David

Lead me to the Rock

Waiting rooms are sometimes associated with difficult circumstances. One place everyone would like to avoid, but we usually all end up in is a hospital waiting room. If you have ever been in one, it might have seemed like an ominous place, one that you felt was shrouded in darkness. David said, “When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2).

The word translated overwhelmed, ‘âtaph (aw – taf´) means to shroud, as with darkness (5848). The feeling of being overwhelmed comes when we are dealing with the unknown or are uncertain about our future. It can be related to a holding pattern that we have to control over and seems as if it will never end.

God’s waiting rooms may be more pleasant, but not necessarily any easier to deal with. David said, “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1) and “My soul, wait thou only upon God: for my expectation is from him” (Psalm 62:5). The concept of waiting from God’s perspective may be nothing more than silence, not hearing anything from him or getting a response to your prayer.

Along with silence, when we are waiting on God, there may be a need for stillness, to not do anything. Although doing nothing is easy for some, king David was a man of action. He was regularly engaged in warfare and was not afraid to risk his life; but, when his army went out against Absalom, David found himself on the sideline, waiting to see how things turned out.

Expectation is important because often what we expect actually happens. Expecting a good outcome makes waiting easier, or at least not as stressful, and it is a sign of faith. David said, “The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him: and all the upright in heart shall glory” (Psalm 64:10). A righteous person is someone who has been made right with God. The Hebrew word for righteous, tsâdaq (tsaw – dak´) is also translated as justified. “This word is used of man as regarded as having obtained deliverance from condemnation, and as being thus entitled to a certain inheritance” (6663).

One of the things David inherited from the LORD was the throne of Israel. Nathan the prophet told David, “Thine house and thy kingdom shall be stablished for ever before thee: thy throne shall be stablished for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16). Unlike Saul who was killed for his disobedience, the LORD assured David that his future was secure. “But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee” (2 Samuel 7:15).

When David said, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2), he may have been referring to Jesus. David said in Psalm 62, “He only is my rock and my salvation” (Psalm 62:2). The word translated salvation, yeshuw’ah means deliverance (3444). Jesus is a Greek form of the word yeshu’ah and in 1 Corinthians it says of the rock that the Israelites drank from in the wilderness, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ.”

What do you expect?

David’s life serves as an example of what a person committed to the LORD can expect in this world. David said, “Many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man that maketh the LORD his trust” (Psalm 40:3-4). David felt that he had a responsibility to tell people about his experience. David said, “I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation” (Psalm 40:10).

The message David’s life conveyed was primarily about forgiveness. God’s lovingkindness toward David and tender mercies were evident in the continual deliverance David had from his enemies. David said, “For innumerable evils have compassed me about: Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up: They are moe than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me” (Psalm 40:12).

David’s life was not easy, and yet he spoke positively about the way God dealt with him. David had a way of seeing things that made the worst of circumstances look pleasant. David said, “But I am poor and needy; yet the LORD thinketh upon me” (Psalm 40:17). The words poor and needy depict someone without resources who has become depressed (34, 6041). The word translated thinketh, châshab (khaw – shab´) “signifies a mental process whereby some course is planned or conceived” (2803).

David had many troubles that he had to deal with and there were times when he felt trapped, unable to escape a very difficult circumstance. In those times, David cried out to the LORD and discovered that God was paying attention and always had a plan of escape waiting for him.

If you asked David, Why has the LORD has been so hard on you?, he would probably say, “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous” (Psalm 58:11). The word translated reward, periy means fruit and also the product or result of an action (6529). For the most part, we think of a reward as a good thing. What David was implying was that people would see through his life the result of godly actions.

David’s actions did not always produce good results. Especially when he sinned, David’s actions produced bad results. He received punishment for his bad behavior. In the context of sowing and reaping, David’s life was consistent. When he did the right thing, he got a good result and when he did the wrong thing, he got a bad result. This is what a person committed to the LORD should expect in this world.

I trust him

“But as for me, I will walk in my integrity: Redeem me and be merciful to me” (Psalm 26:11). The integrity that David claimed for himself was that he did not intend to sin. David did everything he could to keep himself from sinning and when he did sin, he confessed and repented of it.

