As we continue our examination of 2 Samuel, we have now turned to the 18th chapter. We'll read the first 18 verses of this portion of God's Word. 2 Samuel 18, verses 1 through 18. Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds. David sent out the army, one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, one-third under the command of Ittai, the Hittite. And the king said to the men, I myself also will go with you. But the men said, you shall not go out, for if we flee, they won't care about us. If half of us die, they won't care about us. but you are worth 10,000 of us. Therefore, it's better that you send us help from the city.' And the king said to them, whatever seems best to you, I will do. So the king stood at the side of the gate while the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. And so the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David. And the loss there was great on that day, 20,000 men. And the battle spread over the face of all the country. And the forest devoured more people that day than did the sword. Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule. And the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak. And he was suspended between heaven and earth while the mule was under him, went on. And a certain man saw it and told Joab, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. And Joab said to the man who told him, What, you saw him? Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt. But the man said to Joab, even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king's son. For in our hearing, the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, for my sake, protect the young man Absalom. On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life and there's nothing hidden from the king, then you yourself would have stood aloof. Joab said, I will not waste time like this with you. He took three javelins in his hand. He thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. Ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom, struck him, killed him. And then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. And they took Absalom, they threw him into a great pit in the forest, and they raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, every one, to his own house. Now Absalom, in his lifetime, had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the king's valley. For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar after his own name. And it is called Absalom Monument to this day. Father, we have a few minutes to consider your holy word. And we would desire your Holy Spirit to be our great teacher so that we will be those who recognize that like David, we have a great victory from our Lord. and help us then to live in keeping with that victory. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. You may recall that in addition to 2 Samuel, we've had occasion recently to consider two Psalms that David wrote while he was in exile from Absalom, Psalms 3 and Psalm 63. Well, that exile is about to end in the text before us, but I thought we would do well to be reminded this morning that even while David was in exile, he was confident of the Lord's victory. He was confident of Absalom's defeat. And so we read in the last two verses of Psalm 3, Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek. You break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Your blessing be on your people. And also in Psalm 63, David's confidence that God will deliver him. My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me. Those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth. They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be a portion for the jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God, and all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. And so David had great confidence, great faith, great trust that his victory would come from the Lord and Absalom's defeat would come from the Lord. But I would also remind you that although David was a king, he often fulfilled a prophetic role. in the Old Testament, especially in relation to the Messiah, but particularly sometimes with things that would happen later in his life. And I do believe these are words of prophecy as well as words of trust in David's case. And so we do see clearly before us that David's victory comes from the Lord and Absalom's defeat comes from the Lord as well. And as we begin then our consideration of 2 Samuel 18, we recognize that David really is in charge. He's clearly in command. He is the king serving as captain of God's army. Verse 1 tells us it was David who mustered the men, not Joab, not the other generals. It was Joab's job as leader, as commander, to muster the men. And verse 2 enforces that. David is the one who sent out the army. And as David had done throughout his life, especially as king, he recognizes that he's serving as God's mighty warrior. And as God's mighty warrior, he shows great wisdom and he does have before us a very wise battle plan as one who's blessed by God to have that wisdom. And so what is his wise battle plan? Well, he divides his troops into thirds. We don't know exactly, again, the number of David's