Blog

In this blog post from Empowering Christian Leaders, Pastor Ron Meyers teaches about three strengths and three errors. Learn valuable biblical truths to help you in your ministry.

In this blog post from Empowering Christian Leaders, Pastor Ron Meyers teaches about ACCOUNTABILITY, A KEY TO PERSONAL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Learn valuable biblical truths to help you in your ministry.

In this blog post from Empowering Christian Leaders, Pastor Ron Meyers teaches about King David passing the leadership baton. Learn valuable biblical truths to help you in your ministry.

In this blog post from Empowering Christian Leaders, Pastor Ron Meyers teaches about Solomon being made king. Learn valuable biblical truths to help you in your ministry.

I Kings 1:17-31 17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.” 22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? 28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30 I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!” Nathan and Bathsheba partnered together to inform David that Adonijah was in the act of having himself made king. Bathsheba was given an opportunity to speak and she arose to the occasion and did well. We will see that she did not respond with mere emotion—though she probably had deep and important feelings and opinions on the subject at hand—but rather with well-stated reasons, logic and argumentation presented her case. We are learning leadership principles from David in this series, but this time we learn this one from Bathsheba—she used reason not emotion.  1. Bathsheba Explained the Situation 17-21 Her response to her husband the king was concise, wise and clear. She reminded him that he had promised and swore with a solemn oath that her son, Solomon, would succeed him as king. Verse 17 says, “She said to him, ‘My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the Lord your God: "Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne."'" She believed that if David only knew the situation, that he would keep his word. Very possibly they had discussed this over the years of their marriage. She also told him of Adonijah’s plans and actions to take the kingdom for himself. Verses 18-19 say, “But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.” Before we think about what she did say, let us observe what she did not say. She could have said something like, 'You are getting old and have been getting old for some time. You are not actively ruling your kingdom, just staying in this bed keeping yourself warm, and even that, you cannot do without the help of this young woman in bed with you. Decisions need to be made, succession to the throne has been decided many years ago, but you have not acted on it even though you yourself are practically an invalid. If Adonijah becomes king, not only will Solomon not be king, he will probably be killed and I with him. If you had handled this responsibility sooner, this problem would not even have occurred. Why didn’t you learn from Absalom’s rebellion? Now the nation has to go through that again!' We do not know if even a hint of a thought like that had quickly slipped through her mind, but we do know that she said nothing at all like this; not a negative word or expression, not a hint of resentment, mere emotion or passion passed her lips. She stayed positive—and persuasive. As leaders in God’s church we could take a lesson from this. Many people, lacking foresight without the ability to think and plan ahead, make mistakes because they are preoccupied with personal issues—like keeping warm. Jerusalem does get cold in the winter. It snows there—not every year, but many years. David’s palace did not have a central heating system. We can be either considerate as we face those difficulties or we can follow Bathsheba’s good example and stay positive. She said something like this, “The fault is not yours because you did not even know about it, but now you do. And so to keep your promise to me, please stop Adonijah’s attempt to take the throne from you and Solomon.' She even told him who Adonijah’s guests were and who was left out—including Solomon. 'Leaving Solomon out, showed us that Adonijah considered Solomon a rival which makes me the rival’s mother. Solomon being neglected reveals Adonijah’s contempt for your promise to make Solomon king.' These are the lines of thought along which she addressed her wise speech to David. Then she proceeded to explain how David could thwart Adonijah’s plan. Verses 20-21 say, “My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.” She was aware, as were the people, that David was not only the king, but that God often supernaturally directed David’s administrative decisions; that he had a prophetic aspect to his leadership. Israel is waiting for you to tell us what to do. We are looking for your signal of God’s intention in this matter of great importance. David’s word would be an oracle and a law to them and it will easily end the controversy and completely bring a halt to Adonijah’s present ambitions. Bathsheba also prudently suggested the immediate danger she and her son would be in if this question was not resolved in David’s life-time, but even closer to the point, it needed to be solved right then because Adonijah had already had himself declared king and was actively beginning to take over. Already, as Nathan the prophet will soon assert, the hills were echoing the sounds of shouts of “Long live king Adonijah!” Bathsheba had pressed her case well by mentioning Joab the general and Abiathar the high priest being on Adonijah’s side. With men of power and prestige like them siding with Adonijah, he is likely to prevail. 'This makes Solomon and me look like traitors.' Usurpers are cruel. If this one had really reached the throne, he would not have dealt with Solomon as justly as Solomon will treat him. Usurpers do not change their character into fair, easy-going, justice-loving gentlemen after they have achieved their desired positions. Bathsheba argued and petitioned well in behalf of herself, her son and the whole kingdom. Satan too is a usurper and we do as well as Bathsheba did, when, with the Lords help and with His gift to us of courage, and in the power of His name used effectively in our prayers, entreaties and arguments toward God for the establishment and maintenance of His Kingdom among us, we resist the devil and do not allow the gates of hell to prevail against our advances, defenses and counter-advances. We will not yield to him. We will not yield to the usurper, accuser and arch-enemy of our Lord in whose name we cast down arguments and evil imaginations. Bathsheba did well to argue against the usurper of her day. We also do well when, in prayer, we follow her example. As II Cor. 10:4-5 say, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We do not argue and wrestle against mere people as Bathsheba did, rather we are (to paraphrase Eph. 6:11-12), “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power, we put on the full armor of God, so that we can take our stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Bathsheba’s argument prevailed in the king’s heart, and so will ours. Her king received and listened to her and our king welcomes, accommodates and listens to us with an even more attentive, understanding and responsive ear. 2. Nathan Collaborated as Planned 22-27 Just as he promised, Nathan the prophet, stepped in and affirmed the truth and rightness of Bathsheba’s report and request, even before David had time to give his response, as though to make certain that he heard her and believed her correctly. We will notice a strong similarity between what she said and what Nathan said. Out of the mouth of two witnesses—and both of them credible sources—this word would be established, and he would immediately give positive orders as we will soon see. On the other hand, we must also consider that Nathan, himself, was Bathsheba’s source—he had told her! Was this really two separate witnesses speaking? Or did Bathsheba confirm the report from another source? The king was told that Nathan the prophet had come, and, yes, he is sure to be always welcomed by the king, especially when David was not physically strong or well or had something big on his mind such as what Bathsheba had just explained. In either case, don’t you think a reputable prophet would be especially welcome. Nathan knew he must render honor to whom honor is due, and therefore does the same thing now, when David is in bed, that he would have done were David on his throne. Verses 22-23 say, “While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. And the king was told, ‘Nathan the prophet is here.’ So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.” With that formality completed, Nathan got right to his message. Verses 24-27 say, “Nathan said, ‘Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?” Consistent with the difference between their two roles, Nathan spoke somewhat more plainly with the king than Bathsheba had. He was a man, she was a woman; he was a prophet while she was David’s wife. Yet, he explained Adonijah’s attempt as Bathsheba had, in similar terms, adding that Adonijah’s party had already risen to such an elevated assurance that the crowd was shouting ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ as though king David were already dead, and added the observation that he, Zadok and Benaiah had not been invited to their feast. Wouldn’t this suggest that Adonijah’s movement had resolved not to consult either God or David in the matter? Nathan, after all, was thoroughly familiar with the events surrounding Solomon’s birth and God’s promise to put him on David’s throne. Of course they would not invite Nathan! Certainly they would not invite Solomon either! Nathan tactfully allowed David space to wiggle out of an awkward position by asking, “Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?” This is as though to say, 'If that is so, David, you are not so faithful to God’s Word or your own as we thought you to be. And if not, then it is now time that you speak up against the usurpation, and declare Solomon your successor. If that is so, why was I not told? As your confidant I should have been informed, especially concerning this. I am the one who delivered to you the Word of the Lord that Solomon’s name should be Jedidiah—loved of the Lord. Have you altogether forgotten or dismissed that? You promised Bathsheba that Solomon would be the next king. Have you forgotten that?' 