2 Samuel 14: 29-31 Then Absalom sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but again Joab refused to come. 30 So Absalom said to his servants, “Go and set fire to Joab’s barley field, the field next to mine.” So they set his field on fire, as Absalom had commanded. Then Joab came to Absalom at his house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
Now, in order to understand what’s going on in that text, I need to explain some things for you to see that we’re talking about a real dysfunctional family. This is a family where the husband commits adultery. Then he murders someone to cover up his sin. His name was David – and he was the king. Years later, David’s eldest son – a guy called Amnon - rapes his half-sister Tamar. Now Tamar was the full brother of another of David’s boys - Absalom. And because David never dealt with the situation properly, 2 years after the rape, Absolom exacts revenge on behalf of his sister – and kills his half brother Amnon.
So, to cut a long story short, Absalom had left Jerusalem because he was afraid of his father’s anger. And even when he was allowed back home he wasn’t allowed to come anywhere near his dad, King David.
Now all Absalom wanted was his life back. he wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, So he calls for a guy called Joab. See, Absolom wanted Joab to be his defense attorney. But because Absolom was a murderer, Joab refused to come. Joab had already washed his hands on Absolam . Most of us probably would have done the same thing
Now here’s an interesting point: how many people have washed their hands on you just because of what you did in the past?
Despite every invitation, Joab refused to come see Absolam, so Absolam came up with a plan to force Joab’s hand. The Bible says that Absolam got his servants to set Joab’s barley field on fire. Now I imagine, Joab was pretty ticked! He comes storming in to Absolm’s place and demands Why did your servants set my field on fire?”
Now , remember - all Absolam wanted was a meeting with Joab and he really didn’t care how he got it. He was a bit like a spoiled brat - I want what I want and I want it now!
Now watch this: it was only when Absolam destroyed something that he got the guys attention. So now they might be at each other’s throats - but Absolam didn’t care, because he’d got what he wanted – and that was a face to face with Joab.
Now, that kind of behavior is typical of the character of people who have no sense of morals.
Now, lets turn this whole thing around and see how it applies to you and me.
You and I serve a God who has a pure moral character A God who would never approve of the way Absalom went about getting what he wanted. However you slice and dice it – it was wrong. Now, forget the sin for a minute and something else comes to the surface:
There are times when God sends for us. Times when he needs you or I to come see him
Now, when God calls, you need to jump! And here’s something you need to appreciate. When God want s to get your attention – its not for His benefit, but for yours!.
God’s actually the total opposite of Absalom. Absolom had his motives – and they were 100% selfish. But when God calls for us, it’s because He truly wants to bless us from head to toe! The trouble is when we hear God calling, our natural reaction is to run and hide just like Adam and Eve did back in the garden. And when we keep on listening to our fears instead of His voice we get cold-hearted and we end up turning our backs on the goodness of God.See, even though you might not like it you have to understand that God can do whatever he wants to do, and that He always does the right thing for the right reasons.
God will never destroy a person who does not deserve to be destroyed. On the other hand, the devil’s always looking to destroy innocent lives. BUT - if God sees fit to take away that thing that you treasured above all else just know that even though you may not understand it at the time He has a very good reason.
If God wants to take us to the next level there are some things he has to do to get us ready.
Some things he needs to do in order to qualify us for the days ahead. So in the process of refining us, sometimes he has to break us. Now, here’s something you can take to the bank: if God has to empty us, He will always replace what he strips away with something that’s far better for us, The trouble is we can’t see that when we’re going through the trial, and that’s what trusting Him is all about! But because we don’t see it we wonder what we’ve done wrong and all too often we end up mad at God. But here’s the thing, even when we’re angry with what we think He’s done, it forces us to get into his presence.
Why do we go thru stuff like this? Oftentimes it’s because we’re ignoring Him! When you don’t answer Gods call the 1st time, or the 2nd time or the 3rd time, when he keeps calling out to you, when He keeps on telling you to do something and you keep on ignoring him God will do whatever He feels He has to get your attention. So it’s vital that we learn to listen to Him, otherwise God just might have to set our barley fields on fire!
