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And then so moving on here in first or second salmon chapter 14 and we got the story where Joab kind of just devises this plan in order to bring Absalom back and You might wonder what is Joab's motive? Why is Joab even interested in bringing back? Absalom at all. You know, what is what is his motive here? And you know, I was thinking about this and it's not because he's some you know He has some kind of familial bond with him and he's like a distant relative to him He's like a he's not even a cousin. He's like a second cousin. So it's not that I don't think he's just got some You know, he's just known Absalom for so long They spent so much time together or something like that And it's certainly not because they're friends because if you read there in verses 29 and 30, you know He he eventually Absalom burns down, you know, Joab's, you know barley Which is not something you typically do to somebody if you're their friend, you know, go destroy their property And of course second salmon 18, you know Joab has no problem just killing Absalom even after he's been specifically told by the king not to so I don't think it's because You know Joab has some affinity for Absalom because he has some favor for him But really what I think this is about and we'll see it as we get into it Is that he's more concerned for David's sake, you know He's more concerned for David's prosperity that that there is an heir to the throne, you know And it does show that you know Joab for all of his You know glaring faults and for all the wicked things that he did is still a man that is loyal to David and some could even argue that he's loyal to a fault That you know, he's he's quick to just say oh you want Uriah the Hittite dead. No questions asked gets done, right? So he's a very loyal person and really almost to a fault Now if you look there you kind of see the reason it says in verse 1 now Joab the son of Ziriah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom so he can tell that David you know is longing after him as it said in verse 39 of the previous chapter in the soul of David long to go Forth unto Absalom for he was comforted comforted concerning Amnon seeing he was dead So he's looking at the king and he's seeing him being so upset and you know He wants to help David out and I believe you know, he's just also trying to look out for David It's so I think that's ultimately where it's coming from But we have to also remember that in this throughout this whole story, you know with Absalom and Amnon and Tamar and Joab What's what's taking place here is the fulfillment of the fact that Nathan had prophesied against? David that he was going to have evil raised up out of his own house Okay, and what I want us to notice first of all, is that you know, God's judgment Sometimes comes very slowly, doesn't it? If you remember in 2nd Samuel chapter 13 it says in verse 22 and Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad Of course, this is after he had defiled and violated Tamar, right? But Amnon he spake another good nor bad Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar and it came to pass after two full years Okay, and this is after you know sometime after David has already had Nathan come to him and tell him look God's gonna judge you and and the swords never gonna depart from your house And he's gonna raise up evil against you So now we have that time span from when that judgment first comes down to where this story takes place And then two full years past that Nothing, these wheels are just turning things are just getting in motion and then it says in verse 38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur. This is after he killed Amnon After the full two years and was there three years, you know, and this is where we're kind of coming into the story So five years have gone by and it says in verse 28 So so and then when he finally does come back notice also that Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and saw not the king's face So we know it's Absalom because we've read the story That is eventually gonna be the one that fulfills that prophecy of being the evil that is raised up in his own house Right and rebelling against him, but notice it took at least a full seven years for that judgment to come true You know sin in our life doesn't always just come immediately You know again, if that were the case that really wouldn't require much faith in God would it that'd be like every time I sin God just judges me immediately You know a lot of times in our lives the sin come the judgment for sin will come later at the very least the consequences Sometimes could come later now again Sometimes the consequences can be immediate and we understand also that God gives you know Mercy and long-suffering and sometimes we can negate the judgment through confession and and Getting right and and and God will show us mercy, but a lot of times, you know The consequences of sin can can be delayed and God's judgments often sometimes can can can be delayed as well So we should never just assume that we got away with it Okay, if we if we do something that we know we're not supposed to be doing we're getting into sin You know and we're looking around and say nobody noticed, you know, the preacher didn't find out my parents didn't find out You know, nobody else knows but me don't think that you got away with it because God ultimately, you know He sees everything, you know, the eyes of the Lord are at every place beholding the evil and the good scripture says Right. So don't think you got away with it Just because nobody else noticed it and don't think you got away with it with God because well, I didn't get chastened You know, I went out and I committed some sin I did this or I did that and nothing happened So I must have gotten away with it No, the the truth is the reality is is that sometimes in our life the chastening the judgment comes later that sometimes the consequences of sin catch up with us later and You know, we don't want to what we don't want to you know Mock God in this way and go over to keep something there go to second Peter chapter 3 second Peter chapter number 3 Bible says be not deceived. God is not mocked for whatsoever man. So at that shall he also reap That is that is not doesn't say, you know, he might reap it whatever you so no It says you're going to reap what you sow It's just an inevitable law of the universe that can work for you or against you You could either sow good and reap good or you can sow You know wickedly and rip receive the you know the reward for doing so And make sure you know, don't think you got away with it because of the fact that you know We are promised in Scripture. We are told that God chastens his children in Hebrews chapter 12 he chases every son who may receive it then it says if you be without chastisement Then you're bastards and not sons, you know, if you can just keep committing sin and never have any consequences You know, I would be afraid for you because you know, there might be a chance maybe you're not saved I don't know. That's the one like reassuring thing about being chased by guys and say well least I know I'm saved At least I know God loves me Enough to care for me and watch or me doesn't he wants me to do right? But this thinking that oh, well, you know the chasing didn't come right away. I must have gotten away with