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Text: 2 Samuel 10
In the last chapter, David looked for Jonathan’s children to show kindness to them. He found Mephibosheth and showed him kindness. In this chapter, David is looking for Ammonites to show kindness to, but things end very differently.
Ambassadors of peace are sent and mistreated (vss 1-5)
- The Ammonites misjudge the mission of David’s messengers.
- The Ammonites mistreat the messengers and shame them.
- David comforts his messengers. He says to wait until the shame is passed and then return home.
- Can you see the types? Jesus Christ sends his messengers in the form of preachers, prophets, apostles, pastors, and evangelists. People misjudge the mission of the messengers and shame them, hate them, and despise them. And the LORD says, Wait here until the shame is passed.
- Romans 2:4-5 – Why would be angry against the king’s goodness?
- The goodness of the king is despised and the goodness of God is despised, but the question is why? Because of a lie. Look at verse 3.
- Now, you may say I love that God is good, but you don’t always love God’s goodness.
- How about when God is good to someone you don’t like?
- How about when God wants to be good to someone through you? You may not like that responsibility.
- I love what David says in verse 5 because it sounds just like Jesus Christ to his servants. David says take your rest on this side of the river until the shame is passed. Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown – sounds like a sermon title. Wait here until the stain of humiliation is gone.
Warriors are sent to deal with David’s enemies (vss 6-14)
- The king wasn’t mad before, but now you’ve made him mad. He stretched his hand out in mercy and you shamed those that brought his invitation. You took the ambassadors from Jerusalem and mocked them.
- Does this not sound like the way God’s messengers have been treated? And did you read Romans 2:5 as you live in sin and despise God’s messengers? The LORD grows increasingly angry as the sin piles up and people are hurt and led astray by your life.
- The king will not send ambassadors anymore, now he sends warriors. Their purpose is to destroy.
- Ammon ends up spending an exorbitant amount to protect himself from king David as recorded in 1 Chronicles 19:6. But believing lies will not only cost them financially but there will be a massive loss of life.
The king comes to subdue the source of sin (vss 15-19)
- Syria, like Satan, seems to be the source of the lies told to the Ammonites. Like the devil, they just poison the water and leave. They cast doubt on David’s intentions and cause the Ammonites to do something very stupid. This is what the devil does with lies. He gets people to make stupid decisions and hate the source of real help.
- The Syrians hated David because of his previous battles with them. He killed thousands of Syrians in war and set up a garrison in Damascus.
- Christ, like David, dealt a crushing blow to the devil at the cross, but one day Jesus Christ is coming to put away the serpent and source of deception for the entire world.