Here’s the thing: whether you like it or not God has the right to do stuff in your lives that nobody else has the right to do. God has rights over our lives that not even our own flesh and blood have. If God wants to set our barley field on fire, he has the right to do it, but I can promise you that God’s way of doing it will be different than Absolom’s
As Christians, we can’t expect to avoid tribulation.
It is all around us. If your field’s not on fire, chances are the field of the person next to you is.
See, God’s given us a double legacy: "In the world ye shall have tribulation; but in me ye shall have peace."
Now we all want the peace/ We enjoy peace, we crave for His peace but we can’t expect Gods peace without the privilege of tribulation. All wheat has to go through the threshing process. Gold must be tried in the fire,
Lamentations 3:21 says this: Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
It’s the next verse that we don’t usually quote:
27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline: Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands.
Now, whatever you’re going through, you should be able to take some comfort from knowing that in His divine wisdom and love that God allows all of our tribulations We know – or at least I hope that we know - that God is perfect in all everything He does. But we have a hard time understanding that when it involves personal pain.
Contrary to what our carnal minds think, we can get a lot of comfort while we’re carrying that cross he calls us to bear. God has medicine for sick saints that those who’re in perfect health never see.
Back in England, there’s a bird called the Nightingale. And the male’s known for the song it sings at night in the breeding season. Here’s the thing: you can’t enjoy the song of the nightingale without going into the night! We want the song, but we don’t want the night, but unfortunately, as Christians, to get the good, we have to take the bad. Its just life.
The best view of the face of Jesus is when everyone else has turned their backs upon you.
So, if you’re going thru some stuff right now get ready for a visit from on high like you have never had before because I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging for bread!
I’ve had people say they couldn’t come to church because they were too tired, yet I have seen people not miss a service
even when I knew that all hell had broken loose in their life! What made the difference? Well, we’re usually at our most faithful when we’re suffering and hurting. Its when life’s smooth sailing that we run the risk of forgetting our Creator and that’s exactly what He wants to protect us from,
Think back to I Samuel 16 when David was anointed to be king over Israel. Little did David know that there would be a 10 year period before he was ready to be King in Gods eyes and that was a decade of breaking and molding.David’s brothers went to war against the Philistines, and that’s when David became their errand boy. That’s also when David slew Goliath and as a reward, he got to serve in the palace of King Saul. In theory that might have been great – but there was a problem: king Saul was insane. But when you really study the story you get to appreciate how it was that God used those circumstances to teach David the things he needed to learn before he could be a great king
Things got a bit heated when David became popular with the people, and Saul got jealous and felt threatened. It drove Saul mad. Somehow in the middle of all the stress and the strife David got hold of a truth that sets people free from the madness that others in the same situation get afflicted with.
David found out that God allows people to live in pain.
When God takes a man or a woman and allows them to break, He wants to see if that man or that woman will remain true through it all, because when he finds a man or a woman who’ll stay true God knows he has a person that He can work with in this world. And few people will ever come to know or understand that truth.
Saul’s problem was that he was the type of guy who saw the kingdom as his own. He didn’t get it that the kingdom belong to God/ That everything he had he’d been entrusted with. the kingdom and the crown never belonged to him. It was always God’s to do with whatever he wanted. So in his madness Saul began to attack David.
Its tragic that people get to a place where God can use them, but then they get upset by something, they get offended
and they start a personal vendetta against something or someone. They take things into their own hands rather than stand on the scripture that says, “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. I will repay.”
Saul could have been king much longer than he was. God could have used him mightily. But Saul was missing the one thing that turns people into great people of God, Saul was king and as such, he had the power to push David around.
And David was going through the school of brokenness.
Here’s the thing, if you’re ever going to be used mightily by God, you have to graduate from the school of brokenness. And David was one of the few men who willingly enrolled in the school.