'If my lord the king knows nothing of this matter, as apparently you do not, what horrible action is this that Adonijah and his party are up to?' By asking this one, simple, meaningful question, Nathan seems to have be able to arouse David against Adonijah and his plans. David appears to have been aroused to more decisively support of Solomon. This good man, David, apparently just needed to be prodded to do his duty. How many others around us need us to simply ask them essentially the same question Nathan asked David, “Is this something you have done without informing me?” We can do this, not in an accusing tone, but with the attitude of someone who speaks the truth in love. By reminding others of their obligations to do right, whether to stop doing wrong or actively to do right, by reminding them of their duty, could we do them a real kindness, as Nathan did to David here? 3. David Fulfilled the Promise 28-31 Having heard from Bathsheba and Nathan, David made what seems to be a formal and solemn declaration that Solomon will be his successor. Bathsheba was called in and David delivered the message in person to her. Surely this would have been very good news. Verses 28-30 say, “Then King David said, ‘Call in Bathsheba.’ So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. The king then took an oath: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.’” He rehearsed that he had given her his oath before. Even though he is old, and his memory may have begun to fail him, he still remembered this. We are glad with Bathsheba, Nathan and Solomon that David remembered. This reference to an oath, however, does bring up another question for the Christian believer of today—the keeping of our word. David and others in Bible days supported their pledge, promise or vow by taking an oath. We believers do not usually do that today. Why? Jesus taught us that everything we say should be true, kept, honored and maintained, even without swearing. Here is what He taught, as recorded in Mat. 5:33-37, “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” The last part of what Jesus said on this subject, “anything beyond this comes from the evil one,” deserves a brief explanation. We live in a world of deceit, lying, cheating and many are the occasions when people do not keep their word. In such an evil atmosphere some try to attest to the truth of a statement by adding a strong affirming statement, a vow, swearing or the taking of an oath etc. In another age the taking of an oath may have been the making of a sacred obligations so that it cannot be broken, but if we live under the new Covenant in practice as well as belief, as a new creation, we live in the truth, we believe the truth, we state the truth, and we keep our word even without adding what Jesus said was unnecessary. If I say “yes,” we take that to mean a real “yes,” and if I say “no,” we take that to mean a real “no.” We will not expect that David, who lived in another period, will have lived up to the high standards of Jesus’ teachings as we do today, so we will be tolerant of David taking an oath, while at the same time not taking oaths ourselves because Jesus said anything added to a “Yes” or “no” stems from the evil one. Having come to understand that we don’t and why we don’t take oaths today, we can nevertheless try to appreciate the sincerity of David’s declaration that “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.” Without dispute, without delay let this be done. His form of swearing seems to be what he used often because the exact same words were used when he declared that Rekab and Baanah, who killed Ish-Bosheth while he lay sleeping in his bed in his house, should be executed for their sin. He used these same words then too, “As surely as the lord lives who has delivered me out of every trouble” (II Sam 4:9). Whatever else David intended by using these words, in addition to that, we can take his expression as a acknowledgement that David knew and testified to the fact that it was the Lord who had delivered him from every trouble. If Bathsheba reported this conversation fully to her son, Solomon, her son may remember his father’s testimony and look to the Lord and trust Him to deliver himself if he too should meet distress. Bathsheba received these assurances whole-heartedly. Adonijah and his group may affront David, but she would honor and reverence him. Verse 31 says, “Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, 'May my lord King David live forever!'" The king’s body may be so weak that he cannot generate enough warmth to live without a warm body next to him, he may be old and frail and unable to administrate the affairs of the kingdom, but heart and soul, I wish him well, may he live forever, “May my lord King David live forever!” She did not think he lived too long; she wished him many more years. Bathsheba would be happy for David to live a long time, but, for discussion purposes, suppose that even if she were to take more delight in being the mother of king Solomon rather than being the wife of king David, we may observe that it is a noble thought for anyone to unselfishly wish health and long life for another, and especially when the lengthening of that life delays the benefits and advantages that will come to oneself. Here is another indication of the positive attitude Bathsheba maintained. David had wanted her first husband, Uriah, dead, but she wanted David to live a long time. Those who follow your leadership may want you to live or remain a long time, but that noble wish will not make it so. You will move to another ministry or pass away and go to your reward as David and every other godly leader has done. The question for you is, 'have you made plans for a smooth transition from your leadership to the administration and management of those who will remain after you are gone?' The leader who has put in place a plan for the work to continue after he or she has passed on, is wise, discrete and forethoughtful. Their work will endure.

I Kings 1:1-16 1 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” 3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her. 5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.6 (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) 7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.” 15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king. “What is it you want?” the king asked. A smooth succession from one leader to the next is crucial if the growth, health and influence of a Christian organization is to continue into the next generation. It takes time to formulate plans for succession, but without them it is possible that much of what was gained by the former leader and his or her leadership team could be lost. A greater success is obtained when succession plans are well in place and others know about them. Then the work goes on even though a leader is called home to be with the Lord or to another place of ministry. This principle is illustrated in this lesson.  1. Abishag Served the King 1-4 By the great mercy of God, David escaped the sword of the destroying angel. God does deliver us from diseases and danger, but David was growing old as every candle will either be blown out or burn itself out. He had lived a full life and was now an old man, so old that he could not even keep himself warm. Verse 1 says, “When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.” The flame of life had burned hot and bright, but now his blood is cold and he is confined to his bed, and even there can get no heat. He was seventy years old and, though many are still healthy, lively, fit for business and vigorous at that age such as Moses or Barzillai, David was not. “Let not . . . the strong boast of their strength” (Jer. 9:23). The Lord’s Word to Jeremiah has multiple possible applications. In this case, David had been strong and now was weak. He had glorified the Lord with his strength while he was youthful and could. Now, in a different season of life, even though his body was weak, his spirit and faith could still be energetic and forceful. David had served well while he was young and strong so he would have no regrets now that he was old and weak. Even before Solomon wrote these words of wisdom, David had obeyed this principle. Eccl 12:1-3 say, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’—before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders (teeth) cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows (eyes) grow dim;” What our hands find to do for God now in our generation, let us do with all our strength, because the night of old age, in which we will no longer be able to work, is coming and we will want to know then that we used today’s opportunities well while we could. It might trouble one to see his physicians so weak and unable to help David other than to try to keep him warm. If that was all they could do, they did, at least, seek to serve his interests as well as they could. Clothes can keep warmth in, but there must first exist warmth that is to be kept. In another period of Israel’s history the prophet Haggai observes the lack of blessing on Israel because they were not as eager to rebuild the house of God as they should have been. He said of them, “You put on clothes, but are not warm” (1:6). In Haggai’s time God’s favor was lifted for a while to let Israel know they should be more active in service to God and his temple. In David’s case, his body was simply failing, but in our case, if we are still young and yet clothes do not keep us warm, perhaps God is speaking to us as He did to Israel in Haggai’s day. As the day of David’s promotion to heaven grew nearer, there were other matters of great importance, that should have been undertaken. They were not addressed, decided or solved for lack of forethought or because of the preoccupation of the court with keeping David’s aging body warm and alive. We know from a later conversation between Bathsheba and Solomon, regarding a request for a wife for Adonijah, that David apparently actually married young Abishag before she got into his bed to warm his cold body. Even though they never physically consummated the marriage, David and Abishag were married—as though David needed another wife! We know this because, otherwise this conversation between Bathsheba and Solomon makes no sense. Here is the conversation that took place after Solomon became king. It enables us to see that the Abishag solution was not a truly wise solution to the more important matters that were at hand. I Kings 1:20-23 says, “‘I have one small request to make of you,’ she said. ‘Do not refuse me.’ The king replied, ‘Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.’ So she said, ‘Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.’ King Solomon answered his mother, ‘Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!’ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: ‘May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request!’” The Abishag “solution” was no solution to a much more important matter. It only addressed the temporary problem of David’s aging physical body. David would have been better off to be proactive, think ahead, consult his counselors and appoint Solomon to succeed himself. The whole confusing affair with Adonijah’s attempt to take the throne could have been avoided. David’s prophets should have been consulted as well as his physicians in an important affair of this nature. It was infinitely more important that Solomon be established on David’s throne than that Abishag be in his bed. Perhaps this part of David’s story can teach us that it is more important for a leader and his or her team to care for the details of succession—what will happen to his or her work after he or she is gone—than to be preoccupied with mere matters of physical comfort. 2. Adonijah Shows His Ambitions 5-6 David experienced a great deal of self-imposed affliction in his children. It could have been avoided and would have if David had observed and learned from Eli’s and Samuel’s failures to raise their sons to become godly and responsible adults. “Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur” (II Samuel 3:2-3). Amnon his first-born, and Absalom, his third, had both been his grief. About his third, by Abigail, we know nothing, and “the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith” (II Samuel 3:4) was one of those that were born in Hebron, about whom we have heard nothing until now. By now Adonijah was at least 33 years old and Verse 6 says, “(His father had never rebuked him by asking, 'Why do you behave as you do?'" He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)” He was good-looking and next in age to Absalom and, unfortunately, he was evidently also close to Absalom in temperament, spirit and character. To make matters worse, because of David’s weakness in dealing with his sons as a responsible father, in David’s eyes he had been a jewel, but was now a thorn. His father had made a pet of him, David had never confronted him at any time. Scripture does not say that he never displeased his father and it is actually probable that he had frequently. The narrative clearly leads us to understand that David spoiled him. Maybe he lamented his behavior, but never displeased, opposed, denied, called him to account or resisted him. David never taught him about responsibility and never reproved, rebuked or corrected him. This is a formula for disaster because, as Pr 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” We might well ponder if Adonijah’s younger half-brother, Israel’s next king, didn’t arrive at this understanding by watching Adonijah’s unbridled behavior in their family. If David did not correct Adonijah because Adonijah sulked or complained when he was disciplined, that does not remove any blame from either father or son. It was the son’s fault that he was displeased at reproof and took it for an affront and so he, himself, lost the benefit of correction. It was also the father’s fault that, just because he saw it displeased his son, he stopped, or never really started to train him well. Now he will soon very much regret his earlier failure. If this problem had happened only with Adonijah, we might have an easier or more lenient interpretation of David’s child-raising policy (actually a child-spoiling policy), but Adonijah is the third son to become a serious problem to David. And all three of these problems can be traced to the lack of correction of the child on the part of the father. Pity fathers who honor their sons more than they do God and the instruction God has given us in His Word to discipline our children. Parents who do not keep their children under firm and loving restraint forfeit the honor they might later receive from their children. Adonijah was certainly not fit to take David’s place of leadership. 3. Adonijah’s Following 7-10 Adonijah, in return, made a fool of his father. Verse 5 says, “Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, 'I will be king.’ So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.” Perhaps Adonijah thought because dad is old, confined to his bed and not paying attention to matters of state, “I will be king.” Children who are indulged learn to be proud and ambitious and this is the ruin of a great many young people. The way to keep them humble is to keep them under; not because we are mean, unkind or unloving or want to hold them back from fulfilling their potential, but, to the contrary, because we are responsible, and truly loving parents who want our children to succeed. Let’s try to get inside Adonijah’s ambitious head and understand his timing, motivation and arrogance. 'Dad is going to die any time. Let me prepare to succeed him. On second thought, before he appoints my younger half-brother, Solomon to the throne, let me be proactive, think ahead and declare myself king before I would have to come against a newly appointed king Solomon. Let me do it now.' I Chron 22:9 says, “But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign.” Public announcements likely had been made that Solomon would be the next king. This meant that Adonijah’s attempt by force to cut Solomon off was done in contempt of God and his father. He looked upon his father as antiquated, outmoded and good for nothing, and therefore wanted immediate possession of the throne. A little later, Bathsheba would report to David, as recorded in I Kings 1:25, “Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’” In his pride he not only felt that he alone was competent to rule, but took a dim view of others who, in actuality, were more capable than himself. His dad was old and not fit to rule and his kid brother, Solomon was not yet able to reign. I will take the reins of the government now. It is a very base and wicked mind for a child growing or grown to insult their parents because of some weakness due to their age. To make his claim on the throne he gathered a group of followers to wait on and fight for him—50 of them as a matter of fact. He attracted even Joab, the general of the army, to his side and also Abiathar the high priest. “Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support” (v 7). It is not surprising that he would attempt to gain their loyalty, but it is, indeed amazing that they would be so weak and willing. Both were old and had long been faithful to David. How is it that these experienced older men could be persuaded to join against David? Neither could find any advantage to themselves if they followed Adonijah, because they were already secure at the head of camp and congregation. It appears that God left them to themselves. He allowed it. Perhaps there was some hidden—or not so hidden—sin in their hearts that God wanted to punish with a whip of their own making, perhaps to correct them for some former misconduct with a scourge they themselves made. Verse 8 says, “But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.” So we also know who the loyal friends of David were. We are not told whether Adonijah tried to woo them or not. Maybe Adonijah did not even approach them because he knew these men were loyal to David. If so, that was a good reputation to have—so loyal that none need bother even trying to tempt them into the rebel’s camp. Even if they were approached by Adonijah, these faithful men had the courage to resist any temptation to join a new, seemingly popular, fad. Adonijah prepared a great entertainment at En-rogel, not far from Jerusalem which would seem to argue that this was a well-planned event as opposed to being something merely spontaneous. His guests were the king’s sons and servants, whom he wined, dined and feasted to bring them over to his party. Solomon was not invited, neither because he despised nor despaired of him, but probably because he knew in his selfish and ambitious heart that Solomon was his father’s and God’s choice. “. . . but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon” (v 10). Reasons guide thinking people’s decisions, but there is another class of persons on earth who are persuaded by simpler and more sinister means. “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (Rom 16:18). Some people are misled by what you put in their mouths and other are deceived by what you put in their ears. We observe that, except for the three mentioned above whom he did not invite, he invited “all;” that is to say that “all” his brothers, the king’s sons and “all” the royal officials of Judah were invited. It would be a blessing not to be invited. We do not know if the animals Adonijah sacrificed were offered to God as a sacrifice as Absalom had done, or not. Absalom had pretended to be fulfilling a vow he had made while in exile. It might look good in the eyes of men to begin a new enterprise with an act of devotion, but if the devotion is not true, it would be far better not to try to use religion and appearance as a compensation for lack of character, honesty and character. God is watching and He will not be mocked. 