Bible Study - GOD'S Own Heart (3) - Honor Parents - Exodus 20:12; 2 Samuel 15:7-14 - September 20, 2020

 

Bible Study – GOD’S Own Heart (3) – Honor Parents – September 20, 2020

This lesson three (3) in our series entitled, “After GOD’S Own Heart: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments.”

Our focus scripture is Exodus 20:12; 2 Samuel 15:7-14.

Honor for parents is seen in our words and actions.

Human life requires a relationship and union of the sperm and egg to produce an offspring. Once we have been conceived physically, GOD desires for all people to be conceived Spiritually. Why? It is all about having the right relationship with HIM. JESUS reiterated this in the model prayer, recorded in Matthew 6:9: ““Therefore, you should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy.”

 

Why did JESUS make this distinction? Let’s read Matthew 3:9: “⁹ And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 

The Ten Commandments are all about building the right relationship with the One True GOD (YHWH/YAHWAH) of all, which reflects the heart of each person as we interact and function upon earth.

 

GOD desires for every person upon earth to have the right relationship with HIM through faith in JESUS. Spiritual birth is intended to produce this eternal Spiritual relationship at the instant a person acknowledges that JESUS gave HIS sinless life to pay in full for sin and ask JESUS to forgive him or her for his or her sin and to come into his or her life. GOD’S Spirit unites with that person’s human spirit and he or she is Spiritually born into the family of GOD never to be Spiritually unborn. It is a miracle and that makes every Spirit born person a Christian. It is not what church or religious organization you attend but CHRIST in you through the miracle of Spiritual birth.

 

This Spiritual birth prepares us to see that our relationship with our human parents reflects our relationship with GOD. If we do not have the right relationship with our parent or parents who we have seen, how can we have the right relationship with GOD, who we have not seen?

 

I know some may think “you do not know the scum my parents are or were.” If that is your situation, ask GOD to reveal to you how you can forgive them. Your eternal relationship is with GOD through faith in JESUS.

 

Our focus is on our earthly father and mother in this study but consider the Ten Commandments as they relate to others as we walk though life. GOD loves us completely. In the words of Dr. Charles Stanley, “GOD does not expect us to measure up before HE chooses us.” GOD takes us like we are, warts and all and make us into the image of JESUS. Now, that is unconditional love and John 3:16-18 captures it.

Let’s read Exodus 20:12:

¹² Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

It takes the sperm and egg to produce a person, thus honor both, father and mother. The Hebrew word translated “honor” carries the idea of “to be heavy” or to give weighty importance to one’s parents. Why?

There is already a strong physical bond between most parents and their child and between the child and its parent(s). We, as a person physically, see, touch and interact with our parent(s) who we can see and establish our relationship with our parent(s). How we interact and establish the right relationship with those we can see, often carries over to our relationship with GOD, Who we can’t see.

I recall hearing a story about a father who encouraged his child to climb on top of a garage and to jump into his arms. He assured the child that he would catch her. She did, as asked, and she jumped but her dad did not catch her. It hurt her when she hit the ground. She exclaimed, “Dad, you said you would catch me and I trusted you!” Her dad replied, “I wanted to teach you a lesson not to trust anyone, even me.” Now, that establishes a life long nature within that person and needs to be dealt with to build trust. There are issues in life that become trust barriers that we have to recognize and deal with.

It is about relationship. Can a person be in right relationship with GOD but not with his or her parent (s), siblings, friends, etc.? These can be barriers. If you are in such a situation, then confess it and ask JESUS to reveal to you what it or they are and to help you deal with it or them.

GOD’S nature is to forgive HIS GOD’S Children when they ask. Christians are to extend forgiveness to others.

Let’s consider the relationship of King David and his son Absalom as we continue ----

Let’s read 2 Samuel 15:7-12:

⁷ When four^[a] years had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. ⁸ For your servant made a vow when I lived in Geshur of Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord really brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.’”^[b]

⁹ “Go in peace,” the king said to him. So, he went to Hebron.

¹⁰ Then Absalom sent agents throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the ram’s horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom has become king in Hebron!’”

¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they did not know the whole situation. ¹² While he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for David’s adviser Ahithophel the Gilonite, from his city of Giloh. So, the conspiracy grew strong, and the people supporting Absalom continued to increase.

We immediately see that Absalom was deceitful and lied to his father so he could build an army to take over as King.

There is a lot of history leading up to our focus scripture. Dr. Tony Evans wrote the lessons printed in the “Bible Studies for Life” published by LifeWay, Nashville, TN.” He does an excellent job of listing an overview of this history as printed on page 43:

“David, the man after GOD’S own heart, was far from a perfect person. His sins against Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11) unleashed a whole series of consequences on his family. David was not an upstanding father. We see this in the story of his children.

-         David’s son, Amnon raped Tamar, Absalom’s sister, and Amnon’s own half-sister (2 Samuel 13:1-20).

