The Faithful Witnesses
Revelation 11:1-14
The Faithful Witnesses
Revelation 11:1-14
Main Idea: The perpetual presence of God protects and empowers his people to bear faithful witness in the midst of persecution.
I. The Temple Protected and Preserved (11:1-2)
Revelation 11:1-2: Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
Every time the language of a temple appears in Revelation, it all points to the people of God. It will show up again in Revelation 21-22. All throughout the New Testament, the apostles teach the Church is the new temple, and this is how Revelation 11 was read by the early church fathers. Earlier John described the church on earth like an army of 144,000 and the church in heaven as a great multitude that can’t be counted. Here he describes the church again, this time in terms of the people of God as the Temple.
John says 42 months, or 1,260 days, or a time and times and a half time. This would be similar to someone saying four score and seven years ago or 9/11. Both of these numbers point our minds to events. John is telling us what this time will be like, not how long this time will last.
This period seems to be associated with a time of rebellion during which God’s faithful people are protected in the midst of trials.
We must be comforted before we’re commissioned.
II. The Witnesses Empowered and Deployed (11:3-6)
Revelation 11:3-6: And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.
The “two witnesses” represent all of God’s people.
They’re described as “lampstands”, which in Revelation 1:20 are local churches (v 4).
John has already used the term “witness” to describe the martyr Antipas (2:13; 6:9).
John himself is in exile because of his “testimony” or “witness” to Jesus (1:9).
The job description Jesus himself gave to his followers before his ascension was to be his “witnesses” (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:47–49)
John has already affirmed that Jesus has made us “a kingdom and priests” (Revelation 1:6).
The victorious ones are pillars in God’s temple (3:12)—priestly language—and seated on Christ’s throne (3:21)—royal language.
We are redeemed to be a royal priesthood and bear faithful witness.
Romans 1:16: Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
III. The Persecuted Victorious (11:7-14)
Revelation 11:7-12: And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16: But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
We should expect to suffer like Jesus.
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." ~ Tertullian
Why must we be comforted before we’re commissioned? Because the mission always meets opposition.
Romans 8:35-37: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll
Revelation 10
The Mighty Angel and the Little Scroll
Revelation 10
Main Idea: When things go sideways all around you, remember what is True and do not let your circumstances derail your obedience.
I. The Mighty Angel and his Muscular Roar (10:1-3a)
Revelation 10:1-3a: Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.
The clear message: If this angel and the kingdom he represents is on your side, you have far less to worry about than you might think you do even in spite of your present circumstances.
The mighty angel teaches us that there is a King and Kingdom far superior to anything that can dominate us on earth that is over and involved in everything that happens here.
II. The Seven Thunders and Their Silenced Scribe (10:3b-4)
Revelation 10:3b-4: When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
Here is the key take away from sealed thunders: The visions that are sealed up, stay sealed up. When heaven goes quiet on a matter, no one ever figures it out. But heaven always wins.
The Seven Thunders and their Silenced Scribe teach us that there is more going on than we are being told and that Somebody does know it all!!
The seven thunders invite us to acknowledge by faith that though we do not, cannot, and will not know everything that can be known, Someone does.
III. The Loud Oath and the Little Scroll (10:5-10)
Revelation 10:5-10:And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
John has been graphically reminded of two important Truths:
There is more going on than we can typically see. There is Someone greater in control even though things seem to be totally out of control.
There is more to be known than we are given to know. There is Someone who knows more than we are being told and He can be trusted.
Now we learn that there is an agenda in play that will not - indeed cannot - be resisted. We can only choose whether or not to participate in it.
When things go sideways all around you, remember what is True and do not let your circumstances derail your obedience.
God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment
Revelation 8:1-9:21
God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment
Revelation 8:1-9:21
“A man says to me, ‘Can you explain the seven trumpets of Revelation?’ No, but I can blow one in your ear, and warn you to escape the wrath to come. Another says, ‘Can you tell me when the end of the world will come?’ No, but I can tell you how to be so prepared for it that you need not be afraid if it were to come tonight. I can urge you to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, so that you can await it with holy joy.”
