The Fall Of Babylon
The Seven Bowl Judgments (3)
Revelation 17:1-19:4 Lesson 17
Key vs. 18: 4 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 11/14/10
“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;’”
Today we are carrying on with our study of the seven bowl judgments of God. In our last study we examined what the seven different bowl judgments were. They were the complete judgment of God. The stubbornness of an unrepentant humanity was the last straw. Now was the time for God to bring forth his justice for the sins people perpetrated towards God and each other. The extent of God’s wrath was immense. There were painful, incurable sores; there was the turning of the waters to blood; there was scorching from the sun’s radiation; the deception of the worldly kingdoms; and the fall of Babylon. Today’s study will focus in on the last bowl judgment, the fall of Babylon. As you already surmised, this is very difficult passage to understand. But we will try our best to bring out the main characters as well as learn more about who God is and what our Christian response must be when we face evil in our world today.
In this passage we will meet two beings, the harlot named Babylon and the beast. The woman is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (18). She represents all evil world systems that control people and nations and perpetrate injustice. The scarlet beast is the devil. He has seven heads and ten horns. He will make war against the Lamb, Jesus and Jesus’ followers. But there is good news. Those who follow Jesus will overcome, for he is King of kings. Babylon will be destroyed. Those who live separate lives from the world and whose treasure is in heaven will gain everything. The saints, apostles and prophets will rejoice. Through a study of this passage may repent of compromising with the world and live as God’s holy people. May we be set free from all deception and decide to be a faithful followers of the Lamb, Jesus. And finally may you all live victorious, overcoming lives of faith for the glory of God as you stand with Jesus.
Part l: The Great Prostitute (17:1-6)
The first character in our passage is the prostitute. Look at verses 17:1-6. What do these verses have to say about her? First, she controlled and influenced people. Look at verse 17:1b, “…Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters.” The Bible says that this prostitute sits on many waters. (17:1b)The waters, on which she sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. (17:15) Obviously she is some kind of political and social entity that governs over different kinds of people. There have been many kinds of kingdoms like this over time. All world empires fit this description. What about Rome? In our century the Soviet Union was like this. The Nazi’s wanted to make an Empire like this. There was also the Hellenism. Our western culture is like this, though it is not a political body. But it sure controls peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
The woman was also very rich. Look at verse 17:4a, “The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls…” Purple is the color of royalty. She was glittering with the riches that the world had to offer. We can also see more of her glory as we see the lament in chapter 18. She felt like she was a Queen. She thought that she was not a widow and would never mourn. This refers to military victory and not having any young men die in battle. Her economy boasted of the luxuries of the world, gold, silver, precious stones, spices and so forth. People became rich on account of the woman. (18:19) In her, life seemed to prosper. Her streets were filled with the sound of musicians. There were skilled craftsmen building her glorious cities. There was lots of food in her storehouses. People enjoyed a happy life, not only getting rich, but also married. She was so awesome and powerful that when people gazed upon her they stood in awe thinking, “Was there ever a city like this great city?” ( 18:18b) When she finally came to her destruction, people couldn’t believe that it could ever happen. They felt that she was indestructible. But all of this greatness was not without a price. Let’s see.
First, she was a very bad influence on the people around her…to say the least. Look at verse 2, “With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” She achieved great power and influence in the world. But look at the affect she has others that were involved with her. World leaders gave their hearts to this harlot. Adultery in the Bible, on a national level, meant that they were engaging in idol worship. They were worshipping her. They lusted over her. They became intoxicated. I don’t know if any of you have been intoxicated. I sure hope not. But when people get intoxicated they loose all inhibitions and are left with an insatiable lust for more. They totally let go of any restraint.
This prostitute also gave birth to others like herself. Look at verse 5. “The name written on her forehead was a mystery: BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” There were other world systems that behaved as she did. Out of her came so many abominations. An abomination is something that is disrespectful to God and is worshipped besides God, in the hearts of the people. After Jesus’ death, the Romans sacrificed pork on the altar and placed a statue of Augustus Caesar on the altar. This was the abomination that causes desolation standing in the place that it should not be. (Matt 24:18) There are many abominations that cause desolation around us. Can you think of some? An atheistic based science, that rejects God and mocks faith, can be an abomination. Stephen Hawking said that the Laws of Physics were his God. That is an abomination to the one who created the Laws of Physics in the first place. Hedonism, that says, “Eat and drink for tomorrow you die” is an abomination. It rejects and mocks God’s purpose for humanity and blocks the way of salvation for billions of people. Such philosophies are all the children of the prostitute in Revelation 17. Jesus warns all those who are bad influences to others in Matthew 18:6-7, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!” And that is what happened to this harlot. Look at 18:21, “Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: ‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.’” Let’s decide to live as salt and light of the earth, good influences on others.
This harlot made many compromises to achieve power and glory. First she gave up her morality. All through this passage it is repeated that the kings of the earth committed adultery with her. People became intoxicated around her. He also traded with the bodies and souls of men. (18:13) This means slavery. She grew rich off of the backs of slaves and the exploitation of the poor. She also harbored and nurtured godless philosophies that set themselves up against Jesus. (17:5b-6) To top it off she persecuted Christians to death. She compromised so much to make it to the top. This reminds us of the devil’s temptation of Jesus. Matthew 4:8-10 says, “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” 10 And how did Jesus overcome him? Look at verse 10 of the same passage. “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” This is self explanatory.
There is a principle here. We all want to make it in this world. We all want to be at the top of our game and achieve some glory, authority, prestige, wealth and security in this world. It is not wrong to find your place and have a career so that you can take care of your family, support your church and be blessing to others. There is nothing wrong with that. But are we willing to compromise the truth to get it? Are you will to commit adultery to improve your social standing? Are you willing to ignore Jesus and your Christian mission in order to achieve something for yourselves? Are you willing to withhold offerings to God in order to gain wealth for yourselves? We are actually robbing God when we do that. (Malachi 3:7-9). How much are you willing to compromise to make it in this world? Jesus says in Mark 8:35-37, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Let’s never follow the way of the harlot, compromising the truth to get ahead, but rather remain true to Jesus.
The harlot also tried to eliminate the voice of truth. Look at verse 6. “I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.” Christians were not buying into all the decadence. They were speaking out against the exploitation and the injustices. They were preaching the gospel and showing the world that there is another path to follow other than the path that the great prostitute was pointing to. The harlot did not want to hear what Christians were saying. She was hostile to them. They were a threat to her power and so she put them to death. She did not want to hear God’s call to repentance. May God protect our hearts so that this may never happen to us.
Part ll: The Scarlet Beast (17:7-18)
Next, we are going to look at the beast. Who is he? Let’s read verse 7, “Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.” We have already been introduced to several beasts in Revelation. There was the dragon in Revelation 12:3 and the beast that came out of the sea in Revelation 13:1. This beast is the devil. It had power to survive. Verse 8a reads, “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction.” At one point it seemed to be on its last legs and then it came to life again. This amazed people. And they gave their hearts to it.
The beast supported the harlot. She sat on its back and both of them sat over the multitudes of the people and nations. In this way, the beast also held political, social and spiritual sway over the people. It co-worked with the harlot or even worked through the harlot. Like the contents of the harlot’s golden cup, the beast was covered with blasphemous names, names that were extremely disrespectful to Jesus and offensive to him.
People were also deceived by the beast. They were astonished. Why were they so easily astonished? First they were intoxicated and so lost all their senses. There was also a powerful spiritual force involved. Look verse 18:23b, “… By your magic spell all the nations were led astray” We are no match to contend with the power of these evil spirits for they can lead nations astray. The bottom line, as to why they were deceived is revealed in verse 17:8b which reads, “… The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast...” It is so true. If you are not one of God’s people and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, you will be deceived by the devil’s schemes. Jesus tells us to watch out the last days that no one deceives us. (Mark 13:5) You can become one of God’s people today and come out of all deception. John 1:12-13 reads, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” Let’s receive Jesus now and believe in the name of Jesus and become one of God’s clear minded people.
The beast and his allies will try to crush and oppress God’s people and oppose the work of God. Let’s read verse 17:14, “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” He will make war against the Lamb, Jesus and those who follow him. But they will not prevail for Jesus and his disciples will overcome, for Jesus is King of kings. Aren’t you glad you are on the winning side?
What are the seven heads and the ten horns of this beast? Let’s read verses 17:9-12, “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.” And Verse 12, “ 12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.” The early Christians would equate these seven hills to Rome, for Rome was founded by seven villages on seven hills next to the river Tiber in Italy in 700 B.C. These seen hills could also be a means to peg these events in history. The other 10 kings do not have a kingdom. They could be tribal leaders or they could be merchants who are the heads of companies that did business across the dominion of the harlot. There are some CEO’s today that have companies that have are richer than some countries.
These ten kings were united in their mission. Look at verse 13, “They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.” After reading the passage, I will give you one guess as to what their purpose was. 18:9-11 reads, “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore” Their purpose was to get rich and enjoy luxuries even it meant exploiting others. They gave into the devil’s temptation when he promised them all the kingdoms of the earth. They jumped in feet first like any intoxicated person.
We can see the true colors of the ten kings and the devil. Verse 17:16 reads, “The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.” They appear to co-operate with the harlot and support her, but their purpose was diabolical. Simply speaking they wanted to exploit her and extract from her all they could. And after they are done with her they will toss her aside and will set out to look for another. How true this is. The devil and unscrupulous merchants will extract all they can from the systems of men, serving their own purposes and then move on. After doing this to our western civilization where will they go next? There will be no, “next” for Jesus will come again. This should also teach us about making unholy alliances in the world, even if it seems to advance our mission in the short term. We also need to have eyes to see the spiritual forces at work in this world and respond by preaching the gospel.
Despite of all this political and spiritual intrigue, God’s people should take comfort in the fact that God is control. Remember 17:14b, “…but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” And look at verse 17:17, “For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled.” God is the sovereign Lord and he is in control, fulfilling his ultimate goal to bring all of his people, safe and sound, into the glorious kingdom of God.
The beast will have a fatal destiny. Look at verse 8a, “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction….” And verse 11b, “…. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.” It is clear that Babylon will be destroyed, and with her all those people who have persecuted God's people, as well as those who share Babylon's value system and have compromised with the world to live in luxury and material prosperity. God will pour out on her the full fury of his wrath. This should serve as warning not to have any part of it.
Part lll: Come Out, My People – Rejoice You Saints (18:1-19:4)
What should be our response to a world gone mad? First, we need to come out of Babylon. Look at verse 18:4, “Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.” God wants all of his children to come out of the world and live separated lives. This does not mean to go and live in the forest. We need to be in this world, but not of it. This refers to being holy. Holy, literally means dedicated to God. We can not live as the world lives. We cannot have the same value systems, the same hopes, the same morals, the same purposes and lifestyles as people in the world. When people see us they should see clearly that we are God’s people….that we are Christians. How can we be such separated, Holy people? Come to Jesus, repent of your sins and accept his blood poured out for you. From that point on decide to live for the glory of Jesus. Then you will come out of Babylon and God’s word and Spirit will help you to continue be outside of Babylon. God tells us to do this because he loves us. Look at verse 4b, “….so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.” God cares about our eternal destiny. He does not want anything to come between us and him. He loves us and does not want to see any of us perish.
Second, we should fight a spiritual battle. Let’s read verse 6, “Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.” This does not mean that we should do acts of violence against things we don’t agree with. No. It means that we should give our hearts all the more to the spiritual battle remembering that “… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We need to put on the full armor of God and fight our enemy the devil through prayer, faith, Bible study, Bible teaching and preaching, disciple raising and serving but mostly by loving our enemy with Christ’s love. (Matt 5:44)
Third we should rejoice. Look at verse 20, “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.” When all of these terrible things are going on it is hard to rejoice. But God tells us to rejoice. Why? According to this passage it is because God has revealed his justice on those who persecuted God’s people. Revelation 19:1-4 reveals the rejoicing that was going on. In these times, we need to rejoice and praise God, even when the cause of evil seems to prosper.
The harlot and the beast all will be fall and be defeated and judged by God. God’s people will triumph because they have remained true to Jesus and the word of God. They did not get intoxicated by the things of the world, rather they gave their hearts to God and they sought first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. The merchants of the earth may have thought they were losers. But Jesus and his people are the true victors. The merchants of the earth will see all of their wealth vanish overnight. In the end they are the foolish ones for compromising their hearts and their faith to acquire a little glory in this world. Jesus tells us a parable in Luke 12. It about the rich ruler. He had lots of grain and wealth and thought that he could take it easy. But do you know what Jesus said to him? In Luke 12:20, God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” Don’t be deceived. Don’t be intoxicated and never stand on the wrong side of God’s judgment. Rather be God’s Holy, separated people. Stand alongside the victorious Lamb of God. Fight the good spiritual fight and rejoice and give thanks that we have been brought into a kingdom that can never perish spoil or fade kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Part l: The Great Prostitute (17:1-6)
1. Who is the Harlot? (5) Describe her? (17:1b, 4, 15, 18) What was she wearing? (4) What was she riding? What was her relationship with the world’s leaders and the people of the world? (2) How was she a bad influence to others? (2,5) How were the people deceived? (6b-7a) Why is it wrong to stand in awe of the things of this world? (Mark 13:1)
2. What was the spiritual condition of the Harlot? (4b-6) What was in the cup she was holding?
3. This Harlot was rich, powerful and influential. What compromises did she make to rise to that stature? (5b-6) How is this related to Jesus’ temptation of Jesus? (Matt 4:8-10) How much are you willing to compromise to achieve riches and power and fame in this world?
Part ll: The Scarlet Beast (17:7-18)
4. Describe the beast. (7,8,15) What are the seven heads? (9,10) What are the ten horns? (12) What is their relationship with the harlot? (3b, 7b, 16) What is their relationship with the beast? (13,17) How did they give their hearts to the beast’s evil influence? What will they do? (16) What does this teach us about relationships and alliances in this world?
5. Why did the people marvel at the beast? (8a) Why were they so easily deceived? (8b) What is the destiny of the beast? (8a, 11b) How can we overcome the beast’s evil influence?
Part lll: Fallen Is Babylon The Great (18:1-
6. Who is Babylon the Great? What made her great? What is it’s spiritual condition? (2b) What is it’s destiny? (16:19a; 2) How did the nation’s compromise with her? (3) What is behind her deceptive power? (23b)
Part lll: Come Out, My People – Rejoice You Saints (18:1-19:4)
7. What do we learn about God? (8, 20b, 19:1-4) How should God’s people respond when faced with these temptations? (4) Why do Christians need to separate from the world? (4b) How can we live as a holy people dedicated to our mighty God?
