Sermon: The King of Peace

I would encourage you every Sunday morning to grab a Bible and open it, especially this morning as we're going to read this whole chapter. Second Samuel chapter three. If you wanna grab a pew Bible again on page 2, 5 6 in the Pew Bible this morning we're going to look at Second Samuel chapter three verses one through 39.

As our confession says, we believe not just the preaching but also the reading of the word is used by our God for salvation of the lost and for the growing of the saint. And we are going to read a lot this morning.

We pray for us before we read through chapter three.

Our Father, we are thankful this morning, this holy, ander, efficient, authoritative, true, Breathed out word from you. And we pray this morning that as we sit and stand in this place, that it would be your voice that we hear, maybe from a text that we wouldn't be prone to turn to or think much through. We prayed this morning that you would bring insights to our hearts and to our souls, to our minds

that you would surprise us with your grace this morning and work in us. We pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. In two Samuel chapter three verses one through 39, this is the holy in sufficient word of God. There was a long war between the house of soul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger while the house of soul became weaker and weaker and sons were born to David at Hebron. The firstborn was Amon, Abba of Jezreel

and a second ciab of Abigail, the widow of Nal of Carmel. And the third Absalom, the son of Macau, the daughter of Talai, king of Geisha. And the fourth a nih, the son of Hait and the fifth Shaea, the son of AAL and the sixth Eum of Agla, David's wife. These were born to David and Hebron While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Ris pa,

the daughter of aa. And Osh said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine than Abner? Was very angry over the words, words of Osh and said, am I a dog's head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of soul, your father to his brothers and to his friends and have not given you into the end of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David

what the Lord has sworn to him to transfer the kingdom from the house of soul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan de Beersheba. Anish Boha could not answer Abner another word because he feared him. And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, to whom does the lamb belong? Make your covenant with me and behold my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you. And he said, good, I'll make a covenant with you,

but one thing I require of you that is you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michael's soul's daughter when you come to see my face. And David sent messengers to eth so's son saying, give me my wife Michael, for whom I paid the bridal price of 104 skins of the Philistines in eth. Sent and took her from her husband Paleo, the son of Laish. But her husband went with her weeping after her all the way to Baharim.

Then Abner said to him, go return. And he returned and Abner conferred with the elders of Israel saying, for some time passed, you have been seeking David his king over you. Now then bring it about. For the Lord is promised David, same by the hand of my servant David. I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies. Abner also spoke to Benjamin and then Abner went to tell David at Hebrew

and all that, Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do. When Abner came with 20 men to David at Heon, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him and Abner said to David, I will rise and go and will gather all Israel to my Lord and 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. Just then the servants of David arrived

with Joab from a raid bringing much spoil with him, but Abner was not with David that Heon for he had sent him away and he had gone in peace when Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab that Abner, the son of Ner came to the king and he has let him go and he is gone in peace. And Joab went to the king and said, what have you done? Behold Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away so that he has gone?

You know that Abner, the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know you're going out and you're coming in and to know all that you are doing. Joab came out from David's presence. He sent messengers after Abner and they brought him back from the cistern of Seara, but David did not know about it. And when Abner returned to Hebrew and Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately and there he struck him privately,

uh, struck him in the stomach so that he died for the blood of Asa Hill, his brother. Afterward when David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner, the Sonner. May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house. And may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is lepers or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread.

So Joab and Abishai, his brother killed Abner because he had put their brother OSHA to death and the battle at Gibeon then David said to Joe AB and to all the people who were with him, tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner and King David followed the beer. They buried Abner at Hebron and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner and all the people wept. And the king lamented for Abner saying, should Abner die

as a fool dies, your hands were not bound. Your feet were not fettered. As one falls before the wicked, you have fallen and all the people wept again over him. Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread. While it was yet David, David s score saying, God do so to me and more also if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down. And all the people took notice of it and it pleased them as everything

that the king did pleased all the people. So all the people in all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put death to death. Abner, the son of Ner and 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 was gentle today though anointed king, these men, the sons of Zaria are more severe than I, the Lord repayed the evil doer according to his wickedness,

the grass withers and the flower fates, the word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. Amen.

You sang about it this morning and it's true in this passage and it's true in life, uh, that we live in a dark world. We live in a world that is constantly engaged in conflict, uh, from international wars to business takeovers, to family trials, to the conflict that's happening in your own soul as you're battling sin and temptation. Some of you this morning have gone through that with your roommate or with your family

or as you're battling sin as you walk into this building or you did through the night, it, it's just constant. We, we live in a world of conflict.

