30. The Book of 2Samuel—18:19-33

“Messengers Without a Message”

(2/26/17)

Over the last few chapters of our study in 2Samuel we have been looking at Absalom, ’s son, and his efforts to overthrow his father.

Absalom had been planning his coup for three or four years, quietly gathering people to his side while he patiently waited for the right moment to launch his attack and take the kingdom from his dad.

As we saw in chapter 15, that day finally arrived and Absalom and his forces drove David and the small group of men still loyal to him from into exile and hiding.

But Absalom made a fatal mistake—he underestimated his father who was a seasoned warrior.

So David (who didn’t fight personally in this battle) directed his men to engage Absalom’s army in the forests of Gilead where, even though outnumbered, they would have a strategic advantage.

Everything went according to plan and David’s men defeated Absalom’s army killing twenty- thousand of his troops.

Absalom was forced to flee on his donkey but passing under a large terebinth tree got his hair entangled in a low hanging bough and was left dangling in mid-air when the donkey kept going.

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When Joab, David’s general, was told what had happened he immediately went to where Absalom was ‘hanging out’ and thrust him thru with some spears and his ten armor bearers finished him off.

This brings us to where we left off last time in the narrative—

2 Samuel 18:19-20 (NKJV) 19 Then Ahimaaz the son of said, "Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the LORD has avenged him of his enemies." 20 And Joab said to him, "You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king's son is dead."

Ahimaaz was the son of Zadok who was one of the priests in Israel that had remained loyal to David but who stayed in Jerusalem pretending to be loyal to Absalom.

He along with another priest who was loyal to David named would feed David intel thru a young maiden to their two sons (Ahimaaz and ) who had camped just outside of the city by a spring of water known as the Spring of En Rogel.

These two young men would then run and tell David what Absalom was planning so he could escape those plans and stay a couple of steps ahead of his son.

Now that Absalom has been defeated and killed, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son wants to be the messenger to take the news to David.

He was one of the designated ‘runners’ (messengers) in Israel and had a reputation for bringing good news from the battle field to the king (27b).

And so, he volunteers to take the news to David who was staying at Mahanaim, three miles away.

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Obviously, Ahimaaz believes that David will receive his message as being good news—

I mean, how could the king not receive word that his men have been victorious and his ‘enemy’ (Absalom) has been killed in battle as being anything but good news?

However, Joab knew better—he knew David well enough to know that the king would only be interested in what had happened to Absalom, and that for him the news of Absalom’s death would be anything but good.

Furthermore, Joab knew that David was known to take his anger and sorrow out on the messengers that brought him bad news (1:4–16; 4:8–12)!

And so, in an effort to protect Ahimaaz, Joab decides to send ‘the Cushite’ (Ethiopian) in his place.

I guess Joab reasoned, if David took his anger out on a foreigner and wacked the guy—it wouldn’t be a big loss (a terrible way to look at another human being but Joab wasn’t a very nice guy!).

2 Samuel 18:21-23 (NKJV) 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran. 22 And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite." So Joab said, "Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?" 23 "But whatever happens," he said, "let me run." So he said to him, "Run."…

Why Ahimaaz was so zealous to run even after another man was sent baffles Joab who basically says to him, “Listen kid, why do you want to put yourself in danger since you have ‘no news ready’ (i.e. ‘no good news that will readily please the king and cause him to reward you’)—

But Ahimaaz was insistent and so Joab finally relented and said to him “Run”!

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2 Samuel 18:23b (NKJV) 23 …Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

Many believe that Ahimaaz was able to outrun the Cushite because he had taken the direct route, which was shorter in distance but more difficult taking him over the hills and thru the thick forest—while Ahimaaz took a longer, but easier route by way of the plain (Jordan Valley).

This allowed Ahimaaz, even though he started later, to arrive at Mahanaim before “the Cushite.”

2 Samuel 18:24-33 (NLT) 24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the town, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them. 25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, “If he is alone, he has news.” As the messenger came closer, 26 the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, “Here comes another one!” The king replied, “He also will have news.” 27 “The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok,” the watchman said. “He is a good man and comes with good news,” the king replied. 28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “Everything is all right!” He bowed before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise to the LORD your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king.” 29 “What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?” Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn’t know what was happening.” 30 “Wait here,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside. 31 Then the man from Ethiopia arrived and said, “I have good news for my lord the king. Today the LORD has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you.” 32 “What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?” And the Ethiopian replied, “May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!” 33 The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

Now as I was reading the passage this idea of a messenger being zealous to run but who really didn’t have a message to deliver once he got to where he was going—really stood out to me.

We see many people in society that are zealous to be messengers and run to and fro with messages of ‘comfort and hope’ to a world full of chaos and confusion—but in reality they really have nothing of substance to say.

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It’s as Peter said in his second epistle—“ they speak great swelling words of emptiness”.

In other words, their message sounds deep and profound but there’s no power and no life because—it’s not a message from God.

Only God’s Word is living and powerful (Heb.4:12)—all the words and wisdom of this world are nothing but high sounding foolishness.

Colossians 2:8 (NLT) 8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Look, as we just said, in this world there are myriads of messengers that are running around with no real message of hope for hurting people—we’ll call these people—false messengers.

I. False Messengers

Their message is a combination of worldly wisdom and empty philosophies that come from human thinking.

