The Wickedness of Sin and the Wonder of Salvation [ 37:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (67)2 Samuel #23: an exposition of 2 Samuel 21:1-14. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday evening, August 25, 2013.
Intro:
In October of 2001 I walked through the dust-filled streets of lower Manhattan. The smell of diesel filled the air. For over a month 200 tractor-trailers a day hauled debris from the site. Add to that the smell of death. Recovery workers were still removing bodies and body parts from the pile of rubble. Fires had been burning for over a month. As we walked on the pile it felt like solid ground until those giant iron claws grab another load of scrap and we felt the pile move. We were 7 stories above the basement floor. The sight, the sounds, the smells all vivid reminders of evil. Everywhere you look there were signs of destruction. I remember asking a fire fighter, “How long have you been down here?” “Every day since day one. I’ve an uncle and three cousins buried in that pile. I’m not going anywhere.” It’s been 12 years now. I can still close my eyes and smell the stench, feel the heat and hear the sounds. Certain experiences mark us. They leave a lasting impression.
Certain passages of Scripture mark us as well. Romans 3 has a chilling effect on me as Paul quotes from the Old Testament, “There is none righteous, not a single one…all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Paul spends 3 chapters building his case for why we are helpless before God. We’ve sinned. We’ve violated His holy law and we deserve His judgment. Then in chapter 4 he tells us that salvation does not belong to those who work or strive but rather to those who believe in him who justifies the ungodly, their faith is counted as righteousness. 2 Samuel 21 has become another of those passages for me. In the first 14 verse we are confronted by a vivid reminder of the wickedness of sin and the wonder of salvation. Our text this evening is…
Text: 2 Samuel 21:1-14
2 Samuel 21-24 is a summary for the Samuel material.
The stories contained in them are not chronological.
They are pulled from David’s life but in a random order.
For instance the events of chapter 21 do not follow the events of chapter 20.
We really do not know when these things occurred.
We do know it was after 2 Samuel 9 because of the reference to Mephibosheth in verse 7.
These 14 verses are dark and disturbing. You’ll not find these tacked up on the refrigerator door. There is nothing cheery or heartwarming in them. They have the stench of death about them. As we work our way through the material I think we’ll find…
Thesis: The bitter tale of 2 Samuel 21 drives home the dual reality of the wickedness of sin and the wonder of salvation.
There are 4 things I want to point out along the way.
- The painful experience of having our sin exposed is the working of God’s grace. (21:1-2)
- The absolute horror of atonement reveals the depth and depravity of sin. (21:3-9)
- David’s sparing of Mephibosheth demonstrates the wonder and security of salvation. (21:7)
- The pain and heartache of Rizpah should cause us to stop and consider the great cost of our sin and rebellion. (21:10-14)