2 Samuel Chapter 23:1-39

These guys weren't just talking a good game. I've met a lot of people in my life, they could talk a good Christianity.

I mean, they have all this and they say the right things and they dress the right way and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. But when it came to giving and serving and pouring their life out, it wasn't there. They was talking a good game. Christianity is not talking a good game.

It's walking. As they say, talk is cheap. It comes down to loving one another and giving to one another and serving one another. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee, Senior Pastor of the Bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Today, Pastor David is teaching through 2 Samuel chapter 23, and we have as our guest in the studio, one of David McGee's associate pastors. Welcome, DA.

Hey, Bob. We're excited about what God is doing through Cross the Bridge with Pastor David. We want to take a few minutes to pray for some cities in our listening audience.

In California, we have Chico, Clear Lake, Kalinga, Crescent City, Desert Hot Springs, Doris, and Eureka. Lord, we pray for people in these cities to tune in and listen. We pray that you would heal them if they're battling some physical ailments. We pray that today many people will put their hope and trust in you for their personal salvation.

God, we pray that people would be excited about following you in these cities. And God, we pray for the churches and pastors, that they would walk in unity, that they would stick to the vision that you've given them. Lord, that they would apply your Word in every area of their life. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen, brother.

This is great to pray for one another, and thank you, listeners, for praying along with Pastor DA. DA, what are some of the things that we want to take away from today's teaching in 2 Samuel chapter 23? When we tell others about Jesus, we can expect Him to examine and watch our lives on a day-to-day basis to see if we really believe what we say we believe. Are you trying to say that our actions really do speak louder than words?

Of course, Bob. People have heard a lot of things, but they want to see someone apply God's Word too. Let's find out more about how to do that as David McGee shares verse by verse, finishing up 2 Samuel chapter 23 today. We're looking at the life of David, and we're kind of, a couple of these things are a little bit out of sequence, like we talked about last week.

David's life is coming to a close, and it's an awesome thing. David is an incredible warrior, incredible leader, incredible man of God, and yet he was not perfect. And Scripture records that he was not perfect.

And that's one of the things that I really enjoy about the Bible is that it doesn't leave the faults and the frailties and the weaknesses of the people that it writes about out. 2 Samuel chapter 23 verse 1 says, now these are the last words of David. And that says, David, the son of Jesse, that says, the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel. The spirit of the Lord spoke by me and his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the rock of Israel spoke to me. He who rules over men must be just ruling and the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Verse five, although my house is not so with God, yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and secure for this is all my salvation and all my desire.

Will he not make it increase? But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place. These are the names of the mighty men whom David had, Josheph, Bathshebeth, the Tachmonite chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Esnite because he had killed 800 men at one time. After him was Eliezer, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. One of the three mighty men was David. When they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle and the men of Israel had retreated, he arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day and the people returned after him only to plunder.

Verse 11, and after him was Shema the son of Agi, the Harorite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines, but he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it and killed the Philistines.

So the Lord brought about a great victory. Then three of the 30 chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in the stronghold and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David said with a longing, Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. And he said, far be it from me, Oh Lord, that I should do this. Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?

Therefore he would not drink it. And these things were done by the three mighty men. Verse 18. Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Ziriah, was chief of another three. And he lifted his spear against 300 men, killed them and won a name among these three. Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.

So it has them in these groupings of three. Verse 20. Benaniah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabziel who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

Verse 21. And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand.

So he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. Again, we're seeing these mighty men, these men of faith, we're seeing men of battle. And we need to understand here, we can read a passage of this chapter and go, I'm a little uncomfortable with all the violence that, you know, is on this and then, and it's just da, da, da, da, da. This is reality. There are fights that are worth fighting in this life.

There are things that friends should tweak you and make you angry. When you see injustices, when you see, when you see people going hungry, when you see people mistreated by religious authorities and stuff like that, these are things that should stir you up to a fight. Christianity is not a religion of pacifists.

It's a religion of warriors who people are willing to stand up and do battle on the behalf of the souls of men and women. And we read about these battles. We read about these things and these guys, these guys weren't just talking a good game. I've met a lot of people in my life. They could talk a good Christianity.

I mean, they have all this and they say the right things and they dress the right way and da, da, da, da, da, da, da. But when it came to giving and serving and pouring their life out, it wasn't there. It was talking a good game. Christianity is not talking a good game. It's walking.

As they say, talk is cheap. Walking out. And if we were just engaged in the academic exercise of studying the Bible, man, let's just go home.

There's probably something on the TV on Thursday nights. I don't know what, cause I'm always here, but, but it's about studying the Bible so we can do the Bible. It comes down to loving one another and giving to one another and serving one another. Life lesson here, our actions really do speak louder than our words. See at the end of their lives, these guys had something to talk about. And I did this and I did that and I whooped up that Egyptian and I did this. And I remember this time I did that. They had something to talk about.

