2Samuel 10:1-5
Play Like Men
I see several thoughts in this passage that should be mentioned.
I. \\#2Sam 10:1-5\\ David’s Grace
A. You might remember in the last chapter, we saw David’s exceedingly
great grace toward Mephibosheth.
1. David actually took on the nature of God in his mercy and kindness.
2. This is our quest. To be kind, generous, gracious with everyone
we meet and in every situation.
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in
honour preferring one another;
1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
B. In this chapter, David’s attempts to show some of that mercy to
Hanun, the young king of Ammon.
1. Unfortunately, David’s grace was not accepted.
a. Hanun shamed the ambassadors that David had sent.
(1) He shaved off half their beards and cut their clothes
to leave them exposed.
(2) These were and would be two great humiliations for this
part of the world.
b. Some times that is the way being king goes—some accept
kindness, some do not.
(1) Every act of evangelism is an act of kindness.
(2) God sending His Son to the earth was the greatest act
of kindness and we see how that went.
2. As Christians, it is not our concern how our kindness is
accepted. It is our concern to make certain that we show it.
II. \\#2Sam 10:6-14\\ David’s Wrath
A. As a result of Ammon’s behavior, a war follows.
1. This incident scaled to far more than just a war between Israel
and Ammon.
2. Ammon hired the Syrians (from the north), and the battle escalated
into a full-fledged regional war.
B. Some of those I read criticized David for this.
1. They point out that behavior like David’s is far from Christian and
ultimately lead to thousands of deaths.
2. However, I stand with David.
a. The Ammonites did not just insult the ambassadors or David.
They insulted all of Israel.
b. While there is always room for diplomacy, the Ammonites did
the wrong here, not Israel.
(1) Bad behavior should always expect a response.
(2) That includes international behavior as well as personal
behavior.
(3) David had the right and duty as king of Israel to respond.
c. Several times in this study I have made comments which sound
contradictory to the Bible’s admonition to turn the other
cheek and demonstrate mercy.
(1) I don’t believe what I am saying does those things.
(2) First, most of what I am saying applies to nations not
individuals and to crimes committed not just insults.
(3) Second, what I am saying is there must be a balance
between mercy and justice.
(a) Mercy without justice is not mercy. It is chaos,
anarchy, and weakness.
(b) Case in point - In December, 1988,
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi (better known as
the Lockerbie Bomber, blew up at 747 passenger with
243 passengers and 16 crew. All were lost. That
man should have been executed for his crime, but
mercy was shown. He spent 22 years of a life
sentence, but he was released earlier this year,
supposedly due to having only three months to live.
He was released on ground of mercy. As it turns out,
he is not expected to die in three months and
returned to Libya and a hero’s welcome.
(c) The celebration held for this killer makes it obvious
the enemies of freedom and life feel they won a
victory. Why? Because they know what some called
mercy was actually weakness.
(d) David understood that his nation and his rule could
not be allowed to be seen as weak. For that reason,
when he deemed it appropriate, he dealt with his
enemies in justice.
d. \\#2Sam 10:6-7\\ Even with this, David did not begin
preparations for war until Ammon hired Syrian troops.
3. It seems obvious that the Ammonites were preparing for war.
a. Some think that they would have attacked Israel even if Israel
had not attacked them.
b. Joab decides to attack Ammon before the Syrians can reach the
Ammonites to form a unified front.
c. Whether a king or a president, the leader of a nation must
protect the nation God has given to him.
C. \\#2Sam 10:15-19\\ Hadarezer
1. Israel will prevail against the two armies, but Syria will regroup
and attempt to come against Israel again.
2. This Syrian general is the same that David fought and defeated in
\\#2Sam 8:3\\.
a. This is actually the third time that David fights the Syrians.
b. The name is spelled differently there, Hadadezer.
c. I’m not certain why.
3. This man was paid to fight David but he was probably also anxious
for a re-match.
4. This defeat will actually subdue the Syrians at least for a time.
III. \\#2Sam 10:8-12\\ Joab’s Challenge
A. Joab’s strategy against Ammon, although sound, didn’t work.
1. The Syrians must have arrived sooner than Joab figured.
2. \\#8\\ Joab was attacking what appears to be a major Ammonite
city (a fort) when the Syrians arrived.
3. Now Joab is caught in between two armies.
a. Joab and his army are in a bad situation.
b. War is always bad.
c. To be trapped between two armies, one of them in a fort, can’t
be encouraging.
B. \\#12\\ Notice Joab’s challenge to his men. I see several thoughts in
it.
2Samuel 10:12 Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for
the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good.
1. Men are to do what they do because it is right.
a. It is always easier to stand for right when it is popular
or easy, but not so much when it is neither.
b. Joab’s men were soldiers willing to lay down their lives, but
I doubt any of them wanted to give the lives away.
(1) Joab came up with a plan but the plan had failed. Now
what?
(2) Joab was telling them. Men finish the fight because
it is RIGHT.
c. Finishing the right because it is right is called fortitude
and resolve.
(1) It is a characteristic of men and women with character.
(2) It should be a characteristic of every Christian.
d. In the winter of 1776, the Revolutionary War was not going well
for America. George Washington, the commander-in-chief of
the Continental Army had few men and fewer supplies. The
British had successfully defeated the Continental Army and
forced their retreat out of Manhattan and most of New Jersey.