~ Charles Spurgeon, “Enquiring the Way to Zion”
Main Idea: God answers the prayers of his people through his righteous judgment on evil, inviting us to repentance.
I. Answered Prayer (8:1-5)
The silence in heaven at the opening of the 7th seal in heaven indicates two realities:
1. God listening to the prayers of the martyrs under the altar (5:8, 6:9-10, cf. Ps. 141:2) and “all the saints”
“We live in a noisy world. We are yelled at, promoted, called. Everyone has an urgent message for us. We are surrounded with noise. Messages are amplified deafeningly. The world is a mob in which everyone is talking at once and no one is willing or able to listen. But God listens. He not only speaks to us, he listens to us… everything we say, every groan, every murmur, every stammering attempt at prayer: all this listened to. All heaven quiets down.”
~ Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination
2. God preparing to answer the prayers of his people through impending judgment from the heavenly throne (cf. Isa. 47:5, Zeph. 1:7, 2:13, Amos 8:2-3)
II. Righteous Judgment (8:6-9:19)
Trumpets throughout the Scriptures are meant to bring alertness to a significant action of God (Ex. 19:16). This included calls to war (Num. 10:9, Judg. 7:22) impending judgment (Josh. 6), a great victory, and the climactic “day of the Lord” with the return of Christ (Joel 2:1, Mt. 24:31, 1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:16)
The 7 “trumpets” retell from a different and intensifying perspective the 7 “seals” from Revelation 6. The “angle” or “viewpoint” of the trumpets show us the judgment of God specifically upon unbelievers who have not been ‘sealed’ by him (cf. Rev. 7, Rom. 1:18) in the time period between Christ’s resurrection and his promised return (occuring with the 7th trumpet in 11:15-19)
Trumpet #1: hail, fire, and blood on the earth (cf. Ex. 9:23-25)
Trumpet #2: burning mountain (or volcano) thrown into the sea (cf. Ex. 7:20-21)
Trumpet #3: a fallen star bitters the waters of the rivers and springs (cf. Ex. 7:19, Isa. 14:12-15, Jer. 9:15)
Trumpet #4: the sun, moon, and stars are darkened (cf. Ex. 10:21-23, Joel 2:31)
All the figurative language in the judgment of the trumpets is rooted in and animated by Scripture, primarily in the Exodus account, where the Lord hears the cries of his people (Ex. 2:23-25) and answers them through the judgment of the plagues on Egypt and Pharaoh (Ex. 7-12).
Trumpet #5 (Woe #1): demonic army released from ‘the abyss’ for a short period of time to cause torment under the rule of Satan (cf. Ex. 10:12-15, Joel 1-2)
Trumpet #6 (Woe #2): fallen angels are released to muster an innumerable army, waging war with what comes from their ‘mouths’ and their ‘tails’
“Notice that these horses don’t just kill; they wound… If you have ever known anyone who has embraced conspiracy theories, prosperity-gospel teaching, universalism, or the popular notion that heaven is for good people who do good things and avoid doing really bad things, then you get that false teaching wounds people. It damages them. It corrupts and contaminates the way that they think and feel, what they value, what they fear, what makes them angry, and what they anticipate in the future.”
~ Nancy Guthrie, Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation
III. Defiant Unrepentance (9:20-21)
How should we respond to the 6 trumpets of judgment?
Gratitude (Rom. 5:9, 1 Thess. 1:9-10)
Repentance
Just like Pharaoh in the Exodus account, those who dwell on the earth without the seal of God “did not repent” (2x) from their idolatry, wickedness, and evil (cf. Col. 3:5-6).
Luke 3:7-8a, 9: [John the Baptist] said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance… Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
The Road
Luke 24:13-35
the Road
Luke 24:13-35
Main Idea: The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ fulfills Scripture, secures hope, and ignites faith.
