tonight.
We're going to look at the end of 2 Samuel 19.
That's page 271 in the Pew Bible. If you want to turn there, that'll be helpful.
We'll kind of walk through this text together and see what God has for us here to learn
tonight. Last week, Greg preached on 2 Samuel
18 and in the beginning of 19 where David mourned the death of Absalom. Tonight, we're going to
look at the rest of that chapter. And what's going on in this chapter is
this is 2 Samuel's account of David's return
to Jerusalem after Absalom's rebellion has come to an end.
In other words, David, the rightful king
is coming home in this text.
And the big question that's looming at this point in Israel's
history is this. How will
David restore unity and peace
to the kingdom?
How's he going to do that?
The king of Israel, after all, was supposed to unify
the nation of Israel in the praise of God.
And actually,
through Israel, the king was really
supposed to unify and eventually unite
all nations in the praise of God.
But right now, at this point in the story,
as we'll see in a second,
David is not coming home to peace.
He's coming home to a fragile
and fractured
and fearful people
who are on the brink of chaos.
My wife and I, as some of you know,
have three young kids.
And when I come home
after work,
when I come home,
what I often find waiting for me
when I step through the door is not peace,
but chaos.
The kids have been playing all day,
so their toys are strewn all around the house.
Dinner is cooking.
Someone's crying.
In short, the Lauer household
around 5.15 p.m. is nuts.
And my wife, Beth,
she is very awesome.
She's great with the kids.
But, you know,
I think anybody at the end of the day,
you know,
those three kids at the end of the day,
they are just toast.
They're ready to unravel.
Of course,
I would love for my kids
to welcome me
at the door
and say,
Oh, Daddy dearest,
welcome home.
We're so glad to see you.
Look at how I've cleaned up all my toys
and made all things ready
for your arrival.
Come, let me hand you
your slippers.
Take this warm cup of tea.
Here's the newspaper.
I shall not bother you
until it be dinner time,
Father.
That, of course,
is not how it goes.
Isn't it the case
that the fallen world
that we live in
does not naturally tend
towards peace and wholeness?
It tends towards
fragmentation and chaos.
I think that is a great sign
of the fact
that things are not the way
they're supposed to be
in our world.
And David,
when he returns,
the kingdom is not stable
and peaceful
and unified.
It's fragile
and it's on the verge of chaos.
So let's jump into this text.
Let's read the first two paragraphs
and let's see how David
goes about making peace
in this situation.
End of verse 8.
Now Israel.
Now Israel had fled
every man
to his own home.
Israel here refers
to the northern tribes of Israel
in the rest of this narrative.
And they've fled
to their homes
because their army
backing Absalom
has just been crushed
by David's army.
So they've fled
every man to his home.
And all the people
were arguing
throughout all the tribes
of Israel saying
the king delivered us
from the hand of our enemies
and saved us from the hand
of the Philistines
and now he has fled
out of the land from Absalom.
But Absalom,
who we anointed over us,
is dead in battle.
Now therefore,
why do you say nothing
about bringing the king back?
You could hear them
sort of arguing
with one another.
And King David
sent this message
to Zadok
and Abiathar the priests.
Say to the elders of Judah,
these are the southern,
this is the southern tribe,
why should you be the last
to bring the king
back to his house
when the word of all Israel
has come to the king?
David apparently
has gotten word
that the northern tribes
are ready to bring him home.
You are my brothers.
You're my bone
and my flesh.
Why then should you
be the last
to bring back the king?
And say to Amasa,
are you not my bone
and my flesh?
God, do so to me
and more also
if you are not commander
of my army from now on
in place of Joab.
And he,
that is David,
swayed the heart
of all the men of Judah
as one man
so that they sent word
to the king,
return both you
and all your servants.
So the king came back
to the Jordan
and Judah came to Gilgal
to meet the king
and to bring him
over to the Jordan.
Okay, let's pause there.
So we see the situation here.
The people are scared.
They're arguing
as people who are scared
often do.
Some are obviously worried
that if David comes back
he'll punish them
for rebelling.
