Thursday
Evening Bible Study
July
12, 2012
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?
The first king
of Israel, Saul, was killed in a battle with the Philistines.
It took awhile for things
to come together, but eventually the entire nation asked David to be their
king.
David made
Jerusalem the new capital city of Israel and brought the Ark into Jerusalem.
David has taken
his armies and has conquered his enemies on the west, east, north, and south.
9:1-13 Mephibosheth
:1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul,
that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
:1 Is there still
anyone who is left…
Saul’s son Jonathan was David’s best friend.
Jonathan knew that David would one day become king, so he had his friend
David make a promise:
(1 Sa
20:14–15 NKJV) —14
And you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not
die; 15 but you shall not cut
off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the
face of the earth.”
Notice that the promise even mentioned when David had cut off all his
enemies. That time has just about come.
:1 kindness
– checed – goodness, kindness,
faithfulness
Lesson
Strong Faithful Love
This is the word that Jonathan had used (1Sa 20:14-15) and the word
that David has now used.
It’s a word rich with meaning.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary suggests that it has three components that
all need to be kept in mind when looking at the word: “strength”, “steadfastness”, and “love”.
The word is sometimes translated “lovingkindness”, “mercy”, “grace”.
It is something based on an agreement between two people (usually God and
man). Jonathan and David had an
“agreement”.
It is something that is “done”, “shown”, or “kept” (not just “felt”)
Even though Jonathan is dead, David because of David’s friendship with
Jonathan, he feels an obligation to demonstrate “kindness” to Jonathan’s
descendants.
:2 And there was
a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had
called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At
your service!”
:2 Ziba
– Tsiyba’ – “statue”
Apparently after Saul and his sons died on Mount Gilboa, Saul’s estate has
been run by this fellow Ziba.
:3 Then the
king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I
may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son
of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.”
:3 a son of
Jonathan
We first met this son …
(2 Sa 4:4
NKJV) Jonathan,
Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years
old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took
him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and
became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
Perhaps Mephibosheth’s back or legs had broken when he was a young
boy. But he is no longer young, he even
has a son of his own.
:4 So the king
said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is
in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
:4 Machir
– Makiyr – “sold”; he was a wealthy
man.
:4 Lo Debar
– “not a pasture” (is this
the sign posted to keep the cows out?)
Play Lo Debar
map clip. The city is up in the north, just
on the eastern side of the Jordan River.
Lesson
Paying it forward
Later on, David will have a rebellion on his hands. His own son, Absalom would rebel against
David and almost succeed in killing David.
David would find himself once again a “man on the run” (but from his own
son, not Saul).
He would run and hide out on the other side of the Jordan.
(2 Sa
17:27–29 NKJV) —27
Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the
son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir
the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28 brought beds and
basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and
beans, lentils and parched seeds, 29 honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the
herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said,
“The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
There were several wealthy fellows who came out to help
David as he fled from Absalom.
I wonder if Machir had been impressed with David’s
kindness towards Mephibosheth, and when David needed help, he found a friend in
Machir.
:5 Then King
David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from
Lo Debar.
:6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to
David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said,
“Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
:6 Mephibosheth
– “exterminating the idol”
This is the son of David’s best
friend.
:7 So David
said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan
your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your
grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
:7 Do not fear
Lesson
Strong Faithful Love
Mephibosheth should very much be afraid of David. It is usually the custom of a new king to
kill off any possible threat to his throne.
Mephibosheth has a legitimate claim to challenge the reign of David,
after all, he is the grandson of King Saul.
Yet David is going to extend kindness.
Illustration
Baby shouldn’t have been there
It was late at night
and Heidi, who was expecting her second child, was home only with her
3-year-old daughter, Katelyn.
Heidi started to go into labor and called 911. Due to a power outage in the
city at the time, only one paramedic was able to respond to the call. The house
was very, very dark, so the paramedic asked Katelyn to hold a flashlight high
over her mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby. Very diligently,
Katelyn did as she was asked. Heidi pushed and pushed, and after a little while Connor was
born. The paramedic lifted him by his feet, and spanked him on his bottom.
Connor began to cry. The paramedic then thanked Katelyn for her help, and asked
the wide-eyed 3-year-old Katelyn what she thought about what she had just
witnessed. Katelyn quickly responded, “He shouldn’t have crawled in there in
the first place. Spank him again.”
Sometimes we expect God to respond to us like Katelyn, but find out that He
doesn’t want to spank us, He wants to love on us.
God seeks out the lost. He seeks out
those who could be classified as “enemies” and has given us kindness.
Jesus said,
(Jn 3:17 NKJV) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved.
:8 Then he bowed
himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such
a dead dog as I?”
:9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have
given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
:10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for
him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have
food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table
always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Mephibosheth has just won the lottery.
He has gone from being a cripple who depends upon the kindness of
Machir, to a wealthy man with lands, servants, and a place at David’s table.
