Share This Episode
Truth for Life Alistair Begg Logo

Living on a Prayer (Part 2 of 3)

Truth for Life / Alistair Begg
The Truth Network Radio
January 15, 2025 3:04 am

Living on a Prayer (Part 2 of 3)

Truth for Life / Alistair Begg

On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 1513 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


January 15, 2025 3:04 am

As King David fled Jerusalem, an enraged man assailed him with accusations, curses, and condemnation. Hear David’s surprising response, and learn how God sometimes reveals His plan through such unlikely sources. Join us on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.



-----------------------------------------



• Click here and look for "FROM THE SERMON" to stream or read the full message.


• This program is part of the series ‘A Study in 1 and 2 Samuel, Volume 8’


• Learn more about our current resource, request your copy with a donation of any amount.



Helpful Resources

- Learn about God's salvation plan

- Read our most recent articles

- Subscribe to our daily devotional

Follow Us

YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter



This listener-funded program features the clear, relevant Bible teaching of Alistair Begg. Today’s program and nearly 3,000 messages can be streamed and shared for free at tfl.org thanks to the generous giving from monthly donors called Truthpartners. Learn more about this Gospel-sharing team or become one today. Thanks for listening to Truth For Life!









COVERED TOPICS / TAGS (Click to Search)
Truth For Life Alistair Begg Bible teaching Parkside Truth For Life
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

As King David and his people fled from Jerusalem, he encountered an enraged man who showered him with accusations, curses, and condemnation. Today on Truth for Life, we'll hear David's surprising response and learn how God sometimes reveals his plan and purpose through such unlikely sources. Alistair Begg is teaching from the opening verses in 2 Samuel chapter 16. Now, you know Zevah, because we met him before. We were introduced to him way back in chapter 9, in the encounter with Mephibosheth, you remember, the son of Jonathan who was lame in his feet and needed somebody to care for him.

And here we find him showing up on this occasion, essentially, with a picnic. And there's something about his gesture—a gesture of generosity—that doesn't quite meld with the fact that his loyalty, his generosity is expressed here to David, but his loyalty lies with Saul. He is the servant of Saul.

And so this strange little encounter with Zevah has to be set within the wider framework. And I wonder, isn't that why David then says, And where is your master's son? And Zevah said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem.

True. Today, he said, the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father. In other words, he says, This is what Mephibosheth is saying. Now, that's not what David wants to hear.

And it's certainly not what he expects. And he makes a snap decision. I find this one of the most interesting little pieces in all that I've read. And he said, Well then, behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.

It's quite amazing, isn't it? I'm not sure I fully understand what's going on here. David makes a snap decision. He has made some snap decisions in the past, but this is an interesting one. And Zevah says, Well, I pay homage. You bet your life he paid homage.

What an amazing deal this is! He shows up with a cock and bull story, and he ends up running the whole program. Zevah is an opportunist, for sure. I wonder if Zevah's not just a jealous person, not easy to do what Zevah was asked to do.

It wouldn't be difficult for Zevah to say, You know what? I do everything around here. I run this program. I run the farm.

My children are involved in it. And all for this guy, this invalid guy. All he does is he just shows up and eats all the stuff. Wouldn't be surprising. No, I think he's an opportunist. I think he's motivated entirely by self-interest.

And what I find most interesting is that David, who on previous occasions has been very, very meticulous in dealing with encounters like this—you can rehearse it for yourself way back in the first chapter of 2 Samuel, when he hears of the death of Saul. And we won't delay on it now, but if you remember, he queries that fellow all the time. He asks a question, then he asks another question and another question. He's trying to find out what's really going on. But in this instance, I guess he's distressed, he's discouraged, his judgment is off, he makes a snap decision, and he goes.

It's not the point, but it is a point in passing. Let us beware of making snap decisions when we're not on our game, when life has turned against us, when we're disheartened and we're discouraged. Don't write important letters then. Don't change your job. Don't rearrange your relationships. Keep your head down. Trust God. So then, from Ziba, who, having benefited from his deceit, then displays his homage.

It's kind of creepy, I think. All of that was taking place while David was beyond the summit. And now we pick up the story in verse 5, when King David came to Bahurim.

Bahurim is not very far away, and we've been to Bahurim before. And if you recall—you can find it on your own later—that was when David got Michal, his wife, back from Paltiel, because Saul, out of a sense of a grudging perspective towards David, gave Michal to this fellow, Paltiel. And there at Bahurim, Paltiel comes, and he arrives weeping—weeping along the way, as this lady that has been his partner and wife for these years is taken from him.

