Godly fathers-ungodly sons-26

As we left our study last week, it would seem that Absalom and his father David had finally reconciled their differences and were restored. But, as we will soon discover, that is or was not the case.

2 Samuel 15:1  Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 15:2  Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And he would say, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel." 15:3  Then Absalom would say to him, "See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king." 15:4  Moreover, Absalom would say, "Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice." 

What is Absalom doing? He is acting like the judge of Israel or the King. He has fifty men along side his royal chariot. What a display of power and authority, all created solely by him. This is not orchestrated by David and it would seem that David did not know this or worse yet just did nothing about it.

15:5  And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 15:6  In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel. 

Absalom is playing the long game, just as he did in plotting the death of Amnon. He has no real competition and no rebuke from David. Publicly the nation began to see him as the next king. Trouble is coming.

15:7  Now it came about at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, "Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. 15:8  "For your servant vowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, 'If the LORD shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.'" 15:9  The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron. 

David is actually blessing Absalom in this deceitful endeavor. Absalom is doing all of this in plain sight, yet David has done nothing. or so it seems.

15:10  But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'" 

15:11  Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. 15:12  And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. 

Absalom is setting his trap. Remember, David cried over not seeing Absalom and would seem wanted to or needed to believe the best about Absalom. He is gathering support for stealing the kingdom away from his father. Why can’t David or any of his advisors see this? Is Absalom so great a deceiver? Yes! His plans quickly become more sinister.

More next Saturday.

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Absalom had fled to the safety of the kingdom of his father-in-law, but now years have passed. What was David doing since Absalom murdered his half-brother?

2 Samuel 14:1  Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was inclined toward Absalom. 

David missed his ‘favorite’ son but did nothing to restore Absalom to him.

Joab got a woman to appear before David with a story about this problem without naming either. David relented and asked that Absalom would return to Jerusalem. But, there were strange conditions.

2Sa 14:21  Then the king said to Joab, "Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom." 

14:22  Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant." 14:23  So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 

Joab convinced Absalom to return on order from David. Yet, David would not or could not see him.

14:24  However the king said, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face." So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king's face. 

David longed to see Absalom and be restored, but he did nothing to truly make this happen. Instead, he ignored him.

14:28  Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face. 

Remember from last week’s study that Absalom had been gone for 3 years!

13:37  Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 13:38  So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 

13:39  The heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead. 

David mourned for which son? Was it for Amnon or Absalom? I believe it was for Absalom which makes this all very hard to truly understand. It would appear that David struggled to truly forgive.

14:29  Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come. 14:30  Therefore he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 

Who is in charge? David is ignoring Absalom. Absalom is not trying on his own to see his father. So years continue to pass on, as it is now 5 years since Amnon was murdered.

14:31  Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" 

14:32  Absalom answered Joab, "Behold, I sent for you, saying, 'Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there."' Now therefore, let me see the king's face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death." 

Absalom holds Joab responsible and burns his fields. Was that Absalom’ only way to get Joab’s attention?

14:33  So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom. 

Is it all well now between Absalom and David? Has Absalom been fully restored? Is Absalom now content to be back as one of David’s sons?

More next Saturday.

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We left our last study with Absalom’s murder of his half-brother Amnon. He had plotted and planned for two years after Amnon had raped Absalom’s sister Tamar. What will David do?

2 Samuel 13:34  Now Absalom had fled. And the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 13:35  Jonadab said to the king, "Behold, the king's sons have come; according to your servant's word, so it happened." 

Absalom, not knowing what his father would do fled to safety. Jonadab, who gave his plan to Amnon how to seduce Tamar, is in David’s presence. Evil counselors know how to avoid prosecution and remain close to the king. As Jude has warned us, they creep in to deceive.

13:36  As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly. 

This seems hard to fully understand. David did nothing when Amnon raped Tamar. Now instead of commanding Absalom to appear before him, as Absalom is now a ‘murderer’, he wept bitterly over Amnon’s untimely death by deception. This story has many similarities to David’s own saga with Bathsheba and Uriah.

13:37  Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 13:38  So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 13:39  The heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead. 

Amnon fled to the protection of his father-in-law. David, instead to requiring Absalom to come to him, just longed to see him but never summoned him. Absalom murdered Amnon, but it seems that David had moved on from that terrible tragedy and now longed for Absalom to come back to him.

