If you have a copy of the Scriptures this morning, let me invite you once again to turn to the book of 2 Samuel. And we have been working our way through this inspired book, inspired volume from the Old Testament. chapter by chapter and verse by verse, looking at the life of King David. And we're at that point where David is caught up in a great civil war. His own son, Absalom, is leading a rebellion against him. And we are continuing to follow this, and we're in chapter 17. I'm going to read verses 1-7. And then we're going to read verse 14, and then the end of the chapter, verses 27-29. And then in the message, we're going to be coming back and expositing the whole of the chapter. But let me invite you now, as you're able, to stand in honor of the reading and hearing of God's Word. 2 Samuel 17 Moreover, Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night, and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid, and all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only, and I will bring back all the people unto thee. The man whom thou seekest is as if all returned, so all the people shall be in peace. And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai, the archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner. Shall we do after his saying? If not, speak thou. And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. Let's go on then to verse 14. And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, the counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord hath appointed, had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom. And then from verse 27 to the end of the chapter, And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shebe, the son of Nahash of Rabbah, the children of Ammon, and Makir, the son of Amiel of Lodabar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogalim brought beds and basins and earthen vessels and wheat and barley and flour and parched corn and beans and lentils and parched pulse and honey and butter and sheep and cheese of kind for David and for the people that were with him to eat. For they said, the people is hungry. and weary and thirsty in the wilderness. May God bless again the reading and the hearing of his word in this place. And let's go to the Lord together in prayer. Gracious and loving God, we come to your word today as a people who are looking for the hidden manna looking for the pearl of great price. And we know that your word is the good deposit of the truth that speaks of Christ and points us towards Christ. And so help us to be able to understand your word today. Help us to be able to attend to it. Give us eyes to see, give us ears to hear. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen. And you may be seated. Well, once again, we are learning, aren't we? We are learning in the school of Scripture, and we are learning in particular from the life of one man, the life of David. I enjoy reading and every year I try to read a couple of biographies or memoirs and I find it's always very interesting to read and to hear the story of another person's life, to learn sometimes from their mistakes and then also positively to learn from their good qualities and their character and their habits and so forth. So today what we're essentially doing is continuing this study and looking at this inspired biography of the life of David. And we're at that point where we're seeing David is reaping what he has sown in his life. We know that David committed fornication with Bathsheba. That he then orchestrated the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. And so David had done some heinous things really, some very wicked things. And then we remember how Nathan the prophet had come. boldly had spoken God's Word to David, had confronted David and said to David, you are the man. And the mark of David's godliness was that when confronted with his sin, David had repented. In fact, he wrote the 51st Psalm as part of his act of repentance. And he said in that Psalm, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Against You and You only have I sinned, O God. And so David repented, and yet still, David had to bear the consequences for his sin. And we've seen that unfold. And Nathan had prophesied to David, remember, that part of the consequences, the repercussions of his sin, is that God would allow evil to be raised up from within his own house. If you go back and read 2 Samuel 12, 11, that had been prophesied. And now we're seeing it come to pass in the rebellion of David's own son, his own flesh and blood against him, trying to overthrow him. We've noted here recently that David was living during this period of his life through what we could call the worst of times. He had been forced to flee the holy city of Jerusalem. And as he had fled from the city, he had literally been weeping, tears flowing down from his face. Look back in chapter 15 and verse 30, where we have a description of David leaving the city of Jerusalem, going by the Mount of Olives, and it says, and he wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot. I mean, this is a picture of a man at a low point a very low point in his life. And remember, we saw previously as he went out of Jerusalem, even there was a man named Shammai who stood there and cursed at him and said, David, you're a man of Belial. You're a bloody man, a bloodthirsty man, and God is punishing you. And you might remember that one of David's soldiers was ready to walk over and just slice that man's head off. But David had said to him in chapter 