8. What is another thing that Christians should do? (6) How should we fight back? (Eph 6:12-18; Matt 5:44) What is another thing we must do? (20) Why should we rejoice? (20b, 24, 19:1-4)
9. What must Christians not be deceived by? (3b, 7b, 10a, 11b, 16) Why must we give our hearts to God and not to the things of the world? (14, 10b, 17a; Jn 15:5; Luke 12:20, 1 Peter 1:3-4)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Revelations 16:1-21
The Seven Bowls Of God’s Wrath
The Seven Bowl Judgments (2)
Revelation 16:1-21 Lesson 16
Key Verse 16:15 Shep Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 11-7-10
“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Through our study of the book of Revelation there has been one prevailing theme, throughout…that God longs for the salvation of all people. But they must repent, place all of their hope and trust in Jesus and give glory to God if they are to be saved. But to do so is not so easy. There are so many forces preventing them from doing so, forces from without and within. But despite of their circumstances and condition of heart God keeps on trying all the way to the end. And as a last ditched effort to save some, God sends his wrath. But when the people didn't repent—and continue to curse God, they eventually become too hard-hearted and had to face the complete wrath of God. Indeed, if there is something that we need to open our eyes and see is God’s amazing love. We need to realize that we are all engaged in a spiritual battle against evil. As God’s people, we must fight a good fight, knowing that we are on the winning side. All worldly systems and godless political powers will eventually be destroyed. Jesus will come unexpectedly, like a thief. We must be ready when Jesus comes again.
In our last study in chapter 15, we caught a glimpse of a marvelous sight, heaven was open and John saw a great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues, symbolized by bowls. They were sent forth by God himself to bring about the complete wrath of God on an unrepentant population. In heaven John also saw an image of the throne of God. There was a huge and vast sea of glass that was on fire and around the sea of glass were multitudes of God’s people whose robes were washed white by the blood of Jesus. They were victorious over Satan and they worshipped and praised God who delivered them from the power of sin and death. We thanked God for his grace on each of our lives and we prayed to be able to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb from our own personal experience with the saving grace of our Lord Jesus. Our hearts were also filled with hope that because of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins, we can be filled with a heavenly hope to be gathered around the fiery glassy sea with the rest of the saints of God one glorious day. Is that your hope? It can be when we accept the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and follow him. That is where he is ultimately leading you if you let him.
And so brings us to today’s passage. It is part two of last week’s passage, for we will take a closer look and what the seven plagues, contained in the seven bowls actually were. Let’s see.
Part 1: But They Refused To Repent (1-11)
And so the complete wrath of God began to be poured out. God’s loud command sounded forth from the temple. Look at verse 1. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth.’" No one could alter this command for it was from God himself. Here is the climax of the great tribulation. These wraths of God will be unequal to any other wraths given to humanity in the past. For thousands of years God has been offering grace, mercy, and salvation, but not in this passage. God has been patient with sinful humanity for so long. But enough was enough. The time has come to judge the world. It seems ominous and very scary and it is for those who are on the wrong side of God’s grace. It is great news for the saved ones of God for they would receive justice and they will look forward to the fully established Kingdom of God where every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let’s look at the seven bowl judgments separately.
Bowl #1: Incurable Sores On Those Who Worship The Beast (1-2)
The first plague was a world wide health crisis, a pandemic. Look at verse 2. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” It was like the plague. They experienced unrelenting pain from painful and ugly sores with no relief in sight. Who received these sores? They were the ones who took the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. As you remember, those who didn’t have the mark of the beast could not buy or sell anything. These people gave into the incredible pressure to preserve their own lives and their own well being. They compromised to save themselves. But at what cost? If we did not study the Bible and know God, we too might go after the mark of the beast because it gives instant gratification and security in this world. Those who remain true to Jesus will face many hardships, but they will be saved unto eternal life. Jesus once said, in Mark 8:35, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” This is God’s warning that we should be faithful to our Bible study and prayer life and not be obsessed with saving our lives in this world at the detriment of our relationship with Jesus.
Bowl #2: Death To All Sea Life (3)
The vast storehouse of life and sustenance, the sea, will be destroyed. Look at verse 3. “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” “Like that of a dead man”, means that it was dark red, almost black. When this happened, almost every living thing in the sea died. The whole ocean was a vast red tide, or dead zone. We saw recent pictures of the shoreline of Louisiana after the BP oil spill. Can you picture that the world’s shorelines lined and cluttered with decaying bodies of sea life? In the places where people enjoyed sun tanning, swimming and surfing, there will be an unbearable stench. Since waters are contaminated, people will loose their livelihood. They will go hungry. We think that nothing can ever destroy the seas and oceans. They are too vast. But at God’s command they will changed to blood.
Bowl #3: The Transforming Of All Fresh Water Into Blood (4-7)
The plague of blood will not just be restricted to the salt water. The world’s fresh water will be affected too. Look at verse 4. “The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” Those who lived inland, may have heard the news of the seas being turned to blood and thought to themselves, “Whoa!, I am sad for those coastal people, but I am glad that it is not happening here!” But such people will not escape either. God’s wrath will be on their doorsteps too. The overwhelming red tide will spread to their lakes and rivers. Their drinking water will be contaminated.
We can understand how these people cursed God, because of these plagues. We would do the same thing if it were not for the grace of God on our lives. How did the people of God respond the devastation? Look at verses 5-7. “Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: ‘You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.’ And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments." Christians suffered so much under the reign of beast. The antichrist and his followers shed much blood of those who refused the mark. Many times it seemed that their persecutors got away with it, without having to pay for their crimes. Some were even praised for what they did to Christians. But now the believers knew that God’s complete judgment is in response to these injustices. They were saying, “Good job, Lord. You have brought us justice!” Now they were reaping what they have sown. Those who persecute Jesus and his followers will not get away with anything. Our God is a God of justice. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” We don’t have to seek revenge or become vigilantes. We can wait on God. God’s justice will prevail in the end. We also learn that God’s judgments are fair and just because there is no partiality in God. God was not unreasonable and wrong for what happened. He is the Holy One. Unbelieving people invited the wrath of God upon themselves because they suppressed the truth of God and rebelled against God’s invitation through his Son Jesus. In so many ways we are our worst enemy. It is not God’s doing. The Holy One is always true and just.
Bowl #4: Scorching Through The Sun’s Intensity Radiation (8-9)
This next judgment utilized the intense heat of the sun. Look at verses 8-9. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” In the end times the earth will be like a furnace. 2 Peter 3:10 sheds some light on this. Peter wrote concerning the end times, “…the elements will be destroyed by fire, and everything in it will be laid bare.” This judgment is the greatest heat wave in history. This is the ultimate global warming. The heat is so intense that bodies will be scorched. Mal. 4:1 says, “’Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.’” Some may ask, “How is this possible?” I was told that the earth is in exactly the right place. If it was a little closer to the sun, we would burn up. If it was a little farther away we would freeze. Scientists say that if the sun tilted on its axis, even a few degrees, so that it is leaning closer to the earth, then the earth would be scorched. Because of this amazing catastrophe, we might think that some might come to their senses and repent. But they refused to do so. Instead they cursed the name of God and refused to repent and glorify him. How sad God must have been to see their response.
People need to repent when faced with disasters and hardships of life of any kind. That is the correct, healthy, spiritual response. How should we respond to these catastrophes? One way to respond is to see them as a warning to repent and believe in Jesus and his precious Gospel. God loves us. He does not want to judge anyone and he is patiently waiting for all people to come back to him. But we can never forget that he is holy, righteous, just and eventually will judge people if they refuse to accept the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus. It is our mission to help people to respond properly to the trials and tribulations that come upon them and point them towards a restored relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ died for you and he is standing at the door of your hearts. Please welcome him right now! Raise your hands if you accept Jesus as your Lamb of God who died to take away your sins. Amen!
Bowl #5: The Darkening Of The Beast’s Kingdom (10-11)
The worldly political systems were plunged into deep darkness. Look at verses 10-11. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” It is not clear if this meant spiritual darkness or literal darkness. The beast’s kingdom used to appear powerful and unstoppable. People stood in awe of it. It was a false light. But God reduced it to nothing but a failed state, worse than any failed state today. They were in darkness. This plague is God’s way of saying to the world, “You could have followed the light, the bright morning star, Jesus, but you have chosen darkness and the ruler of darkness, the devil. Now dwell in that darkness.” (John 3:19-20)
BOWL #6: Deception Of The Worldly Kingdoms (12-16)
The lost people of the world will try to fight against Jesus and God’s people. Look at verses 12-14. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” There are two keys points to consider in verse 12. First, the forces of evil will gather to fight against the Lamb. The great river Euphrates was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. This region is in modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria…this is ancient Babylon! The great Euphrates is the water boundary between the Holy Land and Asia to the east. Now the waters of the Euphrates, which stretched for 1,800 miles and was over ½ mile wide and 30 feet deep was dried up for specific reason. It was for the kings from the East to invade. There are so many interpretations of the identity of the kings from the East. The simplest answer is that this refers to kings or rulers from the East who will participate in the final world war. It is a full-scale invasion of the west. 200 million soldiers will be mobilized in this war. (Rev 9:16) This is more than just a human war. Satan, knowing that the second coming of Christ is near, will gather all the military might of the world into the Holy Land to resist the coming of the Son of Man. (Zech 14:4).
Second, there will be widespread deception. In verse 14 we find three evil spirits which appear as frogs. They are demons performing miraculous signs. These three, unholy frogs will feed people’s appetite for miracles. By performing miraculous signs they will deceive nations going throughout the world influencing kings to assemble for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. They will tell them, “You don’t need Jesus. Let’s get rid of this Jesus and his followers once and for all. Our human power and intellect is much more powerful than that of Christ.” But their “human will power” will not work. In the end, the armies from heaven, led by Jesus, will win the final war with these kings of the world. This reminds me of Psalm 2: 1-6, “1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,3 ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’” Today, people are hungry for the miracles. They are easily deceived by humanistic sounding solutions to their life problems. But the only solution is to come to Jesus with humble, repentant and obedient hearts, full of faith. He is the one who is our King and Lord. Jesus is the only way.
How should we respond to such ominous news? Let’s read 15 together, “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.’" In his revelation, John heard the warning message coming from Christ himself. Christ’s return is often compared to the coming of a thief. Do you know when a thief is coming to break into your house? No. If you did you would be waiting there with the police. Likewise we don’t know when Jesus is coming again. He is coming and it will be very abrupt. You also don’t know when trials will come upon you. Nor do you know when your end of life will be. If you think you can be ready when all these things happen, you deceive yourself. Can you be ready when you have a car accident? Can you be ready when a heart attack strikes? Jesus states that we need to be spiritually alert and clothed with Jesus’ righteousness, through faith in his blood. We must not become sleepy or complacent but be alert with prayer and diligent Bible study and sincere faith and so be prepared for the second coming of Jesus. Blessing is promised to the one who stays awake and keeps their robes with them.
Bowl #7: The Destruction Of Babylon (16:17-21)
Look at verses 17-21. “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘It is done! Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.” The last judgment is poured into the atmosphere which is the air. Air is the preferred method of war today. No military force can stop an air strike. The plumes of a volcano shut down the airways of Europe for several weeks this year. Airborne radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor left a huge swath of land uninhabitable in Ukraine. No one can escape. A huge earthquake, the shifting of the earth, will level every major city of the earth. The climax includes the raining down of hailstones weighing over 100 lbs. each!
Verse 17b reads “It is done!” This reminds us of what Jesus said on the cross: “it is finished.” (John 19:30) When Jesus said this he meant that God’s way of salvation is finished. On the cross, God’s perfect mercy and justice meet. When he said, “It is finished.” Jesus was saying that the price for our sins was paid. The shedding of his puree and holy and sinless blood was enough for God to declare to all who come to him, “I totally forgive you. Go now and leave you life of sin.” If it were not for Jesus we would have to pay for our sins. But that would not be enough. Even if we were covered with painful sores, robbed of all sustenance, scorched by the sun, placed in a war zone and had 100 pound pieces of ice thrown on us, we still could not atone for our sins. That is how grievous our sins are to the holy God. Justice could not be paid by us. But by sending Jesus and having him suffer and die in our stead, God’s justice can be met and the Holy God can forgive our sins. It is finished. We can go forward to live a new life as a child of God. Let’s thank God for what he has done for us on the cross. Let’s us come newly to Jesus. Let us pray for those whom God has brought into our lives, by name, so that they may accept Christ as their Savior
In conclusion, we can see that the degree of sin is getting worse and worse. People are rejecting Jesus on a vast scale. This message is God’s message that the end is coming. It is time for us to accept the grace of God upon us and repent of our sins and worship God who is worthy of our honor and respect. Let us be prepared to meet all trials of life with faith. Let us be awake spiritually and be clothed in Jesus’ righteousness and be ready for the great and glorious day of the Lord. .
. Part 1: But They Refused To Repent (1-11)
1. Explained what happened in chapter 15. Who were the people around the glassy sea?
What did the fire represent? Who were the angels? What were they carrying? What did
the bowls represent?
2. How does God pour out the first 3 bowls of his wrath upon the unbelieving world?
(2-4) Who suffered? How do the unbelieving people suffer? Where have we seen this
kind of judgments before? (Ex 7:17-21) Why are God’s judgments just and true?
(6,7,6:10) Why is it wrong to fault God for the things that happen in our lives?
3. When God pours out his 4th bowl, how do the people suffer by the intense heat? (9, 2Pet3:10) How do they respond to God’s judgment?
4. With the 5th bowl, how does God zero in upon the throne of the beast? (10) How is their
agony intensified? (11,9:5)
Part ll: Armageddon (12-21)
5. As the 6th bowl is poured out, how does the devil gather the kings together in preparation for the final battle at Armageddon? (13,14,16, 9:14) Who are the forces of evil fighting against? (20:8)
6. Read vs. 17-21. What does it signify that a voice from the throne says, ‘It is done!’ (17,21:4-6) What happens to the great city Babylon as God pours out his final wrath upon it? (18-21,18:1-24)
7. In light of all that is about to happen what must be our attitude towards Jesus? What
does it mean that Jesus will come like a thief? (15) What does it mean to stay awake
and keep our clothes with us? How can we not go naked and shamefully exposed?
The Seven Bowl Judgments (2)
Revelation 16:1-21 Lesson 16
Key Verse 16:15 Shep Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 11-7-10
“Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Through our study of the book of Revelation there has been one prevailing theme, throughout…that God longs for the salvation of all people. But they must repent, place all of their hope and trust in Jesus and give glory to God if they are to be saved. But to do so is not so easy. There are so many forces preventing them from doing so, forces from without and within. But despite of their circumstances and condition of heart God keeps on trying all the way to the end. And as a last ditched effort to save some, God sends his wrath. But when the people didn't repent—and continue to curse God, they eventually become too hard-hearted and had to face the complete wrath of God. Indeed, if there is something that we need to open our eyes and see is God’s amazing love. We need to realize that we are all engaged in a spiritual battle against evil. As God’s people, we must fight a good fight, knowing that we are on the winning side. All worldly systems and godless political powers will eventually be destroyed. Jesus will come unexpectedly, like a thief. We must be ready when Jesus comes again.
In our last study in chapter 15, we caught a glimpse of a marvelous sight, heaven was open and John saw a great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues, symbolized by bowls. They were sent forth by God himself to bring about the complete wrath of God on an unrepentant population. In heaven John also saw an image of the throne of God. There was a huge and vast sea of glass that was on fire and around the sea of glass were multitudes of God’s people whose robes were washed white by the blood of Jesus. They were victorious over Satan and they worshipped and praised God who delivered them from the power of sin and death. We thanked God for his grace on each of our lives and we prayed to be able to sing the song of Moses and the Lamb from our own personal experience with the saving grace of our Lord Jesus. Our hearts were also filled with hope that because of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins, we can be filled with a heavenly hope to be gathered around the fiery glassy sea with the rest of the saints of God one glorious day. Is that your hope? It can be when we accept the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and follow him. That is where he is ultimately leading you if you let him.
