End of Saul's Line
2 Samuel: The Throne of David • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 3 viewsA godly leader is one who knows where his blessings come from, who remains consistent in his leadership, and who maintains his integrity above all.
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro
Intro
Body
Body
To gain a proper perspective for this passage I want to remind you of .
(ESV) — 1 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
Again, the action happens so rapid fire as we’re reading it that it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that this was a long, drawn-out, war. It was 2 years of civil war, not rapid-fire succession the way it comes across as we read it and study it.
Our passage opens up with Ish-Bosheth receiving the news of Saul’s death.
(ESV) — 1 When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.
We might think he would have had the opposite reaction. After all, their last interaction with one another hadn’t been all that great. Ish-Bosheth had accused Abner of sleeping with one of Saul’s concubines. Abner hadn’t taken too kindly to that charge and left promising to see David installed as king over both Judah and Israel. So the fact that his courage fails at the death of Abner is odd until we probe a little deeper.
It’s entirely possible and even probable that Ish-Bosheth believed he would see Abner again. It’s possible he believed that Abner would return and rejoin his forces. But even if that wasn’t the case here, the death of his long-time bodyguard, and the death of the one man who had the closest connection to his father’s name and reputation and military prowess, would have been enough to rock him to his core, to shake him, to leave him unsettled. As long as Abner was alive, Ish-Bosheth probably felt that he still had some sort of an ally in all of this, someone who truly cared for the Saulide dynasty. But now that Abner was dead he had no-one. What’s more, recall the words of (ESV) — 17 And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. It’s not as though Ish-Bosheth had a strong hold on his kingdom. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
So it says that his courage failed. He grew weak, his strength left him. And any who remained loyal to him there in Israel were dismayed.
But then we find these two new characters who burst on the scene, Baanah and Rechab. They are described initially as “captains of raiding bands.” In other words, they were some of the military leaders who had previously been under the authority of Abner. But what’s more, we learn of their genealogical background as well, something that will serve to magnify the atrocity of their actions. The text says they were “sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin.” These two were Benjaminites, of the same tribe as their former king, the father of their current king, which makes what they did next even more despicable.
(ESV) — 5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6 And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him.
Clearly these two had not heard the news about the Amalekite. I have a feeling they would’ve gotten along pretty well with him. There’s nothing to say about this account other than to call it what it is: cowardice. These two sneak into a man’s house while he is napping under false pretenses only to stab him to death while he slept. Then, to make matters worse, if that was at all possible, they cut off his head to take it with them as a trophy. In our justice system today this would be considered heinous premeditated murder in the first degree.
Foolishly, like the Amalekite from chapter one, these men thought they would be well-received by King David for their actions, so off they went to bring him the “good news” traveling down a little-taken path in order to avoid detection by anyone who might take issue with what they had done.
What would have driven the decision to do this and to bring the head to David?
It was no secret that God had set David apart to reign over all of Israel
(ESV) — 9 God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
(ESV) — 17 And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18 Now then bring it about, for the Lord has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ”
Foolishly, like the Amalekite from chapter one, these men thought they would be well-received by King David for their actions, so off they went to bring him the “good news” traveling down a little-taken path in order to avoid detection by anyone who might take issue with what they had done. There’s just nothing good at all about this whole situation, and it wasn’t going to get any better for them once they found David.
There’s a bit of irony in the interchange between these men and King David in verses 8-9.
(ESV) — 8b And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity...
These two arrogant Benjaminites even go so far as to suggest to David that God was behind their actions, that He was using them to avenge David on the house of Saul. Maybe they had heard what happened to the Amalekite after all, and this was their way of trying to make it look like God was behind this? Who knows. But as David answers, he seizes on this idea of the Lord’s care for him: “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity...” David doesn’t deny that God had been caring for him, redeeming him, and avenging him. In fact, he makes sure that everyone is absolutely clear about that fact before moving on. He wanted everyone to know that it wasn’t man or the schemes of men who had redeemed him or avenged him so often in the past. It was God alone who had done this and to whom all glory was due.
Always acknowledge God’s good hand before those you lead.
Always acknowledge God’s good hand before those you lead.
The irony here is that these men boasted as though God had used them, but the reality is David knew what it looked like for God to work deliverance on his behalf and this was not it.
As leaders we need to ensure that those we lead, those whom we influence, know that any good we experience comes only from the favorable hand of God. That means we must leave our own boasting behind. But, that doesn’t mean we need to trivialize the victories in our lives. If you want to celebrate, great! But celebrate God, and give him center stage.
How?
Take time to publicly acknowledge what God has done for you.
Turn praise from you to him.
Acknowledge his blessings and favor when you pray.
See that your everyday speech is sprinkled with references to God’s goodness and your dependence upon him.
Remind people of the biblical truths that teach us that God is responsible for all the good we experience.
(ESV) — 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
(ESV) — 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
David knew quite well just who it was who was responsible for the good he had experienced, and it most definitely was not these two assassins.
David’s words as he continued responding to these two Benjaminites must have sent terrible shivers down their spines.
(ESV) — 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”
David responds to these men by appealing to recent history. In a court of law there is often an appeal to precedent. In that case an attorney appeals to a previous ruling or case wherein something said or done would provide justification for a similar approach or tactic in their present argument. Usually this isn’t done by appealing to one of their own cases, but that’s precisely what David does here with these two cowardly assassins.
He reminds them of the encounter with the Amalekite from chapter 1: “When one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him…which was the reward I gave him for his news.’” David isn’t looking for justification here, but he is appealing to his consistent track record. The David that we know to this point has always been a man and a leader of integrity. His men never questioned, “I wonder where David stands on this issue?”. He was clear, he was confident, and he was consistent.
Conclusion
Conclusion