If you have your Bibles, I ask you to turn back, I hope you're not getting tired of this, but back to 2 Samuel chapter 16. And I know at times it may seem redundant because we can only get so far in a week or in a lesson and we go back and we've been kind of stuck in this situation where David's at, but let's begin reading in verse 9 of 2 Samuel chapter 16 which reads, Then said Abishai the son of Zuriah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. Let's pray. Father, we pray tonight that you'd help us as we study your word, that you would grant us grace to see truth, that God, we can better serve you in Christ's name. Amen. So here we see, we know the context. David is leaving. He's going into this city. Shimei comes out and is cursing David, throwing rocks at David. And here we see the first response to this cursing which Shimei had given to David. David didn't say a word. Here Abishai says to his uncle and to his beloved king, he says, why should this dead dog be allowed to curse my lord and the king and not be, really what he's saying is why is this dude being allowed to curse and not be punished for it? I'd have to say that in one sense, as we look at this, Abishai is somewhat right here, right, in that he displayed a righteous indignation towards the way that Shimei was treating the king of the nation of Israel. I don't know about you, but I don't like to hear people take our Lord's name in vain. It angers me to some extent. As I said last week, many of men, in regards to what we see here in our text, have lost their heads for a lot less than this. And here we see that Abishab was begging David. He said, I beg you, I pray thee. He was begging David for permission to go and to cut Shimei's head off. And I don't think he would have had any problem doing that. We must understand As all this has taken place, not only was Abishai David's nephew, but he was also one of David's most trusted generals, very close to his uncle. And evidently, this did not sit well with him sitting there listening to this man curse David the way that he was cursing David and having him throw rocks at David. And y'all remember what we said last week. that the throwing of the rocks resembled what? Or was a type of what Shimei was saying here is that David deserved to die. He deserved to be stoned to death for what he had done. And we said, if y'all remember, we said partly he was right. We were discussing that a while ago. His brother Billy had a question about Psalm 51. David did deserve to die for what he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah. But God saw fit because God had made covenant to spare David. You know, as we study these things and as we look at what's taking place here in the context and in this narrative, we must understand how humiliating all this is to David at this time in his life. Here he is. He's just been run out. Here, all this is taking place. First, we see what? That his own son has led a full out revolt against him and he did it unprovoked. Now how humiliating would that be to a father? Secondly, we hear, or he hears word that his long time companion, Ahipothel, Right? A counselor of his had turned on him, had joined in this rebellion that Absalom was leading against him. Now we must also remember that David, and we'll come to look at this a little bit further as we get into Epithel, when we get further into this narrative, but we got to remember that these two men regularly did what? They worshipped together. on a regular basis and to hear that news, how devastating that must have been for David to find out about this betrayal and how this betrayal must have hit David really hard. And all this is compiling on him as he's leaving, as he's being forced to leave out. Sometimes I think we read these things and we don't try and relate, but how many of us would want our son to revolt against us? To be forced from our homes? to be led out of the city and leave. Now I understand David being the king, I mean he's like on the pinnacle of the mountain and all this, but then to have this news come that your best friend has just sold you out. All this compiling. Hopefully we see that it would seem that everything was coming apart at the seams for David. Surely David thought this is all unraveling on me. My sins are finally catching up with me. Then he receives word from Ziba, remember? Ziba comes to him and tells him that Mephibosheth has turned his back on him as well. A man that David went out of his way to be good to. Even though we know this was a lie, David didn't know that at this time. So here we see that all these things are compounding together to work against David. And I would imagine as they traveled throughout this barren land as they're going down through this valley that David thought to himself, who else is going to betray me? I mean it's like everything's falling apart. Well here we see that Shimei, he comes out to publicly slander David and to curse him in front of everyone. Could you imagine if I come here tonight And somebody I used to know showed up to come and publicly disgrace me in front of all y'all