Others are probably thinking
that if they don't
welcome him back
it will get even worse
for them
and they don't know
what to do.
And if you think about it
on a broader
sort of political level,
the nation's
in a pretty dangerous
place right now.
They're fragmented.
They're alienated
from their king
who was basically
the military leader
at that time.
They're in the aftermath
of a civil war.
This is just the sort of thing
that an Egypt
or Assyria
or the Philistine armies
would love
to just come rumbling
into Israelite territory
and take advantage
of their weakened condition.
They're in a dangerous spot.
And even Judah,
David's own tribe here,
is uncertain
of what to do.
They too, remember,
went over to Absalom.
But David here,
not wanting
the nation
to be fractured,
wanting them
to be unified,
appeals to Judah
for them not to be
left out or left behind
when he returns
to Jerusalem.
Why should you be
the last to welcome me back?
Aren't we
bone of bone
and flesh of flesh?
And then David
does something
really surprising.
As a sign
of what they can expect
when he comes home,
what does he do?
He makes a guy
named Amasa
the head of his army
in the place of Joab.
Now, you're thinking,
who the heck is Amasa?
What is that?
What difference
does that make?
Well, Amasa, remember,
was just recently
the head of Absalom's army.
This was the opposing general
on the other side
of the civil war.
These were the guys
David was just fighting against,
the ones who just staged a coup
and tried to kill him.
He says, look,
I'm going to extend
an olive branch.
Amasa is general now
in the place of Joab.
David's not going
to enact revenge.
He's going to work
to rebuild the nation,
even if that means
demoting his long-standing
general, Joab,
and putting Amasa
in his place.
Okay, now this,
these paragraphs
are pretty introductory, actually.
This kind of sets up
the rest of the chapter
and what's going to happen.
On his way
back to the Jordan
and back to Jerusalem,
David is going to have
three encounters
that sort of encapsulate
or give a concrete picture
of how David
is going to try
to restore peace
to the nation,
how he's going to try
to be a peacemaker
in the midst
of this really fragile
and fractious situation.
And he's going to do
two things.
On the one hand,
he's going to show mercy
to his enemies,
and on the other hand,
he's going to show kindness
and loyalty
to his friends.
And what the narrator
of 2 Samuel
is trying to show us here,
he's trying to show us
that this is what
a real king looks like.
Not someone
who's power hungry,
not someone
who's vengeful,
not someone
who's self-serving.
No.
A real king
is a peacemaker
who's willing
to extend mercy
to his enemies
and maintain loyalty
with his friends.
So we're going to see
three episodes.
Two of them
are episodes of mercy
and one of them
loyalty to friends.
So let's look at
the first episode
in 16.
Verse 16.
And Shimea,
the son of Gerah,
the Benjaminite
from Baharim,
hurried to come down
with the men of Judah
to meet King David.
And with him
were a thousand men
from Benjamin.
And Ziba,
the servant of the house
of Saul,
with his 15 sons
and his 20 servants,
rushed down
to the Jordan
before the king.
And they crossed the ford
to bring over
the king's household
and to do his pleasure.
And Shimea,
the son of Gerah,
fell down before the king
as he was about
to cross the Jordan.
And he said to the king,
let not my lord
hold me guilty
or remember
how your servant
did wrong
on the day
my lord the king
left Jerusalem.
Do not let the king
take it to heart
for your servant
knows that I have sinned.
Therefore behold,
I have come this day
the first of all
the house of Joseph
to come down
to meet my lord the king.
Abishai,
the son of Zeruiah,
answered,
shall not Shimea
be put to death
for this
because he cursed
the lord's anointed?
But David said,
what have I to do
with you,
you sons of Zeruiah,
that you should this day
be an adversary to me?
Shall anyone
be put to death
in Israel this day?
For do I not know
that I am this day
king over Israel?
And the king said
to Shimea,
you shall not die.
And the king
gave him his oath.
Okay,
so you'll remember
this guy,
Shimei,
or Shimea,
or however you pronounce it,
however you want to pronounce it.
You'll remember this guy
from chapter 16,
right?