Now we know that from some reason, Absalom appears to be David’s favorite son and even Absalom’s murder of his half-brother did not seem to alter that affection. This seems to be closer to a dysfunctional family than a godly family.

What have we learned thus far?

• David seemed to lack the courage or conviction of reprimanding his sons for obvious evil, ungodly behavior.

• David seemed to ‘love’ Absalom above his other sons.

• Absalom murdered a son of a king, when David would not harm Saul, who he felt was God’s anointed.

• There is little evidence that any of the three oldest sons feared God, acknowledged God, or obeyed God. It was David’s responsibility to teach them God’s word, which includes His laws.

• There is no evidence of David’s prayers during these events.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-22

We studied how Amnon raped his half sister and then discarded her like old clothes. Absalom took her in and plotted and planned his revenge as his father David did nothing.

2 Samuel 13:23  Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. 13:24  Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant." 

Absalom is carefully setting his trap for Amnon while not directly calling any attention to Amnon. Two years have passed and as far as we know David has remained silent.

13:25  But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be burdensome to you." Although he urged him, he would not go, but blessed him. 13:26  Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?" 13:27  But when Absalom urged him, he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 

Absalom did not give in easily and kept pressuring David to send all his sons to participate in this ‘celebration’. What else do the sons of a King have to do anyway? It would seem that Amnon had put it all behind him and thought Absalom had also. Time does not heal all wounds. Wounds that are not attended to do just get infected and worsened.

13:28 now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant." 13:29  The servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose and each mounted his mule and fled. 

Did no one question Absalom’s orders? Where his servants just doing their master’s bidding while they killed a son of the King? Had the Law never been taught to them?

2Sa 13:30  Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left." 

13:31  Then the king arose, tore his clothes and lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 13:32  Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, responded, "Do not let my lord suppose they have put to death all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead; because by the intent of Absalom this has been determined since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 

13:33  "Now therefore, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart, namely, 'all the king's sons are dead,' for only Amnon is dead." 

Here we see Jonadab again. He was the evil friend who gave Amnon the plan to rape Tamar.

13:3  But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 

It would appear that Jonadab changed sides or loyalties. He now reminded David of Amnon’s sin against Tamar, against Absalom, and even against David. It would almost appear that he knew about Absalom’s plan. Here we read that this had been Absalom’s intent since that day two years ago.

What have we learned?

• Beware of from whom we get our advice.

• David’s silence only fueled Absalom’ plans for revenge.

• How could David’s sons have so little regard for others?

• Where did God come into their lives as none sought God’s answers to their problems?

• As we will read next week, Absalom was David’s favorite and again David did not say or do anything.

More next Saturday.

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David is a very difficult person to truly understand. Yes, he is a man after God’s own heart, yet he was not a great father as we are beginning to see. The real question that we need to answer is are we good fathers? We will now study the story of Amnon and Tamar.

2 Samuel 13:1  Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. 13:2  Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her. 

What does it mean to do anything to her? We will soon discover that Amnon is a rich, spoiled young man that is used to getting anything he wanted. This seems to include having sex with any woman he wanted. Lust fades fast but true love is far different.

13:3  But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 13:4  He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom." 13:5  Jonadab then said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand.'" 13:6  So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand." 

What kind of young men surround the king’s sons? Certainly not godly men, but men who want to gain favor for themselves, regardless of the cost to others.

13:7  Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him." 13:8  So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 13:9  She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." So everyone went out from him. 

The trap is set and the room is emptied. This already looks bad for Tamar.

13:10  Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. 13:11  When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister." 

This is all he really wanted, sex with his half sister. Did he really think of her or his relationship to her and her brother?Did he worry about what his father would say or do?

13:12  But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing! 13:13  "As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you." 

David violated God’s commands in regards to adultery as he had sex with Bathsheba.

Leviticus 20:10  'If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 

Now we see how Amnon likewise disobeyed God’s commands in regards to a virgin.

Exodus 22:16  "If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 22:17  "If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins. 

Deuteronomy 22:25  "But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. 

Clearly, Amnon was guilty and Tamar was innocent.

