Associations & Actions
Notes
Transcript
Welcome/Prayer
Are you familiar with the expression....
“Birds of a feather flock together”
It’s an English proverb that means those with similar interests or attributes tend to mutually associate or tend to group together.
This morning we are going to see the importance of being aware of our feathers and whom we tend to flock with…
Open to 1 Kings 2:12-46
As you turn there let me provide the context
David has given Solomon some last minute advice in how Solomon can help secure his kingdom and reign… of which we spoke about last week… now with David gone, Solomon is in full control, full reign of Israel...
And in our text this morning we will see that we ought to be aware of the associations we keep as well as the actions that we commit...
Let’s start by first talking about Adonijah, Abiathar, and Joab as we see the danger of the associations that we keep with others… then we’ll look at the actions of Shimei.
Let’s read verses 12-35
Guilty by Association
Here Adonijah makes a subtle but foolish move for the throne
Adonijah wants to enjoy the privileges reserved for the king… after all as he told Bathsheba… all of Israel expected him to be king…
And this is not something done out of ignorance… it is well known what it means to sleep with a king’s concubine.
Consider 2 Samuel 16 when Absalom slept with David’s concubines out in the open…
And 2 Samuel 3… Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with Rizpah… Saul’s concubine… by doing so Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner of playing the king…
Solomon sniffs out Adonijah’s intentions and acts swiftly against him...
Remember Solomon has already exercised mercy towards Adonijah once already… but this time Solomon takes his head.
It wasn’t just Adonijah who suffers though… look at verse 22… both Abiathar and Joab suffer as well for Solomon sees their association with Adonijah...
Granted, Joab had commited the acts Solomon references prior to Adonijah’s attempt at the throne… but nonetheless their character, there feathers were similar and in this act of treason they were of the same mind as we have already witnessed in chapter 1 of 1 Kings.
Abiathar & Joab both suffer, though differently...
Abiathar is banished… and Zadok takes his place
Fulfilling 1 Sam 2:27-36 the prophecy told by an unnamed man of God to Eli about his descendants…
Abiathar deserved death… but by Solomon’s mercy rooted in Abiathar’s faithfulness and loyalty to his dad, David… for Abiathar fled to David and served David after Saul slaughtered the priests at Nob in 1 Samuel 22
Joab is struck down by Benaiah
Despite clinging to the horns of the altar
Some say Solomon is ruthless in these actions (explain)
Let us consider the consequences of these 3 men and understand…
We, ourselves, need to be mindful of the company we keep
Pro 13:20
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
1 Cor 15.33
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
Consider where Abiathar started… near the Lord’s anointed… and how he ended… exiled from the Lord’s anointed...
The company we keep extends to those whom we support… especially in regard to the church..
2 John 9-11
9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.
But it’s not just those we support or who teaches and guides us on holy matters.... we also need to be mindful of the company they themselves keep...
2 Cor 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Eph 5:7-11
7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
To help us in this we ought to ask...
Who do they endorse?
Who do they share accolades with?
This shows us their…
Ability to discern
And
What they know or don’t know of Scripture
Transition - We must not be mindful only of our associations… but also of our actions… for both are capable of condemning us… and in the case of Shimei it was his actions that led to the lost of his life
Guilty by Action - Let’s read verses 36-46
Shimei had agreed to terms…
Not to leave Jerusalem...
The wording Solomon uses involves the brook of Kidron which doesn’t surround all sides of Jerusalem, and some have pointed out that the direction Shimei would have taken to Gath would not have him crossing the Kidron.
Indicating that Shimei may not have violated the letter of the law but the spirit of it.
Others have even defended Shimei and stated Solomon wasn’t clear or that Solomon was looking for any reason to cut down Shimei...
But in verse 36 Solomon was clear… don’t go out anywhere from there… the brook was an example, which was meant to represent the whole...
But this is typical of people though isn’t it?
When our flesh desires something that we know is outside the bounds of God’s commands we put more effort in finding ways to skirt His command then we do to be holy and reverent in all we do...
Consider people who believe women should be pastors...
They’ll ignore certain verses that are clear on it
And then they’ll take verses that are not but by somehow manipulating the original language and context they get it to mean something that for the first 2000 years of church history never it meant…
The same approach is used for homosexuality...
Or a more subtle issue… requiring people to be baptized in order to take communion...
The protest is Scripture never mandates explicitly that baptism be required for communion...
No, it doesn’t… but in spirit it clearly does… for to come to the Lord’s table one must be a believer… one who is not walking in willful sin.
And baptism is clearly and explicitly commanded for all believers… and no where in Scripture… and no where in the early church did a believer exist who willfully said no to baptism...
And to not do what is commanded is to commit the sin of omission…
Therefore, it is logical to expect people to have been baptized when they come to the table… but again… some will still say… I don’t see it explicit in Scripture therefore baptism is not required.
This is our flesh… We are selfish and prideful people who are more than willing to break our backs to get what we want rather than to simply obey what is plain and clear.
We do this especially when we ignore the whole counsel of God’s Word… as many do here with Shimei…
People say “Shimei didn’t cross the Kidron” so Solomon shouldn’t kill him...
They say that as if verse 36 doesn’t exist… but this is how our flesh operates… this is how the guilty think...
Again, Shimei agreed to these terms… and there’s no rebuttal here by Shimei in Solomon’s charge… he is clearly guilty.
Many look at Shimei in this instance and think what a fool… but look in the mirror
We too have agreed to terms… and yet we cannot keep them… as Paul tells us in Romans 2, even our own conscience, apart from the Law, will bear witness against our transgressions…
But even Israel who had the Law, who had divine revelation, couldn’t keep the terms agreed to... Ex 19:5-8
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
Neither could Solomon or anyone after him...
Ecc 7:20
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
This is all rooted in the one association of which none of us can avoid… the association of humanity…
In order to fix this...
We need a new association for new actions… for only what is done in Christ matters… for everything done outside of Christ, has the stench of sin and treason upon it and is abhorrent to God
Job 9:30-31
30 If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, 31 yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.
Prov 20:9
9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?
Jer 2:22
22 Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God.
Mic 6:7
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
Therefore we must be born again, (John 3) born from above… made new… we begin a new life with a new association by looking to the Son of Man upon the cross, who died for our sin… from that new association occurs....
…an association with the Father, Son, and Spirit as we abide in His Word… the Triune God abides in us… (John 14)
Thus new life flows…
Leading to new actions… new desires… new fruit… new feathers
We leave the birds we once flocked with and join a new flock of birds…
A flock of birds which oddly enough will lock more diverse and different than the flock we once flocked with…
Yet, a flock with a distinctly Christian feather…
The seal of the Spirit… a feather we will never lose…
We may lose other feathers… and we may gain some new ones… but the feather of the Spirit shall always be ours once given to us...
And just like starlings we want to be found together… we want to be known for our association with the King and His Kingdom...
We are going to want to associate with the Kingdom, with the King…
For associating with our brothers and sisters in Christ we have protection, we have provision...
As we pray for each other
As we support each other… as we do life together… as we flock together....
If only Shimei had faithful friends who could have rebuked his desire to chase after those servants
Or to go get his servants for him… then perhaps Shimei would have lived…
So, we want to associate with the Kingdom and with the King… not with the world
When our king returns let Him find us associating with Benaiah instead of Joab… with Solomon instead of Adonijah… with Zadok instead of Abiathar…
And now let us demonstrate our association with each other and with Christ with our actions by coming to His table...