and tell y'all all the things that I used to do before I was saved. And even some of the things I might have done since I've been saved. Because look, I have to confess, I don't always do everything right. AS I SAID LAST WEEK, I'M NOT IN ANY KNOWN OPEN SIN, BUT THE THING IS, IS COULD YOU IMAGINE THE HUMILIATION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE AS DAVID'S WALKING AND THIS DUDE'S SAYING, GET OUT, GET OUT OF OUR CITY, GET OUT OF OUR HOLY LAND. YOU ARE A WICKED MAN. YOU ARE GUILTY OF BLOOD AS PSALM 51 SAYS. HOW HUMILIATING, HOW DISCOURAGING ALL OF THIS How embarrassing this must have been to David as all these people that are with him that are following him are hearing all these things. Think of how humiliating this must have been for those that were with David. To hear this man openly curse their king and throw rocks at him as if David was a common criminal. How many of y'all would like to sit around and hear somebody slander your pastor? Well, here we see that one man was not, he wasn't going for it. Abishai wasn't going to sit around and do it. At least he didn't want to have to sit around and do it. He didn't find this amusing at all. And had David granted him permission, I think he would have immediately cut Shimei's head smooth off. He wouldn't have thought twice about it. Notice he calls Shimei a dead dog here. I think the reference to a dog here is in relation to the constant cursing. If you think about it, which in one sense could be likened unto the, what, continual barking of a dog. That he's just over there running, that head will not shut up, will not stop, and more than likely this is the first thing that entered his mind, let me cut this dog, dead dog's head off. Now we must understand that Dogs in the Bible were not thought of like dogs in our day. I think most of us know that. I think we've been taught on that already. Dogs in these times were regarded as scavengers. Most of them were not domesticated. Very few of them were domesticated. They were not little cute cuddly pets like that you see riding around in the back of old ladies' cars with bows and with perfume on and stuff like that. No. These were mangy mutts that pillaged through garbage, that visited these battlefields after major battles, feeding on whatever or whosoever they came. You know, they would constantly go around to these battlefields, and if somebody was laying there dead, you know what these dogs would do? They would eat them, along with the fowls of the air. To call someone a dog was a great insult during Bible times. Y'all realize that? As a matter of fact, I got thinking about it and it's still a major insult. How many of y'all would like to be called a dog? Because usually when somebody calls you a dog, they ain't talking about that little cute dog riding in the back of somebody's car. They're talking about something that is ruthless or scavenger. Here we see Abishai, he goes one step further here and he calls him a dead dog. The only thing that would, any of y'all ever been around, some of y'all been around hunting dogs and ain't nothing smells like a hunting dog. One that's been hunting and it's done worked up a lather chasing a deer or rabbits or what have you, grab that thing and you can't hardly get it. Bro, Jimmy, you've dealt with them before. You can't get it off of you. But one thing I got to thinking would smell worse than an old mangy mud is a dead mangy mud. I remember one time, and I'm not going to tell all the story, but there was a dog that died up under our house when we were young. We lived in a raised house. All of a sudden, we started smelling, and this was a big dog. We started smelling something, and we realized, we got under there with a flashlight, and we realized what it was, and my dad was strict, and when he gave orders, you had to do what he said. Y'all have to get that dog out from under this house. We started to do, we tried, we endeavored, and we couldn't, I mean, we were throwing up, literally. You know what we had to do? We had to take a handkerchief. You can ask Brother Nick, he'll testify to this, and we poured cologne on it, probably enough to almost kill you, and put it around our face to disguise the scent in order to get under there far enough with a rake to be able to hook that thing and pull it out. Now, I say that to say this, could you imagine, that's what he's calling this guy here, oh, stinking dead dog. If a living dog was considered bad and worthless back then, just think about how worthless a dead dog was. How nobody wanted to fool with it. Here, Abishai says, I beg you, let me go over there and put this dead dog out of his misery. Notice verse 10. And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeriah? So let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David, who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so? Here we see David's response to Abishai's request. Here David says, What have I to do with you, ye... Notice this, sons... of Zurich. That's his sister, that's his nephews. Notice he says sons here, not just son. It's not in the singular, right? It's in the