Humility

Man after God's own heart  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Differences between Pride and humility

Notes
Transcript

Intro

Our mini-series on David, and more specifically, what a man (or woman) after God’s own heart looks like, is coming to a close.
[perhaps ask Stan if this is true if he is present]
Today we will be looking at the humility of King David story of David and Absalom
But before we do, I’d like to recap some earlier passages we’ve looked at
[GENGERAL RECAP]
If we return to Genesis 1 we find a God who created and is in full control of everything we see and know.
And this includes us. We are part of creation, we are part of all that belongs and is subservient to the creator
But even in the first chapter in Genesis we can see that God is not selfish with his ruling power.
Humans are given dominion over everything on earth.
The only one who commands us is God himself, and we are given the honor of being the implementer and caretaker of God’s created order.
We see this image of honored stewardship reinforced several times in parable when Christ talks about our responsibility before him.
We all are aware that we, along with Adam and Eve, have fallen short of this high calling
And the rest of the story is God acting on behalf of his people
extending grace
effecting restoration
and sometimes executing justice
God’s focus is still on blessing his people, raising them back up, despite their failings
God chooses a people to be a blessing to the nations

12 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God chooses a priesthood to bless his chosen people Israel
God chooses prophets like Samuel to restore their hearts and minds and to call them back to their purpose of blessing
And even fights their battles and delivers them from the oppression of the nations around them
But Israel wanted a king.
Someone to fight their battles for them.
So maybe this doesn’t sound like such a bad request. A bunch of sheepherders want to have a standing army so they can concentrate on shepherding.
Its like me when a pipe bursts at my place. I’d much rather ask the Lord for a plumber and call Ray than deal with it myself.
But we can see that Israel’s motive isn’t really to have a dedicated fighting force but rather to achieve some type of similarity to the nations around them.

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

If we remember, God isn’t terribly exited about their demand, and lets them know this won’t turn out as well as you think
But God also condescends to granting their wish for a king
[M.A.G.O.H. RECAP]
AND all this recap is to help us see that the bulk of 1st and 2nd Samuel are expressly about answering about what kind of King does God want over his people?
We are introduced to a myriad of characters who either were king, such as Saul or David, or who were prospective kings, such as David’s brothers, David’s sons, and other various rebels
What should be clear from anyone reading Samuel is that David is the man with the qualities God desires in Israel’s king, the fact of which can be distilled in one verse...

The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people

And it isn’t just this verse. Throughout the records of the Judean kings, David is the touchstone to which all his sons are compared, and very few meet this standard.
We’ve seen throughout our series on David what this title, “Man” (and for our application, woman) after God’s own heart” means.
David trusted not in military strength, but in God to win his battles
David waited on God’s timing to be king, even though taking matters into his own hands would have been easy
David responded to God’s blessing with praise, not focusing on himself, but God’s plan and God’s goodness
David repented when convicted of breaking God’s laws
And today we’ll see that a man after God’s own heart responds to trouble with humility
[2 Samuel 15-18]
The passage we will focus on today is 2nd Samuel 15-18
And I hope you have read the passage, or if you have not, then plan on reading it today or some time this week
When it comes to intriguing and spell-binding stories in the OT, I personally find the story of David and Absalom on par with the great stories like Esther and Ruth.
There is plotting, betrayal, counter-plots, side plots… in short, a lot of literary landscape. [laughing?]
Not only does it make great reading, but it really contrasts the differences between humility of David, vs. the pride of Absalom
[ch. 13 preamble]
The story jumps right into the thick of Absalom’s rebellion at the beginning of chapter 15
But I would like to move back a couple of chapters, because Absalom’s conflict with David begins earlier.
When we first meet Absalom we find him plotting revenge against his half-brother and crown prince of Israel, Amnon for raping his sister.
And we can imagine Absalom’s anger at David’s failure to do justice on the crown-prince for his crime.
In this we can see the consequences of David’s sin with Bathsheba beginning to take hold. How can he judge the sin of his son when he is equally as guilty?
And it’s not unreasonable for Absalom to want justice for his sister
But he is the younger son of a king and he knows that to kill the crown-prince would be the same as laying claim to Israel’s throne.
And so when he kills Amnon, he assumes David will respond to this as a challenge to the throne and so he runs away to a foreign land.
So when we meet Absalom, his heart is consumed with vengeance and disgust at his father’s weakness
In contrast we see David longing for Absalom, despite Absalom’s disrespect

37 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. 38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

Absalom self-righteously seeks revenge
David longs for peace and a restored relationship
And I think it is right here that we find the first indication of how a man after God’s own heart seeks to solve conflict.
Here we see David having forgiven his son, and longing for his return. David doesn’t hold on bitterness of his family situation, but instead hopes for a time where peace will be restored.
I think David knows full well this situation with Absalom is a consequence of his sinful choices
And I think we are seeing a broken, and a very humble David.
We don’t see him frantically trying to stabilize his kingdom and protect his position like Saul.
To me it looks like a David who doesn’t know what to do.
Maybe he’s waiting on the Lord to bring some light. To bring the comfort of mercy, and yet knowing that God has promised to let the consequences of his sin play out.
And as I was reading this, trying to imagine what David was feeling, my heart went out to him.
Unfortunately, the night had just begun for him and things would get darker before deliverance would come.
[Ch 14 Preamble]
David’s servants realize how much David longs for Absalom, and so they arrange for the return of the prodigal son.
It’s here that we see how conflicted David is.
He longs for his son, and so he finally brings him home to Jerusalem after 3 years.
But upon his return, David doesn’t allow Absalom to come into his “presence” (ESV)

23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.

