2 Samuel #05: an exposition of 2 Samuel 4:1-12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, March 3, 2013.
Intro:
It is something we are all good at. It comes naturally to us as the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. We are all good at “spin.” We have the innate ability to tell the story in a way that benefits us. It goes all the way back to the Garden. “Adam, who told you that you were naked? Did you eat the fruit off of that tree?” “Lord, this woman, that you gave me, she told me to eat it.” “Eve?” “Well, you see there was this snake and he…” It is part of our fallenness to dodge responsibility. The most blatant and corrupt form of spin is when we try to us Scripture or the will of God to cloak our sinful, selfish behavior. That is exactly what we find in our text this evening in 2 Samuel chapter 4.
Text: 2 Samuel 4:1-12
- We are in the early days of the Davidic Dynasty.
- David is king but only over Judah.
- A civil war has been raging.
- David has grown stronger and stronger while the house of Saul has gotten weaker and weaker.
- Chapter 4 tells of the end of that bitter civil war.
As we work our way through this chapter seeking it’s application for us I think we discover this timeless truth…
Thesis: Self-serving actions disguised as attempts to accomplish the will of God always prove disastrous.
- This is a dangerous game to be playing.
- It is a game you cannot win because God will not be mocked.
There are two things you need to know from this text.
- A godly veneer can never hide a godless act. (4:1-8)
- Godly judgment is swift, thorough and complete. (4:9-12)