I want you to take that with you. Thank you. Alright. Take your Bibles if you would. Turn to second Samuel and we'll continue with our study with David in second Samuel.

Gotta get everything in the right order up here. Alright. There we go. That works. Second Samuel.

So quick review. We've been about three weeks away from our study in in Samuel. So in first Samuel, you have three main characters. K? You have Samuel, makes sense, The last judge of Israel, also a a prophet in Israel.

And then we have the first two kings. The first king is Saul, and then we're introduced to who? We're introduced to David. Okay? We're introduced to David as the man after what?

God's own heart. When Saul repeatedly did not concern himself with following the commands of the Lord, justifying doing things his way and not according as the Lord had prescribed. God told Saul, I'm going to rest, that is yank the kingdom out of away from you and give it to another, a man after God's own heart. Now the man after God's own heart was a shepherd boy, probably a teenager at the time, maybe approaching the age of 20. And and so we meet him in first Samuel 16 as the one that Samuel God sent Samuel to anoint to be king.

However, David had to wait and David had to learn and David had to mature and God made sure of that. It was many years later, over a decade later, before David actually became king of Israel. In chapter 17, he defeats Goliath. He gives a wonderful declaration in chapter 17 of that all this assembly may know that there is a God in Israel. It is his concern for the testimony and reputation of God, not his reputation, not David's, but David's God.

It was God's reputation that David was offended, was being blasphemed, and nobody was doing anything about it. And so David took matters in his own hands, trusting God. He slew Goliath, And Saul loved that for all of about ten minutes. And then when the chants started, Saul got what? Jealous.

And Saul began the saga as Saul eventually chased David out of the palace, chased David all over Israel, and it was many years before David actually took the throne. But one day, indeed, as God had promised and God always keeps his promises, David did take the throne of Israel. He swiftly conquered the enemies of Israel. He took almost all of the land under his authority that God had promised to Abraham. It was a glorious time for the nation of Israel.

And then David, he he didn't stay focused. He didn't stay circumspect as we are also inclined to do. Sometimes, especially when things are good, we get lazy. And and so David was caught in the sin with Bathsheba, a sin that God forgave him of and that God showed him mercy because adultery and having someone murdered to cover your adultery was certainly worthy in the law of death. But God showed mercy to David as God has shown mercy to all of us.

And but there were still some consequences that did follow. And sin does have what? Consequences. And even as a Christian, if you go out and get drunk and get behind the wheel of a car, sin will still have what? Consequences.

Okay? And God doesn't promise to erase all the consequences, particularly here on earth. And so David sinned and it brought a lot of sorrow. He lost his child that was born of Bathsheba. His one son molested his half sister, David's daughter.

The full brother of the sister got revenge by killing the one son, Amnon. Absalom killed Amnon. And then Absalom got bitter, rebelled behind David's back, eventually led a rebellion against David. That ended with David running from the palace, and he eventually, in the end, did win, but it ended with the death of who? Absalom, which was not what David wanted.

So he lost Amnon. So he lost Absalom. It was a bittersweet victory, but God did once again come through for David. And David showed much grace in his response to the situation. He showed much faith in Psalm three as he laid down and slept while the army of Absalom was coming to kill him, trusting that the Lord would once again protect him.

And the Lord did. He showed grace in his return. He he made Amasa, his relative, who had sided with Absalom and led the army against David. He made Amasa his commander and kicked Joab to the side. Now, you might feel sorry for Joab, but I don't.

And we'll talk a little more about that in the lesson here in a minute. Joab wasn't the greatest thing. But so David is now returning humbly to Jerusalem. Once again, he's taking his place in the palace. But the the strife is not still not over.

Okay? So we'll pick up in chapter 19 and verse 39. So chapter 19 verse 39, all the people went over Jordan. When the king was come over, the king kissed Barzillai, blessed him, and he returned unto his own place. And the king went on to Gilgal.

Chimham went on with him and all the people of Judah conducted the king. Also, people half the people of Israel. And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said unto the king, why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen thee away and have brought the king and his household and all David's men with him over Jordan? He had fled over to the other side of Jordan from Absalom, and now he was returning back to Jerusalem, is on the the West Side Of Jordan. All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel.