This is the guy
who when David
was running away
from Absalom
on his way out of the city
showed up
and just started cursing him
and casting dirt
on his head
and calling him
a ruthless,
bloody man
and said,
you're getting
what you deserve,
David.
And now
that it looks like
David is still going
to be king after all,
lo and behold,
here comes Shimei
as fast as he can
to ask for forgiveness.
Did you notice
how the narrator said
he hurried down
to the Jordan
and then he didn't just wait there
for David to cross the Jordan,
he went over the Jordan
to get to David
as quickly as he possibly could.
And he asks for forgiveness.
And Abishai,
one of David's soldiers,
gives David the same advice
that he gave to David
back in chapter 16.
Do you remember that?
Abishai said in chapter 16,
David,
I've got an easy solution here.
Let's just take this guy's head off.
Done.
And Abishai is sort of like,
you know,
he's kind of a one-track-minded guy.
He's like,
hey,
here's another opportunity,
David.
He's back.
Let's kill him.
But David again
doesn't listen to Abishai.
And instead,
what does David do?
He refrains
from executing harsh judgment
and he grants Shimei mercy.
Now,
was Shimei guilty?
Of course.
He cursed David
up one side
and down the other
on his way out of Jerusalem.
Was Shimei's repentance
and apology sincere
here in chapter 19?
I mean,
he sincerely wanted
to save his own skin.
That's for sure.
Right?
And if David had lost
the war with Absalom,
one wonders whether Shimei
would have been so contrite.
So I think we can question
whether he's really
that sincere here.
But for all that,
David still extends mercy.
He keeps his cool
and he acts with prudence
for the sake
of making peace
in the nation.
Now,
I don't know about you,
but I think
of just how rare
that kind of thing is.
If you and I
are given the chance
to prove someone wrong
or to make someone
pay for wronging us,
I mean,
we often do it,
don't we?
And yet,
David refrains.
He affirms
that what Shimei did
was wrong,
but at least for now
he doesn't make him pay.
And you have to ask,
what is it
that allows David
to respond that way?
How is he,
I mean,
he has every right,
all the authority,
certainly all the power
at this moment
to do exactly
what his young friend
is telling him to do.
And yet,
what allows David
not to respond that way?
Look again
at the end of verse 21.
For do I not know
that I am this day
king over Israel?
What is David saying there?
In other words,
David is saying
that he doesn't have
to prove himself
in this moment.
And he doesn't have
to send a message
to his enemies
and he doesn't have
to nurse his wounded pride.
He tells his young friend,
look,
I know I am the king
right now
and I don't need
to do anything
to prove it.
He is so certain
and so secure
in that fact
that he extends
mercy to this guy.
And he knows
that as the king,
there is a bigger job
to do
than just evening
the score
and making this guy
pay for what he did.
David, you see,
has got this bigger agenda
and he wants there
to be peace
and wholeness
and unity
in the people of God.
And for that end,
he extends this guy mercy.
And friends,
I think the same
will be true of us.
As you and I grow,
in our assurance
of our identity,
not obviously
as God's king,
but certainly
as God's children,
as you and I
become more and more
assured of the fact
that God knows us
and loves us
and has chosen us
in Christ,
the more and more
we will have
a deep wellspring
to pull from
and the more and more
we'll find
that our lives
are caught up
in a much bigger agenda
than just getting even
with the people
who happen to cross us.
In other words,
I think as we sort of
root ourselves
in our identity
of who God has made
us to be in Christ,
we actually get the power
to become peacemakers
and extend mercy
the way David did.
Well, let's look at
the next meeting
that David has
where he again
extends mercy,
but this time
it looks a little different.
Pick up the story
in verse 24.
The narrator says,
And Mephibosheth,
the son of Saul,
came down to meet the king.
He had neither
taken care of his feet
nor trimmed his beard
nor washed his clothes
from the day the king
departed until the day
he came back in safety.
And when he came to Jerusalem
to meet the king,
the king said to him,
Why did you not go with me,
Mephibosheth?
He answered,
My lord, O king,
my servant deceived me.