Well, that was a sad scene, but it's nothing compared to the scene that we have here. So, now we have not simply David deceived by Ziba but now cursed by Shimei. He's an angry man, he's filled with rage, and he curses continually. And his curses are an expression of his condemnation of David.

"'Get out,' he cries, Get out of here, you man of blood, you worthless man!" Well, of course, the fact was that David was already out. He was out of Jerusalem.

He had already crossed the river. He was on his way into the wilderness. And now this protagonist arrives and speaks in this way. Now, let's read again verse 8, what Shimei has to say to him. The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom.

Your day is done, David. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. This is Peterson's paraphrase of that same verse. God has paid you back for all your dirty work in the family of Saul and for stealing his kingdom. God has given the kingdom to your son Absalom.

Look at you now, ruined and good riddance, you pathetic old man." I think, with a little liberty, that probably captures very well the kind of impact that is being made. Now, as you read this, you will, I hope, recognize that although Shimei's words here are half wrong, they are also half right. They are half wrong, first of all, because what he is saying is that David has evil upon him, that David is a worthless man, that David is a man of blood as responsible for the deaths and the murders that had taken place in the house of Saul. Now, again, you have to read back in this story to stay with this, but you will remember that Joab and Abishai, who had another brother called Asahel—who, remember, took a spear in his belly when he was running behind his enemy—you will remember that those boys were involved in the subsequent murder of Abner. Saul died.

Jonathan died. And the rumor at the time was that although David himself may not actually have stuck the dagger in, that he actually was behind all of this. And the accusation that is coming from this man is that that is actually true, that that is the case. You oppose the house of Saul.

You have blood on your hands in relationship to this. And as a result of that, God has decided that you are finished, old guy, and the future is now in the hands of your son Absalom. So he's half wrong.

But he's also half right. Because evil has fallen on David. David is a man of blood. The word that had come from Nathan the prophet to him was, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. That's chapter 12 and verse 11. And David knew that, because the Word of God had been spoken to him. So this man says to him, You know, evil is upon you. Meaning, the accusations regarding the house of Saul. David recognizes, You're wrong on that, but you're actually right. Because evil has fallen upon me. You're wrong in saying that my worthlessness lies in what I did to the house of Saul.

But you're right. Because on that afternoon, in that incident that began on the roof, that was the action of a worthless man, engaged in a worthless endeavor, to create a worthless end. Now, David then, as he hears what this man is saying, is processing it along these lines.

As he's thinking about it, Abishai comes up with his own plan. Why don't we just do what I'm good at doing? Everybody has a gift in life, he would have said, you know. We are the sons of Zeruiah.

We can take care of this in a minute. You don't have to listen to this nonsense from this guy. Let me take his head off. Dale Ralph Davis has a wonderful little sentence where he says, "'Abishai proposes this because he has observed that people without heads do not curse.'"

Which is pretty good, right? So, the condemnation comes from the lips of Shimei. The proposed solution comes from the mouth of Abishai, and the word of correction comes from David. First he says, "'Why are you, sons of Zeruiah, always interfering, always getting in the way? What am I supposed to do with you? What have I to do with you?'

he says there in 10. You sense something of the frustration, again, of the great king who a thousand years later has to turn to his disciples and says, "'O dear, O dear, have I been so long with you and still you don't understand? This is not the way the kingdom comes in.

We're not going to see this achieved by taking people's heads off.'" So instead of retaliating, David says, what we need to recognize is the distinct possibility that the Lord is speaking to me through Shimei. In other words, although he's half wrong, I recognize that he's half right. And if I may sort of paraphrase it to help us along, I imagine him saying, sort of, think about this. In fact, it's in the text.

You will see it there. Verse 11. Think about this. My own son is seeking to kill me.

So why would this be a surprise? If Absalom wants me dead, old crazy Shimei here and his stones and his curses are nothing in comparison to that. And what has actually happened here simply is this—that what Shimei implied, which was that David had been guilty of these blood offenses against the house of Saul—what Shimei implied and what David heard were two different things.

He accused him of something that he didn't do, and it simply reinforced in David's mind the reality of what he did do. You're a worthless man. I'm the king chosen by God. But that was a worthless act by a worthless man on what proved to be a worthless afternoon.

Your hands are full of blood. I never touched any of those people. I wasn't responsible for the death of Saul.

Ah. But I was responsible for the death of Uriah. Shimei's motives were wrong.

His accusations were wrong. And yet God reveals his purpose and his plan to David through an unlikely source. Now, here—and we will stop here—but here we are at a very important piece of this entire puzzle, because now we are once again dealing with the intersection between the sovereign purpose of God and the responsibility of man. The reality the mystery of the way in which that which is ill, that which is evil, in the hand of God, may be brought to good. I wrote in my notes a little verse from a hymn. I don't know what the hymn is.