it You know, this is the type of attitude that emboldens very wicked people Okay, you're there in second pack in second Peter chapter 3 look at verse 1 the second epistle beloved I write unto you in Both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance That be mindful of the words spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior Knowing this first that there shall come the last day what? scoffers, okay, people are gonna scoff, you know who are gonna mock and ridicule and make light of and make You know poke fun at and worse and what they can be doing walking after their own lust and saying what is it? What is the scoffing that these these people are going to do? Where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of The creation you're saying look God doesn't seek it's like God, you know You keep telling me Jesus is gonna come and judge and that there's gonna be You know this this tribulation and then he's coming back. But where is he? You know, we're just gonna keep walking after our lusts because everything just continues as it has been You know, it's been 2,000 years since he said he is gonna come back and he ain't here yet So we're just gonna go ahead and keep walking after less. What are they doing? They're mocking God Because they have this foolish notion that they're getting away with it You know and sometimes we could even get discouraged and take all these wicked people are getting away with it But they're ultimately not getting away with it They might get away with it in this life But eventually God is going to judge them and you know, they typically you do get judged in this life. Okay? You know and this is an attitude that Emboldens wicked people to think oh I got away with it and we should never have this attitude in our Christian lives to think That we've gotten away with it because you know I was you know out drinking committing for occasion or doing whatever sin that's so prevalent out there today And it's you know, I've been doing that for years now and it just seems like you know God hasn't caught up with me You know, but God is you know, your sin will catch up with you It's just that sometimes God delays that judgment sometimes the consequences of sin don't come immediately You know David here he got probably he was told hey, I'm gonna raise up evil I'm gonna raise up a sword in your own. It's never the swords never going to part from your house Seven years went by and it seemed like nothing had happened I mean, yeah, it's some bad things that happened, you know to his family, but him he was still sitting on the throne He was still safe and secure. It's just that the wheels were in motion. The things were turning they were You know things were getting there. Okay, and again we could go to other passages where we see that wicked people had this mentality It's not the mentality. We want to have as God's people we remember in Ezekiel chapter 8 where Ezekiel's taken and he's shown what the abominations that the the elders of Israel the ancients of Israel do and they're in there They're smoke-filled chamber and they're worshiping all these images, right and and what do they say? They say that the Lord, you know, he has forsaken the earth that the Lord seeth us not What are they saying? You say we're getting away with it. He doesn't see he doesn't notice we've been in here burning his incense to all these creeping things and all these false idols and Everything's just going on like it was it's a foolish attitude You know and we would say well we would never do anything like that You know what? We would never worship idols or anything and praise God for it But you know what a lot of times in our own lives we have sins that we think well God just doesn't notice this sin That somehow we've just some you know Disguise this sin that God doesn't know about it whether it's a sin of the flesh or a sin of the mind or just an attitude or there's all kinds of different sins that We just kind of are real comfortable with and just keep and hang on to because we just think well You know God must not notice that Because my life seems to be going okay But you know what's gonna happen to the wicked is they're gonna be destroyed in a moment The Bible says he that being often reproved and hard at this neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without random remedy It's a sudden destruction. Hey that comes upon people that have this attitude of well, I'm getting away with it God's taking his time said in Psalm 73 go to first Thessalonians 5 first Thessalonians 5 How are they brought into a desolation as in a moment? They are utterly consumed with terrors as dream as a dream when one awaketh So Oh Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image They think oh, you know, like God's just slumbering, you know, and God's just sleeping He's not gonna do anything about you know, when God wakes up and we know that God doesn't actually sleep That's the analogy here when God wakes up. It's go time when God finally stops Seeming to not care when if God finally seems like he's you know, going to start paying attention You know, he's gonna bring the hammer down on these people is what he's saying As one as a dream when one awake as so Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image is what he said It's going to happen in a moment. They shall be suddenly destroyed in that without remedy and we say yeah those wicked people That's what they deserve. But you know what a lot of times We forget that applies to us too as God's people If we just think I'm getting away with the sin, I'm getting away with it Be sure your sins will find you out. They will catch up with you. Okay? first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 1 He said but at the times and seasons brethren you have no need that I run into you For yourselves know perfectly how the day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night Now who's gonna come as a thief in the night those that are what for when they shall say peace and safety then Sudden sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child They shall not escape but ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief He says a verse 5 you are the children of light and the children of the day We are not of the night nor of darkness Look, we're not gonna be overtaken by and we know this talking about the day of the Lord the return of Christ It's not gonna overtake us because we're gonna be we're gonna recognize the signs and the seasons We're gonna be looking for his coming But the application here is that people just get this attitude of God doesn't see God's forsaken the earth. He's forgotten We're getting away with it. But then it's sudden destruction that comes upon them And he says in verse 6 therefore let us not sleep as do others let us watch and be sober You know, that's the way we ought to live our lives vigilant sober lives Guarding against sin in our lives looking for the coming Lord living a holy righteous godly life He says in verse 7 for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be drunken or drunk at night But let us who are the day be sober Putting on the breastplate of faith and love for an helmet Excuse me in foreign helmet the hope of salvation, you know, we're supposed to be girded with his armor We're supposed to be looking for the coming of Christ We're supposed to be living for him You know having the