I. Burdened Hearts (24:13-24)
We don’t know anything about these disciples; they weren’t famous, they weren’t members of the Twelve, they weren’t leaders – they were just common, garden-variety disciples like you and me… This little scene is remarkably ordinary and lacking in distinction; it is not a dramatic setting for a great event. There is no angel, no empty tomb. It is just two friends, clinging together in common misery, trying to comfort each other, going over and over the events as if the mere repetition of them would bring relief, seeking desperately to understand and accept, but dazed and numb with shock and grief. ~ Fleming Rutledge, The Undoing of Death, “Recognizing Jesus”
1 Corinthians 15:17–19: And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
II. Unbelieving Hearts (24:25-27)
Jesus responds to these sad and burdened disciples in three ways:
The Source of their Unbelief: ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe…”
The Necessity of Suffering: “.. all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
The Key to Everything: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
1 Corinthians 15:3–4: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”
2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
III. Burning Hearts (24:28-35)
As the two disciples are enthralled in conversation with the risen Christ, they convince him to stay for dinner as evening approaches. At the table, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it, and suddenly they “recognized” him. Their burdened, slow, and dull hearts had been melted and warmed by God’s grace as Jesus opened up the Scriptures to them.
Ephesians 1:18-20a: “...having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead...”
The Cross
Luke 23:32-49
the cross
Luke 23:32-49
I. The Cosmic Plan of the Cross (23:32-34)
Genesis 3:15: I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise his heel.
Isaiah 53:4-5:
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
I love this prayer because of the indistinctness of it. It is “Father, forgive them.” He does not say, “Father, forgive the soldiers who have nailed me here.” He includes them. Neither does he say, “Father, forgive the people who are beholding me.” He means them. Neither does he say, “Father, forgive sinners in ages to come who will sin against me.” But he means them. Jesus does not mention them by any accusing name, [but simply]: “Father, forgive them.” Now into that pronoun “them” I feel that I can crawl. Can you get in there? Oh, by a humble faith, appropriate the cross of Christ by trusting in it; and get into that big little word ‘them’! ~ Charles Spurgeon, “Christ’s Plea for Ignorant Sinners”
II. The Coronation of the Cross (23:35-39)
Jesus is (ironically) mocked on the cross for being a:
false Savior (23:35, 39)
fake King (23:36-38)
Jesus reveals his kingship not by coming down from the cross to save himself, but by staying on the cross to save others. Jesus reigns by saving, and he saves by giving his life. ~ Jeremy Treat, The Crucified King
III. The Completed Work of the Cross (23:40-49)
1. Darkness covers the land, signifying God’s judgment on sin
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2. The temple curtain is torn, granting us access to God’s presence
Hebrews 10:19–22: Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith
3. People begin to be changed: a Roman Centurion (23:47), the crowds (23:48-49), the criminal on the cross (23:40-43)
Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The Trial
Luke 23:1-25
the trial
Luke 23:1-25
Main Idea: Amid the political actors of this world, Jesus is the true king who sets free guilty captives.
I. Political Posturing (23:1-5)
Jesus has been found guilty of blasphemy by the Sanhedrin (22:66-71), but they lack the power to condemn him to death. Therefore, they appeal to Pilate and make 3 political accusations against Jesus:
‘Misleading’ (lit. ‘subverting’) our nation (Israel)
Refusing to pay taxes to Caesar (cf. Luke 20:25)
Claiming to be Christ, a king (the most threatening accusation to Pilate)
Pilate’s question (“Are you the King of the Jews?”) is an attempt to drill down Jesus’ political alliance and agenda. Jesus’ brilliant answer (lit. ‘you say’) confronts the false expectations of a messiah and king, while not denying his royal identity. Jesus was indeed a King, but not a king like the people had in mind (cf. Jn. 18:36).
