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).

Do unto others

And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar…Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have I not commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant…And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that hehold, the kings sons came, and lift up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore. But Absalom fled, and went to Talmar, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. And the soul of David was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead. (2 Samuel 13:22, 28, 36-39)

Because Absalom killed his brother Amnon, David had to decide whether or not Absalom should be punished. David, having been forgiven for his sin with Bath-sheba, was in no position to judge Absalom. Under the law, Amnon’s relatives had the right to avenge his blood, but it was not required that anyone do so. David chose not to seek revenge, but neither did he forgive Absalom. “And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king’s face” (2 Samuel 14:24).

After two years, Absalom sought to have his relationship with his father restored and he asked Joab, the commander of David’s army, to intervene on his behalf. “So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom” (2 Samuel 14:33).

Actions & Consequences

If sin were a disease, it would be feared and dreaded more than any other because of the pain and suffering it causes those who contract it. Sin is a killer and like cancer, it often spreads so quickly, that by the time it is detected, it’s too late to do anything about it. Sin is both hereditary and contagious. You have to be careful to not get too close to someone infected with it and be aware that you may be predisposed toward a certain type of sin because of the sins of your parents.

“And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister” (2 Samuel 13:4). Amnon’s confession of love to his friend Jonadab was understood to mean that he wanted to have sexual relations with his brother’s sister, Tamar. In response, Jonadab lays out a plan for Amnon to rape her. These two men were not only related to each other, they were both related to king David, the father of the woman Amnon was planning to rape.

David’s sin with Bath-sheba had caused his family to become infected with sin. In the same way that David had given in to his lust for Bath-sheba, Amnon decided he was going to have sex with Tamar. What was different about Amnon’s situation was that Tamar was a virgin and unlikely to agree to have sex with him outside of marriage.

Amnon’s friend Jonadab is described as being very subtil. The Hebrew word for subtil, chakam actually means wise (2450). Jonadab’s plan was not some sinister plot, but a well thought out means of obtaining what Amnon wanted, a private encounter with Tamar. Most likely, the intent was to have sex secretly, so that if anyone found out, Amnon could deny it.

“And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel; do not thou this folly” (2 Samuel 13:12). The word translated folly, “nebalah is most often used as a word for serious sin. It signifies ‘disregarding God’s will'” (5039). In other words, Amnon knew what God’s will for him was regarding Tamar and he decided to do the opposite. Jonadab was an accessory to his crime, and together, the two of them planned to deceive king David and trap his daughter Tamar, so that Amnon could have sex with her.

Rather than keeping it a secret, Tamar displayed her shame openly after Amnon raped her. “And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying” (2 Samuel 13:19). The word used to describe Tamar’s condition afterward, desolate or shamem in Hebrew means ruined (8076), but the root word shâmêm (shaw – mame´) means to stun or intransitively to grow numb (8074). Tamar was traumatized by what happened to her and most likely suffered from what we know today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) the rest of her life.

Saint David

“For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (Psalm 86:13). The default destination of every person that dies is hell. The word translated hell in Psalm 86:13, “Sheol is the abode of the dead” (7585). In the time that David lived, “It was not understood to be a place of punishment, but simply the ultimate resting place of all mankind” (7585).

David’s exclamation about his soul being delivered from hell was probably due to his awareness that as a living , breathing creature, his soul longed to be in the presence of the LORD. In hell, David would be separated from God for all eternity.

In order to demonstrate the difference between being in the LORD’s presence and being separated from God, a tabernacle, or house of God was built, and an ark placed in it, so that the Israelites could experience heaven on earth. David said in Psalm 122, “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the LORD” (Psalm 122:1).

Today, the transition from earth to heaven or hell takes place instantaneously, the moment a person dies. That was not the case for David because the gates of heaven had not yet been opened to man when he died. David said, “thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell” (Psalm 86:13). The word delivered or nâtsal (naw – tsal´) in Hebrew means “to snatch away.” Natsal is also translated as escape, rescue and take out (5337). When David died, he went to hell like everyone else, but when Christ rose from the dead, David ascended into heaven with him.

Although David’s soul didn’t get taken to heaven until hundreds of years later, David’s deliverance was assured the moment he put his trust in God. David prayed, “Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee” (Psalm 86:2).

The word David used to describe himself, holy or chaciyd in Hebrew is typically translated as saint or saints “which must be understood in the sense of sanctification (dependent on grace), not moralistically [of native goodness]” (2623). The term saints is used frequently in the New Testament of the Bible to describe believers in Christ Jesus. In essence a saint is one who patterns his life after God. The word chaciyd is properly translated as kind (2623) and is derived from the word chacad which is “a practical exhibition of lovingkindness toward our fellowman” (2616).

It’s difficult to say if David’s experience with God was any different than Abraham’s or Moses’, but it appears that David clearly understood what it meant to be born again. It is possible that his repentance after killing Uriah did lead to a type of conversion and brought David into a right relationship with God, one that enabled him to behave like a saint.

It was impossible

The birth of Jesus Christ is a testimony to God’s ability to do the impossible. I think it is interesting that the birth of Jesus isn’t recognized as the most impossible thing that has ever been done. Maybe its because we’ve been celebrating Jesus’ birth for so many years that we’ve forgotten the significance of God becoming a man.

