Okay,
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 4
you can turn in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 4. 2 Samuel chapter 4 as we continue through 2 Samuel. I'll read the chapter, do a bit of review since it's been several weeks since we've been in Samuel. 2 Samuel 4 beginning in verse 1. When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart and all Israel was troubled. Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of troops.
The name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other, Rakab, the sons of Reman, the Barathite, of the children of Benjamin. For Barath also was part of Benjamin, because the Barathites fled to Gittim and had been sojourners there until this day. 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. Then the sons of Rimon the Barathite, Rechab and Baana, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach.
Then Rakab and Bayanah, his brother, escaped. For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. And
The Assassins Present Their Case to David
they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. And the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants. But David answered Rechab and Baanah, his brother, the sons of Reman, the Barathite, and said to them, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, when someone told me, saying, Look, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag, the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. How much more when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed?
Therefore shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?' So David commanded his young men and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron. Amen.
Introduction and Review
Well, if you go back for just a moment to chapter 1, we remember that the occasion there was the death of Saul. David got wind of that from the Amalekite, more on that particular aspect later, and then David laments over the death of Saul and his sons. David is then anointed in Hebron in chapter 2, verses 1 to 7. Essentially, David becomes the king over the southern tribes.
In verses 8 to 11 in chapter 2 we see this coalition between Abner and Ish-bosheth, and what Abner does is essentially goes about all the northern tribes and gets support for Ish-bosheth. Ish-bosheth is a son of Saul, so Abner is trying to keep or perpetuate the house of Saul. Abner is the power behind Ish-bosheth, he is more like a puppet king. After this, then Abner meets with David's men and they initiate a civil war.
There is a truce between Joab and Abner toward the end of chapter 2, but in chapter 3 at verse 1 we are told that there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Now, interesting, in chapter 3, Abner tries to join forces with David. Remember, Ish-bosheth questions Abner about his relationship with a concubine of Saul.
And Abner doesn't like that, so Abner goes to David. And Abner goes, most likely, to try and jockey for position in David's kingdom. Now, Joab gets wind of this and gives Abner a stab to the belly. Joab does not like the thought, most likely.
Now, there's certainly a vengeance aspect because it was Abner who was responsible for the death of Asahel, Joab's brother. But most likely, Joab saw the threat posed if Abner comes alongside in David's kingdom. So, Joab executes or assassinates Abner. Now at the end of chapter 3 we see that David takes great pains to defend himself and to show or demonstrate that he was not complicit in this assassination.
And the same sort of thing now happens in chapter 4. because the only remaining opposition in the north is Ish-bosheth, and once he is gone, there will be a consolidation of power. David will be the ruler not just over the southern tribes, but he will be ruler over the northern tribes as well. And so chapter 4 deals with the issue of Ish-bosheth, this continuing king in the northern kingdom. And
The Situation Concerning Israel
there's three things we ought to consider as we look at this chapter. First, the situation concerning Israel in verses 1 to 4. Secondly, the assassination of Ish-bosheth in verses 5 to 8. And then thirdly, the retribution carried out by David in verses 9 to 12.
But note in the first place the situation concerning Israel.
Israel's Demoralization at Abner's Death
Verse 1 indicates the response to Abner's death. In verse 1 it says, when Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron. That would be Ish-bosheth. That's the son that heard that Abner had died in Hebron.
It says that he lost heart. If you look at the marginal reading, it says his hands dropped. Others have rendered it his hands slackened. Robert Alter says in a modern idiom it would be he lost his grip.
In other words, he was demoralized because Ish-bosheth knew very well that Abner was the power, that Abner was the courage, that Abner was the mover and the shaker behind the Northern Kingdom. Now that Abner is gone, Ish-bosheth rightly concludes What am I going to do? This is why he loses heart, or this is why his hands drop, or this is why his hands are slacking, or he loses grip. He's a puppet king propped up by Abner, and now that Abner is gone, he is essentially lost.
He doesn't have that power base, he doesn't have that built-in structure, he doesn't have that hope, or that help rather, that he most desperately needs. And notice, it wasn't just Ish-bosheth's response to the death of Abner, but notice all Israel was troubled. It seems to be common knowledge that all Israel knew what the score was and what the situation was, that Abner was the main man that was operating in terms of power in the north, and then it was Abner that tried to bring this truce with David, to bring the northern tribes under David. So Israel knows about this, they're troubled at this particular point because they wonder should we continue to pursue this truce?