So remember Judah is just one tribe out of 12. Okay? So but it is a very large tribe in the South, and it is where Jerusalem is and where David was from. So so all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel because the king is near of kin to us, wherefore, then be ye angry for this matter. Have we eaten at all of the king's cost or hath he given us any gift?

The men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, we have 10 parts in the king and we have also more right in David than ye. Why then do ye despise us that our advice should not be first had be first had in bringing back our king? The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. So there was a schism between Judah and the other 10 tribes to the North. This isn't the first time this had been the schism.

When Saul died, the 10 tribes to the North had initially taken Ishbosheth, Saul's remaining son, to be the king. And it was seven years before they actually united with Judah and David ruled over all 12 tribes. And so now the northern 10 tribes again are upset at Judah because, well, they didn't include them in bringing David back. Judah had not been all that upstanding in the matter because Judah, in particular, had sided with Absalom. And so when Absalom got beat, all of a sudden, they're big fans of David again.

And so so it's, you know, when you're dealing with large groups of people, nations, governments, politics, it's never never the just this wonderful, peaceful, everybody's happy type of thing. There's often schisms because you have men who people, can be women too, that want to be heard and they want their way and so so this kind of thing does happen. It shouldn't happen where? Well, it shouldn't happen in church. It shouldn't happen among God's people.

We we are indwelt by his spirit, and we should have a love and a kinsmanship with our brethren in Christ so that we don't have this in the church. And praise the Lord for the most part, that has not been the case since I've been here. I'm sure that some of you think in certain situations, you know better than somebody else and so do I, but we we have to do what? Well, we have to move together and get along. We're a team.

This is a partnership, and it's not about who gets what who wants. It's about who getting what they want. God getting what he deserves. And so but but again, we often see this in nations and among people and this tug and this pull, me, no me, I get the first place. No.

I get I get to make anyway. So sometimes it just seems that people would rather fight than be at peace, doesn't it? And so this is kind of the case. There's no real reason for Israel to get angry at Judah, but, you know, it's this pride thing. Pride is a what?

A stumbling block. And here it's a stumbling block to Israel. So, well, what happens? Well, in chapter 20. Oh, by the way, I have a verse verse here that is of note in this passage.

Proverbs fifteen one says, soft answer turns away wrath but grievous words stir up anger. Okay? So Judah could have responded to Israel with what? A soft answer. But is that what they did?

No. They didn't. It says they were more fierce in their response to the people of Israel. So they didn't respond with a soft answer. They respond with grievous words and it did what?

Well, it stirred up anger. That's because that's what happens. It begins to every person has to be louder and it just what? Escalates. Yeah.

That's not God's way. And it always ends in trouble. And so here we read about the trouble, first two verses of chapter 20. So, you know, just had this great victory over Absalom going back, you know, starting over. David's being gracious.

Here we are. Verse one of chapter 20. And there happened to be there a man of Belial, a man of wickedness. Belial is can be connected in a manner of speaking with Satan, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet and said, we have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Every man to his tent, so Israel. So every man of Israel went up from, after David and followed Sheba, the son of Bichri, but the men of Judah clave unto their king from Jordan even to Jerusalem. And so what happens? Well, the the man stands up in the northern 10 tribes and says, I see an opportunity. There's a crack in the door here and I'm gonna stick my foot in it.

And he announces, follow me. Don't follow David. And so, well, a bunch of people do in the North. And so here starts another another battle, another source of contention in Israel that has to be dealt with, thanks to Sheba, but also thanks to Northern 10 tribes and also thanks to Judah because, well, they couldn't just give a soft answer. They had to punch back.

I think it says in the New Testament to turn the other what? To turn the other cheek. That's the way of the Lord that that that works better than the I know when we're kids, boys in particular in elementary school or junior high, they they like to see who's the toughest. So you hit the other guy in the shoulder, and then he hits you back a little further harder, and then you hit him back. You're not fighting.

It's just a game to see who can hit the hardest and who can stand the most pain. Anyway, it's silly, isn't it? But we live in a silly world like that. You know? People know how to but instead they just keep punching each other to see who can punch the hardest.

But it's beyond silly. It's actually it's wicked and it's the way of Satan. It's not the way way of the Lord. And so here we go again in in chapter 20 here. So what is David's response?