David asked the LORD to redeem him and be merciful to him because he knew that in spite of his best effort, he could not save himself. The word translated redeem, pâdâh (paw – daw´) means to sever. “Padah indicates that some intervening or substitutionary action effects a release from an undesirable condition (6299).

At the time David wrote Psalm 26, he did not know how the situation with Absalom was going to turn out. David was confident that the LORD was on his side, but he did not assume that God would make it possible for him to return to Jerusalem. The only way that David could resume his responsibilities as king was for Absalom to be killed, and yet, David charged his men not to harm him.

David expected that if it was the LORD’s will for him to return to the throne, the LORD would take Absalom’s life through some divine action. David prayed, “Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men” (Psalm 26:9). The word translated gather, acaph means to take away (622), indicating David believed that God could take Absalom’s life if he wanted to.

David differentiated himself from those who deserve to be punished. It is clear in Psalm 26 that David believed he was innocent and warranted God’s protection. David’s attitude was not arrogant, and yet, he spoke as a man that had never committed a sin.

David’s relationship with the LORD was such that he could speak of himself in a way that most people, even Christians, would not dare to. In spite of the fact that David had committed two of the worst sins imaginable, adultery and murder, David saw himself as a righteous man. He said, “Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity” (Psalm 26:1).

The key to understanding David’s confidence is what he said about the source of his righteousness. After David said, “I have walked in my integrity,” he said, “I have trusted also in the LORD” (Psalm 26:1). The word translated trusted, bâtach (baw – takh´) means security or secure (982). David was secure in his relationship with the LORD. No matter what David did, he knew if he sinned, God would forgive him, because he already had.

Good news, bad news

On the day David was told that Absalom was dead, two messengers greeted him. The first messenger said, “All is well” (2 Samuel 18:28). The word translated well is shalom which means peace (7965), indicating that peace had been restored to David’s kingdom. This was good news for David.

When the second messenger arrived, David was told, “the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee” (2 Samuel 18:31). And when asked specifically about Absalom, the messenger said, “The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is” (2 Samuel 18:32).

David’s reaction to the second message indicates he perceived it to be bad news. “And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept” (2 Samuel 18:33). The word translated moved, râgaz (raw – gaz´) means “to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear)” (7264).

Although it is possible that David was deeply saddened by Absalom’s death, it is more likely that David was angered by the news  because Joab had disobeyed his order. In 2 Samuel 18:5, it says, “And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.”

The good news that peace had been restored to David’s kingdom was overshadowed by the bad news that David’s army was no longer under his command. Joab’s disobedience was the equivalent of treason and a sign that David’s authority had been greatly undermined by Absalom’s rebellion. Corruption was beginning to permeate David’s kingdom and there was little he could do to turn the tide.

In a state of despair, David said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom: would God I had died for thee” (2 Samuel 18:33). David may have been saying that he wished things had gone the other way, that Absalom had prevailed and taken his place as king, or David may have been expressing a desire to sacrifice himself, so that Absalom’s sins could be forgiven.

Because God had pardoned David when he sinned with Bath-sheba and killed her husband Uriah, everyone probably perceived that he got away with murder. David deserved to die for his sins like everyone else, but he didn’t, therefore, the people of Israel began to test the limits of the boundaries God had established for them, and like Joab, they were willing to sin because they thought the end justified the means.

In the New Testament of the Bible, a good message, or what was referred to in 2 Samuel 18:22 as tidings, is the word gospel (2098). When Jesus said he came to preach the gospel, it meant that he had good news to share with God’s people. The good news being that the Messiah had come and salvation was available to everyone.

 

Don’t listen

And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom (2 Samuel 17:14)

The LORD does not just sit back and watch when his children get into trouble. Even though he was displeased with David’s sin, the LORD did not let Absalom come in and take over his kingdom. The LORD intervened in the situation and made an intentional effort to defeat or frustrate the advice that Absalom received from Ahithophel. The name Ahithophel means brother of folly (302). Ahithophel had teamed up with Absalom to create an unlawful alliance against David (2 Samuel 15:12). As one of David’s trusted advisors, Ahithophel knew David’s tactics and could undermine his efforts to escape Absalom’s  reach.

