Return of the King

This Sunday, as we continue our exposition of 2 Samuel, we will begin to deal with the aftermath of David’s victory over Absalom.

After hearing of Absalom’s death, David is paralyzed by grief. He neglects his kingly duties and brings shame upon the loyal men who risked their lives to return him to the throne.
Joab sternly rebukes David who finally emerges from his funk and attends to the matters of his kingdom.

David’s grief raises the question of how much should we mourn, especially in the case of a loved one who dies in unbelief.
What can we say to those who have experienced such a loss?

David then goes about the challenging task of trying to reunite his divided kingdom. Tensions among the tribes of Israel appear to be intensifying.
Does David act wisely?

We also will seek to show how our text points to David’s greater Son, Jesus, of whom David serves as a type.
Read 2 Samuel 19:1-15. How would you point to Christ through this text?

Confident Supplication

Tomorrow I am planning to finish the psalm we began last week. Our text will be
Psalm 27:7-14. We switch gears from that of Confident Living to that of
Confident Supplication. In this section we see David properly captured as the
man who “seeks” after his LORD. Through good times and bad, David models for
us a protocol of steadfast intimacy with his God. He knows his help is in the
LORD; to the LORD he goes! Such “seeking” produced for David an enhanced
confidence that allowed him to successfully deal with each and every difficult
circumstance of his life. Simply stated, God gave him grace to continue
trusting Him! The fruit I am hoping our time together will produce is fairly
simple, yet potentially a great blessing: That we can be certain that our
humble, earnest prayers (like David’s), are heard by an all-knowing God who is
both for us and will faithfully lead us through whatever difficulty we find
ourselves in the midst of.

I would encourage you to read the whole of this psalm and perhaps also Psalm
34. As you do so, reflect upon God’s past mercies and present supports. Come
with hearts prepared for worship.

I am looking forward to being with you all tomorrow. Pray that the Word would
have its way with us all.

Confidence in the LORD

Do you find yourself in need of additional stores of confidence? If so, tomorrow is the day for you. In this text David, our psalmist, lists a myriad of potential temptations to doubt, discouragement, and to just plain “throwing in the towel”. Come and learn how our brother of long years ago wrestled with such difficulties and how he found grace to continue fighting the good fight of faith. The same resources given to him are still given to the children of our LORD. I am hopeful our souls will be well-blessed with these reminders.

David’s Friends and Christian Charity

On Sunday evening I plan to bring a brief message from II Samuel 17:27-29, a text which we passed over quickly last week.
Often in my studies there are lovely nuggets of truth which I have to leave out of the sermon because of time and continuity.
This Sunday night I decided to present one of these nuggets in which David’s eastern friends who helped him in his darkest hour portray Christian charity and the love of Christ.

Victory, Judgement and Grief

In the morning service I plan to preach from II Samuel 18 about David’s victory in the civil war and his grief over the death of his son Absalom.
This tragedy raises many issues which apply in our lives today as children still rebel against their godly parents who are often guilty of being passive.
The grief of such parents is like that of David who wept over his son Absalom.
Absalom in death is a monument of warning to those who rebel against the Lord in their foolish pride.
We also see Christ in this text. Like David he was rejected but now reigns as a conquering king.
As David was willing to die in the place of his wicked son, Jesus actually died for His wayward people.
Just as Absalom as the enemy of the Lord’s anointed was crushed, so those who refuse to bow the knee to Christ shall wind up like Absalom.

God Speaks Through Creation

I plan to preach from Psalm 19 over the next two Sundays. C.S. Lewis called this the greatest Psalm in the Psalter.
Psalm 19 praises God for the two ways in which He reveals Himself. He speaks through general revelation in the creation (which we will cover this week) in verses 1-6.
He also speaks gloriously through His Word (which we will cover next week in verses 7-10). Finally, we are called to respond to the Lord’s revelation of Himself (verses 11-14).

The Victory of God’s Anointed King

I will be preaching from Psalm 2, which declares the victory of God’s anointed King over those who rebel against Him.
Though the world is in turmoil because of its rebellion against God, He Who sits in heaven is not disturbed. He has established His Anointed One to rule over the earth.
Those who rebel will be crushed which is why all people should submit to God’s Anointed Son while there is time.

As you read the Psalm think of how it speaks of David, how it speaks of Jesus, and how it speaks of our situation.