Seems like David has had a change of heart, doesn’t it?
Scholars are a bit divided as to what the word “presence” means.
It can mean that David refused to see his son after he returned from exile, but this seems to counter the verses telling us how much David has longed for, and been concerned about Absalom.
The second meaning can mean in the sense of position, meaning that Absalom was no longer allowed to hold a position in the inner court and counsel of David
This fits with the practice of kings making their sons court officials
Seeing the possible political tension created by Absalom going over the kings head to execute the crown prince, this makes the most sense to me.
David was happy to have his son back, and forgive him, but was not going to allow Absalom to be in a position to undermine his authority again.
And so maybe David breathes a sigh of relief here. Absalom has taken care of his Amnon predicament, and David has returned the exiled Absalom to Jerusalem, but has excluded him from the court so as to reduce his political power.
All is well right?
Apparently not.
Absalom does not appreciate doing what he probably considers his father’s dirty work, just to be shunted into a political corner.
And here we see here the pride, the self-righteousness, and even the showmanship of Absalom
First we are told how handsome he is.
And something you should know is that the Biblical writers do not waste space. Paper was not cheap, and neither was record keeping in David’s day. I read somewhere that Paul writing and sending a letter to one of his churches would have costed him something around 800-1000 dollars in our own currency
So when the scriptures tell us that Absalom is handsome, it means something
To say he was the most handsome in Israel is as good as saying all Israel knew how handsome he was.
We need no lecture to tell as how politicians value appearances
Second, he makes a show of his return by setting fire to one of David’s official’s field

28 So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 32 Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’ ” 33 Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

You need a promotion at work? Just go and torch your boss’s kid’s car eh?
Absalom wants people to know he’s fed up
He tires of sitting in a dark corner of Jerusalem for two years
He’s willing to disturb the peace to do it.
And he’s willing to disturb David’s peace.
I said that perhaps David was hoping that by bringing Absalom back, and limiting his political influence he could restore peace. Well Absalom is knocking on that door
You know, for David it must be like for me when I find a wood-crawling on me.
I think everyone has one creature on this earth that they suspect Satan had a hand in helping God create
For me, that is the woodtick
I see it, and I kill it, and there is a moment of relief.
And then my skin starts to crawl, and the next 15 minutes are lost because every little itch has to be a wood tick
Well David thought that maybe the problem was taken care of, but Absalom burns a field and David caves.
Absalom is back in the presence of the king.
And Absalom feigns respect by bowing in David’s presence,
And David kisses Absalom, granting him the status he craves.
[Ch. 15 Summary]
This is where it all goes wrong for David.
No sooner does David return to Absalom his former position, than Absalom begins to unleash his plot against David.
Its quite fascinating to watch unfold actually
I feel like Absalom would’ve been a master of media and marketing in today’s age.

15 After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

Absalom gets himself a limo and a hype crew. People to make certain that wherever he went, people knew how important he was
Next, he begins to subtly highlight the perceived inefficiencies of his father’s judicial system (v.2)

when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” 3 Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”

What is the solution to this problem?

4 Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”

And the scriptures tell us he did this with everyone who came to Jerusalem to settle a judicial matter. And it worked
Absalom manages to sneak away from David’s supervision and set up a base of operations in another important Judean town, and even manages to convince David’s top adviser to join his cause.
[ch 15 David’s response]
You would think David would’ve seen this coming. We are not told how much David knew of Absalom’s treachery. Either he was oblivious. Or else he knew of his son’s discontent, and did nothing.
Either way, this is a far cry from the David who fought Goliath
This doesn’t seem to be the David who successfully defended Israel and secured it’s peace.
By the time David hears how bad the situation is, it’s to late. He chooses to leave Jerusalem to ensure it’s safety
...
Growing up I loved the character of David. The David of 1st Samuel. The David of the first chapters of 2nd Samuel.
And who doesn’t?
Such boldness and bravery
A dedication and trust in God
A kindness not often found in the ancient kings
...
But who is this David who kills a man and takes his wife?
Who is this David who lets his firstborn son get away with rape?
Who is this David who turns a blind eye to a son who threatens to rip the country apart?
And maybe you’ve lost your respect for David in this story. It’s understandable.
I mentioned earlier that the drive of 1st and 2nd Samuel is the type of person God desires as king of Israel
And I would like to submit that David still fits the bill
Lets compare him to his fore bearers to see why.
Look at Saul
1st, He will not tolerate any authority outside of his kingship
He repeatedly refuses to listen to the sane advice of men better than him
He ruthlessly hunts down any threats to his power
Not just David. This includes priests. Saul had them killed when they did their priestly duty to protect innocent men from an unjust death.
2nd, When confronted by Samuel about his disobedience to God’s commands
Saul doesn’t repent
He tries to change the Lord’s instructions to fit his actions
He tries to shift blame onto his men
He’s not concerned what the Lord thinks of him, he’s concerned about how groveling to Samuel will look before the men and elders of Israel
When Saul is confronted with obstacles and troubles, he refuses to rely on the Lord. Not just that, he goes against the Lord’s commands, against the Lord’s people, and even violates the Lord’s law to protect himself.
Saul thinks that he, not the Lord, is king of Israel.
Saul is a proud man, not a humble man
Let’s compare him to David during his troubles with Absalom
This is the image of David the scripture gives us as he leaves Jerusalem to escape Absalom