plural, which would also indicate that Abishai's brother, which was who? Y'all remember who his brother was? Joab was in on this. In other words, these two men were what? They were trained killers and they did love their king. And we see here, he's saying, what David's saying, I will have no part in y'all's attempt to take vengeance here. Now that kind of seems odd, does it not? In other words, David was publicly, what's he doing here? He's publicly denouncing THEIR DESIRE TO CUT OFF SHEMIAH'S HEAD. HERE DAVID COULD HAVE EASILY ALLOWED THIS PUBLIC REBUKE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THIS WAS, A SLANDERING, A PUBLIC REBUKE TO CAUSE HIM TO BECOME ANGRY. NOW THINK ABOUT IT FOR A SECOND. IF IT WERE YOU. NOW I ASK THE QUESTION WHILE I GO, IF OUR PASTOR WAS UP HERE AND SOMEBODY COME IN AND WAS SLANDERING HIM, WE WOULD BECOME ANGRY, WOULD WE NOT? How would he respond? Would he become angry? Or would he be like David? Here we see David, I don't know about you, but usually when things are falling apart around me, what does it usually do? It makes me even madder. I hate to say it. It's just like one thing happens and another thing happens and then I wanna take it out on somebody else. Have y'all ever been like that? Like who is causing all of this? Now we gotta be careful when we get that way. Because if we understand the sovereignty of God, we start getting that way. Actually, who are we getting angry at? We're getting angry at God. David could have easily allowed this to make him angry, but instead of seeking revenge, David wisely chooses to display grace and mercy here. The Bible says this, It says, and what measure you mete out, right? It shall also be the same measure that is given unto you. So David is applying a principle here of reaping and sowing, and here David once again displays a great deal of wisdom and what I would consider a great deal of patience. I believe here in this text We see that the refining work that God is doing on David, the work of humbling David is taking its course. That David is receiving these things as if they were coming from who? From the Lord. And this refining work is working. David's not becoming bitter. He's not trying to retaliate. Here David is wisely judging his own self. And by doing so, he's not so much worried about what others may think of him. You know, a lot of times we get in trouble because we're more worried about what others think about us than we are how we are right with God. And when we find ourselves in a situation where we're oppressed, we're more concerned about our own pride and not how we are to respond. whether we respond correctly or incorrectly, here David's not so much concerned with his own reputation. How many of y'all want to keep your reputation up? We heard that this morning, that the Bible says a good name is rather to be chosen than riches. And I understand that we ought to want to have a good reputation, but how many of us are more concerned about our reputation More so than we're worried about how we look in the eyes of God, because I think that's what David, he's not necessarily worried about his reputation, he wants to do what's right in the eyes of the Lord. David understands his own sinfulness, so much so that he's not worried about, y'all remember that text I just quoted, you know what the Bible goes on to say in that text? Before you start trying to take the mold out of your brother's eye, you know what you need to do? That's the same text. And David's more concerned about what's taking place inside of him and where he's at and what he's done. So David is allowing all of this to do what? To refine him. To purge him. Charles Spurgeon said this, the same sun that melts wax hardens clay. And the same gospel which melts some persons to repentance, he says, hardens others in their sins. David could have went either way with this. He could have become bitter, angry, and he could have said, no, I'm going to go cut his head off. But he doesn't. He says, how do you know this person isn't of the Lord? Don't touch him. I will have nothing to do with y'all's wickedness. In other words, I don't want anything to do with y'all's plan to kill this man. Here we see that David was in the process, and I said that what Charles Spurgeon said a while ago, of being softened by all that was taking place around him. While at the same time it's evident that these series of events were working the opposite on who? On his generals. They were wanting to retaliate. They seemed to be hardened by the pressures that were surrounding them. You know good and well that if it had been easy for David just to have a pity party here, As I said, most of the time when things start going south on me and falling apart, I just, I want to have a pity party. I want to feel sorry for myself. Any of y'all ever like that or is that just me? Here he's being publicly humiliated. He could have easily justified having Shimei put to death, but instead? David decides to show grace and mercy. Notice here David says, leave him alone. Do not cause him any harm. As a matter of fact, do not even try to