men, or the number of Absalom's men. We know Absalom's men far outnumber them. But David, in his wisdom, divides the men up into three groups. And God has graciously blessed David to have three very strong generals. We've known Joab all along. We've seen his brother Abishai, those two nephews of David. who've been leading many battles on David's behalf. But we're also reminded of Ittai the Gittite. And in case you have forgotten, let me ask you to turn back a couple of chapters. In chapter 15, we find out that Ittai was a Philistine. He had come and he had joined David. And he had 600 men with him. But David sees what's about to happen to him, to have to leave Jerusalem. David says, you don't have to be faithful to me. Verse 21 of chapter 15 gives Ittai's response, as the Lord lives, and as my Lord the King lives, wherever my Lord the King shall be, whether for life or for death, there also will your servant be. And David said to Ittai, go then, pass on. So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all of his men and all the little ones who were with him. And so now David has the blessing of having a third general, an experienced Philistine Well, David's wise battle plan also includes a wise choice of location. Verse 6 reminds us that the army went out into the field against Israel, that is Absalom's men, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. That forest has been described as a very rocky area with lots of thickets and pits and marshes and mountainous range nearby, so it's a treacherous area. So David fights in the open field and very likely as well also fights in what we would sometimes call guerrilla warfare in the forest or in the jungle. So it's a wise battle plan. But David also shows wisdom in his willingness to accept the good counsel of the other. others around him. And David did get wise advice from his men. So David has a wise battle plan, but he also has wise advice from his own men. In his nobleness, at the end of verse 2, he says, I myself am ready to go out and fight with you. But his men in wisdom said, you shall not go out. If we flee, they won't care about us. Half of us die, they won't care. But you're worth 10,000 of us. Therefore, it's better that you send us help from the city." They want you dead, David. They really don't care about us. And so you stay put in the city. There's reinforcements with you. Apparently that's the reference to, it's better to send us help from the city. But we were reminded Ahithophel, even though his advice was not heeded by Absalom, Ahithophel said, we don't need a large army. We just need to find you and we will kill you. We seek the life of only one man. and if we get you, David, all the people will be at peace." So David wisely listens to his wise counselors at this point, and it is very appropriate for us to be reminded that good leaders do accept good counsel. No one should claim to know it all, especially we as God's people. We should be ready to seek out and follow godly wisdom from the rest of the Lord's people, who have the same Holy Spirit dwelling in them as we do. Proverbs 11, 14 reminds us, in abundance of counselors, there is safety. And so David agrees to the plan, but he's still in charge. He sends off, verse 4 tells us, he's the one sending out the troops as he stands by the city gate. So, the ultimate commander and leader is David. But I also want us to consider in a little more detail one phrase that we briefly passed over in verse 3, and that is this, ten thousand of us. And we've already said that that's what David's enemies think. They've already emphasized that Absalom is wanting David dead. Even if half of David's army is defeated, his task will not be done, his mission will not be completed. Absalom cannot take over the throne unless David is removed from that throne and so that's why we can say you are worth 10,000 of us to David's foes. Enemies won't be happy until they have victory with David and David not just defeated but removed from the earth so that he cannot re-ascend to the throne as well. So we can understand you are worth 10,000 of us to the foes, but I would submit to you that there's a sense in which David's men were also saying you are worth 10,000 of us from our own perspective. Foes and friends alike have that high opinion of David. David's men are loyal, faithful to him. Remember, they're far outnumbered, but they're ready to protect David and not allow him to go into battle. They see him for the godly king that he was, this man after God's own heart. is worth 10,000 of them. And perhaps 10,000 equals a whole garrison, we don't know for sure. But what they are saying is, David, you're so valuable, we're willing to die for you on the battlefield, as long as you remain safely in the city. Now, for us, 10,000 probably does not seem as large or as significant as it did to the ancient Hebrew mind. When the Hebrew, and for that matter in the time of our Lord as well, wanted to express themselves in an incountable number, they mentioned thousands. You just didn't get any higher than thousands. You're not going to find the word million or billion or trillion in the Bible. It's just not there. So for us, perhaps, we should think