← Back to sermon library

All right, you can turn in your 
Bibles to 2 Samuel 16. 2 Samuel chapter 16. Remember last 
week in chapter 15, Absalom takes the throne away from David in 
fulfillment of God's word through Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 
12. Specifically in verse 11, Behold, I will raise up adversity 
against you from your own house. So it's according to God's sovereign 
plan. Nevertheless, Absalom is responsible 
for this insurrection, or rebellion, or usurpation. Remember that 
it starts off in chapter 15. He essentially works the crowd. 
He steals the hearts of Israel, and then he moves, or he gets 
David's sanction to go to Hebron. and then he launches or had launched 
this grand conspiracy to take the throne away from David. David 
gets wind of that and he departs from Jerusalem. And in chapter 
15, we see or we read of three friends or three persons that 
are kind to David. Those were Ittai, Zadok the priest, 
and Hushai. Remember, David called upon Hushai 
to go and to serve Absalom so that Hushai could give him bad 
counsel and try and disrupt him from his plan to take the crown. Well, in chapter 16, we find 
three enemies of David, and they are Ziba, Shimei, and Ahithophel. And it's obvious that when David 
is on the run, even in the midst of these things, God sustains 
and supports him. So I want to read 2 Samuel 16, 
and then we'll look at this passage. When David was a little past 
the top of the mountain, there was Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, 
who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them 
200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 summer fruits, 
and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, What 
do you mean to do with these? So Ziba said, The donkeys are 
for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit 
for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint 
in the wilderness to drink. Then the king said, And where 
is your master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Indeed, 
he is staying in Jerusalem. For he said, Today the house 
of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me. So the king 
said to Ziba, here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours. And Ziba said, I humbly bow before 
you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king. 
Now when King David came to Baharim, there was a man from the family 
of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gerah, 
coming from there. He came out cursing continuously 
as he came, and he threw stones at David and at all the servants 
of King David. And all the people and all the 
mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Also Shimei 
said thus when he cursed, Come out, come out, you bloodthirsty 
man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you 
all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have 
reigned. And the Lord has delivered the 
kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught 
in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man. Then 
Abishai, the son of Zariah, said to the king, Why should this 
dead dog curse my lord, the king? Please, let me go over and take 
off his head. But the king said, What have 
I to do with you, you sons of Zariah? So let him curse, because 
the lord has said to him, Curse David. Who then shall say, Why 
have you done so? And David said to Abishai and 
all his servants, see how my son who came from my own body 
seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, 
for so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will 
look upon my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good 
for his cursing this day. And as David and his men went 
along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and 
cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust. Now 
the king and all the people who were with him became weary, so 
they refreshed themselves there. Meanwhile, Absalom and all the 
people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel 
was with him. And so it was when Hushai the 
archite, David's friend, came to Absalom that Hushai said to 
Absalom, Long live the king. Long live the king. So Absalom 
said to Hushai, Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did 
you not go with your friend? And Hushai said to Absalom, No, 
but whom the Lord and his people and all the men of Israel choose, 
his I will be, and with him I will remain. Furthermore, whom should 
I serve? Should I not serve in the presence 
of his son? As I have served in your father's 
presence, so will I be in your presence. Then Absalom said to 
Ahithophel, Give advice as to what we should do. And Ahithophel 
said to Absalom, Go into your father's concubines, whom he 
has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you 
are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are 
with you will be strong. So they pitched a tent for Absalom 
on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's 
concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now, the advice of Ahithophel, 
which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at 
the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel, 
both with David and with Absalom. Amen. Well, in Psalm 3, which 
we had cause to note last week, when David was on the run from 
Absalom, David penned Psalm 3. And he says this. He acknowledges 
the presence of many enemies. He says, Lord, how they have 
increased to trouble me. many are they who rise up against 
me, many are they who say of me, there is no help for him 
in God. And so this obviously evidences 
that in David's movement out of Jerusalem into the wilderness, 
he meets along the way, these various persons that seek to 
trouble him further. And we'll notice that as we move 
along. But it is important for us to 
remember who we're dealing with. David is the rightful king of 
Israel. David was appointed by God, chosen 
by God, put into office by God and sustained by the Lord. Now 
certainly David sinned, David committed adultery, committed 
murder, but nevertheless he was the rightful king. So everything 
that Absalom does, everything that Zeba, that Shimei does, 
that Ahithophel does, they're sinning not only against the 
king, but they're sinning against God, because God, Yahweh, had 
appointed this king to rule over Israel. As Davis says, David 
is both under Yahweh's election and under Yahweh's judgment, 
and yet remains Yahweh's appointed servant. So never forget that. 
These things that are happening to David are happening contrary, 
ultimately, to the revealed will of God. It is an affront to God 
and a sin against Him. Now, this chapter breaks down 
into two broad sections. First, in verses 1 to 14, we 
have David's departure from Jerusalem. And then the second half or the 
second portion of the chapter is 15 to 23. It's the arrival 
of Absalom in Jerusalem. So we'll take it up in that order. 
