Unfeigned

There is a certain kind of heart required
as you grow in your walk with the
Holy Spirit
A heart that loves the unlovable, that
will choose to be foolish in the face of
the manipulations of men and remain
steadfast to the instructions of the
Holy Spirit
A very rare kind of heart
David had that kind of heart
He succinctly described to Jonathan
what He knew King Saul was planning
for him
Jonathan argued, believing his father
was capable of distinguishing between
what is best for Israel and what is best
for the House of Saul
To King Saul, Israel and the
House of Saul was one and the same
He desired to establish his throne forever
in Israel even after God had told him
clearly that this will not be so
Saul’s daughter, Michal was on David’s
side (She was married to David)
Saul’s crown prince Jonathan’s soul was
knit to David’s soul
Saul had the power and the authority
but David had the heart of the people
Saul found out too late that he who owns
the heart of men is greater than the one
who wields the whip of control
The rebellion of David to the Throne of
Saul was simply that of a man fighting
for survival
There is little anybody can do against
inordinate ambition.
While for David the motive was genuine
and the rebellion was inevitable, what
happened between Saul and David
became a model for the sly and froward
Absalom pulled the same stunt while David
was King, the Bible recorded
that he stood in front of the palace with
his handsome chariot men and an
ambiance of authority and took over the
responsibility of the King…
I was taught something some years ago
as a student of Advertising and Public
Relations, “Perception is everything”
Absalom used imagery
and perception to steal the heart of
the nation
Soon the people saw David as old and
ready to be retired and Absalom as
their Bill Clinton
A charming, young, and dashing darling
of the people whose desire was to woo
and serenade the nation
Israel fell for it and David’s position
became tenable
David had to flee the palace after Absalom
executed his bloodless coup
The amazing thing was David’s heart, it
bled of love and concern despite being
the victim of the treachery of a son who
had caused him so much grief.
David was indeed a man of God with
the heart of love
Remember how he lamented the death
of Saul?
Cried all day in mourning for a man who
was his sworn enemy?
Remember how he cried when Joab
murdered Abner? How he lamented the
death of the Army General of his rival
under such a wicked circumstance?
Oh how i desire a heart
like that of David, how I am glad I am
getting closer and closer to it by the
transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
David and his men faced Absalom and
his rebels in battle
David didn’t participate in the battle
As the soldiers filed out, David appealed
to Joab, Abishai, and
Ittai, his three Army Commanders to
deal gently with Absalom
Oh my!
This has nothing to do with Absalom
being David’s son
I admit that could play some part in the
sentiment but David had consistently
displayed an extraordinary affection for
even his adversaries
If he could tow the path of reconciliation,
he would do that rather than wage war
Remember how after David became
King there was an unusual peace
between Israel and Philistine?
It was because the Philistines hid David
from Saul and even gave him a city for
him and his men to dwell in while they
were being hunted by Saul
By extension, after David became King,
he never waged war on any of his
pagan benefactors
What a man! What a man of God!!!
When Absalom’s hair was caught up in
the trees of the forest of Ephraim and
he was left hanging, David’s men found
him, and none of
then could touch him because he was
the King’s son.
Oh my!
He would have killed them without
batting an eyelid and they would have
killed him without a second thought
too but they knew it would hurt their
King and they refrained
Joab didn’t.
Joab and Absalom had a personal
grudge
between them and Joab knew what
Absalom was capable of
When David heard of Absalom’s death,
his response was classic
He didn’t remember that the young man
slept with his ten concubines in public
David didn’t remember that the young
man killed the crown prince Amnon in
cold blood, David didn’t remember the
embarrassment and discomfort the
young man caused him and the fact
that the young man divided his
kingdom and took away his throne
All David did was cry “Oh my son
Absalom, my son Absalom, Would
that I had died instead of you,
my son, my son!”
Wowzer!!!
As a young believer, I never understood
it but as i grew and found myself leading
His people, i came to understand it.
You get to separate individuals from
their actions and love them for who
they are in spite of what they had done.
Your judgment is not clouded by the
decisions they had to make due to
circumstances or ambition
You love the person, period!
Everybody around you sees you as a
fool for it.
To them, this person is taking a knife
to your back mercilessly and you are
a fool for turning a blind eye
You know they are right but it doesn’t
change how you see the person
That is the heart of King David
It is not a heart that cannot make
mistakes or plot wickedness but it is
a heart that accepts when it is wrong,
tries very hard to make amends
where necessary, and forgives the
slight of others without prejudice!
After Absalom’s death, David plunged
the whole nation into mourning until
Joab intervened by calling his attention
to the sacrifice of the men who gave
their all out of loyalty to him and his
throne
The individual was more important
to David than their baggage
This is a divine quality in any man
No wonder God promised to establish
David’s throne forever
No wonder the Lord Jesus Christ was
the Son of David
No wonder GSW is of that same lineage
of grace and righteousness
Are you in a place of hurt, resentment,
and unforgiveness right now?
Kings have no business with malice
there are some things associated with
weakness and poverty
Vengeance, malice, unforgiveness and
resentment are not for Kings
A king has the power to address issues
while a poor man does not
Why keep malice when you can summon
the person and broker peace or dispense
judgment?
Why stay in unforgiveness when you
have the power to move on and do other
great things with your royal power
The poor will hold on to a slight or report
it at the court of a King hoping for justice
but a king does not hold on to slight or
report it to anyone
He deals with things
he sees fit.
If you’re holding on to unforgiveness at
this moment, it means you’re a victim
A King can never be a victim
Victims don’t reign or king over
circumstances
They have accepted defeat and perhaps
waiting for the vultures to come and
finish them off
Dont be a victim when
you have been given the grace to rule
and reign
Let go of grudges, pain, and offense
If an organization or a person has
despitefully used you, please forgive
Walk-in dominion
You are on a preordained path, please
walk in it
Sometimes two is a crowd
Remember this!