1 Samuel 1-2 Palm Sunday 2026

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Transcript

Tempo: 120.0

SPEAKER_01 0:10

All right, 2 Samuel, uh, chapter one. Um we are going through the life of David. So if you're a little shocked that we haven't covered every verse, every chapter, it's a little different. We're covering most of it. We covered most of 1 Samuel. Uh and last week, we threw a milestone, a real chapter break in David's life. Um he's been through 12 to 13 years of wilderness education, right? At the hands of Saul, mad, crazy King Saul, who's been throwing spears at him and chasing him and trying to kill him, making his life miserable for 12 to 13 years. Well, last week that all came to an end. Saul met his end there on Mount Gilboa. Saul has died in battle. And so 2 Samuel is where we pick things up. Now, David's at a real milestone. He's finally gonna see things sort of come to fruition as far as his being king. Um, but it's been a long time. Now, look at chapter 1, verse 1, 2 Samuel. Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Malachites, and David had stayed two days in Zikliad. On the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was. When he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated to himself. And David said to him, Where have you come? And he said, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. Then David said to him, How did the matter go? So he's telling me. And he answered, The people have fled and doubt. Many of the people are fallen and are dead. And Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead also. So 2 Samuel, no real break in the original, but it makes good sense for us. We read in verse 1, now it came to pass. And I just want to point it out because we spent so much time covering David's education, this trial in the wilderness, um, it came to pass is a good thing to realize about the trials of life. Perhaps looking back, it's easy for us to see, but just about every trial in our life has a beginning and it has an end. David can remember, but not fondly, that first time Saul, you know, threw a spear at him, and it all just kind of started and went downhill from there. Uh, 12 to 13 years, but there's a distinct end to it. It came to pass. Now we're all going through different things around difficulties, joys, right? But but the thing to remember is that all these things eventually come to pass. If not in this life, through an event like this that changes a situation, perhaps it's your workplace or or a health situation, something like that. Um sooner or later will all be in heaven. And these things will come to pass. They'll all just be a memory. And it's important to remember that as David spent a lot of time in the wilderness. Um, and I would think, you would think that David's response to hearing that it was finally over would be. Thank God it's over. No more running around, no more living in the wilderness, living in caves. But notice verse 11, David's response. Verse 11. Therefore, David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him, and they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan, his son, for the people of the Lord, for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Now, here we see as David gets this story from an Amalekite who coincidentally, I think, made his part of the story up, and it doesn't go well for the Amalekite. Um uh David's response here is he tears his clothes, something we don't do very often, but it's extreme grief, right? He tears his clothes. Uh, it says there he mourned and wept. The idea of mourning is along with that means to tear at the hair and beat your chest, right? So it's the uh and very dramatic, of course. And then weeping, real tears. David is weeping and just gnashing his teeth, and he's he's in some real grief here. Now, I'm gonna say that this was more than political, this was sincere love. Love for Jonathan, of course, his friend, but even love for song. Following this, David writes a song about how great they were and how much they'll be missed, and what a tragedy is that they're gone. Fallen narrowness, the mountain of Yoba. And you know, I want to see this because this is really the fruit of David's trial. David's heart is different. David actually seems to feel real love and compassion for Saul. Now, you can fake the evidence of love sometimes, but you can't fake it forever. The fruit of the spirit is love. And I think real love, selfless, unconditional love is a fruit of the spirit. It's only something that God can produce. And I wonder how surprised David was at this point when he experienced this compassion for this guy that chased him around. Because then you look at your own life and you go, you know, there have been some people. Now, I'm not saying this is true all the time. I'm not saying that we always have emotions for people who have done us wrong. But it's interesting, sometimes God works a miracle in your heart where you actually want to see them better, where you actually have compassion for their souls. And I would say that is a miracle. We look at it and we go, that is only something God can do because I've hated that person. I hated what they did, but I just really want to see them back. And we go, that's the heart of God. So wounded by us, but yet He loves us. That's something that only God can do. And here we see this amazing thing there in verse, um, starting in verse 17. We don't take the time to read it right now, but it's this wonderful, almost patriotic song in honor of Jonathan, yes. Very good guy, Jonathan, but his father's song, and just in honor, and God really does want to work that kind of heart in each one of us. Now, chapter two, chapter two, verse one. And it happens after this that David inquired of the Lord, that's good, saying, Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, To Hebron. So David went up there. Now, here in two verses, short of two verses, right? We see uh one thing that's significant. David inquired of the Lord. He's learned that, right? He asked God, God, what's the next step? He didn't just assume on anything. But the key word, I think, in these two verses is up. Or if you noticed it, less than two verses, it's there four times. David says, I think I should go up. Where should I go