Old Testament in a Year: 2 Samuel 10-19

Amen. A lot going on in the month of July. We got any New York Knicks fans in the house? Any Knicks fans anywhere.

Listen, it's understandable that it wasn't more than just like three of you. I get it. But the Knicks have something to celebrate after 54 years. Just a few weeks ago in game six of the NBA Finals, they defeated San Antonio spurs and brought home the championship. And New Yorkers and Knicks Fans celebrated big.

June 18th. They had a big parade, big celebration in the streets. And the city of New York had these commemorative New York Knicks trash cans all over the streets. I think we've got a picture of the trash cans there. There it is.

They had those all over the place. And there was a lady by the name of Angie Bates. And Angie, who is an executive at JP Morgan Chase, is out there celebrating with everybody. And Angie decides she wants to take home a little souvenir from the day. So she takes one of those trash cans.

As you see, she just dumps the trash out on the street. Now keep in mind, this is middle of the day. Media everywhere, cameras everywhere. She dumps all the trash out and then she's just walking down the street carrying her big old trash can, takes it home with her. It's like, I think I want that.

That's a great souvenir. And guess what Angie discovered that day. There are consequences to breaking the law. She got fired from her job as an executive, JPMorgan Chase, and then she had to pay some fines with the city of New York. Now we're going to be talking today about a biblical hero out of 2nd Samuel who did something a little bit worse than stealing a trash can.

We're going to see the choices that this biblical hero makes that starts this domino effect of carnage and chaos. If you're brand new to the refuge. We are throughout the year of 2026 preaching through the Old Testament. In 2027, we're gonna preach through the entire New Testament. And we have a Bible reading plan because as a church, we are endeavoring to read the Bible cover to cover in a two year period.

And every quarter we put out a Bible reading plan for each day. Well, the third quarter begins this week. So we have the Bible reading plan for the third quarter available out at the information desk. It's available on our app, it's available on the website. I encourage you to grab one of these cards so that you can follow along with us.

Today I want to talk about the consequences of sin. A very familiar story that we're going to look at in 2nd Samuel, chapter 11. As a matter of fact, I'm going to ask you to do what we do every week. That is to stand to honor the greatest book on the planet. As I read Scripture out of the Word of God and then just give you a heads up, I'm going to be reading many passages of scripture in these chapters.

In second Samuel, we're covering chapter 10 through 19. This story that we're about to read is also paralleled in 1st Chronicles beginning in chapter 19, verse 20. There's not nearly as many details there, but you can see reference to this story that we're about to read over in First Chronicles. By the way, I want to welcome all of the men and women who are incarcerated in prisons across America who join us every single week via the Pando app. We say welcome to all of you.

We're so glad you're a part of the refuge. Here we go. Second Samuel, chapter 11. Beginning in verse one, it says this. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army.

They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening, David got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing.

The woman was very beautiful. And David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, she's Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him and he slept with her.

Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness. Then she went back home and the woman conceived. She sent word to David, I'm pregnant. So David sent this word to Joab. Joab was the guy that he had put in charge of the army.

Send me Uriah the Hittite, who was Bathsheba's husband. And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, hey, listen, man, you deserve a break. Go down to your house, wash your feet.

So Uriah left the palace and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all of his master's servants. And he did not go down to his house.

David was told Uriah did not go home. So he asked Uriah, haven't you just come from a military campaign? Why didn't you go home? Uriah said to David, the Ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my Lord's men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife?

As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing. Then David said to him, stay here one more day, and tomorrow I'll send you back. So Uriah remained at Jerusalem that day and the next, at David's invitation. He ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening, Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants.

And again he did not go home. In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, and he sent it with Uriah in it. He wrote, put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest and then withdraw from him so he'll be struck down and die. Let's make some declarations together before you're seated. Everybody here?

Everybody watching online. Here we go. I will hide this word in my heart.

This word is life to my body and health to my bones. I will be a doer of the Word, and I am confident of this, that he who has begun a good work in me, in Jesus name, if you believe it, say Amen. Amen. You can be seated. The notes are on the app, as always.

But I want you to understand that we see three decisions that David made that did not just affect his life. Because as I've said so many times before, sin always has a ripple effect. Let me say that again. Sin always has a ripple effect. First decision that David made was that he abdicated his responsibilities.

