David:The Shepherd King, #24
Weathering the Storms of God's Discipline
II Samuel 15:1-34
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR
"What is it that makes one man bitter under the discipline of God, and another man better? What causes one man to give up when God disciplines him, and another man to continue on and even, in some cases, to thrive?"
Introduction
(Read Hebrews 12:5-13)
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coaching genius who was the only man ever to coach three consecutive world championship football teams, once said, "I've never known a man worth his salt who, in the long run, deep down in his heart, did not appreciate the grind and the discipline. There is something in good men that truly yearns for and needs discipline."
Coach Lou Holtz of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, said this about discipline: "We ask three questions: Will this make him a better man? Will this make him a better student? Will this make him a better athlete? If the answer is yes, we make him do it. The next step is up to him. An individual has a choice when you discipline him: either to become bitter or better."
In this message I want to talk to you about discipline - God's discipline.
What is it that makes one man bitter under the discipline of God, and another man better? What causes one man to give up when God disciplines him, and another man to continue on and even, in some cases, to thrive?
There is a passage in the Old Testament book of II Samuel concerning the life of King David that answers these questions very well. More than that, it shows us a living example of how it is done so that when it comes time for God to discipline us, we get better and not bitter.
We will be taking our lesson from portions of II Samuel 15.
Chapter 15 of II Samuel contains the sad story of the rebellion of David's third-born son, Absalom and the events subsequent to it. But even more than that, it contains the echoes of the discipline of God on David's life in the wake of his sin with Bathsheba.
Nathan, God's prophet, had told David two things after he finally confessed the sin he had been trying to cover up. In II Samuel 12:13, we read that David was told, "The Lord has taken away your sin; you shall not die." But, in the verses immediately preceding, David was told the sobering news that he was going to have to reap what he had sown: "Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed, you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" (v. 10-12).
In the last message from the life of David I traced for you eight of the consequences that came upon him as a result of that pronouncement. In that message we saw in bold relief the principle that, even though God forgives the eternal consequences of our sin, we still must reap what we have sown in temporal consequences here on earth. I showed you the corresponding New Testament principle of Galatians 6:7-8 - "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life."
I'm here to tell you this morning that David weathered the severe storm of the discipline of God and he never lost his faith. He did not become bitter. He did not rebel. Indeed, from this portion of his life, I believe you will see why the Bible refers to him as "a man after God's own heart," even though he was an unrepentant adulterer for nearly a year. But we won't stop there. I want to challenge you with David's example in the place where you live. All of us will be under the discipline of God at some point in our lives. The Hebrews 12 passage I just read you says that if you are without the discipline of God you are illegitimate. So I am speaking to every Christian here. God will discipline you from time to time. Will that discipline yield a submissive attitude and the "peaceful fruit of righteousness" in your life, or will you become a casualty? It all depends on how you weather the storm. Watch closely as the story unfolds.
The facts of the story are these: Absalom, David's son, murdered his half brother, Amnon, for raping his sister, Tamar. He fled the country for three years, then David brought him back, but the father-son relationship was never re-established. David, in the meantime, miserable about what was going on in his family, was virtually powerless to do anything to stop it. Absalom went stumping about Jerusalem on a campaign to win over the hearts of the citizens to the idea that he should be king. He was a shrewd, handsome politician with much charisma. For four years he campaigned right under David's nose. The campaign was highly successful.
(Read v. 1-6)
Finally, word reached David about what was going on. We will pick it up in verse 12.
(Read v. 12-13)
Understandably, David did not want to go to war against his own son. But there must have been other reasons why he chose to flee as well. From examining the many references to this event in the Psalms, we learn that Absalom's conspiracy was very widespread.
Psalm 3 was written during this time. Listen to David's words: "O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no deliverance for him in God."
In Psalm 69 we read, "Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; those who would destroy me are powerful."
The conspiracy was strong. So David made preparations to do the only thing he could.
(Read v. 14-17)
This must have been the saddest day in all David's life! Everything he had lived and worked for was being abandoned. His family life was in shambles. His throne was being forfeited. His reputation was on the skids. He was leaving his beloved city of Jerusalem in abject humiliation.
As he paused there at the last house on the edge of the city, he was a broken man feeling the harsh rod of God's discipline. He was a man who was reaping what he had sown. And he was no dummy. He knew the reason why. He had brought this calamity upon himself, which would make his regret even greater. He was suffering the consequences of one night's passion, one man's murder, and one year's cover up.
Here are David's words in Psalm 55, probably written about this very time: "My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me; and horror has overwhelmed me. And I said, 'Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.'"
Have you ever felt like just running away from it all and leaving it behind? You aren't alone in that.