up? Should I go up? And all these different things. God says, yes, go up, and he says, Oh no, I'll go up. And notice this is really his ascension to the throne. That's what's in mind here. He's uh going up somewhere else, but he's also going up as ascension to the throne. Now, this is only going to be partial. Uh, he's gonna go to a place called Hebron. Uh, in fact, that's what God told him. He said, Go to Hebron. Now, Hebron has some historical significance, if you think about, just as an aside, uh, when Abraham's called to the land of promise, he goes out not knowing where he's gonna go. And the first place that he lands is Hebron in Genesis 13. He builds an altar, he sacrifices to God, he seeks God's uh direction. Uh, it's also in Genesis 23, where Abraham buys a burial plot, right, for his wife Sarah. And Hebron is the first place where there's actually a foot in the door there in the promised land. It's the first bit of land that Abraham actually owns. Now, later on in Numbers 13, Hebron is where the spies go primarily to spy out the land. And they see that it's a good land flowing with milk and honey. It's got these clusters of breaks that they have to carry on poles. And Caleb later says, That's the land I want. I want Hebron. Um, and so there's some historical firsts tied to this land, um, but it's where it's in the territory of Judah, which is significant, and it's where David first establishes um his reign. Now think about this for a second. David's finally gonna become king over Judah, the people of Judah. It's been a long time. It was chapter 16, where God anointed him as a young god, anointed him unsuspecting, right? And and said, You're gonna be the next king. And he's finally coming to it here. Now we read in verse uh four. Uh then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David, uh king over the house of Judah, and they told David, saying, The men of Jabus Gilead were the ones uh who buried the soul. So the thing we want to notice here is as David's in Hebron, the the men of Judah, the tribe of Judah, come and they anoint him once again king over them. Now, verse 11 lets us know that David's there for seven and a half years in Hebron. He's only king over the tribe of Judah. The rest of the people follow another king. Notice verse 8. But Abner, the son of Nur, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbof, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mohadan. And he made him king over Gilead, over the Astarites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, over all Israel. Ishposhet, Saul's son, was 40 years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. So notice Abner, Saul's commander, says, you know what, we gotta keep a hold of this. Now I think Ishboshef was a little bit of a puppet for Abner. I think Abner's the guy kind of leading this thing. But he takes Saul's remaining son, Ishboshef. What do we know about Ishboshef? I think his name kind of says it, right? You know, somebody asks you, Are you doing good? How are you doing? I'm doing good. Ish. You know what I mean? You put the ish on the end of it, and he just goes, you know. I think that describes Ishboshef. He's just a ish. Right? Kind of a king. And and yet Anner takes him in there to lead the rest of the people. And David, now follow this. David is king, but he is somewhat rejected by most of the people for seven and a half years. Somewhat rejected. Now that seems to make good sense for the people that God calls. As we look back in the Bible, follow me back to Genesis. Well, don't follow me, but follow me. You know, follow me, that kind of thing, right? The book of Genesis, there's Joseph. Joseph has this dream, several dreams, that basically say, I am going to be in charge. You brothers will follow my command. You know, the weak in the dream, bowing down to worship, so to speak, his leadership and in other ways. Well, Joseph, you know the story, goes from there to the pit. His brothers throw him in a pit. From there, Potiphar's house. From Potifar's house, the prison, right? Accused of a crime he didn't commit. And then finally to the palace, right? They all start with paintings, very confusing. And and and there, Joseph, it's about 13 years that he goes from this dream that he has to just a lot of misery, right? Rejected by his brothers until finally he's second in command over Egypt. Moses is kind of the same way, right? Moses grows up in Pharaoh's household, and one day he sees an Egyptian greeting of Hebrew. He kills him. The next day, too, uh, Hebrews are fighting, and it says, Hey, brothers, stop. You gotta stop this. And the Hebrew slave says, Are you gonna kill me the way you killed that Egyptian? And he goes, Uh oh. And they didn't receive him. For 40 years, Moses goes to the wilderness, takes care of sheep for his father-in-law Jeffroh. Um, others, Jephthah, Jeremiah the prophet, Elijah, sent by God, but rejected by the people initially. And of course, the ultimate, Jesus. John 1, 11 says, He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. Um, no place is it more clear than what we even celebrate today. Palm Sunday. We're working it in, and it works really well, right? You remember Jesus came as a king. Now, from 2 Samuel, let's turn to Matthew chapter 21. Get those fingers exercising, right? Matthew 21, and we'll start in verse 7. Matthew 21. So you know the story. It's on Sunday, it's a little less than a week before the cross, and Jesus comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and the donkey's colt. Verse 7, and they brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them. Spread him on them. And the very great multitude spread their clothes on the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before, and those who followed, cried out, saying, Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna and the highest. And and all Jerusalem, then we see, uh, comes out with this party mentality, right? To make him king. They're singing songs. They're singing songs of Be Our King, Hosanna, save now. Blessed is he who comes in, the Son of David, right? And it's this wonderful party where Jesus literally comes as their king. Now it's prophesied by Daniel, very specific prophecy about this, but but but they did it. They said it. He's the king