Should we continue to pursue this particular venture? Or they are troubled at the thought that what will David do now? Now that Abner's out of the way, they don't know what's happened specifically in terms of Joab and the fact that David was not complicit. So there's a lot of uncertainty going on in the northern tribes at this particular time.
Now notice,
Introduction of Baanah and Rechab
we have an introduction in verses 2 and 3 of these two men that were Baanah and Rakab. They will fare later in the story. Notice their rank. They are captains of troops.
Their names, Baanah and Rakab. And then their tribe. Notice, the sons of Reman, the Barathite, of the children of Benjamin. For Baroth also was part of Benjamin, because the Barathites fled to Gittim and have been sojourners there until this day." Now this is pretty amazing, because these are Benjamites, men of the tribe of Saul that dispose of Ish-bosheth.
As Kyle and Dalich remark, They say this remark concerning Baroth in the verse before us served to confirm the statement that the Barathites mentioned were Benjamites. But that statement also shows the horrible character of the crime attributed to them in the following verses. Two men of the tribe of Benjamin murdered the son of Saul, the king belonging to their own tribe. Make no mistake about it.
Now, God ultimately uses this, and we'll make the observation tonight in our application, the mystery of divine providence. God does work through His secret will to bring to pass all that He has purposed. But that does not mean that what Baanah and what Rachab do in this particular chapter is legit. These are terrible, wicked, godless men.
From the very tribe of Saul himself, they execute a man while he is sleeping in his bed. I mean, this is as low and as wretched as anybody could ever get. And then they actually think that David's going to be pleased with this, and then they couch it under the guise of theology. The Lord has avenged you.
These are terribly wicked men. As we move through the passage tonight, we ought to notice this and appreciate it. Now
Mephibosheth and the Weakening House of Saul
notice this reference to Mephibosheth in verse 4. 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. Now he's probably about age 12, because back in chapter 2, we learn that there's about a seven-year period here.
So, at the death of Saul, there is this reference to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. When he was age 5, it says that 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.
Now, we might ask, why in the world is this inserted in verse 4 in this particular instance? Now, Mephibosheth will make it into the pages of 2 Samuel again later on. We will see Mephibosheth once again, or in a couple of instances. But if we ask the question why, I think we ought to appreciate a contrast here in verse 4 of chapter 4 with chapter 3, verses 2 to 5.
Remember in chapter 3 at verse 1, we learn that David grew stronger and stronger and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. An evidence or a demonstration or a manifestation of David growing stronger and stronger is given to us in verses 2 to 5. He is having sons. He has multiple wives, which we said was not legit.
According to Deuteronomy 17, the king of Israel was not to multiply women, weapons, or wealth. He was to have a modest approach to life. But nevertheless, the kings of Israel did multiply wives, and in this instance, he is having sons. This indicates the strengthening of the house of David.
When we get to chapter 4 and verse 4, and we see reference to Mephibosheth, it underscores the weakening of the house of Jonathan. With the death of Ish-bosheth, the only remaining heir is this man Mephibosheth, and he is lame in both feet. He is not kingly material. This is a precursor to the consolidation of the kingdom that will come under David.
Again, Kyle and Dalich say that with the death of Ish-bosheth, the government of his family necessarily became extinct, as the only remaining descendant was a perfectly helpless cripple. So Mephibosheth comes on the scene in this particular instance to show the absolute weakening of the house of Saul and the strengthening of the house of David. Now
The Assassination of Ish-bosheth
let's move secondly to the assassination of Ish-bosheth in verses 5 to 8. Notice, specifically, then the sons of Reman, the Barathite, Rechab and Baanath, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. Now there's several reasons why he might have been lying on his bed at noon. Some say because of the heat of the day and because of sleep cycles the way they were, it was not uncommon for persons to get some rest during the day.
A siesta was very common in the ancient Near Eastern world. Others say this is a demonstration and display of his slothfulness and his sluggishness And he should have been up doing things rather than taking a nap at noon. Well, we certainly don't know according to the particular text. What we do know is that he's not in combat.
He is in a position of great disadvantage, lying asleep in his bed. And then we learn concerning verse 6. They came there all the way into the house as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Now there is a variant reading in the Septuagint that indicates that there was a doorkeeper, a woman doorkeeper, that was asleep as well, and that's how the two men gained access. into this particular place.
They went under the guise of obtaining wheat, perhaps for their troops, perhaps for themselves. It is interesting that wherever his bed was, it was not far from the wheat, so it wasn't some mansion palace sort of a setting. It was most likely a modest residence where the king slept near the wheat. But all that to say, they go in under the guise of getting wheat, they stab him, they assassinate him, they murder him while he is asleep on his bed.
