The Bitter End

2 Samuel 13 - 20

March 16, 2003

Introduction

A. Chapters 11-20 make up the third section of 2 Samuel. This section records the fulfillment of the prophecy to David in chapter 12, “Now therefore, the word shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun… because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme…”

B. In this section we see the story of bitterness and humility and hope. Disappointment, discouragement, despair – the Devil’s “D’s.”

C. How bitterness is formed: 1. something is taken too personally; 2. we rent out too much of mental space; 3. we form a grievance story and allow it to consume our emotional energy and we begin to think about revenge.

I. Sin In David’s House
David’s sin and lack of parental attention

A. Tamar and Amnon

1. Amnon’s lust for Tamar

2. Amnon’s cousin Jonadab “a crafty man”

3. David hears, becomes angry and does nothing

B. Amnon and Absalom

1. For two years Absalom stewed in anger (13:23) and David did nothing – bitterness was forming

2. Bitterness can have a very understandable source; a righteous reason

3. Shearing the sheep party invitations & Amnon’s murder

C. Jonadab’s report

1. Just like Satan who tempts us then reports us.

2. How did he know exactly what had happened…?

II. Absalom’s Bitterness at the Gate
He has had two years of bitterness against his brother and at least 5 years against his father for not having done anything about his sister’s rape. Absalom was handsome, intelligent and gifted, but none of that benefited him because of his bitterness.

A. Absalom politics his father

1. Absalom pressured Joab who then pressured a Woman of Tekoa. She brought a test case before David’s court to trick him into being forced to bring his son back from exile.

2. Absalom returns but not to see David’s face.

B. Absalom politics the people

1. The look of the politician: 50 men entourage with chariots

2. The original spin mister

C. Absalom politics the innocent

1. Permission to pay a vow before God

2. Ahh… the religious game

3. 200 innocent invited guests become poisoned by Absalom

III. Ahithophel’s Bitterness

A. The root of bitterness

1. Grandfather of Bathsheba: David had ruined Bathsheba and the family name.

2. Righteous reason for anger, but bitterness snagged his soul

3. You’ve been treated unfairly. What was done to you or your friend or relative was inspired by Satan, but vengeance is God’s business.

4. He had been David’s friend

Ps. 31 “ For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

Ps. 41 “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

B. The hope of his bitterness

1. David’s demise

2. As Absalom marched on Jerusalem, David fled barefoot & with his head covered (symbols of humility). He had the presence of mind to send the priests and Hushai his other counselor back to Jerusalem.

C. The death of hope

1. Absalom’s first act as king was to gather his advisors (those formerly of David).

2. It is interesting to me how Absalom came to know that Ahithophel would join with him. Bitter people tend to find each other.

3. “Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.” (16:23)

4. Chase David down when he is tired and kill only him.

5. Hushai’s advice, “Wait and gather your forces as David is a man of war and now angry like a bear robbed of her cubs.”

6. When Absalom chose Hushai’s advice, Ahithophel realized Absalom would lose in battle. He went home and killed him.

7. When bitterness takes away all hope, people despair even of life.

D. The only real hope

1. Hope… “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness…”  Sometimes that really gets challenged. My hope can be built on good news from the doc. Where is your hope?

2. Cancer can nibble life away. Cancer can frighten you and spin your emotions. Doctors can cut cancer out, take away parts of our bodies and brutalize us with radiation and chemo. But with Jesus, they can never take away your hope. Someone once said, “The tragedy of cancer is not that we die. It is what dies within us while we are living.”

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 35-39)