2 Sam 15 Exposition

8/6/2019 2 Sam 15 Exposition

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2 SAM 15:And there came a messenger to David, saying,The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.The above text demonstrates the fickleness of humanheart.2 SAM 5; Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto

Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we [are] thy bone andthy flesh.

2Sa 5:2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thouwast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and theLORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, andthou shalt be a captain over Israel.

2Sa 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king toHebron; and king David made a league with them inHebron before the LORD: and they anointed David kingover Israel.


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The same people who sang praises to

David, rose against him.

This demonstrates the folly of seeking

the popularity with people. Many a times

we sacrifice our relationship with God onthe altar of cheap popularity.

Now they had rejected David and have

pledged allegiance to Absalom, Davidsrebellious son.


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2Sa 15:18 And all his servants passed on

beside him; and all the Cherethites, and

all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, sixhundred men which came after him from

Gath, passed on before the king.

The six hundred men are the ones that

we read about in 1 Sam 22, when Davidwas fleeing from Saul in the wilderness .


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1Sa 22:2 And every one [that was] in

distress, and every one that [was] in debt,

and every one [that was] discontented,gathered themselves unto him; and he

became a captain over them: and there

were with him about four hundred men.

Initially, it was as a group of ragtagrenegades that became transformed into

a crack unit.


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As they were around David, they became

like him. The exceptional military skills

that David had were rubbed of on them.Ragtag militia like the Mungiki and

Chinkororo.

Crack unit like the GSU, and especially

the Recce Company.


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SWAT-(special weapons and tactics)[1][2] team is an eliteparamilitary tactical unit in American law enforcementdepartments. They are trained to perform high-riskoperations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers.Their duties include performing hostage rescues and

counter-terrorism operations, serving high risk arrest andsearch warrants, subduing barricaded suspects, andengaging heavily-armed criminals. A SWAT team is oftenequipped with specialized firearms including submachineguns, assault rifles, breaching shotguns, riot control agents,stun grenades and sniper rifles. They have specialized

equipment including heavy body armor, ballistic shields,entry tools, armored vehicles, advanced night vision optics,and motion detectors for covertly determining the positionsof hostages or hostage takers inside of an enclosedstructure.


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The more people are close to you, the

more their philosophies and attitudes

become influential to you.Pro 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man

sharpeneth the countenance of his

friend.

You dont expect to soar like an eagle yetwalk with the turkeys.

Because I sat on the shoulders of giants, I

was able to see far.


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In John 11:32, Mary repeated the samewords that had been said by Martha, thatif Jesus had been there.

Mary and Martha had spent timetogether in this situation.

One would not have expected such wordsfrom Mary, who was a worshipper.

It was not a language of faith by offrustration. You take on the vocabulary ofthose people you hang out with.


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2Sa 15:16 And the king went forth, and allhis household after him. And the king leftten women, [which were] concubines, to

keep the house. Three lessons that can be drawn; 1) Life has no guarantees, Despite the Best

Laid Plans... It seems thatlife doesn't alwaysgo as planned.

Flexibility is an art that I have yet to master like David refuse setbacks to dampen ourspirits.


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Mastering the art of bending in the wind . Perhaps we have been led to believe that

inflexibility is a mark of strength. Most of us grow up and create a game plan

for our life. It is what our teachers andparents wanted us to do.

Life never follows orders to the latter. Andeven if it did, there is rarely a convenient

time for life to unfold its drama.


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The most stable buildings are not the mostrigid, but the flexible ones.

Mega structures- a programme on national

geographic channel that showcasesarchitectural masterpieces. Tallest buildings are installed with dampers

that give them flexibility during instability. Seismic dampers provide complete

protection for buildings, bridges, towers,elevated freeways; virtually any structurethat is subject to earthquake damage.


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Let Go of Your Attachment - Whenever we get

attached to something - a specific outcome, a

particular way of doing things, a rigid opinion,

etc. - we are, by definition, inflexible. Letting goof our attachment to something doesn't mean we

negate our desire or intention, it simply means

we let go of controlling every aspect of it, forcing

the action, and our fixation on it being exactlythe way we think it should be. This is a process of

conscious "non-attachment" (letting go), as

opposed to detachment (not caring).