Again, Ish-bosheth is a rebel against the will and the word of God. God had made clear that it would be David, ultimately that would be the king of Israel. Later on, David is going to say that this man was righteous. Doesn't mean he was without sin, but what I think David means is that he wasn't in combat.
He wasn't a threat. He wasn't a menace. He was simply sleeping in his bed at noon, and you beasts went in and took a knife and stabbed him in the stomach. Now notice, it says that they then escaped, the end of verse 6, then Rachab and Baanah, his brother, escaped.
Now, verse 7 essentially repeats verse 6. This is common in Hebrew narrative. There is repetition, and oftentimes with the addition of a detail or two. And in verse 7, we see the repetition, but there is the addition of this detail concerning his head.
It says, for when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him, and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. So they cut his head off, they take his head. This is going to be leverage that they bring to David.
Now, the text never specifies what their particular motive is, but we can suspect it was something similar to Abner. Remember, Abner wanted to make a deal with David, most likely so that Abner would have a place in David's kingdom. And these men seem to be operating on that same principle. In fact, notice when David rehearses the situation concerning Saul and the Amalekite, verse 10, at the very end, he says, the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.
So the Amalekites suspected that he would get a reward. Abner suspected that he would get a reward. And while the motive isn't specified in chapter 4, we ought to suppose that Raqab and Bayanah are looking for a reward. Ish-bosheth cannot stand when there is no Abner.
The northern kingdom is all about dissolved as far as they could tell. So if they take the head of Ish-bosheth, down to David, David will be so impressed that he will say to these sons of Remond, why don't you take this position of authority and become captains of troops in my army? That's what they are operating on. And now they make this journey, it's probably about 80 miles and it would be a two-day trip.
They are currently in Mahanaim, where Ish-bosheth resided, and they go down to Hebron. So in that time frame, they then probably think through what they're going to say to David. And that brings us to their meeting with David in verse 8. Notice, they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, here is the head of Ish-bosheth.
Now, I'm sure we're a bit offended by this, our delicate sensitivities. I certainly wouldn't want somebody to bring a head to me. But David was no stranger to decapitation. And David was no stranger to carrying a head himself.
Remember after the battle in the Valley of Elah, David killed Goliath. David loosed Goliath's head from his giant body and David carried that head. So Ish-bosheth's head was not going to shock David. It is the wickedness and the wretchedness of the sons of Reman that David takes offense to.
Notice, they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life. And the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants." Now, this is their justification for why they did what they did. And there are two reasons, and they are both false. They are operating under false assumptions.
In the first place, they assume that David wanted vengeance against the household of Saul. Did David want vengeance against the household of Saul? No. Didn't we see in 1 Samuel 16 to the very end, when David was given opportunities to end Saul's life, David does not take those opportunities.
David does not take up the sword against his enemy Saul. These men assumed that David would want vengeance against him. But he did not take vengeance upon Saul. He did not even take vengeance upon Abner.
He makes that very clear. In chapter 3, Abner was the man who propped up the house of Saul again. As far as David was concerned, Abner was the power behind the northern revolt. And yet David didn't take up his sword against Abner.
And David would not have taken vengeance upon Ish-bosheth. These men are wrong concerning David's motive, concerning what moves David. David is a godly man. He is not going to kill men lying on their beds under the guise of fetching wheat.
But notice the second reason. They assume that God had sanctioned their murderous act. I mean, look at this. And the Lord has avenged my Lord the King this day of Saul and his descendants.
Turn back for just a moment to 1 Samuel chapter 24. 1 Samuel chapter 24. One of those instances where David spares Saul's life. 1 Samuel chapter 24 verse 1. Now it happened when Saul had returned from following the Philistines that it was told him, saying, Take note, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.
So he came to the sheepfolds by the road where there was a cave, and Saul went in to attend to his needs. David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. Then the men of David said to him, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand that you may do to him as it seems good to you. Now, I believe when we're in 1 Samuel 24, I most likely made the caution that we need to be very careful about interpreting God's providence.
We need to make sure that we're very cautious when it comes to the secret things. We need to tread lightly when it comes to those things that are not revealed to us explicitly or implicitly in the Scriptures. Explicit means chapter and verse. Implicit means good and necessary consequence.
Providence, or the way that God operates, can at times be difficult to interpret. Just because something goes your way doesn't necessarily mean that God is favorable towards you. Just because you are in the depths of despair doesn't mean God hates you. You see, we need to make sure.
