FIRE Conference Session 4

I've appreciated Dan leading our music here. Dan's one of our deacons. In fact, Dan was a deacon when I first came here 31 years ago. And back then we had evening services. And it's my first winter here, and I said to Dan one day, So Dan, Super Bowl Sunday, does that have an effect here? And he said his reply was, I don't know, the Browns have never been there yet.

So anyway. Now in your notebooks is this green sheet, okay? Christopher is going to essentially will finish out everything that he's doing here on November 5th at a seminar at their church in Cincinnati. If you can go, I would encourage you to go, although I would imagine that after this week I don't need to encourage you to go. But it doesn't cost anything.

They're going to take an offering. And again, this is how I got to know. Well, I knew Christopher already, but this is how I heard this and said, wow, this would be great. So, you know, if you want to finish the whole thing, then go down there on November 5th, all right? There's all the details right there, and you need to think about that. Also, you'll find at the very, I think pretty much near the end of your notebook, is the notice of where the Midwest Regional is going to be next year. and so it's going to be in Indianapolis and so you can check that out too and already make your plans for next year.

Okay. Well, our brother's going to come and teach us. We're going to have a question and answer time after he's done and so you've got questions, write them down. I'm sure he'll be willing to answer them. So, Dr. Jarrell, come and minister to us.

Thank you. Let me say first just what a blessing it has been to be among you to share to minister to you to be ministered to by you hearing your testimonies hearing your wisdom shared as you faced issues in the pulpit or just in your regular walk with Christ has been a tremendous blessing for me and I'm very glad that the Lord has made it possible for me to come. Unfortunately, I do have to leave tonight.

I teach tomorrow and I won't be able to be a part of tomorrow's session. So I did want to make sure I expressed my deepest thanks for your reception and also for your ministry to me. There were two sovereigns claiming the crown of one nation. two armies poised and ready to assert the claim of its sovereign and repel the advance of the other. Two great captains, both battle-hardened, champion fighters and master strategists, each staunchly loyal to his master, having endured much hardship and peril in his service and pitted against each other.

The first of these commanders is one, Abner, the commander of the armies of the house of Saul. The second is Joab, the commander of David's army. And in the first chapter of their conflict, Abner served Saul. Saul, the Lord's anointed, who reigned visibly and whose throne was sustained by human might, bent on crushing David or any other threat to his authority.

Joab, on the other hand, served David. Made king by the word and spirit of God, but whose authority was veiled in a messianic secret that only few eyes penetrated. Living instead as a fugitive. The second chapter of their conflict began with the death of Saul on the field of battle. Which we read about at the end of the book of 1 Samuel. In the absence of the founder of the house and those groomed to be his heirs, his principal heir Jonathan died in the same battle as did the other elder sons of Saul.

It then fell to Abner as military chief to set a claimant on the throne. And so it fell to the unlikely Ishbaal or Ishboshet to continue the house of his father Saul leaning on the skill and wisdom of Abner David found himself recognized by his own house, his own tribe, as God's anointed, the tribe of Judah, creating, therefore, a rift in the nation. This is a rift that I believe was somewhat regretted by David, for it was like cutting off a piece of Saul's own robe.

It is under these circumstances that the conflict that we read about this evening turns into open war between Abner and Joab and the armies under their command. But all that changed the day when Abner appeared at the gate of David's city. Turn, if you would, to the book of 2 Samuel. We're going to look beginning with chapter 3. Now, why are we reading into 2 Samuel?

Why didn't I stop at the end of 1 Samuel? We need to be aware first that the division between 1 and 2 Samuel is a fairly arbitrary division. Samuel is one book, and in fact, I tend to think Samuel Kings is even one book. However, you can only fit so much on a single scroll before it becomes simply too unwieldy. And so the book of Samuel had to be cut somewhere and mounted on two separate scrolls.

This is before we had codices, where we bind them along the edge. And so we want a logical place that's more or less in the middle, so we have two equal sides. Well, how about when Saul dies? Good place. and it's a logical place, so I don't quibble with the placement of dividing the book. But thematically, the way the author has constructed the book, I think really the end of part one comes in chapter eight of 2 Samuel.