He abdicated his responsibilities. Look, we started in verse one of that chapter, and this is what we read. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army at the time when kings go off to war. Now, we know that David is one of the greatest warriors in all of Scripture. David was fierce.

He was a fighter. And every spring that would come around, after they had endured the winter, the kings went off to war. But not this time. We can speculate as to why David decided, I'm going to sit this one out. But David turns the responsibility over to Joab.

And in a moment, in this decision, David relinquishes his authority. David relinquishes his power. David gives up his responsibility to somebody else. Listen to me, church. Many men today have done the exact same thing.

Many men today have relinquished and abdicated their responsibility to be the priest of the whole. They laid down their sword, they've stopped fighting for their marriage, they've stopped fighting for their kids and they've turned the responsibility over to somebody else. They've turned the responsibility over to the church, they've given the responsibility to some relative or somebody else. And they've said, I think I'll just sit this one out. Do you realize over 18 million children today in America live in fatherless homes?

70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from a single parent home. First mistake David made in the spring when kings go off to war, I think I'll just sit this one out. Second thing is that David opened the door when temptation came knocking. The Bible says one evening David got up from his bed, he walked around on the roof of the palace and from the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful.

Temptation is knocking. How many of you understand and realize that for the rest of our lives temptation is going to knock on your door? But we have to make the same decision David made in the moment. Because David sees this woman, notices her, she's very beautiful. Temptation's knocking on his door.

He has to make a decision. Will I deadbolt the door or will I open it up to temptation? Look what he does. David sent someone to find out about her. He sent someone.

David felt entitled, David felt justified. And many people do the same thing. Which is why Jesus said when his disciples came to him and said, lord, would you teach us how to pray? And David said, when you pray, pray this way. Listen, Jesus was saying, temptation is always going to knock at your door.

So pray like this. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. We have to make a decision. When temptation comes knocking, will we deadbolt the lock or will we just say I feel entitled, I feel justified, I want to do what I want to do in this moment. Third decision David made that had a ripple effect, didn't just affect him, is that he tried to self protect and cover his sin.

Hey listen, we all know that's human nature. Anybody ever been caught doing something wrong and your default setting said I'm going to lie my way out of this. Well, we all do it. We self protect, we lie, we try to cover things up. And that's exactly what David did.

We blame, we justify, we connive, we scheme. And David does the same thing. In fact, he, when he finds out Bathsheba's pregnant, he sends for Uriah, her husband to come home in the hopes that Uriah will go sleep with his wife. He's been on this military campaign, and David said if he'll go sleep with his wife, then it'll look to everybody like Uriah's the father of the child and not me. But Uriah being the honorable man that he was refused two nights.

I'm not going to go home. My men are out there battling. I'm not going to do this. He even though I would love to, but I'm not going to do this. And so then David resorts to taking the next step, which is put Uriah on the front lines, have the army withdraw and let Uriah be killed in battle.

Some of you know our story. Back in 1999, Melanie and I were deeply hurt and wounded by church leadership. And in that moment where it felt like the Lord had maybe permanently taken us out of the game of ministry, in that moment where we had so many questions, so many things that didn't make sense, so much pain, so much misunderstanding, and every single day temptation was knocking at the door of my heart. We had a brand new baby, we had another one on the way, and we were without a job. I would push a baby stroller through the neighborhood in the afternoons to give my wife a break.

And I had many hard conversations with the Lord of wondering why these things had happened, wondering why, what did I do to deserve this? And every day, temptation knocking on the door and resentment and bitterness trying its best to take root in my heart. And can I just tell you, I had a reason to be upset. I was deeply offended. And what had happened to us was not fair.

I could have easily justified revenge. I could have easily justified using my words to tear somebody else down. But thank God, because of his grace and because of his covering, we did not allow bitterness and resentment to enter into our hearts. And I believe because of that, I'm here today.

Definition of resentment is simply an intense, bitter emotion triggered by an injustice, an offense. It was almost five years ago. It was in September of 2021, here on a Wednesday night. Janet Roberts. Michael and Janet are our head elders.