Now watch this: God was the one who allowed David to be put under the control Saul, God used Saul to work on David. So Saul, for all his madness, was actually the instrument God chose to use to perform a work in David. Saul was the tool God used to shape David to become the king Israel needed. And David had to bite his lip and take a deep breath and continue going through this education. And as David became more and more broken he learned more and more about God’s ways of doing things. David understood that he had to go through some stuff along the way
When Saul began to throw spears at David, do you remember how David reacted?
Most people I know just pick up the spear and throw it right back. Maybe you think you’re being courageous - standing up for what’s right. You’re not gonna be pushed around You let people know they are treating you unfairly. And if you can stand up for yourself like that, then you are truly fit for kingship. And maybe you really are fit for kingship. But, unfortunately, you’ll only become another KING SAUL. If you keep up this throwing back of spears that are thrown at you,
you’ll get to be so perfect at throwing spears. But like Saul, it’ll drive you INSANE.
People who are good at arguing - argue a lot. People who are good at shouting – shout a lot. You get good at what ever you do a lot of! People who have a witty way of making a fool out of someone who’s trying to tear them down, are the same people who’re real good at insulting and hurting others and rewarding evil with evil.
But Jesus would have nothing to do with any sort of reaction like that.
Just as David became a man who refused to learn how to throw spears well, we all have to become good at turning the other cheek rather than being able to cut people down size.
Not only did David learn not to throw spears back, he learned how to dodge them as well.
And there’s a powerful truth in that/ If you and I can learn to not let what others do hurt us, then we’re fast becoming the type of vessels that God can use in powerful ways
But In order to do that, David would act as if nothing happened after the spear was thrown at him. He was able to duck when they came and get up and walk away. While your anger would urge you to grab the spear and throw it back hard
David learned just to let it go!
People have spears thrown at them today. And you can tell the people who’ve been hit. They hurt and the hurt turns them a deep shade of bitter. But David didn’t want to learn how to react and throw spears back. See, if he knew how to throw a spear the day would inevitably come when he would throw one back . So instead of learning how to throw a spear David learned how to stay away from those who threw spears.
What does that me for you and me? Simply this. Stay away from the people who are always hitting back at people who hurt them. Don’t be around people who you know God does not approve of. People who insist on hitting back even when God says vengeance is His alone No matter how Christian they call themselves
David also learned to keep his mouth shut
When you’re attacked, it’s so easy to tell everyone about how unfairly someone treated you . But that’s just another way of throwing spears at someone. You’re going to hurt the person who attacked you by telling everybody what they did to YOU.
Here’s the thing: even when the spear hits you right in the heart, it never touches you! It’s not your business if the person who throws spears is one of God’s anointed. God won’t tell you because when he’s breaking you ts Gods will that you go through some rough stuff. And If you run and hide somewhere else to get away from all this stuff, God will see where you’ve run to and raise up another mad king Saul over there, because you need to have the work done in your life if you ever want to be used.
Now, if you don’t want to be used by God, and you don’t want to do His will, that’s OK - God will let you drop out of His school for kings. But you’ll be useless to Him in this world.
See, that person you’re looking at is not the real problem. Keep looking at him or her and you’ll miss what God is looking at. God’s looking at another problem. He is looking at what’s on the inside of you. And that’s why we all need to go through this school .
See, inside of each and every one of you – there’s a King Saul. That’s what the flesh consists of. The reason God puts us all under a Saul from time to time is because there is a Saul in us. And God removes the Saul in us by allowing the Saul’s of this world to attack us. See, King Saul wanted David dead. But although he never knew it, Saul was a tool being used by God to make David a better king than Saul ever was.
David was almost destroyed through it all. But that was the only way God could crush the Saul out of David. I’ll give you and example: Cancer is treated by taking the body close to death without killing it in order to kill the cancer. It’s called chemotherapy. The saul on the inside of you will survive in you unless God breaks you.
And David understood that this was Gods will – and he accepted it as such. He didn’t retaliate against Saul. Because he knew the real problem was on the inside of him and by David’s refusal to fight back, the real enemy was being defeated in him.