So 1 Samuel 1 through 2 Samuel 8 is describing book one of the story of the Messiah, the birth of the kingdom. So we're still reading about the birth of the kingdom, and therefore I've continued this topic into 2 Samuel. Now some of the background that leads up to chapter 3. In chapter 1 David gets the report of Saul's death. The messenger claims to have killed Saul himself thinks he doing David a favor and he going to get a great reward and he gets his reward all right David has treated him just like he would have treated Abishai who wanted to kill the Lord anointed, and he is executed for his crime.

In chapter 2, we read then about the beginning of this open war between the armies of Ish-bosheth and David. And there, we meet the death of a man named Asahel. Now there are three brothers of importance. We met one of them. These are nephews of David. One was Abishai, and we interviewed him in the last session regarding his loyalty to David.

He's a staunch supporter of David. His brother Joab is actually of higher rank than him, and Joab is in charge of the army. But there's a third brother, one Asahel, who is known for his swiftness of foot, a swift runner. And as battle breaks out, Asahel chooses to run after Abner, the commander of the opposing army. He wants to bring down the chief, the number one, and he pursues him in battle.

Abner, while on the run, tries to dissuade him, tries to tell him, look, seek somebody else to kill in battle. How could I face your brother Joab if I fight and kill you? Please don't chase me. I don't want to kill you. But he persists, and he pursues him. And so as he's being pursued, Abner's on the run.

He uses the blunt end of his spear and runs it, as it turns out, right through Asahel, killing him there on the spot. That was the last time the two armies engaged in battle. Now, we come to chapter 3, when things change. follow me as I begin reading in verse 6 of 2 Samuel 3. Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.

And Saul had a concubine whose name was Ritzpah, the daughter of Ayah. So Ish-bosheth said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine? And Abner became very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David.

And you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? May God do so to Abner and more also. I do not do for David, as Yahweh has sworn to him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba, north to south. And he could not answer Abner another word because he feared him.

Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, Whose is the land? Saying also, Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you. And David said, good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.

So David sent messengers, we bring the daughter, let's skip down a few verses here. Verse 17, now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, in time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. Now then do it, for Yahweh has spoken of David, saying, by the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel. from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.

Now remember, when we see quotes like this, he's not quoting any prophecy that's been spoken, but he's understanding from circumstances. I saw what happened. This is what God had decided to do. I saw him do it. I saw him bring victory over the Philistines. Has not God decreed that?

Verse 19, And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron, all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin. So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. Then Abner said to David, I will arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.

So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. At that moment, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, Abner, the son of Ner, has come to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace.

Then Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away, and he is already gone? Surely you realize that Abner, the son of Ner, came to deceive you, to know you are going out and you are coming in, and to know all that you are doing. And when Joab had gone from David presence he sent messengers after Abner who brought him back from the well of Sirah But David did not know it Now when Abner had returned to Hebron Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately and there stabbed him in the stomach so that he died for the blood of Asahel, his brother.

Afterward, when David heard it, he said, My kingdom and I are guiltless before Yahweh forever of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner. Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house, and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff, who falls by the sword, who lacks bread. So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, tear your clothes, gird yourselves to sackcloth, mourn for Abner. And King David followed the coffin. So they buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner. and all the people wept. And the king sang a lament over Abner and said, Should Abner die as a fool dies?

Your hands are not bound, nor your feet put into fetters as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell. Then all the people wept over him again. And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food, while it was still day, David took an oath saying, God do so to me, and more also if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down. Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people.

For all the people in all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's intent to kill Abner, the son of Ner. Then the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I am gentle or weak today, though anointed king. And these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me or harsher than I.

Yahweh shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness. We have an account here of a battle between these two kingdoms. Now, why is it written for us? You've been tracking with our series here. You'll know that it's not simply because this is history. We have a historical account here, but we're not merely being told some background information about a conflict.

What we've seen already about the books of Samuel are that it is not history, although it is historical. It is factual. It is true in a historical sense. But what it is is a theological treatise in narrative form on the concept of the kingdom of God What is the book of 1 and 2 Samuel It is a theological treatise in narrative form on the concept of the kingdom of God So far we been introduced to the request for a king the need for a king, and whether or not there is a need for a king.