breastplate of righteousness and the breastplate of faith and love and for an helmet the hope of salvation You know, we're supposed to have these things on we're not just supposed to be letting our armor lay You know lay off to the side and just act like you know God doesn't see just act like the rest of them as they do As people who just think that they're getting away with it that God doesn't notice So that's you know, that's first one there in our story You know is that really this does you see this build up to David's judgment finally coming true and it takes years for it to come to pass and I want to make that application for us to not think that we're just getting away with it because you know Nothing's happened and often a lot of times, you know if we are in sin and you know If we find when we finally do get right if we're if we look back then we start to recognize God's chasing hand It turns out, you know, he was dealing with us all along It's just we're saying all that that it's not that's not God chasing me. That's just a coincidence Right, but that's how God works God uses he engineers circumstances. He works in life He you know does things that you know, other people might just say well, that's a coincidence But we know that we're you know, that God, you know is judging us, you know, God does chasing his children You know, I mean if God can bless us, you know You know if we got a raise or we got a promotion we found some job or some prayer God answer we say well praise God. He blessed me. We'll chalk those things up to God working in our lives But what about when you know and I look I'm not saying every time we get sick or something or something bad happens Sometimes it is a coincidence But look, you know, we're tires are falling off the car You know just we're getting sick, you know, there's just all of a sudden There's black mold in our house or you know, just all these crazy crazy things that just come out of the woodwork It's like maybe sometimes you step back and say well, is there something that maybe God is judging me over? Is there something I need to get right? Maybe there is something God's trying to get through to me because God's not gonna email you, you know It's not gonna just be like, you know, hey you need to straighten this out. This is upsetting me That's not how God works. He's not gonna come down here and personally rebuke us But he will chasing us in our lives, you know, and he will you know chasing us through his word and the preaching of his word But look sometimes those things, you know, the consequences of sin they catch up to us after years and People will be warned and warned and warned and then it's just sudden destruction that comes upon them You know, they'll sit there and say well, they'll they'll be warned I know what the preacher said. I know my parents said and say, you know quit doing that, you know, quit drinking quit fornicating Quit doing this quit doing that and say I know I know I know and we're but I'm getting away with it I don't know why they keep saying that because it just seems like every everybody else is having a good time I've having a good time, but then it's sudden destruction. It comes out of the blue and Then it's too late. They shall be destroyed and that without remedy You know, I know they keep telling me not to drink they keep telling me not to be a drunk I'm just gonna go ahead and keep doing that and then all of a sudden it's the DUI Now all of a sudden it's the lights flashing in the rearview mirror and you're going to the county in cuffs or wherever And now you don't have a license, right? And now it's you know all kinds of things, you know I'm just out there committing fornication and everyone just nothings happening and then all of a sudden It's the unwanted pregnancy all of a sudden it's the disease That's how it works. It's sudden and it's not immediate and it's not the first time But it does come and that's what we see in David's life It took over seven years for it to happen, but it did come didn't it and when it came, you know It was not pleasant. It was a very bad thing that happened so That's one thing we can learn from this but then you know, we get into this story here where Joab is You know Concocting this plan to try to get David to bring Absalom back and he uses here You know the wise woman of Tekoa It says there in verse 2 and Joab sent to Tekoa and fetched thence a wise woman and you wonder Oh, why did he have to go to Tekoa wasn't there somebody in Jerusalem and I don't know But it's probably because of the fact that you wanted to make sure it was somebody that David wasn't likely to recognize That's kind of my theory And he said unto her I pray thee feign thyself to be a mourner and put on now morning apparel and noint thyself with oral oil But be as a woman that had a long time mourn for the dead So remember this story that she tells him is just completely made up And it says and come to the king and speak also and on this manner So Joab put the put the words in her mouth. So he gives her this script Okay, so what makes her so wise then, you know if Joab's telling her what to say, you know How is she a wise woman? Well, if you notice she has to be able to answer David when it is unpredictable responses Right because he doesn't know how what David's gonna say So it's got to be somebody who can get the thrust of the message what Joab wants to happen It has to be somebody who can think on their feet I think that's why she's referred to as a wise woman Because some of the things we're about to read where she says are not correct And again, this is another example We see it over and over again in these narratives where there's the there's the story of the scripture and then there's the statement of scripture And just because people say things or do things that doesn't mean they're right now It does say she's wise but it's it's because I think she's wise in a cunning way because she's smart She has an intellect. She knows what Joab's ultimate end goal is and she knows how to think on her feet Okay, it's not because what she's saying is just this profound, you know wisdom She's not some Oracle of God or something like that. And again, these are Joab's words that she's he's giving to her He said in verse 3 and come to the king and speak on this manner under him So Joab put the words in her mouth verse 4 and when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and Said help Oh King and the king senator what a let these she answered I am indeed a widow woman and my husband is dead and thine handmaid had two sons and they strove together in the field And there was none to part them But the one smote the other and slew him and behold the whole family has risen against thine handmaid and they said deliver him That smote his brother that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew and we will destroy the air Also, and so they shall quench my coal which is left and shall not leave mine husband neither name nor remainder Upon the earth. So what Joab was doing here with these words if he's trying to draw You know some parallels with this hypothetical situation of this widow and her two sons and that of Amnon and Absalom, okay with the two sons one slew the other. Okay. Now it's a little bit of a different situation. This isn't a very You know, this is an inaccurate comparison when you start to think about it But you can kind of see what