I want to take some pointers this morning about how do we live in such a world of conflict and do that here from this passage and from David's life here, I think there are a number of things that are being brought out and we're gonna walk through those this morning. First is that kingdom people keep trusting in the one who is worthy of trust kingdom. People keep trusting in the one who is worthy of trust. Our author begins by pointing out

that it has been a long war. There has been a long war between David and the house of Saul. You will remember that this started years before our passage where Saul will seek the life of David, put him to death and he will be forced to flee and he will even have to go run and act like a fool among the enemies of Israel. And then even after Saul has died, this war continues with the house of Saul. It's a long war. David has lived for years

and constant conflict and when you read the Psalms, it seems like David is constantly speaking about this. He feels as though he is surrounded on every side by foes. So if we take just one example, Psalm 40, which many believe was written about this time in the life of David, David will cry out there, evils have encompassed me beyond number. They are more than the hairs of my head. Be pleased oh Lord, to deliver me, oh Lord, make haste

to help me let those be put to shame and disappointed all together who sneak seek to snatch away my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt. David has battled long and he's battled many. It's been a long war and our author now highlights that David is finely growing stronger and stronger, whereas we were told that the house of soul has become weaker and weaker now after all the years leading up to this, all the months

of leading up to this, all the weeks and days. And some of you that have been in deep trial and deep distress and deep conflict, you can say I, I stopped counting days. I now count hours and count minutes is what it feels like 'cause it's just constant. After all of that, what David has experienced finally he's getting stronger and stronger. Even with Saul's death, it felt like, oh, maybe this is the time, but it wasn't.

11 of the 12 tribes align themselves with this eth. Only one remains with David, but now, now David is getting stronger and stronger.

What's fascinating to me is that over all of those years, David did not despair. I read a quote this morning from Colin Smith who said, there's a particular darkness that sometimes comes to those who work hardest in the Lord's service. Resentment towards God is the special temptation of mature believers who serve him well, and I think David had to fight that too. He's a godly man. He's a man of pretty good character up to this point.

It's just been trial after trial after trial.

He didn't despair though he becomes stronger and stronger now, the author details this by reflecting upon the number of sons that David now has during this time. Having a son spoke a blessing. It also spoke of the fact that you would have warriors. It also spoke most importantly of the fact that your line would continue and he became stronger and stronger. Well, how did he do this? If he was simply looking at the tea leaves of his life, he would've been prone

to throw the towel in to say, you know what? I quit. I I've had enough of all this. He would've given up. He didn't despair though because he not only stopped himself from despairing, he did the positive. He kept trusting in the one who is worthy of our trust. And you'll notice this throughout the Psalms. David is very honest about his trials. He is very honest about being surrounded by foes. He is very honest about the false accusations

that are hurled against him about those that are seeking his death. And he is very honest about his discouragement, but a myth all that he never despairs, he never gives up on God.

Same Psalm 40. Listen to how he ends that Psalm as for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought from me. You're my help and my deliver. Do not delay. Oh my God, he trusted in the one who is worthy of trust

and in the end, in the end he became stronger and stronger.

Now, I don't know where each of you are at this morning. As you walk in pure what trials every single person is going through, I know a number of them and you sing that song, how long? Oh Lord, that's a right cry. How long, how much longer I have to suffer through this until your kingdom come.

It's a right cry, but we don't despair. We keep trusting the one who is worthy of our trust.

We could contrast that with David. David with Abner. Abner is um, a man who did not look to the Lord. He's a schemer. He's a self-promoter. He's self-reliant. You remember Abner set ish up as a rival king where told him verse six, that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul as the house of soul was becoming weaker and weaker. He was about self and we're given some evidence of that in the text where he goes and he takes one of the concubines of soul

and he makes her his own. And by doing that he was asserting. And that time, if you could take the harem of a former king, you were asserting your dominance that you had dominance over what he had. And this was not lost on Osh. So he confronts Abner and when Abner is confronted, he turns in an instant. He's no longer Osh man. He's no longer laboring and fighting for the house of Saul. He says in verse nine that he will accomplish for David

what the Lord had sworn to David. His pride is wounded and a proud man makes for a fickle man and he's blown here and there by the winds of self-interest. Whereas David's fixed, he's fixed upon the Lord. Abner's not Abner's word is in flux. Why? Because it's upon that shaky ground of self. And if self is not being promoted, if self is somehow disrupted, if self that ego is somehow hurt, then you quickly shift that alliance.