And Janet taught on a guy in the Bible by the name of Ahithophel. A lot of people have never heard the name Ahithophel. It was a teaching that just really resonated with me and helped me to connect the dots of Scripture in a way that I never had before. And I remember going to Janet after that teaching on that Wednesday night, and I said, janet, I just want you to know something. Being completely honest with you, I'm stealing that message.

I'm hijacking that message, she said, please, by all means, take it and preach it much as you want. And I have several times preached that message on Ahithophel. We're going to draw from that today because the consequence of sin for David was not that it just affected his life, but as you're going to see in a moment, it affected the lives of so many other people. We jump over to chapter 13 of 2 Samuel, and we find there that the ripple effect is seen in the sons of David. David has several kids, but two of them are named Absalom and Amnon.

Absalom's sister's name is Tamar, the half sister of Amnon. And the Bible tells us in chapter 13 that Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar. Absalom is furious over this. Absalom takes her into his own home because he knows she's not going to be able to marry for the rest of her life. Absalom is waiting on his dad, David to deal with what his brother Amnon has done.

And every day, Absalom has to watch his sister spiral downward into a place of hopelessness and a place of depravity. And every single day, while his father does nothing to punish Amnon and while he watches his sister spiral out of control, bitterness and resentment take root in Absalom's heart. Absalom decides, I'm going to kill my brother. If dad won't deal with him, I'll deal with him. Not only that, but Absalom decides, since my dad refused to deal with this, I'm going to take over the kingdom and I will steal my dad's throne from him.

So Absalom assembles 200 men. He rallies these men around him and creates this conspiracy overthrow his dad. Amongst those 200 was a guy by the name of Ahithophel. Ahithophel was David's chief strategist. Ahithophel was a brilliant thinker when it came to war and warfare.

And he had faithfully served David for many years. But now, all of a sudden, for some reason, and we'll find out in a moment, Ahithophel defects from David and he joins the group of men that have rallied around absalom. So in 2nd Samuel, chapter 15, David decides to flee. A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, all of Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you. Then we must flee at once or it will be too late.

David urged his men, Hurry. If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster. We are with you. His advisors replied, do what you think is best. Then David finds out that his chief strategist, Ahithophel, has joined Absalom.

He knows that Ahithophel is a brilliant thinker. And so he prays that God will confuse the advice and the counsel of Ahithophel. Verse 30 in the same chapter, chapter 15, David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives. If you've ever been to Jerusalem, you know that just on the outskirts of Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives. And you ascend the Mount of Olives, you go up, you go down from the city of Jerusalem, and you go up the Mount of Olives.

And I've done that on a number of occasions. And David decides, we've got to get out of the city or he's going to kill me and he'll destroy the city. And David is weeping as he went. The Scripture says his head was covered with and his feet were bares, a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.

And when someone told David that his advisor Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, o Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice. And when David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives, where people worshiped God, Hushai the architect, was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing, put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. Hushai was a dear, dear friend of David. But David told him, if you go with me, you'll only be a burden.

Return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom I will now be your advisor, O king, just as I was your father's adviser in the past. And then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel's advice. I want to make sure you understand what's happening. David gets word, Ahithophel has left you. He's joined Absalom.

David says, we got to get out of Jerusalem. He takes a few men, they begin ascending to the Mount of Olives. There, waiting for him was Hushai, his trusted friend. David says, I've got a plan. I think you can be most useful if you'll go to Absalom.

We're going to create a ruse. Go to Absalom and tell him, hey, I want to serve you. I want to do for you what I've been doing for David. All of these ears. And then when he puts you in that position, confuse and counter the advice of Ahithophel.

So now we pick up the story in verse 16 or chapter 16, verse 15. Meanwhile, Absalom and all the army of Israel arrived at Jerusalem accompanied by Ahithophel. And when David's friend Hushai the archite, arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom. Long live the king. He exclaimed.

Long live the king. Is this the way you treat your friend David? Absalom asked him, why aren't you with him? I'm here because I belong to the man who was chosen by the Lord and by all the men of Israel who shall reply it in any way. Why shouldn't I serve you?

Just as I was your father's adviser, now I'll be your adviser. And then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and he asked him, what should I do next? Remember, Ahithophel is an incredible strategist. So Absalom says to Ahithophel, what should I do? Ahithophel told him, go and sleep with your father's concubines.