Absalom’s decision to listen to Hushai’s advice instead of Ahithophel’s made it possible for David to find out what Absalom was planning to do. During the interim while Absalom was gathering together the army, David and the people with him, crossed over the Jordan and got assistance from David’s allies. Therefore, David was strengthened and prepared to face Absalom by the time Absalom caught up with him.

Although God is good, it is possible for him to bring evil on someone that does not trust him. Absalom’s effort to take over as king was not ordained by God. Therefore, it was necessary for God to stop him. In order for the LORD to make things right, he directed Hushai to give Absalom counsel that was the opposite of what he should actually do. It was Absalom’s own choice to listen to Hushai that enabled the LORD to bring evil on him.

If Absalom had sought the LORD’s direction instead of relying on the counsel of men, things might have turned out differently. Ahithophel’s plan would have worked if Absalom had followed it, so there was a chance that Absalom could have been successful in taking over as king. The problem was that Absalom wasn’t concerned with who he listened to, all he wanted was for someone to tell him what to do.

The difference between David and Absalom was that David knew he had direct access to God. As the anointed king of Israel, David had a personal relationship with God. David had counselors, but he did not rely on them to tell him what to do. In the chain of command it was God, then David, and then everyone else. David knew who to listen to.

Starting over

Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. (2 Samuel 12:11-12)

These words were spoken to David by Nathan the prophet when he confronted David about his sin with Bath-sheba. The word translated raise, qûwm (koom) means to arise or stand up. “It is also used to denote the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged” (6965).

The prophecy was fulfilled after Absalom came into Jerusalem and took over as king. At the advice of Ahithophel, it says in 2 Samuel 16:22, “So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.”

Although it may seem as if the prophecy against David was harsh, David knew God was right to punish him and when David was ridiculed by Shimei, he did not doubt that he deserved to be cursed. What guided David through the experience was a belief that God still cared about him and would not bring on him more than David could handle.

David said regarding his punishment, “It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day” (2 Samuel 16:12). The word translated requite, shûwb (shoob) means to turn back. “The basic meaning of the verb is movement back to the point of departure” (7725). David’s hope was that he would regain his position of right standing with God, so that the LORD could bless him as he once had.

Two Hebrew words related to shuwb are nacham which means to repent (5162) and teshubah which is a recurrence or beginning (8666). Together these words convey the idea of starting over or beginning a new life. Because, in a sense, the penalty for David’s sin with Bath-sheba was paid when Absalom desecrated his wives in public, David was free to move on and was given a fresh start.

Note: Unlike David, we do not have to pay a penalty for the sins we commit. Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins when he died on the cross. He made it possible for the LORD to “requite us good”  automatically at the moment of our conversion. The only thing we have to do from that point forward is confess our sins and the penalty is taken care of by Jesus’ death.

 

Down but not out

Psalm 28 shows us that David is aware of Absalom’s actions and intent to disturb David’s peaceful relations with his neighbors. David said to the LORD, “Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbor, but mischief is in their hearts. Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavors” (Psalm 28:3-4).

The word David used to describe Absalom’s behavior, mischief or ra‘ (rah) in Hebrew is derived from the word ra‘a‘ (raw – ah´) which means to spoil (7489).

The word ra’ combines together in one the wicked deed and its consequences. It generally indicates the rough exterior of wrongdoing as a breach of harmony, and as breaking up what is good and desirable in man and in society. While the prominent characteristic of the godly is lovingkindness (2617), one of the most marked features of the ungodly man is that his course is an injury both to himself and to everyone around him. (7451)

David uses the concept of sowing and reaping to convey his belief that Absalom’s attempt to usurp David’s power would not end well for him. David prayed, “Give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert” (Psalm 28:4). The word translated desert, g’muwl means treatment (1576) and is derived from the word gâmal (gaw – mal´) which refers to a weaned child and the ripening of grapes (1580). David is implying that Absalom should be treated as an adult and the fruit of his actions should show forth the result of his intentions. Absalom’s effort to steal the hearts of the people was based on deception and the lie that David no longer cared about them.

David was hurt by the fact that his own son would turn against him, but he was not naïve enough to believe that Absalom deserved leniency because he was still a young man. David said, “Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them” (Psalm 55:15).

