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Trusting God in Opposition - 2 Samuel 2-4

Introduction

If you want to go ahead and take your Bibles and turn to 2 Samuel, I won't try to one-up Rory's reading ability and read 2 Samuel chapters 2 through 4. Well, I'll narrate the event for you and we'll dip in and read particular points.

I was struck, though, as we're sitting there, or standing, as Lorelei was reading, impatient I felt as as she was reading and just how counter to my nature and I'm sure to many of us it was to just stand still and listen to the word of God being read for an extended period of time and and how I just as I'm thinking about that how how indicative is that of my heart that I don't have the patience to just stand and drink in God's word I should be rejoicing in that and yet I'm feeling antsy like. Okay, I can see where she's at in the paragraph.

I just thought that was probably a poor reflection on my own heart. And I think that's probably indicative of many of us. That's why churches don't do that kind of reading through God's Word very often anymore. It's because people don't want that. People don't want to be patient under God's Word.

So this morning we're going to look at a big long section of 2 Samuel chapters 2 through 4. And we aren't going to read the whole thing. But we are trying to drink in as much of God's word as we can. That's why we gather together.

The Central Question

What do you do in the face of opposition? When, as a Christian, you face hostility in friendships or family over your faith, what do you do? When, as the church, the winds of culture blow against our message, how do we respond? And the first and most obvious answer to that question is that we trust God. But what does trusting God look like? Or to change how we put the question, what does trusting God stop us from doing?

The Setting of 2 Samuel 2-4

The first four chapters of 2 Samuel, so we looked at chapter 1 last week, but the first four chapters together prepare the way for the introduction of David as the king over the whole nation of Israel, an event which takes place, chapter 5. Lord willing, we'll look at that next week.

But at this point, the arc of David's life is still very much on the rise. It's on the ascendancy. This point is emphasized by the first six verses of chapter 3, which recount the comparative increase of David's power over against the house of Saul, the former king. However, while David's ascendance is the keynote of these chapters, there are hints that the author gives us that the foundation may have cracks.

The Tale of Two Houses

David's Increasing Strength

So let's read 2 Samuel 3, verses 1 through 6. It says: "There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. And sons were born to David at Hebron. His first was Amnon of Ahinoam of Jezreel. And his second, Kiliab of Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And the third, Absalom, the son of Makkah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Gesher, and fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith, and fifth, Shefaltiah, the son of Abital, and the sixth, Ithrium, of Eglot, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. While there was war between the house of Sa