:11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has
commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said
the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.”
It’s as if David has adopted Mephibosheth.
:12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who
dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.
:13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the
king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.
:1 that I may show
him kindness
Lesson
Blessing your relationships
I think that sometimes we take our closest relationships for granted.
It might be our spouse, our parents, or our kids.
We know we love each other, isn’t that enough?
I like the way that David goes out of his way to make an effort to bless
the family of his dead friend Jonathan.
For no good reason.
Jesus said,
(Jn
13:34–35 NKJV) —34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I
have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.”
God’s love toward us is “kindness”.
He is constantly giving us things we don’t deserve.
The writer of Hebrews said,
(Heb
10:24 NKJV) And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
works,
(Heb 10:24 NLT) Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and
good works.
(Heb 10:24 The Message) Let’s see how inventive we can be in
encouraging love and helping out,
As I play this clip, look at how many different ways that people are
expressing their love for each other.
10:1-19 Trouble in
Rabbah City
:1 It happened after this that the king of the people of Ammon died, and
Hanun his son reigned in his place.
:2 Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his
father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to
comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of
the people of Ammon.
:2 Hanun the son of
Nahash
Nahash was the name
of the king who had laid siege to Jabesh Gilead after Saul had been anointed
king over Israel (1Samuel 11),
about sixty years prior to this. He was the one who demanded that the people
either fight or come out and let him poke out their right eyes. The people of Jabesh Gilead sent out
messengers who told Saul about the attack. Saul raised an army and rescued the
people of Jabesh Gilead.
This Nahash might be the same Nahash, or it could Nahash Jr. Apparently, the
Nahash in our passage had been kind to David. We don’t know the particulars.
Perhaps when David was fleeing from Saul, he had found refuge among the
Ammonites for a time. We don’t know.
David now sends servants to convey his condolences towards Hanun at the
loss of his father.
Nahash =
“serpent”
Hanun =
“gracious”
People in the Bible don’t always match their names. This “Nahash” was kind to David. Hanun will be anything BUT gracious.
We’ve already peeked ahead to see that there will be another “son of
Nahash” who will show kindness to David when David is on the run from Absalom:
(2 Sa
17:27 NKJV) Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash
from Rabbah of the people of Ammon …
Shobi might be the brother or Hanun.
:2 I will show
kindness to Hanun
kindness
– checed – goodness, kindness,
faithfulness
You could make a point that David is only doing for Hanun what he had done
for Mephibosheth. David might have
thought to himself, “It’s a good thing to show “kindness”!” Usually it is…
:2 the land … of Ammon
Play Rabbah map
clip.
This next event takes place at the city of Rabbah, the capital city of the
Ammonites. Today this ancient city is
known as “Amman”, the capital of modern Jordan.
:3 And the princes
of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David
really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather
sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow
it?”
:3 to spy it out,
and to overthrow it
Hanun has some suspicious people around him. They think that David isn’t
really trying to be nice. They think that David is going to take advantage of
the situation and end up overthrowing the Ammonites.
Lesson
Good things misunderstood
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, no matter how nice we are, people are
going to misunderstand us.
Illustration
WORDS WOMEN
USE
The following is from a manual for men who want to understand what their
wives really mean.
FINE
This is the word we use at the end of any argument that we
feel we are right about but need to shut you up. NEVER use fine to describe how
a woman looks. This will cause you to have one of those arguments.
FIVE MINUTES
This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes
that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so I
feel that it’s an even trade.
NOTHING
This means something and you should be on your toes.
“Nothing” is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to
turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. “Nothing” usually signifies an
argument that will last “Five Minutes” and end with the word “Fine”.
GO AHEAD (with
raised eyebrows)
This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting
upset over “Nothing” and will end with the word “Fine”.
GO AHEAD
(normal eyebrows)
This means “I give up” or “do what you want because I
don’t care.” You will get a raised eyebrow “Go Ahead” in just a few minutes,
followed by “Nothing” and “Fine” and she will talk to you in about “Five
Minutes” when she cools off.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is still often a verbal
statement very misunderstood by men. A “Loud Sigh” means she thinks you are an
idiot at that moment and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and
arguing with you over “Nothing”.
SOFT SIGH
Again, not a word, but a verbal statement. “Soft Sighs”
are one of the few things that some men actually understand. She is content.
Your best bet is to not move or breathe and she will stay content.
THAT’S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman
can say to a man. “That’s Okay” means that she wants to think long and hard
before paying you retributions for whatever it is that you have done. “That’s
Okay” is often used with the word “Fine” and used in conjunction with a raised
eyebrow “Go Ahead”. At some point in the near future when she has plotted and
planned, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.
PLEASE DO
This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving
you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing
whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance to tell the truth, so
be careful and you shouldn’t get a “That’s Okay”.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not faint, just say you’re
welcome.