Verse four of chapter 20. Then said the king to Amasa remember, he had made Amasa the general head general of his army rather than Joab. Assemble me, the man of Judah, within three days and be thou here present. So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah and he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. So David said, three days, bring the army back gather the army, bring them here, and let's let's take care of this problem.

And at this point, it had it had gotten to blows and sometimes when it gets to that point, unfortunately, the only way to deal with it is to defend you know, David is to defend his authority as king. So but after three days, guess who wasn't back with the army yet? Amasa. So David's kind of wondering what's going on. And so in verse six, David said to Abishai, Abishai is Joab's brother.

Okay? David said to Abishai, now shall Sheba, the son of Bichri, do us more harm than did Absalom. Take thou thy Lord's servants and pursue after him lest, he get him fence cities and escape us. And there went out after him Joab's men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri. When they were at okay.

So, we're going to stop right there for the moment. So, they gathered the army. He waited on a mesa. Mesa drug his feet. So David called Abishai to take all of David's personal guard, his mighty men, his the best part of his army, and to go after Sheba before he got himself inside a walled city to try to, you know, wait out David and where David couldn't get to him.

So so off they went after after Sheba. And you go down to verse 14 and we see how this goes. And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel and to Bethmaachah and all the Berites. And they were gathered together and went also after him. And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah.

And they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench. All the people that were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down. So what did when Sheba realized David's army was coming for him exactly what he did, what David thought he would do, he went and hid in a walled city where David couldn't get to it. And so they built what they called a siege ramp. Okay?

So what happens is you can't get through the wall or over the wall or through the gate. And so you actually start moving earth. You take and dig here and you move dirt over there and you begin to build a ramp that will get as high as the wall so you can get over the wall and into the city. When Rome, back in 8070, attacked Israel and destroyed Jerusalem, some remaining Jews who had fled Jerusalem took refuge in a a a high hill. It's it's a really cool looking place called Masada off the coast of the Dead Sea.

It just kinda rises like this huge column off the desert floor and goes up for, I don't know, a long long ways. It's a tall hill but it's got sheer cliffs almost all the way around it. And so they took refuge. They had built this little town on top of this plateau that was just kinda picked up off the desert floor and the Romans couldn't get to them. It took them over a year to build a siege ramp from the other side to get up to the top of Masada.

So over a year but when the Romans got up there, they found that everybody was dead. And they had starved or committed suicide or something over the course of that year of time, those that had taken refuge in Masada. But this is the same sort of thing. So they're building this siege ramp to try to get up into the city to get to Sheba because if they don't get to him, he's just going to continue to cause what? Trouble for David.

He's going to stir up trouble and that just has to be has to be dealt with. So, but they're having a hard time getting up there. So verse 16, then cried a wise woman out of the city. Here, hearsay, I pray you unto Joab, come near hither that I may speak with thee. And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, art thou Joab?

And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear. Then she spake saying, they were won't to speak in old times saying, they shall surely ask counsel at Abel, and so they ended the matter. I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel.

Thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of Lord? So the lady's asking, why are you coming to destroy our our city? The whole city is at risk. She wants to know.

She wants to find what kind of answer. A peaceable one. A soft answer rather than this to end in major what? Bloodshed. A wise woman, she is called.

And indeed, she was. This isn't the first time David had run into a wise woman. Abigail had talked him out of attacking Nabal when Nabal insulted him years before and saved David from bloodshed in that in that case. Sometimes women are worth listening to and they can be wise. Maybe more often than every now and then.

Maybe quite often. I don't know. But anyway, we continue. Sometimes, you you know, the general has to get off of his horse and his big head and and listen to somebody that might not be the person with the greatest authority or or what may be the case. Though it does appear that she did have some authority in the city.

Verse 20, Joab answered and said, far be far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy. The matter is not so. But a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom and they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, they retired from the city, every man to his jinn, and Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king. So was their bloodshed? Yes. Sheba.

But Sheba was rebelling against whose king? God's king. Now David wasn't God's king because David always did the right thing. David was God's king because God chose him and God used him. God was glorified in David when David did the right thing.

And David was glorified God was glorified in David when David did the wrong thing. Because when David did the wrong thing, guess what? There were consequences. God's either gonna be glorified in us by our blessing when we do what is right or God is gonna be glorified in our chastening when we do what is wrong. Either way, God is gonna be what?