You've heard me quote it before, but I just instinctively scribbled it down. I said to myself, ill—ill or wrong or evil—ill that he blesses—that is, God blesses—ill that he blesses is our good. And unblessed good is ill, and all is right that seems most wrong, if it be his sweet will.

Think of it in terms of Joseph with his brothers, the same issue. He says to them, Hey, you intended it for evil, but God intended it for good. It was evil. It was jealousy. It was spite. It was hatred. It was vindictiveness.

It was all of that. And for that, God was not responsible one piece. And yet here, once again, you see the same thing. Verse 12—listen to this from the lips of David—"It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me," or it actually could may look on the wrong done by me—"and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today." You see, even in the midst of all of this, David had a deep-seated confidence in a God of amazing grace. This is amazing grace. Because he still knows that that word that came from the lip of Nathan to him—"God has put away your sin"—was an expression of the unguessable grace and mercy of God.

That's why I read from Spurgeon there, isn't it fantastic? His mercy is so great that he forgives great sins to great sinners after great lengths of time and gives great privileges and great favors. That's who God is, you see!

And if that is the only thing that you take from this morning, take that. The curses were a response, were part of the consequences of his iniquity. But David recognizes that God is not only able, but he is also willing, to look at his guilt and return good.

One of my friends helped me much with this. I appreciate his words, because I can't quote them in their fullness. Here we have a word of special hope to Christians—to Christians who believe that we have made a royal curse of our lives. We're not talking here about unbelievers. David was a believer. David was the friend of God. David was the choice of God.

He made a royal curse of his life. Therefore, despite the fact that you and I may have ignored his standards, we may have denied his word, we may have rejected his commands, we may have suffered and suffered miserably as a result. You say, Yes, but I repented and I'm forgiven. Yes, I know you say that, but I talk with you. Some who have repented and forgiven have now decided that God's perspective on you is only some kind of grudging toleration, that you have been removed from the team, that you now are destined to live the balance of your Christian life in the kind of junkyard of Christian experience.

But that is not so. That can't be so, as long as God is God. Because he is a God, as David tells us, who does not treat us as our sins deserve. That he puts them as far from us as the east is from the west.

That he buries them in the sea of his forgetfulness. Listen, believer! Listen, Christian person who has succumbed to the devil's lie, I did this, I did that, I did the next thing, I made a hash of the whole business! Just tell the evil one, Go back to hell where you belong, because I take my stand in the unguessable grace of God—the God who, despite the fact that David was in this sorry predicament, we will see him this evening, weary as he finds himself there in the company of all these people.

It looks like a funeral procession, and yet it is to him and through him that the Christ will be born in Bethlehem and that the nations will hear the voice of the Word of the Lord. It's fantastic, you know? Where sin runs deep, your grace is more. Where grace is found, that's where you are.

Do you believe that? Oh, I hope you do. I hope I do.

I want to. You're listening to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg. Today's message is titled Living on a Prayer.

Alistair returns to close today's program in just a minute. Here at Truth for Life, we want everyone to be able to rest confidently in God's mercy, just as David did. That's why we proclaim the Gospel of Christ. It's our mission to teach the Bible so unbelievers will be converted, believers will be established in their faith, and local churches will be strengthened. If this is your longing as well, we'd like to ask you to come alongside us by becoming a Truth Partner. Truth Partners commit to giving a set amount each month and praying regularly for this ministry.

Your gift goes toward distributing this program to a global audience and making Alistair's online teaching library freely accessible. If you're already a Truth Partner, thank you for giving the gift of solid biblical teaching to listeners all around the world. If you're not yet a Truth Partner, today is a great day to join the team.

It's easy to do. Simply visit truthforlife.org slash truth partner or call us at 888-588-7884. We'll send you a welcome package that includes volume one of Alistair's daily devotional titled Truth for Life 365 Devotions. And Truth Partners are also invited to request the books we offer each month. Today we're actually featuring volume two of Alistair's devotional. So by signing up to become a Truth Partner today, you'll receive both devotionals. That's two years of daily time in God's Word together with Alistair.

Ask for volume two of the devotional when you become a Truth Partner or when you give a one-time donation at truthforlife.org slash donate. Now here's Alistair with a brief prayer. God, our Father, look upon us in your mercy. Shower your grace upon us. Come to hearts that are dispirited and distressed, tempted to make snap decisions, deceived, disappointed. Restore to us the joy of our salvation, we pray. For your Son's sake. Amen. Amen. I'm Bob Lapine. We're glad you've studied the Bible with us today. Tomorrow we'll learn why evil never thwarts God's good purposes. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-15 09:09:03 / 2025-01-15 09:16:44 / 8

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime