AS WE SOW SO SHALL WE ALSO REAP

PROCLAMATION

“Joab and his brother Abishal murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.”  2 Samuel 3:30 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

The war between the house of Saul in the northern kingdom and the house of David in the southern kingdom lasted a long time, and the house of David was slowly winning the war even though they were outnumbered. (2 Samuel 3:1)  Abner, the son of Ner, had been the commander of the army under Saul and he was primarily responsible for Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, being made king over the northern kingdom. (2 Samuel 2:8)  Abner was in the battle at Gibeon between the northern and southern kingdoms, and he and the Israelites were defeated by David and his men. (2 Samuel 2:17)  As Abner fled the scene he was chased by Asahel, the brother of Joab.  Asahel continued to pursue him until Abner stopped running, faced him, fought him, and killed him by thrusting a spear into his stomach, through him, that came out of his back. (2 Samuel 2:23)  Joab and his brother Abishal continued to pursue Abner until the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. (2 Samuel 2:24-25)  Some time later, as this civil war continued, Abner fell out with Ish-Bosheth and he decided to help David unify the two kingdoms. (2 Samuel 3:8-10)  Abner met with the elders of Israel to discuss this and then later met with David. (2 Samuel 3:17-21)  When Joab, the commander of David’s army, learned of this meeting he was upset. (2 Samuel 3:23-25)  Then Joab sent for Abner, under the pretense of having another meeting with David, called him aside and killed him, to avenge his brother Asahel, by stabbing Abner in the stomach (2 Samuel 3:27) as he did to his brother.

APPLICATION

As Abner killed Asahel, so Joab killed Abner.  What Abner did was done to him.  As we sow, so shall we also reap. (Job 4:8 and Galatians 6:7)  We should treat all people like we would like to be treated.  As children, believers are taught to obey “the golden rule”.  We are to do unto others as we would have them to do unto us. (Luke 6:31)  At some point in our lives we lose track of this Biblical principal and the influence of the world seems to overtake us.  We need to let The Holy Spirit of God direct our behavior.  He that sows to the flesh shall reap corruption; but he that sows to The Spirit shall reap everlasting life. (Galatian 6:8)  He that sows sparingly will reap sparingly; but he that sows bountifully will reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6)  As we sow, so shall we also reap.

A NATION DIVIDED

PROCLAMATION

“Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.”  2 Samuel 2:4 (NIV)

“Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.  He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.”  2 Samuel 2:8-9 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the death of King Saul and his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua in the battle against the Philistines, (1 Samuel 31:1-6) David was anointed king over Judah, the southern part of the kingdom.  Saul’s remaining son, Ish-Bosheth, who was not involved in the battle with the Philistines, was anointed king over the northern part of the kingdom.  Then began the nation’s civil war between the northern kingdom and southern kingdom.  David was eventually anointed king over all of Israel (2 Samuel 5:3-5) but there was a cost to pay for this and lives would be lost.

APPLICATION

Jesus, The Christ, said that a kingdom or a house divided against itself cannot stand. (Matthew 12:35, Mark 3:24-25, and Luke 11:17)  If the citizens of kingdoms, governments, or families fall out with one another and disenfranchise one another, then a dissolution of the whole must ensue.  Minor disagreements can be tolerated but major falling outs and in-fighting will lead to a division which causes the unit to fracture and fail.  After a civil war breaks out, one side wins and unity is restored, or a permanent divorce occurs resulting in two independent units, or the two sides destroy each other and they both lose.  This happens with government, families, and individuals when internal conflict cannot be resolved.  There is an internal struggle within all believers between the forces of good and the forces of evil, between The Holy Spirit within us and our sinful human nature. (Romans 7:5-25 and 8:18-27)   We struggle daily involved in this internal civil war of sorts and only with the help of The Lord God will we emerge victorious.

LYING TO IMPRESS DOES NOT WORK AS PLANNED

PROCLAMATION

“David said to the young man who brought him the report, ‘Where are you from?’  ‘I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,’ he answered.  David asked him, ‘Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy The Lord’s anointed?’  Then David called one of his men and said, ‘Go, strike him down!’ So he struck him down and he died.  For David had said to him, ‘Your blood be on your own head.  Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed The Lord’s anointed.’”  2 Samuel 1:13-16 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

King Saul committed suicide after he was wounded and realized that he was losing the battle to the Philistines. (1 Samuel 31:3-5)  This young man brought the news to David that Saul was dead. (2 Samuel 1:4)  He was an outsider, an Amalekite, and sought to gain favor with David by lying and saying that he had killed Saul. (2 Samuel 1:6-10)  He gave David Saul’s crown and bracelet to help make his lie seem more believable. (2 Samuel 1:10)  He lied but it did not work out as he had planned.  Instead of being happy with his report, David tore his clothes, mourned and wept. (2 Samuel 1:11-12)  Then he ordered one of his men to kill the young man.

APPLICATION

People lie for all kinds of reasons.  We usually lie to impress others, to make ourselves appear better, more important, or more whatever than we actually are.  Whether it is “a little white lie” or “a big Black lie”, a lie is a lie, and they all are sinful.  It has been said that when we tell one lie, we must then tell a second lie to tie up the loose ends of the first one.  This usually leads to another lie.  “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” (Sir Walter Scott, 1808)  The Bible teaches us not to tell lies.  “Thou shall not bear false witness … “ (Exodus 20:16, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:9, Luke 18:20, and Romans 13:9)  All lies come from the devil.  The devil is a liar, and he is the father of lies. (John 8:44)  Don’t tell lies.  One day we will have to give an account for everything that we thought, said, and did, (Luke 16:2) and for every idle word that we spoke. (Matthew 12:36)

MISPLACED CONCERN

PROCLAMATION

“Saul said to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.’  But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.”  1 Samuel 31:4 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

While David was attacking the Amalekites for looting and burning his town of Ziklag, (1 Samuel 30:1-19) the Philistines were attacking the Israelites. (1 Samuel 31:1-3)  King Saul was critically wounded during the battle and he told his armor-bearer to kill him so that the Philistines would not have the pleasure of killing him.  Saul was also concerned that the Philistines would torture him, and he did not want that to happen.

APPLICATION

At the end of his life, Saul was more concerned about being humiliated and physically abused than he was about his soul.  He was concerned about his worldly image and physical pain and dying with some sense of honor.  There was no concern expressed for his soul which would spend the rest of eternity suffering because he died outside of the will of God due to his sinful refusal to accept and obey The Word of God. (1 Samuel 15:17-24)  He denied and defied The Lord God before men and now The Lord God was denying him. (Matthew 10:33)  Let us get our priorities straight and in the proper order.  Let us not get so caught up in and concerned about our worldly human existence until we forget about the salvation of our soul.

TAKE BACK THAT WHICH WAS TAKEN

PROCLAMATION

“David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.”  1 Samuel 30:18 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

While David and his men were away from Ziklag living with the Philistines, the Amalekites raided Ziklag, looted it, burned it, and took all the women and children captive. (1 Samuel 30:1-2)  David and his men wept when they returned and found the town destroyed and their wives and children missing. (1 Samuel 30:3-4)  After David prayed, he and his men pursued the Amalekites. (1 Samuel 30:9-10)  When he found them, defeated them, and took back all that they had taken from them plus and all that the Amalekites had including their livestock. (1 Samuel 30:17-20) 

APPLICATION

When material things are stolen from us, sometimes we are blessed to have them recovered, and sometimes we are not.  When non-material things are taken from us, like joy, peace, and happiness, we need the help of The Lord God to get them back.  I am reminded of the song that says, “I’m taking back everything that the devil stole from me.”  While it is not Biblically correct, and it is not completely relevant to this text, it does help to make several points.  1. The Amalekites took things from David, not the devil, because David was not were The Lord wanted him to be.  2. The devil does not need to take our material things; he uses material things to lure us away from God.  3. The devil may be bad, but he is not a thief.  He doesn’t steal from us; he wants to steal us from God.  4. We don’t have the power to take anything from the devil, only The Lord God can do that.  5. If the devil has our joy, peace, and happiness, we probably gave it to him by the sinful choices that we made.  Only The Lord God can restore unto us the joy of our salvation, (Psalm 51:12) or grant us His perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3)  Happy is the man who has The Lord God for his help and whose hope is in The Lord God. (Psalm 146:5)  What we have, the world didn’t give it to us, and the world cannot take it away. (John 14:27)

HAVING DONE NO WRONG BUT STILL REJECTED

PROCLAMATION

“Achish answered, ‘I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.’  Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.’”  1 Samuel 29:9-10 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

During the time when he was discouraged as he continued to flee from King Saul, David left the wilderness of Ziph and went to Gath and settled with Achish, the son of Maok, the king of Gath.  Achish gave David and his men the town of Ziklag to live in. (1 Samuel 27:6-7)  Later, as the Philistines were preparing to go to war, David and his men joined in with them, but the Philistine commanders refused to accept him. (1 Samuel 29:3-4)  When David asked why he couldn’t go with them and what had he done; this was the reply that Achish gave him.  The Philistine commanders rejected David because of who he was and for what he had done in the past. (1 Samuel 29:5)

APPLICATION

David had done nothing wrong for the year and a half that he had been living with the Philistines, but he was still rejected because of his past.  There are people today who will not accept us because of what we have done in the past.  There are others who will refuse to accept us because of who we are.  We cannot change people or the way they perceive us.  We are only responsible for our behavior towards them.  If we are not accepted for who we are, then it is time for us to move on.  Don’t stay where you are not wanted.  If people cannot forgive us there is nothing that we can do about it.  The Lord God has forgiven us for our past sins.  It is Satan who keeps reminding us of our past sins so that we feel unacceptable.  We need to ask God to forgive us and then learn how to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes and move on.  The Lord God can close one door that no one can open, and He can open another door that no one can close. (Revelation 3:7-8)  Trust in God and move on.

WITHOUT THE LORD GOD THERE IS NO HELP

PROCLAMATION

“Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that The Lord has departed from you and become your enemy?’”  1 Samuel 28:16 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Samuel was dead. (1 Samuel 28:3)  The Philistines were again preparing to attack Israel (1 Samuel 28:1 and 28:4) and King Saul was afraid. (1 Samuel 28:5)  The Lord God did not answer Saul when he called on Him because The Holy Spirit had left Saul (1 Samuel 16:14) due to his willful disobedience and his rejection of The Word of God. (1 Samuel 15:19 and 15:24)  So, Saul consulted a witch to find out what he should do.  He asked her to contact the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. (1 Samuel 28:11)  Most Bible scholars suggest that it was Satan that she contacted and that they both assumed that it was Samuel by her description of the image which she saw. (1 Samuel 28:13-14)  Satan repeated the words which Samuel had spoken to Saul telling him that his kingdom would be taken away from him and given to David (1 Samuel 15:28 and 28:17) but he did not give Saul any help or advice.

APPLICATION

When non-believers seek help from the spiritual world, who are they contacting?  If The Lord God is not with you, then whose voice are you hearing?  If your advice, guidance, or direction is not coming from The Lord God, then who is it coming from?  Believers know better than trust in man for help. (Psalm 118:8)  Without The Lord God there is no help for us because we know that our help comes from Him. (Psalm 121:1-2)  The devil will deceive many people (Revelation 12:9) but believers know the sound of the voice of The Lord God and that is who we follow. (John 10:27)