Joab's motive is also, you know, he's trying to get her He's trying to to to plead her case saying look. I'm not gonna have an heir There's gonna be no coal left on to me. That's kind of I think where we see Joab's motive He's saying look, I don't want you know, the heir apparent to be taken out of the picture because you know, David's you know It's David's something might happen to David's lineage. All right And again notice this is where her wisdom come is because she has to be able to answer David Accordingly and the king said on the woman go to thine house and I will give charge concerning me So he's basically saying look come back later. Let me think about it Let me sleep on this and I'll tell you What she asked she knows that Joab is trying to get something across so she you know Why is this is her wisdom and that she gets the answer out of him, right? She gets to the end of the matter It says in verse 9 the one of them to Koa said of the king my lord Oh King The iniquity be on me and on my father's house and the king and his throne be guiltless And the king said whosoever saith ought to be bring him to me that he shall not touch thee anymore Then said so he kind of gives her an answer, right? But then she presses him because she's trying to get to this point that she's making but she's being very delicate about it You know and and obviously she's about to tell him, you know You're what you're doing with Absalom is not right in and again, this isn't Joab's opinion Okay, that doesn't mean what's right is we'll see that in a minute But she can notice how she's doing this delicately, right and she's trying it's obviously he's the king She doesn't want to make him mad. She's kind of sticking her neck out a little bit Then she said so she's gently leading up to this and she said I pray thee let the king remember the Lord thy God that thou Wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy anymore lest they destroy my son He said as the Lord liveth there shall not one hair of thy son falleth to the earth So again, he's trying she's they're trying to make this the city she's she's making this appeal saying look You know don't let the revengers of blood, you know destroy anymore lest they destroy my son And again, she's trying she's gonna break it to him saying, you know, you're this is exactly what you're doing David You know, you're destroying your son. You're destroying your air She's trying to she goes on to implies this to David's situation in verse 12 And the woman said then the woman said let thine handmaid I pray thee speak one word unto my lord the king and he said say on and the woman said wherefore then thou Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? Excuse me She's kind of get him put, you know sticking it to him, but notice all the way up to this She's been very, you know courteous and she's being very humble and I think and she's still doing it in the right way so to speak but She says for the king does speak this thing as one which is faulty She's saying look you're a little off here and that the king doth not fetch a home a home again His banished so all of a sudden it's about him now Right, so you can kind of see how David Connects the dots here at the end that this is all Joab's doing because it goes, you know All of a sudden goes from her situation. It's like well now why are we talking about me? David's probably thinking for you must needs die and there's water spilt in the ground which cannot be gathered again Neither doth God respect any persons what she's saying is like look don't think you're any different You know if you if you don't bring Absalom home if you destroy your your air, you know There might not be anybody that's gonna follow in your line, right? Yet he doth devise means and that is banished that is banished be not expelled from from him now Therefore I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king It is because the people have made me afraid and thine handmaid said I will now speak unto the king It may be the king will perform the request of his handmaid. So she's continuing on with the roots, right? You know, she's wise in the fact that she's showing up She's trying to get David to admit that what he's doing is wrong she used this hypothetical situation when David doesn't give her the answer she wants she presses them a little bit more and Then you know and then goes after it and says look what you're doing is wrong Okay, but then, you know again her wisdom is that she continues on with this ruse. She doesn't just say hey You know the gig is up She goes on and says now therefore I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king and it's because The people have made me afraid she's like look I can relate kind of what she's saying And thine handmaids say that will now speak unto the king It may be that the king will perform their quest of his handmaid For the king will hear to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man of destroying me and my son together Out of the inheritance of God then thine handmaids say the word of my lord The king shall now be comfortable for as an angel of God So as my lord the king to discern good and bad Therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee so you can kind of see how this makes her a wise Person a wise woman because of the fact that you know, she went about this whole thing very delicately She knew how to respond to David and she knew how to continue with this ruse right trying to pull the wool over David's eyes but I want us to know here or notice here is that These words that Joab has put in here this hypothetical Situation is an inaccurate comparison with what took place between Joab excuse me with Amnon and Absalom Okay, now go over to Numbers chapter 35 because as I was reading they probably noticed she refers back to you know the revenger of blood And not you know, and she's worried that they're gonna come in and take away her other son and kill him Right Because in verse 7 and behold the whole family is risen against thine handmaid and they said deliver him that smote his brother that We may kill him for the life of his brother who's whom he slew and we will destroy the air also So they shall quench that coal is left That's what she's afraid of is that the revenger of blood is gonna come an exact vengeance upon her other son But that's not really the situation that took place between Absalom and Amnon is it? Okay. We'll see what how the Bible Would determine what should happen because her son, you know, if this hypothetical situation were true, you know Her son would be judged. He would not be slain immediately He would be judged by the congregation and then be sent either then either would be killed or more than likely Be sent to you know a city of refuge, you know That was kind of what she was Asking for okay, that is not what should have happened to Absalom. Absalom should have been put to death Okay, and we'll read it here your numbers 35 numbers 35 verse 14 He says in verse 14 you shall give three cities on this side Jordan and these three cities three cities Shall you give in the land of Canaan which shall be cities of refuge? These six cities shall be for a refuge for both the children of Israel and for the stranger for the soldier Excuse me and for the sojourner among them That everyone that killeth any person's unaware may flee thither and If so, the the person who kills