He's left him here to look after the palace. And then all of Israel will know that you've insulted your father beyond hope of reconciliation, and they will throw their support to you. And so they set up a tent on the palace roof where everybody could see it. And Absalom went in and had sex with his father's concubines. Absalom followed Ahithophel's advice just as David had done.

For every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God. Let's pause for a moment. I want to make sure you understand that in his hurry to leave Jerusalem, David leaves behind 10 wives, 10 concubines to care for the temple. And in the process of leaving them behind, Ahithophel now says, if you really want to humiliate your dad, and if you want to show the people your sign of dominance over him, put a tent on the roof of the palace and in front of everybody, have sex with each one of his wives. Now, here's what's interesting about that, a couple of things.

Number one, we're talking about the same roof that we just read about a moment ago. You remember one evening in the spring when kings go out to war, David's sitting this one out, and he walks around on the roof of the palace, that same roof, and he sees Bathsheba bathing, and he sends for her, and he has sex with her, and she becomes pregnant, and he comes up with this whole plan and scheme to have Uriah killed. That's the same roof. Not only that, but after David had sinned with Bathsheba, this prophet by the name of Nathan comes along and confronts David. And we find this in 2nd Samuel, chapter 12, verse 11.

Watch. This is what the Lord says. Nathan says, because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. Watch. I'll give your wives to another man before your very eyes.

And he will go to bed with them in public view.

You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all of Israel. So it was prophesied that Absalom would do exactly what we read about in chapter 15. On the roof. The same roof where David made the decision. I'll open the door wide to temptation.

Now we go to chapter 17. Chapter 17 is where Ahithophel actually begins to show his cards. We're going to read the first four verses, and I want you to notice how many times we see the word I or me. Watch now. Ahithophel urged Absalom, Let me choose 12,000 men to start.

Let me choose 12,000 men to start out after David tonight I will catch up with him while he's weary and discouraged. He and his troops will panic, everyone will run away. And then I will kill only the king. And I will bring back all the people to you as a bride returns to her husband. After all, it's only one man's life that you seek.

Then you'll be at peace with all the people. This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel. Think about this, what we just read. Ahithophel, the guy who was so loyal to King David for so many years, now wants to be the one to kill David. Why?

What in the world would happen to make him defect from David and now have so much anger in his heart that he would want to kill David?

Verse 7, chapter 17. Y' all still with me?

Well, Hushai replied to Absalom. This time Ahithophel has made a mistake. Remember why Hushai is there? He's there for the sole purpose of creating this ruse and then countering the advice and the council of Absalom. Or of Ahithophel.

This time Ahithophel's made a mistake. You know your father and his men, they are mighty warriors. Right now they are as enraged as a mother bear who's been robbed of her cubs. And remember that your father is an experienced man of war. He's not going to spend the night with the troops.

He's probably already hidden in some pit or cave. When he comes out and attacks and a few of your men fall, there's going to be panic among your troops and the word will spread that Absalom's men are being slaughtered. Then even the bravest soldiers, though they have the heart of a lion, they're going to be paralyzed with fear. For all of Israel knows what a mighty warrior your father is and how courageous his men are. I recommend Hushai says that you mobilize the entire army of Israel, bringing them from as far away as Dan in the north, Beersheba in the south.

That way you'll have an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. And I advise that you personally lead the troops. In other words, Hushai now is appealing to Absalom's pride. You be the guy. Ahithophel wants to take the credit.

He wants to kill David. You be the one. You know David's not going to be sleeping among the men. And if you follow Ahithophel's advice, you're going to suffer great, Great loss. Verse 14.

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's. For the Lord had determined to defeat the council of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom. And let me just pause right here and say this. Every day that we live, the enemy has three goals for your life. Steal, kill, and destroy.

And every day the enemy is scheming and planning and coming up with things that will sound so good in your ears. But I'm so thankful that we have a God who will confuse the plan of our enemy. And that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise a standard against him. And God will speak confusion to the plan that the enemy has to destroy your life, to destroy your kids, to destroy your grandkids. And I think every day we ought to be praying God, confuse the plans of the enemy.