THANKS A LOT
This is much different than “Thanks”. A woman will say,
“Thanks A Lot” when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have
hurt her in some callous way and will be followed by the “Loud Sigh”. Be
careful not to ask what is wrong after the “Loud Sigh”, as she will only tell
you “Nothing”.
Lesson
People in the mix
Part of David’s problem with Hanun is the fact that other people are
inserting themselves into the “conversation” between David and Hanun.
Sometimes our friends are just looking out for us, but they could be wrong
in the advice they give us.
Sometimes even the best counselors sometimes get it wrong. Even I get things wrong!
Keep in mind when you are communicating with others that sometimes there
are hidden third parties in the conversation – this happens a lot in emails –
nothing you can do about it.
:4 Therefore Hanun
took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments
in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.
:4 shaved off half
of their beards
The whole point is to send David’s servants away shamed.
Shaving off a person's beard is still regarded in some parts of the world
as a great indignity. In David’s day, it was a sign of slavery, only slaves
shaved their beards. You could spot a runaway slave because he didn’t have a
beard.
Probably the idea here is that half of the face was shaved, and the other
half remain bearded, adding to embarrassment.
Cutting a person’s clothes off like
this also brought shame.
(Is 20:4
NKJV) —4 so shall
the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as
captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to
the shame of Egypt.
:5 When they told
David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king
said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
:5 Wait at Jericho
until your beards have grown
Lesson
Patience in restoration
David doesn’t want his men to face the extra humiliation of returning to
Jerusalem before all their friends and comrades and being seen in their
embarrassing state.
It’s better for them to hang out in Jericho and wait until they look decent
enough, and then come back to work.
:6 When the people
of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon
sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty
thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from
Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.
:6 Ammon sent and
hired the Syrians
The Ammonites know they’ve insulted David, and they get ready for the war
that they assumed was going to come.
Play “Syrian
Allies” map video.
The Ammonites hire their neighbors to the north, the Syrians, to help them.
Rehob, Zoba, Maacah, Ish-Tob
:7 Now when
David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.
:8 Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at
the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and
Maacah were by themselves in the field.
The Ammonites station themselves in front of their city, while the Syrians
surround the Israelites out in the field outside the city.
:9 When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he
chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the
Syrians.
Joab quickly puts together a plan and divides his troops into two groups.
He takes the smaller group of stronger fighters and has them face the Syrians
out in the field.
The Syrians are the stronger fighters, the “mercenaries”. Joab takes on the
tough assignment.
:10 And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his
brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of
Ammon.
The larger, less experienced force of Israelites will face the Ammonites.
:11 Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall
help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come
and help you.
:12 Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the
cities of our God. And may the Lord
do what is good in His sight.”
:11 then I will
come and help you
The picture is that Joab and Abishai’s armies will have their backs to each
other and if one gets into trouble, the other will come to help.
Lesson
Fighting for each other
It’s real easy to be fighting with each other.
It’s better when we’ve got our backs to each other and are fighting for
each other, fighting against the real enemy.
(Ec
4:9–12 NKJV) —9 Two are
better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one
will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they
will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another,
two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
This is what true fellowship is supposed to be all about.
We should be on each other’s side.
We should be stronger being together.
:12 let us be
strong for our people
Lesson
Man up
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
(1 Co
16:13 NASB95) Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Some of the translations (like NKJV) have “be brave”. But the Greek word is based on the word for
“man” and carries the idea of making a man out of someone.
be brave – andrizomai
– to make a man of or make brave; to show one’s self a man, be brave
Sometimes I wonder if we’ve lost what it means to “act like men”
It’s time to
“man up”.
:13 So Joab and
the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the
Syrians, and they fled before him.
:14 When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also
fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of
Ammon and went to Jerusalem.
:15 When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they
gathered together.
:16 Then Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond
the River, and they came to Helam. And Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s
army went before them.
:16 Hadadezer
The Syrian king of Zobah (2Sam.
8:3). David has already defeated him once, but now he’s rebelled
by helping the Ammonites, and is now again confronting David directly.
:16 Helam
Play Helam map
video. The battle takes place here. Helam
is between Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Damascus.
:17 When it was
told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam.
And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with
him.
:18 Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred
charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the
commander of their army, who died there.
:19 And when all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that
they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So
the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.
:19 made peace with
Israel
There will be
peace between Israel and the Syrians, but the battle with the Ammonites isn’t
actually done yet. They have yet to
actually capture the capital city of Rabbah – that will happen at the end of
chapter 12.
Lesson
After the battle…
We sometimes like to bask in the glory of victory.
Yet David is about to have the greatest defeat of his life. Not from an Ammonite, but from another man’s
wife.
Be aware that after the “great” times, there can be difficult times.
faWe let our guard down.
We can face temptations, depression, surprise attacks.