unaware, so this is involuntary Manslaughter, you know, I'm just driving down the road a guy just jumps out and you know, it's dark I can't see and I hit the guy and he dies. I had no ill intent It was just involuntary manslaughter and you know in God's system I would you know go and flee into one of these cities of refuge because if I'm found by like one of their family members You know and they want exact vengeance on me. That's something that could happen, right and Then he goes on to verse 16 describes another situation. Okay, and if he smite him with an instrument of iron So that he died he is a murderer the murderer shall be put that shall surely be put to death now Which one of these situations applies to Absalom? Did he just accidentally kill Amnon? No now should Amnon have been put to death The answer is we looked at that a couple weeks ago. He should not have been put to death Okay, and if you want it, I'm not gonna go down that whole rabbit trail again. You got to listen to that sermon, okay? But he should that was not the punishment that he should have received Absalom took matters into his own hands which was not right and Look, we will see here at the end the true nature and character of Absalom because at this point in the story some people Might be thinking well, what's so bad about Absalom? He you know, he's sticking up for his sister You can't blame him for being upset and humanly speaking we could think that but according to God's law That's not what should have happened. He shouldn't have been allowed to flee. You know, he should have been put to death Okay, so this is not an accurate Comparison that Joab is using through this woman in these words that he's put in her mouth. Okay? He said if he smite him with an instrument of iron so that he died he is a murderer the murderer shall surely be put To death and if he smite him with the throwing stone wherewith he may die and he die He is a murderer the murderer shall surely put to death verse 18 or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood wherewith he may die and he die he is a murderer and The murderer shall surely be put to death. I mean, do you think God wants murders put to death? And he keeps saying it verse 19 the revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer It's not even kind of you know, it's not even a capital of punishment. It's you know, the family member gets to execute him Revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer when he meeteth him. He shall slay him but if he thrust him of hatred, so it's going back and and and We'll just read it if he thrust him of hatred or hurl at him by lying of weight that he died or an enmity Smiting with his hand that he died and smote him He shall surely be put to death for he's a murderer the revenger of blood shall slay the murder when he meeteth him So he's talking about premeditated First degree murder that is the punishment for death. Okay for killing somebody. Excuse me is death Verse 22, but if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, I mean, he's not angry at him There's no, you know anger. There's no wrath or if cast upon him Anything without laying of weight, you know, was it premeditated? He wasn't waiting for him to come by and drop the anvil or whatever the rock I guess it would be Or without any or with any stone where the man might die seeing him not and cast upon him It's just an accident that he died That he was not his enemy neither sought him his harm Then the congregation shall judge between the Slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood And the congregation shall restore him to the city of refuge where there he was fled and he shall abide in it unto the death Of the high priest which was anointed with the holy oil. So you have these different situations here You got the guy who with with malicious intent Plans and destroys and kills another person. He is to be put to death Then you have the other guy who you know, even either wasn't you know was it was sudden It was just like a crime of passion kind of thing. There was no enmity there before there was no planning involved It's just something that happened even then you know Like a second-degree murder he gets to be judged by the congregation flees to the city of refuge has to be judged gets judged by the congregation and either remains there or is put to death and The guy where it's just a complete accident, you know, he's he's he gets off He remains in the city of refuge to the death of the high priest, right? So this hypothetical situation where these two brothers rose up in the field, you know It's taught and it gives you that idea of rising up. They're out working and they got into some kind of an argument And you know how brothers can get right and they start going at each other You know and if and she says and there was no there was no man to Apart them there was no one there to pull them apart, you know, mom wasn't around dad wasn't around to say knock it off Right and they just keep going at it and going at it and things get out of control and escalate and the next Thing, you know either by accident or just in the heat of the moment the one brother killed the other You know, maybe they had a real serious dispute over something made him real upset, you know but it wasn't premeditated murder that brother and that's why she's this lady is going to the king in this hypothetical situation and Saying look deliver him from the avenger of blood make sure justice is done Let him get to the city of refuge and let him you know stand trial basically or be judged by the congregation Right, that's the situation she's describing that is not what happened with Absalom Remember when we read I just read it earlier. He waited He said nothing to Amnon for two full years and then you know We read it last week and he had this big feast and he or this the sheep shearing invites all the king's sons invites David wanted to do it in front of David and and Tells his his servants. Look when you see him kill him, right? So he's just as guilty, right? He's he might not have done the actual killing But you know David didn't it wasn't the one that killed Uriah the Hittite himself, but God held him accountable Right because he put him in that situation and commanded it to happen. He told his servant to do the same thing you know he told Joab to kill him to put him in the hottest part of the battle and God said you have killed Uriah the Hittite David with the sword, so that's what Absalom has done here, you know, he's plotted against him He should be put to death Okay, so I just want to point this out because again and it just goes back to that principle we have to keep in mind when we read the Bible and Get so many questions and have people have so much confusion because I say over and over again But people get this they forget this is that there's just because somebody says or does something the Bible doesn't make it right You got to compare spiritual things with spiritual things or you know a lot of times unspiritual things That people are doing what the spiritual things that they should be doing what the scripture actually tells us to do And what people said or what they did it's two different things So, you know David, he eventually he sees through this he discovers the truth You know it I don't think you have to be some great sleuth on David's part, you know when this conversation suddenly