On December 25, Washington decided he had retreated enough
and launched a surprise attack against Trenton. He marched
his men nine miles through a blizzard, many of them wearing no
shoes. Those men had to wrap their feet in burlap bags. The
path they followed was easy to see. You could follow the
blood left in the snow as the shoeless men marched. They
crossed the swollen Delaware and attacked the next morning,
defeating the British and remobilizing the Continental Army.
2. Men are to trust God for the results.
a. The basis of Joab’s challenge was to trust God.
(1) We will fight our best and trust God. He may deliver us.
(2) We will fight our best and trust God. He may not.
(3) Joab’s emphasis wasn’t on winning but believing that
whatever happened, God was accomplishing His will.
b. There is no doubt that there are times when God promises us a
victory and we must claim it.
c. But there are also times when we don’t know what the outcome
will be and we just have to go at it with all of our heart
and trust God’s wisdom in the outcome.
d. Joab is a long way from being a perfect man.
(1) We have seen that and will continue to see it.
(2) Even so, he trusted in God.
3. Men are not to cling to life.
a. Again, it easy to trust God when we think we will win, but it
is not so easy when it seems inevitable that we will lose.
(1) This is especially true when the stakes are life and
death.
(a) Israel’s army is behind enemy lines with two armies
surrounding them.
(b) I would say their position was a bit more dire than
just trusting God for a raise at work or a parking
place near the front of Wal Mart!
(2) No one wants to give life up, but nothing has a guarantee.
b. The victory for a Christian is not in living a long life but
living a life trusting God everyday and in every thing.
(1) A man has few things as valuable as his life; yet, we
must not cling even to it.
(2) If God requires our life, it is little to give in exchange
for what Christ gave for us.
Let me close by reading some stories of Christian fortitude. Joab and his men
showed fortitude in their countries secular duties, but Christians likewise
fortitude. This has been true historically and it is true today.
Li Hun-jo, a layman, taken by Communist soldiers from his village with some
50 others, had the courage to answer yes when they asked if he was a
Christian. He died hooked over the limb of a tree, his arms bound behind his
back.
Leonides Bruns, 35, calmly removed his shoes and socks just before he was
beaten to death. "I want to die just as my Lord was at His death," he told
his torturers.
Li Wan-fu, 50-year-old lay leader in his village, was ordered to pluck out
his own beard strand by strand. When this process seemed too slow, his
torturers burned it off, searing his face with a torch. After severe
beatings, "the judge asked Li: ‘Will you still be a Christian and act as
head of the community?’ He answered simply: ‘As long as I breathe.’ The
judge gestured to a soldier near by, and Li Wan-fu was shot through the head."
Time Magazine
Monday, Feb. 26, 1951
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,814426,00.html#ixzz0v0ZlkZra
Iran: Christian in Prison
Ali Golchin, an Iranian Christian, has been held in solitary
confinement in Tehran’s Evin prison since he was arrested in his
hometown of Varamin, according to Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN).
Sources believe Ali has been treated harshly during interrogations
because he is suffering from “weakness and severe stomachaches.”
The Iranian government has not filed criminal charges against Ali,
and no lawyers have been appointed for his defense. “Ali’s wife has
been warned not to attend church and told that she will only be able
to negotiate with the authorities about Ali’s release if she converts
to Islam,” according to FCNN.
Pakistan: Two Christians Murdered
Two Christian men were shot to death as they left a courthouse on
Monday, July 19, in Faisalabad, Pakistan, according to VOM sources.
Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his brother, Sajid, 30, were facing
blasphemy charges after allegedly distributing papers that denigrated
Mohammed.
According to eyewitnesses and VOM sources, police were leading the two
brothers from the courthouse when masked men opened fire on them. The
gunmen urged Muslim police officers to back away from the accused
Christians to avoid being shot, according to VOM sources. No arrests
have been made for the murders.
Nepal: Pastor Beaten By Maoists
On June 13, Maoist rebels in Nepal attacked Christians at an evening
prayer meeting, according to VOM contacts. The rebels ordered them to
stop the meeting and then assaulted the pastor and believers when
they refused.
Before the attack, the pastor had asked the Maoists to leave and
return the next day to talk with him, but the rebels instead began to
beat him with sticks. When church members, including the pastor’s
father and women in the church, tried to defend the pastor, the
Maoists attacked them, too. The rebels also burned Bibles and hymnals
during the attack.
The following day, local villagers accused the Christians of not
paying the “temple tax” and of “converting the local people to
Christianity.” Each family was ordered to pay the exorbitant tax, and
Christians have been warned that they will be expelled from the
village if they do not pay. Some believers have voluntarily left the
village, and those remaining risk losing their homes.
Iraq: Christian Killed By Bomb
On July 5, Behnam Sabti, a Christian, died instantly when a bomb
exploded under his car in Mosul, Iraq, according to VOM Canada and
Asia News.
According to local reports, Behnam was killed because of his
"religious identity." In recent months, Christians and other
religious minorities in Iraq have faced violence because of their
beliefs.
This incident is the latest in a series of attacks on Christians that
have occurred in Iraq in recent years. In October 2008, more than
seven Christians were killed and more than 200 families displaced.
The Christian community in Iraq is estimated to be 3 percent of
Iraq’s 26 million people, or about 800,000. Since 2003, Christian
leaders, churches and businesses in Iraq have been targeted by
Islamic extremists. As a result, many believers have fled.
Pray for Behnam’s wife and three children as they mourn the loss of
husband and father.
http://www.persecution.com/
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