of it this way as someone who is one in a million. In fact, my wife at one point bought me a mug that says, you're worth a million. I pulled it out just to make sure. that we still had it the other day as I was contemplating this. And so that's probably a better way for us to see this. So if I could paraphrase things a little bit here, let me say this. David was so hated by Absalom that his death was worth the death of millions of others. And David was so loved by his men, his life was worth more than millions of others. David's victory is indeed the result of great wisdom, great loyalty on his part, on his men's part. But I also want to stress this morning, it was a victory in spite of David's continued willingness to not deal with his rebellious son in a godly manner. Both as a father and as a king, we see once more in our text David's unwise toleration of Absalom's sin. This man showing great wisdom in the battle plan, great wisdom in listening to others, shows great folly in the way that he treats his rebellious son. But this is the same David who did nothing to his son Amnon when he raped his daughter Tamar. This is the same David who didn't pursue Absalom after he had murdered Amnon. This is the same David who then allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem. And it's the same David who turned a blind eye as Absalom rallied the nation around him and against his father. And so now the same David will not permit his generals who are risking their lives for him to raise a hand against really the man who is their enemy. the man who's David's enemy, and most importantly, the man who stands as God's enemy. It was David's job at this point as king to bring justice upon those who rebelled against him as the Lord's anointed and against Jehovah himself. But David's still not willing to put Absalom to death. the death that he so greatly deserves. And what's sad is he doesn't just tell Joab and Abishai and Ittai on the side in a secret meeting of a war council not to put him to death. But we read that he said it in front of everybody else, so all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. And exactly what he says is, deal gently for my sake. with the young man. King James for young man has lad at this point. There is an affectionate term in some sense here. Perhaps we would say even things like my dear boy, treat my dear boy kindly, but notice why. David says, for my sake. He's not able to see the need for the Lord's sake, for the sake of the future of righteousness in Israel, and for the sake of the men who are supporting him to put Absalom to death. And, you know, from a human standpoint, we can perhaps understand this. This is a dad with great affection for his oldest living son. He's even used that term of endearment. But we must always remember that We are never allowed to put our human relationships before the Lord. And that's why we read Matthew 10, 37 this morning. Jesus said, whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And so, sadly, we see David not ready to do what he should be doing as king, as father. And I do believe this is why God providentially keeps David off the battlefield, so that Absalom will face the righteous ending of his own life as punishment to his sins. And yes, God providentially gives David a blessed victory, a complete victory, a total victory. in his army. We see those details for us in the text. Verse 7, the men of Israel were defeated there, that is the open field, by the servants of David. And the loss that day was great. They lost 20,000 men in one battle. And if that weren't enough, as they go into the forest, we are told The forest devoured more people that day than the sword. 20,000 on the battlefield, more than 20,000 when they go in the forest. But what does that mean? The forest devoured more people. Literally, we could translate it, the forest multiplied to eat up the people. That's kind of an odd way of rendering things. So some think that all this is really saying is that they were in that treacherous condition with precipices around and those pits and those morasses and everything, and they just died in the midst of the retreating. Others think that the battle spread in this verse indicates, and this is what I'm inclined to think, that David's men then proceeded to use to their advantage the forest, and in guerrilla warfare were able to kill more men. Others believe that somehow God miraculously, as he can do, killed more than 20,000 in the forest without the intervention of David's army. Well, whatever way it took place, over 40,000 people died on that day. That's a clear victory from the Lord. And the thoroughness of victory is also seen, of course, Joab blows the trumpet in verse 16 saying the battle's over, come back from pursuing, it's done. And then they took Absalom and they threw him into a pit and they raised stones over him. And then all of the army of Israel fled, everyone to his own tent, to his own home. And so, David is absolutely right when he wrote in Psalm 38, salvation belongs to the Lord, your blessing be on your people. David was blessed. with the complete victory on that day. And so, Psalm 6311, David's complete victory at the hands of