restrain him or refrain him from cursing me. Let him continue in this cursing. For this cursing, David says, is of the Lord. Now think about that for a second. David not only goes as far as saying, don't go cut his head off, but he says, don't even make him be quiet. Let him keep cursing me. Why did David say this? David said this, he said what? Because this cursing is what? Of the Lord. Now think about that for a second. How could David say that? How could it be possible that this cursing was from the Lord? Sometimes I don't know if we really think about some of the things we read, but when David says that, as I was studying and I began to think about that, as I was reading commentary, John Gill says this in regards to our text. He said, Shimeah had conceived enmity and hatred towards David. Where did that hatred come from? It came from within, right? Okay, now let's think about what we're talking about. David says this cursing is from the Lord. He said God left him to the power of this corruption in his breast, opened a way in providence, and gave him opportunity of exercising it on David. So in other words, God allowed this dude to what? Fester. How long had this been going on since Saul's death? Prior to even before. God allowed Shimei to fester on these things, but not only that, here we see he has what? A perfect opportunity. Remember, I believe Shimei had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. He said, now is my opportunity. This joker's leaving, I'm fixing to go give him, I'm fixing to give him my two cents as he's leaving this city and tell him what I think about him. He said, it was not a bare permission of God that Shimei should curse David. That means what? God didn't make him do it, but it was his will. You say, wait a minute, how does that work? He says, and he ordered it so in providence. Sometimes when we start thinking about the will of God, we got to understand that God has a predetermined will. And I often talk about this. I probably don't say it correctly because these things are beyond my learning or understanding, should I say. But God has a predetermined will that is laid out that will not and cannot change. But inside of that predetermined will, God also has a permissive will that He allows nature and things to take course. And that's what we see here, the wickedness that's in Shimei. He allowed all that to take place. He says it was His will and He so ordered it in Providence. In other words, He even allowed the situation to fall where Shimei was still alive, still mad. David goes through that city. The time was right. Here he comes. that he does this in order that Shimei can do it. He said, Which action was attended with the predetermined concourse of divine providence? So far as it was an action, though as a sinful action, notice this, it was of Shimei because it was a sinful action. It was contrary to the law. So God didn't make him do it, but God allowed him to do it. It was all of Shimei, but all worked together in the providence of God. He said it sprung from his own heart, instigated by Satan, but as a correction and chastisement for David. We got to understand that all this was working for who? For David. It was by the will, order, and appointment of God. And as such, David considered it. David understood this. And David, notice what he says, quietly submitted to it. For though Shimei might justly be blamed and reproved for it, Yet the thing itself was not to be hindered or restrained, it being according to the will of God and providence of God, to answer some good in with respect to David." God allowed all this. Our adversaries, our accusers, our trials, our tribulations, you know what? All work for us if we belong to God. God doesn't make our accusers accuse us or our adversaries come against us, but He allows it. Why? So that it could be used for the refining work of conforming us more and more into the image of His dear Son. Remember when Peter was preaching in Acts, was it chapter 2? He's rebuking those that crucified the Lord. He said these things were done according to the what? The predetermined counsel of the Godhead. In other words, you were just actors. This was all part. God didn't make them do it, but God allowed them to do it. Let's move on. I'm getting bogged down on that. Hopefully we understand that these things and David, I think here, why? Because who was David focused on? Was he focused on Shimei? Was he going back in his mind saying, no, no, no, no, no, that's not right. You said this, but I did this. Or no, you might be right here. That accusation's correct, but this one's not correct. David wasn't focused on what Shimei was saying or what Shimei was doing. Abishai, Joab was. David wasn't. You know what David was focused on? Who David was focused on? He said, this is of the Lord. I deserve this. Why? David understood. David had done even worse than this. And that's where we have to be. Look at verse 11. David said to Abishai and to all his servants, behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life. How much more now may this Benjamite do it? Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. Here David says again, LEAVE THIS MAN ALONE. It almost appears here that David is saying, LEAVE THIS DUDE ALONE. I HAVE MUCH BIGGER PROBLEMS FOR MY OWN SON, he says. He said, THIS DUDE IS NO THREAT. He said, I HAVE BIGGER PROBLEMS THAN THIS FOR MY OWN SON. who I have reared, who I've raised, is seeking to destroy me. And if he has that desire, is what David's saying, and I'm paraphrasing what he says here, if my own son has that desire, how much more should this Benjamite want to destroy me? You know, as I studied this text, I was reminded of an occasion in the New Testament that's similar to what took place here. We don't have time to turn there tonight, but if you want to go back and read it, you can go to the book of Luke, chapter 9. And in Luke 9, Jesus was seeking refuge in Samaria. And as He did, the people did not want to receive Him there. As I finish this, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you recall, and you probably don't just from that little lead in there, but if you recall, when they didn't want to receive him, you remember what happened, Brother Jimmy? They didn't want him coming there. And James and John, you remember what they wanted to do? The sons of thunder. They said, Lord, let's call down fire from heaven. Smoke these jokers is what he's saying. That's what he's saying. That's what they were saying. They wanted to call fire down from heaven to descend upon these people because these people what? Treated their Lord with contempt. Kind of similar to what's taking place in our text. Joab and Abishai said let me go deal with this because I don't like the way he's treating you. However, y'all remember what Jesus did? He rebuked the two disciples as David did Abishai and Joab here. Jesus didn't want his disciples to eliminate the people who treated him unfairly. He tells them that they did not know what spirit they were being led by. Y'all remember that? That's what he tells them. Just like Abishai and Joab, James and John did not want to display the spirit of grace and mercy and love towards those that mistreated their Lord. They wanted to have them what? Destroyed. Christ fully understood. I think this is a good parallel here. Christ fully understood that the greater sin was not the fact that these Samaritans did not want. to accommodate him or to receive him, but that he came to his own and his own received him not. That's what the Bible says. They rejected the chief... We can understand the Samaritans being a half-breed, didn't want anything... being half-breed, should I say, not wanting anything to do with the Jews because the Jews didn't want anything to do with them. You remember what Christ did? He wept over the hardness of his kinsmen, did he not? He cried out, He said, O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, how many times would I have gathered you like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not. Remember on the cross, as they were crucifying Him, remember what Christ did? He prayed and He said what? Father, forgive them He said, I could call what? I could call fire down from heaven. But He didn't. He prayed, Father forgive them. They don't realize what they're doing. I think we see a parallel here. THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT CHRIST WAS THE EXPRESSED IMAGE OF GOD. THAT SIMPLY MEANS THAT HE WAS AN EXACT REPLICA OF THE INVISIBLE GOD. IT ALSO SAYS THAT CHRIST, THAT IN CHRIST, WE LOOKED AT THIS I THINK LAST WEEK OR WEEK BEFORE THAT, DWELLETH ALL THE FULLNESS OF THE GODHEAD IN BODILY FORM. WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE BIBLE SAYS THAT CHRIST, JESUS, WHO BEING IN THE FORM OF GOD, THOUGHT IT NOT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? What does it mean? That's not really a good translation when we see that and we read that. I think sometimes it throws our mind out of gear, but what the Bible's saying and what Paul's saying when he said that is, is that Christ, who was fully God, He was, right? We've learned that. Y'all remember that theological term? That He was fully God and fully man? Y'all remember that term? Huh? Hypostatic union. We've been studying those things. And even though he was, when it says he thought it not robbery to be equal to God, what it's saying is he did not demand that everyone he encountered treated him as God. Aren't y'all glad that he didn't? It wasn't something, and that's where to get the word robbery from because it means to grab or to take. He didn't find it something to grasp at saying, I am God in the flesh and you must treat me like I'm God in the flesh. No, he went places, and what did they do? They mocked him, ridiculed him, and he didn't lash out. He was like David. He wasn't focused on, what, his accusers. He wasn't focused on his adversaries. What was he doing? He, what, submitted himself to the Father, and when he was threatened, he didn't threaten back. When he was reviled, he didn't revile back. He was God in the flesh. but at the same time he, I don't understand this, he was meek and lowly. He could have rightly killed everyone who