Communicating a Message - Bible Baptist Church

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Text: 2 Samuel 18:19-32

Communicating is a skill. It is a skill that requires listening. You say, I can’t believe they won’t listen! Do you know why they won’t listen to you? Because you won’t listen to them. And they finally got tired of being talked over. Communication is a two-way street. The way some of you approach communication is you think as long as you talk something is being accomplished. You think the point of this relationship is for you to be speaking. Communication requires studying and listening. Proverbs 11:30 … he that winneth souls is wise.

David’s son Absalom is dead. His rebellion against his dad has been put down. The message needs to get to David about what has happened. There is one zealous messenger who’s eager to run with a message. That messenger is Ahimaaz, but he has nothing to say yet. He has no message, he just wants to be the guy to do the talking to the king.

There is another man, he’s not as fast as Ahimaaz, but he’s also more patient. He’s not eager to bring any message, but he’s willing to. He’s also been witness to what has gone on, so he knows the details of what needs to be explained. His name is Cushi. He’ll be the one sent to bring the king tidings of what’s happened.

Excitement is not a message (vss 19-20)

Ahimaaz has experience in running messages so he thinks he’s the guy. This is HIS ministry. He thinks he’s qualified because he loves doing this. Ahimaaz has zeal without understanding. He thinks desire qualifies him to speak.
This is young zeal. You think because you’re excited about it you’re qualified to communicate it.
- Evangelistic context
- political cause
I know about this because I went through this.
This doesn’t mean you’ll never have a message, it just means you don’t have anything to say right now. You don’t know your business yet. Proverbs 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Young Ahimaaz thinks his zeal should be honored. The value is not your zeal, it’s what you have to say.

Having something to say is what qualifies you to be sent (vs 21)

Joab instructs Cushi to Tell the king what you SAW…
You’re not sent if you have nothing to say. You’re just a mailman with no mail. You must have a message.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
That may mean studying. For some of you, that means you need to get into your old testament. Put down your commentaries, go to the word of God and say LORD, I don’t know anything. Please help me understand YOUR words. Not Larkin’s words. Not Ruckman’s words. Not Paul Chappell’s words. Not Regular Baptist Press words. Lord, teach me.

Ahimaaz won’t take no for an answer (vss 22-23)

Ahimaaz doesn’t like being told no. He isn’t concerned with having a message. He isn’t concerned with communication. He just wants to be the guy.
Humility is absolutely necessary if you’re ever going to have anything to say that’s worth saying. But until you can learn something, you won’t have anything to say. And until you can humble yourself, you won’t learn anything.

Useless message (vss 24-29)

What’s the big message? God is on your side, David! That doesn’t help. Jesus saves! Great. I have some questions. No questions. Just know God is on your side. Just know Jesus saves. Are you saved? Well, I have some thoughts about it. No no, I’m not prepared for you to have any thoughts or questions. I just need you to know Jesus saves. Beating the drum repetitively doesn’t make you a good messenger. And when people don’t respond to your anemic message, you make it their fault. Vain repetition doesn’t work with God and it doesn’t work with people.
David has a very specific question about what’s important to him. Ahimaaz is not prepared to answer that question because he jumped the gun. His zeal wouldn’t allow him to have the information he needs.
Not every failure in communication is because the other person is wicked. You say, I can’t believe I offered them eternal life in Jesus Christ for free and they didn’t want it. Do you know why they didn’t want it? No, you don’t know because you weren’t listening.
I use to gauge people’s spirituality by what they did with gospel tracts. If they threw it away, they hated God. If they took it, they agreed with God. The truth is people take tracts because they don’t want to argue and they’re being polite. And people throw tracts away because they don’t care to be marketed by more groups who want something from them. Keeping or throwing away a gospel tract probably has very little to do with what someone thinks about God unless it has been made VERY clear what they are getting.
Another thing is your mood ought to match your message. Ahimaaz seems so excited. If you love telling people they’re going to hell, you’re not the guy to tell people they’re going to hell. I read about these prophets like Jeremiah and they lament knowing some things that they know. They don’t like what God’s words have done to their lives.

Loss of credibility when you don’t know your business (vs 30)

David says, Go sit down. You’re not helping. Ahimaaz’s future as a messenger is in question.
This is a bigger problem now for Ahimaaz. When you develop a reputation for “crying wolf” or presenting yourself as the guide for someone’s soul, but you haven’t done the work to be the guide, it hinders what people will hear from you in the future.
It’s like, Oh no, here comes Ahimaaz again. Then what people see is that your “running” is actually a selfish endeavor. Because you’re not taking the time to study the material. Because you’re not even interested in having answers to questions. You just want to be heard.
This goes for religious matters and political matters. People’s motives get fleshed out when they keep saying the same unhelpful things over and over again.

Cushi communicates effectively (vss 31-32)

Cushi has the advantage of knowing he’s been sent
Cushi has the advantage of having something to say. He can answer the questions the king has.
His demeanor matches his message. It’s bad news. Cushi understands how this will be taken by David, so he wraps the message in the truth of God’s will and righteousness. Absalom wanted to kill you, David. He’s your son who wanted you dead. It’s a terrible reality, but his death was the only solution to this civil war.