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But one thing that will get between you and the Lord is envy and jealousy. A sin will separate you from your heavenly father in.[1]. In the sense of your walk with the Lord. And there is a price that you’re going to pay. Look what he also says down here in verse 12. And Saul was afraid of David. Why? Because the Lord was with him. The Lord was with him and he was afraid. But what did David do in verse 14?

And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways. And the Lord was with him. That’s more important than anything else in the world. David was not the king. He was submissive. He behaved himself well. He didn’t do wrong. He didn’t try to attack. He didn’t try to get even. All he did was do right. He didn’t ask for what he received. He didn’t ask to be anointed king. He was just a humble shepherd boy. Just do whatever the father wanted him to do.

You just be faithful to do what God wants you to do and let God raise you or humble you whatever God wants. God says in his word that he will not put you underneath a bush. If you will be faithful to shine, he’ll put you on something so that you can shine as a light. Believe the Lord and trust the Lord. And so it says here in verse 15, wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, not just wisely, but very wisely.

He was afraid of him. Why was he afraid? Because he knew that the Lord was with David and that he was gonna be replaced. He knew it, he could see it. So what are you gonna do to how to solve this problem? What should Saul do to solve this problem? Well, kill him. There’s the answer. All you gotta do is kill him. So he did try that. And so a lot of problems. Look at verse 28.

Verse 28, and it says, and Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that Michael Saul’s daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David because now his daughter loves him. It didn’t matter what happened. David behaved himself and look what he says now in verse 30. Then the princes of the Philistines went forth and it came to pass after they went forth that David in order on the line of behaved himself more wisely.

See every time it gets better and better and better. He disciplined himself more and more. And so the Now look there in the right chapter here. David now is going to have a big problem, but I want you to take your Bible and look now in the second Samuel in chapter 13. 17, 2 Samuel in chapter 13. We know that David had sinned, and because of his sin, the Bible tells us that God was going to have to chase in David because of it.

And it looked there chapter 12 very quickly. Just look up here in verse 6. Because a little story was told to David, and as David listened to the story about a man who had taken the next door neighbor’s little lamb, and slaughtered it so that he could feed a visiting traveler who came to his house. And he had a lot of sheep, but he took the neighbor’s only little lamb that they had and he killed it. And David got mad.

And in a fit of anger, he said something that he… He lived to regret. And he says in verse 5, and David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan the prophet, as the Lord and the liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die. Well, he shouldn’t have said that. And in verse 6, and he shall restore the lamb for full because he did this thing and because he had no pity. And then Nathan looked at him and says, Thou art the man.

thou art the man. You’re the one that did it. And so God said some things to him, but he said down in verse 13, David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, the Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die. Thou shalt not die. Now, I believe that later on David wished that he had died. He wished he had had died. But right here, God says, thou shall not die.

And he says in verse 14, how will it be caused by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the child also that is born into the shall surely die. This little lamb that this neighbor had died. So God has allowed this little child, uninnocent little child. Have I done anything to nobody just born then and God let that little lamb that little child die and David it says not only Because the lamb died but for a fold And so God says this is what’s going to happen you and I need to understand these are not just stories in the Bible There’s biblical principles laid down in the Scriptures that you and I are supposed to learn from to guide our lives.

There has to be something by which we can apply to our life to make us wiser so that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel or fall into the same hole that somebody else fell into. too. So God said the child would die and the child did die. Now look there in chapter 13. In verse 1 it talks about a young man by the name of Anum, the son of David. Well, Absalom who was also a son of David while he had a sister.

So evidently this half brother, he loved the sister of the other brother. And so it says that it vexed him so bad he couldn’t stand it. And he wanted her very bad. So instead of controlling his passion, his sexual drive, he tried to figure out a way he could do it and he was just sick. So he happened to share his little information with someone and they told him, says, well, this is what you ought to do. And John and Abba was a very subtle man.

