we get an
52:31
obituary in verse 10. Then David slept with his
52:35
father's and was buried in the city of David.
52:38
And then we're told how long he reigned, and we're told that
52:43
Solomon sat on the throne of David, his father, and his
52:45
Kingdom was firmly established again.
52:48
I told you how in First Chronicles 28 you get an
52:50
expanded version of what we see here, David's last moments in
52:56
life. In First Chronicles 29, you get
53:00
added details about the description of David's summary
53:03
of life. I want, I want you to see there,
53:04
First Chronicles 29, as we close in verse 28 and First Chronicles
53:13
29, verse 28, we read then he died at a good age.
53:18
He died at a good age, full of days, riches and honor.
53:24
And Solomon, his son, reigned in his place.
53:27
Good age, full of days, riches and honor.
53:33
If you disassociate God's faithfulness in those things.
53:38
Even the heathen want to die this way.
53:42
Who doesn't want to end their lives in this way?
53:45
A good age full of days, riches and honor on top of it?
53:52
Yeah, that's the way I want to go.
53:54
Again, if you don't, if you don't filter that verse in light
53:58
of God's covenant to him and his faithfulness to him, who doesn't
54:03
want that? Don't strive for that.
54:11
If those things are tied to God's dealing with you and your
54:14
life, to glorify himself and so be it.
54:16
But to look at those things on a superficial surface level way,
54:20
this is what most people want to do.
54:21
They want to live like that. They want to live and end in
54:25
this way. But there's another commentary
54:29
on how David ended his life. And that's what you and I should
54:33
strive for. Whether these things are present
54:36
or not, whether these things grow or not, Whether these
54:38
things come with us to the end or they vanish as we go.
54:43
The way of all the earth. Can I show you where that is?
54:47
Does anybody know where I'm going?
54:51
Acts 13. Good guests though, Acts 13,
54:54
verse 36. Look what the Holy Spirit says
54:57
about David here. And this is what you and I
55:00
should say. Oh God, let this be said of me.
55:05
Acts 1336. For David, after he had served
55:17
the purpose of God in his own generation, after he had served
55:24
the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was
55:27
laid with his fathers, and saw corruption serve the purpose of
55:32
God in his own generation. And understanding that we are
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all headed the same place, that same entryway into eternity.
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Is that your desire, Lord, please.
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With riches, Without riches, With honor.
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Without honor, Full of days or short life.
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Humanly speaking, whatever it takes for me to serve your
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purpose for my life in this generation, so be it.
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Please let it happen. Please don't let me miss the
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purpose that you have for me. And again, that might look like
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a bezel eye where you serve God. That might not seem impressive
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to the human eye, or it might be something spectacular like what
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Moses did. That doesn't matter as long as I
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know that I fulfilled his purpose.
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You know how people have like, life versus life versus what's
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your life versus what's my life versus like?
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How can I pick? There's a whole library here.
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But if there was, at least at this point in my life, a life
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verse? Nobody asked but I just thought
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I would share with anyway. Not Acts 1336, Acts 2024, Acts
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2024. I love this verse.
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It's what Paul says to the elders and emphasis.
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And maybe it's your life for us too.
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But I do not account my life of any value, nor is precious to
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myself. If only I may finish my course
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in the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify
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to the gospel of the grace of God.
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There is 0 value to my life apart from me fulfilling the
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ministry that I received from God no other purpose.
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My life is not precious apart from me knowing and obeying the
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purpose of God for my life. Radical Christianity No
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Christianity 101 This isn't radical.
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It should be all of our life verses and God will help us and
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he will energize us and he has given us studies like this and
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time in the word on your own to see what not to do and what to
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do and how it's possible to live with bitterness in my heart to
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the last breath that I have. Lord, please no rescue me from
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it. It's possible to live in sin and
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thinking that I can prolong my life without any intervention
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from God and be surprised, if not in this life, in the life to
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come. Oh, it's possible to feel
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overlooked and to feel as though that I don't have anything of
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value to offer. And we'll be shocked at the end
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of it all to realize that God will reward us for even giving a
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glass of water. Oh, it's possible to start well,
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as Solomon did, and not end very well.
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And what we want to do Say, Lord, through all of these
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things that I've learned, help me do one thing, fulfill my
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purpose, and to consider that the most precious thing about my
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brief existence on the earth. And He will help us.
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He will help us. Let's pray.
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Thank you, Father, for this time.
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As rewarding as it is, though, we also feel that there's so
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much more that could be said. So we pray that these
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observations that were made together would encourage us to
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think deeper, to meditate longer, to explore further how
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these things relate to us, how they reveal you, your wisdom,
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your love, Your Holiness. Father, as we as we pause now to
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meditate and to ultimately give you the sacrifice of praise and
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response. Be glorified.
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Be glorified, Lord, Be glorified.
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Not just in our discovery of these things, but in the
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application of them. Help us.
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We want to live for you, Lord. And so we say again, thank you
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for your word. Thank you for your mind being
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revealed to us. Maybe Now reflect it in every
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way possible in Christ and we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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Let's stand and worship the Lord together.