-         When King David heard about all these things, he was furious, but did nothing (v.21)

-         Two years later, Absalom killed his brother Amnon (vv.22-33}

-         Absalom fled and lived in exile for three years (vv. 34-38)

-         David longed to go to Absalom after he finished grieving over Amnon’s death (v. 39)

-         David finally sent for Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but would not see him (14:1-24)

-         For two years Absalom lived in Jerusalem, but did not see his father (vv. 25-32)

-         David finally summoned Absalom to come to him and kissed him (v.33)

-         Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel from his father David (15:1-6)

David’s sinful behavior did not justify Absalom’s behavior. Family members can get at odds with each other and this is an example. So, what was the solution? Yes, David sinned and finally repented after the Prophet Nathan confronted him. GOD had chosen David and still supported him as king. GOD does not abandon HIS Children when they sin and confess their sin. GOD sent “an informer,” as we read on ------

Let’s read 2 Samuel 15:13-14:

¹³ Then an informer came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

¹⁴ David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Get up. We have to flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! Leave quickly, or he will overtake us quickly, heap disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

King David received word, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” David knew that Absalom was capable of organizing a large army suitable to defeat the forces of King David. King David knew if they battled in Jerusalem blood would be shed.

It is unlike David to retreat. Did King David think that GOD had abandoned him? Did the outcome of this situation reveal to King David that GOD was still using him?

What is the rest of the story as we read 2 Samuel 18:1-33:

Absalom’s Defeat

18 David reviewed his troops and appointed commanders of thousands and of hundreds over them. ² He then sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai of Gath. The king said to the troops, “I must also march out with you.”

³ “You must not go!” the people pleaded. “If we have to flee, they will not pay any attention to us. Even if half of us die, they will not pay any attention to us because you are worth^[a] ten thousand of us. Therefore, it is better if you support us from the city.”

⁴ “I will do whatever you think is best,” the king replied to them. So, he stood beside the city gate while all the troops marched out by hundreds and thousands. ⁵ The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” All the people heard the king’s orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

⁶ Then David’s forces marched into the field to engage Israel in battle, which took place in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷ Israel’s army was defeated by David’s soldiers, and the slaughter there was vast that day—twenty thousand dead. ⁸ The battle spread over the entire area, and that day the forest claimed more people than the sword. (When GOD is on you side miracles happen.)

Absalom’s Death

⁹ Absalom was riding on his mule when he happened to meet David’s soldiers. When the mule went under the tangled branches of a large oak tree, Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so he was suspended in midair.^[b] 10 One of the men saw him and informed Joab. He said, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”

¹¹ “You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed.^[c] “Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten silver pieces^[d] and a belt!”

¹² The man replied to Joab, “Even if I had the weight of a thousand pieces of silver^[e] in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For we heard the king command you, Abishai, and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for me.’^[f] 13 If I had jeopardized my own^[g] life—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”

¹⁴ Joab said, “I’m not going to waste time with you!” He then took three spears^[h] in his hand and thrust them into Absalom’s chest. While Absalom was still alive in the oak tree, ¹⁵ ten young men who were Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him. ¹⁶ Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab restrained them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and raised up a huge mound of stones over him. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.

¹⁸ When he was alive, Absalom had taken a pillar and raised it up for himself in the King’s Valley, since he thought, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So, he named the pillar after himself. It is still called Absalom’s Monument today.

¹⁹ Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the Lord has vindicated him by freeing him from his enemies.”

²⁰ Joab replied to him, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but today you aren’t taking good news, because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹ Joab then said to a Cushite, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

²² However, Ahimaaz son of Zadok persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”

Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to run since you won’t get a reward?” ^[i]

²³ “No matter what, I want to run!”

“Then run!” Joab said to him. So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.

²⁴ David was sitting between the city gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the city gate and over to the wall. The watchman looked out and saw a man running alone. ²⁵ He called out and told the king.

The king said, “If he’s alone, he bears good news.”

As the first runner came closer, ²⁶ the watchman saw another man running. He called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”

“This one is also bringing good news,” said the king.

²⁷ The watchman said, “The way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahimaaz son of Zadok runs.”

“This is a good man; he comes with good news,” the king commented.

²⁸ Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well,” and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. He continued, “Blessed be the Lord your God! He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.”

²⁹ The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I don’t know what it was.”

³⁰ The king said, “Move aside and stand here.” So, he stood to one side.

³¹ Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: The Lord has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you!”

³² The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”

The Cushite replied, “I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man.”

³³ The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!”

The love of a parent is deep and lasting and so is GOD’S love for HIS Children. I will never leave you or forsake you – count on it = eternal love.

All parents seek the best for their children, even when they do wrong. Love transcends many wrongs and GOD is our example. The consequence of our actions can be severe. As in our study, Absalom’s hair got caught in tree limbs. Even though Absalom was planning to overthrow his dad, which meant that if he had, King David would be put to death, a father’s love hoped for the best. Good, positive relationships are to be cherished both here upon earth and with our LORD JESUS/GOD.

Blessings!!!