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2Sa 15:25 And the king said unto Zadok,

Carry back the ark of God into the city: if

I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD,he will bring me again, and shew me

[both] it, and his habitation:

2Sa 15:26 But if he thus say, I have nodelight in thee; behold, [here am] I, let

him do to me as seemeth good unto him.


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The education system has been and stillis designed to be highly individualisticand competitive, in which paper

examinations determine ones lifeopportunities, and the majority failbefore attaining qualifications that areneeded for formal sector employment.

Does not put into account the diversitiesinherent in humanity, different people aregifted in different ways.


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A childs self-esteem often depends on how hethinks he measures up to what peopleexpect.

When expectations are realistic, it is easy for a

child to experience success and feel personallyvaluable.

On the other hand, when expectations are toohigh or too rigid, parents often expressdisappointment in their childs actions.

As disappointments mount up, they begin to eataway at a childs view of his own value and hisself-esteem begins to diminish.


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Kenya is in dire need of soft skills. Confidence, effective communication, values

driven, high self esteem, focused, self-driven,having an empowering attitude among others.

According to Cox Report on American Business,a staggering 94 per cent of all Forbes 500executives attribute their success more toattitude than to any other ingredient.

The Forbes 500was an annual listing of the top

500American companies produced by ForbesMagazine. The list was calculated by combiningfive factors: sales, profits, assets, market value,and employees.


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Remember that some things dont

work.

You are going to make a lot of mistakes.Sometimes you will do everything right

and it will all still crash and burn. Failure

is a part of life, and it is a part of eventual

success.The greatest glory of living lies not in

never falling at all but rising up every

time that we fall.


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History is replete with examples of peoplewho fell but refused to be bogged down bysetbacks.

Thomas Edison Many of life's failures aremen who did not realize how close they

were to success when they gave up. "Thomas Edison failed more than 1,000

times when trying to create the light bulb".

When asked about it, Edison allegedly said,"I have not failed 1,000 times. I havesuccessfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOTmake a light bulb."


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Persistence therefore is of essence -Phl 3:14 Ipress toward the mark for the prize of the highcalling of God in Christ Jesus.

Nothing in this world can take the place ofpersistence.Talent will not; nothing is morecommon than unsuccessful people withtalent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius isalmost a proverb. Education will not; the

world is full of educated derelicts. Persistenceand determination alone are omnipotent.Theslogan "press on" has solved and always willsolve the problems of the human race


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Don'tTake YourselfToo Seriously - Takingourselves too seriously creates unnecessarystress, pressure, and worry.

It demands that you be right every time (and

let's face it, odds are that you're bound toblunder, blank out, blow a fuse and be sent to thenaughty stool whether you like it or not

When we're able to laugh at ourselves (in a kindway), keep things in perspective, and remember

that most of what we deal with on a daily basis inlife is not life or death - we can take ourselvesless seriously and thus have a more balanced,peaceful, and creative way of relating to things.


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Dont be afraid of change.Teach and train yourself to positively reactto changes start from little things: forexample, move your furniture often, buynew things for your interior, paint walls indifferent colors. Being stagnant, youbecome too vulnerable to life changes.Besides, frequent little changes will make

your life more fun! Human beings dont like change, old things

are familiar and comfortable. We cherishcomfort zones.


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2nd Lesson- He decided to lose the battlethat he may win the war.

Jesus lost the battle when he was

crucified but he won the war when hesaid on the cross that all was finished.

Focusing on the endgame and not gettingswept up in current events.

Do not lose sight of the antelope becauseof a dashing squirrel.

E.g. Airtel


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3rd Lesson- he refused to be bogged

down by a setback.

Phl 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself tohave apprehended: but [this] one thing [I

do], forgetting those things which are

behind, and reaching forth unto those

things which are before.


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After Sarah passed on, Abraham decidedto bury him out of sight. He declined toerect a monument, which would have

hindered his pilgrimage.A monument would have acted as a

constant reminder of the past.When things die in life, we should refrain

from erecting mental monuments.Otherwise we will become frozen in time.DECI.


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Deu 1:6 The LORD our God said to us atHoreb, "You have stayed long enough at thismountain.