David was a broken man, undergoing the storm of God's discipline.
(Read v. 18)
Notice there that, though God was stern in His discipline, He did not leave David to stand alone. Those who had been with David through the thick and thin of life before his coronation were still with him. A few of them are named in the verses that follow. Men like Ittai the Gittite and Hushi the Archite. (Great names, huh?)
(Read v. 19-22)
Oh, for more people like Ittai the Gittite! Men and women who stick with us when we're down, and even after we give them a comfortable "out" like David did here!
(Read v. 23)
Someone else familiar to David came with him that day.
(Read v. 24)
Talk about loyalty to David! Here in the sad procession comes Zadok the priest. He has gathered up the Levites and his associate, Abiathar, and they've gone to the tabernacle and gotten the ark of the covenant. There were two reasons to bring along the ark. First, it might not be safe under the rule of the rebel, Absalom, who seemed bent on defiling whatever had been precious to his father. Secondly, it would be handy to have to carry into battle should Absalom attack them.
It is at this point we begin to see David's attitude of submission under God's discipline.
(Read v. 25-26)
In my opinion, those two verses are some of the most remarkable verses in the entire Bible. Here is a man who is going down. He's falling fast. The violent storm of God's discipline has hit him like a tidal wave. His whole life is coming apart at the seams! Times like that usually bring out the very worst in people. They begin to grasp at anything that is nearby that might give them protection. But look at David's action. With a tenderness of spirit that is known by few men, he says,
"Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back again, and show me both it and His habitation [i.e., the tabernacle]. But if He should say thus, 'I have no delight in you, behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him."
That is a picture of absolute submission under the discipline of God! "Whatever God has decreed, I will accept, even if it means that I am excluded. Let Him do with me as he pleases."
Let me ask, do you and I respond to God's discipline like that? "Whatever you want to do to me, God, go ahead. I'll accept it without murmur or complaint!"
Or do we rebel or complain or try to get back at someone, or maybe decide to hate God, or attempt to take matters into our own hands by less than honorable means? I'll tell you, I have seen few people in my time who have reflected the attitude of David here when they were under God's discipline.
It reminds me of the statement Job made in the midst of his suffering. Knowing nothing of what was going on or why he was suffering, yet hanging on to his faith for dear life, he said, "Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him." Now that is trust, mixed in the same full strength that David had!
Let's analyze this a bit more closely. I see four aspects of David's submission here that form the foundation of his good attitude. They were essential to David's survival back then and they are essential if we are to remain in submission to God's discipline and not rebel or lose heart today. Mark them down because one of these days you will be needing to use them. I'll put them in the present tense in the hope that we might all take them to heart.
I. Trust God's Complete Sovereignty.
David's words were, "If I find favor...He will bring me back..." The implication is that He could bring David back.
Sovereignty is not a word some of us are used to. Yet it is a fundamental concept of the Bible to understand if we are to really submit to God's discipline and weather the storms that come as a result.
Sovereignty means authority or power. The concept of the sovereignty of God means that God is all powerful, able to do anything He decides to do. No person, place, or thing can thwart his wishes unless He allows it. When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, Pilate said, "Don't you know I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" Jesus said, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given to you from above."
No man, event, or circumstance can overpower the authority of God on earth. God is in complete control at all times. Circumstances and events, therefore, are never "out of control." If something happens, good or bad, it is because God has either caused it or, in His sovereignty, has allowed it.
You see, David knew that God could bring him back again if He so decided. Neither Absalom nor any other mortal could stop it if that was what God wanted. Further, if God didn't want it, neither did He. He said, "If I find favor in His sight, then He will bring me back again." David was confident of God's power. The situation wasn't out of control, though a rebel sat on the throne in the city of Jerusalem, and one of David's closest confidants and counselors had turned against him and gone to Absalom's side.
Behind David's submission first, then, was his trust of God's complete sovereignty.
When you are I suffer as God's children, we need to remember that, no matter what the situation looks like, God is still on His throne and is still in control. If we are in certain circumstances, it is as God has decreed.
II. Trust God's Wisdom.
David said, "Let Him do to me as seems good to Him." In other words, "I commit my fate to His judgement, trusting that He knows what is best for me. Whatever God decides is fine with me. If He brings me back, great. If he dumps me, I'll trust that He knows what He is doing."
You see, that God is present working all things together for good in the life of His children isn't always evident to the observer with human eyes. From man's perspective, some of the trials of life can look like God doesn't know at all what He is doing.
Have you ever been in the position where you began to think that God must be making some kind of mistake?
"Certainly what He is doing in my life right now isn't going to lead to anything good," you or I might say at a time like that. But when we say that, what we are really saying is "I don't really believe God knows what He is doing."