When David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10), he was asking God to do something that had never been done before, something that David knew was impossible. The word that David used, create or bârâ’ (baw – raw´) in Hebrew, has profound theological significance. The verb bara’ “expresses creation out of nothing” (1254).

David wanted God to give him a new heart, one that was clean or sinless. In order for God to do what David was asking, he would have had to go back to the drawing board so to speak, and replace the heart that David had been born with. The heart David was referring to was not the organ in his chest that pumped blood throughout his body, but the lêb (labe), the heart that “includes not only the motives, feelings, affections, and desires, but also the will, the aims, the principles, the thoughts, and the intellect of man” (3820).

As far as I know, God did not give David a new heart. What David asked God to do was impossible…until Jesus came and established a new covenant, one that enabled a person to be born again.

God responded to David’s prayer approximately 400 years later. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the LORD spoke about Israel’s restoration and return to the Promised Land after they were scattered among the heathen.

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

It could be that the transfer of God’s spirit from Jesus to his disciples after Christ rose from the dead was the only way that David’s prayer could be answered. The word translated new, châdâsh (khaw – dawsh´) “means ‘new’ both in the sense of recent or fresh and in the sense of something not previously existing” (2319). In order to create a new heart in a person, God does not obliterate the heart that already exists, he adds a heart to it (Jesus), and causes the two to become one, a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

You’re going the wrong way

The Global Positioning System (GPS) that enables electronic car navigation to work properly has a feature that is comparable to forgiveness. Once a destination has been identified and a route planned, GPS recalculates the route if the driver get’s off course.

David used three key words in Psalm 32 related to navigation, imputeth, transgression, and iniquity, that describe how God’s forgiveness works. David said, “Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity” (Psalm 32:2). The word translated imputeth, châshab (khaw – shab´) “signifies a mental process whereby some course is planned or conceived” (2803). When God charts the course of a person’s life, it is similar to entering an address into a navigation system. Once the coordinates are locked in, the system makes adjustments as necessary.

As with reaching a desired destination in traffic, life sometimes causes us to intentionally veer off course. David said, “I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD” (Psalm 32:5). The word translated transgressions, pesha‘ (peh´ – shah) signifies a revolt, “a willful rebellion from a prescribed or agreed upon path” (6588). Sin and transgression are sometimes used interchangeably to describe an offense against God. The important thing to note is that these words do not represent mistakes, like taking a wrong turn, they describe actions that are taken that ignore or circumvent the course that God has charted for us.

Occasionally, due to an accident or road construction, we are forced to take an alternate route. Iniquity is an alternate route that we take because we choose or want to avoid reaching our destination. David said, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid” (Psalm 32:5). The word translated iniquity, ‘avôwn (aw – vone´) portrays sin as “a perversion of life (a twisting out of the right way)” (5771). When David said that he had not hid his iniquity, he was not talking about it being hidden from God because that would be impossible. David had been deceiving himself, he thought that because he had Uriah killed in battle (2 Samuel 11:15), he was not guilty of murder. David’s navigation system tried to tell him he was going the wrong way, but his iniquity caused him to turn it off, so he didn’t have to listen to its annoying reminders.

After Nathan the prophet confronted him, David said, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). Nathan did not tell David he had sinned. David knew he had sinned before Nathan came to see him. God sent Nathan to tell David to turn his navigation system back on so God could start giving him directions again and correct his course. That’s what it means to be forgiven.

Peace on earth

Merriam Webster’s definition of a giant is “a legendary creature usually thought of as being an extremely large or powerful person.” The person in the Bible that is most often associated with being a giant is Goliath, the Philistine David slew with a sling and a stone (1 Samuel 17:50). Goliath was actually never described as a giant. It says about him in 1 Samuel 17:4, “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.” A cubit equals 18 inches, so Goliath was over nine and a half feet tall, but that didn’t qualify him to be a giant.

When the Israelites first went in to spy out the Promised Land, it was reported back to Moses, “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which came of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). The word that is translated giants in the phrase, we saw the giants, n‘phîl (nef – eel´) is derived from the word nâphal (naw – fal´) which means to fall (5307). N‘phil is properly translated as a feller (5303), meaning someone that causes another to fall.

The word translated giants in the phrase, which came from giants, gibbôr (ghib – bore´) means powerful and is usually used to describe a valiant man or warrior (1368). What the Israelite spies saw in the Promised Land were bullies or tyrants that had killed all their enemies, squashing them like grasshoppers under their feet. Joshua and Caleb, two of the men in the group of spies that went out, believed that God was more powerful than the giants, but because all the people were frightened by the report, the Israelites spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

There is only one giant specifically mentioned in the Bible. He is described as living in Gath and having four sons (2 Samuel 21:22). After David’s army destroyed the children of Ammon, there were a series of wars with the Philistines. During the final conflict, it says in 1 Chronicles 20:6-8:

And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant. But when he defied Israel, Jonathon the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him. These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

The word translated giants in this passage, râphâh (raw – faw´) is derived from a primary root word that is properly translated as “to mend (by stitching)” and is figuratively meant to cure. “Rapah means to heal, a restoring to normal, an act which God typically performs” (7495). At the point in Israel’s history and David’s life, when the sons of the giant in Gath were killed, a healing occurred that could be thought of as a healing of the land. The violence and killing that had been going on for centuries was finally over and peace came to the land.