Glorified. But it is better for us that we be glorified for that he be glorified in our obedience and blessing than it is that he be glorified in our what? In our chastening. Either way, God is gonna be glorified. And God was glorified time and time again in David.

Sheba went up against not just David, he went up against who? He went up against God and he lost his head for it. Much like a giant before had lost his head when going up against against the man after God's own heart, against the one chosen by God. And thus, the rebellion ended with the death of Sheba. And rather than thousands dying, you you just had Sheba dying.

And then the 10 tribes of Israel went back to David and they stopped this this foolishness. In Acts chapter five, the the council Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was trying to figure out what to do with the disciples because they just wouldn't listen. They told him to quit talking about Jesus and they just wouldn't be quiet. And so they're trying to decide. They're bickering amongst themselves.

Should we execute them? Should we throw them in jail? What should we do to these people that just will not keep their mouth shut about Jesus? They're causing us trouble. And so in the midst of that, a somewhat wise, though it doesn't seem believing in Jesus, but worldly wise anyway, man by the name of Gamaliel stands up and says and gives this bit of wisdom to them.

Here he says, and now I say unto you, refrain from these men and let them alone. For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it, lest happily ye be found even to fight against who? To fight against God. And he he gave several illustrations.

We could add this to the illustrations that he used. Absalom was took his time deliberate, careful, and planning his rebellion against David, and he failed. Sheba, not quite as sly and crafty as Absalom was, and again, he failed. Saul tried for years to kill David to keep him from taking the throne from Saul and his family. He failed.

Goliath failed. Time and time again, those that came up against David failed because David was God's chosen king. And God protected him. And so, fighting against God is not a smart thing to do. Surrendering to God is.

Surrendering in faith, choosing to follow him. You'll never be ashamed when you choose to surrender to the Lord and and follow him. But Sheba was ashamed. He was more than ashamed for what he had done because once again, he was fighting against God. So that brings us to back to verse eight.

So if you look back to verse eight. In the midst of this battle and them trying to get the Sheba to kill him, something else takes place. Once again, the revenge of Joab. Now, this is not the first time we have talked about the revenge of Joab. This is like the third time we have talked about the revenge of Joab.

Just a vengeful, violent, bloody pragmatist. And so let's look in verse eight. When they were at the Great Stone, which is in Gibeon, Amasa now remember David had made Amasa the captain of his army and he had replaced who? Joab. Okay?

So Amasa went before them and Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him and upon it a girdle like a belt with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof. And as he went forth, it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa, art thou in health, my brother? Okay. Art thou well, that's an odd question.

Okay. Art thou in health? I'm really concerned about you. Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him, but Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand, so he smote him therewithin the fifth rib and shed out his bowels to the ground and struck him not again and he died. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, pursued after Sheba, the son of Bichri.

So what happened? Well, Joab found his opportunity to get his position back and he took it. Rather than attacking the true enemy, he attacked the man that, well, was they were on the same side that was serving David. And he killed him in cold blood. Why?

To avenge those killed in the battle with Absalom. You see, in Joab's mind, Amasa deserved it because he had led Absalom's army against Joab's army. And David had rewarded Amasa with the command of David's army after the defeat of Absalom. To Joab, that didn't make any sense. Maybe to me it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense either.

But who's king? David is. Whose decision to make? David's decision to make, not not Joab's. Not Joab's.

You know, who is the authority in all of this? God is the authority. And we should bow to the authority of God even when we don't exactly understand it or or always like it. God even tells us that we need to bow to authorities that he has placed in our life who he shares authority with, his decision. In in government, whether it be federal or state or local, we are to do our best to obey the authorities God has placed over us because in doing so, we acknowledge the authority of who?

God. When you take matters into your own hands, it usually just makes a bigger what? A bigger mess. It's always better just to trust in the Lord. But he chose to avenge, in his mind, those who had lost their lives in the battle with Absalom.

He decided that to protect David from his own poor judgment, Joab knew better, and so he took the life of Amasa to regain his position as commander. Probably the real reason he killed Amasa. Joab killed Amasa because he saw an opportunity. It was expedient for him, and in his mind, it was expedient for Israel to kill Amasa. Certainly.