And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.

[1]David refuses to endanger the city of Jerusalem for the sake of his own personal power or reputation. When he realizes Absalom’s potential to destroy, he abdicates both his throne and his own ego to save both city and people
[2]Throughout the entire ordeal of Absalom's rebellion, David is relying on the advice and help of others.
Compassionate people bring David and his men food and beds
David’s friends risk their lives to bring him information, and to fight on his behalf when Absalom pursues his father.
And in the beginning of chapter 18, when the final battle between David’s men and Absalom’s army takes place, David insists on leading his army himself, but his men hold him back, and he accepts their guidance
[3] David also refuses to take revenge those who abuse him
He instructs his men to show mercy to Absalom in the upcoming battle.
He forgives the verbal abuse and taunting heaped on him by Saul’s remaining living relatives
I think throughout these hard times we see the character of David
the character of the David we love
We see that character shine through again, even after all his failures
But if we are to look at David in the light of the entire two books of Samuel, and laws given through Moses before, I think there is one thing that stands out here above all others that show David’s humility
And this verse takes place as David is leaving Jerusalem.
The priests are eager to go with David, and they want to bring the ark of the covenant, which symbolizes God’s presence, with them.
And perhaps this reminds you of another time when Israel tried to take the ark into battle to protect them, in the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. And we can see that the priests like David, and want to show their support by giving him the ark.
And David stops them.

25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. 26 But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”

David truly understands his position before God!
He is not the king of Israel, God is! Jerusalem is not his city, it is God’s!
David knows that whether he or his son lives in Jerusalem, God is still the one on the throne.
This is David’s humility. We’ve seen it throughout his story
The battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s
The office of king is not mine to take from Saul, it’s the Lord’s to give
I will not build God a house, no, he will build me a house.
Psalm 51, “Against you and you alone have I sinned!”
And now again, with Absalom trying to settle the question of who should be the king of Israel? David lets the Lord decide.
This is the spirit that God is looking for. This is the heart which pleases God.
David knows that kingship is not his right, it remains a gift from God
David also knows that God, who is really the king, has every right to judge him for his sins
David remains humble before God, before his people, and trusts in God for deliverance
We know how David’s story ends
He is delivered
He is restored to his kingship
God brings David back into Jerusalem.
And God does as he promised David earlier, he makes his name great.
Throughout history the kings of Judah, David is the gold standard.
Throughout the prophets, as they wrestled with the people’s pride, and sin, and stubbornness, the prophets ask; is this how David responded? Why can’t you be like your father David. Why can’t you humble yourself before God
And this constant comparison to David by the prophets and historians of Israel highlight and confirm what the Lord said of David in 1st Samuel
He was a man after God’s own heart.

Closing

Oswald Chambers writes in his devotional is that God wants to see in us is a close family resemblance to Christ
And this fits David in two ways
Not only was David the directly in the line of family line of Christ, he bore the same character traits as Jesus
Jesus walked on the Mount of Olives during his time of trial just like David
Jesus was betrayed by most of Israel like David.
Jesus did not respond to slander with anger, but with forgiveness, just like David
Like us, David was not perfect
But David humbled himself before God and received the blessing of being in the family of Christ
[Application]
Do you resemble Jesus?
Here are a couple of questions to help you evaluate
When you face struggles and trials
Do you bend or even break your relationship with God and others to frantically try and hold on to your position or possessions?
Or do you trust God’s promise to be near the humble and deliver the brokenhearted?
When you find yourself in conflict with others
Do you find yourself constantly needing to justify yourself, and win at all costs
Or do you find yourself extending extravagant grace to those who getting under your skin.
[anecdote?]
And responding in a Christlike way doesn’t come naturally and we will fail, just like David did.
But if we steep ourselves in the reality of God’s power, God’s goodness, and God’s faithfulness...
When we know our Lord is in control, our Lord is good, and our Lord remains faithful
When we ask to be filled with God’s Spirit
We begin to look like the Son of David.
We become men and women after God’s own heart
To close I would like to read from the letter to the Philippians
Phillipi was a church that was struggling with infighting, much like David’s Israel, and like Christ’s disciples.
Phillipians 1:29-2:13

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

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