4. Coached by Nathan, Abigail Approaches the King 11-16 Nathan and Bathsheba worked together to receive from David the promised appointment of Solomon to the throne. If successful, this action would quickly squelch Adonijah’s plans to usurp the kingdom. David did not know what was happening. Children may think they are safe and free from punishment as long as their parents do not know about it. Actually, neither did Bathsheba know about it until Nathan told her. It is dangerous to hide away from news of the outside world. We need to know what is going on if we will protect our own interests and pray effectively for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done in every political, social, church-related or community-impacting development. Let us not get too comfortable in our ignorance of how the world goes. Solomon, it is possible, did know of it, and we might wonder why he did not confer with his mother about it. It may be that he was willing to let God and his friends bring order. If so, that is amazing faith on his part—to watch a rebellion develop and know it was against his interests, but yet do nothing. Did he stay in his room and pray? We don’t know how he occupied himself. We do know, however, that in Psalm 127, which has Solomon’s name in the heading, that some in the world will rise early, stay up late, eat the bread of sorrows, but that it is done in vain because God gives sleep to those He loves. Psalm 127:1-2 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Solomon’s God-given name, Jedidiah, means “beloved by God” and the Hebrew root of that word is the same as the root of “those he loves”—his darling(s) found in Psalm 127:2. God would watch out for Jedidiah even through the effort his brother, Adonijah was making to take his God-promised position from him. Nathan told Bathsheba about the situation in verse 11, “Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, ‘Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it?’” And he also laid the ground-work for means to counter-act against it. Verses 12-14 say, “Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.” Nathan was concerned, because he knew God’s mind, and David’s and Israel’s interest. Also it was through Nathan that God had named Solomon Jedidiah, and therefore he would not sit still and see the throne usurped. He knew the throne was Solomon’s right by the will of the God from whom all promotions come. Nathan knew God’s plan and felt a responsibility to intervene in Solomon’s behalf. Nathan went to Bathsheba, she would have the greatest concern for Solomon and the easiest access to David. He informed her of Adonijah’s actions and that it was without David’s consent or knowledge. He suggested to her that Solomon was in danger of losing the crown and that he and she too could lose their lives if Adonijah succeeded. She could be humble and take no action, but the law of self-preservation, and the commandment not to murder, obligates us to use means to preserve our own life and the lives of others. He was correct. She must act. But how? He helped her with this question too. Now, said Nathan, go see and speak to the king. Remind him of his promise, that Solomon should be his successor and to ask him in the most humble manner, “Why then has Adonijah become king?” He thought David was not so cold but that this would warm him. Conscience and a sense of honor, would revive life in him in a situation like this. Nathan further promised that he would join her and attest to the validity of her message and question. This was not a deceitful trick or a false claim; it was wisdom because God’s Word says that at the mouth of two witnesses something can be established. Bathsheba, following Nathan’s advice lost no time, but immediately went to visit the king on a similar errand as Esther who came to king Ahasuerus, to intercede for her life and the lives of her people. Verses 15-16 say, “So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king. ‘What is it you want?’ the king asked” Bathsheba did not need to wait for a call as Esther did, she knew she would be welcome at any time. Even though Abishag was ministering to him—presumably warming his cold body, Bathsheba was not offended, neither toward him or her for it. Furthermore, in humility, she also “bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.” She followed Sarah’s example and honored her husband as her lord, bowed before her sovereign, and still showed respect after all these years for her lover. Those of us who would like to find favor with the superiors in our organizations, will accomplish that goal and reach that objective more readily if we show them reverence, respect and honor. We should be deferential toward those whom we expect to be kind to us. Bathsheba’s conference with David was off to good beginning. David asked her, “What is it you want?” She was glad to hear those words. In our church organizations and meetings, as we team members struggle to work together for a noble cause and for God’s glory, these are welcome words: “What is it you want?” When in prayer we bow before the throne of the King of the universe, these words are even more gratifying, satisfying and appreciated when He asks us, “What is it you want?” And so, even though the plan for the succession of the throne from David to Solomon was almost disrupted by Adonijah, God was at work and eventually Solomon would be on the throne. A great deal of confusion could have been avoided, however, if more detailed attention had been given to this matter by David before Adonijah thought he saw a power-vacuum and an opportunity for himself.

II Samuel 24:15-25 15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep.What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.” 18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.” 22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.  An altar is where we meet with God. Abraham had built one on this site and in obedience planned to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on it. God accepted the offering of His own only Son who was sacrificed on this site. Anyone who believes in Him will enjoy everlasting life. David, in this lesson, will purchase this property on which to build an altar and sacrifice burnt and fellowship offerings. Today this is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where thousands of people pray every year in anticipation of the coming to this place of Yeshua the Messiah. This is a real site on which occurred an authentic historical event which we will examine in this lesson. 1. The Plague Occurs, but is Graciously Stopped. 15-17 So a pestilence covered the land from Dan to Beer-Sheba, from one end of the kingdom to the other, which effectively demonstrated that it came immediately from God’s hand and not from any natural causes. David had his choice; he suffered by a miracle, and not by ordinary means, 70,000 men that were all well, then sick, and then dead, in a few hours. What a great cry, may we suppose, there was now throughout all the land of Israel, as in Egypt when the first-born were slain! But that was at midnight, this happened in the daytime. Ps. 91:6 says we need not fear “. . . the plague that destroys at midday.” (Incidentally, notice the power of the angels, when God gives them a commission, either to save or to destroy.) See how easily God can bring down the proudest sinners, and how much we owe daily to the divine patience. David’s adultery was punished only with the death of one infant, his pride and desire to trust in numbers rather than in God, however, with the death of all those thousands. Does this show us how much God hates pride and misplaced trust? Surely there were many factors involved in this matter. The number slain, 70,000, amounted to about one in twenty. God said, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” and the angel stopped. As the pestilence neared Jerusalem and the angel stretched out his hand on that city, the Lord repented and called the plague to a halt. See how ready God is to forgive and how little pleasure He takes in punishing. Let it encourage us to repent quickly. This event occurred on Mount Moriah, where Abraham was told not to kill Isaac, and Jesus was to be crucified. At this place the angel was stopped from destroying Jerusalem. David saw something as God opened his eyes. Verse 17 says, “When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.’” When David saw the angel and his sword stretched toward Jerusalem, a flaming sword, ready for further action and then stopped by God’s voice, he was greatly moved by God’s compassion and mercy. He spoke to God and said, “These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.” True penitents, the more they perceive God’s sparing and pardoning mercy, the more humbled they are for sin and the more resolved they are against it. Mine is the crime, so on me be the cross. I am the sinner, let me be the sufferer. So David interceded for the people, whose bitter lamentations over the loss of their loved ones made his heart also ache and grieve. “These are but sheep. What have they done?” They had done much amiss; it was their sin that provoked God in the first place. Nevertheless, David is harsh with himself and lenient with his people. Some leaders look for someone to blame and charge others with being the cause of trouble, but not David. David’s penitent and public spirit was the opposite. This could well remind us of the grace of our Lord Jesus, who took on himself our sins and was willing that God’s hand should be against himself, so that we might escape. The Shepherd was smitten that the sheep might be spared. This is the noble attitude to be followed and replicated by good Christian leaders everywhere. 2. David Instructed to Build an Altar 18-19 David was given a command to erect an altar at the place he saw the angel. Verse 18 says, “On that day Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’” This would have been a comfort to David, though it was indirect. Now David could know that upon his repeated confession, submission and humiliation, God had forgiven him. How so? Samson’s father feared that when they made a sacrifice of a goat, that having seen the angel of the Lord, he and his wife would now die. He was wrong as this brief part of that story indicates. Judges 13: 22-23 say, “‘We are doomed to die!’ he said to his wife. ‘We have seen God!’ But his wife answered, ‘If the Lord had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this.’” Based on that logic, David knew he would not be instructed to build an alter if God did not plan to receive its sacrifice. God’s encouraging us to offer to him spiritual sacrifices of praise is a comforting indication of His reconciling us to Himself. This scene is typical of how God works with us; for peace is made between God and sinners by sacrifice, and not otherwise, even by Christ the great Sacrifice, of whom all the other sacrifices were only types. It is for David’s sake that the destroying angel is told, “Enough! Withdraw your hand” We know that when the judging hand of God is withdrawn we can rejoice as David certainly did. Is. 12:1 says, “In that day you will say: ‘I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.” David purchased land to build an altar from Araunah. Araunah was a Jebusite, but judging from his character, he was probably proselyted to the Jewish religion; we surmise this because, though by birth a Gentile, he was allowed to dwell among the Israelites and have a property of his own in a city. Lev 25:29-30 says, “Anyone who sells a house in a walled city retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time the seller may redeem it. If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and the buyer’s descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee.” Araunah evidently had no intention of redeeming the land for it remained in David’s possession and eventually Solomon built the temple there. It was a threshing floor, a place of labor. It was soon to become a place of worship and eventually the Jewish center for worship. David went personally to meet the owner and strike a deal. “So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad” (v 19). 3. The Conversation Between Araunah and David 20-24 Verse 20 says, “When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.” David’s sense of justice is seen in that, though the owner was a foreigner and he himself a king, and though he had specific instructions from God to build an altar, he would not until he had purchased and paid for it. David was just behaving as he normally did, honorably, nobly and fairly, but in his action we can see his humility, that though a king, he knew he was now a penitent on his way to make confession of sin. He would not call Araunah to come to himself nor would he send someone else on the errand, but he himself went up to the land. And for this humble overture, David lost no honor. Verses 20-21 say, “When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground. Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’” Great men are not respected less for their humility, but more. When Araunah understood David’s intent, he generously offered him, not only the ground on which to build his altar, but oxen and other supplies. Verses 22-23 say, “Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.’ Araunah also said to him, ‘May the Lord your God accept you.’” Here was offered to David everything he would need to do what the Lord had told him to do, plus a nice neighborly prayer thrown in for good measure, “May the Lord your God accept you.” This narrative tells us five important, even fascinating, things about Araunah. (1) He had a generous spirit with a great estate. He was an ordinary subject in David’s kingdom, but he behaved like a prince; he had the spirit of a prince. (2) In fact, he was a Jebusite king. In Hebrew this verse says it quite differently than the translation of it: הַכֹּ֗ל נָתַ֛ן אֲרַ֥וְנָה הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לַמֶּ֑לֶךְ ס וַיֹּ֚אמֶר אֲרַ֙וְנָה֙ אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ יִרְצֶֽךָ: which contains the phrase “the king to the king.” Literally this means: “‘all of this, gives Araunah the king to the king’ and said Araunah to the king, ‘and Jehovah your God receive you.’” (My awkward and literal translation) (3) This “the king gave to the king” indicates that Araunah himself was also a king. Possibly he had been king of the Jebusites in that place, or was descended from their royal family. (4) Furthermore, even though David was his conqueror, because he apparently highly esteemed David, simply on the merits of David’s own noble behavior and manner, he was eager to do for him whatever he could. (5) He had an affection for Israel, and earnestly desired that the plague might be stopped and the honor of its being stopped at his threshing-floor would be worth more than money could buy. “‘All of this, gives Araunah the king to the king’ and said Araunah to the king, ‘and Jehovah your God receive you.’” (My translation) In spite of all of that, David resolved to pay and did pay its full value, “But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them” (v 24). Here were two generous souls well met. Araunah is very willing to give and David is determined to buy. Both had understandable, generous and noble reasons. Araunah, recognized and revered Yehovah and wanted to do something for Him; David would not offer Yehovah something which costs him nothing. David would not take advantage of the generous Jebusite’s overture. He undoubtedly thanked him for his kind proposition and gave him the fifty shelkles of silver to meet the immediate need. Later he also gave him 600 shekels of gold for the adjacent ground on which to build the temple. If we want things always to be cheap and easy, and are never willing to pay a high price or make a sacrificial effort, or deny ourselves to accomplish a goal that is bigger and more valuable than we ourselves are, then we are living too much for ourselves and not totally sold out and dedicated to God, His Kingdom and His cause. Pity the poor person who has nothing more to live for than themselves. What use do we have for our substance, but to honor God with it? And how could it ever be better spent than for Him? 4. David built an Altar 25 Having received the direction, made the decisions, purchased the needed property and material elements for the sacrifice, the building of the altar and the offering of the proper sacrifices upon it were pretty much a mere matter of course. “David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.” Wonderful sight, stimulating fragrance, crackling fire, sizzling of the fat of the sacrifice and the usual other noises that go with such an occasion, probably these all attended the sacrifice of burnt-offerings to the glory of God’s justice in the fulfillment of all that had been done. Also, present was the element of the peace-offerings made to the glory of His mercy that stopped that process. In justice the plague came and in mercy it stopped. God’s program had run its course. What a fitting event for that place on which the Lamb of God would be slain—indicating that God’s justice was satisfied and His mercy toward all of us was openly displayed. 5. The Metaphor of Altar and Throne This is a metaphor of spiritual cardiology, a study of the spiritual heart in which we find two chambers. One chamber contains a throne; it is the throne room. The other room is a place for presenting sacrifices; what is on the altar there belongs to the Lord to whom it was presented. It is in the altar room. There is only one throne in the throne room; it is the center of decision and authority. If you are on the throne, you make the decisions. You decide and you act accordingly. God is not on the throne because you are. Only when God is on the throne does He make the decisions and has all authority. If, however, you are on the alter (not the throne) you have given yourself as an offering to the Lord and He is on the throne. Then He makes the decisions and gives the directives and you obey. You are not on the throne; you are on the altar; God is King and you are the sacrifice. You are on the altar because you have given yourself to God as a living sacrifice. Rom 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” You can take everything you have with you when you place yourself on the altar; that is to say you can not only give Him yourself, but also your time, talent, money, skills, resources, heart, dreams, visions, hopes, desires and affection—everything! David built an altar for the Lord at the threshing floor he had purchased from Araunah. You and I need to either build an altar too or place ourselves on the altar that is already in our hearts. Let’s remember where we are when we talk to the Lord. If we are on the altar, we say things like, “Yes, Lord” and “Okay, Jesus I will do that, go there, pray this or that and do this or that according to what you say.” At the altar in our hearts, we and Jesus can speak to each other—sharing our deepest feelings—but we must remember where we are. We are not on the throne; we are on the alter. And the more of ourselves and what we think is ours that we place there, the happier and better Christian leaders we will be. As a child I remember often singing “Is Your all on the Altar?” by Elisha A Hoffman: You have longed for sweet peace, And for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed; But you cannot have rest, Or be perfectly blest, Until all on the altar is laid. Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the Spirit control? You can only be blest, And have peace and sweet rest, As you yield Him your body and soul. Would you walk with the Lord, In the light of His Word, And have peace and contentment alway? You must do His sweet will, To be free from all ill, On the altar your all you must lay. Oh, we never can know What the Lord will bestow Of the blessings for which we have prayed, Till our body and soul He does fully control, And our all on the altar is laid. Who can tell all the love He will send from above, And how happy our hearts will be made; Of the fellowship sweet We shall share at His feet, When our all on the altar is laid. Friend, you may be a leader, even a good leader, but you will never reach your potential of becoming the best possible leader for you to ever become unless, in your heart, Jesus is on the throne and you are on the altar.