13:14  However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. 13:15  Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up, go away!" 13:16  But she said to him, "No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!" Yet he would not listen to her. 

What arrogance, what lack of concern or empathy, and what little concern for anyone but himself.

13:17  Then he called his young man who attended him and said, "Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her." 13:18  Now she had on a long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her. 13:19  Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. 

13:20  Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom's house. 

Absalom seemed to know the character or lack of character of his half brother.

2Sa 13:21  Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry. 

Did David do nothing else once he learned of this? Anger kept to yourself as one of his daughters is raped by one of his sons is not enough. Why did he not summon Amnon to appear to him and order him to marry Tamar? What should a father do?

13:22  But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar. 

Absalom should have been angered and also should have gone to Amnon to confront him with this grave sin. But, Absalom was a patient long planner, as we will see next week.

Lessons and questions.

1. Why did David not do anything?

2. What did David’s lack of action imply to everyone?

3. Why did Amnon think this was okay?

4. What ever happened to Tamar?

5. Sinning against God will result in consequences from God.

More next Saturday.

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David is a study of contrasts. He wrote many of the Psalms He loved studying God’s Word. He stated it was his guide to life, yet he murdered another man and took his wife. His sons rebelled against him. What lessons can we learn from him?

2 Samuel 12:13  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.  12:14  "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." 

Sin has many terrible consequences, but the most grievous to us should be how does the world view God because of us? How and when have given the enemies of God the opportunity to blaspheme God?

12:15  So Nathan went to his house. Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 12:16  David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 12:17  The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 

David had only one hope, would God have mercy on his new born son? Even though God declared that the child would die, David humbly sought to repent and seek mercy and forgiveness from God. This should also be our response when convicted of our sin.

12:18  Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!" 12:19  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 

12:20  So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 

There was no more chances for God to relent from His pronouncement. It was time to return to a life of service to God. Most would think that the physical death would then trigger even greater grief in David.

12:21  Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 

12:22  He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' 12:23  "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 

David knew that there was another life after his earthly life ended. He also knew that God would welcome his son into Heaven. This comforted him.

12:24  Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him 12:25  and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD'S sake. 

God comforted David even as David tried to comfort Bathsheba. She should have known that it was also her sin that displeased God. She was not an innocent victim but a sinner as well.

What can we learn? We will see this one event continue to plague David for the rest of his life. His lack of godly moral leadership in front of the nation and his sons showed the continuing consequences of his sin. We rarely are able to see our sin’s effects on future generations, just as we cannot see the influence our obedience has on future generations. What we can know is that how we live affects many.

More next Saturday.

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David’s legacy as being a man of God has an uncomfortable parallel in his legacy as being a godly father. One does not automatically work in both areas of our lives. In the lives of our children we need to look at outcomes as well. We would wonder at a ‘Christian’ father who had sons who were lawbreakers, thieves, murderers, and rapists. We would rightly question his godly fathering when looking at the outcomes of his sons. This is the issue with David.

2 Samuel 11:27  When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD. 

Did Bathsheba not know that David had orchestrated the death of her husband? God knew!!! David had done evil in His sight!. We must think like Joseph!

Genesis 39:7  It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 39:8  But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 39:9  "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" 

Joseph knew that the first person and the most important person we sin against is God!

2 Samuel 12:1  Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 12:2  "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 12:3  "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 

We often see things clearer through a contrast. God sent Nathan to convict David about this evil he had done. This is an excellent example of specks and logs in our eyes.

12:4  "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 

This immediately would require us to be incensed about this unfair injustice. Those with plenty often see themselves above the normal laws and traditions of most of the rest of this world.

12:5  Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 12:6  "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion." 

It is far too easy to see the hypocrisy in David’s response. Isn’t the life of a man made in God’s image infinitely more valuable than a lamb? Yet, David says he deserves to die. The Law says that David is guilty and would deserve to die.

12:7  Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 12:8  'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 12:9  'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 

Everyone knew that David was King and held the power of life or death over anyone who came before him. In that manner he was like all the kings around him. But, Nathan came with God’s message and David had to be afraid for his own life.

12:10  'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 12:11  "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12:12  'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" 

This is a prophecy that will come into view in a few more studies. God is pronouncing judgment on David and on some one in the future who will rise up against him.