the Lord in contrast to Absalom's complete defeat that takes place from the Lord. And Absalom, of course, is one who rebelled against God. He was a cursed man, specifically a cursed lawbreaker of God, against God. And we could rehearse and look up his sins again and the punishments proclaimed for them, but let me just remind you, Absalom murdered his brother, He plotted against the Lord's anointed king, who happened to be his father. He was completely arrogant and deceitful in the city gates on an ongoing basis before the people of Israel, getting them to side with him and against his father. He had incestuous relationships with his father's concubines. And all of these are wicked sins. Like I said, we've considered them in the past. And we've considered this in the past, too. But I want to just remind us of one. this morning, and that is this. Let's focus on Absalom's rebellious, law-breaking relationship to his father. He really was one who deserved death. And if you'd like to turn with me to Deuteronomy 21, we'll remind ourselves of what God said should happen to those who were rebellious sons like Absalom. Deuteronomy 21, verse 18. If a man has a stubborn and a rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, though they discipline him, he will not listen to them. And even though David did not discipline obviously Absalom as he should, that doesn't absolve Absalom of the sin that he's committed. Then his father and mother shall take hold of him, bring him out to the elders of the city at the gate, a place where he lives. They shall say to the elders of the city, this our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He's a glutton. He's a drunkard. And then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stone. And so you shall purge the evil from your midst. All Israel shall hear and shall fear." So Absalom, very clearly, a cursed law breaker. And as our text continues in 2 Samuel 18, We're told that Absalom arrives in battle riding on a mule. That's not how kings are supposed to go out or warriors are supposed to go out. They're supposed to go out in war horses. Absalom is presuming here is that he is already victorious. I know this is so weird for us because we don't think of a mule as some sort of noble animal that we want to ride in victory, but that was the custom. So much so that when Samuel is anointed as king in 1 Kings 1.38, David and his men make sure that Solomon is seen on a donkey. And of course, we can think of our Savior in the triumphal entry. coming in on a mule as well. And so what Absalom is saying here is this, I'm the king. I already won this victory. I'm counting on my large army that's been assembled. I followed Hushai's advice and I've gotten as many soldiers as the sand and the seashore from Dan to Beersheba, as 2 Samuel 17 11 said. And so I am guaranteed this victory. But let me remind all of us that God had other plans for Absalom. And it really didn't matter what Absalom thought. Absalom's sources of pride are actually turned into his sources of ruin, aren't they? His sources of pride ultimately bring about his defeat. How many times in the Old Testament have we seen armies go out confidently against God's people, expecting a victory because of greater numbers? But let me remind you, God is the Almighty God who can destroy any number of armies. And that's what happened. We've already read about it. Over 40,000 die in one day. But that mule was supposed to be a vehicle of victory for this would-be King Absalom. But it's used by God instead to defeat him. There are many large oak trees, terebinth oak trees in the forest. Some will grow as high as 25 feet and they could cover a wide area. And so Jehovah directs the mule to one with a low-lying ranch. The mule keeps going. Absalom's other source of pride, and we all know what that is, his hair. It brings about his downfall. Remember in 2 Samuel 14, 25 and 26, we read these words. In Israel, there was no one so much to be praised for his appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, there was no blemish in him. When he cut the hair of his head, for at the end of every year he used to cut it, when it was heavy on him, he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head 200 shekels by the kings. Wait. Well, Proverbs 16, 18, the famous words of Absalom's brother Solomon, pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. And so we have an apt description for all those who rebel against God as Absalom was suspended between heaven and earth. He really is on the brink of destruction. He's hanging, if you will, by a thread of hair. This cursed lawbreaker is about to face destruction and the fall that every haughty spirit deserves. And so Absalom, we see then a cursed lawbreaker whose sources of pride turn into his source of ruin, faces a cursed death. Verse 10 tells us that he's hanging on the tree. In Deuteronomy 21, we read earlier about the rebellious son in Deuteronomy. If we continue to read, we then read about those who are condemned to die and who wind up hanging on a tree. Hear these words again from Moses. Deuteronomy 21, verse 22, If a man has committed a crime punishable by death, He's put to death, and you hang