Sound Doctrine

Jeff Johnson: Uppermost should be your concern about your relationship with your Heavenly Father. How is that relationship? Is it distant? Is it cold? Is it something that you're struggling with? I can assure you that on His end of it, He's not struggling with you. He's just seeking to win you over. He's done His part. See, God loved you so much He gave His Son to pay for that sin.

Guest (Male): Hey, welcome to Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff Johnson. Christians are certainly not foreign to the concept of strained relationships. Unfortunately, peace and harmony doesn't always exist within the walls of the church, even though we are commanded to get along with each other. Today on Sound Doctrine, Pastor Jeff returns to 2 Samuel in chapter 13. We encounter a strained relationship between a father and son. This results in Absalom, the king, having his half-brother Amnon killed. Here now is our teacher, Pastor Jeff Johnson, with the details in 2 Samuel chapter 13.

Jeff Johnson: Is this like with us as Christians? We can't get away with nothing where the Heavenly Father knows exactly what you're doing, when you're doing it. Everything's out in the open, and the Spirit has come to convict us and to guide us into all truth. Thank God.

David, after being pressed by Absalom, finally just gave in. He bugged him and said, "Come on, come on, let Amnon come. Let him come. Come on." He just pressed him, and finally, David's going, "Well, okay." And yet he didn't have an ear to hear what the Spirit was trying to say. He didn't put a stop to it. He didn't say, "There's something wrong here. No, he's not going." He didn't do that. He just said, "Okay, everybody can go. Go ahead."

He probably thought and he rationalized to himself, "Well, it's been two years since Amnon did this horrible thing and Absalom hasn't put a hand on him yet. It's been two years. He's not going to do anything with him. It's going to be all right." He just rationalized. It's going to be all right. Let it happen. Let them go to the river for a weekend. What are you, nuts? They're 15. So he let them go.

Verse 28: "Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, 'Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine.' We're going to party, but make sure Amnon gets a lot of the party. 'And when he's full of wine, and when I say unto you, "Smite Amnon," then kill him. And don't be afraid. Have not I commanded you? Be courageous, be valiant.'" Oh, this is some courageous guy. Get the guy drunk and then let him have it. Be valiant. "And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him upon his mule and fled."

Finally, the day of vengeance has arrived, and I'm sure Absalom can hardly wait. He told his faithful servants, "When Amnon's drunk, you kill him." So Absalom followed his father's footsteps because after all, didn't good old Dad kill Uriah? Notice the similarities of both the deaths. When you look at it, it's amazing.

First of all, you see that both deaths were carefully planned. David carefully planned the death of Uriah, and so did Absalom for two years plan this murder of Amnon. It was premeditated murder as they planned it. Second thing, both were a means to an end. David, in getting rid of Uriah, would finally get his Bathsheba. Of course, Absalom, when he would kill Amnon, would finally get vengeance for what he did to his sister.

But more than that, see that hidden agenda was there. He would be now the next one to the throne. There's a little bit more involved here. And number three, as you look at this, you see that both were done by others. David had his servants kill Uriah. But did that set him free? No, he was the murderer, as if he had done it himself. And that's why they always go back to the one in charge.

When you talk about Nazi criminal crimes, they always go back to the one that gave the orders instead of the ones that carried them out many of the times. And yet, in this situation, we see that Absalom signed his servants to also do the dirty deed. He said, "I never touched anybody." He didn't touch anybody. You did it as you did it yourself. You assigned it.

And then number four, as you look at this, you see that both were involved with wine. Wine was involved in both of them. As Uriah was drunk twice, and then they got Amnon drunk. The reason for that is so his guard would be let down, it would dull his senses, and he'd be vulnerable at the time they came at him so that there wouldn't be a skirmish. They could just wipe him out.

So like father, like son. But note this, that sin is very sick in what it does and how it carries itself out. It hurts everybody involved. Everybody gets hurt by it. And so this family is just going down the tubes. So Amnon is killed. And I'm sure that, as Proverbs 27:1 says, all of a sudden you never know what a day may bring. He had no idea that that day his life would be snuffed out. You never do, do you? You have no idea what a day can bring. And there his life was snuffed.