David has now lost moral authority over his sons and much of his household plus Joab.

More next Saturday.

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While it is well understood that David was a man after God’s heart, he still was also a sinner by nature. This sin with Uriah’s wife didn’t happen overnight, but was some time in the making. We slowly lose resistance to a sin and it soon takes us places we never intended. This was the case with David and Bathsheba,

2 Samuel 11:5  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." 11:6  Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David. 11:7  When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. 11:8  Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. 11:9  But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 

David was now working to control the damage his affair had caused. This was a well planned scheme to hide his sin. God would not let this sin go unpunished or undetected.

11:10  Now when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" 11:11  Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing." 11:12  Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 11:13  Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house. 

Uriah was more righteous than David! David’s problems began when he no longer went out to battle with his men, but instead stayed in his palace when all the eligible men had left Jerusalem.

11:14  Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 11:15  He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die." 11:16  So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. 11:17  The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. 

David now had an accomplice in the murder of Uriah. Uriah had to die so David’s sin could remain hidden. He knew that it was against the Law of God to have sex with another man’s wife. It was his life and reputation that was at stake.

11:18  Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. 11:19  He charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, 11:20  and if it happens that the king's wrath rises and he says to you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 11:21  'Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?'—then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'" 11:22  So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 

11:23  The messenger said to David, "The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. 11:24  "Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead." 

Now Joab and David were off the hook so to speak. After all, men die in battle all the time and Uriah was simply one of many who would die in battle.

11:25  Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab, 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it'; and so encourage him." 11:26  Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 

This sad story would later find its impact extend far into David’s life and the lives of his sons. Sin has consequences far into our futures. There is no little sin and none can be hidden from God.

The rest of this story next Saturday.

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Our trip was extended due to family concerns. We are now safely back home.

David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he was not a godly father. This is the challenge when studying David.

1 Samuel 13:14  "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 

We all know that David started with a heart seeking to glorify God. But, things changed as he aged.

2 Samuel 3:1  Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually. 

3:2  Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 3:3  and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; 3:4  and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 

3:5  and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron. 

These first three sons, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, caused David grief, sorrow, and many problems. The first thing to notice was they all had different mothers. Who was raising these boys to become men? As we continue our study, we will discover that David may well have been an absent father.

We must add one more wife and son. This is the greatest contrast to our beginning verse.

2 Samuel 11:1  Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 11:2  Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 

11:3  So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 

The servants knew that this woman was another man’s wife. In fact, this man was now in battle for David. Uriah was well known to David as he was with him when Saul pursued David to kill him.

11:4  David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 11:5  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant."

How brazen was David! His servant warned him but he still sent messengers, plural, to invite her to be with David. She did not refuse to go.

2 Samuel 23:8  These are the names of the mighty men whom David had;

2 Samuel 23:39  Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all. 

Uriah had risked his life for David. He was now in battle once again risking his life for David. What was David thinking? He already had many wives and 10 concubines!

When is enough really enough? What kind of example was he giving his sons, his servants, his wives, and Joab as well? David was now losing all his ‘moral’ authority.

More next Saturday.

We have to be on the road for twelve days

We will be back on Saturday April 5th and hope to be able to send out our next study on that Saturday.

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We now come to face one of the most terrific examples of ungodly sons, but unfortunately they are all sons of David. David was a godly shepherd that became King after he was anointed by Samuel. David is mentioned throughout the Bible some 970 times, 55 times in the New Testament and 915 times in the Old or First Testament. Let us learn about David from the beginning.

1 Samuel 16:1  Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons." 

Saul had disobeyed God and now see that God had prepared his replacement. We all probably know this story but we need to see how David was chosen, how he lived, and then how this all came into focus as he began having sons.

1 Samuel 16:2  But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 16:3  "You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you." 

16:4  So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" 16:5  He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 

16:6  When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him.

Everyone feared Saul, even the elders. But, few feared God. Remember man looks on the outside but God looks on the inside. Jesse had many sons, but only one would be chosen.

16:10  Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 16:11  And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 

Usually the oldest is most often chosen for almost any important task or appointment. But, God chose the youngest son, David.

16:12  So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 

David is now publicly anointed by Samuel. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him and rested within him. We often can take for granted, that while the Spirit was not evidence of anyone’s salvation in the First Testament, but is our proof of our inheritance and adoption into God’s family in the New Testament.