him on a tree. His body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him on that day. For a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance." And so Absalom's death, very clearly an indication that God has brought His curse upon him. And if he just hanged there and was suspended in air for a long time and then just died that way, that would have been curse enough. But it gets worse for Absalom. A certain man, one of David's army, told Joab that he saw him hanging on the oak tree. And Joab, of course, says, well, why didn't you kill him? I would have given you silver. And this seemed weird, right? He'd give you a belt? Why would I want a belt? Well, the belt often was an ornamental belt that soldiers also carried into battle. And they used it with a pouch to put the money in. So that's what that belt was all about. So Joab's willing to give. would have given this man lots of money, he said, if you had finished off the job. And the man says, I heard what David said. David said, keep my son alive. And I also know you, Joab. If I had killed the man and I had faced David, you would not have defended me. You would have stood aloof. And it's fascinating to me. Joab doesn't argue with that. Joab admits that that's probably what he would have done. Joab is a ruthless man. But God's going to use even this ruthless Joab to finish off the curse that Absalom deserves. And so in verse 14, he takes three javelins. I know some of you have spears, possibly darts, pointed wooden staffs. I think of a kind of a stretch, but it's somewhat of an obscure word. But whatever it is that Joab does, it doesn't kill him off. And so his armor bearers, the ten, surround Absalom and finish the job. Well, obviously this execution is a clear indication of how cursed Absalom really was. This is the heinous death. of a heinous sinner. And God so thoroughly despised Absalom for all that he had done. The curse continues even after his death. He faces now a cursed burial as well. There's no funeral for Absalom. There's no marked grave. There's no weeping or mourning. Verse 17 tells us they just took Absalom, found one of those great pits in the forest, threw him in there, put stones on top of See, the rebellious son wound up getting stoned after all, after a fashion. But I want us to turn to Joshua, because the way Absalom is buried, I think, carries significance based on the rest of what Scripture says. Joshua is being buried like wicked covenant breakers, like wicked pagans are buried. And so, turn to Joshua 7, where we have Achan. Remember, Achan led those who would steal things from Jericho, even though God had told them to destroy it all, and as a result of that, God's people are defeated at Ai. They determined that it was Achan who had committed this sin. And so Joshua in verse 25 of Joshua 7 says, Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today. And now all Israel stoned him with stones. They buried him with fire. They stoned him with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. The Lord churned them from his burning anger. So there it is, death by stoning and then a burial in just a pit with stones around you. And so Ai is defeated and then Joshua takes the king of Ai in Acts 8.29 and notice how he is killed and buried. He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. And at sunset, Joshua commanded, they took his body down from the tree, they threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and they raised over it great heaps of stones, which stands there to this day." And if we haven't caught the message by now, one more example. After Joshua defeats the five kings of Canaan, in Joshua 10, verses 26 and 27, we see how they are killed and buried. He struck them, he put them to death, he hanged them on five trees, they hung on the trees till evening. But at the time of the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded that they took them down from the trees, they threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and they set large stones against the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day. Absalom's death, very clearly a cursed death of hanging. Absalom's burial, very clearly a cursed burial, one that's given to those who break covenant with God, like Achan did, like troubled pagans around them in death and in burial. But there's even one more sign. of God's defeat of Absalom. It's bad enough that he was a cursed lawbreaker, that his sources of pride turned into his sources of ruin, and it's bad enough that his death and his burial are cursed, but he has a cursed legacy as well. Notice verse 18, Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King's Valley. He said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance, and he called the pillar after his own name and it's called Absalom's Monument to this day. This legacy of Absalom's was basically a self-made pillar or a monument in the King's Valley in Judah outside of Jerusalem. That's how people would remember him. He used the fact that he doesn't have any sons. Remember that was the great joy of Jewish dads, men, was to have sons has a great heritage, wants to carry on your name, your legacy, your remembrance, but that's