In the first place, the departure of David from Jerusalem, we meet 
two enemies along the way. In the first place, we see the 
manipulation of Ziba in verses 1 to 4. And then secondly, the 
cursing by Shimei in verses 5 to 14. Now notice in chapter 16 
verse 1, when David was a little past the top of the mountain, 
there was Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth. Now remember Mephibosheth 
in 2 Samuel chapter 9. David wanted to extend kindness. He wanted to show loving kindness, 
steadfast kindness to the house of Saul. David was not a malicious 
man. He was not contrary to the house 
of Saul. He spared Saul's life many times 
when Saul was seeking to destroy David. After Saul and his sons 
died, David laments over them. And so in chapter 9, David wants 
to return some kindness to the house of Saul, so he inquires 
of this man Ziba, and finds out that Mephibosheth, the son of 
Jonathan, is still alive. Now, Mephibosheth was lame, he 
was crippled, he was not able to walk, he was no ultimate threat 
in terms of the throne and whatnot. So Ziba tells David about Mephibosheth, 
and David then extends kindness to Mephibosheth, and invites 
Mephibosheth to eat at his table. So Mephibosheth was given royal 
treatment by the king and looked upon by David as one of his own 
sons. So that's this particular Zeba, 
the servant of Mephibosheth. So he meets David with all of 
these supplies, these two donkeys with the bread. and the fruit 
and the wine and all these particulars. And David says, what do you mean 
to do with these? So Ziba says, I brought them 
for you, I brought them for your family, I brought them for your 
men to get refreshment, to get strength, to get encouragement 
in your wandering through the wilderness. Now note that David 
then asks concerning Mephibosheth in verse 3, And where is your 
master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Indeed, 
he is staying in Jerusalem. For he said, Today the house 
of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me. And then 
David makes this hasty decision. This is not accurate to do at 
this particular time. David makes a hasty decision 
and basically gives everything that belongs to Mephibosheth 
to Ziba. He doesn't check the other side 
of the story. It's a fundamental principle 
in life that God commands in the book of Proverbs. The first 
to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor comes and 
examines him. If you act upon a matter before you hear both 
sides, you are sinning against God. You're not supposed to do 
that. It happens pretty regularly in the church. Somebody will 
say something to someone, and that someone will get all upset 
about that other person, without ever going to the other person 
to verify and confirm the facts. You cannot operate that way, 
it is wrong. Every fact is established on 
the basis of two or three witnesses is another principle. Proverbs 
18 also says, whoever answers a matter before he hears it, 
it is shame and folly to him. And David hears this particular 
report concerning Mephibosheth and he doesn't check out the 
story. Now I believe that Ziba is capitalizing on David's problem. David is in no position to check 
on Mephibosheth's story. Ziba is actually a manipulator 
in this particular instance who is seeking to get what is Mephibosheth. And I think that we see this 
clearly, or at least implicitly, it's made clearer later on in 
the book of 2 Samuel. But the king makes a hasty decision 
to give everything to Ziba. Notice the servant humbly bows 
before David that he may find favor in his sight, my lord, 
O king. He says this in verse 4. incident. Just a couple of things 
we ought to consider. In the first place, the statement 
in verse 3 concerning Mephibosheth is contradicted by Mephibosheth 
himself in 2 Samuel 19. When David meets Mephibosheth, 
Mephibosheth says, Ziba lied, Ziba deceived, Ziba was wrong. And I think that at least again, 
implicitly here in 16, this is evidenced. Notice that if Ziba 
is as pro-David as he claims to be, why doesn't he pony up 
and follow David into the wilderness? Ziba and his men remain in Jerusalem 
as well. They remain on the farm. If he 
is a pro-David supporter, if he is indeed the sort of guy 
that calls David Lord and King, then put your money where your 
mouth is and follow along with them. As well, David, as I mentioned, 
does not verify the report by David. with Mephibosheth. And then the likely explanation 
is most likely that Ziba is manipulating David. He wants what he's got. 
And this is a wretched assault upon a man that's in dire straits. Matthew Henry says, having by 
wiles gained his point, Ziba secretly laughed at the king's 
credulity. Ziba's not looking ultimately 
to help David. If he does indeed help David 
with these donkeys full of supplies, it will only work to his benefit 
later. Ziba's in this for Ziba. Ziba's not in this for the good 
of David. If he was, he'd follow David, 
he'd throw in his support for David, and he would report accurately 
what's going on with Mephibosheth. Again, in 1924-30, Mephibosheth 
says that he lied, he deceived, he did not represent things properly. As well, Mephibosheth could not 
possibly believe that the throne would be restored to the house 
of Saul at this particular time. It's just not in the cards for 
Mephibosheth to even think such a thing. Davis comments on Ziba. He is a manipulator. He capitalizes 
on David's trouble in order to line his own pockets. What moved 
Ziba was not loyalty to Yahweh, Yahweh's king, but greed for 
his own gain. So it's just a brief section. 
It's only four verses. David does benefit in terms of 
the donkeys and the supplies. But ultimately, David acts contrary 
to the principles of justice and judgment that were to characterize 
his reign. He's not supposed to operate 
the way that pagan kings operate. He's not supposed to be arbitrary. 