We've also been introduced to the character of a king, what makes a true king. We've had a foil in the person of Saul as we've seen what a king who is not like God's heart is like and what harm that can do. And we've seen the contrast in that as we've met a good shepherd, a man with a heart like God. We've seen somewhat of the nature of his kingdom and how to relate to the king and how to navigate the authority structure between a king whose kingdom is veiled and a visible king who is hostile to him.

And now we have this king who is finally made visible and yet not everyone has yet bowed the knee to this king. What are we to make of this scenario presented before us? What is the lesson about the kingdom of God as our theological treatise is unfolding? Well, the Spirit of God is teaching us through it. The author has written in a way so that the message will become clear.

How is the Spirit, how does the Spirit teach through this particular text? Well, what I just read gives us a number of voices. We're being taught through conflicting voices. We hear the perspectives of Ish-boshe, Abner, Joab, and David. And we've got to listen very carefully to the voices to understand their perspective. But we also need to be very careful not to confuse the voices with reality.

So we'll listen to the voices, to the perspectives, but then also listen to what the reality is. One of those voices is David. How are we supposed to perceive David's perspective? Our author has already led us to form a certain view of David as a man after God's own heart that has been quite consistent to this point. And so his view is going to bear a certain weight that the others will not.

So let's consider the story from four perspectives. First, the story according to Ish-bosha. Verse 7, we read that Saul had a concubine whose name was Ritzpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ish-bosheth said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine? Now note notably absent is any mention from the narrator of Abner having done so This is just Ish say So here is Ish perspective This Abner fellow is a usurper.

He is scheming to claim my throne. I am the true heir to the throne of Saul, and he is trying to seal it. He is trying to claim kingship through marrying a concubine of Saul. And this is legally possible through the Leverite marriage institution. So if you were to marry a former wife of Saul and then have Ish-boshet assassinated, then therefore the inheritance would pass through the daughter who is married by somebody else in the family, and that whatever heir that Abner would have would be considered the heir of Saul and therefore he'd obtain the kingdom through a backdoor, as it were.

Well, that's Ish-bosheth's perspective. This is a man who is scheming to gain power. What's the story according to Abner? Well, Abner's perspective in his response, verse 8, he becomes angry at that. He says, am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? what are you saying about me here? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers, to his friends.

I have not delivered you into the hand of David, and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? You're charging me of having taken Saul's concubine here? How do you prove such a thing? Convenient claim if it's false, because it can't be disproven with certainty. So the story according to Abner is that I have been a faithful servant of Saul.

And in my faithfulness to him, I have served you and tried to establish your throne. That was doing my best for my master Saul, to try and get his son to continue his house. I have been faithful, and I've been framed. The story according to Joab. Abner is an enemy. Joab here has served David faithfully. has always looked out for David's best interest.

He has, this Abner person, has assisted Saul to hunt David down. He has been the brains and the muscle behind each Bosheth. Abner is truly the power behind this competing kingdom. Ish-bosh is just a show, just a puppet here. So therefore, Abner is as much of the opposition as Ish-bosh is. He's the real opposition, David.

He cannot be trusted. He came to spy. David, you're just not sufficiently wary. You've got to be more careful if you're going to be a good king. You're not being very prudent. You're being too soft, David.

You need somebody like me to look out for you, or you're going to lose your throne. Good thing you've got me, who has your best interests at heart. And since David doesn't listen to reason, then Joab says, I've got to act on my own accord to take care of the situation. Three different perspectives, three different versions of the story. Who's speaking the truth?

Who's got the right perspective? Fortunately, the Messiah speaks up. David says in verse 28 he says my kingdom and I are guiltless before Yahweh forever for the blood of Abner the son of Ner he calls this a crime he calls him a valiant man do you not know that a valiant man, a hero has died this day in Israel. David considers Abner to be a faithful servant of Saul.

Yes, he was on the wrong side of the conflict, but he was valiant and he did his best. He did his most. He says, I chose to be soft. I chose to be tender in my treatment of it. Job, you are being hard in your treatment of Abner. I will not be overrun by the sons of Zeruiah.