16:14  Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 16:15  Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 

This is a very sad spiritual reality. If the LORD’s Spirit is now within you, you are vulnerable to have a demonic, evil spirit take up residence inside of you or terrorize you.

16:16  "Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well." 16:17  So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me." 16:18  Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him." 

16:19  So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the flock." 16:20  Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. 16:21  Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 

Favorable first impressions don’t always last. Especially when they challenges our authority and power.

16:22  Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." 16:23  So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. 

This is not intended to show us that music causes evil spirits to leave us. In this example it is the truth, but not necessarily applies to anyone else.

A great beginning does not automatically guarantee a great ending. In fact, the ending is far more important than the beginning.

Philippians 2:12  So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 2:13  for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. 

Living the ‘Christian’ life is work. We all struggle against our flesh daily.

Hebrews 12:1  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

12:2  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Don’t take your foot off the gas. Run to win, which means to end your life bringing glory to God alone.

More next Saturday.

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Even godly fathers often show ungodly actions to their sons. So their sons who may be godly, often make the same mistakes. So before we go onto our next godly father, we will conclude our study of Abraham with an unfortunate event in the life of Isaac. This sad story has many common points with Abraham’s life.

Genesis 26:1  Now there was a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 26:2  The LORD appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 26:3  "Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 26:4  "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 26:5  because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws." 

So here begins the similarities with the life of Abraham. As you remember, in Genesis 12 we read of the famine and Abraham traveling to Egypt. It seems that Egypt is the place to go if there is a famine. In this instance, God warns Isaac not to go to Egypt.

26:6  So Isaac lived in Gerar. 26:7  When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," for he was afraid to say, "my wife," thinking, "the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful." 

Same story, same lie. Again, did Isaac not truly trust in God? God repeated His promise to make a great nation out of Isaac. Abraham was to be the father of a nation that would come with forth blessings to all the world.

26:8  It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 26:9  Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, "Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, 'She is my sister'?" And Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'I might die on account of her.'" 26:10  Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us." 

Abimelech is more of a title than a name. It is not the same Abimelech that dealt with Abraham some 40+ years earlier. However, Isaac used the same false reasoning to duplicate the same lie as his father. The fear of self-preservation often trumps doctrine and the very words of God.

26:11  So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death." 

Like father like son is an often used worldly proverb, with some biblical truth intermixed. Fathers are to train their sons. Why did Isaac follow this example?

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

We don’t have the whole story, but it has so many parallels that we can assume Abraham or Sarah told Isaac the whole story. What can we take away?

• Our example as fathers is often more powerful than our words.

• We cannot move on in life without prayer and wisdom from God.

• Even if we have to wait 25-40 years, God is still faithful.

• We need to take God more seriously than most do.

More next Saturday.

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Abraham’s life is full of contradictions. Did he really believe God? Why did he let Sara be taken from him twice? Is he finally ready to believe God and obey God in all things?

Genesis 22:1  Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 22:2  He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." 22:3  So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 

What is God commanding Abraham to do? Yet, now he obeys and immediately sets out to the mountain that God had instructed him to travel to with Isaac.

22:4  On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 22:5  Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you." 22:6  Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 

Imagine what was going thru Abraham’s mind each day as he made his way to the mountain. Surely, God would soon tell him to stop!

22:7  Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 22:8  Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together. 

We now read what Abraham believed. While ready to obey, in his heart he wished for a different ending.

22:9  Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 22:10  Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 

22:11  But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 22:12  He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." 

God waited until the last second. Why? God wasn’t testing Abraham so He could know Abraham’s heart. God was testing Abraham so Abraham would know just how much he really trusted God.

22:13  Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 22:14  Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided." 

Much like when the Israelites were ready to cross the raging Jordan; the river did not dry up until the priests put their feet into the river.

Joshua 3:12  "Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 3:13  "It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap." 

3:14  So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, 3:15  and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 3:16  the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 

3:17  And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan. 

What can we learn?

First, God will reveal our true hearts to us in a variety of ways.

Second, God demands and deserves obedience regardless of our current circumstances.

Third, God’s timing is not our timing. Abraham was 75 when God promised him a son and was 100 when Isaac was born.