shifts to me You know, why are you suddenly so distraught for my situation when you're your son's the one that's about to be taken out And he discovers the truth here right if you want to go back to second Samuel chapter number 14 Where we were and it says in verse 18 verse 18 then the king answered and said to the woman hide not from me Hide not from me I pray thee that the thing that I shall ask any woman said let Mike the Lord of the king now speak The king said it's not the hand of Joab with thee and all this And the woman answered and said as thy soul liveth my lord the king none can turn to the right hand or the left From aught my lord the king hath spoken for thy servant job He bade me and put all these words in my mouth of thine handmaids So she's she's fessing up here to fetch about this form of speech that hath thy servant Joab done this thing And my lord is wise according to wisdom of an angel of God so she's kind of you could see again her wisdom coming up This is what makes her wise she knows how to get out of a Potentially dangerous situation because David might have taken this the wrong way. All right, and she's not exactly sure how he's gonna react But she's now she's kind of laying on a little thick All right, you're as wise as an angel of God to know all things that are in the earth Right and the king said unto Joab behold now I have done this thing go therefore bring the young man into Joab Excuse me Absalom bring again the young man Absalom again and Joab fell to ground his face and bowed himself and thanked the king and Joab Said today thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in the sight of my lord Oh king and that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant So Joab arose and went to Gishur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. So it worked, you know, ultimately it worked and What we see here at the end is the true nature of Absalom's character, I mean we kind of saw it earlier With the whole plot against his brother You know when having him slain and killing Amnon, but a lot of people might dismiss that they might say well You know, he was right to do that not according scripture. Okay, that was not what he should have done And he was taking things into his own hands regardless. Okay, which is not what we're supposed to do and That that should have been a hint at his character But now it just becomes a very evident of what type of person Absalom is and the first thing and I want to point out about Absalom, of course is his pride Okay, and if you look there in verse 24 and said and the king said, excuse me And the king said let him turn to his own house on him not him not see my face So Absalom returned to his own house and saw not the king's face But in all of Israel there was none so much to be praised as Absalom for his beauty From the sole of his foot even to the crown of I mean not from not from his foot folks from the sole of his Foot, I mean they would look at the bottom of his feet and say wow You are handsome, right? You're one good-looking guy. He's got no cracks down there. No bunions Right nails are just right Anyway, it's just kind of a it's a without expression always got me You know, it's from the sole of his foot Unto the crown of his head there was no blemish in him and when he pulled his head and pulled just means basically, you know Just cut it, you know cut it very close not necessarily to shave it But to just pull it And so when he pulled his head it was for it was every year's end that he pulled it now Look again going back to what I said earlier Just because the Bible says this is what somebody did doesn't mean you should do it You probably want to cut your hair more than once a year. Okay, if you're if you're a guy Right, it says there it was it was at the every Year's end that he pulled it because the hair was heavy on him Therefore he pulled it and then you get this last little nugget here That should tell you everything, you know about a guy like epsilon He weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels after the king's weight now I can understand this a little bit, you know, I don't know about weighing it whenever you know My wife cuts my hair whenever she does that like if the beards gotten bushy, you know And I noticed that first ball it comes off. I always take at him just like man. Look how much hair that is I mean she sleeps it all up. I'm always looking like man It's not a year's worth, but it's a little too much, you know, right? So I can you you know, you kind of get into that but I don't know weighing your hair It's kind of what a weird guy. Why is he doing this? It's out of his pride, right? He's letting his hair grow real long I say look how long I grew my hair because long hair and a man the Bible teaches is shameful First Corinthians 14 it does not even nature itself teach you that that if a man have long hair It is a shame unto him the scripture says It's a shame to have for a man to have long hair and it goes in the same passage It's a shame for a woman to have short hair Okay, we can we can debate, you know, what's long and what's short, but we all know and most people, you know Doth not even nature itself teach you You know when you're when you're when you're you see them from behind and you're like isn't a guy or girl You know that hair is too long for sure, okay It's definitely too long when it's been a whole year and you can wait Alright, so what is this a picture of this is a picture of his rebellion, right? Because even back then, you know, the Nazarites were the were the only ones To have that were to have long hair that it was the bow of the Nazarene, right? They were the only ones that were allowed to do that when they took that bow and that's a whole nother thing So this just shows that he was a rebellious person and growing out his hair Letting you get long and just you know And it was a rebellion that he wanted everybody to see and everybody around him to notice right and look that nothing's changed Isn't that what a lot of people do even today? A lot of guys do today like the rockers and everybody Remember that the hairspray bands they're going against the system Some of you guys don't know what I'm saying when I say hairspray to you. Some of you do though You Know all the metal bands from the 80s. They just all had that poofed out here. There's a just tons of hairspray Like guys, you don't need hairspray if you're using hairspray, you know, you better have a guitar or something You better be making a music video But but what was that? Oh, that was a sign Well, they were you know preaching a lot of rebellious music got a real rebellious attitude, you know going against the system That's what they do a lot of times and that's a that's a sign of rebellion growing my hair out getting long hair, right? I mean think about in the 60s, right wasn't that the long-haired hippie? right No one wants to admit it. They're like we weren't around back But that was the thing that was a cultural thing to show that you were you know going against the status quo I'm gonna grow my hair out to let everybody know, you know, I'm a You know, I'm fighting the man kind of a thing, right? Growing their hair out. That's what's going on here You know, he's letting a girl out to show what that he's very proud of himself. And what is it these he's you know What's a source of his pride potentially his looks? Right. I mean