disrespected him, right? Rightfully. That's why I said I'm glad because how many times have we mocked him with our own actions? He could have rightly killed everyone that disrespected him. He could have killed everyone who didn't see him for who he truly was, but he didn't. Just as David didn't demand that this guy respect him and his authority as king, Christ said to his disciples when they wanted to call down fire from heaven, Christ said, the Son of Man has come not to destroy men's life, but to save them. Aren't y'all glad that our Savior came to save and not to set war? Now there's coming a time, we've been studying, In the book of Revelation, he's coming back, and you know what he's coming back to do? He ain't coming back to save. He's coming back with vengeance. He's coming back in battle array, and it's not going to be good. Look at verse 12. I'm trying to move along. He says here, It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day. David reacts here in a spiritual manner. Here, as I've already said, I believe without a doubt he's fully submitted himself completely to the will of the Lord. He does this without making any attempt to avenge himself. He does this with no concern about what's being done as far as to himself. He did not fall victim to his own pride. You know, pride's what gets us in trouble most of the time. You know, sometimes it doesn't bother me for people to take advantage of me. And look, when I'm spiritual, should I say. I'm not always spiritual. But how many of us would sit back and let somebody take advantage of somebody that we love? But that strikes a nerve, does it not? Here, David is not allowing his pride to govern him, nor did he respond to Abishai's encouragement, because that's what Abishai was doing. He was trying to encourage David to take vengeance. And had David said yeah, who would the buck have fallen on? It would have fallen on David because David would have been the one to give the command. And it would have been even as if what David had done it himself. Here I think he takes full responsibility for his own failures. How many of us like taking full responsibility for our own failures? It's always a lot easier to blame our failures on somebody else. Remember what happened in the garden? When God confronts Adam, what does he say? This thing you gave me, don't get mad at me. This woman, he's trying to pass the blame. He wasn't wanting to take full responsibility, but here we see David is. Look, I'm trying to point out, when David does right, I'm trying to point it out because he doesn't always do right. But here he does right. He receives everything that has taken place as if it's being dealt to him directly from the Lord and it's being doled out to him. Why? Because of what he has done. Notice most importantly here in this verse that while doing so, he continues to hope for the goodness of the Lord. Everything's falling apart. But David's still what? Trusting God. He says out loud here, perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day. Here David chose to suffer affliction. He chose to not let this affliction stop him. He chose to let this affliction what? Stop with him. In other words, I'm not going to add to this by putting a curse on this dude. I'm not going to placate to this folly and say, OK, I'm going to give way. I'm going to take vengeance. Why? Because they're talking about me and I got to take up for myself. He could have easily decided to afflict the one who was afflicting him, right? But he didn't. What does he say? He says, who knows, maybe God will bless me. Even though I rightly deserve this cursing. Boy, it's amazing when we understand who we are in Christ and what we are outside of Christ. And the liberties that we've been given in Christ. And the grace that we've been shown through Christ. I'm reminded on the two thieves hanging on the cross. They were in a predicament. They were in a bind. Imminent death is coming to them. Open humiliation. One of them is saying, help us. He really wasn't worried about the other two. He was basically saying, help me. Come on, you got the ability, get me down, or you can go ahead and get us all down, it'll be fine, but as long as you get me down. The other one said, we deserve. what we're getting. This man doesn't deserve it. He saw what he was and he understood who Christ Jesus was. And when we see ourselves for what we truly are, we understand the grace and the mercy that's been given to us, we realize we don't deserve it. Think about all the goodness, think about all the blessings that we have that we've enjoyed today that we don't deserve. And one little thing goes wrong and what do we want to do? We want to pout. We want to kick dirt. We want to get mad. We want to roll our sleeves up, ball our fists up. We want to bow our chest out, right? Notice verse 13, and we're going to stop here. And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along the hillside over against him and cursed as he went and threw stones and cast dust. We've got to understand when we respond correctly to the trials around us, they will have no