He's not supposed to be capricious. He's not supposed to take Mephibosheth's 
property and give it over to Ziba without verifying whatsoever 
what Mephibosheth actually said. And so this is a hindrance upon 
the way that ultimately does not reflect well upon David. Now note the cursing by Shimei 
in verses 5 to 14. First, his cursing. They're located 
by Baharim and a man from the family of the house of Saul. 
Remember the house of Saul is still not altogether happy with 
David. Why is that? Because the house 
of Saul was the ruling party in the nation of Israel. Saul 
was the king until Saul died. David assumed power of the southern 
kingdom and then ultimately of the northern as well. So there 
was still obviously with Shimei, you see this, there was still 
some bitterness and some anger and a failure to properly appreciate 
Yahweh's choice of David's fore-rule over Israel. That's sort of the 
backdrop. So Shemite comes out, cursing 
continuously as he came. Notice in verse 6, he threw stones 
at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people 
and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Gil says, concerning the presence 
of David's men, I think this is a good observation, which 
is absurd, not so much to indicate the safety of David's person 
as the impudence and madness of Shimei to cast stones at David 
when so guarded. And this man's driven by rage. 
This man is driven by an anger and a bitterness. He's throwing 
stones at the king who has been rejected and usurped by his son. He is cursing continuously, and 
that one, David, is surrounded by his mighty men. Shimei's not 
a happy camper in this particular section. Notice as well the reason 
for his actions, verses 7 and 8. He identifies David as a bloodthirsty 
man and calls him a rogue, literally a son of Belial, a worthless 
one. I mean, this was quite an insult 
to use in Old Covenant Israel. He calls him bloodthirsty as 
well. And then note in verse 8, he 
says, the Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house 
of Saul in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has delivered 
the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son, so now you 
are caught in your own evil because you are a bloodthirsty man. He's 
not playing games, is he? I mean, when it rains, it pours, 
brethren. We ought to at least step back 
for a moment, and from the vantage point of 2 Samuel 16 and Psalm 
3, realize that when we enter that portal of trial, and it's 
a big one, like having been thrown off our throne and sent out of 
our country, that doesn't mean there aren't going to be attendant 
problems or trials as well. It's not like David can just 
say, well, I've already lost the throne, God, why are you 
sending all these, you know, these deadbeats into my life 
that are manipulating me and calling me bad names and whatnot. 
Very often, brethren, when trial comes, it comes with great vehemence. Study the book of Job. We have 
the Sabaeans and then the wind, or the Sabaeans, the fire, the 
Chaldeans, and then the wind wipes out everything that Job 
possessed. Wave after wave after wave of 
trial. And this may not be an encouraging 
thing on a Wednesday night for us to consider, but we need to 
steady ourselves, gird ourselves up, and realize that, my brethren, 
count it all joy when you fall into various, notice what James 
says, trials. plural. It's not typically the 
case that one thing is going to happen to us. And I'm not 
trying to be, you know, a harbinger of bad and evil for you or whatnot, 
but you need to appreciate the reality that sometimes when it 
rains, it does pour. And that is precisely what is 
happening here with David. Shimmy is not a happy camper. Notice as well the folly of thinking 
that God's judgment was on David for the blood of the house of 
Saul. You see where Shimmy is wrong. Shimmy is absolutely, 
positively, patently wrong. In our studies of 1 and 2 Samuel, 
we have had many occasions to notice that the author has taken 
great pains to distance David from any bloodshed concerning 
the house of Saul. David had opportunity to kill 
Saul when Saul was hunting David, and David didn't do it. Remember, 
David said, I'm not supposed to touch the Lord's anointed. He feared God, so he preserved 
Saul. When it comes to Saul's death, 
in battle it was against the Philistines. It had no part with 
David whatsoever. Again, 2 Samuel 1, David laments 
the death of Saul and his sons. Brethren, I'm not sure if I was 
David, I would be that good or kind. I mean, Saul hunted David 
like he was a dog, and nevertheless, David lamented over his death. And then as well, when Ish-bosheth 
ascends in the northern kingdom, David isn't responsible for the 
death of either Abner or Ish-bosheth. David was not guilty whatsoever 
of the blood of the house of Saul. This man is patently and 
obviously wrong. Henry says, see how forward malicious 
men are to press God's judgments into the service of their own 
passion and revenge. That's what Shimei is doing. 
He is not concerned ultimately with justice and righteousness 
and God. He is concerned with blaspheming 
God by throwing stones and continuously cursing King David of Israel. And then, demonstrably, his argument 
here is just wrong. All that was happening to David 
was a direct result of God's judgment upon David. Wouldn't 
God give or wouldn't God restore the kingdom to the house of Saul? It wouldn't be another Davidic 
king. It wouldn't be Absalom. I mean, 
the man is just out to lunch with reference to his wickedness 
in this instance. Note the request by Abishai. Abishai's had enough of this, 
okay? Abishai is one of David's swordsmen. And Abishai says what Abishai's 
say. Why should this dead dog curse 
my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take 
off his head. Now, this wasn't going to be 
a surgical procedure. This wasn't going to be a kind 
procedure. It was going to be a swift and 
bloody procedure. In the language of Dale Ralph 
Davis, Abishai proposes this because he has observed that 
people without heads do not curse." Abishai had had a belly full 
of Shimei's blood cursing and throwing stones at Abishai's 
king. Now notice the response by David. We'll slow down a little bit 
in this section because it's absolutely powerful. Notice first 
of all, verse 10, the rejection of Abishai's plan. The king said, 
what have I to do with you, you sons of Zariah? So let him curse. Note the plural, sons of Zariah. 