This is not an impotent David who cannot deal with Abner. This is a king who has chosen a certain policy toward Abner. And it's not the same as Joab's approach. Now, how did David reach his conclusion regarding Abner? Well, in chapter 2, we see that the death of Asahel was not one that Abner intended to commit. He was trying to shake off Asahel from following him with his spear.

But he was running with such force apparently that the spear took his life Notice he didn use the sharp end of his spear A man who trying to kill another man with a spear doesn use the blunt end He uses the sharp one. He tries to dissuade him from following him. Whereas Joab murders in cold blood. Abner is an honorable man. Joab is not. Abner shows loyalty. whereas Joab, despite his claim his motive our narrator at least reveals that he was seeking vengeance for the blood of his brother everything he told Joab or everything he told David he's just trying to spy out your kingdom he's trying to commit sabotage here from the inside was all smokescreen he wanted revenge even though legally there was no cost for revenge it wasn't a murder that was committed didn't matter to Joab.

That man killed my brother. I want his blood to take him down. And he's going to do that again and again if we continue to read the book of 2 Samuel. Come in November, we'll see some more of that. So serving the king for Joab is convenient to allow him to obtain his own ends. In conclusion, Abner is buried in honor.

He's lamented by the king. All the flags are at half-staff. whereas a curse falls upon Joab. So who's the better man? Who's the better man of these two? What's the point of the lesson? Well, it's addressing a question that's taken up by the Gospels, in fact.

Who is greatest in the kingdom of God? I've got lessons on the kingdom here. Now the kingdom is established. David has his kingdom. Who's great in that kingdom? Who truly belongs in that kingdom and who does not?

Because in whatever age, the kingdom of God has a visible manifestation and an invisible reality. And it would seem that Joab is the faithful servant of David. He's the one fighting on the proper side. And Abner's the enemy. But what is exposed to us is that everything is not as it may appear on the surface. There are some who oppose the kingdom of God who are in fact close to the kingdom of God.

And some of those will in fact enter the kingdom of God. Others will be caused to stumble. there are also those who fight skillfully and determinedly under the king's banner who are actually fighting only for themselves and these will ultimately fall under the king curse We know Matthew 7 Jesus warns, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Jesus was not revealing anything new.

He was reminding them of what they should have already known from the scriptures. So, we're being prepared for the nature of the kingdom of God under this Messiah, David. And it will prepare us for the advance of the kingdom of God. It prepares us for four possible situations. It teaches us how do you respond to a Joab in your midst. There could be a Joab in your congregation, in your very midst.

Joab represents the one whose office in the kingdom becomes a tool to receive personal benefits. Don't be deceived. There are many Joabs out there. They're fighting under the king's banner, but they're profiting personally, and so their interest, their motive, is not really for the king's sake, but for their own. So the need, the warning for us is don't be surprised.

Be discerning, too. Don't be shocked when that person who seemed to be so in for the cause of the king suddenly is gone. Don't be surprised by that. They're there. It also helps us not only to respond to Joab's in our midst, but also to being Joab. Do a heart check.

Am I Joab? This is a pastor's conference. How many of us are getting monetary remuneration for the service of Christ? there's a real temptation behind that where is my motive consider the degree of Joab's devotion he endured life as a fugitive for David he risked his life why? well ultimately he got certain advantages from it the gospel might be profitable to some it certainly can be It certainly is.

And I think there's particularly a warning here for the young, because it's easy to slip. The slip from fighting for the king to fighting for yourself can happen without you being aware of it It easy to start out I sure at the beginning Joab saw something in David that was really worthy and he meant to support that but he discovered that from his position there were certain advantages. He could accomplish things until in our passage suddenly the king's will is not so important to him.

It's pursuing his own agenda. beware of slipping in our motives it won't look any different on the outside we also have some guidance here for responding to abners in our midst there are those who are fighting on the wrong side for whatever reason and yet there is something in them that is close to the kingdom of God how do we respond to them beware lest you take them down for personal reasons to make an enemy of them for reasons that are not Christ's. There are those, if we think of the, what are the defining issues of our day? If we take marriage and the definition of marriage, there are those who are fighting for a homosexual agenda, who are fighting against Christ, because as they have been steeped in a certain worldview that defines love in a certain way that is flawed, they have had at some point Christ portrayed to them as someone who hates people of their kind.