Because I have a rotten Tuesday doesn't mean that God is necessarily angry with me. God knows that rotten Tuesdays oftentimes promote holiness and likeness to Jesus Christ. So when we look at it in that regard, we can say that rotten Tuesdays actually might mean that God is pleased with me and is favorable toward me so that I might be further conformed unto the image of Christ. Brethren, we need to be careful about interpreting the providence of God.
Now, there are certain things that are obvious, certain things that are clear, other things not so much. Now, these sons of Reman thought as they handed this dripping head to David that this was the mark of God's vengeance upon the house of Saul for David. John Gill says, these men impiously ascribed to the Lord what they with wicked hands have done. This is what's really appalling.
They engage in an act of murder or assassination. They do it in the most cowardice way. I mean, at least wake the guy up and put a knife in his hand. Give him a fighting chance.
But to stab somebody while they're asleep is as low as you can possibly get. But then they try to couch it in theology. They try to mask their wickedness under theological concerns. Listen to Calvin.
He says, nevertheless they falsely used the name of God as though God were their companion. It's a violation of the third word. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. If you commit an act of treachery or you commit an act of wickedness, don't try to sanction it by invoking God to your side.
Well, I did this and good things will come as a result, so therefore God blesses the means that I've employed. Do not reason thus. God does not say it was good that Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. God does not say it was good that the Romans and the Jews nailed Jesus to the cross.
Now we know that God overruled the Joseph incident to bring about good. We certainly know that God predestined and predetermined the death of Jesus Christ to bring about good. But that does not justify the means that godless and wicked men employ. God will work out His purposes, and oftentimes He does it through the wretchedness of men.
But that does not validate wretchedness conducted by men, and we need to get that straight. Calvin says, they falsely use the name of God as though God were their companion, which is typical of the way in which the wicked are not ashamed to bandy about the name of God. For these men had no reason to kill their king. They did it out of spite.
They were traitors and perverse. In brief, they were fully condemned and had made their own judgment. Nevertheless, they did not fail to use God's name as a shield. But as I have said, this is common with hypocrites who, in order to cover their dishonesty, think that God should lend them His name.
You might meet this with professing Christians, a man and a woman, who love each other. And because they love each other, they engage in sexual intercourse. They say, but the Lord brought us together. He gave us this love for each other.
If you are not in the confines of a covenantal marriage, you are not to engage in that activity. I don't care how much you think the Spirit may have led you. I don't care how much you may think the Spirit has confirmed that this is the man or the woman for you. You're not supposed to do it.
And just because you can accomplish good things through less than noble means, does not mean it's legit. The people of God live by the preceptive will of God, what he has revealed to us. The precepts are the marching orders for God's people, not our perception of what ultimately is best, because our perception of what ultimately is best may be patently false. And in this particular instance, it was indeed.
Now,
David's Retribution
let's look thirdly at the retribution carried out by David in verses 9 to 12. In the first place, David swears with an oath. Notice in verse 9, but David answered Rachab and Baanah, his brother, the sons of Reman the Barathite, and said to them, as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity. He swears by the name of Yahweh.
And then notice that he identifies Yahweh as the one who has redeemed my life from all adversity. Isn't that a beautiful verse? Isn't that a verse that we can hang our hats on and hold on to? Can't we enter in with David and say, you know, that's been my experience too.
He has redeemed my life from all adversity. When we look at David's life, beginning in chapter 16 in 1 Samuel, we see that indeed this has been the case. I mean, from David, his battle with Goliath in the Valley of Elah, to his being hunted like a dog by Saul, every step of the way the Lord preserved him, both physically and spiritually. David confesses, David declares, David states his conviction, as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all in all adversity.
Again, this is one of those blessed verses that we ought to appreciate. And if we are honest with ourselves, we can say the same thing, can't we? Both temporal and spiritual, He has redeemed my life from all adversity. It doesn't mean He removes all adversity from my life.
That's a difference, isn't it? He has redeemed my life from all adversity. David had the presence of adversity. In fact, as you look through the Scriptures, you don't find many people with as much adversity as David had.
I mean, as soon as the Spirit comes upon David, his trouble begins. in 1 Samuel 16. When David is a shepherd tending to his sheep, yeah, he's got to fight lions and bears. I don't want to underestimate that. That's no fun thing I could imagine, but it's the human adversity, it's the human trials, or the human element that comes upon him after he's filled with the Spirit. much like what we see with the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 3.
He is baptized, the Spirit comes upon him in his baptism, and in chapter 4, the Spirit drives him out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil himself. That was the same experience for Jesus' son, David. son in terms of the cosmic. We know that Jesus was the son of David. But you see, David was able to say, as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity.