It's probably Abishai and Joab. Together they want to go remove 
shimmy of that volatile thing that's on the top of his neck 
that keeps spewing out hatred and enmity at their king. So he addresses the two, what 
do I have to do with you sons of Zariah? So let him curse, 
because Yahweh has said to him, curse David. Who then shall say, 
why have you done so? So he rejects Abishai's plan 
and he seeks his refuge in the sovereignty of God. This is fundamental 
to understanding King David. David has his problems, I will 
grant that. David has his problems in 2 Samuel 
11 when he goes into Bathsheba and when he murders Uriah. David 
has his problems when he kowtows to a Ziba and gives away Mephibosheth's 
farm to Ziba. David has his issues along the 
way, but this is the sort of stuff that highlights the fact 
that David is a man after God's own heart. Given recourse to 
Abishai's sword or to Yahweh's sovereignty, he chooses Yahweh's 
sovereignty. He puts himself in the lap of 
divine sovereignty. He sees God in this. Now when the text says, so let 
him curse, because Yahweh has said to him, curse David. We need to understand, along 
with John Gill, this is not by way of command or a precept of 
his. Yahweh didn't tell Shimei, I 
want you to go curse David. This is my commandment for you. Gill goes on to say, for to curse 
the ruler of the people is contrary to the word and law of God. Exodus 
22, 28. nor by any operation of His Spirit moving and exciting 
Him to it. For the operations of the Spirit 
are to holiness and not to sin, but by the secret providence 
of God ordering, directing, and overruling all circumstances 
relative to this affair. We saw this in the instance of 
Absalom. What Absalom does is wicked. It is usurpation. It is an affront 
to the throne and to the God who authorized that throne in 
Israel. Absalom is guilty of vile criminal 
activity. But it happens according to the 
plan and purpose of God. This is something that we as 
God's people have to appreciate. Joseph's brothers sin vilely 
against Joseph. Joseph is able to announce, you 
meant this for evil, but God overruled it for good. Lawless 
hands crucified the Lord of glory, according to Peter in Acts 2.23. 
but it happened according to the predetermined plan of God. 
God authorizes, God sovereignly governs all His creatures and 
all their actions. It does not remove the responsibility 
from Shimei, but it highlights the reality that God is the first 
cause, and then these means who operate, the Lord overrules, 
the Lord even uses the crooked acts of men to bring about His 
plan through their lives. That's what David acknowledges. David sees in all of this, one, 
he's not guilty of the bloodshed concerning the house of Saul, 
but two, David is guilty and David knows it. He shed the blood 
of Uriah. He shed the blood of a man whose 
wife he had committed adultery with. This is why David assumes 
this posture. Yes, on the one hand, I have 
not violated the house of Saul, But you know what? What this 
man is saying, deep down inside, he's absolutely right. And so 
David casts himself upon the sovereignty of God, rather than 
the sword of Abishai. Matthew Henry, I love this. He 
says, nothing more proper to quiet a gracious soul under affliction 
than an eye to the hand of God in it. That's what verse 10 is 
all about. Because the Lord has said to 
him, curse David. Who then shall say, why have 
you done so? Now note David's second argument. He argues from the greater to 
the lesser. Essentially, he says to Abishai and to Joab, put your 
swords away. On the one hand, what Shimei 
is doing is of the Lord. I do deserve this at a very fundamental 
level, because I have spilled innocent blood. But in the second 
place, he argues from the greater to the less. Verse 11, And David 
said to Abishai and all his servants, See how my son who came from 
my own body seeks my life? Listen to what he says. This 
is the greater atrocity involving David at this particular time. 
His own son, the son of his love, the one who came from my body, 
he seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite 
I mean, this Benjamite, who's part of the house of Saul, who 
has seen the death and the fall of the Saulite empire, is probably 
going to be upset and bitter. David understands this. Again, 
at a base level, David realizes that what Shimei is doing is 
what Shimeis do. I mean, it's legit as far as 
David is concerned. Let him alone and let him curse, 
for so the Lord has ordered him. It's not God whispering in his 
ear, I want you to do such and such an evil act. But Shimei 
is responsible for the act itself. David is able to rightly see 
the hand of God in it, the same way that Job, after the wind, 
after the Sabians, after the fire, after the Chaldeans, says, 
the Lord gives and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name 
of the Lord. Brethren, that is a practical 
faith in the sovereignty of God. When we are able to see and trace 
through those things to the hand of God and what he is teaching 
and what he is orchestrating through that. But then notice 
thirdly with reference to David's telling those men to keep their 
swords and their sheaths. He hopes in God's mercy. So you see David's logic here. 
