SERIES K --- ISRAEL’S GOLDEN AGE --- LESSON 11
CURSES AND COUNSEL
ZIBA’S GIFTS AND SHIMEL’S CURSES
From 2 Samuel 16:1-17:14
Just beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, David paused to let Ziba, Mephibosheth’s household manager, catch up. Ziba had a pair of saddled donkeys, loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred pieces of summer fruit and a wineskin full of wine. ‘What are you doing with these things?’ David asked Ziba. ‘The donkeys are for your family or servants to ride, Ziba replied. The bread and fruit are food for your followers and the wine is for you to take in case anyone becomes faint in the wilderness.’ ‘But where is your master Mephibosheth?’ David asked. ‘Back in Jerusalem,’ Ziba answered. ‘He said that he would stay behind because he would now get back the kingdom which belonged to his grandfather Saul.’ ‘Well, if that’s true, then I will give you all that Mephibosheth now owns,’ David promised. ‘I bow before you and ask that you always show me such favour,’ Ziba responded gratefully. Before long, David and his people approached Bahurim. As they came near, Shimei the son of Gera, a member of Saul’s family, came out and cursed them. Shimei threw stones at David and his people, including some of the bravest warriors of Israel. ‘Go away, you bloody murderer!’ he shouted at David. ‘Adonai is punishing you for the blood of King Saul’s family which you spilled so that you could take his place as king. Now Adonai has taken the throne from you and given it to your son Absalom. Look at your punishment, you bloody murderer!’ ‘Why are we letting this dead dog curse the king?’ Abishai asked. ‘Let me go over there and cut off his head.’ ‘If Adonai has told him to curse me, who am I to challenge him?’ David replied. ‘Look! If my own son is trying to take my life, what can I say when this member of Saul’s family curses me? Let him alone! Let him curse me, for Adonai has probably told him to do this. Perhaps Adonai will see what I’m going through and will give me something good for these curses.’ As David and his men went on, Shimei moved along beside them, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at them. By the time King David and his followers reached Bahurim, they were tired, so they rested there a while. Back in Jerusalem, Absalom and his followers had arrived, with Ahithophel. Hushai, David’s adviser, arrived about the same time and went to see Absalom. ‘Long live the king!’ said Hushai to Absalom. ‘Long live the king!’ ‘Is this the way to show loyalty to your friend David?’ Absalom asked. ‘Why haven’t you gone with him?’ ‘My loyalty is to the king whom Adonai has chosen,’ Hushai answered. ‘I will stay with you. I served your father while he was king. Now I will serve you while you are king.’ Absalom turned to Ahithophel for his advice. ‘What should we do next?’ he asked. ‘Sleep with your father’s wives,’ he answered. ‘This will turn your father against you so that you cannot be reconciled. Then all your followers will know that they must remain with you.’ They placed a tent on the palace roof for Absalom, where he could sleep with David’s wives in the sight of all the people, this was only one example of Ahithophel’s counsel. Whatever he said seemed so wise that people thought they must follow it, for it seemed that Ahithophel’s advice had come from the mouth of YHVH. That is also the way it seemed when he advised King David. ‘Let me choose twelve thousand men,’ Ahithophel next advised Absalom. ‘Let me set out tonight to pursue David so that I may catch up to him while he is exhausted and before he gets the supplies he needs. He and his men will panic and run. When David is alone, I will kill him and you will be safe as king. When David is dead, all his followers will turn to you and the nation will be at peace again.’ Absalom and his other followers thought Ahithophel’s plan was good. But Absalom wanted Hushai’s advice as well. ‘Call Hushai here and let’s find out what he thinks,’ said Absalom. When Hushai appeared, Absalom asked his opinion. ‘What do you think of Ahithophel’s advice?’ Absalom asked. ‘Should we follow it? If you don’t think so, tell me!’ ‘This time Ahithophel has given you bad advice,’ said Hushai. ‘Your father and his men are great warriors and they are very angry, like a bear robbed of her cubs. Do you think such a seasoned warrior would stop for the night in the open, where you could attack him? Without doubt, he has found caves where he and his warriors have hidden. When they kill the first of your men, the rest will panic and say that your army is being destroyed. Then even your bravest men will run away, for everyone knows what great warriors your father and his men are.’ ‘Here is my advice. You should quickly bring together the entire army of Israel from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. Then when you have an enormous force, lead them personally against David and his warriors and destroy them all. If David escapes to a city, destroy it and pull down its walls, dragging the stones into the valley.’ Absalom and his men liked Hushai’s advice. ‘This is better than Ahithophel’s advice,’ they said. Adonai had already planned Absalom’s defeat so He would not let Ahithophel’s advice be accepted.
COMMENTARY
DAVID’S FRIENDS
Aside from those mentioned here, some of David’s friends were foreigners and even people who almost should have been his enemies. These included Achish, king of Gath. He rejected David at first and then became a follower, granting him the city of Ziklag. The Philistine exile, Ittai of Gath, also remained loyal to David during Absalom’s rebellion. He and his band of six hundred men actively took part in the final war against Absalom. The king of Moab sheltered David’s parents during Saul’s persecutions, perhaps because David had some blood ties there. Uriah the Hittite was a loyal and talented soldier; he became one of David’s Thirty. Other friends of David were religious people. These include the prophet Samuel, who first anointed him and later supported and helped protect him. This group would also include the prophet Nathan, and the priests Zadok and Abiathar. David was always able to command the loyalty of military men. An outstanding example of this kind of friend was Benaiah. He served David in the wars in Moab and was famous for slaying a lion in a pit and an Egyptian giant. He was made head of David’s bodyguard. Throughout his difficult and troubled reign, David’s friends were many. An intense and complicated man, he was bound to call forth great loyalty and sacrifice from those who loved him. In the end, his friends fortunately proved themselves stronger than his enemies.
Got to ride a horse yesterday
Got to ride a horse yesterday
Got to ride a horse yesterday
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In response to Mark Price's poll, josephus clearly explained that the Name YHWH is pronounced as four vowels. Those four vowels are yod-hey-waw-hey, pronounced ee-ah-oo-ah. I spell it 'Yahuah. Most of the time i say "Yah" in acordance with psalm 68:4 nkjv and others. When im more heavily into a prayer than normal, i do use 'Yahuah instead.
When we choose to change, we should consider changing our heart first. Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” David understood that to repent and begin living the way our Creator designed us to live begins from the inside — by changing his heart.
Ive noticed a huge stumbling block to fellowship on this platform. In order to have comments, you must first be accepted as a friend by the op. No one accepts friend requests! Only one has made any to me, either. I think that is a major reason why this is more of a online evangelist forum than a network. Most posts are by various ministers of online ministries. Very few are by PEOPLE. I hope the admins will reconsider this policy to make it more user friendly.
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