And see in verse four, and he said unto him, why art thou? the king’s son lean from day to day. Will thou not tell me? And said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother, Absalom’s sister. And he says, I’m sick. His countenance has changed. So he’s not being wise in what he’s doing or how he’s thinking, how he’s feeling. He is down. He is so discouraged. He is depressed. But he’s depressed because of how he’s thinking and he’s not thinking right.

When you don’t think right and you get down, sometimes you make the wrong decisions. That’s why I usually tell people, do not make decisions, big decisions, heavy decisions when you’re down and discouraged. When you’re depressed, don’t make any decisions. If you can keep from it, try not to make them. Wait until you are… You’re up until you’re right and you’re strong with the Lord. And then you can let the Lord lead and guide you. And always seek to do whatever it is that God’s will is for you.

So anyway, he said, I got an idea. He says, you just pretend like you’re really sick and you’re laying there. And you want her to bring you some food to aid. And when she gets close to the bed, all you just get ahold of her and drag her into bed with you. See how the mind can work? So you begin to steam. Well, in verse 11, and when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.

And she answered him, nay, My brother, do not force me, for no such thing ought to be done in Israel. do not thou this folly.” In other words, he’s going to rape this girl. And she says, don’t do this to me. He will make her unclean. And that’s where this could have devastating effects upon her for the rest of her life. But all he’s thinking about is that one little moment of pleasure for himself. He says he loves her.

Then love would wait and love would do what’s She said, look, wait, wait. If you want me that bad, marry me. You know that David will not withhold me from you if you’ll just marry me. So she says her in verse 13, and I will as shall I cause my shame to go. And as for thee, thou shall be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore I pray thee speak unto the king, for he will not withhold me from thee.

Hobbiot, he would not harken unto her voice, but being stronger than she forced her and lay with her. And now look in verse 15, then and hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. Do you think it can change that quick? It can change. This is what happens a lot of time to people when they get married. Oh, we just love each other. Just love, love, love, love, love.

Everything’s wonderful. They can do no wrong. Mr. Perfect, or Mrs. Perfect. And then they get married. Then they turn to hate. They hate them. Can’t stand them. Ah, don’t touch me. Did they change? If people can change. Can they get ugly? Oh, they can get ugly. And it produces such guilt up on Tamar. And guilt upon and because of what it done and the love turns to hate and it’s just the opposite of what you expected. Now you’d be surprised that many people’s depression problems is because of guilt, because of sin.

Not all the time. There’s another sermon coming down the road. Just be patient. But this is about sin and the guilt and the consequences that takes place in a person’s life. So in verse 21, but when King David heard of all these things, he was rough. So it affected him. In verse 22, Absalom spake unto his brother, and him neither good nor bad. and Absalom hated Adam because he had forced his sister Tamar. So look how it started to affect the family.

Remember David had said, fourfold. Well it’s starting. It’s starting. And so the one the child died. Now one has been raped. And now you have Absalom hating Adam. Do you know what he did? two years he let that build up inside of him. He pretended that everything was fine. So what he planned on doing was he was going to get King David to have all the sons. The King’s sons come over to us, have to have a big party and even get him to come.

You know, the one that irate his sister. So when they got him all together, he had already told John the dad. He had told him, he said, look, when you get him all together, when I tell you to, I want you to kill him. I want you to kill him. You see there in verse 28, now Absalom had commanded his servants saying, Marky now when Anon’s heart is married with wine and when I say unto you, smite Adam, then kill him.

Fear not have not I commanded you be courageous and be valiant. So they killed him. And the other King’s sons got out of there but the message to come back to David, all of his sons had been killed. How do you think David felt when he heard all of his sons were dead? Look at the sorrow. You see, he sowed the wind and he reaps a whirlwind. He says, let it be upon me. And he says, God says, you will not die.

But it’s going to come four times in it, but it did it. Come start coming. And he says, it will not leave your house. The wickedness had come. The damage was being done. And so you look down there in verse 32. Jonah, the son of Shimiah, David’s brother answered and said, Let not my Lord suppose that they have slain all the young men and the king’s sons, for Anon only is dead, for by the appointment of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister to him, or he planned this for over two years.