And so brings us to today’s passage. It is part two of last week’s passage, for we will take a closer look and what the seven plagues, contained in the seven bowls actually were. Let’s see.
Part 1: But They Refused To Repent (1-11)
And so the complete wrath of God began to be poured out. God’s loud command sounded forth from the temple. Look at verse 1. “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth.’" No one could alter this command for it was from God himself. Here is the climax of the great tribulation. These wraths of God will be unequal to any other wraths given to humanity in the past. For thousands of years God has been offering grace, mercy, and salvation, but not in this passage. God has been patient with sinful humanity for so long. But enough was enough. The time has come to judge the world. It seems ominous and very scary and it is for those who are on the wrong side of God’s grace. It is great news for the saved ones of God for they would receive justice and they will look forward to the fully established Kingdom of God where every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let’s look at the seven bowl judgments separately.
Bowl #1: Incurable Sores On Those Who Worship The Beast (1-2)
The first plague was a world wide health crisis, a pandemic. Look at verse 2. “The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” It was like the plague. They experienced unrelenting pain from painful and ugly sores with no relief in sight. Who received these sores? They were the ones who took the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. As you remember, those who didn’t have the mark of the beast could not buy or sell anything. These people gave into the incredible pressure to preserve their own lives and their own well being. They compromised to save themselves. But at what cost? If we did not study the Bible and know God, we too might go after the mark of the beast because it gives instant gratification and security in this world. Those who remain true to Jesus will face many hardships, but they will be saved unto eternal life. Jesus once said, in Mark 8:35, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” This is God’s warning that we should be faithful to our Bible study and prayer life and not be obsessed with saving our lives in this world at the detriment of our relationship with Jesus.
Bowl #2: Death To All Sea Life (3)
The vast storehouse of life and sustenance, the sea, will be destroyed. Look at verse 3. “The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.” “Like that of a dead man”, means that it was dark red, almost black. When this happened, almost every living thing in the sea died. The whole ocean was a vast red tide, or dead zone. We saw recent pictures of the shoreline of Louisiana after the BP oil spill. Can you picture that the world’s shorelines lined and cluttered with decaying bodies of sea life? In the places where people enjoyed sun tanning, swimming and surfing, there will be an unbearable stench. Since waters are contaminated, people will loose their livelihood. They will go hungry. We think that nothing can ever destroy the seas and oceans. They are too vast. But at God’s command they will changed to blood.
Bowl #3: The Transforming Of All Fresh Water Into Blood (4-7)
The plague of blood will not just be restricted to the salt water. The world’s fresh water will be affected too. Look at verse 4. “The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.” Those who lived inland, may have heard the news of the seas being turned to blood and thought to themselves, “Whoa!, I am sad for those coastal people, but I am glad that it is not happening here!” But such people will not escape either. God’s wrath will be on their doorsteps too. The overwhelming red tide will spread to their lakes and rivers. Their drinking water will be contaminated.
We can understand how these people cursed God, because of these plagues. We would do the same thing if it were not for the grace of God on our lives. How did the people of God respond the devastation? Look at verses 5-7. “Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: ‘You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.’ And I heard the altar respond: "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments." Christians suffered so much under the reign of beast. The antichrist and his followers shed much blood of those who refused the mark. Many times it seemed that their persecutors got away with it, without having to pay for their crimes. Some were even praised for what they did to Christians. But now the believers knew that God’s complete judgment is in response to these injustices. They were saying, “Good job, Lord. You have brought us justice!” Now they were reaping what they have sown. Those who persecute Jesus and his followers will not get away with anything. Our God is a God of justice. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” We don’t have to seek revenge or become vigilantes. We can wait on God. God’s justice will prevail in the end. We also learn that God’s judgments are fair and just because there is no partiality in God. God was not unreasonable and wrong for what happened. He is the Holy One. Unbelieving people invited the wrath of God upon themselves because they suppressed the truth of God and rebelled against God’s invitation through his Son Jesus. In so many ways we are our worst enemy. It is not God’s doing. The Holy One is always true and just.
Bowl #4: Scorching Through The Sun’s Intensity Radiation (8-9)
This next judgment utilized the intense heat of the sun. Look at verses 8-9. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” In the end times the earth will be like a furnace. 2 Peter 3:10 sheds some light on this. Peter wrote concerning the end times, “…the elements will be destroyed by fire, and everything in it will be laid bare.” This judgment is the greatest heat wave in history. This is the ultimate global warming. The heat is so intense that bodies will be scorched. Mal. 4:1 says, “’Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them.’” Some may ask, “How is this possible?” I was told that the earth is in exactly the right place. If it was a little closer to the sun, we would burn up. If it was a little farther away we would freeze. Scientists say that if the sun tilted on its axis, even a few degrees, so that it is leaning closer to the earth, then the earth would be scorched. Because of this amazing catastrophe, we might think that some might come to their senses and repent. But they refused to do so. Instead they cursed the name of God and refused to repent and glorify him. How sad God must have been to see their response.
People need to repent when faced with disasters and hardships of life of any kind. That is the correct, healthy, spiritual response. How should we respond to these catastrophes? One way to respond is to see them as a warning to repent and believe in Jesus and his precious Gospel. God loves us. He does not want to judge anyone and he is patiently waiting for all people to come back to him. But we can never forget that he is holy, righteous, just and eventually will judge people if they refuse to accept the Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus. It is our mission to help people to respond properly to the trials and tribulations that come upon them and point them towards a restored relationship with Jesus Christ. Christ died for you and he is standing at the door of your hearts. Please welcome him right now! Raise your hands if you accept Jesus as your Lamb of God who died to take away your sins. Amen!
Bowl #5: The Darkening Of The Beast’s Kingdom (10-11)
The worldly political systems were plunged into deep darkness. Look at verses 10-11. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.” It is not clear if this meant spiritual darkness or literal darkness. The beast’s kingdom used to appear powerful and unstoppable. People stood in awe of it. It was a false light. But God reduced it to nothing but a failed state, worse than any failed state today. They were in darkness. This plague is God’s way of saying to the world, “You could have followed the light, the bright morning star, Jesus, but you have chosen darkness and the ruler of darkness, the devil. Now dwell in that darkness.” (John 3:19-20)
BOWL #6: Deception Of The Worldly Kingdoms (12-16)
The lost people of the world will try to fight against Jesus and God’s people. Look at verses 12-14. “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.” There are two keys points to consider in verse 12. First, the forces of evil will gather to fight against the Lamb. The great river Euphrates was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. This region is in modern-day Iraq, Iran, Syria…this is ancient Babylon! The great Euphrates is the water boundary between the Holy Land and Asia to the east. Now the waters of the Euphrates, which stretched for 1,800 miles and was over ½ mile wide and 30 feet deep was dried up for specific reason. It was for the kings from the East to invade. There are so many interpretations of the identity of the kings from the East. The simplest answer is that this refers to kings or rulers from the East who will participate in the final world war. It is a full-scale invasion of the west. 200 million soldiers will be mobilized in this war. (Rev 9:16) This is more than just a human war. Satan, knowing that the second coming of Christ is near, will gather all the military might of the world into the Holy Land to resist the coming of the Son of Man. (Zech 14:4).
Second, there will be widespread deception. In verse 14 we find three evil spirits which appear as frogs. They are demons performing miraculous signs. These three, unholy frogs will feed people’s appetite for miracles. By performing miraculous signs they will deceive nations going throughout the world influencing kings to assemble for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. They will tell them, “You don’t need Jesus. Let’s get rid of this Jesus and his followers once and for all. Our human power and intellect is much more powerful than that of Christ.” But their “human will power” will not work. In the end, the armies from heaven, led by Jesus, will win the final war with these kings of the world. This reminds me of Psalm 2: 1-6, “1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,3 ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. 5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’” Today, people are hungry for the miracles. They are easily deceived by humanistic sounding solutions to their life problems. But the only solution is to come to Jesus with humble, repentant and obedient hearts, full of faith. He is the one who is our King and Lord. Jesus is the only way.
How should we respond to such ominous news? Let’s read 15 together, “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.’" In his revelation, John heard the warning message coming from Christ himself. Christ’s return is often compared to the coming of a thief. Do you know when a thief is coming to break into your house? No. If you did you would be waiting there with the police. Likewise we don’t know when Jesus is coming again. He is coming and it will be very abrupt. You also don’t know when trials will come upon you. Nor do you know when your end of life will be. If you think you can be ready when all these things happen, you deceive yourself. Can you be ready when you have a car accident? Can you be ready when a heart attack strikes? Jesus states that we need to be spiritually alert and clothed with Jesus’ righteousness, through faith in his blood. We must not become sleepy or complacent but be alert with prayer and diligent Bible study and sincere faith and so be prepared for the second coming of Jesus. Blessing is promised to the one who stays awake and keeps their robes with them.
Bowl #7: The Destruction Of Babylon (16:17-21)
Look at verses 17-21. “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘It is done! Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.” The last judgment is poured into the atmosphere which is the air. Air is the preferred method of war today. No military force can stop an air strike. The plumes of a volcano shut down the airways of Europe for several weeks this year. Airborne radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor left a huge swath of land uninhabitable in Ukraine. No one can escape. A huge earthquake, the shifting of the earth, will level every major city of the earth. The climax includes the raining down of hailstones weighing over 100 lbs. each!
Verse 17b reads “It is done!” This reminds us of what Jesus said on the cross: “it is finished.” (John 19:30) When Jesus said this he meant that God’s way of salvation is finished. On the cross, God’s perfect mercy and justice meet. When he said, “It is finished.” Jesus was saying that the price for our sins was paid. The shedding of his puree and holy and sinless blood was enough for God to declare to all who come to him, “I totally forgive you. Go now and leave you life of sin.” If it were not for Jesus we would have to pay for our sins. But that would not be enough. Even if we were covered with painful sores, robbed of all sustenance, scorched by the sun, placed in a war zone and had 100 pound pieces of ice thrown on us, we still could not atone for our sins. That is how grievous our sins are to the holy God. Justice could not be paid by us. But by sending Jesus and having him suffer and die in our stead, God’s justice can be met and the Holy God can forgive our sins. It is finished. We can go forward to live a new life as a child of God. Let’s thank God for what he has done for us on the cross. Let’s us come newly to Jesus. Let us pray for those whom God has brought into our lives, by name, so that they may accept Christ as their Savior
In conclusion, we can see that the degree of sin is getting worse and worse. People are rejecting Jesus on a vast scale. This message is God’s message that the end is coming. It is time for us to accept the grace of God upon us and repent of our sins and worship God who is worthy of our honor and respect. Let us be prepared to meet all trials of life with faith. Let us be awake spiritually and be clothed in Jesus’ righteousness and be ready for the great and glorious day of the Lord. .
. Part 1: But They Refused To Repent (1-11)
1. Explained what happened in chapter 15. Who were the people around the glassy sea?
What did the fire represent? Who were the angels? What were they carrying? What did
the bowls represent?
2. How does God pour out the first 3 bowls of his wrath upon the unbelieving world?
(2-4) Who suffered? How do the unbelieving people suffer? Where have we seen this
kind of judgments before? (Ex 7:17-21) Why are God’s judgments just and true?
(6,7,6:10) Why is it wrong to fault God for the things that happen in our lives?
3. When God pours out his 4th bowl, how do the people suffer by the intense heat? (9, 2Pet3:10) How do they respond to God’s judgment?
4. With the 5th bowl, how does God zero in upon the throne of the beast? (10) How is their
agony intensified? (11,9:5)
Part ll: Armageddon (12-21)
5. As the 6th bowl is poured out, how does the devil gather the kings together in preparation for the final battle at Armageddon? (13,14,16, 9:14) Who are the forces of evil fighting against? (20:8)
6. Read vs. 17-21. What does it signify that a voice from the throne says, ‘It is done!’ (17,21:4-6) What happens to the great city Babylon as God pours out his final wrath upon it? (18-21,18:1-24)
7. In light of all that is about to happen what must be our attitude towards Jesus? What
does it mean that Jesus will come like a thief? (15) What does it mean to stay awake
and keep our clothes with us? How can we not go naked and shamefully exposed?
Revelation 15:1-8
The Song Of Moses And The Lamb
The Seven Bowl Judgments (1)
Revelation 15:1-8 Lesson 15
Key verse: 15:3 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-10-10
“3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.”
In this passage we find seven angels with the seven last plagues. They came out of the Most Holy Place, the throne room of God in heaven. Their intent was to complete God's wrath on unrepentant humanity. This will be the final outpouring of God's righteous judgment on all those who have rejected his mercy and followed the broad way of the devil. Those who had been victorious over the beast and his image held harps given them by God. They praised God with the song of Moses and the Lamb. They praise God because all nations will come and worship the Lord God. They praised him for he alone is holy and worthy to be worshiped. Through our study of this passage, may we determine never to compromise our faith with the beast, but remain faithful to Jesus and be one of the multitude who sings the song of Moses and the Lamb. May we know what these songs are from personal experience. May we share in God’s vision that all nations may worship the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
Part 1: The Seven Angels Holding The Seven Bowls (1, 5-8)
This passage begins with the introduction of seven angels holding the seven last plagues. Look at verse 1,“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed.“ These seven last plagues were contained in seven bowls. (15:7) These seven bowls have been compared to the seven trumpets. (Rev 8:2) They were both dealing with the wrath of God. But the trumpets signaled the outpouring out of God’s wrath that brought only 1/3 destruction on the unrepentant populace. The land, the sea and the cities were only 1/3 destroyed. That means 2/3 were not. There was a chance for these people to repent and rebuild their lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. There would be a chance to start again, if only they would come to Jesus with humble and contrite hearts. Surprisingly most people did not see this as an opportunity provided them by God. Instead of repenting and coming to God for his forgiveness and make a new start, they became more bitter and continued in their rebellion against the Lamb of God. But now, in this passage God’s wrath is not going to be 33% but 100%! It is going to be complete. There is no partial wrath of God this time. The time for repentance would be over.
This theme is found throughout the Bible. We see it in the time of Noah. When Noah built the ark, God brought all the animals and they entered the ark. Noah’s wife and his three sons their wives entered the ark also. The rains came and the waters rose. There was still time for someone else to be saved if they humbly came to Noah and pleaded to enter the ark. But they did not. They were all panicking and cursing God. Then one day something happened. The doors of the ark closed and shut Noah’s family in. (Gen 7:16) At that time, anyone who was in the ark was saved and those outside perished. Those who tried to save themselves might hold onto the rigging of the ship or sit on the roof of the ark. But eventually they would be tossed into the raging sea and perish. The point is that there is time when God’s wrath will be completed. There is a time when the door to paradise will be shut. For most of us it will when we close our eyes in death. Do not wait. It may be when Jesus comes again in glory. Let us come to Jesus today, while we can, while the way of faith and grace and God’s love is wide open for us to enter.
In verses 5-7, we can learn some spiritual things from these angels. Let’s read those verses together. “ 5After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.” First, we can see that these angels were in the presence of God. They came forth from the throne of God. They were dressed in clean, shining linen revealing the pure and holy purpose of their mission. They wore golden sashes around them, bringing to mind images of the priesthood. These angels were serving a holy purpose. What purpose were they serving? They were facilitating this upcoming complete destruction from God. Some may be shocked by that statement. Some are tempted to think “How could God allow this? God would never bring about this type of complete destruction. ” We tend to think only blessings come from God. But in the Book of Revelation we see that severe trials may be part of God’s divine purpose. We just need eyes to see what God is doing. In this passage, we see that these severe trials were a call to repentance.