Here Joab is alone with Amasa. He his knife or sword happens to fall out at just the right place at just the right time. Surely, this must be a sign from who? Sign from God. Be careful about your assumptions that it must be a what?

A sign from God. If the decision you're trying to make, you have chosen to go against what is here in the word of God, God is not going to lead you to go against this. You may may look like a big door opens, but if the opening of the door is to go against the revealed will of God, is not God opening the door. Maybe it's you opening the door. Maybe it's the devil opening the door.

Be careful. I was watching a film a while back about this lady that ran an abortion clinic outside of Houston, Texas. The film's called Unplanned, if you haven't seen it. And she at least professed to be a Christian. She occasionally went to church.

Her husband was a Christian. And yet, in her mind, she was convinced that the babies she was killing were not actually human beings. At some point in the movie, she finally opens her eyes and all of that changes. And she becomes a very big proponent, and this is a true story. Sadly, she can't go back and undone undo everything that was done.

But praise the Lord, we have a god who is merciful far beyond our mercy. But she's talking to her husband and she has the opportunity to become the director of the clinic. And she tells her husband, at least in the film, you know, I prayed about and I asked God if he doesn't want me to get this promotion, then just close the door. And her husband says, well, didn't you already ask for the promotion? Didn't you already push for the promotion?

That doesn't seem to be a fair test of whether it's God's will or not. It would be best to ask the question, does God want me participating in this sin? Because that's that's clearly what it was. Sometimes we want God's will to fit our will so bad that we will push doors open that God doesn't push open. And then we'll say, oh, look, the door is open.

And I think that here is Joab. Look, the opportunity. God wants me to kill a mesa. It wasn't God. I do not believe it was Joab, the pragmatist.

That is if it works, then it must be good. The ends justifies the what? The means. Joab was shrewd. He was a successful general, but he was still far from being a godly man.

Still far from being David. He did what was convenient. He did that which helped him. Was much more like Saul than he was like like David. Let's consider his record quickly as we near the end here this evening.

In chapter three of second Samuel, he kills Abner. He's getting vengeance on the death of his brother in battle. He kills Abner who had just met with David to surrender the people of Israel to combine the kingdom under David's rule. But Joab, rather than letting that go through, Joab takes matters in his own hands and he kills Ab. Uriah the Hittite.

Remember Uriah the Hittite? David commanded gave a note to Joab that says, I want you to to take Uriah and put him in the front of the battle. And then when the battle is hot, take the army back and let Uriah die. Why? Well, because Uriah was Bathsheba's husband and he was trying to hide what he had done.

What did did Joab do? Well, he did that which was expedient. That time, he did what David told him to do and he shouldn't have. Later on, David told him not to kill Absalom and he did. It didn't have to do, I don't think, with loyalty to David, but more loyalty to Joab doing that which is expedient.

In chapter 14, Joab went to a woman and asked her to go in to pretend to be somebody and tell David a lie to try to get Absalom to come back, the woman of Tekoa. David figured out what Joab was doing, and he still gave in to Joab and let Absalom return. In chapter 14, again, Joab talked David into letting Absalom come back into the palace, and that's when Absalom began to take people aside when they come to talk to David and tell them that David didn't have time for them. I'll solve your problems and turn the hearts of the people against David. And once again in chapter 18, David told Joab not to kill Absalom, and that's exactly what Absalom did.

Why? For the sake of Israel? Well, I'm sure that's what he said was his reason. For the long long term sake of David, I'm sure he justified that. But probably also to cover his own disloyalty because he had been playing both sides.

In this chapter, he kills Amasa. In first Kings chapter one, when David appoints Solomon to be the next king, Joab sides with Adonijah. And this time, this time, Joab does not escape. Solomon sends soldiers to to kill Joab. Joab runs to the to the tabernacle to where the the altar is and grabs a hold of it hoping that that he'll be safe there.

But finally, Joab meets his end. What does the Bible say? It says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

What's that mean? Don't only do not only view life from the pragmatic lens. There are times that the ends do not justify the what? The means. A preacher once said it's never right to do wrong to do right.

And I think that is in keeping with the word of God. Rather than making the judgment about whether it's right based upon what the end is, we need to ask we need to seek a different end. And what is the end we need to seek? Does it bring glory to who? Does it bring glory to God?