the Bible is the one that's saying look he's he was he was a From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head There was no blemish in him, but in all Israel there was none so much to be praised as Absalom for his beauty He's the best looking guy. There was the Bible saying that's the scripture saying that okay again, so that's a fact And you know that can be a huge source of pride for people both men and women can it their looks And you know being proud of your looks is such a stupid thing to be proud of Because you had nothing to do with it. You know if you got a pretty face You know, I guess the only credit we can give you is that you didn't bash it into something, you know Well, I kept it this way, you know, you know, I didn't box and get a crooked nose or anything like that You know, I don't have cauliflower ears from wrestling. I kept this thing pretty You know, well big deal, you know, what else did you do to get you know, or you know If people do want to take credit for their looks because they do what they just spent hours in the gym Right, and they're just so absorbed self-absorbed. So just obsessed with themselves watching everything they eat you know and just Pumping iron and just trying to just make themselves the you know, ideal physique. What is that? It's pride You know and men and women can both be guilty of this It's such a dumb thing to be proud about because all you had to do was be born to be good-looking All you had to do is just happen to have the right genetics You know and and beauty is vain and favors deceitful, but a woman that fear at the Lord she shall be praised You know if it came down to just you know, the most beautiful looking woman on earth Who did not love the Lord and just another just plain Jane? We just love God go with the plain Jane who loves God Because beauty is vain favors and it's fleeting It's gonna fade. Look we all we as we get older. We all just keep getting uglier It's true everything gets wrinkly and everything gets loose and gray Right and and we get it get the spots and everything else that comes with it And we get less and less attractive as we get older So it's a very vain stupid thing and look these are just the facts of life to sit there and Say well, I'm gonna base, you know who I pick my spouse solely upon how they look You know good luck with that Especially if that's all your spouse is offering, you know your potential mate You know, why should I marry you because I'm so good-looking Because I got six-pack abs You know because I'm because just because of how pretty I am That's all you have to offer Because that's gonna grow old and fade away You know It's like it's like these people that are just you know, have these I mean look how obsessed people are with their looks today I you know, I'm just gonna go off a little bit these people with you know Like the full sleeve tattoos and things like that. They just look like a walking sketch pad You know, I'm not against people that have tattoos. Look if you did that it's in the past, you know I'm preaching this for people that haven't done it so they don't because here's the thing You know, you might look cool You know, you know doing something that only sailors and barbarians did for a long time And look, it's such a fad now to get these tattoos and things like that It might look cool now, but you know when you get old what it's gonna look like like a box of melted crayons That's what it's gonna look like and it's not gonna be so attractive is it it's not gonna hold that butterfly it's gonna turn into like a Moth or something. It's gonna you know, I mean, you're not even know what it is. You'll be looking at it What am I looking at here? Did someone scribble on you? You know, did the kids get a hold of crayolas and just go at it? Right, so it's such a dumb thing to get obsessed with your looks and and to make your life about something as vain and fleeting as beauty And you know and look if if we're considered attractive if people think that you know We're something to be admired great. You know what don't be proud about it You know praise God for it said, you know Thank you that I don't look like so-and-so But Just you know, don't let it go to your head. Don't you know and here's the thing, you know Well, I don't want to go on about it. I'm gonna get trouble if I keep going like this But that's one thing about that's one thing that we see about about Absalom's character Is that he's a very vain proud person and he's very rebellious Which you know, if you have any question about that just stick around. I mean the next next chapter. It's just full-on rebellion I mean, he's just flattering everybody and he's just taking on the king, you know And just civil war erupts because of his pride. The other thing is his arrogance, you know He just and arrogance you say well, what's that difference in that pride? well, I'm saying arrogance in the sense that he just thinks he can get away with whatever and And the fact that he has no appreciation for what Joe Ab did for him I mean Joe Ab's the one that concocted this whole thing and And God Absalom back and then look how Absalom repays him Verse 27 Absalom and unto Absalom were born three sons and one daughter. Whose name was Tamar She was a woman of fair countenance So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and saw not the king's face Therefore Absalom sent for Joab to have him sent under the king So he's he's trying to get Joab to do something for him Right because remember the king said don't let me see his face and Joab want or Absalom wants to see him So now he's hitting up Joab, right? Don't you think Joab's already kind of put his neck out a little bit for Absalom in the story and now here's Absalom You know, he's sending to Joab to have him sent of the king, but he would not come to him You know, he gets he sends the text and it does not read read, you know, it just gets ignored It's immediately dismissed, right? He calls him decline right sent to voicemail. He does not answer him Therefore he sent unto his servant see Joab's field is near mine. He hath barley there go set it on fire It's just such a crazy story this guy He's just like he doesn't get his way. It's like just go set his field on fire. I Mean, how would you like it if I did that to you? You know, I'm calling you and I'm not calling to see how you're doing. I'm calling cuz I'm gonna ask you a favor I'm trying to get something out of you. I want you to do something for me You know and this is kind of a big ask Hey get me the king specifically said let me not see his face Hey Joab, you know that thing you did for me and get me back I want you to do something like that again and stick your neck out again You know, I'm calling you and I you know, I want to borrow, you know Some super expensive tool or I want something out of you some big favor You know and you don't return my call You're ignoring me and then I just come over to your house and just like burn your pink flamingo to the ground If you have one in your front yard, I'm not against you if you do. All right, I Just show up with a weed burner and just melt that thing. You're like, what are you doing? You didn't return my calls Does that make is that reasonable at all? I just show up and just light your some tree in your front yard on fire Like I emailed you and you didn't respond You know, I mentioned you on Facebook. You didn't like