Second, there was teamwork in heaven. Look at verse 7 again. “Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.” The seven creatures around the throne gave the bowls to the angels. God never gave them. The angels never picked them up themselves. So what are the living creatures and the angels doing? They are co-working together to serve God’s purpose. There is teamwork going on in heaven in order for God’s will to be accomplished. I thank God for co working in the work of God. In the recent Chicago Harvest Crusade there was co-working between over 200 churches. UBF co-worked. I thank God for our co-working with Triton in the Men’s and Women’s Biblical Purity Conferences. I also thank God for our co-working with DuPage UBF and DeKalb Christian Church with their Open Mic Night. The work of God can not go on without close co-working among sister churches, other area churches and between individuals. That’s an important message to God’s people living in an individualistic society.
Part ll: The Saints Around The Fiery Glassy Sea (2a)
In John’s vision we see what is going on around the throne of God. Let’s read verses 2, “And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God” This sea of glass is a vision of the throne of God. It is shown in several other areas of the Bible. Exodus 24:10 reads, “and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.” Ezekiel 1:22 reads, “Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome.” This “sea” in heaven was represented by a bronze sea that was present in the temple. It was made of bronze and was like a shallow pool where ceremonial cleansing took place. (Ex 30:17-21; 2 Kings 25:13; 1 Chronicles 18:8) But there was something different in this sea, in the vision of John. This sea was on fire and the saints of God were surrounding this sea.
In the Bible one of the purposes of the fire is to purify. Gold is purified by fire. It is made molten and the impurities float to the top and they are skimmed off and the remaining gold is made pure. These saints of God experienced much persecution and hardships before they could stand before the throne of God. It was like a purifying fire. Revelation 12:11 reads, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” These sincere believers held onto the grace of Jesus. They advertised their testimony about Jesus to a hostile world. They did not deny Jesus in the face of intense persecution. Revelation 13:10 reads, “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Some went into prison. Some were killed. When everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, was forced to receive a mark of the beast (Rev 13:16) they refused. They could not buy of sell. They could not buy food for their hungry kids. They couldn’t buy gas to get to work. They were singled out for persecution. They were patient and endured all of their sufferings with faith. They could do so because they trusted God’s sovereignty and remained faithful to Jesus Christ.
We may think, “How could God subject his holy people to such hardships?” Some people get bitter at God’s training and divine discipline on their lives. It is because they have a wrong perception of what is happening in their lives. They also don’t understand how God works. And so they suffer inwardly not knowing what is going on. But we can understand when we think of these hardships as God’s purifying and refining fire. God is refining you as pure gold. Malachi 3:2-4 reads, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.” Do you see God’s hand at work in your life? How do you respond to trials? Do you know that God is helping you to stand as one of his holy people in this world, starting in our schools and among our peers and co-workers? Let’s accept all of our school struggles, financial struggles relational struggles and spiritual struggles, as God’s love for he is refining us as pure gold. May we all be one of the purified saints gathered around the throne of heaven!
Part ll: The Songs Of Moses And The Lamb (2b-4)
What were these purified and refined saints of God doing around this fiery sea of glass? Were they making Smores? Let’s read verse 2b-3a all together. “…They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:…” They were praising God with their musical talents and singing hymns and worship songs. They had their favorite ones, the Song of Moses and The Song of The Lamb. The song of Moses is revealed in Exodus 15:1-17. We are not going to read it now. The song of Moses was as song of deliverance. God had called his people out of slavery in Egypt. God raised up Moses as their deliverer. God sent the plagues and swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea after the Israelites crossed it. He gave his people victory over a world superpower. He then delivered them from their slave culture and mentality and raised them up to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation so that they could reveal the praises of Him who called them out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
We are not sure what the Song of the Lamb was. But it too must have been a deliverance song. Jesus came to this world as a humble servant. He loved sinners. He touched lepers and healed them. He drove evil spirits out of demon possessed people. He made the blind see and the lame walk. He strengthened bruised reeds and fanned into flames smoldering wicks. Not only that, he taught about the kingdom of God day after day. He raised disciples. He subjected himself to the way of the cross and suffered a most cruel death. He shed his blood for us so that we can be forgiven and delivered from the power of sin and death. He rose from the dead to give us a living hope in the kingdom of God. Now, anyone who repents of their sins and accepts God’s forgiveness based on Jesus shed blood is forgiven. Something supernatural happens in their hearts. They become children of God. They are citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom and they are delivered from their bondage to sin. They have a new hope and a new life direction. They have strength to get up from their mats and leave their lives of sin and live for the glory of God. This is the deliverance that Jesus brings. There is a verse in one hymn, “Angels can not sing it, this song of joy and freedom. Mortals only know it, the ransomed and the free.” This is the theme and the contents of the song of the Lamb. We need to be able to sing the song of deliverance, even now. We need to know the deep grace of Jesus. How has Jesus delivered you in the past? How is he delivering and keeping you now? How will he deliver you in the future? How has he healed you and made you into a new creation? How has he set you free from the power of sin and death? I hope that all of you may be able to sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb from your hearts, from personal experience.
The short ditty recorded in this passage gives us the essence the songs that were sung around the throne of God. Let’s read verses 3b and 4, “ "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." These believers did not doubt God’s love nor did they question his judgment. When they knew the grace of God, they could have eyes to see that God’s ways, all of them, are true and just. They accepted God sovereignty, that he is the King of kings. They also could see the ultimate goal of God’s deliverance and saving grace in their lives. It is to bring glory to Jesus and for all nations to come and worship the Lamb of God. Sometimes our worship gets self centered. We think about God’s love to us and about how God wants to bless us. Yes God loves you. Yes he cares for you. But he has a higher goal than your own personal salvation. He wants to reveal his glory through your deliverance and through you he wants to help others to come to him and worship him. Let us pray that students at Triton, DuPage and NIU can come to Jesus and worship him as we share the gospel of God’s grace and deliverance to them.
Part lll: Standing In The Presence Of God
In this passage are further images of the temple. Look at verse 5, “After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened.” The tabernacle of the testimony is the Greek translation for the tent of meeting. The tabernacle was the tent that the Israelites worshipped in for about 450 years. It was portable and had walls made up of the skins of sea cows. In Samuel’s time (around 1100 B.C.) it was set up at Shiloh. It was were the priests made sacrifices and offered up prayers. It was where the ark of God was. Only the priests could enter into the inner sanctums of the tabernacle for this is where then Holy of holies dwelt. John’s vision was referring to this.
God’s purpose was set. Look at verse 8, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” God is glorious, all-powerful and almighty. No one could enter the temple until the complete plagues were poured out. In short, when God’s justice was satisfied then people could enter in God’s holy presence.
We learn something very important about God. God is holy. He is just. He loves us but he can not just let sin go unpunished. His righteousness and holiness demands that sin must be paid …paid for by the shedding of blood. That is what the whole sacrificial system, established in the Old Testament, was trying to tell us. We should pay the penalty for the crimes we have committed against God though the shedding of our blood. That is how serious sin is. We should be in Jesus’ place because of our sins. But Jesus shed his pure and holy blood on the cross for us. He bore in his body the punishment that was due us because of sins. Because Jesus blood was sinless, pure and holy, the shedding of his blood satisfies God justice and righteousness. He can now say, “I forgive you my child.” God can forgive the lowliest of sinners now and yet not compromise his holiness for the price has been paid. When Jesus died on the cross the curtain to the temple as torn in two from top to bottom .The way to the holy of holies was open wide. Now we can freely come before God. We can pray. We can ask questions and receive his counsel. We can just rest in his presence and his love. Those who have tasted God’s deliverance can stand before the throne of God and come to God just as they are. That is the basis of these saints standing around the fiery sea at the throne of God. That is our basis for coming to Jesus even today. Thank God for completely satisfying his justice through the blood Jesus and allowing us to enter into his presence. May your hearts be filled with a burning desire to stand before God’s holy presence both now and into eternity!
In today’s passage we learned from the angel’s how to serve God’s mission, with holy dedication and by co-working with others. We also discovered the purpose of many of our trials of life. They are there to refine our faith as pure gold. Most of all we learn the importance of knowing about God’s deliverance in our lives from personal experience. If you can not sing this song from personal experience, ask God to reveal it to you. It is imperative that you know the deep grace of God personally. And finally let our hearts be filled with a heavenly hope to be with the rest of God’s people, around his throne, praising him and worshipping him throughout eternity.
Part 1: The Seven Angels Holding The Seven Bowls (1, 5-8)
1 . What were the seven angels assigned to do? (1) Why were these plagues going to be “last’?
Compare with the seven trumpets? (8:7) Why did God hold back then and not now? (Gen
7:16)
2. Read vs. 5-8. What does it show that the seven angels with the seven plagues come out of the
temple? (6) What does it signify that they wear golden sashes and are given the seven golden
bowls? (7)
Part ll: The Song Of The Lamb (2-4)
3. Describe the crystal sea. (2-4; Exod. 24:10; Ezek. 1:22) Where have we seen such imagery before? (Rev 4:6) Why was the sea burning? What did the victorious believers do? (2) How could they overcome the furious persecution of the beasts and his image? (12:11, 13:10)
4. What songs did they sing? What did the song of Moses celebrate? (4; Ex 15:1-21) Is this song the actual song of Moses? What could the song of the Lamb be? How is God delivering you now? What can we learn about God’s judgment from their singing? (3,4) What will be the results of God’s judgment? (4b)
5. What is the tabernacle of the tent of the Testimony? (5; Ex 40:34-35) Why must the seven plagues be poured out? (6-8) What does it mean for believers to be able to enter this heavenly temple? (8)
The Seven Bowl Judgments (1)
Revelation 15:1-8 Lesson 15
Key verse: 15:3 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-10-10
“3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.”
In this passage we find seven angels with the seven last plagues. They came out of the Most Holy Place, the throne room of God in heaven. Their intent was to complete God's wrath on unrepentant humanity. This will be the final outpouring of God's righteous judgment on all those who have rejected his mercy and followed the broad way of the devil. Those who had been victorious over the beast and his image held harps given them by God. They praised God with the song of Moses and the Lamb. They praise God because all nations will come and worship the Lord God. They praised him for he alone is holy and worthy to be worshiped. Through our study of this passage, may we determine never to compromise our faith with the beast, but remain faithful to Jesus and be one of the multitude who sings the song of Moses and the Lamb. May we know what these songs are from personal experience. May we share in God’s vision that all nations may worship the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
Part 1: The Seven Angels Holding The Seven Bowls (1, 5-8)
This passage begins with the introduction of seven angels holding the seven last plagues. Look at verse 1,“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed.“ These seven last plagues were contained in seven bowls. (15:7) These seven bowls have been compared to the seven trumpets. (Rev 8:2) They were both dealing with the wrath of God. But the trumpets signaled the outpouring out of God’s wrath that brought only 1/3 destruction on the unrepentant populace. The land, the sea and the cities were only 1/3 destroyed. That means 2/3 were not. There was a chance for these people to repent and rebuild their lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. There would be a chance to start again, if only they would come to Jesus with humble and contrite hearts. Surprisingly most people did not see this as an opportunity provided them by God. Instead of repenting and coming to God for his forgiveness and make a new start, they became more bitter and continued in their rebellion against the Lamb of God. But now, in this passage God’s wrath is not going to be 33% but 100%! It is going to be complete. There is no partial wrath of God this time. The time for repentance would be over.
This theme is found throughout the Bible. We see it in the time of Noah. When Noah built the ark, God brought all the animals and they entered the ark. Noah’s wife and his three sons their wives entered the ark also. The rains came and the waters rose. There was still time for someone else to be saved if they humbly came to Noah and pleaded to enter the ark. But they did not. They were all panicking and cursing God. Then one day something happened. The doors of the ark closed and shut Noah’s family in. (Gen 7:16) At that time, anyone who was in the ark was saved and those outside perished. Those who tried to save themselves might hold onto the rigging of the ship or sit on the roof of the ark. But eventually they would be tossed into the raging sea and perish. The point is that there is time when God’s wrath will be completed. There is a time when the door to paradise will be shut. For most of us it will when we close our eyes in death. Do not wait. It may be when Jesus comes again in glory. Let us come to Jesus today, while we can, while the way of faith and grace and God’s love is wide open for us to enter.
In verses 5-7, we can learn some spiritual things from these angels. Let’s read those verses together. “ 5After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. 6Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. 7Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.” First, we can see that these angels were in the presence of God. They came forth from the throne of God. They were dressed in clean, shining linen revealing the pure and holy purpose of their mission. They wore golden sashes around them, bringing to mind images of the priesthood. These angels were serving a holy purpose. What purpose were they serving? They were facilitating this upcoming complete destruction from God. Some may be shocked by that statement. Some are tempted to think “How could God allow this? God would never bring about this type of complete destruction. ” We tend to think only blessings come from God. But in the Book of Revelation we see that severe trials may be part of God’s divine purpose. We just need eyes to see what God is doing. In this passage, we see that these severe trials were a call to repentance.
Second, there was teamwork in heaven. Look at verse 7 again. “Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.” The seven creatures around the throne gave the bowls to the angels. God never gave them. The angels never picked them up themselves. So what are the living creatures and the angels doing? They are co-working together to serve God’s purpose. There is teamwork going on in heaven in order for God’s will to be accomplished. I thank God for co working in the work of God. In the recent Chicago Harvest Crusade there was co-working between over 200 churches. UBF co-worked. I thank God for our co-working with Triton in the Men’s and Women’s Biblical Purity Conferences. I also thank God for our co-working with DuPage UBF and DeKalb Christian Church with their Open Mic Night. The work of God can not go on without close co-working among sister churches, other area churches and between individuals. That’s an important message to God’s people living in an individualistic society.
Part ll: The Saints Around The Fiery Glassy Sea (2a)
In John’s vision we see what is going on around the throne of God. Let’s read verses 2, “And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God” This sea of glass is a vision of the throne of God. It is shown in several other areas of the Bible. Exodus 24:10 reads, “and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.” Ezekiel 1:22 reads, “Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome.” This “sea” in heaven was represented by a bronze sea that was present in the temple. It was made of bronze and was like a shallow pool where ceremonial cleansing took place. (Ex 30:17-21; 2 Kings 25:13; 1 Chronicles 18:8) But there was something different in this sea, in the vision of John. This sea was on fire and the saints of God were surrounding this sea.
In the Bible one of the purposes of the fire is to purify. Gold is purified by fire. It is made molten and the impurities float to the top and they are skimmed off and the remaining gold is made pure. These saints of God experienced much persecution and hardships before they could stand before the throne of God. It was like a purifying fire. Revelation 12:11 reads, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” These sincere believers held onto the grace of Jesus. They advertised their testimony about Jesus to a hostile world. They did not deny Jesus in the face of intense persecution. Revelation 13:10 reads, “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Some went into prison. Some were killed. When everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, was forced to receive a mark of the beast (Rev 13:16) they refused. They could not buy of sell. They could not buy food for their hungry kids. They couldn’t buy gas to get to work. They were singled out for persecution. They were patient and endured all of their sufferings with faith. They could do so because they trusted God’s sovereignty and remained faithful to Jesus Christ.