II Samuel 24:1-14 1 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.” 3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?” 4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. 5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. 8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand. 10 David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’” 13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.” 14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” The last words of David, were admirably good, but we read here some of his last works, which were none of the best; Joab did well to advise against the mistake though to no avail, yet, when David realized what he had done, he repented quickly and finished well. Christian leaders will learn in this lesson that when a leader makes a mistake, many others are effected, a leader should seriously and prayerfully consider the advice of subordinates and upon discovery of a mistake, the sooner the repentance and correction, the better.  1. David’s Ill-advised Command 1-4 The orders which David gave to Joab to number the people of Israel and Judah was sin. We know that from verse 1. God “. . . incited David against them, saying, 'Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.'" If this were not sin, why would this prelude to the account say that God moved David against them? What harm was there in it? Moses numbered the people twice. The shepherd should know the number of his sheep. The Son of David knows the number and all the names of His. What is evil if he does this? It is certain that it was a sin, and a great sin because of the way God treated it, but where exactly is the evil of it? David did it in the pride of his heart, which was Hezekiah’s sin in showing his treasures to the ambassadors. Both of these men trusted in the arm of flesh and God would not allow it. Just as kings were not to multiply horses and take pride in them, or that to trust in chariots was wrong, so to boast about the number of soldiers at his command was the sin of pride; trusting in the arm of flesh. It was a proud conceit of his own greatness to have the command of so many people, as if their large number, which was to be ascribed purely to the blessing of God, was due to any conduct of his. It was a proud confidence in his own strength. By announcing among the nations the number of his people, he possibly thought he would appear the more powerful. This was vanity. Sin is a tricky thing and only God knows the heart perfectly. We determine this was sin because the text implies it. So when we look for the reason why, we easily conclude that it was the sin of pride. God does not judge sin as we do. What appears to us perhaps harmless, or but a small offense, may be a great sin in the eye of God, who sees men’s motives and principles, and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. We accept God’s determination in such cases. He is God. The original source from which this sin stems is an intellectual problem to the thinking Christians. “Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. . . ” Since when does God move people to sin? Yet it clearly says that God “incited” David to number the people. Let us look at this from two angles. First, God had brought Israel to a prosperous height they had never before experienced. Perhaps they were unthankful for the blessings of David’s government. Why had they been strangely drawn in to take part with Absalom first and afterwards with Sheba’s rebellions? Perhaps their peace and plenty made them falsely self-secure and God was, for that reason, displeased with them. That is a possible explanation from the human side. If so, we still have to face the question why did God move David to sin so that he could justifiably punish Israel? God is not the author of sin; he tempts no man, so how are we to understand that “he (God) incited David against them.” The usual theological explanation is something like this: Satan, as an enemy and an accuser, suggests or promotes some to sin, as he put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ. God, as righteous Judge, permitted it, with a design, that from this sin of David, to take an occasion to punish Israel for other sins, for which he might correctly have punished them even without this additional sin. Time and again the people (believers, for example) suffer if the leader (pastor, for example) sins. Just as He brought a famine upon Israel for the sin of Saul, so now a pestilence for the sin of David. For generations Jerusalem and Judah would suffer bloodshed, captivity, slavery and deportation to Babylon because of the sins of King Manasseh who was born as a result of Hezekiah’s sin of not accepting and obeying the specific Word of the Lord to him through Isaiah the prophet. Through these records, kings can learn, that when they observe judgments of God in the nation, to suspect that their sins are a part of the problem, if not the ground of it, and may therefore repent and reform themselves. How many a godly national leader has brought blessings on his nation by fulfilling the role of priest for his people and praying for them? How many an ungodly national leader has brought curses on their nation because of their sin? And isn’t it also beneficial for people to learn to pray for those in authority, that God would keep them from sin, because, if they sin, the whole nations suffers? Joab opposed the order to number the people. Twice Joab looks good in Scripture. This is one of those two times. Even Joab was aware of David’s folly and vain-glory and argued that David gave no reason for it. Verses 2-3 say, “So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, ‘Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.’ But Joab replied to the king, ‘May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?’” We notice here the good counsel that Joab gave. We see the courtesy and wisdom of his words. There was no reason to tax, nor to enlist them. It was a time of prosperity, safety and peace. Everyone was at ease and happy. Joab wished that their number might increase and that the king would see it. Especially, why should David, who speaks so much of delighting in God and exercises of devotion take pride in numbers? Why would David say he trusts in God, not in horses or chariots, and then count his soldiers even against the counsel of his general? Many things, not sinful in themselves, turn into sin for us by our inappropriately delighting in them. Joab was aware of David’s vanity in this, though David did not see it. May God give to each of us a friend that would faithfully exhort or reprimand us when we say or do something proud or vain-glorious, for we often do and are not aware of it. There is nothing inherently wrong with knowing how many people attend your church, but if it becomes a point of pride, or, on the other hand, a point of unnecessarily great discouragement, then numbers have become too important to us. We are servants of the Lord. We seek only His approval in what we do. Even though Joab had more wisdom, logic and prudence on his side, the king prevailed by sheer pressure of personality and/or position. Wisdom does not always prevail. It did not in this conversation. Verse 4 says, “The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.” David would have it done; Joab must not argue. It is a grief to great men to have about them some that will help them in doing evil. Joab, according to his orders, reluctantly obeyed and took the captains of the host to help him. 2. The Discovery of Sin and Quick Repentance 5-10 We will see in this section how David repented of his sin and yet is punished for it and how God’s responses to David repenting lead to further development of David’s character. First, let’s notice the conduct of the census recorded in Verses 5-7, “After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.” This means that they began in the most distant places, in the east first, on the other side of Jordan then they went towards Dan in the north, then on to Tyre in the northeast, and next to Beer-sheba in the south. More than nine months were spent in taking this census, and we may imagine it caused a great deal of curiosity and possibly trouble throughout the country. At last the figures were brought to the king at Jerusalem. Verses 8-9 say, “After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.” Whether the numbers fulfilled David’s expectation or not we do not know. Did it feed his pride? We don’t know. Was he disappointed? It does not say. The people were very many, but they had not increased in Canaan as they had in Egypt. They were just over twice the number that had entered Canaan under Joshua, about 400 years before. Under Joshua, Israel had about 600,000 fighting men plus women and children and at the time of Joab’s census, the combination of Judah and Israel was 1,300,000 fighting men plus women and children. Nevertheless, considering the small size of the land and the considerable percentage of it that was dessert and not developed by modern irrigation and agricultural technology such as we see in Israel today, it gives testimony that Canaan was a very fruitful land that so many thousands were maintained within her borders. David penitently reflected on and confessed his sin in numbering the people. While the census was in progress we do not see that David was sorry for or aware of his sin, for if he had, he would have commanded that the census be discontinued. But when the account was finished and laid before him, that very night his conscience was awakened, and he felt its pain instead of enjoying what he thought would be its pleasure. He was about to feast on satisfaction in the number of his people but instead his conscience hit him with a hard blow. Verse 10 says, “David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.’” His conscience showed him the evil