For your servant said to him,
I will saddle a donkey
for myself
that I may ride on it
and go with the king.
For your servant is lame.
He, that is Ziba,
has slandered your servant
to my lord the king.
But my lord the king
is like the angel of God.
Do therefore
what seems good to you.
For all my father's house
were but men
doomed to death
before my lord the king,
but you set your servant
among those
who eat at your table.
What further right
have I then
to cry to the king?
And the king said to him,
Why speak any more
of your affairs?
I have decided.
You and Ziba
shall divide the land.
And Mephibosheth
said to the king,
Oh, let him take it all
since my lord the king
has come safely home.
If you look up
before this paragraph
in verse 17,
we're told
that a man named Ziba
also came rushing down
to the Jordan
and crossed over
to meet David.
And you'll remember
that like Shimei,
David was also met
by this guy named Ziba
as he was fleeing
Jerusalem from Absalom.
and Ziba
in that moment
seemed to be
a friend
to David then.
He gave him food
and drink
when David was tired
and thirsty
and hungry
on his flight.
But
in that moment,
if you look back there,
that chapter,
Ziba also sort of says
that his master,
Mephibosheth,
Ziba is the servant
of Mephibosheth.
Ziba says,
Oh, Mephibosheth,
David,
he's gone over
with Absalom.
He's totally abandoned you
and betrayed you.
And in that moment,
David says,
okay, Ziba,
all of his property
is yours.
For your loyalty,
you get his inheritance.
But now,
lo and behold,
as David is coming
back into the land,
we get to hear
Mephibosheth's side
of the story.
And David,
in some sense,
can see Mephibosheth's
side of the story
right before his eyes
because Mephibosheth,
the narrator says,
is a total wreck.
His feet are dirty,
his beard is scraggly,
his clothes are dirty.
In other words,
he's been in mourning,
sadness,
and grief
since David left the nation,
since he had to flee.
And because of Mephibosheth's
disability,
he was lame
in both of his feet,
he couldn't actually
make it out to David
in time to go with him.
He was stranded.
It seems that his servant,
Ziba,
had betrayed him,
kind of left him,
and gone out
and taken advantage
of David
while David
was on the run.
So,
the question is,
who's telling the truth?
Is it Ziba
or is it Mephibosheth?
At this point,
I mean,
David is sort of confronted
with a giant
he said,
she said,
right?
Of course,
on the surface,
it looks like Ziba
is guilty.
Mephibosheth's story
certainly seems more plausible
and he kind of
looks the part too.
But David doesn't rush
to any conclusions here.
Isn't it interesting
that if David showed
restraint
in the episode
right before this
with Shimei
not putting him
to death immediately,
David also shows
some restraint here
by not immediately
reinstating Mephibosheth
and punishing Ziba.
Instead,
David does something
again that's very prudent.
What does he do?
He divides the property
50-50.
And it's almost
like a test.
Do you remember
when Solomon,
David's son,
first became king?
What's one of the first things
that Solomon has to do
when he's king?
Two women come to Solomon
and these two women
both had children.
One of them died
and one of them was alive
and they both come to Solomon
and say,
my child's the alive one
and the other child
is the dead one.
Right?
And they're arguing it out.
And what's Solomon
going to do?
It's a he said,
she said kind of thing.
So he says,
well,
you say one thing,
you say another,
cut the baby in half,
and you each get to take
one part of it home.
And one woman says,
great,
fine by me,
sounds like a good deal.
And the other woman says,
no,
let her have it.
And right away,
everybody knows
who the real mother is.
The one who wanted
the child to live
even if she would lose him.
And I think in some sense
when David says,
look,
let's just cut the property
50-50,
we get to see immediately
where Mephibosheth's heart
is at.
Because in essence,
what does Mephibosheth say?
He says,
you know what,
David?
Let Ziba have the whole thing.
Why?
Because if I have you,
if you've come home
and you're going to reign,
then I've got everything I need.
I don't need property,
livelihood.
I don't need that.
You're here.
That's what matters.
Now pause,
let's just pause
on that for a minute.
Friends,
do you want to know
whether or not
you really get
the gospel?