Now notice this in verse 23, Ahithophel hangs himself after his advice has been rejected by Absalom. He knew that Absalom's plan would fail. Remember, Ahithophel is this great thinker and a great strategist. He knew that when his plan failed, David would come looking for the man who had defected and turned against him. He knew that David would kill him.

And Ahithophel so mad at David that he makes this decision. He says, I would rather take my own life than to give David the pleasure of killing me. Hey, man, that's a level of resentment that is really, really deep, that Ahithophel would say, I would rather take my own life than allow David to have the pleasure of taking me out. Shannon Alders says, this anger, resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others. It only changes yours.

I think all of us in the room, I think those of you that are watching online, I think every inmate that's watching on Pando understands the power of resentment.

All of us have had a reason to be offended. All of us have had a reason to want to get even. All of us have had moments that we would have been justified to seek revenge or to get even. And all of us, probably at some point in our lives, have allowed bitterness and resentment to take root in our hearts.

It doesn't change the heart of those that we're offended by, doesn't change the heart of those that we have anger against. It only changes our heart. So the question is, what in the world did David do to Ahithophel? Why would Ahithophel have so much anger and bitterness in his heart? Second Samuel, chapter 23.

We. We find a list of David's warriors, the three, the 30 that were these incredible fighting men. Talks about people like Abisha. He once killed 300 enemy soldiers with a spear in one single fight. Talks about people like Benaiah.

Benaiah is only mentioned a couple of times in Scripture, but in this reference, in the list of David's mighty men, it says that one time Benaiah chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day. Can I just tell you the better thing would be run from the lion, Benaiah chases the lion, chases him into a pit. He was a bad hombre, a bad dude. So this list is naming these different ones. In verse 34, we find Ahithophel's name.

His son was Eliam.

He's one of the elite fighters.

We also find uriah, listed verse 39.

Remember, he's the guy that was married to Bathsheba.

Maybe Ahithophel is just upset because his son Eliam and Uriah were good friends. They were warriors, soldiers together. And Uriah had been killed purposely by David. Maybe. Maybe that's it.

Maybe Ahithopel is just upset over that whole thing. Probably so. But let me tell you, there's way more to it than that.

Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam.

She's the granddaughter of Ahithophel.

Theologians believe that at the time that King David sent for Bathsheba, she was probably in her late Teens at best. In her early, early twenties. David is probably in his fifties.

He could have had any woman in all of Judah.

He abdicates his responsibilities, walking around on the roof of his house, and he sees this woman bathing. She's very beautiful to him. And when he inquires about her, he finds out she is the granddaughter of my loyal, trusted military advisor by the name of Ahithophel.

Could have had any woman. And in spite of knowing this is Ahithophel's granddaughter, I want what I want when I want it, and I want her now. And when David made that decision, bitterness and resentment took root in the heart of Ahithophel. And all he could think about was how he could get even.

Here's something interesting that I want you to notice. David, the guy who caused all of this, the guy who royally messed up, lives a good life, lives a long life. The bad guy, the one who had made some decisions that rippled throughout other people's lives. David repents and he goes on to live a good life. In fact, referred to in scripture not once, but twice as a man after God's own heart.

But notice this. The two men who couldn't forgive Absalom in Ahithophel, Absalom's hair gets caught in a tree and he gets killed. Ahithophel takes his own life. Let me tell you something. Somebody said this one time.

Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. We see that in the life of Ahithophel, we see that in the life of, of Absalom, and we see the power of repentance in the life of David.

As I was praying over this service, as I was praying over you, I felt like specifically the Lord told me two things. Number one, that there would be people here or there would be people watching online, or there would be some of you inmates watching on Pindo who are living in sin and you're hoping nobody finds out. You just want to keep it covered up. You want to self protect. Let me tell you what happens if and when you confess that sin freedom and healing come to you.

Secondly, the Lord told me that there would be people here today that are living with resentment.

Somebody hurt you, somebody betrayed you, a family member abused you, a spouse walked out on you, an employer lied about you and got you fired.

Resentment took root in your heart.

And the Lord is saying today, if you'll repent, he'll deal with the people who did that to you. That's not your job. You're drinking the poison every day. And hoping they're going to die. And it's not going to happen.

Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. You let God deal with them. You make sure you keep your heart clean.