Well, does He or doesn't He? David says "He does. Therefore, whatever He decides will be fine." I hope we can say that, too.
Thirdly, in the eye of the storm of God's discipline,
III. Have Confidence in God's Love.
David knew intimately what some of us have yet to learn and others of us may have forgotten: God does not desert or abandon His children in the midst of His discipline.
David wrote in Psalm 9:10, "And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee."
Sometimes we do begin to wonder if God might have forsaken us when things are tough and it seems there is no relief. Sometimes our enemies or even well meaning people suggest that perhaps God has abandoned us. It happened in David's day. Over in Psalm 3, we read, "Many are saying of my soul, 'There is no deliverance for him in God.'" In other words, "God has given up on him." To that speculation, David responded, "But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, My glory and the One who lifts my head."
God does not desert us when we disciplines us. Nor does God hate us, even when He takes us to His wood shed.
David also knew what Hezekiah would say many years later, "Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish..."
Or what Jeremiah knew also: "For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion, according to His lovingkindness. For He does not afflict willingly..."
Go with me, if you will for a moment, over to Galatians 6:7-8 again. This is the passage that I stressed in the last message regarding reaping what we sow.
I purposely covered only verses 7 and 8 last time because I wanted you to get the full impact of the immutable law of reaping. But Paul didn't stop at verse 8 like I did. He wrote more - more that tells each one of us what we are to do if we find ourselves reaping the bad things we have sown.
(Read Gal. 6:9)
You see, the counsel of the Bible for the believer who is under divine discipline is to hang on and not lose heart! Don't give up! Don't stop doing good! In due time it will be behind you! Like Paul told the sailors so long ago on that ship bound for Rome that was about to be torn apart in the storm: "Unless you remain in the ship, you cannot be saved."
Hang on! Don't grow weary! Don't lose heart! At times it can seem like the storm of God's discipline is going to rip our lives apart.
How does a person manage to hang on when it seems hopeless? By doing what David has done here: Trust God's sovereignty. Trust God's wisdom. Know that He loves you. Finally,
IV. Maintain Prudent Actions.
This is what will keep us from making matters worse.
David didn't die in a pile because he was suffering. He didn't draw up into fetal position and withdraw from the world. He didn't take his frustration out of those around him. He didn't cop out of responsible action just because he was trusting God. He didn't do anything stupid. What he did was he continued to take prudent, responsible action to maintain contact with the palace just in case God decided to change the course of events.
(Read v. 27-29)
Galatians 6:9 counsels believers who are reaping what they have sown: "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." David made provision to keep in touch with the palace so that if God chose to use him, he would be ready. He didn't lose heart in doing what was good and right and responsible.
(Read v. 30)
What a sad picture! It's too bad David couldn't have foreseen this happening before he took Bathsheba! He would have never touched her. We should take this as a warning to us.
(Read v. 32-34)
David is trusting God in submission to Him, but he is also going to maintain contact with the city.
It is a common thing for people to think that trusting God and taking prudent action are things that cannot coexist. "How can one be said to trust God if he is still putting forth human effort?" is a question often asked. We see here that David did both. We see it elsewhere as well.
I like the way Nehemiah put it as he described how he managed to stand against those who opposed the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem: "But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night." Trust in God and take prudent action. Back in the Revolutionary war, the had a saying: Trust God and keep your powder dry! That is what we are referring to.
Surrender to God's discipline should never cause us to stop doing what is right and what the situation calls for. Just because God is in control doesn't mean we sit by and do nothing.
If you and I are to weather the storm of God's discipline, we must trust God's sovereignty (He has the power to do anything), trust His wisdom (He knows what He is doing even when we don't), remember that He loves us (He disciplines those He loves), and persist in doing what is good and prudent (It is not time to cop out or shirk responsibility.)
Conclusion
A retired Army General wrote these words regarding weathering the storms of discipline:
"It happened some years ago that a most urgent and unusual invitation came to me to visit a military academy, in which students had mutinied, in the hope that possibly I might be of service to the situation. The students had struck in everything: lessons, study hours, drill. The principle handed me a large number of telegrams which had come from the parents who had been wired regarding the situation. Through these parents' messages to their sons, I could get a glimpse into the various kinds of homes these boys' had come from and the parental relationships connected with them. One father wired his son, "I expect you to obey." Another said, "If you are expelled from school, you needn't come home." Still another, "I'll send you to an insane asylum if you are sent home." Another said, "I'll cut you off without a shilling if you disgrace the family." But the best message was couched in these brief words: "Steady, my boy, steady! Father."
