II Samuel: Kingdom Shadows
I. Introduction
a. Theme: The Kingdom of God – God’s People, in God’s Place, Under God’s Rule
i. The Kingdom Pattern Established in Eden (Genesis)
1. The Fall
ii. The Kingdom Promised
1. The Covenant with Abraham (Genesis)
2. The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
a. God redeems his people from Egypt
b. God reasserts his covenant faithfulness by giving the people the law, promising blessings for those who worship him and him only, trusting in His Word.
c. God promises the possession of the Promised Land
d. Joshua leads the nation of Israel into the Promised Land and the people vow their allegiance to God. (Joshua)
e. The people fail to live up to the covenant stipulations, but God remains faithful by giving the people judges to rule and deliver them from their enemies. (Judges)
f. In the midst of chaos, God continues to establish his royal line through the marriage of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth)
g. The people continue their unfaithfulness by asking for a King to rule them, “as the other nations.” God gives them Saul, who fails miserably. Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse (tribe of Judah) to find God’s anointed, David. (I Samuel)
II. David’s Rule: The Shadow of a Future Kingdom
a. Davidic Covenant – II Samuel 7:1-16 (Notice the Three Kingdom Shadows)
i. I will Make for you a great name – Philippians 2:9-11
ii. I will appoint a place for my people – John 14:1-3
iii. Your throne shall be established forever – Revelation 22:1-5,16
b. David: A King after God’s Own Heart (1-10)
i. David demonstrates a high view of the sovereignty of God
1. When he has the man who killed Saul executed. (Chapter 1)
2. When he inquires of the Lord (Chapter 2)
3. When he waits for seven years and 6 months to unite the entire kingdom. (He first ruled Judah)
ii. David demonstrates a passion for the worship of the Lord
1. When he is afraid to touch the ark (Chapter 6:1-9)
2. When he is undignified before the Lord (6:16)
3. If you don’t have a passion for worship, you really are not going to enjoy heaven all that much. The point is not what David is doing, it is for whom he is doing it. When is the last time you were excited about the Lord and what he is doing in your life? When is the last time you were flat on your face before the Lord, or gave a shout to the Lord, or sang a song of praise to the Lord, or wept before the Lord, or even gave a manly grunt to the Lord?
4. He desires to build the Lord a house. (Chapter 7:1-7)
iii. David demonstrates the power and justice of the Lord. (Chapter 8:15)
1. David ruled in the “Fear of the Lord” – he understood that he would give an accounting.
iv. David demonstrates the compassionate faithfulness of the Lord. (Read Chpt 9 )
v. We see in chapters 1-10 the rise of David as a King after God’s own heart. A king chosen by God and who God made a covenant with that would one day be fully revealed in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. David’s Kingdom reached its pinnacle at Chapter 10. Starting in Chapter 11 we will see why David’s reign is only a shadow of God’s perfect Kingdom.
III. David’s Ruin: A Shadow of a Faultless King
a. David’s Sin (Chapter 11) –
i. tell the story including the family details
1. Bathsheba’s Grandfather, Ahithophel was David’s prime minister
2. Eliam, one of David’s mighty men, was Bathsheba’s father.
3. Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s Husband, was one of David’s Mighty Men
ii. 11:27 – “But the thing that David had done, displeased the Lord”
b. The Consequences (Chapters 12 -20)
i. (Chapter 12) Child dies
ii. (Chapter 13) David’s Son Amnon Rapes his half sister Tamar (13)
1. David does nothing about the rape, while Absalom watches and waits two years to murder Amnon, avenging the rape of his sister. Absalom flees Jerusalem while David does nothing.
a. Do you see what sin does to us? It immobilizes us!
iii. (Chapter 14) Joab convinces David to let Absalom back into Jerusalem, but Absalom already has a deep seeded hatred towards his father.
iv. (Chapter 15) Absalom rebels, claims the throne, and David flees, still acting passively.
v. (Chapter 16) David travels east with his followers while Absalom consolidates power.
vi. (Chapter 17) Absalom makes the mistake of pursuing his father, who was a master warrior.
vii. (Chapter 18) Absalom is killed by Joab and his armor bearer, even though David said “be gentle” with Absalom (18:5) David responds with sheer grief…(18:33)
viii. (Chapter 19) David returns to Jerusalem, but there is strife between the men of Israel(northern tribes) and Judah.
ix. (Chapter 20) The sage ends when Sheba leads a rebellion to overthrow David, but ends up with his head cut-off and thrown over a city wall.
c. The Consideration: What does this tell us? Why is the Bible so honest about its so-called heroes?
i. God’s People Failed in the Garden of Eden
ii. God’s People Failed in the Wilderness
iii. God’s People Failed after they entered the Promised Land
iv. God’s Anointed, the King after God’s own heart failed miserably!
1. He committed dark sins of omission
2. He committed great sins of commission – Pride, adultery, murder!
v. Read these passages: Psalm 143:1;Romans 3:10,231. What are you going to do about your sin? vi. There is only one faultless, sinless, perfect king, one Son of God who has not and will not fail – HIS NAME IS JESUS!1. 2 Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-25IV. David’s Repentance: A Shadow of Future Gracea. Rebuke i. Nathan’s Rebuke – (12:1-10) ii. Joab’s Rebuke – (19:1-7) iii. Are you open to rebuke?b. Confession i. David responds humbly to Nathan’s rebuke (12:13) ii. Confession is humbly describing your sin in the same terms that God does. iii. Do you call your sin what it is, or are you making exuses, minimizing your sin.c. Repentance i. Repentance is a change of mind, of direction. It is not mere sorrow, for Godly sorrow leads to repentance. Repentance means taking action. ii. David repents when Joab rebukes him concerning his need to restore Absalom in 14:21, “very well, I will do it.” iii. David repents when Absalom confronts him about his improper mourning of Absalom in 19:8, “so the King got up.”1. If you are living in sin, you need a change of mind. Turn to Christ, trust his word and walk in obedience.2. Acts 3:19, “Repent, therefore, and turn again, that all your sins may be blotted out!”d. Taking Responsibility i. David takes responsibility for numbering the troops out of pride (24:17) ii. Have you taken responsibility for the consequences of your sin? Have you asked forgiveness of those who have been impacted by your sin?e. Forgiveness i. In the same case of numbering the troops David asks for forgiveness. (24:10-14) ii. David knows the forgiveness of the Lord – (12:13 – Nathan speaks, “the Lord has taken away your sin.” iii. Psalm 51 f. Finally, forgiveness is not based upon any work or activity that we can do. Forgiveness is only found in the grace of God. i. Revelation 22:12-13 ii. Have you found forgiveness in Jesus Christ? 1. I John 1:92. Psalm 111:7