Do you want to know
whether you really grasp
the heart of what
Christianity is all about?
So often at the heart level,
what we're really saying
spiritually is this.
I'll follow Jesus.
I will believe in him
as long as that helps me
get what I really want.
Or,
at least,
I'll follow him at least
if it doesn't get in the way
of what I really want.
But you know
that you're really
starting to get it.
You know that your heart
is really starting to change.
When you start to say,
you know,
actually,
the most important thing
in my life
isn't whether or not
I get this particular thing.
But the most important thing
is to have Jesus himself.
That's what really matters.
To have him
reigning in my life,
it doesn't matter
if I get this,
that,
or the other thing.
I've got him.
In other words,
when your heart starts to see
not Christ
as a means to an end,
but himself
as the end,
that's when you're
starting to get it.
When you start to see
that being in a relationship
with him,
that's the greatest thing.
And isn't that what
Mephibosheth is saying here?
David,
look,
the land is not the thing.
You're the thing.
To sit at your table,
to be a part of your family,
that's what I care about.
So you can give Ziba
the property,
I don't really care.
What I care is
to be reconciled to you.
That's the heart
that really gets it.
Friends,
is that you tonight?
It's a hard question.
Or is something
more precious to you
than having God himself
in Christ?
Are you seeing
your relationship with God
as just a means to an end?
Are you seeing it
for what it is,
the very end
for which you were created?
To know him
and to love him
and to be in fellowship
with him.
Is that the most
precious thing to you?
Let's look at David's
last encounter here.
And here we see David
not dealing with his enemies
like Shimei or Ziba,
but he's dealing
with a friend here.
Let's pick up
in verse 31.
Now Barzillai,
the Gileadite.
That's a sweet name
by the way.
Anyone here expecting?
Barzillai.
Put that one
on your short list.
That's a good deal.
Barzillai,
the Gileadite,
had come down
from Rogalim
and he went on
with the king
to the Jordan
to escort him
over the Jordan.
Barzillai was
a very aged man,
80 years old.
He had provided
the king food
while he stayed
at Mahanaim
for he was
a very wealthy man.
And the king
said to Barzillai,
come over with me
and I will provide
for you with me
in Jerusalem.
But Barzillai said
to the king,
how many years
have I still to live
that I should go up
with the king
to Jerusalem?
I am this day
80 years old.
Can I discern
what is pleasant
and what is not?
Can your servant
taste what he eats
or what he drinks?
Can I still listen
to the voice
of singing men
and singing women?
Why then should
your servant
be an added burden
to my lord the king?
Your servant
will go a little way
over the Jordan
with the king.
Why should the king
repay me
with such a reward?
Please let your servant
return that I might die
in my own city
near the grave
of my father
and my mother.
But here is your servant
Kimham.
Let him go over
with my lord the king
and do for him
whatever seems good
to you.
And the king answered
Kimham shall go
over with me
and I will do
for him
whatever seems
good to you
and all that you
desire of me
I will do for you.
Then all the people
went over the Jordan
and the king
went over
and the king
kissed Barzillai
and blessed him
and he returned
to his own home.
The king went
on to Gilgal
and Kimham
went with him.
So here we see
that David
doesn't forget
the kindness
that this man
Barzillai
showed to him
when he was in need.
And when Barzillai
refuses to accept
David's offer
of coming back
with him to Jerusalem
David doesn't
get offended.
Instead he finds
a way to honor
his old friend
nonetheless
by blessing
this young man
Kimham
in his place.
I think there's
a critical
actually lesson
in this paragraph.
Think about David.
David is putting
out fires
left and right
isn't he?
He's got huge
massive problems
to deal with.
The nation
is on the verge
of crumbling
and yet
he doesn't forget
and he doesn't
take for granted
the friends
who actually
stood by him
when he was in need.
I think this is
a really good reminder.
You know it's important
to think about
how we treat
our enemies
and we've been seeing
how David
is an example
of prudence
and mercy
in that regard
but friends
we also need
to think about
how we treat
our friends.