Don't cut his head off because it's of the Lord. Don't cut his 
head off because he's a Benjamite. My own son has betrayed me and 
wants to kill me. I kind of understand why Benjamites 
want me dead as well. But in the third place, I hope 
in the mercy of God. Last week I suggested that 2 
Samuel 15 verses 25 and 26 were a sort of Romans 8.28 in the 
Old Testament text. Well, so is 1612. Note what David 
says here. It may be that the Lord will 
look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good 
for his cursing this day. Isn't that faith? What is our 
tendency if Shimei starts to cast stones at us and he starts 
to, you know, curse us and he starts to call us bloodthirsty 
men and women for crimes we didn't commit? See, this is where David 
typifies his greater son, who when he was reviled, reviled 
not. David is reviled here and he 
doesn't return it, but rather he hopes in the mercy and in 
the kindness of God most high. And note his acknowledgment of 
God's sovereignty. He's not a prosperity theologian. 
He doesn't think, well, I'm the Lord's anointed. I'll get whatever 
good thing is coming to me. It may be that the Lord will 
do this, because he understood who the Lord was. Yes, the Lord 
is fierce in His wrath, and in His justice, and in His judgment, 
but David has personally witnessed the goodness, and the kindness, 
and the graciousness, and the mercy of God toward David. So he says, it may be that the 
Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay 
me with good for His cursing this day. That's faith. That 
is faith, to look up from the midst of the trial, to hear the 
sounds of a wicked man blaspheming God, cursing you, and nevertheless 
saying, let him keep his head, because it may be that the Lord 
will turn this affliction around, and it will be used for my blessing. 
It will be used for my benefit. There's an interesting reading 
in the text as well. If you have the New King James, 
you'll notice some stuff going on in the margin. And as I've 
explained before, the original writings of Scripture, absolutely 
pure and perfect and good. When scribes come to copy, sometimes 
variant readings entered into the tradition. And in this particular 
instance, the word for affliction and iniquity look very similar. look very similar, but the text 
below, or the margin, notice in verse 12, says it may be that 
the Lord will look on my affliction, and then in the margin it says, 
or my eyes. The Lord will look on my eyes. And then the second reading, 
or the tears of my eyes. It's similar to affliction, right? 
Those three concepts are similar. Affliction, or eyes, or the tears 
of my eyes. You see where the eyes and the 
tears of my eyes sort of form one sort of a reading. And if 
it's the tears of my eyes that David is suggesting, then it's 
his affliction. So that's a good translation. It's a good gloss. But as I said, 
affliction looks like iniquity in the Hebrew text. And some 
have suggested that the original text said this, it may be that 
the Lord will look on my iniquity, my iniquity. And in this, he's 
casting himself upon the mercy of God, even in light of the 
sin that he had committed. He'd already tried and proven 
it, because after 2 Samuel chapter 11, what does Nathan say to him? The Lord has put away your sin. And so David is suggesting, if 
this reading is correct, he's going to look upon my iniquity 
and he will repay me with good because he's that kind of a God. He is gracious. I deserved to 
die when Nathan came to reprove me with reference to Bathsheba 
and Uriah back in 2 Samuel 11. I'm out in this wilderness now 
as a result of that self-same iniquity. And my hope and my 
trust and my confidence is, is that I will continue to experience 
the grace and the kindness and the mercy of God, and instead 
of His judgment, He will ultimately turn this around and bring me 
out of it and restore me to His favor. So, whatever the reading 
is, the theology is the same. He casts himself upon the lap 
of divine sovereignty. And brethren, again, I suggest 
that this is how we ought to view our particular situations. We ought to trust in the sovereignty 
of God and not in the sword of Abishai. Now, there might be 
instances and seasons where we trust in the sword of Abishai. 
If somebody comes through my front door and they're going 
to cut my wife's head off, I'm going to trust in the sword of 
Abishai at that particular time. Vis-a-vis my Mossberg sitting 
in my gun cabinet. So, there are instances. We exercise 
wisdom to be sure, but you see the drift in this particular 
section. David understands what is happening. David realizes that he's suffering 
under the chastening hand of God. Ziba, and Shimei, and Ahithophel, 
and Absalom, and all this sort of cadre of enemies that David 
have, ultimately are under the hand of a sovereign God. And 
the Lord is chastening His servant, and David embraces and accepts 
that chastening, and David kisses the rod, even as it is applied 
to him. It may be that the Lord will 
look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good 
for His cursing this day. Notice, Abishai and Joab put 
their swords away, David rests his head upon the bosom of divine 
sovereignty, and Shimei just keeps doing what he's doing. 
He just keeps going. I mean, I see a kid, you know, 
he's throwing stones and kicking up dust, and he's just all kinds 
of upset and bitter and unhappy, but he's not attacking the servant 
of Yahweh. So the king and all the people 
get some rest and refreshment at that particular time, And 
that brings us to the arrival of Absalom in Jerusalem. Notice 
in verses 15 to 23. In the first place, the meeting 
with Hushai. Again, back in 15, David says 
to Hushai, I want you to go and I want you to offer your services 
to Absalom. Because if he takes you in as 
a counselor, as a friend, you can give him bad counsel. You can give him confusing stuff. Because David knew that Absalom 
was wrong. David knew that Absalom had sinned 
against God, and David knew that the throne belonged to David. 
And so he prays to God, God sends him Hushai in answer to the prayer, 
and then David tells Hushai, go and, you know, make your services 
available to Absalom. And so now Absalom comes into 
Jerusalem, and so does Hushai. Now notice in verse 16, specifically 
verses 16 and 18, how ambiguous Hushai is in his wording. And so it was when Hushai the 
Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom that Hushai said to 
Absalom, long live the king, long live the king. Nody doesn't 
say, long live the King Absalom. Long live the King Absalom. He 
still could be showing his allegiance to David. He knows what he's 
doing, and the text is going to evidence to us that God blesses 
Ushai by confounding the counsel that Ahithophel gives. Ahithophel 
ends up hanging himself as a result of that whole debacle. But here 
he says, long live the king, long live the king, no mention 
of Absalom. And then again in verse 18, no, 
but whom the Lord has, Lord and this people and all the men of 
Israel choose, his I will be and with him I will remain. Again, 
it's ambiguous enough such that Hushai could very well have David, 
king of Israel, in his mind. But, of course, Absalom, being 
the egotist that he is, he doesn't read it that way. And in verse 
17, he says, is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not 
go with your friend? The friend there, of course, 
is David. Why are you betraying David and 
coming over to my particular camp? Now, I think that Gil is 
absolutely right to note that Absalom is not displeased with 
this arrangement. Absalom is not unhappy here in 
verse 17. It's just a question. He says 
that Absalom is overjoyed that such a trusty friend of David 
and a wise counselor of his had deserted him and come over to 
his party. And he also presses or highlights, 
Gil does, that Absalom is not upset with Hushai and he's not 
even suspicious because if he is, it's just a blight on Absalom. I mean, if Absalom says to Hushai, 
why in the world are you betraying David? Absalom, you just betrayed 
your own father. Who do you think you are to say 
such a thing? So a betrayal by Hushai is not 
shocking to an Absalom. Absalom has, you know, set the 
benchmark for betrayal. So he's got no right or reason 
to question Hushai. He's just asking him, is this 
the way you treat your friend? Or, you know, where's your loyalty 
to your friend? And of course, Hushai reiterates. And then in verse 19, Hushai 
indicates. Furthermore, whom shall I serve, 
should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served 
in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence." 
So that's the meeting with Hushai. Later on, we see the plurals 
are used. So Hushai is there along with 
Ahithophel, who serve as David's counselors, or Absalom's counselors, 
with reference to how he should proceed. Now note the specific 
counsel of Ahithophel here. verses 20 to 23. Remember that Ahithophel at one 
time was one of David's counselors. 1512 and 1531 indicate that Ahithophel 
betrayed David and Ahithophel hitched his cart to the mule 
called Absalom. He joined up with him. And so 
they come back to Jerusalem and Absalom is a shrewd, political, 
savvy guy and he says, what should we do now that we're in Jerusalem? It's a good question, isn't it? 
We've been to Hebron. We've consolidated power. The 
conspiracy has worked. David and his family are gone. 
I'm now here in Jerusalem. What do I do? I mean, I think 
we get the point of what Absalom is doing here. Now, note what 
Ahithophel says to him. Verse 21, go into your father's 
concubines. Now, a concubine had legal status. was sort of an additional wife 
along with the other wives, and they were protected by law, and 
they were looked after, and of course the king had several. 
It was sort of like what we might think of a harem, several women, 
that sort of thing. So Ahithophel says to Absalom, 
go unto your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the 
house, and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your 
father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strong. 
Now we might kind of raise an eyebrow at that particular bit 
of counsel for a whole host of reasons. I mean, he's telling 
him to go have sexual encounters with 10 women. Remember back 
in 1516, when David departs from Jerusalem, he leaves 10 concubines 
at his house to make sure, I don't know, the knickknacks don't get 
dusty. I don't know why he left them there, but he leaves 10 
concubines back at the house. So there are 10 women here. Ahithophel 
counsels that Absalom go in public and have sexual relations with 
each one of them. Again, we raise our eyebrows 
at the thought of such a thing. And then we see Ahithophel saying 
that the hands of all who are with you will be strong. How 
in the world is this going to play out? How in the world will 
sexual sin be a means of unifying the people? Well, a couple of 
things we need to consider. In the first place, cohabiting 
with the sexual consorts of a ruler is an assertion of having taken 
over all his prerogatives of dominion. So yes, it was sexual 
in nature, but it was also a royal lesson. Now that I have gone 
into the king's wives, I'm the king. So it is a flexing of one's 
royal power to do such and such a thing. As well, in terms of 
the reason given, it says, and all Israel will hear that you 
are abhorred, literally, that you stink to your father. Then 
the hands of all who are with you will be strong. Now, you've 
got to remember that those following Absalom at this particular time 
understand something very well. They know that if Absalom and 
David reconcile, then they're going to be charged with treason. 
Okay? It might be the case that when 
David and Absalom meet up together once again, David is going to 
be wooed with love for his son, and Absalom is going to put away 
his rebellion and his usurpation, and they're going to make peace 
and happy. But all those people that have followed Absalom are 
enemies of the state, because they usurp against the lawful 
king. it will strengthen the hands 
of Absalom's people to see there is no longer any chance of reconciliation. When Absalom ascends to that 
royal roof, and he has sexual relations with those ten consorts, 
he is making a public declaration, I am the king, there is no other, 
and there is no possible chance for reconciliation with David 
ever. That's why Ahithophel says this 
will consolidate your power, this will bring support from 
the people, there will no longer be fear in their hearts that 
you're going to get back together again with David. It really is, 
in many respects, brilliant counsel that Ahithophel offers at this 
particular time. Now note the compliance by Absalom, 
verse 22. So they pitched a tent for Absalom 
on the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's 
concubines in the sight of all Israel. Now, this is intriguing, 
and this is just another evidence to how beautiful our author has 
woven together the narrative. One man points out, the same 
prince who was full of indignation at his brother's sexual violence 
perpetrates a sexual crime against his father. I mean, it's just 
wretched. And then consider the usurper's 
sexual transgression of David's women takes place on the very 
palace roof from which his father first looked lustfully at Bathsheba. You see, you're never supposed 
to forget what has gone before. You're never supposed to forget 
sort of the irony that's involved in some of these particular accounts. 
Absalom is outraged at Amnon, so he dispatches with him. But 
Absalom could care less about going in the tent of David's 
concubines. absolutely wicked on his part. And then the reaction of Israel 
with reference to Ahithophel, verse 23. Now the advice of Ahithophel, 
which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at 
the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel, 
both with David and with Absalom. I think that sets the stage for 
what follows later on. When Ahithophel gives counsel, 
Hushai basically confounds it, and Ahithophel goes the way of 
all sinful flesh. Now, we ought to remember, as 
we conclude our study tonight, in the first place that what 
happens here even in verse 22 as unsavory as it is and as wicked 
as it is on the part of Absalom and on the part of Ahithophel 
who counseled him to do this, it was nevertheless in accordance 
with God's promise through the prophet Nathan that this would 
indeed be retribution for David's sin. Remember, 2 Samuel 10 to 
12 basically controls the rest of the narrative. There will 
be a sword, the sword will never depart from your house, it will 
raise up adversity from within your own house, and your wives 
will be publicly violated in the sight of all Israel. Well, 
it's come to pass in this instance, and again, God sovereignly is 
orchestrating all events, but the responsibility lies squarely 
with Ahithophel and with Absalom. In the second place, I think 
we ought to appreciate, when we read the psalms, the suffering 
behind the psalms. The suffering behind the psalms. 
I would hope everyone here reads psalms. I would hope everyone 
here sings psalms. And I would hope everyone here 
loves the psalms. I mean, there's not a better 
collection of sacred poetry or songs that the church could sing 
and rehearse and delight in. But many of the psalms are psalms 
of lament. That means psalms of sorrow and 
heartache and hardship. Well, when we understand the 
context of 1 and 2 Samuel, Psalm 3 makes absolute sense, doesn't 
it? We're not left wondering, you 
know, what is David talking about? He's not talking about in sort 
of vague, generic concepts that sort of happen out there. When 
he says, Lord, how they have increased who troubled me. Many 
are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of 
me, there is no help for him in God. But you, O Lord, are 
a shield for me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. 
I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from his holy 
hill." He does that, right? He cries out for aid from the 
living God. God, I want Ahithophel to be 
confounded. And as soon as he comes up from 
prayer, as soon as he finishes Psalm 3, here comes Hushai the 
Archite. Brethren, that's the Psalms, 
it is fleshing out the life of David. He says, I lay down and 
slept, I awoke, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid 
of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me 
all around. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my 
God, for you have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone, 
you have broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs 
to the Lord, your blessing is upon your people. So I suggest 
that as you read the Psalms, and they have a little superscription 
there that gives you the historical occasion, reflect back on that. 
Reflect back on these Wednesday night studies as we've gone through 
the life of David. When you read Psalm 3, consider 
what we are seeing here in 2 Samuel 15 and 16, the kinds of misery 
and trial and difficulty David underwent, and why he says what 
he says in these particular Psalms. And if David could find confidence, 
or solace rather, in the living and true God, in His sovereignty 
in the midst of such things, then that encourages us as Psalm 
readers to seek our help in that same God and to trust that He 
will afford it unto us as well. We need to understand the Psalms 
in conjunction with their historical background. In the second place, 
we need to understand the sovereignty of God. David did not deny it. 
David understood it all too well. In fact, someone called David 
a hyper-Calvinist or a fatalist when he launches into verse 10. 
when he says, the Lord put him up to this. Oh, David, you can't 
say that. You can't suggest that. Our God is in the heavens. He 
does whatever he pleases. David understands absolute comprehensive 
sovereignty. He doesn't buck against it. He 
doesn't rage against it, but rather he seeks his comfort according 
to it. David put his hope in the sovereignty 
of God ultimately. Again, verse 12. That's a Romans 
8, 28 passage in the Old Testament. It may be that the Lord will 
look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good 
for his cursing this day. And then thirdly, we ought to 
appreciate the fulfillment of God's Word. Again, I think this 
is a touchy subject with some. They see Absalom doing his thing 
on that roof, and they see Ahithophel doing his thing and telling Absalom 
to do his thing on that roof. They see the likes of Shimei, 
and they hear David say, this is ultimately of the Lord, and 
they struggle. They think, well, how in the 
world is it that God puts bad people up to bad things in order 
to do bad things? Well, we need to understand that 
God overrules all things to accomplish His purpose and His will. I think 
Davis helps explain this. He says, a reader can see that 
Ahithophel's advice that is meant to overthrow David's kingdom 
nevertheless carries out God's judgment upon David's sin. Ahithophel's 
scheme to remove God's chosen king nevertheless fulfills God's 
previous word. That is why there is hope for 
God's people in this text, even though it depicts judgment upon 
the covenantal king. For the text is saying that the 
betrayer is yet in the hand of God. His act of treachery only 
executes Yahweh's word. If anything, it demonstrates 
all the more that these men do not operate alone. There is no 
rogue sort of actor on the face of the earth. Everything is ultimately 
under God's sovereign purpose and plan, and such that anything 
that happens to us, good or ill, it's ultimately ordained by God 
for our good. Again, Romans 8.28. I was with 
the old people today, and they're easy to talk to about trials 
and difficulties. You know, when you hit your 90s, 
you know something about trials. I told them, you could all teach 
this lesson a whole lot better than I could. I was doing the 
James 1 passage on, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall 
into various trials. And just highlighting again with 
Romans 8.28, Paul does not mean they're all good things work 
for good. None of us would dispute finding a bag of money is a good 
thing. None of us would dispute a promotion at work is a good 
thing. None of us dispute that our children, you know, eating 
all their peas and going to bed on time is a good thing. We all 
agree with that. We need to be convinced that 
God works all bad things out for our good. That's the purpose 
of Romans 8.28. That's the purpose of 2 Samuel 
16.12. It is to see when everything falls down around you that it 
may be that God will nevertheless overrule this and He will repay 
me with kindness rather than with wrath. That's the kind of 
faith that we need to exhibit. And then finally, the typical 
significance of David. We've already pointed it out. 
The one who was betrayed submitted to the sovereignty of God. David 
was betrayed. Make no mistake about it. Everybody's 
betraying David, and yet he submits himself to the sovereignty of 
God. Same with our Lord Jesus Christ. Same with the Lord Jesus 
Christ. And you see that as well. I've 
already mentioned, you know, these second causes. Judas was 
the betrayer, wasn't he? The interesting thing is that 
the word that is used with reference to betray is the word that means 
to give over. We can see that, right? If I 
give you over to your enemy, then I've betrayed you. Well, 
Judas gets the credit for having betrayed the Lord Jesus. But you know, Paul tells us that 
in Romans 8, in Romans 8.32, that God delivered up his son 
for us. Right? We see the absolute sovereignty 
even working through the wretched, wicked, vile acts of a betrayer 
like Judas. And we need to understand that 
that's the relationship. So the one who was betrayed submitted 
to the sovereignty of God, and the one who was reviled did not 
revile in return. Van Hoy says, David's behavior 
is striking because it goes against the natural human inclination 
to retaliate against unjustified harassment. Brethren, if somebody's 
sitting in front of me at a red light, the light turns green, 
and they don't immediately get on that gas, I'm ready to rock 
and roll. I don't know what I'd do if Shimmy 
was cursing at me and casting stones at me for something I 
didn't do. I don't know that I could just, at this point, 
I hope God would give me the grace to be a David in that situation. 
I'd say, Abishai, Joab, and every servant you have, take your swords 
over there and help him out. Teach him to no longer curse 
the Lord's anointed. But listen, David's behavior 
is striking because it goes against the natural human inclination 
to retaliate against unjustified harassment. It reflects something 
of the behavior of Jesus. When swords are drawn against 
Jesus in the garden, Peter jumps to and cuts the ear off of Malchus. And what does Jesus say? Don't 
do that! What does Peter later say concerning 
Jesus in 1 Peter chapter 2 with reference to Christ when He was 
reviled? He says, 1 Peter 2.23, who, when 
he was reviled, did not revile in return. When he suffered, 
he did not threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. Isn't that what David does in 
2 Samuel 16? He is reviled. He is judged unrighteously. But rather than taking vengeance 
upon his enemies, he commits himself to him who judges righteously. So in the midst of David's sin, 
in the midst of David's iniquity, please never forget that David 
was a man after God's own heart. He typified his greater son, 
who would be betrayed, would nevertheless commit himself to 
the living and true God, the one who would be reviled, but 
in return would not revile back, but would submit ultimately to 
the Father in order to save His people from their sins. Well, 
let us close in prayer. Father, we thank You for Your 
Word, and we thank You for the life of David and for what it 
teaches us, and we thank You for the Psalms that that show 
us His heart in the midst of these sufferings and trials. 
And God, may we approach these things not just as a daily exercise 
just to read our Bibles, but may we seek to enter in and may 
we feed on these texts for the trials that we will certainly 
go through. May You uphold us, may You keep 
us, and may You cause us to always cast ourselves upon the sovereignty 
and the mercy and the kindness and the goodness of our God. 
We ask that you would go with us now. Please bless Don and 
Joanne as they travel. I pray that you'd watch over 
them and keep them and protect them as they travel many miles. 
God, may you preserve them and bring them back to us refreshed, 
and may you just bless their visit away. And we ask these 
things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.