And when he states this, it also indicates the folly of their effort. In other words, David doesn't need two junior high-level thugs to do his business for him. He doesn't need the sons of Reman to go under the guise of gathering wheat in the heat of the day and take a knife and plunge it into a sleeping man. In other words, David is saying that God has my back, not you sons of Remond.
God redeems my life from all adversity, not the sons of Remond. God is the one who has seen me through every step, every trial, every problem, every hardship, every woe. It is the Lord God who has redeemed my life from all adversity. Gil says, which he ascribes, this redemption, which he ascribes to the Lord and doubted not that he would still deliver him and complete what he had designed for him and that he needed not the assistance of such wicked hands as theirs.
So you see, I wonder what their faces look like at this point. You know, this is where exegesis, we can't go that far, right? I mean, they think they're doing a splendid thing. They think they are just going to get, you know, a round of applause from the king in Hebron.
They think they're going to be congratulated, they're going to be rewarded, they're going to be benefited, they're going to be blessed. As they hand this head of Ish-bosheth over to them, they're probably just counting the good things that are going to come, and David hits them with this, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, I don't need you men. I don't use your types of schemes. Now notice,
The Precedent of the Amalekite Messenger
he cites the precedent in the death of Saul in verses 10 and 11. He says, when someone told me saying, look, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news. Same situation, isn't it? This is precisely what we find in chapter one of 2 Samuel when the Amalekite comes to David.
The Amalekite is looking for blessing. Again, I'm sure he was quite surprised when David ordered a summary execution. The same thing is going to happen here. He said, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag, the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.
Now probably the sons of Remont are starting to change directions in their thought process. Is he going with this? He's not talking about blessing. He's not talking about benefit.
He's not talking about the good things that we are going to get. He is rather reminding us of an instance that happened at the death of Saul. Well, just in case they needed more information, David gives it to them in verse 11. How much more? when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed.
Again, I don't believe that David thinks that Ish-bosheth is a sinless man. He's a non-combatant. He is not engaged in warfare. He is taking a nap at noon on his bed.
That means he's a righteous man. He is not deserving of a knife in the belly. So David says, how much more, referring to the Amalekite, if I had him summarily executed, what do you think is going to happen to you guys? The end of verse 11, therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?
So these men thought with the head of Ish-bosheth that they were going to get good things, but now they have learned they are going to be executed for their wretchedness and their wickedness that they tried to mask under theology by saying this was the vengeance of God and this was the means by which God would deliver you, David.
The Execution of the Assassins
Now notice in verse 12, the execution. So David commanded his young men and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet and hang them, not their hands and feet, hang the corpses, by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron. Now, why cut off hands and feet?
Well, we've seen that happen in other places in these former prophets. John Gill says, their hands, which had smote Ish-bosheth, and cut off his head, and their feet, which had been swift to shed his blood, and made haste to bring his head so many miles to David. This was what the Jews call measure for measure. He goes on to say, it was to their shame and the terror of others.
So the hanging of their corpses would be to shame them in their death and it would bring terror to others. So you see that David was not complicit in the death of Ish-bosheth. He has a vested interest in making sure that he is not associated with the deaths of Saul, with the death of Abner and with the death of Ish-bosheth. Some say this just shows his political machinations.
He wants to secure the reality that when he comes into a consolidated throne that there's nothing that would sort of tar and feather his reputation. I don't think he is politically motivated, but at the same time I think he wants to make sure that Israel knows that he did not have a hand in the death of these men. Because what's happening now and what will happen in chapter 5 is that South and North come together and David is the king from Dan to Beersheba. And so certainly he doesn't want persons in the North to be suspicious of him as having had a hand in the deaths of Saul and Abner and Ish-bosheth.
And in each of the instances in chapter 1 And in chapter 3 and in chapter 4, David takes great pains to distance himself and to show that he was not complicit in the death of these men from the house of Saul. Now,
Application: Lessons from 2 Samuel 4
what do we learn from this chapter? Well, there's a couple of things and then we'll close.
The Mystery of Divine Providence
In the first place, we learn something concerning the mystery of divine providence. the mystery of divine providence, the Lord God works through the wicked acts of men to accomplish his purpose. You see, Bayanah and Rachab, they said that this is the way the Lord would avenge you. Now, in the secret things, in the decretive plan of God, this was the means by which Ish-bosheth is removed from the seed. You see, the sons of Reman are not supposed to live, as I've already mentioned, according to the secret things.