16 and verse 11, he said, no, let him continue to curse me because the Lord hath bidden him to do so. And then what is more, David said back in chapter 16 and verse 11, listen, what this man is saying to me and cursing me and calling down curses upon me, that's nothing compared to how I feel emotionally with what has happened to me with regard to my own son, Absalom. He says in chapter 16 verse 11, Behold, my son which came forth of my bowels seeketh my life. How much more now may this Benjamite do it, that is, curse me. My own son is rebelling against me. What more painful things can happen to me? And so David was walking through, we could say, the valley of the shadow of death and despair at this point in his life. And I think what we're gonna see in this chapter that we're coming to today, chapter 17, the lasting lesson that we're gonna see here is that although the Lord may allow His children to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, although the Lord may allow His children to walk through despair, and it could be even a despair that comes as a consequence of their own sin, He will not, however, in the end, abandon them. His rod and His staff are with them. And this chapter is going to remind us that the Lord provides for His saints even in the worst of times. He provides for His saints even when they are in the wilderness. He provides for them. what I hope you're going to walk away thinking by the time we go through the whole passage. Let's turn to it now and walk through the passage, exposit it together. The account begins with the conflicting or the dueling counsels of two men. And again, we're really stretching our Old Testament vocabulary bank of names, aren't we today? These aren't your normal David, Isaiah, Adam, Moses type names. If you come away and you can have it trill off your lips, Ahithophel, and Barzillai the Gileadite, and so forth, then we've achieved something. But these men really ought to be better known. Ahithophel is going to have his council and that council is going to be frustrated by a man named Hushai the Archite. Now remember, Ahithophel had been David's counselor And he had gone over to Absalom when Absalom had rebelled against David. And remember Ahithophel was thought to be the wisest man in the land. And it was really a dagger to David's heart when he found out that Ahithophel had gone over to the enemy side. One commentator called Ahithophel the Judas Iscariot of the Old Testament. He denied David in the same way later on that Judas would deny the Son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything that Ahithophel said, again, was thought to be as good as an oracle of God. Look at chapter 16 and verse 23 where it says, And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counseled in those days was as if a man had inquired at the oracles of God. And so, his word was thought to have special import and blessing. You might also remember, that David, when he found out that Ahithophel had gone over to the cause of his rebellious son, that David had a friend named Hushai the Archite. And Hushai had wanted to accompany David in fleeing from the city of Jerusalem, but instead David had said, wait a second, Hushai, I want you to stay in Jerusalem and I want you to stay for the very purpose of being there to frustrate the council of Ahithophel. I want you to be there to defeat the council of Ahithophel. And you remember David also left some other confederates behind. He left behind the priests, Zadok and Abiathar and their sons. so that he would have some spies in Jerusalem to undermine the council of Ahithophel. We talked about in previous messages about how in one sense David accepts the sovereignty of God, he accepts the will of God in his circumstances, but it also doesn't mean that he's passive. He also actively works to attempt to better his circumstances in the light of the rebellion that was going on against him. And so chapter 17, with that background, chapter 17 opens with Ahithophel bringing what would have been good counsel to Absalom. And so it says in chapter 17 in verse 1, that Ahithophel said to Absalom, let me now choose out 12,000 men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night, and I will come upon him while he is weary, and weak-handed, and will make him afraid. And all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only, and I will bring back all the people unto thee, the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned, so all the people shall be in peace." Now, this would have been good counsel, and Ahithophel's plan was essentially that he himself would take a large group of men, and they would strike quickly against David, and they would strike specifically to take out just David alone. Notice the second half of verse 2, and I will smite the king only. brings a shiver down your spine because we know that no one is supposed to strike out against the Lord's anointing. Remember David, he would not strike Saul, for example, when Saul was the king. And so Ahithophel was willing to strike down David, the Lord's anointed. And then though he thought if he did that, he would be able to bring all the people over to Absalom's side because they would be left leaderless if David were eliminated. And so this is Ahithophel's plan. And we're to think if Absalom would have implemented this plan, that it might have worked. And so, indeed, it appears to be a very favorable plan to Absalom, initially, and to the elders of Israel, as we're told in verse 4. But then, Absalom, in his wisdom, if we could call it that, asks to hear the counsel of Hushai the Archite. Now, usually it's a general, in fact, one of the Proverbs says that in the multitude of counselors, there is wisdom. Usually it makes sense to ask the advice of many people and to hear from many sides and perspectives when you're making decisions. But in this case, Absalom is lacking discernment. He doesn't realize that Hushai is not on his side. And so he's exercising a lack of discernment. And so he calls in Hushai, the archivist, David's confederate, David's spy within the palace to give his viewpoint. And so we look at verses five and six. Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner." Another mark of Absalom's foolishness is he doesn't just ask Hushai to give his opinion, but he spills the beans and tells him what Ahithophel had planned to do. Shall we do after his saying, if not speak thou? So he's not very discreet or wise in the way he approaches this. One commentator pointed out that whereas Ahithophil's words were brief and to the point, Only about 40 words are recorded from Ahithophel in verses one through three in Hebrew. Hushai's counsel, which he commences to bring in verses seven through 13, is long and verbose, about three and a half times longer than Ahithophel's speech. Ahithophel's speech is wise, but Hushai's speech is cunning. First, notice in verse 7 that Hushai says Ahithophel's counsel is not good at this time. And Hushai said unto Absalom, the counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. Now, it would have drawn too much attention if Hushai had immediately come out and attacked Ahithophel's counsel because his counsel was so revered. Instead, what he does is subtly undermine, saying, you know, normally Ahithophel's counsel is very good. But I just question his timing. This time, it just doesn't seem quite right. Secondly, then, he appeals in this master speech to fear of David and fear of David's men and their cunning. Look at beginning in verse eight. "'For,' said Hushai, "'thou knowest thy father and his men, "'that they be mighty men "'and they be chafed in their minds, As a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. I was talking to somebody earlier today about the video recently that showed up on the web of the tourists out in Yosemite who got chased by the mother bear and her cubs. He says, David is going to be like a bear. If you try to attack him, he's going to come after you and his mighty men are going to be with him. And he says, second half of verse eight, and thy father is a man of war and will not lodge with the people. Verse nine, behold, he is hid now in some pit. or in some other place, and it will come to pass when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. Verse 10, And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men. So you see, Hushai is very clever and very cunning. He appeals to fear. You better be careful, Absalom, because David and his men are clever and they are mighty and they will outfox you. He's not with the people. He's in some spider hole somewhere. You're never going to be able to catch him. And if you try to attack him and some of your men fall, you're going to create panic in your own ranks. You better not go in there and try to attack. David, it's foolhardy. You better watch out for your own net. His council here reminds me a little bit of the council. Remember the story of earlier in Israel's history when the spies were sent into the land in the time of Moses and some of the spies came back and said, there are giants in the land. We are like grasshoppers in their eyes. And so Hushai likewise is appealing to fear. He appealed to bad timing, he appealed to fear, and then thirdly, he appeals to Absalom's own vanity, which was great. And he does this by telling Absalom that if he would only wait to strike David, then all Israel would come to his side. Look at verse 11, Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person. The second part of that in verse 11, Hushai's plan is that he not allow Ahithophel to lead an army against David, but that Absalom himself lead into the battle. And if you know the rest of the story, that's what Absalom is going to do. And it ends up being personally disastrous for him. He ends up being killed on the battlefield. This is Hushai's counsel to him. He also counsels the cruel wiping out, not only of David, but also of all those allied to him. Look at verse 12. So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground. And of him and of all the men that are with him, there shall not be left so much as one. Do you see the contrast with Ahithophel's plan? Ahithophel's plan was just, let's just take David out. Let's spare the people. But Hushai appeals again to Absalom's vanity and to his cruelty, and he says, let's not just wipe out David. Let's wipe out everybody who's on David's side. And then finally, and another appeal to Absalom's vanity. Hushai spends a scenario of both the people's unrealistic loyalty to Absalom and their unrealistic disloyalty to David in verse 13. Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city and we will draw it into the river and there shall be not one small stone found there. And Absalom, is just apparently drinking in all this appeal to his vanity. Now, Absalom has two competing councils. He has the council of Ai Thophel, and he has the council of Husha the Archive, who's really working for David. And we know that one of the councils, again, the council given by Husha the Archite, is simply meant to confound Absalom and to frustrate the council of Ahithophel that he has given. Well, what will happen? Which one will Absalom choose? The issue is not really going to be whether or not Hushai has been adequately cunning, whether he's been wise enough, whether his rhetoric has been good enough. Because as we read on, we find out in verse 14, that indeed Absalom and all the men of Israel said, the council of Hushai the archite is better than the council of Ahithophel. When Absalom and those men made that choice, they essentially were signing their death warrants, though they didn't know it. And then to seal everything off, we have the second half of verse 14. Pay close attention to what the inspired writer of scripture says here. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom. The issue again was not how cunning Hushai was, or even how dull and what a lack of discerning that Absalom had. The real issue here was the invisible, guiding hand of the Lord who was directing and orchestrating all the circumstances in conformity to his own plans and purposes. The reason or the source for Absalom taking Hushai's counsel was not that David had constructed a good plan to send Hushai, not that Hushai was cunning and gave a counsel that frustrated Ahithophel's superior counsel, but the deciding factor was the Lord who secretly directs the lives of men. And that's something that sometimes even we who are believers can forget. We think I'm going through my life and I'm making my decisions or everything about my life is being affected by the decisions of others perhaps. And this little half verse here in verse 14 is just a reminder, friends, there is a sovereign God in this world. and He is directing the affairs of men, and He is bending everything toward His own glory and to the good of His people. Now, we might note also in verse 14 that God's decree doesn't work out in the end merely for the blessing and protecting of David, although that's certainly the focus of it. But it also has as its focus the bringing of evil upon Absalom. Look at the second half of verse 14. To the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom. God's decree of salvation for David means little if we do not also come to terms with his decree of reprobation upon Absalom. And so He's a sovereign God. He's sovereign over everything. The inspired author has given us here in the second half of verse 14 something that we so very rarely, dare I say ever, receive in this life. That is, we are given here a divine perspective on things. Wouldn't sometimes in your life, wouldn't you like to say, oh God, please just open the heavens up and let me see what is the right thing to do, or let me see why you have allowed this to happen. Let me see what the repercussions are gonna be in my life, or the lives of my children, or the lives of others. Let me see the end, let me see the divine perspective. We rarely, I would say probably never get to see that. in this life. But here, through this miracle of the Scriptures, we're given something that even David and Ahithophel and Hushai, they couldn't see. But the inspired writer of Scripture is telling us what God was doing during those times. We next hear of the aftermath of these dueling councils, and we hear how things began to play out. Hushai immediately leaves, we're told, and he goes to his fellow confederates, his other spies within the house of Absalom. He goes to, in verse 15, Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, And he shares with them what the counsel of Ahithophel had been and the counsel that he counseled. And then he tells them in verse 16, Now therefore send quickly and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over, lest the king be swallowed up and all the people that are with him. So he sends counsel through. Abiathar and Zadok tell David to flee as quickly as he can so that if he takes the council of Ahithophel, they're not swallowed up and crushed. And so the priests in turn pass the message on to their sons who will serve as the couriers. Look at verse 17. Now Jonathan and Ahimaz stayed by Enrogel, for they might not be seen to come into the city. And a wench or a maidservant went and told them, and they went and told King David. Now, that's sort of the overview of what happened, and then we hear that this, though, didn't come easily, because in verse 18 it says, a lad, a young boy, saw the men and reported it to Absalom. And so the priest's sons, Jonathan and Ahimaz, had to go down into the bottom of a well quickly, and to hide there in a well that was within a court, in verse 18. And then while they were there, in verse 19, it says, a woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and spread ground corn or grain thereon, and the thing was not known. When the lad tells Absalom's men about these messengers who are slipping out of the city to David's side, they come to this woman's house, but all they see is the covering over the well and the grain, and they don't know that the spies are hidden down at the bottom of the well. And when they asked the woman, where is Himaz and Jonathan, the woman said unto them, verse 20, that they have gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, it says, they returned to Jerusalem. So the spies were able again in the providence of God to escape from Absalom's men. And it says in verse 21, and it came to pass after they were departed, that they came out of the well and went and told King David, and said unto David, arise and pass quickly over the water, for thus hath Ahithophel counseled against