Why? They had done something. Friend, I don't want you to get the end of this life and go, well, I should've, uh, should've got involved in that, that church. There was a lot of people got saved and, uh, should've done that.

I would've, should've, could've, maybe I could be telling some stories. There's going to be people like that. That's the reality. I don't want you to be one of them. I don't want you to be one of them.

I want you to live out what you say. You believe every church, including this one is always going to have spectators. We're not going to have comfortable spectators.

I'll make sure that the spectators are uncomfortable sometimes because I love them that much. So we need to be, we need to be doing these things. Verse 22, these things been denied. The son of Jehovah did want a name among the three mighty men. He was more honored than the 30, but he did not attain to the first three and David appointed him over his guard. And Asahel, the brother of Joab was one of the 30, Elhanan, the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shema the Herodite, Lekah the Herodite, Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkash the Ticoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebanei the Heshethite. I'm up here speaking in tongues. Verse 28, I should've practiced this more. Verse 28, Zalmanothite Meheriah the Netohathite.

Now let me take a break. Now, one of the things that we're going to see when we get in the book of Chronicles, it's kind of interesting is David didn't just have these guys that were serving with him and working with him. It's an interesting thing. We're told that he had a standing army of 24,000 men who had a moment's notice were ready to do battle. And then what would happen is these guys were, were the standing guard, if you will, for one month. And then the following month there were a different 24,000 who would be ready at a moment's notice to serve.

It's kind of the early version, I guess, of the army reserve. And so everyone took turns serving and it worked, it worked very well. I think one of the reasons you sometimes you see in the body of Christ, you see people in ministry who are tired, they're burned out is a lot of times they're carrying the loads of a lot of other people. And instead of somebody serving, pouring it out for a season, then somebody else stepping up to the plate and says, Hey, it's time for you to catch your breath.

Let me do it for a while. That because other people don't do this, the bulk of the responsibility falls on the shoulders of a few. And I think that's one of the reasons that to be honest, one of the reasons I think the American church at times is very ineffective because a lot of the American church and you've, I've given the statistics 3%, 5%, 8% of the church actually serves. And yet really to serve the body, it takes a much larger portion of people.

So how does that work? Well, the three to five to 8% are torn to bits and the rest of the people are coasting. And that's not biblically healthy. That that's not something you see presented in scripture. What you see is us carrying one another's loads so that everybody gets to catch their breath. And obviously, you know, we've talked about about 50% of the people that, that attend this church are in one form of ministry or another.

That's the way we're able to pull it off is we all kind of share the load. Incidentally too, you know, we're talking about the battles and stuff. One thing that you don't see in the life of David, and I've mentioned David being a warrior. He's an incredible warrior, but do you realize David, as I see in the Bible, never picked a fight.

He's an incredible warrior, but he never picked a fight. And if you're going back to the story of Goliath, let me remind you, he went to the front line, not to fight, but to take supplies to his brothers. And then when he heard this guy was coming out and challenging, not only the armies of Israel, but God himself, he said, you know what? I'll go out there.

If nobody else is willing to go out there. Now imagine what the other people must've felt is this small young boy came up and said, I'll, I'll fight him. And you really see a lot about the character of Saul. When David young, David comes up, a shepherd boy comes up to this King who we're told was a very tall man. And David says, I'll fight Goliath. And Saul's response isn't, you know what? This is my gig. This is my job.

You know what? I'm going to go out on that battlefield. No Saul, the Weasley King says, Oh, you want to take my armor? That's a real insight in the Saul isn't it? David doesn't pick fights, but David doesn't run from fights either. And when David finds himself in the midst of the fight, he stands his ground firmly. Guys, I think there's a lot of wisdom in this because a lot of times as Christians, we try to go out and we try to pick fights.

We got no business being involved in. And then when the fight comes to us, a lot of times we're like, well, yeah. And then we don't stand our ground firmly.

That's a great model for ministry. I don't want to pick fights, but when a fight comes to me and friends, I'll be honest, they have, and they will continue. I'm going to stand my ground firmly. I'm not going to just roll over like a dead dog.

I'm going to say, no, no, no, no. That's not what we're doing here. This is what God has called us to do. This is what we're doing. And you know what? And that's the end of the discussion. That's it. I'm going to stand my ground firmly.

Why? Because I don't want to roll over in a fight. Jesus talks about when He's talked to the difference between a shepherd and a hireling is a hireling runs when the wolf comes up.