He had to wait till the right time. So all this hatred and bitterness as well. Didn’t they know anything about love and forgiveness? What about the law that could have handled some of these things? And King David could have done some of this stuff and dealt with issues. Didn’t they know that adultery was a crime? They knew that. They knew the law. But see, wouldn’t carry it out. Wouldn’t deal with it. So when David doesn’t deal with the problem, somebody else deals with the problem.

And it just gets worse and worse and worse. That’s why you’re not to allow things to build up inside of you and field you with hatred and envy and bitterness and all these things that can lead to yes all kinds of depression and Then the results you’re not gonna like That’s why there’s scriptures that talks about over and over again be not afraid be not afraid because been afraid You take matters into your own hands when you take matters into your own hand There’s a price to pay and you’re not gonna like the price you’ll have to pay You’ll notice there in verse 37, but Absalom fled and went to Talmea and he says, in the last part of verse there, David mourned for his son how often?

Every day, David mourned. Now this is several years after what he had to go through the other one and he finally just got through with that. See that in verse 21, but when King David heard of these things. He was mad and he was upset. And then he finally gets over some of these things and lo and behold, he has to go through it again. All because when he was supposed to, um, uh, lead his army out there, when it was time for kings to go to war, he stayed home and looked over a banister and I had a beautiful young woman and he took something that didn’t belong to him.

Did he get away with it? He didn’t get away with it. Just because God loved him and God forgave him and God did not take his life, he didn’t get away with the consequences of what he had done. There was a serious price to pay. Now look at verse 38, in verse 38, an Absalom fled. So now his another son is running. One is dead, Tamar has been raped, and now Absalyn is on the run because he’s afraid of David.

So he runs, and how long did he run? For three more years, see there in the last part of verse 38, and there were three years, and the soul of King David longed to go forth unto Absalyn, for he was comforted concerning Adam, seeing he was dead. So he finally got comfort from the one, And now the other one’s gone. So, three down and one to go. Look there in chapter 14. Chapter 14 tells us about a problem because of David’s half-hearted forgiveness of Absalom.

He wanted Absalom to come back, had been gone for several years. So anyway, enjoy Abtana, talk him into coming back to Jerusalem and so he came back to Jerusalem. But David wouldn’t see him. Just let him live there, but he wouldn’t see him. See in verse 28, so Absalom dwot two, four years in Jerusalem and saw not the king’s face. Five years now has passed. Five years now. Well, Absalom finally said to Joab, look, talk to King David and tell him, if he wanted me here, I’m here, but I want to see my king’s face.

And if there’s iniquity in me, then let him kill me.” See, that’s mentioned there in the last part of verse 32. And if there be in iniquity in me, let him kill me. So he finally could send it and they got together and they hugged and kissed and smoosed and all that, you know, and everything’s hunky-dory now. Everything’s wonderful. except now Absalom is burning with hatred toward his dad. He’s upset with his dad. Because he had to run for his life.

It didn’t matter because of what he did. You see, you start building up things and imagining things and everything gets said and there’s no forgiveness, there’s no love, there’s no understanding, no communication. Didn’t even talk to him all this time. So David was a hard man. The sweet Psalmist of Israel. when he was right with the Lord. And when a man’s not right with the Lord, he can get ugly very quickly. You’d be surprised how sweet you can be and how ugly you can be.

That quick. Really can. So now, Absalom is going to do whatever it takes to take the throne, the kingdom, away from his dad. So now what he does is he tries to play up to the leaders there in Israel and as he plays up to the people in Israel he starts winning them over to him and They would have problems and he said well not you know if I was king. This is what I would do So yes up in verse three down to verse six And so in verse six and so this mannered that Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment He would catch him in the gate and he’d talk to him inside of the problem.