Think about
the people
who are close
to you
who stand
by you
the people
who encourage
you
and who support
you
and who are there
for you
when you need
them.
Are you taking
them for granted?
being a peacemaker
being an agent
of God's kingdom
is just as much
about loving
our spouses
and showing
kindness
to our fellow
church members
and being grateful
to our friends
it's as much
about that
not taking
those people
for granted
working hard
at cultivating
those relationships
is as much
about that
as it is
about forgiving
our enemies.
And notice
how David
here is not
easily
deterred
his plan
A
doesn't work
Barzillai
declines
the offer
to come
to Jerusalem
and then
what does
David do?
Well fine
see you later
no
he gladly
goes along
with plan B
right
he'll show
kindness
to the servant
instead
bring him
along
I'll shower
blessings on him
for your sake
in other words
David's going
to show
loyalty
and gratitude
to his friend
and he's going
to do it
in a way
that matters
and that counts
to him
to Barzillai
not to David
friends
when you think
about showing
kindness
to those
who are
closest to you
to really
blessing them
to really
showing them
gratitude
are you
thinking about
what would
be meaningful
for that
person
or are you
doing it
sort of
according to
your own
agenda
and what
you think
they should
like
are you
like
Homer Simpson
who buys
Marge Simpson
a bowling ball
for her
birthday
oh
you're not
going to
use the
bowling ball
Marge
I'll take
it
friends
we should
rather be
ultimately
concerned
about what's
going to
show that
person
loyalty
and kindness
and gratitude
and bless
them
Barzillai
comes up
with this
plan
here's my
servant
take
this servant
boy to
Jerusalem
and shower
blessing
on him
that would
not have
been a
sexy
flashy
proposal
to David
would have
been much
more great
to take
this aged
old guy
to Jerusalem
and have
him sit
at his
table
and look
at how
great
that is
but no
David
says great
Barz life
that's what's
going to
bless you
bring him
along
I'll make
him one
of my
own
David's
ultimately
concerned with
what's going
to show
him
that he's
grateful for
his loyalty
and love
and I think
that's worthy
of our
imitation
but you know
friends for all
that when we
come to the
end of this
chapter we
see something
again that's a
little surprising
David has
done his
best at
this point
to repair
and restore
the nation
he's showing
mercy to his
enemies
he's showing
kindness to
his friends
he's being
prudent and
wise and
thoughtful
he's being
a good
king
but in
the end
it doesn't
seem to
have been
enough
let's pick
up with
the rest
of verse
40
all the
people of
Judah
and also
half the
people of
Israel
brought the
king on
his way
then all
the men
of Israel
presumably
all those
who didn't
show up
came to
the king
and said
to the
king
why have
our
brothers
the men
of
Judah
stolen
you away
and brought
the king
and his
household
over the
Jordan
and all
David's
men
with
him
they're
accusing
them
of
going
behind
their
back
and
bringing
David
home
and not
letting
them
join
the
party
and all
the men
of
Judah
answered
the men
of
Israel
because
the
king's
our
close
relative
why
then are
you angry
over
this
matter
have
we
eaten
at
all
at
the
king's
expense
or
has
he
given
us
any
gift
the
implied
answer
there
is
no
we
haven't
gotten
any
profit
out
of
this
deal
and
the
men
of
Israel
answered
the
men
of
Judah
we
have
ten
shares
in
the
king
and
in
David
also
we
have
more
than
you
why
then
do
you
despise
us
were
we
not
the
first
to
speak
of
bringing
back
our
king
it
was
our
idea
in
the
first
place
but
the
words
of
the
men
of
Judah
were
fiercer
than
the
words
of
the
men
of
Israel
end
of
chapter
despite
all
of
David's
robust
peacemaking
activity
the
nation
still
descends
into
pettiness
and
tribalism
and
pride
and
it
ends
like
a
shouting
match
between
two
kids
on
the
playground
except
with
much
more
dire
consequences
because
as
we'll
see
in
the
next
chapter
as
a
result
of
this
fracturing
a
whole
other
rebellion
breaks
out
and
the
nation
again
descends
into
war