You never see David running. When the fight comes to David, David's like, okay, let's do this thing. I'm ready to go. And some of you have thought in the midst of these battles that you should roll over or whatever, don't pick fights. Some of you are probably picking way too many fights. And what happens is you pick too many fights. You don't have the energy to fight the fights God brings you. So you see that in the life of David, not shying away from fights, but not picking fights.

There's just a lot of wisdom in them. You're listening to Pastor David McGee on Cross the Bridge. He'll be back with more in just a moment. But first, if you haven't been to our website at crossthebridge.com yet, what are you waiting for? Go to crossthebridge.com to learn more about how listeners like you are helping get the life-changing truth of God's word to more people through the radio, internet, and mobile technologies. At crossthebridge.com, you can also check out our broadcast schedule, listen to more teaching from Pastor David, and sign up for Pastor David's free daily devotional. And there's more there too.

So visit crossthebridge.com today. Now, here's Pastor David as he continues sharing verse by verse. Verse 29, Helleb the son of Bena, the Nethophathite, Ittai the son of Rebaal from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaniah the parathonite, Hittai from the brooks of Gaash, Abiabon the Abathite, Asmaphith the Aborhamite. You know, I swear to y'all a long time ago, I was going to go verse by verse. Verse 32.

If ever I was going to bail, it'd be right now. Eliabah Ishaubalite, the sons of Jashan, Jonathan, Shema the Haradite, Ahom the son of Sherar the Harorite, Eliphileth the son of Ahaspai, the son of Megathite, Eliam the son of Hithiphil the Gileanite. Now we've been going through this genealogy and you go through genealogies in the Bible. And quite frankly, you go through them and you go, why was this even in here? I don't understand why we're given all this begat and begat begat begat. And there's some places where it just goes on and on and on. Let me assure you something as a Bible student, as somebody who studies the Bible, every genealogy in the Bible has something in it without exception.

All of them have something in it where you start to look and go, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute. This verse 34 answers a mystery for us. Ahithophel was a man who it was said that he, it was as, as, as if speaking to God, his counsel was so wise, but it's very confusing. And we believe that David was speaking of Ahithophel when he writes about his friend in the Psalms that they used to go up to the temple together. But then when, what we see in second Samuel is Ahithophel who is in Gilo, a Gilonite, joins the rebellion of Absalom. And if Ahithophel was so tight with David, why is he joining the other side? And then when the rebellion with Absalom doesn't work out, Ahithophel, it says he gets his house in order.

He goes home and he kills himself, which if you don't understand the background, you look at that and go, wow, his response is way out of proportion to the stimulus. There must be something else going on. There was something else going on. Ahithophel that is spoken of there and speaks of here, we're told Ahithophel had a son, Eliam. So what was up with Ahithophel? We're told through this genealogy in another verse, second Samuel 11 verse three says, so David sent and inquired about the woman and someone said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Ahithophel had a son. His name was Eliam. Eliam had a daughter.

Her name was Bathsheba. That is why Ahithophel and David quit being friends. Ahithophel left Jerusalem, went to Galo, waited for his moment of rebellion, saw his opportunity with Absalom and sought revenge upon the life of David. Every genealogy has something like this in there.

If you'll look at it, if you'll pray about it, if you'll ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you, or if you stay around here long enough, we'll get through the genealogies, each and every genealogy, and you'll see something like this in every time. Ahithophel had the same option of everybody else in that when David messed up and David said, you know what, I messed up, I sinned, I need God to forgive me. Ahithophel had the opportunity to say, you know what, I too forgive you David.

But what did he do? He held bitterness. He held unforgiveness in his heart. And because of that, the ultimate fruit of that unforgiveness for others, that critical spirit ends up taking his own life because that's the fruit of bitterness and unforgiveness.

It will literally eat you alive. And if tonight you're nursing anything like that, friend, let it go, let it go. If somebody has wounded you or wounded somebody you cared about, don't carry that around anymore because that will eat you up inside. Give that to Jesus Christ.

And it may be that it's, you don't feel it and you don't feel like it and you don't want to in your heart forgive this person, but as an act of will, let your mouth say, God, I forgive that person. Verse 35, Hezrai the Carmelite, Perai the Arbite, Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Banah the Gadite, verse 37, Zilech the Ammonite, Nerei the Beersite, Armabara of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Garab the Ithrite, and Uriah the Hittite, 37 in all. So there was 30 mighty men.

There's 37 because as one died, somebody else would replace them. But it's kind of sad that the last verse includes Uriah the Hittite who we know was the husband of Bathsheba. We know that he was an honorable man, so much to the point that when David caught him off the battlefield, he wouldn't even go home because his men that he was leading were still on the battle. And David tried to get him to do it, to go home and he wouldn't do it.