But David's on that firm ground that Christ speaks of.

He trusts in the one who is worthy of our trust.

David, it's discouraged by conflict but it never drives him to despair, never drives him to abandon the path he's committed himself to. He knows that his lot in life is not determined by the circumstances of men, but by God. God is David's strength and this is what allowed him to face Goliath when all the men of Israel were cowering what allowed him to take to, to not take revenge upon Saul. This is what allowed him though all

of these false accusations rolled against him. He continued to seek the Lord. This is what allows him to endure years of persecution and conflict. He trusted the one who is worthy of trust.

Abner served as long as his position was not threatened, his ego was struck, his stroked, his life was happy, but David knew he he knows what the Christian knows that our God is a God of promise. What you saw in the waters of baptism this morning,

he sits behind every conflict, every circumstance, every trial, those circumstances and trials and conflicts, they change. They ebb and they flow. God remains the same and his promises are fixed.

And in time he became stronger and stronger.

He taught himself it's such a great spiritual discipline to speak a, to seek After he, he taught himself just to wait upon the Lord. How often does he say that? As the psalmist wait upon the Lord just to have a, a mindset, a heart just waiting upon the Lord,

trust him who is worthy of trust.

Listen, you can take this to the bank. God does not fail his people. He does not fail his people

and he is a debtor to no man.

As you abide in him, you will produce much fruit. As you look to his promises, you will see those promises realized he's a debtor to no man or a God does not fail his people. He's worthy of our trust

and the author is trying to bring the trustworthiness of God to the forefront. He he recalls this long suffering that David has had to endure and then he underscores that look, all of that long suffering, it was not for naugh. It the promise that was given to him by God that he would be king. It's realized it's been a very long conflict, but the promise has come to fruition despite all the plotting, all the opposition that

that David should not and could not and would never be king. He became king. It's stated in verse 17 and Abner conferred with the elders of Israel saying, for some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. Verse 21 And Abner said to David, I will rise and go and we'll 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 and we could go on verse 23, verse 24, verse 31, verse 32,

verse 33, verse 36, verse 37, verse 38, verse 39, 11 times in one chapter it is stated that David is king.

He's trying to make it clear.

The promise has been realized. God made a promise and he fulfills his promise.

He did not despair. He waited upon the Lord patiently and simply trusted him who is worthy of trust.

That may be your singular call today.

Say, ah, life has been so hard.

You wait upon the Lord and you trust in him who is worthy of trust.

I'm ready to throw in that towel. You don't despair.

You can call out how long the Lord, but you continue to trust in the one who is worthy of trust. He fulfills his promises.

Abner was not such a man that simply trusted in him who's worthy of trust and neither was Joab. He like Abner was a man of passions, which is the opposite of our second point, which is kingdom. Peoples seek kingdom peace kingdom peoples seek kingdom peace. Joab arrives and he hears of this piece that has been established between Abner and David and it riles Joab. You'll remember that Jo a's brother OA Hill had chased after Abner in battle and Abner had warned him

and OA Hill kept coming and Abner will eventually kill OA Hill. And so now Joab hearing that Abner has gone and that he is gone, as we are told in verse 23 in peace, the author says it three times so that you understand it. He's gone in peace and this upsets Joab to no end. And so he calls Ebner back. You'll notice about Joab like Abner, that he's also a man of pride and that's why he speaks to David the king in verses 23 through 25

with a lack of respect. Proud men tend to be disrespectful men and disrespectful men are more often than not violent men, maybe not in the way that Joab is here. They slay or they ridicule with their words or with their false accusations or with their character assassinations or with their lies or with their slender or with their harsh judgments. But regardless, they are sowers of conflict rather than sowers of peace, proud,

disrespectful, violent. It's a well-worn path, proud, disrespectful, violent. It happens in the business world, it happens in the church world, it happens in the political world. It happens in the world of the family.

Joe AB calls Abner back Abner's thinking he's at peace with David. He comes back only to be taken aside by Joe AB and to be killed. Pride disrespect violence, but David's different.

We could say that David had even more reason to put Abner to death than Joe AB did. Joe AB is upset because one of his brothers was killed by Abner, but David, we could say he had countless brothers. He had all kinds of men that were under him that died because of Abner's rebellion. Even more than that, you could say Abner, here's a man who has committed treason. He tries to dethrone David and tries to make sure that David doesn't rise to the throne.