Deu 1:7 Break camp and advance into thehill country of the Amorites; go to all theneighboring peoples in the Arabah, in themountains, in the western foothills, in the

Negev and along the coast, to the land of theCanaanites and to Lebanon, as far as thegreat river, the Euphrates.


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Regret City

I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I foundmyself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant andI knew in advance that no real good would come of it. This is my annual"Guilt Trip."

I got tickets to fly there on "WISH-I-HAD" airlines. It was an extremelyshort flight. I got my "baggage," which I could not check. I chose to carryit myself all the way. It was loaded down with a thousand memories of"what might have been." No one greeted me as I entered the terminal tothe Regret City International Airport. I say international because peoplefrom all over the world come to this dismal town.

As I checked into the "Last Resort" Hotel, I noticed that they would behosting the year's most important event -- the annual "Pity Party." I wasn'tgoing to miss that great social occasion. Many of the towns leadingcitizens would be there.

First, there would be the "Done" family; you know, "Should Have," "WouldHave" and "Could Have." Then came the "I Had" family. You probablyknow old "Wish" and his clan. Of course, the "Opportunities" family;"Missed and Lost," would be present. The biggest family there would bethe "Yesterday's."


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There are far too many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad storyto share. Of course, "Shattered Dreams" would surely make and appearance. "It'sTheir Fault" family would regale us with stories (excuses) about how things hadfailed in their life. Each story would be loudly applauded by the "Don't Blame Me"and "I Couldn't Help It" committee.

To make a long story short, I went to this depressing party, knowing full well therewould be no real benefit in doing so. And, as usual, I became very depressed. But

as I thought about all of the stories of failures brought back from the past, itoccurred to me that this trip and subsequent "pity parties" COULD be cancelled byME!

I started to realize that I did not have to be there. And I didn't have to be depressed.One thing kept going through my mind, I CAN'T CHANGE YESTERDAY, BUT I DOHAVE THE POWER TO MAKE TODAY A WONDERFUL DAY. I can be happy, joyous,fulfilled, encouraged, as well as being encouraging.

Knowing this, I left Regret City immediately, and didn't leave a forwarding address.Am I sorry for mistakes I've made in the past? YES! But there is no way to undothem.

So, if you're planning a trip back to Regret City, please cancel all those reservationsnow. Instead, take a trip to a nice place called: "Starting Again." I like it so much thatI made it my permanent residence. My neighbors, the "Been Forgiven" and the"We're Saved" are so very helpful. By the way, you don't have to carry around theheavy baggage anymore either


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2Sa 15:19 Then said the king to Ittai theGittite, Wherefore goest thou also withus? return to thy place, and abide with

the king: for thou [art] a stranger, andalso an exile.

Ittai was a master of the sword and isgoing to use his skills along with the 600men to fight on Davids behalf.

He was instrumental in Davids return toJerusalem.


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We need to master the sword Eph

6:17 And take the helmet of salvation,

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the

word of God:

It takes time to obtain skill to become a

master swordsman. It takes diligence.

Those who use the sword withoutacquisition of skills will suffer the

consequences of Peter.


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Peter the fisherman who withdrew his

sword and chopped off a little boys ear.

He was a fisherman without sword skills.

Such people take a verse out of context

and mislead people.

Thereafter in the book of Acts, after he

had acquired skills, he exercised hisskills with tremendous results.


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It is not only important to have skills but

also to maintain them.This was a powerful statement that though he went he would come back.

And that though he was down, he was not out yet.And that his was not surrender but a tactical retreat.

Micah 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall

arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.

Dont let yourself get bogged down by those tries that didnt make it

through.Keep fighting, move forward, and just mark it as a lesson learned.

Also remember that just because an idea doesnt work at first, it doesntmean it wont in the future. A little tweaking or even just a little time is

often all that is needed.

All you can do is all you can do, and all you can do is enough.


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There is nothing you can do about your past,yesterday is like a cancelled cheque,tomorrow is like a promisory note, now islike a blank cheque or a blank canvas, draw

whatever you wish. Quit pity parties, rise from the ashes like the

proverbial phoenix. Phl 1:6 Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work inyou will perform [it] until the day of JesusChrist:

2 Sam 15 Exposition

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