the comment So I'm here to you know, just destroy your property That's what's going on in the story. I mean that's he's not getting what he wants See this barley field go set it on fire That's you know, this is I'm talking about arrogance. I Mean, don't you think he'd be worried about the repercussions? Well, I'm the king's son and I'm so beautiful and everybody loves me and nothing's gonna happen This is his arrogance just coming through An Absalom sense servants set the field on fire Then Joe have arose and came to Absalom unto his house and said, oh, did you want to get hold of me? Did you want to talk no, he says wherefore did have thy servant set my field on fire And Absalom Absalom answered Joab behold I sent to thee saying come hither that I may send the king said that I may send thee to the king to say Wherefore I'm come my come from Giescher it had been good for me to dwell there's been there still now Therefore let me see the king's face and if there being iniquity me let him kill me So he's just you know, there's no apology here. There's no, you know, I probably should have done that He's just like you ignored me and I have a message for you to take the king Here it is why I want you to go tell him now go do what I said This is the arrogance see that he has You know, what's crazy is that Joab does it? So Joab came to the king verse 33 and told him and when he called for Absalom He came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king and the king kissed Absalom and again, you know as I started talking about back in chapters 10 11 and throughout this is that We see that David has this lapse in judgment You know, it's probably in part because of the fact that God is judging him for what he's doing But it's also in part I believe because that sin has a blinding effect on people It makes us ignorant to what's going on around us You know and he can't see Absalom for what he is, you know You and I think a lot of it's because of the fact that you know, God is is judging him You know God will do that even to his own people You know God might remove our discernment You know, God might blind us to certain situations and in order to allow our judgment to come to pass that's a scary thought folks And that God would never do anything like oh, well, you know, this wouldn't apply to us as believers But does not doesn't God mess with people's minds? Doesn't he confound people isn't there a verse where it says that he gave them over to a reprobate mind? Isn't there a verse where he actually talks about where he confounds them and gives them over to reprobate like literally messes with their mind Yeah, I mean it's so we can kind of see it and this how else do you explain David just all of a sudden all these Just letting these things happen. Oh Absalom come here, you know, I know he killed your brother and you know You've been a pain in my neck and you burn Joe Absfield and he can't see the rebellion I know that I've already been told that you know A sword is gonna come up in my own is not gonna depart from my house That evil is gonna rise up against me in my own house, but it clearly couldn't be you I mean you just read it and it's just just total absent judgment I think it's because God is judging you and look that's something to be afraid of I Mean, there's a lot of things God could do to you But when he when he decides to mess with your mind and say you know what? I'm gonna make you ignorant of the facts. I'm gonna make you you know just You know unaware of what's happening. I'm gonna make it so you can't see the forest for the trees. That's scary Because you can't do anything about that you in a lot of times you won't even know what's happening And God does those type of things But what I want us to get from this is that there are always Consequences for sin, you know, we started out talking about that and we're gonna see that in this story And we see it in David's life, you know through this portion of his life here that there's always consequences for sin They don't always come immediately do they? Nathan said hey, it's gonna come was seven years later before it came, but it did come didn't it now Look, God was obviously very merciful to David He didn't he didn't kill him for his sin with Bathsheba, but there were still consequences for sin And we should not think that it's any different for us You know, maybe we get into some sin some wicked sin, you know And we confess it and we forsake it and God says, you know what I've forgiven you but the consequences are still there I Mean, isn't that how sin works in our lives? There's you know, when sin is finished it bring it forth death folks there's always a consequence and David did get mercy, but he still had to pay the price for his sin, you know, and and Absalom You know, he's like he's gonna see one, you know next week. We'll see his punishment was a little bit more immediate He raises up in rebellion and he's quickly, you know, put down and killed, you know some sins You know the consequences do come more immediately But here's the thing which one's preferable neither You know, it's like do you want your poison now or later? How about neither you want to be punished now or later? I mean sometimes it's nice to get over with I get it. But how what about a third option called no punishment What about how about hey, how about I don't have the chasing hand of God in my life Because that's the third option. You don't have to pick between David's, you know version of Chasing or Absalom's which is more immediate. There's this third option called stay right with God You know and if you're not right get right with God, you know, and and whatever you've sown you're gonna reap but eventually, you know, that'll pass too and Just stay right from there on out keep sowing good seed You know the illustration that whenever I think about that concept that that I heard is that you know It's like it there's a certain type of grass. This is how this preacher put it It's called I can't remember the name of the grass but it's just very desirable grass that people would grow in their yards and The way you would you plant this grass is you would just plant one little spot and eventually it would just take over all the other grass You know, that's how we need to be in our lives You need to sow just start sowing the good grass Just put down that little pot and just let it grow and take over and get all the crab and the weeds out Well, look if you're out there sowing thorns briars You know weeds and undesirable things don't be surprised when those things to bear fruit in your life You know, but we can go ahead and start, you know, maybe we have a crummy lawn of a life right now You know if you start sowing the good seed eventually it will catch up and take over So get right, you know, you'll still have that season of You know that an undesirable grass You know that that that the consequences of sin that are bound to come but they'll pass Right Absalom rose up and was killed and then David got to move on with his life, right? There was always that plan B But sin always has consequences So, you know the best option is just if you want to avoid the consequences of sin just avoid sin You know, there's no other way around it because we can't just sit here and say well I'm gonna sin and get away with it. No, you're not Nobody gets away with it. God chastens us one way or another let's go and pray