We may think, “How could God subject his holy people to such hardships?” Some people get bitter at God’s training and divine discipline on their lives. It is because they have a wrong perception of what is happening in their lives. They also don’t understand how God works. And so they suffer inwardly not knowing what is going on. But we can understand when we think of these hardships as God’s purifying and refining fire. God is refining you as pure gold. Malachi 3:2-4 reads, “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.” Do you see God’s hand at work in your life? How do you respond to trials? Do you know that God is helping you to stand as one of his holy people in this world, starting in our schools and among our peers and co-workers? Let’s accept all of our school struggles, financial struggles relational struggles and spiritual struggles, as God’s love for he is refining us as pure gold. May we all be one of the purified saints gathered around the throne of heaven!
Part ll: The Songs Of Moses And The Lamb (2b-4)
What were these purified and refined saints of God doing around this fiery sea of glass? Were they making Smores? Let’s read verse 2b-3a all together. “…They held harps given them by God 3and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:…” They were praising God with their musical talents and singing hymns and worship songs. They had their favorite ones, the Song of Moses and The Song of The Lamb. The song of Moses is revealed in Exodus 15:1-17. We are not going to read it now. The song of Moses was as song of deliverance. God had called his people out of slavery in Egypt. God raised up Moses as their deliverer. God sent the plagues and swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea after the Israelites crossed it. He gave his people victory over a world superpower. He then delivered them from their slave culture and mentality and raised them up to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation so that they could reveal the praises of Him who called them out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
We are not sure what the Song of the Lamb was. But it too must have been a deliverance song. Jesus came to this world as a humble servant. He loved sinners. He touched lepers and healed them. He drove evil spirits out of demon possessed people. He made the blind see and the lame walk. He strengthened bruised reeds and fanned into flames smoldering wicks. Not only that, he taught about the kingdom of God day after day. He raised disciples. He subjected himself to the way of the cross and suffered a most cruel death. He shed his blood for us so that we can be forgiven and delivered from the power of sin and death. He rose from the dead to give us a living hope in the kingdom of God. Now, anyone who repents of their sins and accepts God’s forgiveness based on Jesus shed blood is forgiven. Something supernatural happens in their hearts. They become children of God. They are citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom and they are delivered from their bondage to sin. They have a new hope and a new life direction. They have strength to get up from their mats and leave their lives of sin and live for the glory of God. This is the deliverance that Jesus brings. There is a verse in one hymn, “Angels can not sing it, this song of joy and freedom. Mortals only know it, the ransomed and the free.” This is the theme and the contents of the song of the Lamb. We need to be able to sing the song of deliverance, even now. We need to know the deep grace of Jesus. How has Jesus delivered you in the past? How is he delivering and keeping you now? How will he deliver you in the future? How has he healed you and made you into a new creation? How has he set you free from the power of sin and death? I hope that all of you may be able to sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb from your hearts, from personal experience.
The short ditty recorded in this passage gives us the essence the songs that were sung around the throne of God. Let’s read verses 3b and 4, “ "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. 4Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." These believers did not doubt God’s love nor did they question his judgment. When they knew the grace of God, they could have eyes to see that God’s ways, all of them, are true and just. They accepted God sovereignty, that he is the King of kings. They also could see the ultimate goal of God’s deliverance and saving grace in their lives. It is to bring glory to Jesus and for all nations to come and worship the Lamb of God. Sometimes our worship gets self centered. We think about God’s love to us and about how God wants to bless us. Yes God loves you. Yes he cares for you. But he has a higher goal than your own personal salvation. He wants to reveal his glory through your deliverance and through you he wants to help others to come to him and worship him. Let us pray that students at Triton, DuPage and NIU can come to Jesus and worship him as we share the gospel of God’s grace and deliverance to them.
Part lll: Standing In The Presence Of God
In this passage are further images of the temple. Look at verse 5, “After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened.” The tabernacle of the testimony is the Greek translation for the tent of meeting. The tabernacle was the tent that the Israelites worshipped in for about 450 years. It was portable and had walls made up of the skins of sea cows. In Samuel’s time (around 1100 B.C.) it was set up at Shiloh. It was were the priests made sacrifices and offered up prayers. It was where the ark of God was. Only the priests could enter into the inner sanctums of the tabernacle for this is where then Holy of holies dwelt. John’s vision was referring to this.
God’s purpose was set. Look at verse 8, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” God is glorious, all-powerful and almighty. No one could enter the temple until the complete plagues were poured out. In short, when God’s justice was satisfied then people could enter in God’s holy presence.
We learn something very important about God. God is holy. He is just. He loves us but he can not just let sin go unpunished. His righteousness and holiness demands that sin must be paid …paid for by the shedding of blood. That is what the whole sacrificial system, established in the Old Testament, was trying to tell us. We should pay the penalty for the crimes we have committed against God though the shedding of our blood. That is how serious sin is. We should be in Jesus’ place because of our sins. But Jesus shed his pure and holy blood on the cross for us. He bore in his body the punishment that was due us because of sins. Because Jesus blood was sinless, pure and holy, the shedding of his blood satisfies God justice and righteousness. He can now say, “I forgive you my child.” God can forgive the lowliest of sinners now and yet not compromise his holiness for the price has been paid. When Jesus died on the cross the curtain to the temple as torn in two from top to bottom .The way to the holy of holies was open wide. Now we can freely come before God. We can pray. We can ask questions and receive his counsel. We can just rest in his presence and his love. Those who have tasted God’s deliverance can stand before the throne of God and come to God just as they are. That is the basis of these saints standing around the fiery sea at the throne of God. That is our basis for coming to Jesus even today. Thank God for completely satisfying his justice through the blood Jesus and allowing us to enter into his presence. May your hearts be filled with a burning desire to stand before God’s holy presence both now and into eternity!
In today’s passage we learned from the angel’s how to serve God’s mission, with holy dedication and by co-working with others. We also discovered the purpose of many of our trials of life. They are there to refine our faith as pure gold. Most of all we learn the importance of knowing about God’s deliverance in our lives from personal experience. If you can not sing this song from personal experience, ask God to reveal it to you. It is imperative that you know the deep grace of God personally. And finally let our hearts be filled with a heavenly hope to be with the rest of God’s people, around his throne, praising him and worshipping him throughout eternity.
Part 1: The Seven Angels Holding The Seven Bowls (1, 5-8)
1 . What were the seven angels assigned to do? (1) Why were these plagues going to be “last’?
Compare with the seven trumpets? (8:7) Why did God hold back then and not now? (Gen
7:16)
2. Read vs. 5-8. What does it show that the seven angels with the seven plagues come out of the
temple? (6) What does it signify that they wear golden sashes and are given the seven golden
bowls? (7)
Part ll: The Song Of The Lamb (2-4)
3. Describe the crystal sea. (2-4; Exod. 24:10; Ezek. 1:22) Where have we seen such imagery before? (Rev 4:6) Why was the sea burning? What did the victorious believers do? (2) How could they overcome the furious persecution of the beasts and his image? (12:11, 13:10)
4. What songs did they sing? What did the song of Moses celebrate? (4; Ex 15:1-21) Is this song the actual song of Moses? What could the song of the Lamb be? How is God delivering you now? What can we learn about God’s judgment from their singing? (3,4) What will be the results of God’s judgment? (4b)
5. What is the tabernacle of the tent of the Testimony? (5; Ex 40:34-35) Why must the seven plagues be poured out? (6-8) What does it mean for believers to be able to enter this heavenly temple? (8)
Monday, November 1, 2010
2 Samuel 23:1-39
David’s Mighty Men
2 Samuel 23: 1-39
Key verse 23:17 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-31-10
17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.”
I just came back from the Leadership development workshop at Wonderland Camp in Camp Lake Wisconsin. There we studied about how God established King David as a shepherd King for all of Israel. He became an example of a king who ruled his people with the shepherd heart of God. At the end of 2 Samuel there is a chapter concerning David’s mighty men. I was so inspired by these men. I admire movies like Brave heart and Gladiator. These men are like Jewish Wallace’s or brave hearts. I like them. I always wanted to take a closer look at them with a prayer that God may help me grow as a might man and also that God may raise up mighty men and woman who can fight valiantly, the spiritual battle for the glory of God. May God plant in your heart vision to be a might man or woman of God for our nation in this generation. We would all like to have co-workers like these mighty men around us? Don’t we? Who doesn’t? We have prayed the prayer, “Lord of the harvest, send out workers into our harvest field?” We expect mighty warriors of faith to come marching through the doors of our church and take their places among the pews. Well they do not come so easy and we will see why in our story of David and his mighty men.
Part l: David Becomes The Leader of Outcasts (21:1-22:2)
Who were these mighty men? And how did David find such good co-workers? Our story about David’s mighty men, begins two decades previous, when he begins to flee from Saul. Saul was jealous of David because he was so successful. He wanted to kill David. But time and again God protected David. Once, through Saul’s son Jonathan, David was able to escape Saul’s murderous plots. David began his life as a fugitive. First of all David went to Nob where Ahimelech, the priest provided David and his men some bread and also the sword of Goliath. (1 Sam 21:1-9) When he fled Gath, the king of Gath was suspicious of him. But David pretended to be insane and he and his men escaped to the cave of Adullum. God was with David and had a plan. God was leading him into a life of hard training and discipline that would eventually mold David into a shepherd king for all of Israel, a man after God’s own heart.
David was now a fugitive who had to live in the caves of Adullum. His human situation could only be described as totally helpless. David was rejected by men but now he was alone with God. All of these events were under God’s sovereign hand. God used the wilderness life to humble David, and to teach him to depend on God alone. But running from Saul’s army was not enough training for what God had in store for David. More training was under way. Look at verses 22:1b-2, ““…When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.” While in Adullum there was a motley crowd of people beginning to gather around him. The cave was a place of refuge for those in trouble. They were those who were in distress, in debt or discontented. These were outcasts of society, many were in trouble with the law. There were also his family members. They were people who had no where else to go in Israel. They gathered around David and he became their leader. They were not just five or ten people. This number of people might have been manageable. But there were about four hundred men! When David was in Saul’s palace, he might have had the resources and the means to help them. But since David was branded as a political criminal and thrown into exile as a wanted man, his resources were limited. He seemed unable to help anyone other than himself. But God had other plans for David and these men…great plans. It was a time of God’s testing for David, to see if he could be a shepherd for these people, for if David shepherded this small, difficult flock, later God would entrusted him with the people of Israel.
David could have sent them away. But did he? No. He decided to help them no matter what. He cared for his parents first. They were likely too old to keep up with the outlaw/cave lifestyle. David went to the king of Moab, at Mizpah, to ask his favor to accept and protect his parents. (1 Sam 22:4) And so David set them up in a nice Moabite assisted living center. It was not easy for David to do this. Maybe he should have sent everyone away and taken care of himself. He might have had a better chance of surviving. But he did not. He accepted this call from God, spending his time helping these people.
Most of theses men did not start out so mighty. But David valued them. More than a military general, David was their shepherd who guided them on the path to being the mighty people of God. Over the course of time, they would come to David and share with him all of their problems and he would listen to them over and over again for years; “Yes Yes…I understand. Yes..I went through a very similar experience...Yes…I felt like that sometimes. Yes…I understand your suffering. Let’s pray about it.” In this way he would listen for hours and hours to their problems and complaints. Step by step he helped them to solve their problems. Sometime he was their teacher, sometimes a brother, mother or father, sometimes a sparing partner, or fighting partner, whatever they needed. David won their hearts, one by one. He also trained with regular exercise and military training. They must have also had some kind of spiritual life together. David inspired them to achieve beyond their personal goals and meet their true potential in God. Overtime these distressed, poor and discontented men gradually changed to become David’s mighty men. When David was a shepherd for these men something wonderful happened. They were happy, full of faith and they became a loyal nucleus of David’s strong army. David’s men called him the lamp of Israel, a man who lighted the spiritual way of their lives and nation. God worked through David when he stood as a mighty Shepherd Leader. His life reminds us Jesus’ words in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
We can see the effect of the leadership David had over these people in 2 Sam 23:3b-4, “'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.'” David ruled his people with righteousness, mercy, love, kindness and justice. He reflected the very heart of Jesus when he was dealing with his people right from the start of his call to leadership. King David’s shepherding was like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning. Life began to be full of hope and freshness and clear direction. There is the beginning of new life under his shepherding. There is nurturing like fresh grass sprouting where a dry field once was. They mighty men of David felt this. This is how Jesus rules over us when we accept him as our Lord. We can experience the new life and nurturing that each of these mighty men experienced. When we decided to be shepherds like King David we can understand it even deeper as people prosper and grow under our leadership.
Part ll: A Closer Look At What These Mighty Men Became (8-39)
Who were these mighty men? And in what ways were they so mighty? Let see why in verses 8-39. They were mighty because they trusted the Lord; they fought with their whole hearts and they had unity among them. First, they trusted in the Lord. This helped them overcome their fear. Some defeated the Philistine giants in 1:1 combat, one of which had 12 digits on his hands and 12 on his feet. 1:1 combat is the most terrifying thing that you could face. I once took care of a patient with bayonet wounds on his stomach. He survived. These men had confidence in God and could stand their ground. Some stood before 800 men and defeated them. Wow! I can’t even count to 800. Some stood before lions. They could be so courageous because they had faith in God. They also drew their strength from David’s example, who also defeated Goliath and who fought off lions and bears. They knew that the battle is the Lord’s and he will bring about the victory. Their faith reminds me of Jonathan’s faith when he attacked and defeated a Philistine outpost. He said in 1 Sam 14:5-7, “ 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." How many defeated the Philistine outpost? Two. Even a small force of able, loyal and faithful people can accomplish great feats for God when their faith is in God.
These mighty men also fought with their whole hearts. One man raised his spear against 800 men. It required lunging again and again against the enemy. His shoulders must have been like footballs. One man stood his ground against great odds and kept swinging his sword until his hand froze to the sword. When they fought with their whole hearts, the Lord brought about great victories again and again. This principle of victory is revealed in Deuteronomy 6:5 which reads, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
But the mighty men were not lone wolves, fighting for their own glory. In this passage we can see their unity. In verse 9, “next to him was…”, and “He was with David…”, and in verse 11, “Next to him was Shammah…” They had each others’ backs. Look at 21:15-17a, “15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword , said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him….” David was a little weaker because he was getting older. But there were two mighty men to cover him. Mighty does not mean those who fight well on the battle field alone, but those who fight well with others. With their unity and fighting together, their skills and their abilities rubbed off on each other. Before, they might have been skilled in the use of the plow and pitchfork. But through fighting together and training together, they became skilled in battle. They could wield swords and spears and they could de-arm their enemies and use their enemies own weapons against them. They sharpened, encouraged and challenged one another. Their camaraderie and unity made them spiritually powerful and victorious. This reminds me of one the proverbs. Proverbs 26:17 reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
They were mighty because they could see beyond each other’s differences to band together as one. If you read the names of the mighty men, they all have a name and a place where they are from. Most of these mighty men were Israelites but many were Gentiles, originating from Gentile city states or regions. They had their own customs and backgrounds. They may have had their own prejudices and rivalries, but they looked past all this and put it aside and banded together. They were influenced by King David who knew God’s heart. God has a universal view of the brotherhood of mankind.
And so they were fearless through their faith in God, their fighting with all their mind, soul and strength. They were unified and accepted and co-worked with each other as a team. In this way they became famous in God’s history. God had made them true heroes.