not true for Absalom. Liberals, scholars, have a field day with this. They say, you want proof of an error in scripture? You want to see where things don't fit? Well, turn back to Acts 14, or Acts, Joshua 14, verse 27. In Acts, I guess I'm promoting our Acts Bible study tonight. In 2 Samuel 14, verse 27, there were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter who was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. See, liberals say, aha. In 2 Samuel 14, Absalom's got three sons. When Absalom dies, he's ruined the fact that he doesn't have any sons. Obviously a clear contradiction in God's word. Not so fast. Notice, these guys don't even have names in verse 33, these sons. And sons get named and their names are recorded. Now again, we have to expostulate a little bit, but it seems pretty obvious then that at his death, Absalom's three sons have died already. And the fact that their names aren't even mentioned is an indication that perhaps they died early on in life, perhaps even in infancy. See, Absalom is so wicked before God, even his sons are not permitted to live. His name, his legacy, is cursed as well. And let me quickly say, it's not always a direct corollary, of course, for death of children with wickedness of fathers. It's not a universal principle, but it certainly seems to fit in this case, does it not? And isn't this an amazing contrast? While David's alive, while David's in battle, his men say, you're worth 10,000 of us. Absalom doesn't even have anybody except for David weeping over his death. Absalom has to make his own pillar as a legacy for himself. And of course, that pillar has long since been destroyed. And that's bad enough. But even to this day, Jewish parents want their children to know what happens to rebellious sons and daughters. So they look for the spot where they think he, Absalom, was alleged to be buried. And they throw stones at that tomb area to say, this is what should have happened to Absalom. And then they recite this phrase to their children. Cursed be the remembrance of rebellious Absalom. and cursed forever be all children that rise up in rebellion against their parents. You can't get much more of a complete defeat than Absalom faced because of his wickedness. So once more, be reminded that Psalm 3 came true. You will strike all my enemies on the cheek You will break the teeth of the wicked. And so too, Psalm 63, those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth. They shall be given over to the power of sword. They shall be a portion for jackals. Well, David's victory over Absalom is a reminder to us, of course, this side of Calvary of our victory in Jesus. As we consider that victory, we would do well to remind ourselves that, like Absalom, we in our sinful natures are lawbreakers against our Holy God. See, as sinners, we deserve, do we not, the curses that came upon Absalom. You might say, well, I've not committed incest, I've not been in complete rebellion against my parents, I've not plotted the overthrow of God's leaders. But let me remind you of the words of Romans 4.15, the law brings wrath. Where there is no law, there is no transgression. But God has given us his law, and we now stand, all of us, as sinners before a holy God. Our catechism reminds us that no mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but does daily break them in thought. And we're also reminded that every sin deserves God's wrath and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. And that's what Paul the Apostle said in Galatians 3 verse 10, written in the Book of the Law, and do them. See, apart from Christ, all men are doomed, like Absalom. Cursed lawbreakers who hang on the edge of destruction, facing God's wrath and curse. suspended by a thread, if you will, between heaven and earth, awaiting a priceless eternity in hell. And if that is you this morning, I heed, I exhort you to pay close attention to what we say next, because the gospel brings you freedom from that curse. Thanks be to God that his curse has been lifted for those who turn away from their sin. and in faith trust in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. See, we read Paul's words in Galatians 3, but he doesn't end by saying all men are forever cursed because they have broken God's law. The Apostle Paul reminds us also that Jesus became a curse on the cross for us. And we began our worship time by reading Galatians 3, 13 and 14 as our assurance of pardon. But I want us to be reminded of those words yet again, because we are reminded that even though we are cursed lawbreakers, we deserve God's wrath. that our Jesus became a curse on the cross for us. And so, Paul says in Galatians 3.13, Christ redeemed us, that is, He brought us back from the curse of the law. He brought us back from sin. He brought us back from death. Well, how did it happen? It happened because He became a curse for us. As it is written, curse is everyone who hangs on a tree. Yes, that's the same verse that's invoked that we read earlier about Absalom's death in Deuteronomy. 