Jesus sees his messiahship [and kingship] in different terms. He insists that he really is the King. He really is the Messiah. He really does come from David’s line. But he’s also one who’s not so much interested in establishing a merely territorial, political kingdom. He comes to build his kingdom that captures men and women, to transform them, to forgive them, to prepare them for heaven, and to teach them how to live here: a domain in which God is sovereign and recognized as King. ~ D.A. Carson, “Why Jesus Christ Died”
II. Vain Curiosity (23:6-12)
Hearing that Jesus has connections to Galilee, Pilate sees an opportunity to pass him off to Herod and his jurisdiction. Herod Antipas desired to see a “sign,” but he had no genuine interest in the truth about Christ or faith in him. He is a political pawn whose conscience has been seared (cf. Luke 9:7-9).
Those who come to Jesus for any purpose other than knowing, loving, and following him will inevitably be disappointed... To desire Jesus because of signs and wonders, health and wealth, powers and privilege, or any other ulterior purposes is not to desire Jesus. ~ James Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke
1 Peter 2:22-23: He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
Jesus’ interaction with Herod ends with two inverted ironies of the gospel:
Herod thinks nothing of Jesus and mockingly dresses up the true King of all kings in ‘splendid clothing’
Herod and Pilate experience reconciliation as a result of their united opposition against Christ (Ps. 2:2: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed”)
III. A Great Exchange (23:13-25)
Pilate asserts Jesus’ innocence three times (23:4, 14, 22) but the crowd, animated by the chief priests and rulers, is stirred up in a frenzy to condemn Jesus. Pilate lacks the moral fortitude and courage to do what is right and caves under the political pressure.
Luke 9:22: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
The release of ‘Barabbas’ (lit. ‘son of the father’) is the story of the gospel; though Jesus is innocent and righteous, he is condemned and faces the consequences in the place of the guilty, while the guilty one is released from his imprisonment and walks free (cf. Mk. 10:45, 1 Pet. 3:18).
The concept of substitution may be said to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. ~ John Stott, The Cross of Christ
The Census, the Repentance, and the Altar
2 Samuel 24
The Census, the repentance, and the altar
2 samuel 24
Other sacred texts do not lambast the office of kingship, nor do they dwell so unremittingly on the failings and limitations of their monarchs. They exalt the king, praise him, smooth over his weaknesses, flatter him, and magnify his achievements. Not so the Bible. So much for the idea that the biblical God is an invention to bolster the power of earthly kings!
- Christopher Watkin, Biblical Critical Theory
Main Idea: When we sin, conviction is the gift that leads us to faith and repentance in the finished work of Christ.
I. The Census (24:1-9)
What’s the big deal with taking a census?
Uriah the Hittite and the Mighty Men of Valor (23:8–39, 24:1-9): The end of chapter 23 provides the military context for our section. David has a battle on his mind. David’s census here is mustering of military personnel (v9). We are reminded of the sin against Uriah and introducing another sin, taking something with wrong motivations and wrong purposes. In both cases, the sin of the shepherd causes the sheep to suffer.
The Exodus and Pharoah (24:13-16): The second connection is the textual connection to the Exodus story. Here Israel suffers from a plague, and the pestilence is spread by the Angel of the Lord, who struck down the people because of the heart of the ruler. Like Passover, the angel of the Lord is turned away by sacrifice—David’s sin, acting like a king of the nations.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20: And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. – Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
David didn’t always obey God, but he always dealt with God. – Eugene Peterson
II. The Repentance (24:10-17)
2 Samuel 24:10: But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people.
David experienced conviction, not always immediately but inevitably. God always sees through the outward appearance to the heart of the matter (Luke 6:45). To experience conviction is a gift from God to be received with humility (John 16:8).
It is not strange that people sin, but it is reprehensible if they do not acknowledge that they have erred and humble themselves before God.
Ambrose of Milan (333–397)
Conviction always leads to a crossroads, and both are toll roads.
Real repentance turns to God, and real repentance takes ownership of the fallout. David could have squirmed out from this. He could have spared himself. But in perhaps his greatest moment, he seeks atonement by offering himself in exchange for the sheep (John 15:13).