So not only did Amnon's lust end in a loss of life, and that's what we talked about last week. It took two years, but he was finally killed. Be sure that your sins find you out eventually, and it did find Amnon out. He ended up paying with his life. But now his brother Absalom is a murderer. His brutal death as he had him killed right there in that party caused all of the sons, everyone to panic for their very own lives. They jumped on their mules and they took off in every which way.

Verse 30: "It came to pass while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, 'Absalom has slain all of the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.'" Imagination is an incredible thing, isn't it? It can really get away with you. All of a sudden, here we see the truth exaggerated. Rumors are rotten, aren't they? Because by the time you get to it, they're dead. Well, they just scratched their knee and they had some stitches. But when it got to you, they were already lost their life. And you say, "Well, what?" And it's amazing how things get stretched and get bent out of proportion.

So the first report they got, they figured Absalom had killed all the heirs, all the sons. So they said, "David, every one of your sons has been slaughtered." Over the years, what I've learned about rumors, I've just learned this, that love believes the best until proven otherwise. When I hear things, I just have to let them not quite get penetrate deep. I just take it like, "Oh, that's interesting."

Really, we have to be careful. These ears aren't trash cans. A lot of people want to dump a lot of stuff on us. We have to be careful what we hear. Jesus even said, "Be careful what you hear." It'll affect your own heart. Love believes the best until it's proven otherwise. So when you hear a negative about somebody, just say, "Okay, we'll pray and leave it at there." Just believe the best until you're proven otherwise. Because these things, the enemy loves to get them and to really spread rumors around and destroy people and characters and everything. It's a danger to jump to conclusions.

But David does what we all do. Verse 31: "Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth, and all of his servants stood by with their clothes all torn." See, he was ready to believe the worst, but he was reluctant to believe the best. If I was to tell you this morning that, "Hey, guess what? You just won the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes." And you'd say, "Yeah, right." But if I was to come up to you today and say, "Hey, I just came from your house. It all burned down." You'd go, "Oh no! I knew it! It was the iron! It was the iron! I knew the dogs had knocked that over and oh, I left it on!" and you'd believe it. Why? Because we have that in us where we just believe the worst and we are reluctant to believe the best.

And so David did that very same thing. He believed the worst and he greatly mourned that day, knowing that all of his sons were dead. Verse 32: "And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, 'Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men of the king's sons, for Amnon only is dead. For by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. Now therefore, let not my lord the king take this thing to his heart to think that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon only is dead.'"

Now, do you remember our old friend here, Jonadab? Remember, this is the guy that was subtle and deceitful. This is the guy that set up the whole plan for Amnon to go into Tamar. This is the guy that is wheeler and dealing, and of course, he knows what's going on. So he proclaims, "Hey David, don't worry about it. I know what's happening."

How do you know what's happening? Because I'm the one. He didn't say that. But he says, "Oh, it's okay, David. Don't worry about it. It's just the one son's dead because Absalom, because of what happened to his sister, and this has been happening. I knew about this." And so he tells David this.

Notice now the hidden agenda. I really see this in Jonadab, that he wanted Amnon out of the way because then Absalom, who I think they were in cahoots together, they were together in getting this whole plan together because then Absalom could get the throne and he would then politically be raised up in a high position.

Again, the sins of the father handed down to the child. Jealousy really drove Absalom to kill his brother because he was jealous for the throne. He wanted the throne. Now David, it's interesting, did the same thing. He killed Uriah. Why? Because he wanted Bathsheba. He was jealous. He wanted her for himself. So jealousy now enters into the home.

Verse 34: "And Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there came much people by the way of the hillside behind him. And Jonadab said unto the king, 'Behold, the king's sons come. As thy servant said, so it is.'"

So Absalom, he flees of course for his life. He's afraid that he is going to be killed. So he leaves the scene. David's sons now return to him. Jonadab takes the credit and says, "I told you, David. In fact, if you listen to me a little bit more, I'll tell you a lot of things. I know what's happening. Just like I told you, it's taking place."

