What to do when you are stuck

2 Samuel 17:1-29

What do you do when you can?t do anything more? David is really stuck. He doesn?t know what?s going on back in Jerusalem so he doesn?t know which way, if any, he can run. He?s got all these people that are depending on him and I?m sure it weighed on him heavily. But he is basically unable to do anything at this point.

Do you ever find yourself in a situation like that? You?ve prayed and given the situation to the Lord and done all you can. Now it?s up to the Lord and you have to just wait. In this chapter we see the results, that God comes through for David through the character he has built up in this man of God through the trials of his life, and how he sovereignly intervenes, but it all totally out of David?s control.

Let?s look at Psalm 3 again, the psalm David wrote this time. David cries out to God about his situation and says that God answered, but what was the answer? David was able to be at peace (vs 5), be free of fear (vs 6), and watch as God moves for him (vs 7). God doesn?t give David a way of escape, but a way to cope, and be content in the difficulty while God moves. Let?s see how it plays out.

1 ? 4

Ahithophel remember is the grandfather of Bathsheba. He used to be David?s counselor and probably hid Absalom?s true intentions from David and now sides with Absalom to get revenge on David.

He is a master tactician. His plan is to take a small force, move quickly and overtake David, striking only him, before he gets away. The plan will cause a minimum of bloodshed and Ahithophel seems to think that the other royal officials will go back to make peace with the new king.

There?s only one problem with it (well two really). It focuses on Ahithophel, who wants to become head of the army it seems, and it isn?t God?s will. But notice that it resonates everyone present.

5 ? 13

So why did Absalom ask or Hushai? It may have been inexperience (he should have gone with the best plan as soon as he heard it). Perhaps it was ego (the rush of being king have having multiple advisors). Perhaps he really did think that he wanted to test Hushai?s real loyalty. I think it was of the Lord sovereignly making Absalom do this.

So Hushai comes and is a master. While Ahithophel?s plans all focus on Ahithophel, Hushai?s focus on Absalom. It makes Absalom picture himself as this mighty king in front of a giant army instead of waiting back at home for news of Ahithophel?s victory. All Hushai said was true about David, or at least plausible. But it was not true at this time.

Hushai?s plan would give David the one thing he needed?time to escape?it even answers Absalom?s possible objection if he thought of that (going after him wherever he was).

14

So even though from a military and political standpoint it was inferior, everyone just nodded their heads because God was behind it.

15 ? 16

Remember that David had his intelligence network set up. Hushai tells everything and counsels David to flee in case Absalom changes his mind.

17 ? 20

Jonathan and Ahimaaz were sons of the priests. They were stationed only a mile from Jerusalem. David himself was only about 20 miles away.

The cloth over the cistern would make it appear like grain was drying.

21 ? 22

I?m not sure if we are not told all of what Jonathan and Ahimiaaz said of they indeed just told part of the story to David, but it is the news that Absalom was on his way that urges him to take everyone over the Jordan.

23

Ahithophel, like Judas, had betrayed his king. He knew that his original counsel was the best way for Absalom to secure the kingship. He knew that because Absalom had followed Hushai?s advice that David would return, and then what? Both Ahithophel and Absalom end up hanging on a tree.

24 ? 26

Amasa is David?s nephew and Joab?s cousin. It would have taken some time to gather the forces so we don?t know how long has transpired here.

27 ? 29

Shobi was Hanun?s brother. It was Hanun who treated David?s spies so badly in chapter 10. David ended up defeating them and killing Hanun. Shobi was bound to David by treaty. Machir had cared or Mephibosheth and likely had good feelings towards David for how he treated Saul?s grandson. Barzillai - all we really know here is that he is old and wealthy and likes David.

Conclusions

David followed his heart and set a plan in place, but then had to trust his friends to bring it about.

I don?t know about you, but I think we often want to control everything when something important is at stake. David might have wanted to sneak back to Jerusalem himself to hear what was going on, or maybe he wanted his men to follow his plan to the letter with no prayer or thought on their own.

But there comes a time when you have to trust in trustworthy people who want the best for you in the Lord to work on your behalf and not worry about exactly how it plays out.

Doing good and being merciful can actually pay off in the end.

The world teaches us to watch out for ourselves. But the Lord teaches us to pray for our enemies and bless those who curse us and even show kindness to those that hate us. In this case, David had been kind to Shobi?s father. When David was on the outs, Shobi could have picked a new side, but despite the difficulties Hanun caused, there was loyalty to David. Even the unnamed servant woman who hid the spies must have felt that extreme loyalty to David?she took her life into her hands after all.

What do people in the world think of you? What do people in the family of God think of you? How you act (and I don?t mean just wink at sin and that kind of thing) can come back to you, either in mercy, or not.

Friends helping when you can?t.

Do you actually let people bless you? I have a hard time with that sometimes. All these guys and Barzillai come and give all this stuff to David. Maybe David felt he didn?t deserve it, after all, it was his own son that had betrayed him. If he?d only done this or that this wouldn?t have happened and it was really all my fault because of Bathsheba and all that. Sometimes people just want to bless you even if you don?t deserve it. Accept it.

A little ego can get you in a lot of trouble

We see that with Ahithophel and Absalom. Ahithophel repeats ?I? 4 times in his speech. He was in it for himself. And Absalom clearly was stoked by Hushai stroking his ego.

When we focus on what is in for us, we are easily mislead by the enemy. It?s not bad to want things, but nowhere did any of them seek the Lord and want what God wanted for them. This is a great wedge the enemy uses to draw us off track.