Part lll: David Respected And Honored These People. (13-17)
David loved and respected these men and they loved and respected him in return. This is revealed in the incident about the water from the well of Bethlehem in verses 13-17. “During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ 16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. 17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.” These verses show the kind of love and loyalty and honor David shared with his mighty men. David expressed his longing for some water from a nearby well. It might have been the well he drew water from as a young shepherd boy. David was reminiscing about this well and spoke out loud. Three of his mighty men overheard what he said and took him seriously. They wanted to comply with his wishes. They risked their lives, broke though the Philistine enemy lines and brought some of the water that he requested and handed it to David to drink. Some of the best water in the world comes from my home town in Thompson Manitoba. It is cool, clean, clear and fresh. If someone would break through Canadian line and travel 3,000 miles to bring me this water I would have said, “Gee thanks guys. I love this water. Thanks so much.” And then I would drink it back without even a second thought. But David did not act as an ordinary person. He refused to drink it. Instead he poured it out before the Lord. He said in verses 17, “’Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!’ he said. ‘Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?...’” David would not drink it. He did not take advantage of his position. David was so moved by their love and courageous act. At the same time he knew that only God deserved such devotion and sacrifice. He poured out the water before the Lord. In doing so he showed that he honored his men. He pointed their devotion to the Lord. David did not take his men’s loyalty for granted. Even though he was a king, he humbled himself and stood as just one of the other men before God.
This reminds us of Jesus who is our Lord and eternal king. But Jesus humbled himself to be one of us. More than just ruling over us, being our Lord and Savior, Jesus also calls us his friend. Jesus is a good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. David’s life reminds us of Jesus in another way also. Jesus took 12 spiritually useless men from the backwoods of the Galilean countryside and raised them as mighty shepherd leaders for world mission. In doing this we learn that Jesus changes dirty sinners into mighty spiritual warriors of his kingdom. David is not the best example of being a shepherd leader. Our Chief Shepherd Jesus is our highest and greatest example of what it means to be a mighty shepherd leader.
Being a mighty shepherd like King David does not happen overnight. It starts with leading one person to know Jesus. When people start to study the Bible, they are not mighty. They are people who suffer a lot from things like divorce, depression and the many diseases in this fallen world. They need someone to love them and be their shepherd. They need someone who believes that they can become mighty in some way. Shepherds need to be like small lamps that light the way for others to grow so that they may know and serve Mighty Jesus. This is not something that happens from a distance. How did David do it? Did he not live with and lead these men for almost 20 years in the desert? Mighty shepherd leaders are intimately involved in others lives. They listen to others. They have many hats, ready to wear, teacher hat, daddy hat, mommy hat, brother hat, friend hat, and sometimes rebuking hat. They create and promote an environment of love, loyalty and honor before God.
Personally I was not a mighty man before I came to Jesus. I was 22 years old when I came Jesus. Prior to this I was a hedonistic B student who studied chemistry and worked out on the weekdays and partied hard on the weekends, twice a week. I tried my best to be a cool guy. But the reality was I was far from cool. I was ruining my mind and body. I was engaging in risky behavior. My mind was obsessed with gratifying my sinful desires. I was a binge drinker. I used others. All I knew how to do was have fun and involve others in having fun. I knew that I had nothing important to say. Most of what I said were dirty jokes. I knew that I was man with not quality achievements. I despaired seeing others leaving me behind in the dust of life. And so I tried on my own to fix my life with taekwondo, jogging, weight lifting, studying harder, cutting down on my partying. I read from an encyclopedia of famous quotes in the university library. I tried to sit with strangers at bars. I tried sky diving. But no matter how much I tried I could not change the inner reality of my heart. I lacked self confidence and I stammered a lot. I was a spiritually thirsty man, whose life was meaningless, empty and without hope in this world. I thought I was a mighty man, but my reality was that I was far from mighty. I was a fruitless, useless man who was dying in his sins and headed towards God’s judgment. One day I cried out in my pillow, “Oh God!”
God heard that short, desperate, “crying out”, pillow prayer and he sent his servant, Msn Ruth Hwang, a Korean missionary to invite me to one to one Bible study. Though I was one who was to be pitied, Jesus had hope in me, and God’s servants had hope in me, that I could grow to be one of Jesus’ mighty men. To overcome my stammering I was raised up as a presider and a conference speaker. God sent Bible students. God trained me through five years of family persecution. He helped me to come to another country and be a nurse. He helped my family to pioneer NIU. His discipline in my life seems constant and never ending. But so is his love. I know the point of it all. It is to help me to grow to be a shepherd leader like King David and through my house church he can raise up might men and women of God who bring glory to Jesus in this generation. We need to know the point of all our trials and trainings in life. It is God’s hope for us to grow as shepherd leaders. Those who accept this can grow strong and spiritually healthy. Those who do not share God’s vision for themselves will be crushed by life’s hardships.
We can be mighty warriors of faith, fighting spiritual battles through prayer and Bible study and Bible teaching and serving and loving others. Can you think of some mighty men among our ranks? What about Chris Sagel? He conquered the Korean language, the fear of moving to a new land and he conquered a Korean woman’s heart, Maria. He is raising disciples of Jesus among Korean students. What about Moses Margi and Iris Margi. They conquered the fear of Muslims and moved to Sudan and even moved into a Muslim apartment block in order to serve Muslims. What about Charisma Magno raising up the Triton Bible club through her serving and prayers and devotion. What about Jason who spent a week on the Amazon River ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of poor Brazilians. I think my kids are like might people of God for building up and being faithful to their Bible reading and prayer clubs on their school campus’. God is working in all of our hearts to nurture and grow the qualities of the might people of God in us.
God has called each and every one of us. He has placed his hope in us to each grow to the mighty men and woman of God who can fight the spiritual battle on the campus’ of America. We are in varying degrees of mightiness. Some are younger. Some are older. Some have more experience with Jesus and some have less. Some are already mighty in some areas. But one thing is for certain, all of us can develop even greater mightiness as shepherds and Bible teachers. And this is what God is trying to do. Why are we experiencing such hard divine training and discipline in our lives? Is there a reason for it or is just some meaningless, useless exercise? God has a clear point. He wants to raise each and every one of us up to be might men and women of God. May God bless us to be mighty shepherd leaders who can raise other mighty men and women of God for our campus’, for Christ and for our nation.
2 Samuel 23: 1-39
Key verse 23:17 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-31-10
17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.”
I just came back from the Leadership development workshop at Wonderland Camp in Camp Lake Wisconsin. There we studied about how God established King David as a shepherd King for all of Israel. He became an example of a king who ruled his people with the shepherd heart of God. At the end of 2 Samuel there is a chapter concerning David’s mighty men. I was so inspired by these men. I admire movies like Brave heart and Gladiator. These men are like Jewish Wallace’s or brave hearts. I like them. I always wanted to take a closer look at them with a prayer that God may help me grow as a might man and also that God may raise up mighty men and woman who can fight valiantly, the spiritual battle for the glory of God. May God plant in your heart vision to be a might man or woman of God for our nation in this generation. We would all like to have co-workers like these mighty men around us? Don’t we? Who doesn’t? We have prayed the prayer, “Lord of the harvest, send out workers into our harvest field?” We expect mighty warriors of faith to come marching through the doors of our church and take their places among the pews. Well they do not come so easy and we will see why in our story of David and his mighty men.
Part l: David Becomes The Leader of Outcasts (21:1-22:2)
Who were these mighty men? And how did David find such good co-workers? Our story about David’s mighty men, begins two decades previous, when he begins to flee from Saul. Saul was jealous of David because he was so successful. He wanted to kill David. But time and again God protected David. Once, through Saul’s son Jonathan, David was able to escape Saul’s murderous plots. David began his life as a fugitive. First of all David went to Nob where Ahimelech, the priest provided David and his men some bread and also the sword of Goliath. (1 Sam 21:1-9) When he fled Gath, the king of Gath was suspicious of him. But David pretended to be insane and he and his men escaped to the cave of Adullum. God was with David and had a plan. God was leading him into a life of hard training and discipline that would eventually mold David into a shepherd king for all of Israel, a man after God’s own heart.
David was now a fugitive who had to live in the caves of Adullum. His human situation could only be described as totally helpless. David was rejected by men but now he was alone with God. All of these events were under God’s sovereign hand. God used the wilderness life to humble David, and to teach him to depend on God alone. But running from Saul’s army was not enough training for what God had in store for David. More training was under way. Look at verses 22:1b-2, ““…When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.” While in Adullum there was a motley crowd of people beginning to gather around him. The cave was a place of refuge for those in trouble. They were those who were in distress, in debt or discontented. These were outcasts of society, many were in trouble with the law. There were also his family members. They were people who had no where else to go in Israel. They gathered around David and he became their leader. They were not just five or ten people. This number of people might have been manageable. But there were about four hundred men! When David was in Saul’s palace, he might have had the resources and the means to help them. But since David was branded as a political criminal and thrown into exile as a wanted man, his resources were limited. He seemed unable to help anyone other than himself. But God had other plans for David and these men…great plans. It was a time of God’s testing for David, to see if he could be a shepherd for these people, for if David shepherded this small, difficult flock, later God would entrusted him with the people of Israel.
David could have sent them away. But did he? No. He decided to help them no matter what. He cared for his parents first. They were likely too old to keep up with the outlaw/cave lifestyle. David went to the king of Moab, at Mizpah, to ask his favor to accept and protect his parents. (1 Sam 22:4) And so David set them up in a nice Moabite assisted living center. It was not easy for David to do this. Maybe he should have sent everyone away and taken care of himself. He might have had a better chance of surviving. But he did not. He accepted this call from God, spending his time helping these people.
Most of theses men did not start out so mighty. But David valued them. More than a military general, David was their shepherd who guided them on the path to being the mighty people of God. Over the course of time, they would come to David and share with him all of their problems and he would listen to them over and over again for years; “Yes Yes…I understand. Yes..I went through a very similar experience...Yes…I felt like that sometimes. Yes…I understand your suffering. Let’s pray about it.” In this way he would listen for hours and hours to their problems and complaints. Step by step he helped them to solve their problems. Sometime he was their teacher, sometimes a brother, mother or father, sometimes a sparing partner, or fighting partner, whatever they needed. David won their hearts, one by one. He also trained with regular exercise and military training. They must have also had some kind of spiritual life together. David inspired them to achieve beyond their personal goals and meet their true potential in God. Overtime these distressed, poor and discontented men gradually changed to become David’s mighty men. When David was a shepherd for these men something wonderful happened. They were happy, full of faith and they became a loyal nucleus of David’s strong army. David’s men called him the lamp of Israel, a man who lighted the spiritual way of their lives and nation. God worked through David when he stood as a mighty Shepherd Leader. His life reminds us Jesus’ words in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
We can see the effect of the leadership David had over these people in 2 Sam 23:3b-4, “'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.'” David ruled his people with righteousness, mercy, love, kindness and justice. He reflected the very heart of Jesus when he was dealing with his people right from the start of his call to leadership. King David’s shepherding was like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning. Life began to be full of hope and freshness and clear direction. There is the beginning of new life under his shepherding. There is nurturing like fresh grass sprouting where a dry field once was. They mighty men of David felt this. This is how Jesus rules over us when we accept him as our Lord. We can experience the new life and nurturing that each of these mighty men experienced. When we decided to be shepherds like King David we can understand it even deeper as people prosper and grow under our leadership.
Part ll: A Closer Look At What These Mighty Men Became (8-39)
Who were these mighty men? And in what ways were they so mighty? Let see why in verses 8-39. They were mighty because they trusted the Lord; they fought with their whole hearts and they had unity among them. First, they trusted in the Lord. This helped them overcome their fear. Some defeated the Philistine giants in 1:1 combat, one of which had 12 digits on his hands and 12 on his feet. 1:1 combat is the most terrifying thing that you could face. I once took care of a patient with bayonet wounds on his stomach. He survived. These men had confidence in God and could stand their ground. Some stood before 800 men and defeated them. Wow! I can’t even count to 800. Some stood before lions. They could be so courageous because they had faith in God. They also drew their strength from David’s example, who also defeated Goliath and who fought off lions and bears. They knew that the battle is the Lord’s and he will bring about the victory. Their faith reminds me of Jonathan’s faith when he attacked and defeated a Philistine outpost. He said in 1 Sam 14:5-7, “ 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." How many defeated the Philistine outpost? Two. Even a small force of able, loyal and faithful people can accomplish great feats for God when their faith is in God.
These mighty men also fought with their whole hearts. One man raised his spear against 800 men. It required lunging again and again against the enemy. His shoulders must have been like footballs. One man stood his ground against great odds and kept swinging his sword until his hand froze to the sword. When they fought with their whole hearts, the Lord brought about great victories again and again. This principle of victory is revealed in Deuteronomy 6:5 which reads, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
But the mighty men were not lone wolves, fighting for their own glory. In this passage we can see their unity. In verse 9, “next to him was…”, and “He was with David…”, and in verse 11, “Next to him was Shammah…” They had each others’ backs. Look at 21:15-17a, “15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword , said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him….” David was a little weaker because he was getting older. But there were two mighty men to cover him. Mighty does not mean those who fight well on the battle field alone, but those who fight well with others. With their unity and fighting together, their skills and their abilities rubbed off on each other. Before, they might have been skilled in the use of the plow and pitchfork. But through fighting together and training together, they became skilled in battle. They could wield swords and spears and they could de-arm their enemies and use their enemies own weapons against them. They sharpened, encouraged and challenged one another. Their camaraderie and unity made them spiritually powerful and victorious. This reminds me of one the proverbs. Proverbs 26:17 reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
They were mighty because they could see beyond each other’s differences to band together as one. If you read the names of the mighty men, they all have a name and a place where they are from. Most of these mighty men were Israelites but many were Gentiles, originating from Gentile city states or regions. They had their own customs and backgrounds. They may have had their own prejudices and rivalries, but they looked past all this and put it aside and banded together. They were influenced by King David who knew God’s heart. God has a universal view of the brotherhood of mankind.
And so they were fearless through their faith in God, their fighting with all their mind, soul and strength. They were unified and accepted and co-worked with each other as a team. In this way they became famous in God’s history. God had made them true heroes.
Part lll: David Respected And Honored These People. (13-17)
David loved and respected these men and they loved and respected him in return. This is revealed in the incident about the water from the well of Bethlehem in verses 13-17. “During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ 16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. 17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.” These verses show the kind of love and loyalty and honor David shared with his mighty men. David expressed his longing for some water from a nearby well. It might have been the well he drew water from as a young shepherd boy. David was reminiscing about this well and spoke out loud. Three of his mighty men overheard what he said and took him seriously. They wanted to comply with his wishes. They risked their lives, broke though the Philistine enemy lines and brought some of the water that he requested and handed it to David to drink. Some of the best water in the world comes from my home town in Thompson Manitoba. It is cool, clean, clear and fresh. If someone would break through Canadian line and travel 3,000 miles to bring me this water I would have said, “Gee thanks guys. I love this water. Thanks so much.” And then I would drink it back without even a second thought. But David did not act as an ordinary person. He refused to drink it. Instead he poured it out before the Lord. He said in verses 17, “’Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!’ he said. ‘Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?...’” David would not drink it. He did not take advantage of his position. David was so moved by their love and courageous act. At the same time he knew that only God deserved such devotion and sacrifice. He poured out the water before the Lord. In doing so he showed that he honored his men. He pointed their devotion to the Lord. David did not take his men’s loyalty for granted. Even though he was a king, he humbled himself and stood as just one of the other men before God.