It was probably difficult for David to justify Absalom’s actions because David had shown Absalom mercy when he invited him back into the city of Jerusalem after Absalom had killed Amnon. One of the things David knew from personal experience was that mercy should produce repentance and a change in behavior. David said, “Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God” (Psalm 55:9). There was no evidence that Absalom was any different after returning from Geshur. If anything, he had become hardened by David’s kindness and Absalom no longer respected David’s authority.

David’s final words in Psalm 55 indicate that his retreat from Jerusalem was not a sign of defeat, but a means of getting out of God’s way so that the LORD could deal with Absalom’s disobedience. David said, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee” (Psalm 55:22-23).

We choose what to believe

It is assumed that whatever we believe is true, but everything we believe is not true. Sometimes we believe that fairy tales are true; and think that by believing them, we can make them come true. In reality, what is true today is true tomorrow, things do not become true unless the facts change. Therefore, it is important that we know all the facts and choose to believe what is unlikely to change.

David said, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them, from this generation for ever” (Psalm 12:6-7). The word translated preserve, nâtsar (naw – tsar´) means to guard, to watch or keep (5341). God is very careful about what he says and always keeps his word, meaning that he does what he says he is going to, no matter how long it takes.

David asked four questions in Psalm 13 that indicate he believed some things that were not true. He asked, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” (Psalm 13:1-2).

David believed that the LORD had forgotten him, that he was hiding his face from David or not listening to his prayers. David believed that he had to rely on his own counsel because his enemy, Absalom had taken over as king. In reality, none of those things were true. David was still the rightful king of Israel and his escape was part of God’s plan to restore the kingdom to him.

I think the reason David fell into despair and began to believe lies about his enemy was because he felt like a failure as a father. He probably thought he deserved to be punished for what had happened to his daughter, Tamar. What he didn’t realize was that nothing had changed. David was as close, maybe even closer to the LORD than he had ever been.

David’s language of impatience in Psalm 13 was a sign of his healthy relationship with the LORD. His boldness in wrestling with God indicates David knows that his current situation is not what God wants for him. He is expressing an anguish of relief not (yet) granted and revealing his conviction concerning God’s righteousness (note on Psalm 6:3). David closes Psalm 13 with a return to the truth and declares, “My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the LORD because he hath dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:6).

I’m still here

The hardest thing to do when you are in a bad situation can be to sleep. In the midst of his trial with Absalom, David said, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). David knew the LORD would take care of him, but like everyone else, he had difficulty sleeping.

David had to make a conscious effort to calm down and be at rest. His way of handling sleeplessness was to talk to himself. David’s advice was to “commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still” (Psalm 4:4). The word translated still, dâmam (daw – mam´) means to be dumb or speechless and by implication to be astonished (1826). David was referring to his tendency to underestimate God’s ability. David had to remind himself that God could choose to do a miracle at any time and turn the situation around completely.

Sometimes waking up in the morning can seem like a miracle. You close your eyes at night thinking surely the world is about to come to an end and then you wake up and realize you are still alive. David said, “I laid me down and slept, I awaked; for the LORD sustained me” (Psalm 3:5).

He stole their hearts

And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then will I serve the LORD. (2 Samuel 15:7-8)

The vow that Absalom vowed was that he would replace David as king of Israel. He had spent 40 years preparing for the day when he would take over and his conspiracy would be played out. It says in 2 Samuel 15:6 that “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” Basically, what Absalom did was deceive the people into believing that he cared about them more than David did, that he was the best man to be their king.

In order to avoid physical combat, David fled Jerusalem and left Absalom in charge of the nation.. “And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up” (2 Samuel 15:30).

During his ministry, Jesus went up mount Olivet, also known as the mount of Olives, to teach his disciples. The mount of Olives afforded a spectacular view of the desert of Judea to the east and Jerusalem to the west. After his resurrection, Jesus’ disciples met with him on the mount called Olivet and asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The earthly kingdom that David established never came to fruition as was expected. Although Solomon, David’s successor, enjoyed prosperity and peace, there was never a time after David’s reign when Israel was not threatened by foreign domination.

Just before his ascension, Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power” (Act 1:7). It is expected that one day Jesus will return to earth and establish the kingdom that David was not able to. Even though David was returned to power, his influence over the people was destroyed when Absalom stole their hearts and became their temporary king (2 Samuel 15:6, 37).