It was a very emotional time. It was kind of mixed emotions, though, because here come his sons who he thought were dead. Now they're alive, so he's happy with that emotion. But at the same time, he's sad because he lost another son. Amnon didn't come back to him. He's dead. I thought, boy, not one thing it's another with David. The Kennedys, they were just playing that whole series on the TV. It's terrible when you really look at their family and what had happened. Just one tragedy after another with the children. One thing after another. And so we see with David. First comes the rape, and now the murder, and this is just the beginning. Many more things are going to take place within his children's lives.

Verse 37: "But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, and the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. So Absalom fled, went to Geshur, and was there for three years." Now Absalom went to Geshur. Why? Because that's where his grandparents were. Because that's where his mom was from. And really, when you look at this situation here, he went there to be with his grandparents to find shelter, to hide out there.

David mourned. I believe that David really should never have been into this relationship in the beginning. In other words, he should have never married the woman from Geshur. Number one, she was a heathen, she was a pagan, and he took her because she looked good. And we know that she had a good-looking daughter, too, Tamar. And so he took her to his harem.

He was collecting wives. He was doing something that God warned him against doing. And then he started to get unequally yoked, if you will, with unbelievers. And that is always been a danger for those who are Christians to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever, to be dating unbelievers. It's a very great danger for anybody that messes around with it. You say, "Well, wait a minute, Jeff. You've got to understand, we're just dating. It's not a big deal. It's very innocent." Yet, how many of us had no idea and being married, we never intended getting married, but I just, we started dating and it just one thing led to another.

And listen, I'll tell you something. You cannot control or predict your emotions or your future. We must be careful because the person that you're dating, you could end up marrying. Oh no, no, many have said, "Oh no, no." And so that's why God says just start it out, don't do it. You're in real hot water if you do.

Finally, in the last verse there, it says that the soul of King David longed to go forth unto Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead. David here finds himself between a rock and a hard place. His soul was aching for his son. He wanted to go to his son. He was now over grieving over the son that was killed, Amnon. He was over with that, and he wanted to make things right with his living son. He wanted to go to him. And so it says that David mourned, his soul hurt.

But really, when you look at this, you see that that's all David did was hurt over the situation. He never did anything to get it right, just like when he was angry over the rape of his daughter. He never did anything to make it right. He just was angry. And so now we see him just mourning and just being sick in his own soul. Why didn't he do anything? I think it's because of pride. It got in the way and it kept him from getting it right with his son. In fact, it says for three years they were separated.

I'll tell you something about pride: it is a terrible wall that keeps people from being reconciled. It keeps families apart. It keeps mothers and daughters, it keeps fathers and sons separated over years. In fact, as the years go by, the precious moments go by and they are lost forever that you could have shared, you could have shared them together, you could have been together. But no, because you're stubborn with your pride and because of what she said and they did, you're not going to get it together. In fact, it's on them to call. And they're saying the same thing about you, "It's on you to call." And so what happens? You've got a stalemate. Nobody calls anybody, no relationships are restored, everything is up in the air and there's a standoff. And there is no coming together of the relationship.

So for three years, David was stubborn, full of pride. Nothing took place. Let me ask you a question. What about yourself? What about your family? What about your situation that you find yourself in this morning? Do you have something similar?

But I'll tell you something. Most of all, uppermost should be your concern about your relationship with your Heavenly Father. How is that relationship? Is it distant? Is it cold? Is it something that you're struggling with? I can assure you that on His end of it, He's not struggling with you. He's just seeking to win you over. He's done His part. See, God loved you so much He gave His Son to pay for that sin.

And so He's done His part. And it's not on His part, it's just on your part that you're not coming. I mean, He wants to have fellowship. He wants to have restoration. Don't let your pride keep you from experiencing His awesome peace for your life and for your heart. A rest. Jesus said you come and I'll give you a rest for your soul. Don't let your stubborn pride keep you from the joy of the Lord in your life. Don't let your pride keep you from His awesome love that He wants your life to be a channel of His love to those around you, to those relationships.