he had done, it appeared as sin, exceedingly sinful though before he saw no harm in it. He regretted it and his heart would not let him rest. Though it is painful, wouldn’t you rather have your heart show you your sin than to continue in it? It is a good thing, when a man has sinned, to have a heart in him to let him know; it is a good step towards repentance and reformation. He quickly did the right thing to confessed it to God and begged earnestly for forgiveness. Even if to others it did to seem like much of a sin, to him it was a great sin. Truly repentant persons whose consciences are tender and well-informed, see evil in sin others do not see. He admitted that he had done foolishly, because he had done it in pride; it was folly for him to be proud of the numbers of his people, when they were God’s people, not his. And this was before he knew that, as few as there were, there would soon be even fewer. So he asked for forgiveness, “Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant.” 3. Repentance and Consequences 11-14 David suffered a just and necessary correction for this sin. During the night God and David’s conscience had been at work so he was ready to receive God’s message which Gad brought to him. Verses 11-12 say, “Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: ‘Go and tell David, “This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”” Gad is called his seer because he had him always at hand to see spiritually and advise him in the things of God. God through Gad indeed had a message for David. Gad’s message assumed that David must be corrected for his fault. It is too great a crime, and reflects too much dishonor on God, to go unpunished. Pr 6:13 says, “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Even if we truly repent and our sins are pardoned, still we often suffer their pangs. David’s punishment must answer to the sin. He was proud of the number of fighting men and now they would be fewer. God may take from us whatever, in our pride, we value too much. The punishment was on both David and the people for both had sinned. David was given a choice about the rod with which he will be beaten. Verse 13 says, “ So Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.’” His heavenly Father must correct him, but, to show that he does not do it willingly, He gave David permission to choose between war, famine, or pestilence. All three were sore judgments and would weaken and diminish a people. God planned to humble him for his sin, which he and we would see to be exceedingly sinful as a warning to us. I Cor. 10:11 says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us,” David was dealt his severe blow so that the king who, in his pride, thought he could choose whatever he wanted, would learn that God, the Master Teacher, would let him choose the punishment he would receive. This would give him some encouragement even under the correction, by letting him know that God did not cast him out of communion or conversation with himself, but he could still talk with God. Also, God may have had in mind that David would more easily bear up under whatever punishment he himself had chosen. Finally the prophet asked for a response. There is, even in this, a message for us today. When God speaks to us, He wants to hear our response. Whomever God uses to deliver a message to us, the messenger is just a messenger; the message is from God and He wants a response. David objected only against the judgments of the sword, and, as for the other two, he refers the matter to God, but intimates his choice of the pestilence. Jer. 48:44a says, "Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit, whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare;” Sin brings men into difficult situations; wise and good men often distress themselves by their own folly. David made a hard choice. Verse 14 says, “David said to Gad, ‘I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.’” To flee three months before their enemies would undo what he had fought for for many years. That would ruin the glory of his—and God’s —past triumphs. “Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great.” David seems to say, let us have pestilence or famine for the mercies of the Lord are great. These two punishments are more directly from the hand of the Lord than the sword of a neighbor. We know from Ezek 36:30 that God controls famines: “will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.” Perhaps David thought that sword or famine will devour one as well as another, but the destroying angel will draw his sword against those who are known to God to be most guilty. This will be the shortest and fastest, as he dreads the thought of enduring a length of time under the instruments of God’s displeasure. David, a penitent, dares cast himself into God’s hand, knowing he shall find that His mercy is great. Good men, even when they are under God’s anger, yet will hold no other than good thoughts of Him as Job did when he said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” From this lesson the Christian leader can learn to listen to the advice of subordinates and that pride and misplaced trust are serious matters with God. Do we trust Him or do we, in pride, trust in numbers—whether those numbers represent people, units of money, material possessions or any other measurable resource? God wants us to trust in Him. Why should this be a problem to us? He is more faithful, trustworthy, dependable, consistent and committed to our success than any other measurable resource could ever be. When we trust God we honor Him and He receives praise; when we rely on other things we insult Him and deny Him glory.

II Samuel 23:8-39 8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. 9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory. 13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. 17 “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors. 18 Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them. 20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard. 24 Among the Thirty were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, 27 Abiezer from Anathoth, Sibbekai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29 Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin, 30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the ravines of Gaash, 31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan 33 son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, the son of Hagri, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite 39 and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all. David was a great king and a good leader, an example from which we have learned many valuable lessons in this series. But David was not a one-man, know-it-all, do-it-all- singular superstar. The day he killed Goliath, he acted decisively and singularly, but as we read the narrative and see this list of his heroes, we become very aware that David had a team who served him and worked with him. In this lesson we see that the historian honored them which may well be but a reflection of the fact that David honored them. We Christian leaders today should follow David’s example and give honor to our team members.  The historian gave us this list of David’s great soldiers in order to honor them. These were the ones David trained in the arts and exercises of war having given them his example of courage. These men were of great advantage to David having helped to bring him to the throne, defended his crown and enlarged his conquests; they were worthy of the honor the historian gave to them in their generation and, through this record, to subsequent generations. Their examples stimulate us just as David’s example of honoring his soldiers can encourage Christian leaders today to honor our teams too. In I Chron 29:6 and 9, We find another statement about the excellence of the leaders of David’s time. “Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly . . . . The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.” They were generous. We do not know how many of the mighty men listed in II Sam 23 would also be mentioned in II Chron 29 had they been named individually, but, assuming some overlap, we could conclude that David’s soldiers were famous in both generosity and bravery. 1. The Three Greatest in Exploits and Reputation 8-12 The first three were Josheb-Basshebeth (v 8), Eleazar (vs 9-10), and Shammah (vs 11-12). None of their actions are recorded in the history of David, but they here and in I Chron. 11:11-47. They add to a more complete picture of David’s story. Many noteworthy events are passed over in the annals of David’s history, which relate many blemishes and not so many triumphs of David’s reign. Especially after his sin in the matter Uriah, we have noted the presence of the sword in both David’s family and kingdom. Now we are exposed to some of the valor and courage that was omitted in that record. Now we may discover his reign to have been actually more illustrious than it appeared before. What will heaven be like when we recognize openly what God’s unknown heroes are secretly doing now? Josheb-Basshebeth killed 800 at once with his spear. While details of this accomplishment are lacking, the number speaks for itself. How could one man kill 800 at one time? With the anointing and enablement of God, Sampson killed a thousand men. Judges 15:15 says, “Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.” Josheb-Basshebeth evidently was empowered by the same God as Samson. Just as Goliath had defied Israel, so the brave Eleazar defied the Philistines of his time, but he fared considerably better. Even when the men of Israel deserted the battlefield, Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead” (v 10). God worked through the sword and He worked through the hand on the sword. His hand was weary, and yet it froze to his sword; as long as he had any strength remaining, he held his weapon and continued to fight. This was similar to what Gideon and his men also did as recorded in Judges 8:4, “Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.” Now that Eleazar had overpowered the enemy, the men of Israel, who had left the battle (v 9), returned to the spoils (v 10). They all enjoyed the victory. What an inspiration to those of us who read this narrative and also determine to be resolute even if we are weary. Shammah met with a party of the enemy apparently in a field full of lentils. “When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory” (vs 11-12). It is written about this and the preceding incident that, “the Lord brought about a great victory.” However great the bravery of the soldier, the praise of the accomplishment must be given to God. These men fought the battles, but God gave the victory. “All that we have accomplished, you have done for us” (Isaiah 26:12). 