Because if it doesn't bring glory to God, it's not it's not the right thing to do. You know, if we announced that we were having a wine tasting here next week and put big signs out there rather than the one that says Vacation Bible School, I bet we could double our attendance in one week. But I don't think that's the right way to get people in the church. Do you? No.

The ends do not always justify the means. And the reason that people often do that is because, really, they're seeking the wrong ends. I would love to see two twice as many people come next week, but if that's gonna happen, it's gonna be God's way and not man's way. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Lean not on thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him. He shall direct thy path. Success is not always the best test for determining whether it was right or wrong. The second time, God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would come out. Instead, he got upset and lost his temper and he struck the rock.

Did water still come out? It did. But it didn't glorify who? God like it should have because the illustration that Moses was to be giving was lost. And Moses didn't get to go into the what?

To the promised land. But water came out? Yeah. But you didn't do it the right way. If you had done it the right way, guess what?

The water still would have come out but without the what? Without the consequences. Yeah. Without the consequences. Jacob and Rebecca.

Jacob was to get the greater blessing over his brother Esau even though he was born second by a few minutes. And so it comes time for Isaac to give the blessing. He's up in years. His health is not good. He's blind at this point.

And Jacob and his mom decide, well, we're just he is gonna give the greater blessing to Esau. We're gonna have to trick him into giving you the greater blessing instead. Now, before we go any further, would God have overruled Isaac's blessing if he had given the greater blessing to the wrong kid? Yeah. Sure.

Isaac's blessing wasn't the blessing that mattered. Whose blessing was? God's blessing was. But Jacob and Esau said, oh, we can't let let that happen. So what did they do?

Well, they deceived Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing he intended to give Esau. How did that end up? Well, Jacob ended up having to run for his life from his family and spend fourteen, fifteen or better years battling with his uncle Laban who was as much of a liar as he was or more so and couldn't come home. And when he did come back to Israel, he was afraid for his life because he thought Esau was still trying to kill him. You see, he still would have got the blessings of God if he'd have just waited on who?

Waited on the Lord and did it God's way. He did it his way. Yes. He got the blessing, but he also got the consequences. Might should have otherwise asked the question, what brings glory to God rather than what?

What is more expedient for who? For me. When it comes down to it, what's more expedient for you is to seek to glorify who? God. Because the blessing of God is far worth more than anything the world has to offer.

Justifying and ignoring God's commands to get the job done our way is a trap. Solomon found that trap. He justified all the foreign wives he married, and then he justified building temples for them to worship their gods. And it turned his heart away from the Lord. And upon his death, the kingdom split once again between Judah and and the northern tribes.

In closing, Matthew four three and four. You wanna turn there. Matthew chapter four verses three and four. Satan is tempting Jesus to turn stone to bread. Why?

Well, because he had been fasting for forty days. He he was, it says, an hungered. He was starving. He was very, very, very, very hungry. He was very, very weak.

He needed food. And Satan said, if you are who you say you are, prove it. You know, why are you sitting here hungry when you can turn that stone over there into bread? And what was Jesus' response to Satan? But he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, verse four, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. What was Jesus' response? When the father wants me to eat, I'll eat. Until then, I'm gonna fast. It isn't my right to take matters into mine own hands against the will of my father in heaven.

I'm going to trust in him. I am going to listen to his word and do his will. Will we ever go wrong doing that? No. We won't.

And God will be magnified and we will be blessed. We take matters into our own hands, we'll get ourselves into trouble. God will still be glorified, but it it'll be in a different way. That won't be as pleasant for us and won't be as good as it would have been. Don't be a Joab.

Be more like David when he was acting like the man after God's own heart. Don't live pragmatically, live principled. Walk in the what? Spirit and you will not fulfill the the lust of the flesh. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for the example that you've given us. We see how Joab was seemingly successful in many respects, but, Lord, his success caused problems for many people around him and ended in a shameful death for him. Lord, help us to choose to do what's right because it's right and because it magnifies and glorifies our God which is in heaven. Help us to be content, Lord, to wait upon the Lord and to do as you have asked, to do it your way because your way is always right. That in every circumstance where we can give a soft answer, Lord, may we learn to do it.

May as much as lieth in us, may we live peaceably with all men. And help us, Lord, to be more like our savior, Jesus Christ. In all things we do pray. Amen.