He's the one who hates the homosexual. And because of that misrepresentation they are fighting against Christ. And what they need is simply to have their picture of the king clarified. To have the truth made clear. So that they can give up fighting for the wrong banner and come under the king's banner. There are some who are on the wrong side, but they are close.

They are close. And, of course, it also gives us some advice. Perhaps you're an Abner. Maybe you've been fighting against Christ. Or maybe there's something about Christ that has been an obstacle to you. Something in the king that has kept you away from joining his side and you've been fighting against it.

My prayer is that if you've been with us here in these days, you will look at that picture as it's been portrayed and see that maybe that king is not the king you thought him to be. Maybe this week you've now seen the worthiness and the goodness of this king. Notice he is gentle. to the one who turns and comes to finally recognize, I see it now, David, it's been you all along.

You have been the Lord's choice. I change and I put in my lot with you. The king says, come, peace, join me. The king is gentle. So, we near the end of part one of the story of the Messiah. We have a picture of the kingdom of God and who is welcome into the kingdom. who is great in the kingdom of God, and it's not the way man sees.

Everything now begins to come to a head. We see the kingdom being solidified in obvious external ways in David's hand, even a foreign government recognizing him by sending a gift of lumber to build a palace. And as the king is now living in his palace, we get to the climax of part one, and that is chapter 7 of 2 Samuel. everything from Judges chapter 1 was building up to this point this is the peak, this is the pinnacle we have established a kingship the kingdom has been born and now God reveals his purpose for that kingdom it's built on a pun here or a play on words at least different uses of the word house David is now living in his house a house of cedar, a royal palace And as he looks out his window, he sees the tabernacle of God.

God is still living in a tent, a portable dwelling here. And he thinks this is not right. He wants to build a palace for God, too. He wants to build a house for God that is a temple. And he suggests that to the prophet, one Nathan. Nathan first thinks, yeah, it's a good idea.

Go ahead, why don't you build a temple? But that very night, the Lord sends word by Nathan the prophet saying, no, I don't need David to build me a house. I called him to be king. And if we pick up our reading in verse 10, God says, Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more, nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them any more as previously, since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. also Yahweh tells you that he will make you a house David different kind of house not a house of lumber and gold but a dynasty The house of David will be a line of ruling kings And what does he say about that house?

Verse 12, when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed, your offspring, after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men, but my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. David, I have established you as king, and the hope for Israel now rests upon you. I have established your kingdom, and it will have no end. It will be an endless dynasty of kings. It will have no end.

This is the hope for Israel. And this, we will eventually learn, is also the hope for the world. And it rests in David's kingdom and the son of David, the heir of David, who will sit upon David's throne. But, how will we know the son of David? in your notes there is a paragraph I'd like you to look at. Could it be Jesus of Nazareth? Could he be the Messiah?

Could he be the son of David in accordance with his promise? Well, the obstacles to that claim are pretty profound. I mean, let's consider the case. Consider somebody who might say the following. This is the case against Jesus being a Messiah. Whoever Jesus may have been, he was not the Jewish Messiah promised in the Holy Bible.

If the historical information in the New Testament is accurate, then first of all, we find that Jesus never even said he was the Messiah. He was rejected by the Jewish authorities, and eventually even his own followers abandoned him. Gentiles were more receptive to his gospel than the Jews were. Jesus did not even keep the laws of Moses strictly, but allowed his followers to be very loose with the kosher and Sabbath laws In fact Jesus allowed notorious sinners into his movement Most importantly Jesus did nothing to end Roman rule over the Jews and establish a kingdom The picture we get of Jesus in the New Testament is simply inconsistent with the messianic hope described in the Hebrew scriptures.

I hope this isn't being recorded and could be extracted as suggesting anything. All right, we've been looking for four sessions now at 1 and 2 Samuel here, how would you respond to that argument? Because that's the case that is raised against Jesus in the New Testament, and to some degree still today. Hey, you say that he's God. He never said he's God.

You say he's the Messiah. He never said he's the Messiah. Well, I hope if you've been tracking with me, you can go point by point by point through that list saying opposite conclusion. Yep, that sounds like a Messiah. Yep, that sounds like a Messiah. Yep, that sounds like a Messiah.