So everybody looked up to Absalom. So look at the last part of verse 6. So Absalom stole the heart of the men of Israel. So by stealing their heart they became loyal to him. So now David has to be concerned because now Absalom is going to kill his dad. So now David has to leave Jerusalem and run for his life. See that under in verse 12, the last part of it says, and the conspiracy was strong. In verse 13, and there came a messenger to Davidson, the hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem arise, let us flee. For we shall not else escape from Absalom. So suddenly now he has to run for his life. This is King David. Why doesn’t he have the peace and the joy of the Lord? Because he played the fool and he’s reaping it. And he loved Absalom. And Absalom was a very handsome individual. See there in verse 25, look at verse 25, just to show you can see that.

In verse 25 he said, But in all Israel, there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty. From the soul of his foot, even to the crown of his head, there was no blemish in him. He must have been some good looking hunk, as the women would say. Must have been like Peter over there, he’s just smiling. Ha, ha, ha. Hey, that’s pretty high over there now, you gotta admit that. But you see, all of these things that happened, and it just gets worse and worse and worse.

So look there in chapter 18 and verse 9. Chapter 18 and verse 9. Verse 9 says, An Absalom met the servants of David, An Absalom rode upon a mule, and the The mule went under a thick bow of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth, and the mule that was under him went away. Well, what got caught? His beautiful flowing locks of hair. That’s another reason why not to have long hair.

When you’re trying to get away on a mule and your hair gets stuck in a tree, and the mule walks out and he’s hanging there by his little gold he locks in the tree. But it says in verse 10, and a certain man saw it and told Joab and he said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in a nuke tree. Joab said unto the man that told him and behold thou saw us him, why dost thou not smite him there to the ground?

I would have given thee ten shekels of silver and a girdle, and the man said unto Joab, though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king’s son? For in our hearing the king charged thee and Ebishai and Atiah, he said, say, and beware that none touched the young man’s epsilon. Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against my own life, for there is no matter hid from the king, and I’ll vice This self would have had set thyself against me.

Then said Joab, I may not teary thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand and thrust him through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the yoke. So, number four, message came back and lo and behold, David is told about Absalom’s death. And he says there in verse 33, and the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. You know, after David’s sin, you don’t find much happiness.

You don’t find much joy. This is why David wind up having two years of death. later, David had to go to the Lord and he talks about how it is so heavy upon him and how he had to confess things to the Lord and because of the weight owes upon him. Look what he says here. And as he went, thus he said, Oh my son Absalyn, my son, my son Absalyn, and you ought to underline this part in your Bible, would God, I had died for thee.

Oh, Absalom, my son, my son. Number four. You see, he was the one that should have died. True? But God says, you’re not going to die. But you see, all the damage it was done because he was evidently discouraged. He didn’t want to go. He stayed He looked, he thought, he took something that didn’t belong to him. And every one of the others did exactly the same thing. And look at the damage and the destruction. You see, depression can cost you an awful lot.

But depression is a choice that you must understand. Depression is a choice. It’s because of how you’re thinking. Why do you think the Bible says, be strong and very courageous? It’s talking about having a positive attitude because of your trust in the Lord. When you don’t trust the Lord and you have to trust yourself, you have limited power, limited ability. And therefore you don’t have the peace or the hope or the joy that you have, what it takes to get you out of whatever it is.

And there’s problems in life. We all have to go through them. It’s one thing if you will go through them with your confidence and your trust in the Lord, or that you will betray the Lord. And you’re going to have depression build up and you’re going to get so down and so discouraged and you’ll think wrong. And when you think wrong, it will not just be you that’s affected. The Lord tells us in the book of Acts, talking about the third and the fourth generation.

Whatever I do affects my kids. And whatever affects my kids affects their kids, and whatever affects those kids are going to affect the next kid. Up to the third and the fourth generation, you don’t do what you do alone. No man is an island unto himself, and this is why this is so very, very important. Guilt is to the soul what pain is to the body. And there are things that we think that are sins of the mind that causes our depression.

You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll-free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, and just keep looking up.