Not only that, he's seeking David's own death. He had more reason than Joe AB to kill him, and yet David did not seek Abner's death. Neither does it. Does he rejoice in Abner's death. In fact, the scene stirring, he instructs all the people including Joe AB to verse 31 to tear your clothes and put on S sat cloth and mourn before Abner and then he enters into the funeral procession. He follows the beer as a sign of respect, the king

following the casket. He then gives Abner the honor of being buried in Hebrew on the most treasured cemetery in all of Israel. This is where Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Jacob were buried. He allows Abner to be buried there, but not only that, he will mourn at his grave. We read in verse 35 and following of his fasting and mourning all the day, he calls Abner this great prince of the people of Israel. Abner's death pains him. Why?

Because David is not a man who res in conflict

he loves and he aims at peace

kingdom people seek kingdom peace.

I've told you before we fight,

but as Christians kingdom people, we are reluctant fighters.

We don't compromise principle. Uh, David doesn't compromise principle here, but we're to pursue peace wherever we can and in whatever way we can.

That is why so much of the New Testament especially is concerned with you and I treating one another well in the body of Christ, considering others better than ourselves, of not being filled with envy and hatred and bitterness and wrath and malice and slander and clamor. That's why as Jesus said in the beatitudes, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. Paul will write in Romans 14, pursue what makes for peace

and for mutual upbuilding, the writer of Hebrews will say, strive for peace with everyone in for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. David knows, he knows that vengeance his mind says the Lord. He has every right to seek the death of Abner. He's committed a capital crime. He rebelled against him.

But so often the seeking of peace means that you and I are not out for a pound of flesh

and we're not getting what is our right and our due with justice. This side of eternity

letting go of our own claims,

trusting that the Lord is a safeguard of your reputation, vengeance is mind, says the Lord.

He's also though trying to bring the nation back together. You see, David is operating not just with a personal mindset. He has a kingdom mindset. He has a kingdom man and that changes everything. When you begin looking through the world through the lens of the kingdom where your eyes are looking at kingdom purposes and your mind is with kingdom things and less about this personal kingdom and more of his kingdom,

it would've been divisive to seek, to let alone rejoice in Abner's death. He, he makes an interesting statement verse 36, where he says, as I was gentle today though anointed king, he's making it clear. Look, I'm I'm king. I had every right but I was gentle.

Whereas he says, these men, the sons of Zaria are more severe than I. Kingdom people love and labor and aim at kingdom Peace

is that true of your life, of your conversations, of your friendships, of your pursuits.

Finally, you and I are also to see from this text that kingdom people trust in the king of peace to come. Kingdom people trust in the king of peace to come. We have a little foreshadowing that David was not a perfect man in this text. As we go through the book of two Samuel, we're going to see more and more his the fact that he is not a perfect man. That he is a man with very clay feet. And you get a little foreshadowing of this

here in this passage and it's evidenced by his many wives that are listed verses two through five. He, he's a good man, but as good of a man as David is, he is got clay feet because man is to have one wife. And by my count, David has five in this chapter in the garden in Genesis one and two, God forms eve from the side of Adam and he formed her to be his helpmate. He didn't form multiple wives. He formed one wife, one was created from a side with one.

He was to be fruitful and multiply. Moses wrote, therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife and they shall become one flesh, not he's not that he's to hold fast to his wives, but he is to hold fast to his wife. One man is to have one wife that is abundantly clear in the natural law and it's echoed throughout the scriptures. Whether we go to Proverbs or we go to First Corinthians or we go to the gospel of Matthew or we go to Ephesians

or we go to Revelation, you're going to see it over and over. That man is to have one wife.

In fact, Paul says that marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church. That's why it exists principally, and that's a monogamous relationship.

Christ has one bride,

but even if all that was not true, the law in Deuteronomy 17, 17 says the king should not have more than one wife and he shall not acquire many wives for himself lets his heart turn away. Why make it so clear in Deuteronomy and the law about the king? Because the king of all the people of the nation of Israel will be most prone to excuse himself of having more than one wife. He would look around at all the nations around

and see those kings and all the wives and the harems that they had and he would say, well, look, if I'm going to be a king like those kings and I must have as many wives, if anybody in the nation of Israel would excuse themselves and say, look, I must have more wives than any other man so that it's clear that I have more authority than any other man in the society. Surely it is the king. And so he would be more prone to pick up more than one wife.

And so the command is very clear. Not only is it clear in the natural law, it's express to set down the law of Deuteronomy that king should not have more than one wife. There's no excuse for David here. He's a sinner and he will bear truly awful consequences for the sin.