This reminds us of Jesus who is our Lord and eternal king. But Jesus humbled himself to be one of us. More than just ruling over us, being our Lord and Savior, Jesus also calls us his friend. Jesus is a good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. David’s life reminds us of Jesus in another way also. Jesus took 12 spiritually useless men from the backwoods of the Galilean countryside and raised them as mighty shepherd leaders for world mission. In doing this we learn that Jesus changes dirty sinners into mighty spiritual warriors of his kingdom. David is not the best example of being a shepherd leader. Our Chief Shepherd Jesus is our highest and greatest example of what it means to be a mighty shepherd leader.
Being a mighty shepherd like King David does not happen overnight. It starts with leading one person to know Jesus. When people start to study the Bible, they are not mighty. They are people who suffer a lot from things like divorce, depression and the many diseases in this fallen world. They need someone to love them and be their shepherd. They need someone who believes that they can become mighty in some way. Shepherds need to be like small lamps that light the way for others to grow so that they may know and serve Mighty Jesus. This is not something that happens from a distance. How did David do it? Did he not live with and lead these men for almost 20 years in the desert? Mighty shepherd leaders are intimately involved in others lives. They listen to others. They have many hats, ready to wear, teacher hat, daddy hat, mommy hat, brother hat, friend hat, and sometimes rebuking hat. They create and promote an environment of love, loyalty and honor before God.
Personally I was not a mighty man before I came to Jesus. I was 22 years old when I came Jesus. Prior to this I was a hedonistic B student who studied chemistry and worked out on the weekdays and partied hard on the weekends, twice a week. I tried my best to be a cool guy. But the reality was I was far from cool. I was ruining my mind and body. I was engaging in risky behavior. My mind was obsessed with gratifying my sinful desires. I was a binge drinker. I used others. All I knew how to do was have fun and involve others in having fun. I knew that I had nothing important to say. Most of what I said were dirty jokes. I knew that I was man with not quality achievements. I despaired seeing others leaving me behind in the dust of life. And so I tried on my own to fix my life with taekwondo, jogging, weight lifting, studying harder, cutting down on my partying. I read from an encyclopedia of famous quotes in the university library. I tried to sit with strangers at bars. I tried sky diving. But no matter how much I tried I could not change the inner reality of my heart. I lacked self confidence and I stammered a lot. I was a spiritually thirsty man, whose life was meaningless, empty and without hope in this world. I thought I was a mighty man, but my reality was that I was far from mighty. I was a fruitless, useless man who was dying in his sins and headed towards God’s judgment. One day I cried out in my pillow, “Oh God!”
God heard that short, desperate, “crying out”, pillow prayer and he sent his servant, Msn Ruth Hwang, a Korean missionary to invite me to one to one Bible study. Though I was one who was to be pitied, Jesus had hope in me, and God’s servants had hope in me, that I could grow to be one of Jesus’ mighty men. To overcome my stammering I was raised up as a presider and a conference speaker. God sent Bible students. God trained me through five years of family persecution. He helped me to come to another country and be a nurse. He helped my family to pioneer NIU. His discipline in my life seems constant and never ending. But so is his love. I know the point of it all. It is to help me to grow to be a shepherd leader like King David and through my house church he can raise up might men and women of God who bring glory to Jesus in this generation. We need to know the point of all our trials and trainings in life. It is God’s hope for us to grow as shepherd leaders. Those who accept this can grow strong and spiritually healthy. Those who do not share God’s vision for themselves will be crushed by life’s hardships.
We can be mighty warriors of faith, fighting spiritual battles through prayer and Bible study and Bible teaching and serving and loving others. Can you think of some mighty men among our ranks? What about Chris Sagel? He conquered the Korean language, the fear of moving to a new land and he conquered a Korean woman’s heart, Maria. He is raising disciples of Jesus among Korean students. What about Moses Margi and Iris Margi. They conquered the fear of Muslims and moved to Sudan and even moved into a Muslim apartment block in order to serve Muslims. What about Charisma Magno raising up the Triton Bible club through her serving and prayers and devotion. What about Jason who spent a week on the Amazon River ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of poor Brazilians. I think my kids are like might people of God for building up and being faithful to their Bible reading and prayer clubs on their school campus’. God is working in all of our hearts to nurture and grow the qualities of the might people of God in us.
God has called each and every one of us. He has placed his hope in us to each grow to the mighty men and woman of God who can fight the spiritual battle on the campus’ of America. We are in varying degrees of mightiness. Some are younger. Some are older. Some have more experience with Jesus and some have less. Some are already mighty in some areas. But one thing is for certain, all of us can develop even greater mightiness as shepherds and Bible teachers. And this is what God is trying to do. Why are we experiencing such hard divine training and discipline in our lives? Is there a reason for it or is just some meaningless, useless exercise? God has a clear point. He wants to raise each and every one of us up to be might men and women of God. May God bless us to be mighty shepherd leaders who can raise other mighty men and women of God for our campus’, for Christ and for our nation.
2 Samuel 11:1-12:31
David’s Sin And Repentance
2 Samuel 11:1–12:31
Key Verse: 12:13 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-24-10
“’Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’”
David had won many battles and his kingdom was firmly established. He thought he deserved a vacation, so he stayed at home when his army went out to fight. Eventually, David sinned against the Lord greatly. He despised God's word and did what is evil in God's eyes. But God had mercy on David. He sent the prophet Nathan to David and called him to repentance. David repented and God accepted it. In the secular world people are considered great by how much money they make or their outer appearance or how cool they are or by the toys they own. But in the spiritual world those who repent of their sins before God are highly honored. Spiritual people are highly honored by God and are pleasing to God. Through this passage may we repent of spiritual laziness that paves the way to certain disaster. May we learn the importance of honest and clear confession before God so that God may restore us, by his grace. And finally, may we also learn what it means to be a wise servant of God, like Nathan the prophet.
Part l: David’s Sin. (11:1-5)
David took a spiritual vacation. Look at verse 1, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.” In ancient times. Kings went off to war in the springtime and during the winter time they came back to their base camp and stationed there. They would train and reequip themselves. In the spring there would be favorable weather and new crops for the armies to eat while they are on their campaigns. One spring, David sent Joab, his army commander, out with the whole Israelite army fight, but he remained in Jerusalem. Humanly speaking, it sounded reasonable for him to do this. David had worked hard and fought hard for many decades and God raised him up to the king of Israel. He had tasted great success. But now that he was successful he thought that he could take a break and stay at home. It sounds reasonable right? Wrong. From God’s point of view David was guilty of negligence, since it was his job to unite the kingdom of Israel and expand its territory all the more. Ignoring this mission and calling from God, David decided to take a vacation. And it was a pretty cushy vacation. Look at verse 2a. “ One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace…” This implied that he was laying in bed all day long until evening. He felt it was his well deserved right to sleep in and be lazy. But think about it. His men were engaging in a bloody battle to destroy the Ammonites. Sometimes we think that we have worked hard enough and served God enough and we deserve a prolonged break. But when we think of all the servants of God who are slugging it out on the front lines of the spiritual battle we should realize that our propensity to seek ease, comfort and entertainment is not right.
It is not right for another reason. Let’s see. Let’s read verses 2-5, “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, ‘I am pregnant.’” One evening, David got up from his bed and walked around. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. She may have been performing a ritualistic bath designed to enable he to enter the tabernacle. She never imagined that anyone could see her. But David went for a walk on the roof. When he saw her he should have turned his head and quickly walked away regretting that he had stumbled upon this woman’s private moment. The woman was very beautiful. He gazed at her. He enjoyed lustful thoughts about her. He never turned away. He let his desires for her grow in his heart. He should have fled like Joseph in Potiphar’s house. He should have made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a woman as Job did. David found out who she was. She was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s most loyal generals. David should never even think of fooling around with the wife of such a loyal general. But he brought her to his palace and slept with her. Then she went back home. 2 Tim 2:22 reads, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
David thought it was their little secret. But God has ways of making our sin known. Bathsheba conceived and sent word to David, “I am pregnant.” (5) To a servant of God, it was tragic news. His sin was about to go public. His people would know that he sinned. The religious leaders would know. What could he do? David concocted a plan. Look at verses 6-8, “So David sent this word to Joab: ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and wash your feet.’ So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.” David sent word to word to Joab to bring Uriah the Hittite to him. He thought that if he could make Uriah sleep with his wife, then the pregnancy would appear to be from their union. But David was even more hard pressed. Look at verse 9-13. Uriah refused to sleep with his wife. Instead he slept at the entrance to the palace with his masters servants. When David was told, “Uriah did not go home,” he asked him, “Haven’t you just come from a distance? Why didn’t you go home?” David appeared to care about Uriah. But in reality he was eager to cover up his sin. Uriah appeared to neglect his wife, but he was not. He was a man of integrity. He was very faithful to God. He was very loyal to his king and to commander Joab. He was a good leader for his men. I am sure that his wife understood his commitments, especially during a time of war. What he said to David was heart moving. Let’s read verse 11, “Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!’" Uriah’s loyalty was remarkable. How hard it must have been for David to even conceive of the plan he was about to carry through with.
David tried again to make Uriah to go home and wash his feet. But it did not work as David had planned. When David knew that he had failed to cover up his sin, he decided to destroy Uriah. Let’s read verses 14 and 15, “In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." It was no less than a plot to murder Uriah.
When David heard of Uriah’s death, he brought Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, to his palace and made her one of his wives and she bore him a son. In this way, the anointed servant of God, the great King David, became a thief, a liar and ultimately a murderer. The author comments on the ultimate tragedy in verse 27b, “…But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” David was a man who had God’s spirit and had been a good shepherd for his people. But when he became lazy he became vulnerable to the attack of the devil, who pounced on him. All of this started out small, with a desire to take it easy and to enjoy the image of a beautiful woman in his heart. But it grew to a full blown disaster. This confirms the words of James 1:15, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Spiritual laziness is not a small matter for any person. God created us in his image to rule over and subdue the world and bear much fruit for the glory of God. (Gen 1:28) Enjoying laziness is against God’s truth. It goes against our own humanity and makes us vulnerable spiritually. It is the seed that can grow into destruction.
Part ll: David’s Repentance (12:1-12)
Because of his sin, David became very defensive and self righteous. No one could dare tell him anything. He was the king. People knew what happened, but kept this matter to themselves. Who would dare stand up against him? David could have spent the rest of his life in his self defensive pride suffering inwardly. But thank God that God did not leave him alone. God sent Nathan the prophet to David to help him to repent. When Nathan went to David he told him a parable in verses 1-4, “ The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." This is a story about a rich man. The man had a large flock of his own sheep. But he did not take a sheep from among his own sheep to cook for his guest. Instead he took the ewe lamb of a poor man who had only one ewe lamb, which he loved like his only daughter. God gave Nathan wisdom how to minister the word of God. Sometimes we think we can not share the word of God with other people. We think that we are not qualified. But here we learn that if we keep our identity and stand as a servant of God, God will give us wisdom and the words to help even kings to come to repentance and saving faith in Jesus.
The word of God, given through Nathan the prophet, began to work powerfully in David’s heart. Look at verses 5-6, “David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." David’s heart burned with anger against the man. His sense of justice was still alive. But he did not make the connection, that he was the man. This is true. Sometimes we know what is right and wrong. We have a sense of justice, but we don’t make the connection that what the word of God says is actually pertaining to us. That is why we need Bible study with personal reflection. That is why we need the Holy Spirit. Concerning the conviction work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus says John 16:7&-8, “7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:” Let’s pray for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit so that we may more closely follow Jesus.
Nathan served this purpose in verses 7-10. Let’s read them. “Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'” This gets down to the very core of why sin is wrong before God. The act of sin is actually an act ignoring the grace of God and also an act of despising the word of the Lord. God had blessed King David so much. God’s word revealed God’s hope for David to be a shepherd King for Israel. But David trampled on God’s vision for him. The Ten Commandments were on obvious, but David broke all five of the last commandments in attempting to cover up his sin. God has given us so much. Mostly he has given us eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. He called us into his family and given us a great and glorious mission. He has provided for our every need. We are so blessed that if some people lived the life we live, they would consider it like winning the lottery. How can we sin against the Lord, when he has given us so much grace and mercy? How can we ignore God’s great vision for our lives?
David’s response to God’s rebuke through Nathan is what made David great. In ancient times no one had the right to rebuke a king. If anyone offended a king’s pride, he could not expect to survive. Now David was the king over his people. So he could have done away with Nathan by his power and Authority. But David did not act like an ordinary man. Let’s read verse 13a, “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ …” What beautiful words these are! He did not deny the facts to protect his pride. When God convicted him, he humbled himself and repented of his sin before the prophet of God.
As we know it is not easy for anyone to repent of their sin. Especially, for a king, repentance is not necessary, for the king himself is the law of the land. But David never thought that he was a law unto himself. He submitted to God’s standard and repented. He could repent of his sin, because of the mercy of God. God sent his word and his Spirit to David. God sent his servant Nathan. (We can not bypass this fact). God could have abandoned David, for David had despised his word and exploited his flock. But God, in his grace, really tried hard to restore David and he did by his power. He gave him the spirit of repentance by giving him a clear message through Nathan and David recognized God’s love through this message. God loved David so much. He took him from being a lowly shepherd boy and raised him up to the shepherd and ruler of his people Israel. God’s grace is deeper than the ocean. Even BP’s deep sea oil rigs could not tap in to the vast reserves of God’s love and grace.
David’s repentance was “thorough” and “sincere”. Look at verse 13, “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’ Psalm 51 tells us how David repented. Let’s listen to an excerpt from this psalm. I will read verses 1-3, “ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. “ Beautiful words are they not? David knew that he should have been abandoned by God because of his sins. But he depended on God’s love and compassion when he asked God to blot out his transgressions and to wash away all of his iniquities. He asked God’s forgiveness. (Psalm 51:1-3) Even though he was a king he honored God as God. So he said, “Against you and against you only have I sinned.” (Ps 51:4a) David showed what it meant to be a true king, ordained by God, through his repentance.
When he repented God release David from his torment. When David took the liberty to enjoy his sinful nature, he was not happy because sin was living in him. At that time God’s hedge of protection was lifted and evil spirits came into him and tormented him. He suffered a lot, That is why he cried out in Psalm 51:10-12, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” David knew that there was no method to receive the grace of forgiveness other than the repentance of sins. If his sins could be forgiven, by offering up a huge sacrifice, David would have offered up hundreds of bulls and thousands of sheep. But David knew what God really wanted. He says in Psalm 51:16-17, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” David knew that God takes not pleasure in burnt offering with no heart. He knew that God would accept his repentance only when he repented with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. And this is what David did.
Part lll: David was restored (12:15-23)
Look at verses 15-23. David accepted the consequence of his sin. Look at verses 22-23. “He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." He overcome through resurrection faith and trusting in God’s love and sovereignty.
God restored his relationship with Bathsheba. Look at verses 24-25, “Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him; 25 and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. Solomon as born.” They could make a new beginning in their family life together. Their son would even become the future king of Israel.