21 to 23. We no longer face God's wrath and curse as Absalom did in his cursed death, burial, legacy. Ours isn't a cursed legacy. Look what our legacy is as opposed to Absalom. Verse 14 tells us what our legacy is. In Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles. So we receive the promised spirit through faith. We now are part of God's covenant people. Abraham is our father. the father of all of God's people. We've been blessed to be given the Holy Spirit, and we've been blessed to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the King who's given us our victory. And since all that is true, since Jesus has removed our curse by becoming a curse for us, we think back now on those words of David's loyal, faithful soldiers. They were ready to die for their king. And they said, you are worth 10,000 of us. We must proclaim this morning ever more loudly. Jesus is not merely worth 10,000 of us. Jesus is worth more than 10,000 of us. Jesus is not just one in a million. He's one of a kind. He stands alone. No one ever born is worthy of the praise and devotion that we ought to be giving to our King Jesus. That's why we read Psalm 45 this morning. It was labeled a love song and it is a love song. And as I said before we read it, the people of Israel may have had a particular monarch, David, Solomon, Hezekiah in mind, I don't know. But I do know, ultimately, these words ring true for us who are God's people about our Savior. At least they ought to, when we recognize the one who became a curse for us removed our curse. And so we ought to say, my heart overflows with a pleasing theme. I address my verses to the King. My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. You, Jesus, are the most handsome of sons of men. Grace is poured upon your lips. God has blessed you forever. So, King Jesus, gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty, and your majesty, write out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness. Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds. Your arrows are sharp. In the heart of the king's enemies, people fall under you. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of righteousness. That's our testimony this morning about our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who loved our souls so much that he was a curse for us. We won't read the rest of the psalm. I would encourage you to consider those great truths in it this afternoon as we contemplate our great Savior together. And it's not often I get to quote Song of Solomon in worship, so I'm going to do that this morning. Song of Solomon 5.10 says this, the woman looks at her beloved and says, my beloved is radiant and moody. He's distinguished among, here's our phrase, 10,000. Remember the Hebrew mind, that's as good as it gets. He's the most outstanding of all. And that's more true for our beloved, isn't it? There's an old hymn writer, and most of you probably never heard this hymn, but some of you may remember it. He starts his hymn with, I have found a friend in Jesus. He's everything to me. And I'm sure he had Song of Solomon 510 in mind with the chorus. He's the fairest of 10,000 to my soul. Well, since he's worthy of our praise as our victorious king, who's removed God's curse from us, then we, like David's men, must be ready to live and to die for our King. Those are His wise battle instructions. Just as David had a wise battle plan, Jesus gives us His wise battle plan. Again, words that we've already read this morning, but let me remind you of them in Matthew 10. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. No family member comes first. That's what David had to learn in regards to Absalom. And so we recognize Jesus is fairer than any other individual we have ever met. Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Jesus took up his cross for us, and so we're reminded that our curse has been removed, and now we must both live and die for him. Whoever finds his life will lose it. That was Absalom. Absalom thought he was the greatest. Absalom thought his pride and his arrogancy would be victorious, but he lost his life. He has that curse upon him throughout eternity. Whoever loses his life for my sake will gain it. Eternal life is for you as you follow your great victorious King. And so I exhort all of us this morning, this week, to continue to live your life for the one who died for you. This week, rejoice in the love of the one who is even more so than David, greater than 10,000 of us. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for our beautiful Savior. We fall at your feet, Jesus, and acknowledge that you are the one who is greater than any who ever lived. You are the one who alone could remove the curse for us. Thank you for doing so. Father, if there are those who are apart from Jesus hearing these words this morning, we pray that they would see that they do stand, even as Absalom did, on the brink of destruction. and they do stand condemned before you apart from Jesus, would you please be merciful to them and grant them forgiveness, grant them repentance and faith. And for those of us who do love Jesus, we pray that our love for Him would grow more and more each day, that we would be more devoted to our Savior, and that we would demonstrate by how we live that Jesus is indeed greater than 10,000 of us. And we pray in Jesus' name.