Some of you who know the Old Testament scriptures, and as I read this morning through the list of the sons of David and you hear those sons names, you had to inwardly cringe because you know what's coming.

He's a man of peace and yet he's laid the path of much conflict and pain. Sin always leads to more conflict and more pain.

David was a man with failings and he's a man of limits.

As good as he was, in some ways he's a wretch in other ways. And you see this throughout the scriptures, whether it is David or Abraham or Sarah or Rahab or you name 'em. All of these people that we consider as heroes of the Old Testament scriptures, you name a one and every single one of them has some kind of failing and has some kind of limit.

Every single one. This is the scriptures are honest about the failings of our so-called heroes of the faith. Even think about David here, he has limits. He's guaranteed peace to Abner. We're told it three times. He's established peace. Now the nation is at peace, but all of a sudden out of right field comes Joe Ab and the peace is disrupted. David has limits. He can't guarantee peace.

You think of his sin here, taking more than one wife, he has failings.

Each of us points, each of these heroes points us on. It says to us, you want peace. Well, it's not ultimately found in David. He's a man of limitations. He's a man of failings. He's a great man, but he's not the man. He's a great king, but he's not the great king,

the anointed king. That's what Messiah means. That's what Christ means. The anointed one, the great Messiah, the great king, the great anointed one has yet to come. And this king not only offers peace, he offers lasting eternal peace. He secures it because he has no limitations. He has no failings. He promises it and it's guaranteed.

You remember when the sons of Zebedee, John and James and Luke nine, and they're there with Jesus and that Samaritan village doesn't welcome Jesus and they want to call down fire upon that city. You remember, Jesus rebukes them and like David spoke, the sons of Zeriah being severe. So Jesus will call those brothers, John and James, they'll call 'em the the sons of thunder.

He's patient right now like David. He's patient and and he's long suffering for the sake of his people.

He's the the king that weeps over the city of Jerusalem wishing that they would all come to him. He's the promised anointed one, the Christ the king, that Isaiah prophesies that a bruised reed. He will not break and a smoldering flame. He will not extinguish, he says of himself. He says that he is gentle and he is lowly in heart as he calls sinners to himself.

Like David the rebel Abner, he, he extends his hands in peace

to rebels, not that just have committed treason but have committed cosmic treason, have tried to dethrone him,

extends his hands in peace

and it's everlasting secured peace.

He's never out flanked, never not in control, never failing, never limited. When he brings peace, it is peace.

When that kingdom comes into the world, the lion in the land, they lay down together. When his kingdom is fully consummated, there shall no longer be wars or rumors of wars or disease or death or dying or mourning anymore. It's peace.

But here's what's equally true.

David as king knew that there needed to be accounting for wickedness and that's that's part of a, a king ruling. He, he has to rule and justice for there to be true everlasting peace. There has to be true justice. And so David says in the closing verse of our passage, the Lord repayed the evildoer. According to his wickedness, he knew there had to be justice for the wicked and so does our king.

As David was ready to secure peace by grace, so is Christ. Today. Make no mistake, as the king and as his kingdom is consummated in this world and it comes, he is going to establish that peace and it is going to be established and you are going to be established within it in one way or another. Either you come to him now when he offers long suffering and hands out peace. It will be when he returns and that kingdom is consummated

and your knee will bow and you'll forever s suffer justice from this king. Either he pays the penalty on the cross for you or you pay the penalty for all of eternity.

Only two options.

I wonder if you can say this morning with the apostle Paul who was formerly a rebel set against king Jesus persecuting his people, persecuting him as Jesus said in that wonderful verse in Ephesians, he will say of Christ, he will say, he is our peace.

Can you say that this morning, Jesus is my peace.

You can, if you run to him in faith this morning, extends it to you, everlastingly, let's pray.

Our Father, we are thankful that as you have promised, so it shall be as you promised in Psalm two that your son would be king over all the nations of the earth. Tea would rule with his scepter. So we are thankful that that promise is fixed and it is true and it is guaranteed. And oh, how we long for the day when the lion shall lay down with the lamb and there is peace among all those with whom he finds good pleasure.

Or we can say peace. Peace and not be false watchmen upon the wall, but it shall be our song day in and day out for all of eternity. It be true of every soul in this room, we can say as we leave this room, that we know Christ as our peace. We give praise to that prince of peace, the king of kings and Lord of lords, and we pray it in his strong name, Christ Jesus. Amen.