with
itself
so
what
does
it
mean
friends
I
think
it
means
that
not
even
great
David
can
finally
heal
the
divisions
that
tear
us
apart
the
chapter
ends
crying
out
with
the
need
for
an
even
greater
David
for
an
even
better
king
and
friends
that's
what
the
Bible
is
all
about
it's
about
one
who's
come
to do
just
that
you
know
when
Jesus
Christ
came
to
earth
one
of the
things
he taught
his
disciples
was this
blessed
are the
peacemakers
for they
shall be
called
the sons
of God
and in
some sense
that's what
we've been
thinking about
tonight
how to be
peacemakers
but you
know
at the end
of the day
Jesus
didn't come
just to
teach us
what we're
supposed
to do
he came
to
he came
to
do
what we
couldn't
do
he came
to
extend
a
mercy
and to
extend
a
kindness
to such
a degree
and to
such a
depth
that even
the most
violent
of our
divisions
can be
healed
in other
words
Jesus
Christ
came
not just
to teach
peace
but to
make
it
definitively
once and for
all
how
because you
see friends
for all
of those
men
and women
for everyone
who puts
their trust
in Christ
his death
on the cross
heals
the most
severe
division
that any
of us
ever
experience
the division
that exists
between us
as sinful
human beings
and our
holy
wise
and good
creator
God
and as
the son
of God
Jesus
came as
our
perfect
representative
fully
in the
flesh
living
a life
that we
should
have
lived
dying
a death
that we
deserve
to die
dying
in our
place
and then
rising
again
to prove
that the
penalty
for our
sins
have been
paid
in full
when we
trust
in him
and friends
the reality
is
is that
when we
come to
know
the
peace
of being
reconciled
to God
through
grace
something
that David
could never
do
no human
king
could reconcile
us to
God
but Jesus
can and
did
once we
come to
know
that
reconciling
grace
the apostle
Paul says
is that
then
we're
actually
reconciled
to one
another
that when
the wall
between
us and
God
came crashing
down
the wall
between
one
another
came
tumbling
down
with
it
David
did his
very best
to unite
the people
around his
kingship
but it's
still broke
and it's
still splintered
but when
Jesus Christ
was exalted
on the cross
our enmity
was finally
taken away
because before
the cross
we're all
equal
no matter
what our
tribe
no matter
what our
background
we're all
sinners
and we're
all recipients
of a steadfast
love and
grace like
we could
only imagine
and that
puts everything
else in
perspective
and friends
as we
the church
come to
grips with
that and
grasp that
and hold
tightly to it
in the power
of the Holy
Spirit
you know
what happens
the church
actually becomes
this great
signpost
of the
reconciling
power of
the cross
of Jesus
his own
reconciling
power
that today
as we
extend mercy
to our
enemies
as we
show kindness
to one
another
and to
our
friends
we're
actually
telling
the world
in our
life
together
that there's
finally a
king that
has come
who can
take away
our chaos
and give
us peace
who can
heal us
and make
us one
and take
away
these
divisions
that just
rip us
apart
and when
we're
living in
that
Jesus
says
blessed
are
the
peacemakers
for they
shall be
called sons
and daughters
of God
you see
may that
be true
of us
let's
pray
Lord
Jesus
we thank
you that
you are
the true
and better
David
who has
come
to unite
your people
into one
to forgive
all their
sins
and to
give us
a reconciling
mission
in the
world
and Lord
thank you
that you've
given us
your spirit
to dwell
permanently
in our
midst
and in
each one
of us
that we
might have
strength
energy
power
and guidance
to do
this
in the
world
today
so Lord
we thank
you for
your grace
we thank
you that
you've
healed
the great
divisions
between us
and God
and between
us
and each
other
we pray
Lord
that more
and more
we would
come to
love
and cherish
the reconciling
work that
you've done
for us
we pray
this in
your name
Lord
amen
friends
the music
team's
going to
come up
we're
going to
sing
one more
song
together
and just
meditate
on these
truths
a little
more
together
so let's
stand
and let's
sing
and let's
pray
together
thank you