EVIL PLANNED VERSUS SPUR OF THE MOMENT

PROCLAMATION

“Absalom behaved in this way toward all of the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.”  2 Samuel 15:6 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After King David told Joab to bring Absalom from Geshur where he fled, back to Jerusalem, Absalom stayed in his own house and did not come face to face with the king. (2 Samuel 14:23-24)  Absalom was in Jerusalem for two years before King David sent for him. (2 Samuel 14:28-33)  Then Absalom began to plot to take over the throne beginning by standing outside of the gates to the city and greeting all who came to see the king. (2 Samuel 15:1-4)  He greeted them, kissed them, told them what he would do if he were the judge, and he won the hearts of the people. (2 Samuel 15:4-6)  Later he went to Hebron after sending his men ahead of him to proclaim him king of Hebron. (2 Samuel 15:7-10)  Absalom offered religious sacrifices with invited guests to help his conspiracy gain strength.  He even sent for King David’s adviser, Ahithophel, to be with him to give his position more credibility. (2 Samuel 15:12)  He gained so much popularity with the people that King David and his followers had to flee from Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 15:13-14)

APPLICATION

Not all sins are impulsive acts or random acts of bad judgement.  Some sins are carefully planned and well thought out in advance.  People will often engage others to help the pull off their evil schemes.  Some of the people who are with us one day, can be persuaded to help work against or undermine us.  Everybody who is with us is not our friend.  There is at least one Judas in every crowd and often there are several of them.  As the song says, “Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend; Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within …” (The Undisputed Truth)  Sometimes, unbeknownst to us, people will use us in their evil schemes to help them deceive others.  Not all business propositions, money making plans, or religious organizations are actually what they are presented to be.  We need to pray for God’s help before we decide who to let into our homes or into our inner circle of friends. (2 John 1:10)  People don’t take advantage of us by accident, it is done intentionally.  There are people out there now who are planning to take advantage of us.  We need God’s protection and direction.

SOMETIMES WE CAN SEE THROUGH PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“Then the king said to the woman, ‘Don’t keep from me the answer to what I am going to ask you.’ … The king asked, ‘Isn’t the hand of Joab with you in all this?’  The woman answered, ‘As sure as you live, my lord the king, … Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this and who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.’”  2 Samuel 14:18-19 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After he had his brother Amnon killed for raping his sister, Absalom fled and went to Geshur, because his mother was the daughter of the king of Geshur, and he stayed there for three years. (2 Samuel 13:37-38)  Then Joab, who was the captain of the army under King David, perceived that David’s heart was soft for Absalom (2 Samuel 14:1) and sent for a wise woman from Tekoah.  Joab told her to pretend that she was in mourning and told her what to say to King David. (2 Samuel 14:2-3)  The woman did as Joab had told her to do.  She faked the whole story in order to make a point.  Near the end of her discourse she told David that she was referring to him and that he had judged and convicted himself by not bringing back his banished son. (2 Samuel 14:13)  It was then that David saw through her and knew that Joab was involved in this with her.

APPLICATION

Some people are so good at lying, and are such good actors, that they can put on an academy award winning performance and really deceive people.  However, if we listen to and observe most people, their spoken words and their behavior will allow themselves to be read like an open book.  The ability to discern the motives of people is a gift from God which all of us have not been blessed to receive. (1 Corinthians 12:10)  There is an old saying, “If you give a person enough rope, they will hang themselves.” (Author Unknown)  We need to learn to listen to people but not necessarily believe everything that they say.  We also need to pray for discernment so that we can distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve The Lord God and those who do not, so that we do not fall victim to those who seek to deceive us.

LET US DO GOOD TO ALL PEOPLE ESPECIALLY BELIEVERS

Proclamation:

“Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please The Spirit, from The Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  Galatians 6:7-10 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Galatia.  In this final chapter, Paul begins by stating that if someone falls into sin, they should forgive them and restore them gently into the fellowship.  He also said that they should share one another’s burdens for no one is as good as they think they are. (Galatians 6:1-3)  Then he tells them that as they sow, so shall they reap.  He encourages them to not grow weary of doing for in due time they will be rewarded.  They should do good to all people, especially to all believers.

Application:

Do not fool yourself; The Lord God cannot be deceived.  That which we sow is the same thing that we will reap.  We should treat others as we would like to be treated. (Luke 6:31)  We should continue to do the right thing and do good to others.  We should not do good because we expect to receive good in return but because it is the Christ-like thing to do.  It may not come right away but we will be rewarded for doing so.  We should treat everybody right and help those that we can, especially those who are also believers.  Remember, Christ said that as we have done to the least of His brothers, we have done it to Him. (Matthew 25:40)

BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS AND FALSE DOCTRINE

Proclamation:

“For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached … or a different gospel from the one you accepted … such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.”  2 Corinthians 11:4-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  In this chapter, Paul continues his discourse on the false teachers.  He says that he will continue his attack on them and no one can stop him. (2 Corinthians 11:10-12)   Those false prophets deceive the people just as the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. (2 Corinthians 11:3)  He ends the chapter by recounting the trials and suffering that he has gone through. (2 Corinthians 11:16-33)

Application:

An important reason for reading and studying The Word of God is to be able to recognize when someone is presenting something which is different and wrong.  Eloquent speech can be full of lies which are presented artfully.  Doctrines, philosophies, religions, and teachings should be compared to God’s Holy Word before they are accepted as true.  Satan is continuously roaming the earth, back and forth, seeking those whom he may destroy. (Job 1:6-7 and 1 Peter 5:8)  He is cunning and crafty, and he is full of lies. (John 8:44)  Do not be deceived by those who come presenting lies. (Deuteronomy 11:16 and Luke 21:8)  As the saying goes, “all that glitters is not gold.”  Also beware of those who come glorifying themselves and not glorifying The Lord God.