We live based on what the Word of God reveals to us. And the Word of God says you're not supposed to go into a man's house and take a knife and put it in his belly while he's having a siesta. Now, that God overrules and that God uses these things to accomplish His purposes underscores, highlights, and magnifies the glory of a sovereign God. So, He works through the wicked acts of men. to accomplish his purpose.
I referenced Joseph in Genesis 50. I referenced the Lord Jesus in the gospel records and in the book of Acts, specifically Acts 2.23. The Lord God predetermined the death of Jesus, but this does not minimize or do away with the responsibility or the culpability of the brothers of Joseph, or of those lawless hands that nailed Jesus to the cross in the crucifixion. In fact, turn there in Acts 2.23.
This is what many have called the mystery of divine providence. God works through the wicked acts of men to accomplish his purpose. And if you just think through that for just a moment, if he didn't, nothing would get done. because pretty much everything that man does is a wicked act in one form or another. So if God does not work through those things, then it would stop the progress of the kingdom.
But notice in Acts 2.22, men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know him. being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God. Could it get clearer? Could it get more clear? No.
Who's responsible ultimately for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? It is the Lord God Most High. It is the covenant of redemption. It is the Father promising the Son a certain number of elect.
The Son willingly covenanting to die on their behalf. Isaiah the prophet says Yahweh was pleased to bruise Him, putting Him to grief. But notice, it goes on to say, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. They're still responsible.
They are culpable. These Jerusalem sinners are guilty for the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4 verse 27, For truly against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done.
So you see, the Bible everywhere acknowledges the sovereign plan and purpose of God, and it also highlights the responsibility of man. And this passage concerning Ish-bosheth and the sons of Reman indicates that the Lord works through the wicked acts of men to accomplish His purpose. I mean, it is the case that Ish-bosheth was blocking this consolidation of power under David. So Ish-bosheth is disposed of by the sons of Reman.
The problem is that the sons of Reman then declare that it does not matter the means. It does matter the means. The people of God are to obey the word of God in every instance. As well, the Lord does not excuse the wicked acts of men when he accomplishes his purpose.
Calvin, when he discusses the death of Abner, he says, we see therefore how God has a secret method which is incomprehensible to us, to bring all his works to completion. In this, He uses the wicked and employs them in whatever way pleases Him, not that they are to be excused. You see, rest assured, everything that happens, happens according to the determined purpose of God Almighty, the decretive will of God. All things happen because He has purposed it.
Now, again, we are to live based on what the scripture says. Does everybody get that? I fear at times we're looking for the secret things. We're trying to peer into those things and we're trying to figure out, you know, what is it that the Lord has for me?
The Lord has commanded you. The Lord has given you. The Lord has revealed his will and word to you and you are to take up and read and by the Holy Spirit, obey those things. The Lord commands us to live in light of His preceptive or revealed will, and the Lord certainly accomplishes all things according to His decretive, or we might call it His secret will.
God works all things according to the counsel of His own will. Joseph's wretched brothers bring about a good end. the lawless hands that nailed Jesus to the cross, the Lord God uses that to bring about a glorious end in the redemption of sinners. And in this instance, God overrules the wicked deed of the sons of Ramon to bring about the consolidation of the kingdom under his Messiah, under his anointed one, even David, king of Israel. Now, I think it is good what Calvin says in that quote.
God has a secret method which is incomprehensible to us. Now incomprehensible doesn't mean we have no clue whatsoever. It simply means that we cannot effectively exhaust the mind of God when it comes to these things. The Lord God Almighty does whatever he That's what the psalmist says in Psalm 115.
And man does a whole host of wicked things under the sovereignty of God. And yet God works out his purposes even through those things. So we can't fully exhaust what is going on in the mind of God with reference to the decretive and the preceptive will of God. We simply come to the Scriptures, we seek by the grace of God to obey those things that are commanded, and we trust that He has all things under sovereign control and that He will work out things for His glory and for our well-being.
The Character of David
In the second place, we ought to consider the character of David in chapter 4 here. In the first place, he acknowledges the Lord's faithfulness. He acknowledges the Lord's faithfulness in that declaration in verse 9. As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity.
This statement is one of acknowledgment and gratitude, isn't it? Acknowledgement and gratitude. Certainly as David acknowledges this, his heart must be leaping with gratitude at the reality that this is what God has done. He has redeemed my life from all adversity.
If you doubt the element of gratitude, go to Psalm 103 sometime. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of his benefits.
What benefits you ask, he starts to list them. There is a gratitude in David, and that gratitude helps David. That thankfulness helps David. When David recalls what God has done in the past, that steadies David in the present, and it gears him up for the future.
If God has redeemed my life from all adversity, I can trust that He will be with me today, and I can trust that He will be with me tomorrow. As well, this statement serves as a corrective against idolatry. Dale Ralph Davis has an interesting comment in his commentary at this particular point. What do you mean it protects him from idolatry?
Well, as the Lord lives who has redeemed my life from all adversity, the sons of Reman were proffering themselves as David's redeemer, weren't they? David's redemption came through these men and their bloody sword. David's redemption came through the head of Ish-bosheth. And in this declaration, as Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, that closes down all competitors.
This is a great help to guard against idolatry. When we see the Lord God's faithfulness, when we respond to the Lord God with gratitude, that will promote allegiance to Him alone. We will not look to the idols of men. We will not look to the sons of Reman as our deliverers.
We will not look to any other competitor, but rather we will give all glory and praise allegiance to our God. As well, this statement indicates his dependence upon the Lord's sovereign goodness. The Lord's sovereign goodness. Who better than David saw the sovereignty of God in his life?
Remember, David was saved by the Philistines twice. when he was running from Saul. Twice God used Philistines to save David. I mean, David saw the glory and the majesty and the excellence of God in ways that perhaps many of us haven't. That's why we need to read about the life of David to see how imaginative and how wondrous and how glorious our God is in that he sends Philistines to save his servant from Saul.
And as well, the character of David is revealed in this passage in terms of the administration of the Lord's kingdom. David would no doubt understand that persons would be suspicious of him with reference to the deaths of Saul and Abner and Ish-bosheth. I mean, wouldn't they? David has become king in Hebron.
All that stands between him now and consolidation of all Israel are Abner and Ish-bosheth. Well, intriguingly, Abner and Ish-bosheth are dead. What might you think if you were watching CNN and this was plastered on the news? It might rise up in you to think, maybe David was complicit in this.
Maybe David had a hand in this. That's why David at every step of the way Not because of political machinations or because he's just got this unbridled lust for power. David is a shepherd. David is the shepherd God raised up to put over Israel.
David legitimately wants to serve Israel. And so in order to consolidate power, he wants to eliminate these suspicions so that persons will see that this is in fact of the Lord. And so what does David do? When Joab dispatches or deals with Abner, David distances himself from it.
He doesn't execute Joab, which later on we'll see that Joab does meet his end. But in this instance, David orders the execution of these two men. This is a bit of a down payment concerning the justice and the righteousness, which will characterize the kingdom of God. You see, David was typical of Jesus, and when we learn about Jesus and the prophet Isaiah, when we learn about Jesus and the prophet Jeremiah, what is the benchmark of his rule and authority?
Justice and righteousness. We have a taste of that here in 2 Samuel chapter 4. And then
Masking Evil with Theology
a third observation I think we ought to make, and we'll close here, is the attempt to mask evil with theology. The sons of Remond attempt to justify their murder by appealing to the Lord. Calvin says it's not just the sons of Remond, but it could also be sons in the church. In fact, Davis says that.
The sons of men in the church attempt to justify a whole host of things in a similar manner. We'll do horrible things, and yet we try to cover it under the guise of theology. We'll do wretched things, we hurt people, we're unloving, we're unkind, we're ungracious, because the Lord God said that we need to do it this way. Brethren, I am not one to say, let's not have theology.
If any of you think that, you've not been listening. Theology is absolutely crucial for every jot and tittle of life, but theology is not meant to be a mask to hide behind when we sin. I'm going to read an extended quote from Davis. I typically don't like to read long quotes.
Davis, though, is readable out loud, and I suspect that not every one of you are going to go home and read Davis tonight. I think this is very important. He says, with reference to these who mask evil with theology, specifically concerning the sons of Reman, they come with blood on their hands, but theology on their lips." Isn't that the case? They got the head of Ish-bosheth, and they said, the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.
He says, they come with blood on their hands, but theology on their lips, expecting the latter, theology, will magically bleach the former, their blood. Murder always seems more pleasant when wrapped in religious considerations. Bayonets and recabs are still extant. Some are in our churches.
Their methodology is unchanged. Use theology to cover sin and folly. For them, theology is not truth that lures us to worship God. I like that as a definition of theology.
Something that lures us to worship God. Is that the end of our study? Is the worship of God? Is that why we come to the Scripture?
Is that why we read a Birkhoff or why we read a Gill? It's to be lured to worship God, to see Him in His majesty and His glory. He says, for them, theology is not truth that lures us to worship God, but technique that enables us to justify ourselves. He gives two examples.
We may recognize them in the self-appointed defender of doctrinal precision. Again, I believe in doctrinal precision. Again, we should all affirm doctrinal precision. That's why we have 930 to 1030 hours studying doctrinal precision vis-a-vis the 1689 London Baptist Confession.
That's why we engage in expository preaching in our morning and evening worship. That's why we engage in Bible study on Wednesday, because we love and we should pursue doctrinal precision. But he says, we may recognize them in the self-appointed defender of doctrinal precision, the one who is eager to explain, correct, and inform with all harshness and severity. Now brethren, there's a time we need to be able to go on the offense and by God's grace demolish the contrary arguments to the word of truth.
But when we're dealing with brethren, we really ought to be loving and kind and gracious and merciful and realize that sanctification is a process and we're all sort of at different places. You know, if we're graduate level theologians, we can't expect the new babe in Christ to see it the way we do. And to yell at them or berate them or to get mad at them or to insult them is not consistent with the kingdom of grace and mercy and kindness. He says, we recognize them in the self-appointed defender of doctrinal precision who is eager to explain, correct, and inform with all harshness and severity.
If accosted about his stringent style, even on matters of lesser moment or debatable clarity, he argues theologically. He is only concerned that we hold to the whole counsel of God. Again, that's good. We want to hold to the whole counsel of God, but we don't want to destroy Christ's sheep in the process, do we?
We need to come alongside of Christ, babes, and we need to give them the milk. I know when my babies were two, I didn't shove steak down their throats. We gave them milk. We gave them mashed up food, and as they got older, we'd throw them a steak, and as they got older, we took it away, because they were eating us out of house and home.
You see, in the church, brethren, we need to realize brethren are at different places, and under the promotion of the whole counsel of God, let's not be obnoxious and uncharitable and unkind, and do it under the guise of theology. He gives another. Another example, or suppose the church elders begin informal or formal discipline against an erring and recalcitrant church member. What will they hear?
Theology, about how all of us are sinners, right? But God is compassionate, certainly more so than church elders. And who gave you the right to assess my life anyway? You see, the elders go to the sinning brother, and they seek to correct and encourage and help recover him.
And what does he do? He responds with theology. Well, it's the doctrine of total depravity. You're a sinner just like me.
And God is full of compassion. He's full of mercy. What's the implication? Leave me alone.
Under theology, Davis says, we must beware. When we explain things theologically, we may simply be using God, using Him as an argument, manipulating Him for our convenience to keep from submitting to His grace or to His law. I think parents can have a tendency to do this. You know, we beat our children up with the Bible or with God.
God's watching you. He's gonna get you. Well, brethren, that's not the best possible way to go about things, you know? To manipulate your child by this thought that, you know, it's not wrong to tell him and remind him the eyes of the Lord are in every place.
He beholds the good and the evil. That's legit and that's consistent. But if in anger and, you know, a vehement, you know, God's watching you and he's going to... We're not really seeking to exhort them and encourage them biblically.
We're seeking to hit them over the head with theological hammers. And that may not necessarily be the best way. And then
The Kingdom of God Advancing
the final observation, we ought to appreciate the inching forward of the kingdom of God. It is inching forward, isn't it? Slowly but surely, slowly but surely, David will ultimately be king over Israel. There's been a lot of years and a lot of goings on and a lot of happenings to get us to the point where David is now the king over a united kingdom.
This is typical as well of the kingdom in our era. It inches forward, sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes unbeknownst to us, but we ought to rest assured that that mustard seed is growing, will continue to grow, and will be a massive tree so that the birds of the air can find their rest therein. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for your grace and your mercy to us. We thank you for the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray that you would help us to learn from these Old Testament passages. Help us to see your character, your goodness, and your kindness, and the fact that as David was able to rehearse, you redeemed his life out of all adversity. Certainly we can testify to the same thing, and we have reason to believe you will continue in your faithfulness and in your kindness, both presently and in the future, to be our Redeemer.
We ask that you would go with us. We ask that you would watch over us. We ask that you would protect us and bring us together on the Sabbath day. I pray for that funeral on Friday.
I pray specifically for Colleen and the children. May this be a time, though of grief, may it be a time of encouragement as brothers from all over the country come to pay their respects. to a chosen man of God, a man who has departed, a man who has left his mark and legacy in this world. We just praise you that he is now with you. We praise you, God, that you have promised to be the defender of widows and orphans.
And we pray that you'd watch over Colleen and her children. And we pray these things through Christ our Lord. Amen.