David didn’t brag about it to anyone either. Nobody knew. And when the hardship was over, you would never have been able to recognize David. Because he became a king whom God could use mightily. His personality was totally altered.
When David did leave it was because Saul forced him to leave. And when he left, didn’t rally anybody to go with him,
he left alone. He didn’t talk about his troubles. Where most people would shout about how someone had hurt them nobody knew what Saul did to David, except for David and God. When Saul demanded David’s death, David ran.
Now here’s a really important lesson: If we can’t leave the situation we’re dealing with without telling others and stirring people up to hate the Saul whose attacking us then we’ll never be counted among God’s anointed.
For years David was chased like an animal. But what did he do? He sang and sang and sang. See, its while he was being hounded down that David learned to depend upon God. It was during that season of his life, when he was going through the rough stuff that David wrote the majority of the Book of Psalms. The music room where the Psalms were written was a cave in a Cliffside while the hunting dogs were out there, baying for his blood.
Why did Saul first attack David?
Because he felt threatened. And if David had retaliates and attacked Saul it would just have been another Saul attacking because he felt threatened. That turns people mad.
David wouldn’t let hatred grow in his heart. He wouldn’t throw spears like Saul did. David would never, ever take matters into his own hands and avenge himself.
Think about this. The people you’re facing, those people who are hurting you are the tools God uses to reveal what YOU are on the inside.
You’ll either be a David or a Saul. Everyone of us will experience some rough times. Everyone of us will turn out either to be a David or a Saul. You are either already one or the other, or you’re in the process of becoming one or the other.
True men and women of God don’t force themselves on others and demand that others know what they’re actually doing.
They don’t care who misunderstands them. People truly used by God never say they are. People just know they are.
When we know that God will let us go through trials, ands use the Saul’s of this world to remove the Saul from within us,
this knowledge can do something to you.
Absalom’s are people who see Saul’s all the time.
See, Absolom.s are very critical people
People that talk about the church and what they think it should be like and what’s not right with it. They see all this stuff that they don’t agree with. And they quietly begin to stir the pot. Did you know you can be a stirrer without actually saying anything?
If you read about Absalom you realize that he just let people talk. He never added any words. He never spoke against the king/ He just told people what he would do if he were to become king.And that started a rebellion in the nation
And it happens in the church too. There are those Absolom’s who would never speak out against the Pastor. They just listen and listen. Until the time comes and they just say what they would do were they in charge. And that causes rebellions and strife
God's kind of people are not critical at all. The critical ones actually have motives hidden in their hearts.
Why don't they just walk away? They can't walk away without having to rally people with them. This proves their dishonesty. David knew all along what Absalom was doing. And he didn’t stop him. David would not talk against Absalom.
When it comes to troubles and you do not know what to do... DO NOTHING.
David had a choice. Would he fight back AND BE LIKE SAUL? Better to die a dead David than live like Saul. In other words, let people speak against you. Who cares what they think? God knows the truth. But as soon as you become hurt and spread it around, you’re not a David, but a Saul.
Those who work for God will have to come to grips with this. It is not our kingdom, but God's.
The bottom line is that God allows the people to treat us unfairly. He allows this. It would not happen to us if He did not allow it.
1Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].
God will not let you be tempted with something you can’t handle. So really, if you fight the person, you actually fight God!
God has us in his hand. If He is in control, then let Him handle it. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay."
David was an example! He would never fight back. He knew who was saying what against him. But he let them do it, and that allowed God to take care of the situation. Later we find that God dealt with Absalom.
Lets not take over and handle it ourselves. That is a sign that we are too concerned over ourselves, And it shows we want OUR WILL instead of God's will. Its not our place to decide who and who is not a Saul. It is just our place to react the way David did. As soon as you think THAT ONE MUST BE A SAUL, you become an Absalom.
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The less we do the more God can work. Do nothing and God will do it as soon as He plans. LET GOD BE GOD.
So David walked out... ...he walked and walked... ...right into the hearts of all true believers who truly love God and who will be used of God mightily!
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