Jesus is the Messiah it's not that let me go back to our hermeneutical approach how do we read the Old Testament it's not a back to front approach where I've got Jesus now I'm going to go look at 1 Samuel and see what I can find see how I can find Jesus in some place it's designed to go the other direction 1 Samuel tells us defines a Messiah this is our definition of what a Messiah is where the hope for Israel is now let's consider this man Jesus how does he line up you couldn't ask for a more perfect fit. Everything in this list is exactly like David. And as we look at the Gospels, Jesus is continually pointing that out.

Haven't you read about David? And the apostles are pointing that out as well. David never said he was the Messiah. He never touted his kingdom. He never sought after a following. No.

To use Jesus' words to Peter, when Peter first says, you are the Christ, you are the Messiah, you are the anointed one. He says, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. I didn't tell you that. Nobody here told you that. Where did you get that idea, Peter?

You got that from God. You saw something. You read your Bible, and you paid attention, and you saw the truth. That's a Messiah. He was rejected by the Jewish authorities. Yeah, that's a Messiah.

The authorities are going to go after him, just like Saul did. Even his own followers abandoned him. Yeah that David low moment Even those who put their hopes on him at one point when it seemed to be disappointing them turned away from him That a Messiah Gentiles were more receptive to Jesus gospel than the Jews were Yes, where do we find David? He's with the Philistines.

He's found a home there. They considered him a man of worth, even when the authorities over Israel would not. Jesus didn't keep the laws of Moses strictly. Yeah, that's a Messiah. That's a Messiah who understands, no, there's some bend, there's some flex in this law. The heart of God is not about using them roughly and forcing a uniformity to them.

It's about understanding the heart of it, the principle. And there are things more important than sacrifice. There are things more important than the food you eat. There is mercy and compassion. In fact, Jesus allowed notorious sinners into his movement. Oh, yes. the Messiah receives the repentance.

Come, Abners. Come enter the kingdom. You are welcome. The outcasts, yes, come. You are welcome. And yes, Jesus did nothing to end Roman rule over the Jews and establish a kingdom.

That's what a Messiah does. He won't lift his hand against the Lord's anointed, against Saul. But yet he is full of power and authority at the same time. and everyone must recognize and submit that authority or they violate God. Yes, Jesus is the Messiah. And how do we read 1 and 2 Samuel? We read it as a portrait, as a definition of what a Messiah is so that we can rejoice in that and we can immerse ourselves in the beauty of this one David knowing that he is the picture of the Messiah that we can't see, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But praise be to God, we'll see him one day. And we'll hear those assuring words from his own lips as we enter into his blessed presence. Please pray with me. Lord God, Father of Jesus Christ, we know you only because of him. because he was willing to show you to us. We even have the scriptures, or at least your people Israel have the scriptures, and he's there, he's in it, he's all over it. not even in secret or mystery ways, but the whole, obviously, in its intent, points to you, and yet there is blindness.

Your own people, the Jewish people, could not recognize the God of the Bible who stood in their very midst, and they condemned him. Oh, Lord, may we not condemn you, but, Lord, continue to teach us. Open our eyes to all the goodness that you have before us, but help us, Lord, to assist others to see the truth about our Lord Jesus. Help us to be able to minister the word of God in a way that encourages and builds up.

May we bring those precious words like David's to Abiathar and help people to know these are the words of a true king. These are the words of Jesus to you if you suffer for his sake or to those who feel excluded or cast out. Lord help us to show them how they are being drawn and welcomed into the presence of a forgiving and a gentle ruler Lord help us even to feed our own souls by your scriptures Lord I thank you for the fellowship here this evening and for all the needs that have been shared today and Lord I pray that you would be gentle with everyone here Lord look upon our folly and asking for things that are not good for us.

Look upon our cold-heartedness at times. Lord, look upon our blindness and our forgetfulness. And Lord, I pray that you would fill us with an abundant peace in walking with such a good and gracious King. May the name of Jesus Christ be blessed upon our lips and by all those who behold us interact with us because of his work in our lives by the Spirit of God.

I do pray it in his holy name. Amen.