(2 Sam 10)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” In 2 Samuel chapter 10 King Nahash of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun became king. King David had a great relationship with Nahash, so he said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun just as his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death. But David must not have prayed about it first, because his token of sympathy and compassion was not well received. David’s ambassadors were thought to be spies, their beards were shaved off (which was a tremendous embarrassment), and their robes were cut off at the buttocks. Hanun sent the men back to David in complete shame. David did not want the men to return home in that condition, so he sent a messenger to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out, and then come back.”
Soon King Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David and he knew his military was not ready to fight Israel, so Ammon hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob. When David heard about the 33,000 men Ammon had just hired, he wasted no time in sending Joab and all his warriors to fight them. The Ammonite troops came out and drew up their battle lines at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah positioned themselves to fight in the open fields. Joab realized that he would have to fight on two fronts, so he and his brother Abishai split up; each taking a portion of Israel’s army. Joab said to his brother, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. May the LORD’s will be done.”
When Joab and his troops attacked, the Arameans began to run away. And when the Ammonites saw the Arameans running, they ran from Abishai and retreated into the city. After the battle was over, Joab returned to Jerusalem. The Arameans now realized that they were no match for Israel. So when they regrouped, they were joined by additional Aramean troops summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River. These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s forces. When David heard what was happening, he mobilized all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and led the army to Helam. What was once just a battle had escalated to a full-fledged war, and it all started because David made the decision to send some ambassadors to comfort a man who was mourning his father. When the fighting was over David’s forces had killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, including Shobach, the commander of the enemy’s army. When all the kings allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. The chapter closes out with these words: “After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. David was not perfect. While it is unquestionable that David was made King by God’s own hand, it is equally clear that he was just a man and as a man he made mistakes. Nations went to war, over 40,000 men lost their lives in this chapter (2 Sam 10), and it all started with David making a decision to send a few ambassadors to visit a mourning King. David’s decision proved to be a mistake.
2. The Lord does not require you to be perfect. If God only used perfect people the Bible would only contain the workings of Jesus. Jesus was the only perfect human, so outside of Him, we are all flawed. God called us and uses us by His amazing and immeasurable grace. If it were not for the grace of God, we would never qualify to be used be a Holy God. Thank God for His grace!
3. Foolish decisions can lead to serious consequences. Even though God knows you are not perfect and even though He called you and uses you by grace, your decisions still have consequences. Don’t think that God’s grace is going to keep you from reaping a bad harvest on bad seed. By God’s mercy He might keep you from the negative consequences of your decisions, from time to time, but without question, there are times when God allows us to reap what we have sown – even when it is bad.
4. Even when you mess up, God can still help you by grace. David should have never sent the ambassadors and all the fighting in this chapter (2 Sam 10) should never have happened, but even though David messed up, God was able to still bless him through it. In the end Israel came out on top and the Arameans learned to never mess with Israel again. Be thankful that God does not walk away from you when you make a mistake. Even when you put yourself in a mess, God is still there to help you get out of it. And He is so good that He sometimes makes the mess work out for your good.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your overwhelming goodness, kindness, grace and mercy towards me. You know I am not perfect and I am thankful You do not require me to be. I have messed up more times than I want to acknowledge. I have been on the initiating side of a bad decision more times than I want to think about. If You only gave me what I deserved, I would be a man/woman most miserable. Thank You Father for being so good to me. You often see the mess I have gotten myself into, and by Your mercy, You keep me from receiving the full brunt of the pain. You step in and help me, by Your grace, to get out of the messes I have entered into by my own decisions. You help me, even though I am wrong, and You help me to get out on top. Because You are so good, You often step in and turn a bad situation around for me, making it work out for my good, even though I was the one who caused it. For that Father, I will never cease to give You praise. You alone are worthy. You alone are the Most High God. You alone deserve the glory. You alone are the God of Grace and Mercy who has kept me from what I deserved and who has blessed me with what I clearly did not deserve. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your favor. Thank You for Your love. I enter this day with a smile on my face, a song in my heart and a spring in my step, because I serve a God who often blesses me, in spite of me and my mistakes. It is a pleasure to serve a God like that. Thank You, thank You, thank You! I have great expectations for today and this week, because I know I don’t have to be perfect. You knew I wouldn’t be perfect and You called me anyway. Thank You! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