Fourth, we must learn to trust God even when it seems like it would be impossible to believe God. The waters receded when their feet were wet. A ram was provided when the knife was poised. Couldn’t God have revealed these things before the last second?

More next Saturday.

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Abraham is a study in contrasts. God chose him to be the father of many nations, appeared to him and talked to him, and saved him from his lies and deceit. Yet, God did not withdraw his promises to him. Let us continue this lesson.

Genesis 21:1  Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised. 21:2  So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 21:3  Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 21:4  Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 21:5  Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 

21:6  Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." 21:7  And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." 

God of course was faithful to his promise to Abraham and Sarah, even as they doubted Him. But, when children were no longer physically possible, they are miraculously possible.

21:8  The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 21:9  Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 21:10  Therefore she said to Abraham, "Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac." 21:11  The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 

As mentioned earlier, in Sara’s eyes, Abraham had lost his spiritual leadership over her and their family. Even as it was her plan to have children through Hagar, much like our plans, it wasn’t working as she had thought. So she changed her plan and banished Hagar. For this she had Abraham do the ‘dirty’ work. This understandably bothered Abraham as Ishmael was his son.

21:12  But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. 21:13  "And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant." 21:14  So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba. 

Amazingly, God said that he should listen to his wife! God would make a great nation from Ismael. Unfortunately, this nation would become an enemy of Issac.

21:15  When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes. 21:16  Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, "Do not let me see the boy die." And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 21:17  God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 

God spoke out to Hagar at her moment of despair. Why did God not speak to her earlier? God’s plans may never make sense to us in light of our finite, sinful plans.

Gen 21:18  "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him." 21:19  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink. 21:20  God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.  21:21  He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 

In a way, Abraham’s self preservation, lies, and lack of true concern for Sarah started this saga. None of this was a surprise to God nor outside of the plan of God. While to us this seems to be a very dysfunctional family, God was always in charge of every event.

Next Saturday we will conclude this story of Abraham with a test by God.

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Abraham is a very important person in the future nation of Israel and of most other nations. Just as God promised many years earlier, Abraham would be the father of many nations. Even Islam makes reverential references to him. Abraham is also a lesson is how obedience leads to faithfulness and trust in God, which is also an element of our sanctification.

Genesis 20:1  Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar. 20:2  Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 

Did Abraham’s faith in God include his own personal safety? What about God’s continual reminder to Abraham of Abraham being the father of many nations? It doesn’t seem to have made a great difference in his life as of yet. He once again justified calling Sarah his sister and then watching her being taken from him. What did Sarah think of all of his concerns for himself and lack of concern for her?

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married." 20:4  Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, "Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless? 20:5  "Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this." 20:6  Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 20:7  "Now therefore, restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours." 

God, of course, had not forgotten anything. Yet, He still protected Sarah and Abraham even when he failed to protect Sarah.

20:8  So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly frightened. 20:9  Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done." 20:10  And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?" 

Apparently Abraham thought he was not in a god-fearing nation. We do not have any indication if Abraham prayed about any of this. But, a ‘pagan’ king had to reprimand Abraham.

20:11  Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. 20:12  "Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife; 20:13  and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'" 

Here we read about Abraham rationalizing his sin. He even convinced Sarah to protect him, even after all that God had promised to him.

20:14  Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored his wife Sarah to him. 20:15  Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please." 20:16  To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared." 20:17  Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children.  20:18  For the LORD had closed fast all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. 

How is Abraham like us or how are we like him? So far, Abraham profited from both situations involving Sarah. But, Sarah was loosing faith in his headship and authority over her. Also, she would appear to be loosing faith in God’s promise of a son.

What promises of God to us have we truly failed to believe? We, like Abraham, must have our faith tested. We rarely come to a full and uncontested faith in God at the moment of salvation. Faith, like sanctification builds over time. God’s mercy and patience with Abraham and us is amazing.

More next Saturday.

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Abram lost the spiritual leadership of his family when he sacrificed Sarai for his own personal safety. He had to either deny God’s promises or decide that he had to rely on his own power to protect his life. This bad decision will plague Abram for the rest of his life.

Genesis 17:1  Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. 17:2  "I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly." 

17:3  Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, 17:4  "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 

God is now repeating the promise he made to Abram in Genesis 12. Could it be that Abram was still a little skeptical that this would come to pass?