you." We are reminded once again that it is the Lord who is the great conductor, who is leading and directing the symphony of peoples and circumstances and actions and choices. And now in verse 23, we have the reaction of Ahithophel. What is Ahithophel going to do when he finds out that Absalom is not going to accept what he knows is good counsel? Look at verse 23. And when Ahithophel saw, that his counsel was not followed. He saddled his donkey and arose, and got him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father." I called him earlier the Judas Iscariot of the Old Testament. And what did Judas do after he betrayed Jesus? He went and hung himself. And what does Ahithophel do after he betrays David and his plans are foiled? He goes back to his home and he hangs himself. Ahithophel knew that his goose was cooked and he despaired so much that he took his life. He could read the writing on the wall. They knew the end was not going to be pretty. So he goes home very carefully, very meticulously, in a very orderly way. He takes his own life. He was a man who was efficient in life and apparently efficient in death. And this becomes the beginning of the complete unraveling or undoing of Absalom's ill-conceived and short-lived rebellion against his father, David. When I read verse 23, I might initially think that I have some pity for Ahithophel. But when we look at it more closely, we think about it, we consider that Ahithophel was not just siding with Absalom. He was rebelling against David, against God's own anointed. And in doing so, he was rebelling against God himself. And as one commentator points out, in the death of Ahithophel, we are reminded that all those who oppose Christ, the Son of David, with the same vigor and skill that Ahithophel opposed David, that one day they also will face defeat. One commentator, Ralph Davis says of Ahithophel, his end is a sign of what will happen to all the enemies of Christ and His kingdom. You cannot attack the kingdom of God without sooner or later being crushed by the power of God. Sometimes we need to stop and remember who is going to fail. and who is going to triumph in this life. If ever we think because of the circumstances of the times or our lives, if we are prone to despair, perhaps we need to remember who is going to win in the end and who is going to fail. The final scene of chapter 17 has David coming to a city called Mahanaim. Look at verse 24. Then David came to Mahanaim, and Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. And they are now preparing for this climactic battle. Again, Absalom full-heartedly following the council of Hushai the Archite. Absalom, we are told in verse 25, made a man named Amasa the captain of the host instead of Joab. Although Amasa comes from Joab's household, he is going to appoint this man to be head over his army. And so it says in verse 26, so Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. Now we know how the story is going to end. We know that David is going to triumph. We know that Absalom is going to fail. But at this point, no one knew how things were going to work out. David might have despaired. He might have thought, I may be defeated by my own son. Absalom certainly thought he was going to triumph. At this point, certainly, David was in that valley of despair, that valley of the shadow of death. And then we're told right at this point, as David is lining up to fight against his own son, probably outnumbered, thinking it unlikely he's going to be able to win, on the run, he has support and refreshment that comes from an unlikely corner. Look at verse 27, And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi, the son of Nahash of Rabah, the children of Ammon, and Makir, the son of Amiel of Lodabar, and Barzilai, the Gilead of Rogelim, brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse, and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kind for David, and for the people that were with him to eat. Now what's unusual about this? It's unusual because three men from unexpected corners, from unexpected sources come to help David. The first one who's mentioned is Shelbi, who is described as an Ammonite. Who are the Ammonites? The Ammonites were the enemies of the Israelites. But in this time of need, Shelbi the Ammonite comes to bring these provisions to David and his people. The second man mentioned is a man named Machir. And this man was from the house of Saul. If you go back and read in 2 Samuel 9, he was the one who was keeping Mephibosheth in his house when David became the king. And so here is a man from the house of Saul who should have hated David because of David's undoing of Saul's kingdom, but instead he brings to David provisions. And the third man is this man known as Barzillai the Gileadite. He's later described in chapter 19.32 as a very aged man. And so the Lord marshals for David support from at least three unlikely sources, and they bring to him a huge store of provisions. Now, reading through that list, some of you may be thinking, hmm, lentils, parched pulse? But think about it. If you've been in the wilderness, you've been on the run, look at the other things that are on the list. Honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese from cows. These are people who are hungry, who are thirsty. And these provisions are brought to them on the eve of the battle, just when they needed them. Look at the description that is given to the people in verse 29. For they said, the people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness. Have