You see, if you'd just get that vertical squared away and get right with Him, then you'll be able to now deal with the horizontal, to deal with those things that maybe you got in the flesh and you wrote a letter or you made a phone call and now you regret it and you go, "I don't know what to do. It's like I burned the bridge." No, you didn't. It can be made right, but first it's got to get right this way. So you can be filled with His love, His compassion, so you can forgive like He forgives, so you can love as He loves.

That's what's needed to get that relationship together with the Lord and then your relationships with one another and with your family. But you've got to take the next step because He has already made His toward you. He died for you and He is seeking a relationship with you.

If you are like the prodigal son who was sort of in a backslidden situation, he had at one time tasted and seen that the Lord is good, but now is away from the Lord. But if you feel away from the Lord this morning, guess who moved? He didn't move, you did. You're the one that got cold. You're the one that got away. You're the one that broke off the relationship and the fellowship. You're the one that got upset and said, "Give me my ball, I'm going home." If you're not going to play my way, then I'm not going your way. And we act like little children at times and we stomp off. But He's just sitting there waiting, like that father was waiting for his son. And when he saw him, he ran towards him as he was drawing near and they embraced. And God wants to embrace you and bless you this morning.

That the Holy Spirit would come and bring you to your senses, that this is right, that this is what you need to do like the prodigal son. All of a sudden the light went on. He said, "What am I doing? I'm blowing it. I need to get back home. I need to make it right." And he started to go that way. He started to repent that his father could bless him. And that's all that God is asking, that you just turn from the way you've been going and turn towards Him so He can bless your life.

Guest (Male): It's really not complicated like some will try to tell you. All you have to do to receive salvation through Jesus Christ is to repent of your sins and have faith in Him. That's it. Pastor Jeff Johnson will be back in a moment to close out our time together today on Sound Doctrine.

Hopefully as you listen to these messages in 2 Samuel, you'll have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying in these critical times. God's word is so practical, giving us direction, instruction, and wisdom to our lives. To hear this message again, simply go to sounddoctrineradio.org or listen through the Sound Doctrine podcast app. You can also hear Sound Doctrine on oneplace.com and wherever you enjoy podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. We would very much appreciate your support. It helps us deliver Sound Doctrine on stations like this one all across the nation. And you can donate to this radio outreach at sounddoctrineradio.org. Humility seems to be a dying thing in the world we live in, but it's a key ingredient to a life surrendered to God. Here once again is Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: The scripture says humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He then can lift you up, but you must first come and humble yourself. It's your move. And it is a humbling thing to get up and to make a statement and saying, "I need to do this. I need to get it right with the Lord and I don't care what anybody else says. I know that the Lord's pulling on my heart by His spirit, so I need to be obedient." And it's a humbling thing, but it's a good thing because the Lord's saying, "Now restoration can take place. Now I can reconcile you, make it right. Don't let pride keep you from this awesome moment, this awesome relationship."

And you say, "Jeff, but what about David in his sin and the consequences of his sin?" And I just have to say this, that in 1 John 1:9, he says if we will confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins and to wash and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That we need to come, we need to confess and He says, "I will cleanse you, I will wash you. I want to restore, I want to bring back together that relationship with me and to those around you."

Because God is in the business of restoration. We see that over and over in David's situation. Yes, there was payment. But you know what? As I look back at my life, I have to say again, I don't see me reaping a lot of corruption because of my past, even though it was so in the flesh. I see some things going on with my children and my own family, in my own home. I see some things because of what I used to do, but it's not anything like you think it's going to be overwhelming, you can't handle it. The Lord just kind of says, "I'm going to have mercy on you, man. You deserve so much more. In fact, what you want justice? Then I'll give you just what you deserve. Hell." He didn't give it to me. He poured out His love upon me, gave me His grace and His mercy, and let me experience His love in my home and His peace and His joy. And that's what He wants to do. He wants to restore us back into fellowship so we can bless those around.

Guest (Male): Well, that'll do it for today. Come back next time when our study of 2 Samuel resumes with Pastor Jeff Johnson on Sound Doctrine, a presentation of Calvary Chapel Downey, made possible through the support of our listeners.