17:5  "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6  "I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. 17:7  "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. 17:8  "I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 

God is not only reminding Abram, He is also renaming him to be now known as Abraham. The land promise, the descendant promise, and the creation of nations promise are all being summarized again.

17:9  God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10  "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 

This covenant required of Abraham’s descendants to be active participants. The males were the only ones upon which this requirement was placed.

Genesis 18:1  Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 18:2  When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 18:3  and said, "My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. 18:4  "Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; 

18:5  and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant." And they said, "So do, as you have said." 

18:6  So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes." 18:7  Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 18:8  He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate. 

Abraham was a ‘prince’ in the area and was respected by many. It was not the custom for men like Abraham to bow to uninvited guests. Abraham knew that they were not truly normal men.

God had personally spoken to Abraham many times and now the LORD came for a personal visit. Why the visit?

18:9  Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "There, in the tent." 18:10  He said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 

18:11  Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 18:12  Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 18:13  And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' 18:14  "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." 

Sarah was not included in this meal.However, she was paying attention. Now she heard for herself that she was going to have a child, but she did not believe it and laughed to herself.

18:15  Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh." 

Now both Abraham and Sarah learned something about God that they had not known before, which is, God knows our thoughts. As both of them were once again being reminded that God was going to give them a son, they had trouble truly believing it as their age was in the way.

When your worldview is in direct contrast with your biblical view, which do you believe and act upon?

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-10

The sad tale of Abram’s lies to Pharaoh are now becoming known. His seeming reluctance to rely on God and instead rely on deception and putting Sarai at risk, has now shown up in Sarai’s plan.

Genesis 16:1  Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 16:2  So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 16:3  After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 16:4  He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 

It seems as now whatever Sarai says Abram does. Even though she says the LORD has prevented her, she has no problem doing things her way.

16:5  And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me." 16:6  But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight." So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence. 

Could Sarai be referring to the wrong done in Egypt? This is only the very next chapter and there is no other event in between. Now that Sarai was calling the shots, she realizes her idea was not all that good.

16:7  Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 

16:8  He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?" And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai." 16:9  Then the angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." 

16:10  Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count." 16:11  The angel of the LORD said to her further, "Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. 

Now Hagar is involved in God’s plans for Abram. Her sons dependents will be too numerous to count. Unfortunately, this is the birth of the Arab nations and Islam.

16:12  "He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers." 16:13  Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?" 

Gen 16:14  Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 16:15  So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16:16  Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him. 

No real son yet. Sarai’s plan was full of problems. Abram’s failure in Egypt gave Sarai the opportunity and reason to do the family planning. She apparently did not trust Abram or God.

Sin always has consequences. Most often we fail to count of account for the costs of our sins.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-9

God promised Abram that he would be the ‘father’ of many nations. Just what did this mean? At this time, Abram was still without any children and advancing in years, as was Sarai.

Genesis 13:1  So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him. 13:2  Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. 13:3  He went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 13:4  to the place of the altar which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. 

Abram left Egypt and returned to the land which God had directed him to be his new home.

13:5  Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 13:6  And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. 13:7  And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. Now the Canaanite and the Perizzite were dwelling then in the land. 

It would appear that Lot did not fully appreciate all that Abram had done for him, as he did not intervene during this strife. Abram appeared to be the one who truly sought peace between them.

13:8  So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are brothers. 13:9  "Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me; if to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left." 

13:10  Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere—this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah—like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar. 13:11  So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other. 

Lot chose the land that looked the best, but was in an area of the worse people. Not a good choice.

13:12  Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom. 13:13  Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD. 

Once again the LORD reminded Abram of all that would come in the future, a future that Abram and Sarai did not fully understand.

Gen 13:14  The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 

13:15  for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 13:16  "I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 13:17  "Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you." 

13:18  Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. 

14:12  They also took Lot, Abram's nephew, and his possessions and departed, for he was living in Sodom. 14:13  Then a fugitive came and told Abram the Hebrew. Now he was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were allies with Abram. 

Waring kings took over Sodom and captured Lot and all his possessions. Abram showed himself to be able to fight these kings and win back Lot. The same Abram that feared Pharaoh and told everyone that Sarai was his sister.