III. The Altar (24:18-25)
Israel is spared from the judgment derived because of the intercession of the mediator whom God provided in the person of King David.
God will accept anyone—even if, like David in his census, we have sinned greatly in offense to God—who comes to him through faith in the offering of the death of Christ.
The narrative concludes with words that fittingly summarize not only the meaning of David’s life but also the message of the whole Bible: “David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel” (2 Sam. 24:25).
Through Many Tribulations
2 Samuel 22:1-25
Through many tribulations
2 samuel 22:1-25
Main Idea: The only way we make it home is through many tribulations. There is no Plan B. Let your hearts be encouraged.
What Happened to David - the Facts
(David’s) scrapes have not been with the shadow of death but with its clammy clutches. What David says here in poetry he once said to Jonathan in prose: 'There is but a step between me and death' (1 Sam. 20:3). That statement actually summarizes David's life throughout the Saul years (1 Sam. 18-31). His distress went far beyond facing gall bladder surgery or replacing a defunct automatic transmission. Death daily dogged his tracks.
~ Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity
What Happened to David - the Results
If what happened to David in terms of the facts can be summarized in the word “tribulation,” then what happened to him in terms of results might be summarized in the word “growth.” He started out as a courageous young shepherd boy in 1 Samuel 16. He sits now as a noble king marked by at least three cardinal virtues displayed in this song.
Worship
Prayer
Endurance
Remember, God chose David to be king, not David nor anyone else. David became the king God chose him to be because God provided the “training” necessary to that end in the forms of disasters and oppositions. David didn’t quit - not because he wasn’t a quitter - but because quitting was death. In situations like that, you just keep going. AND, you also keep growing!
Why It Happened the Way It Did - the Bigger Story
The BIGGER story builds around two massive truths.
First, the LORD is the LIVING GOD and all creation is subject to Him.
David speaks of the LORD God riding the violence of the storm to his rescue as if it were a pony. The storm is still “the storm” but it is neither out of God’s control nor apart from God’s design.
The second aspect to this bigger story is that the Living God of Israel is a COVENANT-KEEPING GOD.
What David is saying is that his efforts at keeping the covenant to the best of his ability met with God’s overwhelmingly gracious keeping of the covenant in rescuing him. David is not wrong in claiming that his loyalty to the covenant played a part, but he is definitely most right in saying that his rescue - however meager his obedience - was dramatic proof of God’s gracious and super-abundant goodness as a covenant-keeping God.
Why It Happened the Way It Did - the Better Story
It turns out that “violence” and “enemies” are not our biggest problems. They cause a lot of problems, but David, by his own testimony, “beat them fine as the dust of the earth;” and “crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.” (v. 43)
But that single sinful glance at the naked woman bathing on the rooftop whooped David in ways he never recovered from!!
Our biggest problem is not with something “out there” but with something “in here.” We cannot rescue ourselves from it, but, according to the gospel, Jesus did.
Why It Happened the Way It Did - the Better Story
You’ve put your faith in Jesus. What can you expect from here?
Tribulations
Deliverance
Glory
The only way we make it home is through many tribulations. There is no Plan B. Let your hearts be encouraged.
An Underwhelming Return
2 Samuel 19:9-43
AN underwhelming Return
2 samuel 19:9-43
Main Idea: The return of King David underwhelms, but the return of King Jesus far surpasses our greatest expectations.
King Jesus secures a place in His kingdom where His former enemies (19:9-23), the faithful (19:24-30), and the content (19:31-40) can have true unity with both Him and each other (19:41-43).
I. King Jesus Secures a Place in His Kingdom for His Enemies (19:9-23)
King David endured the shame and rejection from his own tribe and was willing to pardon their transgressions against him upon his return to unify the kingdom. However, his attempts to extend mercy seem to fall short of actually securing a place of unity in the kingdom for his former enemies.
King Jesus also endured shame and rejection from his own tribe, but he was pierced for their transgressions so that His mercy could sufficiently pardon them and secure a place for His former enemies in His Kingdom that will be fully realized in His return.