2. The Three Who were Also Great 13-23 The next three were apparently greater than the thirty-one whose record follows, but not as mighty as the first three. If, however, it was God who was giving the victory, the size or power of the soldier is not the major factor. All great men are not of the same size. Many stars are bright and beautiful, though they are not the most brilliant and dazzling; many soldiers are great without being the greatest and many pastors, evangelists and missionaries are strong without being in a major league. We all should strive to be as useful and effective as we can be. The first accomplishment is shared by all three men and the names, Abishai and Benaiah, are given to the second and third along with an account of their accomplishments. Here is the narrative of the brave action these three shared. They helped David in his troubles, in the cave of Adullam (v 13), suffered with him, and were afterwards preferred by him. When Saul was king, David was driven to hide from Saul’s rage in caves and strong holds. It is no surprise that the Philistines would pitch their tents in the valley of Rephaim and put a garrison in Bethlehem itself. “During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’” If David had had his preference as a soldier of Israel, Bethlehem would not have then been in Philistine hands. Nevertheless, David longed for the water of the well of Bethlehem, his home town. It is possible that David’s intention was to say something like, “I wish we could drive the garrison of the Philistines out of Bethlehem, and make that beloved city our own again!” If that was David’s intent, he should have made his message clearer, for the brave men thought he wanted a drink of cool water. Perhaps it was harvest time, the weather hot, he was thirsty and he thought of the well not too far away from which he had taken water many times during his childhood. It is possible that he had a fancy for water from Bethlehem’s well and if he gave vent to that desire we probably cannot congratulate him on that this time. Bravely these three mighty men, Abishai, Benaiah, and another, stole through the danger of the camp of the Philistines and brought water from that well, without David knowing about it. David’s reaction to their surprise for him shows us that he really did not expect them to get this water for him. Just because he wished for it does not mean that he wanted men to brave the danger to actually get it. Note his reaction: “So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. ‘Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!’ he said. ‘Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?’ And David would not drink it.” At any rate, this event illustrates the courage of David’s friends and their love for David. They valued their prince—not yet a king—but a man with a royal destiny, and with what joy they could endure any hardship in his service. David could not reward them and, to show that he would not intentionally put any of his friends at risk or in danger or subject them to peril, poured the water out before the Lord. How different was his behavior at this time compared to his treatment of Uriah the Hittite! We would prefer to think that this was the true David and that that was a sad distortion and strange misrepresentation of the heart of David. There is a courteous expression that a lover, friend, employee or worker might use to show his or her eagerness to be of service: “Your wish is my command.” Apparently, this is the attitude the three had toward David. We can only wish that we ourselves, and those we influence, would often think it, if not say it, to our Lord Jesus Christ who told us that if we loved Him we should keep his commandments. This deed also demonstrated how little they feared the Philistines. They may have inwardly even been glad of an occasion to defy their enemy. There were only three of them, so they probably broke through the host quietly and secretly, and with such skill that the Philistines did not discover them. What do we learn from the fact that David poured it out before the Lord? (1) David showed the kind regard he had for the lives of his soldiers. David wrote in Ps 72:14, “He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.” (2) He admits his indiscretion for speaking that foolish word which occasioned those men to put their lives in their hands. Great man or woman of God, be careful what you say. (3) He could prevent the similar folly in any of his men for the future. (4) He would deny himself and demonstrate that he had sober thoughts to correct his rash ones. (5) He would honor God and give glory to Him. The water purchased at this rate he thought too precious for his own drinking and fit only to be poured out to God as a drink-offering. (6) David let it be known that he did not intend or want this water for himself, but the whole well full of it for the people of Israel who were now denied it because of the Philistine occupation. Notice the brave actions of two of them on other occasions. Abishai slew 300 men at once, “Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.” Benaiah did many great things too which include killing two lion-like Moabites, bold and strong, fierce and furious. And he killed an Egyptian who was well armed, but Benaiah attacked him with no other weapon than a walking staff, dexterously wrestled his spear out of his hand, and killed him with it: “Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.” Wouldn’t you, too, like to have a man like that leading your standing forces or as captain of your life-guards? You do, and better than that, because the good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep has declared “no man can take them out of my hand,”—so committed is He to our safety. 3. Davids Thirty-one Mighty Men 24-39 Here are thirty-one mentioned by name. They were not as great as either the first group of three or the second group also of three, but nevertheless are mentioned by name. Asahel, who was killed in battle by Abner just as David, after having been king of Judah for seven years, was about to become king of Israel, did not loose his place on the list just because he was killed early. Elhanan is the next. He is a brother of the Eleazar who was one of the first three. Throughout this list we notice that each soldier’s name is followed by the community from which he came. These were the best, wisest and most valiant of David’s soldiers who came from all parts of the nation. One of them, Eliam, was the father of Bathsheba (II Sam 11:3) and son of Ahithophel (v 34) the counselor of David and Absalom whose advice was eventually rejected in favor of Hushai’s. Though the wise Ahithophel was really foolish and killed himself, his son, Eliam, was a mighty warrior in the very army his father had tried to destroy. Though at the end of this list, it may surprise us to find Uriah the Hittite included, since his name reminds readers of David’s sin. The historian recognized that this man, who earned the honor of being in this list, deserved much better treatment from his king and country than to be murdered by the sword of the Ammonites. His inclusion here may serve to remind us that the heroes on God’s list too may consist of forgotten soldiers no one on earth remembers. We notice that Joab is not mentioned among any of these three categories. This may be because he was over all of them as general. Or, that because he was so bad he did not deserve to enter this list. Joab was admittedly a great soldier, had the wisdom to tell David to stop grieving for Absalom and greet his troops, and also had the courage to argue with the king regarding the numbering of Israel’s soldiers, which brought God’s anger and punishment on all of Israel. According to I Chron 21:3, “But Joab replied, 'May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?'” Yet, because twice he murdered friends of David, Israelite generals, in cold blood, he lost as much honor as ever he got by slaying his enemies. Jesus Christ, the Son of David, has His list of great men and women, too, who like David’s, are influenced by his example, fight his battles against the spiritual enemies of his kingdom, and in His strength are more than conquerors. Christ’s apostles were his immediate servants, did and suffered great things for him, and at length came to reign with him. They are mentioned with honor in the New Testament, as these in the Old, for we see in Rev. 21:14 that “the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” All good, courageous and faithful soldiers of Jesus Christ have their names better preserved than David’s mighty men, for their names are written in heaven. This great honor is given to all his soldier/saints. Let us today value and follow the examples of both David and Jesus by giving credit to team members God has given us for their noteworthy accomplishments of courage, selfless service and faithfulness.