Trust God's Plan in Troubled Times

Hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions.

This morning we are going to look at what happens to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son.

What happens to that guy after his main general switched sides and died?

What goes on with this guy? Let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word.

Let's pray.

God, you have given us your Word. It's perfect. It's true. It will never fail.

You have given it to us to be, like, better than silver or gold, sweeter than honey.

So, Father, please, satisfy our souls and teach us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Here we go. 2 Samuel chapter 3, verses 31 through the end of the chapter, verse 39.

Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him,

Tear your clothes and gird yourselves with sackcloth and mourn for Abner.

And King David followed the coffin.

So they buried Abner in Hebron.

And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner.

And all the people wept.

And the king sang a lament over Abner and said,

Should Abner die as a fool dies?

Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters.

As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.

Then all the people wept over him again.

And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day,

David took an oath saying,

God do so to me and more also if I taste bread or anything else until the sun goes down.

Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people.

For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's intent to kill Abner the son of Ner.

Then the king said to his servants,

Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

And am I weak today, though anointed king?

And these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me.

Jehovah shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.

Well, we need to ask ourselves our three questions.

A, what's this about?

B, what's the best verse to summarize this?

And C, what are we called to do in response to this?

So A, what's this about?

This is about the funeral of Abner, right?

Saul's right-hand man, Ish-busheth's general, who was assassinated by Joab

as he was acting like he was under King David's almost treachery herein.

And now, we find David following the coffin.

He's commanded everybody to come to the funeral.

It is a state funeral.

He follows the coffin and he weeps and he weeps and he weeps.

It doesn't just seem for show because afterwards he sings the song of lament

and he won't eat.

And his servants are like, eat David, eat David.

And when something really troubles David's heart, he's not eating.

He refuses to eat.

And when he gets done, he speaks of the children of Zeruiah,

these sons who are too harsh for him.

And what's the result of all of this?

Well, that's what I have underlined in my Bible.

It's the best verse, actually.

Verse 36, now all the people took note of it and it pleased them since whatever the king

did, since whatever the king did pleased all the people for all the people in all Israel

understood that day that it had not been the king's intent to kill Abner, the son of Ner.

David's public mourning, lamenting, actually shows the people that he is a god, or he was a king

of justice, that it wasn't of treachery, and that it was these guys' blood on their own hands.

And so he actually wins over the heart of the people.

And this is what I want to say, right, with sea calling.

We've had this real struggle as we're going through 2 Samuel, and we've gotten to this

point, and we've seen some really ugly stuff happening.

How was the civil war ever going to be resolved?

Right?

Was Judah going to have to slay all the troops of Naphtali, or kill all the people of Dan,

or go to war with every single Benjamite?

But we find here that the Lord is doing something, even in these atrocious and horrible situations.

How David responds, wins the heart of the people.

Both his own people, and all Israel.

See, God is able to turn the hearts of the people to the king.

He's able to raise up kings and bring them down, and this is the way that the Lord superintends

all these things, and world history, and his providence, and I'm convinced this is a part

of this covenant of grace, right?

He's working in redemptive history to bring about his ultimate end.

And so the calling for your life, and the calling for my life, is we know that he has a plan

for us.

Right?

We know that he's begun a good work in us, and he who has begun a good work in us will

not leave it incomplete, but will bring it about to completion, unto the day of Christ Jesus.

We know that whatever happens is for the good of those who love him and have been called

according to his purposes.

And so we're not afraid of history.

We're not afraid of these things.

It may be trying and troubling right now, but I want to encourage you that if you are in

Christ, there is peace.

There is a peace you can have as you're wrestling with your anxieties and your fears.

You're able to take those things to the Lord and yet have thankfulness.

And the peace of Christ can wash over your heart.

Trust in God's plans.

Be willing to wait.

Stand for righteousness.

The Lord is doing a good work.

Let's pray.

God, you are a good God, a wonderful God.

We pray that you would please help us to trust you even when things aren't going the way we

might like.

Father, please increase our faith.

In Jesus' name, amen.

May God bless you as you wait upon the Lord and as you rejoice in the Lord.

I'll see you next time.

Bye.

Bye.

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