you ever really been hungry and had something provided? Well, that was given to David from unlikely sources and unlikely corners while he was in a point of despair on the eve of battle against his own son. Well, we've worked through the passage. And as we look back on it, I want us to consider some of the spiritual wisdom and nourishment that this chapter might hold for us. And I know as we've been going through this series, we've said before, you know, if we only read this book and we only read through 2 Samuel, and the only thing we get from it is a history lesson, you might be really interested in history. You might gain something from knowing something about the history of Israel. But if that's all we get, we have really missed the point. of 2 Samuel, because this is not here just to tell us about the history of Israel. This is part of the inspired Word of God, and it has been provided to God's people in order to feed us and encourage us in our spiritual lives. In Romans 15 4, Paul wrote, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Second Samuel 17 is written so that through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, we might have hope. In this series, looking at the life of David, we've sometimes seen David as a negative example, haven't we? We've seen David doing things that we want to avoid, whether it's entering into an illicit relationship with Bathsheba, whether it's plotting the murder of Uriah the Hittite, whether it's being a passive father, an indulgent father to his sons. We've seen things there where we've said, you know, I don't want to be like that. David is showing me what I don't want to be like. But on the other hand, sometimes we have seen in David's experience a positive example, like when he brought the ark up into Jerusalem. And he worshiped the Lord and he was so happy and so glad to have the presence of the Lord and to be in the presence of the Lord. And then sometimes we just have in David's life a model that we can relate to because all of us as believers, we're like David. We're saved and yet sometimes we're still struggling with sin. We know that which is right to do, that which would honor God, but then sometimes we fall short even of our aspirations to please and to serve the Lord. And yet somehow walking through that experience, somehow we feel like He's still with us. He's not forsaken us. He's alongside of us, and sometimes He's gently correcting us. Sometimes He's cheering us on, encouraging us when we're going in the right directions. And so sometimes when we look at David's story, we find encouragement and hope for us as we make our own pilgrimage. In this passage, we have continued to see how the Lord allowed David to suffer the consequences of his sin. But we also see how the Lord continued to make provisions for David in His providential care for him. Because you see, the Lord does not have as His purpose to crush the saints. He doesn't have as His purpose to crush you in guilt. Every one of us here, we could stand up here and we could tell stories of things that we did before we were converted. And that we could talk about things that we're ashamed of now, ways we acted. And some of us, truth be told, we can tell stories of things we've done after we became converted. Can we not? And ways in which we feel that we have failed the Lord, and we haven't lived as we should, and done the things that we should. And we walk around with guilt about this, remorse about this. But the Lord's purpose in giving that to us is not to crush us. is to care for us, to spur us on toward that which is better and more godly. And we see that at work here in the description of David. Because David, at this point of despair, the Lord is still communicating to him comfort and encouragement. I like the Puritans, the old Reformed men of generations past. And one of their favorite verses A kind of obscure verse you don't hear really memorized or recited very much, but one of their favorite verses was Matthew 12, 20. And it reads like this, it's Jesus speaking. He says, it says of the Lord, a bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench. And the Puritans loved that passage. One of them named Richard Sibbes wrote a whole book just on that verse. They were prone to do things like that, wrote a whole book on just one verse. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoking flax he shall not quench. And what they got out of that was the Lord will not break a bruised reed. And if you're a bruised reed, If you've had things happen to you that have bruised you, and your conscience is wounded, oh, the Lord's purpose is not to break a bruised reed. And if you feel like your faith is just a smoking flax, it's barely something that's burning, maybe one time it burned brightly, but it's gone down, and there's not even a fire there, there's just some smoke coming out. You see, the Lord's purpose is not to quench the smoking flax, but to revive it and to kindle it. And you see, the Lord was not crushing David, but the Lord was providing for David, even in these desperate circumstances. I want to look at, just briefly in application, at two verses. two verses that speak to this. The first one, as you might imagine, is the second half of verse 14, we already spent some time on. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom. This verse reminds us that there is comfort to be found in the sovereignty of God. Again, note that this is not a passage where someone is saying this to David, or someone is saying this about David. It's just the inspired writer of Scripture simply addressing those of us who are reading this book as Scripture. He is reminding us that behind the scenes, there is always the invisible hand of God who is guiding and shaping all circumstances. The New Testament equivalent to 2 Samuel 17, 14 would be Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. I don't know your circumstances. You may not now be in the valley of shadow of death. You may be riding on the high hills. But at some point in your life, you're gonna go through the valley of the shadow of death and the valley of despair. And when you do, if it's any comfort to you, know that there is a sovereign God. There is an invisible hand and he is shaping all things for his own glory and for the good of his people. There is a sovereign God. Saints find comfort in that. The second verse I want to call our attention to finally is that second half of verse 29. For they said, the people is hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness. The Lord knew the condition of David and his people. Sometimes when you're in a difficult spot, you may begin to ask yourself in despair, does the Lord even know what's happening to me? Does the Lord even care what's happening to me? Does my life even appear as a blip on His radar screen? If He knows, why isn't He doing something? Why isn't He helping me in some way? But see, this verse reminds us that the Lord knew David's condition and he knew the condition of his people. And he acted in such a way as to supply them their need. Go back and read through that list of all the things that he brought them from unexpected sources, from Ammonites and from the house of Saul and from an agent man from unlikely sources. He brought all this rich provision. to them. Let me ask you this, what father or mother in this room today would see their child hungry and weary and thirsty and not provide for that child food and rest and drink? Then friends, ask yourself this, how much more will our loving Heavenly Father provide for His children when they are in need? When they are hungry and tired and weary and thirsty, will he not hear their cries and provide for them? Charles Spurgeon, in his book, Lectures to My Students, tells the story about a godly minister, probably one of the Scottish, what are called the Scottish Covenanters, Scottish ministers who were persecuted for their faith. And he tells of one of these men who was being chased by a group of soldiers who wanted to arrest him. And he was in the countryside, and he ran into a farm, into a barn where there was a hayloft. and he hit himself in the hay. And while he was lying there in the hay, let me pick up the way Spurgeon says it. He says, the soldiers went into the place, picking and thrusting with their swords and bayonets. And the good man even felt the cold steel touch the sole of his foot. And the scratch which was made remained for years. Yet his enemies did not discover him. Afterwards, Spurgeon says, a hen came and laid an egg every day, hard by the place where the man was hidden. And so he was sustained as well as preserved until it was safe for him to leave his hiding place. He's lying in the hay, trying not to be found. And the Lord sends a chicken who lays an egg right by him every day. And he didn't give him a steak dinner every day. He didn't give him lobster every day. But he did send that hen to lay him an egg every day. And so every day he had one egg to eat. And he made it through and made it to safety. Some of you in this room may be able to look back on your experience of Christ and see how the Lord has been able to provide for you in the wilderness. Some of you may even have the scratch on the heel to remind you of the time when you've been jabbed at. Or you may have the memory of the daily egg or some other way that God provided. Consider what the author of Hebrews said in Hebrews 13, five and six. He said, let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, the author of Hebrews says, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. See, that's what David was learning. And that's what we all have to learn. You know, the Lord provides for His people in the wilderness. And do you know what His greatest provision for us has been? Do you know what He did for us when we were in the wilderness of sin? He gave us the best provision of all. Even the Lord Jesus Christ who came and died on a cross for sinners. and said, whoever would repent of his sin and believe on me, he will have life in me. That's the greatest provision that he has ever given us. Has he given you that provision? If he gives you that, you will want and lack nothing else. Amen? Amen. Let me invite you to stand together. Let's pray. Lord, we're thankful for the reminder today that whatever happens in this life, whatever the decisions that are made by great statesmen and leaders and whatever the many things that happen in our own lives, that you are there, you are the invisible presence, you are guiding the course of history, you're guiding the course of our own lives and gracious God, you are providing for your people and you are preserving us, you're picking us up when we fall and you are feeding us when we are hungry and giving us to rest when we are weary and Father, I pray that we would just learn from the life of David today And we will be able to take these truths and apply them into our own lives and know the comfort of the gospel and to have confidence in Christ, who is Lord of all. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.