that we're looking for. Now, you remember though, there were other voices later that me. Not saying now, be our king, but crucify him. Crucify him. And less than a week later, Jesus is crucified. So he comes as king, the son of David, and he's rejected, largely rejected by all of human history at Jesus. And people would receive another king, right? And you know, maybe one day it's the antichrist, but another king, another ish king, right? A not so much king. We replace Jesus with so many other things in our lives. But the real question for Tom Sunday, and you gotta come back, even though we come here every year, is is he our king? Is he really our king that we really received him? Are we looking at another cheap knockoff in our lives? Because, as Bob Dylan said, you're gonna serve somebody. That's human nature. In our lives, we're gonna serve somebody. And and the Bible proves it over and over again. The question is, again, for us to really think about as we're waiting on lunch, some of us, you know, a little warmth. Who is our king? Who are we serving? I want to just give you quick three tests. Not a whole new Bible study, just three tests to determine who your king might be. Um, number one, the treasure test. Uh Matthew 6, 21 says this, verse you know. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So where our treasure is determines where our heart goes, right? The our treasure shows us the things we worship, right? The things that are important to us. Uh, the things we can't get out of our mind. Now, that's where we really come down. The things we can't get out of our mind. Um, where we spend our money. That's a big deal, right? It's been said we can look at uh, you know, where we spend our money, and that'll determine the thing we'll say. Um, maybe, but for a lot of us, it's time. Time is the the big thing that shows where our worship is at, where our treasure is at. It is our biggest treasure of our time. So, where do we put our money? Where do we put our time? Where do we put our thoughts? What do we obsess over? Right? Generally, that'll show the thing that we're serving as king. It's a treasure test, right? Um, but there's also the master test. A master test. Here's a verse for you. Romans 6, 16. Do you not know that whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one slaves who obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness. So there's this thing of what we serve as a slave. If we serve sin, Paul says, then sin is our master, it's our king. Um, and we see that, right? When we struggle with sin, right? Uh over and over again, you know, we're serving the flesh, we're serving our lusts, whether we like it or not, we may not even enjoy it anymore. That that flat of bitterness in our heart, or that little bit of lust. We don't even want it anymore. But over and over again, it tells us what to do. I will do it. And so many times, if we see that kind of bondage to sin in our life, I can easily say that sin, that sin, that habit, is our king. It's our board. Important to see those two things. But the last thing I want to point out is the mirror test. All right. Hopefully you caught this present test, uh, the the master test, and the mirror test. But the mirror test is who we see when we look in the mirror. I think David's a good example of this. He didn't even know it. But there as Saul and Jonathan died, he doesn't go, yes, Saul is gone. He goes, Oh, my heart breaks. Because I really do love them. I've become I've I've come to the place where I've forgiven and I love and I want what's best for him. And and you look at that and you go, that's Jesus. You can't make that up. That's Jesus. When somebody's crucifying, you say, Father, don't hold this sin against them. They don't know what they're doing. Stephen was in that place where they were throwing rocks at him. He just said it. He said, Father, forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. You look like Jesus. That's some crazy love you're showing those people. And when we look in the mirror, who do we look like? We end up looking like the thing that we serve generally. We become like our gods, Psalms tells us. And and so when we look in the mirror, what is our character like? That'll oftentimes show who we're serving. Now, all these things are great to just look at, right? It's Palm Sunday. We're talking about it. It's a ritual thing. We do this every year. But it's a great time to really consider where am I at? Where's my treasure? And what are the things in my life I'm really treasuring, I'm obsessing over? Those are probably your teams, right? Um, what what you know, what's the thing that's your master? What's gotten you what? Tells you what to do. That might be your team. And really, what do you see when you look in the mirror? Now, a wonderful thing. I don't know if you've experienced this, I'm sure you have. After coming to the cross, you sometimes get surprised when you see what God's done. Man, I was just the most bitter person. Everything that came out of my mouth is just blah blah, just ugly, giant, selfish. And then you go, wow, that wasn't my reaction. God, you've really changed my life. Fear isn't my instinct anymore. It's joy, you know, it's peace. And you go, God, you're my king. And I want to look a little more likely. Do that in my life. So it's an important time, even though I'll do it every year, it's a ritual. It's an important time to realize what are we worshiping who's our king. And it's a choice that we make. So, God, it's easy to, well, it's easier to identify those things and habits in our life.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

And it's easy to uh see attitudes on a face, a character when you look in the mirror. But then to just say, God, um, the only way for me to take notice is for you to do this. God, I I can't I can't change my heart. I can't change my character. But I want to. God, I can't even get rid of the things that I treasure in that ones. God, I'm so worked over by sin that I just can't deal with it. And that place of just submission to you is what you want. God, I just pray for each of my friends today. Word be just a Bible study and just setting the built food. God, it would really come with open hands and say, God, here's my life. I would be taken.