So much, if not all, of it is all about people turning inward to tap into their human potential and inner strength or a variety of self oriented philosophies that put humans at their center of their existence instead of God.

So whether we’re talking about man-centered philosophies like self-esteem, self-love or positive mental attitude; or metaphysical teachings like transcendental meditation, eastern mysticism, or visualization—all of these fall under the category of the world’s wisdom, and as James said in his epistle—“This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, [and] demonic.” (3:15)

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The reason that James says that earthly wisdom is demonic is because it comes from the ‘god of this world’—the devil, who controls the main outlets of information that flow into this world— including the entertainment industries which also help to shape the way people think.

Whether we’re talking about TV, movies, music, media and practically all the institutions of higher learning (colleges).

Even as God’s wisdom (His Word) leads a person to live godly in this world (James 3:17)—the wisdom that comes from the devil’s lies produces ungodly living.

This so-called wisdom is man centered—it is a philosophy of life that is rebellious toward the will of God, which rejects entirely the word of God, and is completely humanistic in its approach to life (that man is god and answers to no one but himself).

If embraced, this worldly wisdom will lead to sensual living—the very thing James warned against.

And that kind of living will damn a person to hell—

Galatians 5:19, 21 (NLT) 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures…21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But these worldly messengers aren’t the only ones that are running without a message—the church has become infested with them as well.

These false messengers in the church are reminiscent of the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day (a time not unlike our own) whom God condemned for their lies.

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He said, “There are many in Israel that claim to speak for Me—but they speak lies in My name. I haven’t sent them or spoken thru them. They are false prophets who run with a message of false hope, telling people that it doesn’t matter how sinfully they are living, that I will continue to bless them and there won’t be a day of judgment coming upon them.” (Paraphrase of Jer.23)

Today in the church we have many who claim to speak on behalf of God but who are simply ‘tickling ears’ (2Tim.4:3-4)—telling people what they want to hear so as to make ‘merchandise’ (money) off of them (2Peter 2:1-3).

And just like the false prophets in the O.T. who kept their messages ‘positive’ and free of any talk of coming judgment—so do these false teachers today.

They only present a positive message of God’s love and that everything is fine—just like Ahimaaz did when he delivered his message to David—he said, “All is well!”

What he actually said in the Hebrew is ‘shalom’, which among other things means “peace, health, prosperity and well-being.”

So Ahimaaz was the first ‘health and wealth’ preacher!

Look, he knew the full message, that Absalom was dead, but purposely left out the negative part because he didn’t want to upset the king with bad news.

So many preachers and pastors today are doing the same thing—they don’t want to upset people with ‘bad news’ (so they will keep coming and giving) so they leave out all references to sin, coming judgment (prophecy), repentance, living a holy life—and anything else that might offend.

Theirs is a tolerant, inclusive, “broadway” message—the kind that Jesus condemned the false teachers in His day for preaching—

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Matthew 7:13-15 (NLT) 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves…

In contrast to false messengers, those who have no message for the people of this world—in contrast to these there are the—faithful messengers.

II. Faithful Messengers

Faithful messengers give the message God has committed to them faithfully in its entirety—or as Paul stated it they give, “the whole counsel of God”. (Explain)

Of course, the message God has committed to us that we are commanded deliver to the people of this world is the gospel.

The part of the gospel that unfaithful preachers and pastors in the church leave out is—the cross!

In fact, so central to the gospel is the preaching of the cross that Paul, in 1Corinthians 1, calls the gospel, “the message of the cross”—

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV) 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing [on their way to hell], but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [Define the message of the cross]

Paul goes on to say a few verses later—

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1 Corinthians 1:23-24 (NKJV) 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

To those who are religious, who think they’re right with God and going to heaven (like the Jews back then or like Roman Catholics and other highly liturgical denominations today)—the preaching of the cross for salvation is offensive (stumbling block) to them.

It’s offensive for them to hear that all of their religious efforts in going to church, lighting candles, praying the rosary and keeping holy days won’t save them—salvation is a gift of God’s grace when they simply receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

To the intellectuals (like the Greeks) the cross and the gospel are foolishness. (Explain)

Galatians 6:14 (NKJV) 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Philippians 3:18 (NKJV) 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ…

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NKJV) 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Listen, only the gospel preached faithfully in its entirety is powerful enough to change a life.

(Raul Ries story—“From Fury to Freedom”)

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Once again, the gospel is living and powerful to save a person from hell—but also to transform their life on earth—if the message of the cross is included.

The problem with Ahimaaz, the messenger, was that—he purposely left ‘death’ out of his message.

And the same is true with so many gospel messengers today—to keep the gospel non-offensive, positive and appealing to people—the cross (death) is omitted and the gospel is reduced to ‘happy talk’.

The gospel isn’t a message that is designed to make people feel good or happy about themselves—it’s a brutal indictment of our sinful lives and how only by Jesus dying for us on the cross is there hope of escaping the fires of hell.

In that regard, the gospel is a warning for people to flee judgment by running into Christ for safety—kind of like a tornado siren today. (Explain)

This is the message we are to deliver to the people of this world—only this message will save and transform a life.

Be a faithful messenger and like Paul purpose to preach nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified—the message of the cross.

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