Gen 14:14  When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 

14:15  He divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 14:16  He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people.

Abram and Lot were both very wealthy, but Abram still did not have an heir for all the promises of the LORD.

15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." 15:2  Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 5:3  And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." 

God does not have to perform to our planning schedules. The LORD will do a miracle of birth, even though Abram and Sarai don’t truly believe it.

15:4  Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." 15:5  And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 

15:6  Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.  

It would appear that after all these appearances of the LORD to Abram, that he was truly ready to believe in the sovereign power of the LORD. But would this be true some years later? As they aged, their trust weakened.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-8

Fatherhood is not as easy as many believe it to be. God does not hide truth from us, which means He sometimes shows us the sins that men try to hide. This topic on fatherhood is just that type of example. Being a godly father is a full time responsibility, not only on Sundays. Abraham is the patriarch of Judaism, Islam, and ‘Christianity”! But, it is not without some serious sins of the father.

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 

Genesis 12:2  And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 12:3  And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." 

Almost out of nowhere Abram appears and God is calling him out of the land within which he has lived for his entire life.

We see here that this blessing and curse is given alone to Abram. There is no Jewish nation that can claim it for their own, which is what many claim today.

12:4  So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 

12:5  Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. 12:6  Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. 

It would seem that Abram obeyed completely even though God has not revealed to us just how Abram came to know Him and obey Him.

12:7  The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. 12:8  Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. 12:9  Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev. 

Bethel remained an important city for the nation of Israel and was in the promised land.

12:10  Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 

There is not one word that suggests that Abram asked God about leaving the land God had just revealed to him.

12:11  It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 2:12  and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 12:13  "Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you." 

It is apparent that while God spoke to Abram directly and he obeyed, he still did not fully know God or trust God.

12:14  It came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15  Pharaoh's officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. 

How could Abram allow this to happen? He let them take his wife into Pharaoh’s harem!!! What did Sarai think about all of this? Was Abram this weak?

12:16  Therefore he treated Abram well for her sake; and gave him sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels. 12:17  But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife. 

Pharaoh was more righteous at this time than Abram. He paid Abram very well for his ‘sister’! But, God was not pleased and He protected Sarai even when Abram would not.

12:18  Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 12:19  "Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go." 

Pharaoh could have done more, but he sent Abram away. He was much richer in material things, but sadly this behavior gives us some insight into his character. This will prove insightful as we continue our study.

12:20  Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him. 

Pharaoh did not take back his gifts, but he banished him as he did not want to be constantly reminded of this problem that Abram had created for him.

Weak husbands sometimes can become weak fathers as well.

More next Saturday.

Godly fathers-ungodly sons-7

Fathers are to play a very important role in the raising of their children, especially the male children. Unfortunately the Bible is full of the failures, or so it would appear, that fathers failed in this responsibility. We will now study the family of Noah. But, first we will begin with the context.

Genesis 6:1  Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 6:2  that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 

6:3  Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." 

Noah was born about 1100 years after Adam. Yet, from Cain and others the earth became populated with sinful, ungodly people. Estimates say that there were easily millions of people by this time.

6:4  The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 

Sons of God gets a lot of attention, but most are now agreeing that they were angels, fallen angels, that came down to earth to pair up with women.

6:5  Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6:6  The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 6:7  The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." 

Evil intents and actions filled the earth, much like today. Only a very small remnant of godly men and women are on the earth today. Back then, only Noah was found to be righteous. No mention of his wife or daughters-in-law being righteous.

6:8  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 

We will fast forward to his three sons.

Genesis 6:9  These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. 6:10  Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 

Gen 6:11  Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 

We know that Abraham came from the line of Shem. What became of the lines of Ham and Japeth, who were not blameless, godly, or righteous?

9:18  Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. 9:19  These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. 

9:20  Then Noah began farming and planted a vineyard. 

9:21  He drank of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 

9:22  Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 9:23  But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father's nakedness. 

9:24  When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 9:25  So he said, "Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brothers." 

9:26  He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant. 9:27  "May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant." 

We will conclude with this curse on Ham and Canaan. We know from our biblical history that Israel had continual problems and wars with the kingdoms in Canaan. From one righteous father came one unrighteous son and a vast history of ungodly, unholy nations followed.

More next Saturday.