David actually repented of his laziness and got involved in matter of state, Look at verses 26-31. He fought with his armies and once again engaged in his mission to fight the battles of the Lord. His repentance was very practical. There was a clear change.
In this passage we learned why David fell into a great sin against God and how he repented of his sin. David sinned against God when he decided to have a little vacation. When he rested physically, his spirit followed suit and he became vulnerable to Satan and his sinful nature. After committing sin, David underwent unutterable troubles and distress and his soul was tormented by evil spirits. David learned that repentance before God must involve a broken spirit. Most of all David learned that the grace of God’s forgiveness of sin is truly life giving. David confessed in Psalm 32:1-2a, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him…” David became our ancestor of faith and one of the greatest men to ever live, through his sincere repentance and in his faith in the grace of God’s forgiveness of sin. Rulers for the last 3,000 have learned from his example. Their subjects have been blessed by David’s example. But we must know that he became one of the greatest people through his repentance. May God bless each one of us to experience the blessing of sincere repentance before God and the restoration and blessing it brings.
Part l: David’s Sin (11:1–27)
1. While his men went to war, where did David remain, and why? (10:13–19; 11:1) How did he come to commit the sin of adultery? (2–4; cf. Ge4:7; Ro6:12–13; 1Jn2:16) To what result? (5; Nu32:23) What can we learn here about how not to fall into sin? (Ge39:9–10; Mt6:13; 2Ti2:22)
2. How did David attempt to cover up his sin? (11:6–27a) How did Uriah’s behavior contrast with David’s? (9,13) What happened to some of David’s men? (17,24) How had David’s heart been poisoned by the power of sin? (Jas1:15) How did God view what he had done? (27b) What does the phrase “displeased the LORD” imply? (5:2)
Part ll: David’s Repentance (12:1–31)
3. How did the Lord intervene? (1a) What was Nathan’s story and what did it arouse in David? (1b–6) How did Nathan confront him, and of what did he remind him? (7–8) In what ways had David despised the word of the Lord, as well as the Lord himself? (9–10; cf. Ex20:13–17) What judgment did God pronounce on him? (10–12)
4. What remarkable confession did David make? (13a; cf. Jer36:22–26) According to Psalm 51, how did David express this repentance more fully? What assurance did Nathan give him? (13b) Nevertheless, what were the dire consequences of David’s sin? (14–15) What can we learn here about how costly sin is?
5. How did David’s actions in verses 16–25 show that his heart had been restored after repentance and God’s forgiveness? How did David resume his mission as king of Israel? (26–31)
6. What warnings does the story of David’s sin have for spiritual leaders? What can we learn about how fallen spiritual leaders can be restored? What can we learn in these chapters from God in his dealings with David?
2 Samuel 11:1–12:31
Key Verse: 12:13 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 10-24-10
“’Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’”
David had won many battles and his kingdom was firmly established. He thought he deserved a vacation, so he stayed at home when his army went out to fight. Eventually, David sinned against the Lord greatly. He despised God's word and did what is evil in God's eyes. But God had mercy on David. He sent the prophet Nathan to David and called him to repentance. David repented and God accepted it. In the secular world people are considered great by how much money they make or their outer appearance or how cool they are or by the toys they own. But in the spiritual world those who repent of their sins before God are highly honored. Spiritual people are highly honored by God and are pleasing to God. Through this passage may we repent of spiritual laziness that paves the way to certain disaster. May we learn the importance of honest and clear confession before God so that God may restore us, by his grace. And finally, may we also learn what it means to be a wise servant of God, like Nathan the prophet.
Part l: David’s Sin. (11:1-5)
David took a spiritual vacation. Look at verse 1, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.” In ancient times. Kings went off to war in the springtime and during the winter time they came back to their base camp and stationed there. They would train and reequip themselves. In the spring there would be favorable weather and new crops for the armies to eat while they are on their campaigns. One spring, David sent Joab, his army commander, out with the whole Israelite army fight, but he remained in Jerusalem. Humanly speaking, it sounded reasonable for him to do this. David had worked hard and fought hard for many decades and God raised him up to the king of Israel. He had tasted great success. But now that he was successful he thought that he could take a break and stay at home. It sounds reasonable right? Wrong. From God’s point of view David was guilty of negligence, since it was his job to unite the kingdom of Israel and expand its territory all the more. Ignoring this mission and calling from God, David decided to take a vacation. And it was a pretty cushy vacation. Look at verse 2a. “ One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace…” This implied that he was laying in bed all day long until evening. He felt it was his well deserved right to sleep in and be lazy. But think about it. His men were engaging in a bloody battle to destroy the Ammonites. Sometimes we think that we have worked hard enough and served God enough and we deserve a prolonged break. But when we think of all the servants of God who are slugging it out on the front lines of the spiritual battle we should realize that our propensity to seek ease, comfort and entertainment is not right.
It is not right for another reason. Let’s see. Let’s read verses 2-5, “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, ‘I am pregnant.’” One evening, David got up from his bed and walked around. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. She may have been performing a ritualistic bath designed to enable he to enter the tabernacle. She never imagined that anyone could see her. But David went for a walk on the roof. When he saw her he should have turned his head and quickly walked away regretting that he had stumbled upon this woman’s private moment. The woman was very beautiful. He gazed at her. He enjoyed lustful thoughts about her. He never turned away. He let his desires for her grow in his heart. He should have fled like Joseph in Potiphar’s house. He should have made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a woman as Job did. David found out who she was. She was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s most loyal generals. David should never even think of fooling around with the wife of such a loyal general. But he brought her to his palace and slept with her. Then she went back home. 2 Tim 2:22 reads, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
David thought it was their little secret. But God has ways of making our sin known. Bathsheba conceived and sent word to David, “I am pregnant.” (5) To a servant of God, it was tragic news. His sin was about to go public. His people would know that he sinned. The religious leaders would know. What could he do? David concocted a plan. Look at verses 6-8, “So David sent this word to Joab: ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house and wash your feet.’ So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.” David sent word to word to Joab to bring Uriah the Hittite to him. He thought that if he could make Uriah sleep with his wife, then the pregnancy would appear to be from their union. But David was even more hard pressed. Look at verse 9-13. Uriah refused to sleep with his wife. Instead he slept at the entrance to the palace with his masters servants. When David was told, “Uriah did not go home,” he asked him, “Haven’t you just come from a distance? Why didn’t you go home?” David appeared to care about Uriah. But in reality he was eager to cover up his sin. Uriah appeared to neglect his wife, but he was not. He was a man of integrity. He was very faithful to God. He was very loyal to his king and to commander Joab. He was a good leader for his men. I am sure that his wife understood his commitments, especially during a time of war. What he said to David was heart moving. Let’s read verse 11, “Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!’" Uriah’s loyalty was remarkable. How hard it must have been for David to even conceive of the plan he was about to carry through with.
David tried again to make Uriah to go home and wash his feet. But it did not work as David had planned. When David knew that he had failed to cover up his sin, he decided to destroy Uriah. Let’s read verses 14 and 15, “In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die." It was no less than a plot to murder Uriah.
When David heard of Uriah’s death, he brought Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, to his palace and made her one of his wives and she bore him a son. In this way, the anointed servant of God, the great King David, became a thief, a liar and ultimately a murderer. The author comments on the ultimate tragedy in verse 27b, “…But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” David was a man who had God’s spirit and had been a good shepherd for his people. But when he became lazy he became vulnerable to the attack of the devil, who pounced on him. All of this started out small, with a desire to take it easy and to enjoy the image of a beautiful woman in his heart. But it grew to a full blown disaster. This confirms the words of James 1:15, “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Spiritual laziness is not a small matter for any person. God created us in his image to rule over and subdue the world and bear much fruit for the glory of God. (Gen 1:28) Enjoying laziness is against God’s truth. It goes against our own humanity and makes us vulnerable spiritually. It is the seed that can grow into destruction.
Part ll: David’s Repentance (12:1-12)
Because of his sin, David became very defensive and self righteous. No one could dare tell him anything. He was the king. People knew what happened, but kept this matter to themselves. Who would dare stand up against him? David could have spent the rest of his life in his self defensive pride suffering inwardly. But thank God that God did not leave him alone. God sent Nathan the prophet to David to help him to repent. When Nathan went to David he told him a parable in verses 1-4, “ The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him." This is a story about a rich man. The man had a large flock of his own sheep. But he did not take a sheep from among his own sheep to cook for his guest. Instead he took the ewe lamb of a poor man who had only one ewe lamb, which he loved like his only daughter. God gave Nathan wisdom how to minister the word of God. Sometimes we think we can not share the word of God with other people. We think that we are not qualified. But here we learn that if we keep our identity and stand as a servant of God, God will give us wisdom and the words to help even kings to come to repentance and saving faith in Jesus.
The word of God, given through Nathan the prophet, began to work powerfully in David’s heart. Look at verses 5-6, “David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." David’s heart burned with anger against the man. His sense of justice was still alive. But he did not make the connection, that he was the man. This is true. Sometimes we know what is right and wrong. We have a sense of justice, but we don’t make the connection that what the word of God says is actually pertaining to us. That is why we need Bible study with personal reflection. That is why we need the Holy Spirit. Concerning the conviction work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus says John 16:7&-8, “7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:” Let’s pray for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit so that we may more closely follow Jesus.
Nathan served this purpose in verses 7-10. Let’s read them. “Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'” This gets down to the very core of why sin is wrong before God. The act of sin is actually an act ignoring the grace of God and also an act of despising the word of the Lord. God had blessed King David so much. God’s word revealed God’s hope for David to be a shepherd King for Israel. But David trampled on God’s vision for him. The Ten Commandments were on obvious, but David broke all five of the last commandments in attempting to cover up his sin. God has given us so much. Mostly he has given us eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. He called us into his family and given us a great and glorious mission. He has provided for our every need. We are so blessed that if some people lived the life we live, they would consider it like winning the lottery. How can we sin against the Lord, when he has given us so much grace and mercy? How can we ignore God’s great vision for our lives?
David’s response to God’s rebuke through Nathan is what made David great. In ancient times no one had the right to rebuke a king. If anyone offended a king’s pride, he could not expect to survive. Now David was the king over his people. So he could have done away with Nathan by his power and Authority. But David did not act like an ordinary man. Let’s read verse 13a, “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ …” What beautiful words these are! He did not deny the facts to protect his pride. When God convicted him, he humbled himself and repented of his sin before the prophet of God.
As we know it is not easy for anyone to repent of their sin. Especially, for a king, repentance is not necessary, for the king himself is the law of the land. But David never thought that he was a law unto himself. He submitted to God’s standard and repented. He could repent of his sin, because of the mercy of God. God sent his word and his Spirit to David. God sent his servant Nathan. (We can not bypass this fact). God could have abandoned David, for David had despised his word and exploited his flock. But God, in his grace, really tried hard to restore David and he did by his power. He gave him the spirit of repentance by giving him a clear message through Nathan and David recognized God’s love through this message. God loved David so much. He took him from being a lowly shepherd boy and raised him up to the shepherd and ruler of his people Israel. God’s grace is deeper than the ocean. Even BP’s deep sea oil rigs could not tap in to the vast reserves of God’s love and grace.
David’s repentance was “thorough” and “sincere”. Look at verse 13, “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ Nathan replied, ‘The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’ Psalm 51 tells us how David repented. Let’s listen to an excerpt from this psalm. I will read verses 1-3, “ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. “ Beautiful words are they not? David knew that he should have been abandoned by God because of his sins. But he depended on God’s love and compassion when he asked God to blot out his transgressions and to wash away all of his iniquities. He asked God’s forgiveness. (Psalm 51:1-3) Even though he was a king he honored God as God. So he said, “Against you and against you only have I sinned.” (Ps 51:4a) David showed what it meant to be a true king, ordained by God, through his repentance.
When he repented God release David from his torment. When David took the liberty to enjoy his sinful nature, he was not happy because sin was living in him. At that time God’s hedge of protection was lifted and evil spirits came into him and tormented him. He suffered a lot, That is why he cried out in Psalm 51:10-12, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” David knew that there was no method to receive the grace of forgiveness other than the repentance of sins. If his sins could be forgiven, by offering up a huge sacrifice, David would have offered up hundreds of bulls and thousands of sheep. But David knew what God really wanted. He says in Psalm 51:16-17, “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” David knew that God takes not pleasure in burnt offering with no heart. He knew that God would accept his repentance only when he repented with a broken spirit and a contrite heart. And this is what David did.
Part lll: David was restored (12:15-23)
Look at verses 15-23. David accepted the consequence of his sin. Look at verses 22-23. “He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." He overcome through resurrection faith and trusting in God’s love and sovereignty.
God restored his relationship with Bathsheba. Look at verses 24-25, “Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him; 25 and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. Solomon as born.” They could make a new beginning in their family life together. Their son would even become the future king of Israel.
David actually repented of his laziness and got involved in matter of state, Look at verses 26-31. He fought with his armies and once again engaged in his mission to fight the battles of the Lord. His repentance was very practical. There was a clear change.
In this passage we learned why David fell into a great sin against God and how he repented of his sin. David sinned against God when he decided to have a little vacation. When he rested physically, his spirit followed suit and he became vulnerable to Satan and his sinful nature. After committing sin, David underwent unutterable troubles and distress and his soul was tormented by evil spirits. David learned that repentance before God must involve a broken spirit. Most of all David learned that the grace of God’s forgiveness of sin is truly life giving. David confessed in Psalm 32:1-2a, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him…” David became our ancestor of faith and one of the greatest men to ever live, through his sincere repentance and in his faith in the grace of God’s forgiveness of sin. Rulers for the last 3,000 have learned from his example. Their subjects have been blessed by David’s example. But we must know that he became one of the greatest people through his repentance. May God bless each one of us to experience the blessing of sincere repentance before God and the restoration and blessing it brings.
Part l: David’s Sin (11:1–27)
1. While his men went to war, where did David remain, and why? (10:13–19; 11:1) How did he come to commit the sin of adultery? (2–4; cf. Ge4:7; Ro6:12–13; 1Jn2:16) To what result? (5; Nu32:23) What can we learn here about how not to fall into sin? (Ge39:9–10; Mt6:13; 2Ti2:22)
2. How did David attempt to cover up his sin? (11:6–27a) How did Uriah’s behavior contrast with David’s? (9,13) What happened to some of David’s men? (17,24) How had David’s heart been poisoned by the power of sin? (Jas1:15) How did God view what he had done? (27b) What does the phrase “displeased the LORD” imply? (5:2)
Part ll: David’s Repentance (12:1–31)
3. How did the Lord intervene? (1a) What was Nathan’s story and what did it arouse in David? (1b–6) How did Nathan confront him, and of what did he remind him? (7–8) In what ways had David despised the word of the Lord, as well as the Lord himself? (9–10; cf. Ex20:13–17) What judgment did God pronounce on him? (10–12)
4. What remarkable confession did David make? (13a; cf. Jer36:22–26) According to Psalm 51, how did David express this repentance more fully? What assurance did Nathan give him? (13b) Nevertheless, what were the dire consequences of David’s sin? (14–15) What can we learn here about how costly sin is?
5. How did David’s actions in verses 16–25 show that his heart had been restored after repentance and God’s forgiveness? How did David resume his mission as king of Israel? (26–31)
6. What warnings does the story of David’s sin have for spiritual leaders? What can we learn about how fallen spiritual leaders can be restored? What can we learn in these chapters from God in his dealings with David?
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