negative bearing on our life. I'm not talking about the power of positive thinking. I'm talking about responding correctly. I'm talking about looking at the example that was set before us throughout the pages of scripture and when things, when these light afflictions come upon us and we respond correctly and we rejoice and we give thanks to God for these light afflictions, understanding that these things work for us and not against us. You know what? Those light afflictions have no negative bearing on us. They don't cause us to make mistakes. Here David carries on, right? He doesn't stop. He doesn't hit a roadblock. He doesn't decide to drive a stake in the ground and say, this is a hill I'm going to die on today. No, David carries on hoping and looking to who? To God. to God alone, to Christ alone. And by doing this, I hope you notice here in this last verse that we're going to look at tonight, by David carrying on, looking to God, hoping unto God, you know what he does? By David doing this, his adversary is proven futile here in his attempt to do what? To accuse David. All those words, like Paul said, as we looked at this morning, Paul said, I'm not one that's just beating the air. In other words, I'm working towards something. We see here, Shimei, he's beating the air. What's his vein? What are they doing? All these accusations are just going up, being carried away with the wind. It has not had the effect that he thought it would have on David. And when our adversaries come against us and accuse us, which that happens on a regular basis, And it happens from time to time because we deserve it, but there also happens from time to time when we don't deserve it, and it depends on how we respond to that as to whether or not God gets all the honor and all the glory. Because the Bible says this, when we've been beaten for our faults and we take it patiently, what good is that with God? But when we do well and are beaten and take it patiently. That's acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. That's counterintuitive to me and to my whole thought process. That I'd be doing right and people would come. Y'all realize if we do right people are going to come against us? There's going to be enemies that rise up against us saying that they're doing wrong when we're doing right. In our day it's especially true. At your job, you take a stand and you do what's right and you remain consistent with integrity and people are not gonna like it. People are gonna want to see favoritism here and there. You gotta bend the rules for me, but when we do right, you know who gets all the honor and all the glory? God does. And even though our accusers may come against us with railing accusations, we can just walk straight on through like David does. Now, I'm not saying David wasn't acknowledging the fact that David had done wrong. I'm not saying we're to bury our head in the sand, but what we do is we confess those things to the Lord. If we're right with God, who can come against us? Who can come against us with accusations if we've done everything right? Now, the trouble is we don't always do everything right. So what is our responsibility? Our responsibility is to do like David here, when things start falling apart, the first thing we need to do is examine ourselves. We need to run to God. God, I don't know why these things are happening, but I trust you. I want to get things right. Help me to see the error of my... Search me, O God, and know my heart. See if there be any sin within me. Show that sin to me. Why? So that I can brag about it? No, so that I can repent of it. And so that my adversaries, when they come against me, won't be able to bring railing accusations. Why? Because I can say I've already confessed those things and God's already forgiven me. God had already dealt with David about the sin of Bathsheba, had He not? We already have, we see the record where David had already repented. Now the consequences will continue. But the good thing about God, when He tries us and sees us as being just, That's a done deal. We are just. You know, that's the sweet thing about the immutability of God, that God does not change His mind. In other words, we have never fooled Him into thinking that we were just. When He declares us just, we are legally just. And no matter who comes against us, you know what? He's going to see us in Christ, in the Beloved. And we are to have that hope and what that hope ought to do. It ought to sear, it ought to clear, I said sear, but it ought to clear our guilty conscience that our enemy would continually bring up. We bring up more sins about ourselves than anybody else does. I know I do. But you know what? The blood of Christ is able to cleanse us from all those things and to give us that hope that we can just march right along following after Christ. And this we ought to want to do for His honor and for His glory. Let's pray. Father, we do love You, praise You, thank You for Your Word. We ask You to help us to examine our own selves Look to you. Trust you. Love you. For your honor and for your glory in Christ's name. Amen.