II. King Jesus Secures a Place in His Kingdom for the Faithful (19:24-30)
King David's return doesn't quite bring about restoration for Mephibosheth in the way we hoped, but in the midst of being crippled, slandered, and having lost almost everything, Mephibosheth rejoices over and trusts his returning king's rule and reign.
King Jesus' return will restore His faithful people to Himself perfectly. In the midst of mourning our pain, oppositions, and losses, we can rejoice over and trust the reign of our King in both the here and now and long for His return, where our mourning will turn to rejoicing for eternity.
III. King Jesus Secures a Place in His Kingdom for the Content (19:31-40)
King David's return offers a place for Barzillai to feast in His Kingdom that only appeals to his waning senses.
King's Jesus' return prepares a place for us at a great feast where we will be able to look, see, taste, and feel His glory beyond our comprehension.
A Sad Victory
2 Samuel 18:1-19a
A Sad Victory
2 samuel 18:1-19:8a
Main Idea: Sin creates a tension between justice and mercy that is only resolved by a better King.
I. The Rebellious Son
Absalom’s rebellion has hit a tipping point and the battle lines are drawn. He has set himself “against the Lord and against his Anointed” (Ps. 2) and God has ordained his downfall (cf. 17:14).
There is a sad irony in Absalom’s death; though he tried to “set up for himself a pillar” and a lasting monument (18:18), he dies:
Brought down by the source of his pride & glory (cf. 2 Sam. 14:26; Prov. 16:18)
Hanging from a tree, a sign of being ‘cursed by God’ (cf. Deut. 21:22-23)
Being stoned to death, memorialized as a traitor and enemy of God and his people (cf. Josh 7:26, 8:29, 10:27)
II. The Ruthless General
In the face of Absalom’s sin and rebellion, Joab desires justice without mercy. Though he previously tried to reconcile Absalom & David, he now ignores the King’s request and brutally murders Absalom (18:14-15).
The narrative, typically, reports but does not evaluate Joab’s action. His act was both rebellious and rational: rebellious, in light of David’s order; rational, for the welfare of David’s regime… Here in [chapter 19] Joab seems to be right, yet in [chapter 18] he is insubordinate. Joab was wrong to defy the king’s order, yet he clearly divined what disaster David’s incessant grief would bring. Thus, Joab is wrong and right; he is rebellious and reasonable. He lacks subordination but not sense. The biblical writer allows Joab to remain an enigma.
~ Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity
III. The Remorseful King
If Joab desired justice without mercy, David desired mercy over justice with his son Absalom (18:5). David’s weakened kingdom and failures as a king caused the Lord’s deliverance on this day (18:31) to be a sad triumph, as he mourns for his son whom he loves.
There is a deeper dimension to David’s grief... How Nathan’s words must have echoed in David’s conscience: ‘The sword will not depart from your house forever’ (12:10). It is David’s guilt that inflames his grief. ... David knew that his sin had set the sword loose in his household… Perhaps David wished he had died instead of Absalom because he knew he deserved to die. Guilt has aggravated grief. So we end with a paradox: a safe kingdom, a sad king.
~ Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity
When Absalom died, David cried out, vainly wishing he could have died in his place. What David longed to do for Absalom, God accomplished for us. Jesus Christ went to the cross to die in our place, an act of love that should remind us of David’s heartfelt cry… Jesus did for us, His sons and daughters, what David could not do for his own. Absalom died hanging in a tree with a spear for his rebellion thrust through his heart; Jesus died on a tree with a spear for our rebellion thrust through his.
~ J. D. Greear and Heath Thomas, Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel
Ultimately, the tension of this account must be resolved by a Greater Son of David; like Absalom, Jesus is ‘suspended between heaven and earth’ as he is hung upon a tree, speared, and dies a curse-bearing death in the place of the guilty (cf. Gal. 3:13). The crucifixion of Christ is the resolution of the tension between mercy and justice (cf. Ps. 85:10)