And he ends up dying. We're tempted to look at that life of Uriah and go, wow, what a wasted life. He died in the service of a King who was in sin. Uriah died in the service of a King who was in sin to honor God. Uriah's life was not wasted in the truest sense of the word. Why? Because Uriah was doing what he did to serve God.

Now David, the King he was serving obviously was in sin, obviously was messing up, but Uriah is still honored in this passage. Why do I say that? Because a lot of times I think we're looking for the perfect leader in the perfect church and then we'll serve and honor God through them.

And right there you have your out. You're never going to find the perfect church. So there you don't have to serve God or serve people for the rest of your life. There's your excuse, except God doesn't give you that one. God, knowing that we're all imperfect says, we're supposed to love one another and serve one another and honor one another and esteem one another and pray for one another. That's what he says. So Uriah is honored even here, even though it was a messed up situation.

He still was storing up heavenly rewards, if you will, with his service. People mess up. People make mistakes. You'll make mistakes. I'll make mistakes.

How we deal with one another in those times tells a lot about who we are. And you see when David messed up, he said, you know what? I'm the man. When Nathan came to him and said, he told him a little story about the sheep. And, and, and David says, that guy should be killed. Nathan turns to me and says, you know what?

You're the man. And David says, I've been wrong. I am I've sinned before God. And evidently a lot of people that were gathered around David said, Dave, we know it. We love you. We're still going to serve you.

We're still going to be with you. It speaks highly of David speaks highly of those people and speaks extremely highly of the grace and mercy of God. The amazing thing is in this instance, God never stepped David down as King.

He never said, David, you can't be King anymore. You're done. That's it for me. You're finished. Go away.

You got to go through this 12 year, 12 step restoration process. He never did that. Not only did God keep him as King, God still honored the covenant that he had with him. God still chose him to be of the lineage of Jesus Christ. So much so that the first verse of the new Testament, Matthew chapter one, verse one says this, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, certainly the author of the book who was well aware of the rest of the book and what David had done could have left that part out. But he calls Jesus Christ, the son of David, who we have come to know through this book, messed up with Bathsheba conspiracy to commit murder, all these things, but look at the grace and the mercy of God.

Let me ask you a question. Is that consistent with you? Who you think God to be? That's who God is. If your perception is not that he is a God of mercy and a God of grace, may I suggest your perception is inaccurate because throughout this book, I see men messing up. I see women messing up. I see David messing up and God loving him. I see Peter messing up and God loving him. I see the forgiven woman who had committed adultery mess up and be forgiven and over and over.

And yet how often we try to be the only army in the world that shoots it's wounded. Maybe tonight you're the walking wounded. Maybe you've messed up. Maybe you've messed up so bad that you just don't think God can forgive you. God can forgive you of anything.

You know, I've messed up in a lot of big ways in my life. And I remember one time there was, there was one incident that I prayed over and over God, please forgive me of this. God, please forgive me of this. And I kept every time I would pray, I said, God, please forgive me of this. And I remember one time being in prayer and saying that, and the Lord and that still small voice said, was it not enough? So what are you talking about?

Was it not enough? He said, I gave my son for you. He bled and he died upon a cross so that you could be forgiven. Not just of some of your sins, but all of your sins. And you keep insisting that I've not yet forgiven you of this one thing.

And you keep coming back to me with it was the blood of my son. Not enough to forgive you of this. And I said, God, I'm sorry. I accept your forgiveness. See friend, if you're out there and you're saying, well, God can't forgive me of this, or God can't forgive me that you are limiting the most powerful force on this planet, the shed blood of Jesus Christ, which has no limit to its power.

It knows no measure, no bounds. The only sin it cannot forgive is the sin that's never asked forgiveness for the only heart it cannot invade is the heart that will not allow it. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven? You can know right now, I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven. And I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things. I have sinned and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer, according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can visit crossthebridge.com to receive our First Steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

Or you can write to Cross the Bridge at P.O. Box 12515, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27117, and share how God is working in your life. Well, D.A., before we go, what are some ways that we can bless our listeners? Each day you can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David through the Word of God with his email devotional, Life Lessons to Consider, a daily reading plan, and a thought to meditate on throughout your day from the heart of David McGee.

That sounds good, Pastor D.A., and again, it's been great to have you with us on the program today. But tell us, what else can our listeners find on crossthebridge.com? If you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday, why not join us for our live stream at 10 a.m. Eastern Time?

Or on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. Eastern Time? Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our live stream link. There, you'll experience a live service from David's Home Church. The Bridge in North Carolina. Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Those are terrific, and it's easy, and it's free. So folks, sign up today at crossthebridge.com, and thank you for listening. We hope you'll join us again next time as we continue studying verse by verse through 2 Samuel.