{"id":33882,"date":"2024-12-26T22:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-27T05:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_15_17-37-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-12-17T16:49:50","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T23:49:50","slug":"2-samuel_16_1-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_16_1-14\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Types of People You Meet in Your Tough Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Samuel\u00a0 16:1-14 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 16:1-14.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

\n
2 Samuel 16:1-8 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert.”
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?” Ziba said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s kingdom.'”
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” “I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel!
\n8\u00a0<\/sup> The\u00a0LORD\u00a0has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The\u00a0LORD\u00a0has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!”<\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

On verses\u00a01-8: \u00a0As David continues his journey into exile, David meets Ziba, the servant of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.\u00a0 Ziba brings a surprisingly large supply of donkeys, bread, cakes and wine to help David and his men on their journey.\u00a0 When David asks Ziba where his crippled master Mephibosheth is, Ziba replies that Mephibosheth didn\u2019t join David because Mephibosheth sees David’s exile as his opportunity to have David’s kingdom transferred back to him and his family (v3).\u00a0 Mephibosheth would later dispute this claim in 19:24-25, alleging that Ziba betrayed Mephibosheth.\u00a0 In response to Ziba’s claim and before hearing out Mephibosheth, David declares that everything Mephibosheth owned now belongs to Ziba (v4).<\/p>\n

Later a man called Shimei audaciously curses David and his men, pelting them with stones and throwing insult after insult.\u00a0 Shimei calls David a murderer and a scoundrel (v7-8). \u00a0 Shimei alleges that God is punishing David for all the blood he shed in Saul’s family (a false claim because David never killed anyone in Saul’s family).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0When you’re facing adversity you will encounter two types of people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first type are those who stand by your side.\u00a0 That includes the people who are loyal to you to the very end (like Ittai the Gittite in 15:19-22), people who will pray for you and look out for you (like Zadok in 15:24-29) and people who go out of their way to give you the help you need (like Hushai in 15:32-37).<\/p>\n

The second type are those who cut you down.\u00a0 That includes people whom you have given much to but who don’t seem to care when you’re the one who is in need (like Mephibosheth who didn’t go with David, in\u00a016:3; 19:24-25), people who see your plight as an opportunity for their own advancement (like Ziba in\u00a016:1-4) and people who only want to criticize and attack you, speaking all sorts of unwarranted judgment and false accusations against you (like Shimei in\u00a016:5-8).<\/p>\n

Adversity has this way of showing you what you are made of and what those around you are made of. \u00a0Thank God for those who stand by your side and help you in your times of adversity, and don’t let those who attack you when you’re down get the best of you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Believe that even if everyone else around you abandons you, God will never leave you or forsake you.\u00a0 As long as you have the Lord, you have the advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2 Samuel 16:9-14 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But the king said, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?'”
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0has told him to.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0It may be that the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.”
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 9-14: \u00a0One of David’s military leaders Abishai son of Zeruiah hears Shimei’s curses and offers to cut off Shimei’s head.\u00a0 David rebukes Abishai and Abishai’s brother Joab for the way they so quickly resort to violence to deal with their problems. \u00a0(Jesus would do something similar with his disciples James and John – Luke 9:53-54).\u00a0 David had been disrespected many times before, and at different points had wanted to resort to violence too (for example:\u00a01\u00a0Samuel\u00a025:10-13).\u00a0 But David had come to believe that killing out of anger only leads to guilt and regret.\u00a0 So David takes a self-controlled and humble approach to Shimei’s cursing.\u00a0 He says, “Let him curse for the Lord has told him to.” (v11) \u00a0I don’t believe God actually, proactively told Shimei to curse David.\u00a0 Rather, this was David meekly submitting to whatever suffering was a part of this current season, trusting that God had a purpose in allowing him to go through it.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0When others curse you or disrespect you, do not retaliate or seek revenge.\u00a0 Getting even will only make things worse.\u00a0 Instead trust God that He has a greater purpose and that He Himself will defend and avenge you (Romans 12:19-21)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Even more, the fact that David here meekly accepts the cursing, the false accusations and the humiliation that others would inflict on him should remind us of someone in the future \u2013 a Son of David \u2013 who would accept unjust suffering on our behalf.<\/p>\n

Lord Jesus, thank You for the people You use in my life in times of adversity.\u00a0 Thank You that You have a greater plan and purpose for my life.\u00a0 Through happy times and tough times may I trust You above anyone or anything else.\u00a0 When others in my life are going through tough times, may I be a source of encouragement, and not frustration, for them.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

opyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 16:1-14.\u00a0 As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 Samuel 16:1-8 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert.”<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-8: \u00a0As David continues his journey into exile, David meets Ziba, the servant of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.\u00a0 Ziba brings a surprisingly large supply of donkeys, bread, cakes and wine to help David and his men on their journey.\u00a0 When David asks Ziba where his crippled master Mephibosheth is, Ziba replies that Mephibosheth didn\u2019t join David because Mephibosheth sees David’s exile as his opportunity to have David’s kingdom transferred back to him and his family (v3).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33882"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33886,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33882\/revisions\/33886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}