The Life and Times of

Conclusion

As we conclude this lesson, let us pause to consider some implications and applications of our text.

Our text has much to teach us about true friendship. The Book of Proverbs has a great deal to say about true friends, and other “friends:”

Many will seek the favor of a generous man, And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts (Proverbs 19:6).

All the brothers of a poor man hate him; How much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone (Proverbs 19:7).

Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend, And do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away (Proverbs 27:10).

In our text, we find out who David's real friends are. The amazing thing is that many of them are not even Jews, but Gentiles. A number of his true friends became his friend while he was facing adversity, fleeing for his life.

I would hope that in this church and many others, one's true friends would be found among the brothers and sisters with whom we worship and serve God together. This is not always the case. Even the apostle Paul experienced abandonment by his friends (see 2 Timothy 4:9-11, 16). There were but a few churches, like the Macedonian church at Philippi, which continued to support Paul (Philippians 4:10-16). There were but a few men, like Timothy and Epaphroditus, whom Paul could count on when things got tough (Philippians 2:19-30). The one thing Paul knew for certain was that there was one “Friend” who would never forsake him:

A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (2 Timothy 4:16-18).

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU” (Hebrews 13:5).⁷

The one “Friend” who would not desert Moses or Joshua or Paul or David is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is not intimidated by anyone, nor is He deterred by suffering and sorrow. He is the One who endured rejection and suffering so that we might be saved. He is the model, the benchmark for a true friend.

We are reminded by our text that God always keeps His Word, and that sin does not pay. Through Nathan, God informed David that his sin with Bathsheba would result in his suffering consequences which would be similar to his sin, but much greater in magnitude. He sinned by taking one man's wife, privately; he suffered when one man took his ten wives, publicly. Sin does not pay. It is never worth the price. This message depicts David and those with him as walking the “trail of tears.” There is much sorrow, much weeping in our text, and it is all the result of sin, David's sin.

Our text calls our attention to the comforting truth of God's sovereignty. To be sovereign is to have all authority and to be in complete control. God is sovereign over all creation. God is sovereign over men. Nothing can thwart God's plans, purposes, and promises. God told David what would happen as a result of his sin, and in our text we see it happening. It should come as no surprise. God also promised David that he would not die, and that his kingdom would be everlasting. Therefore, we see God protecting the life of David, even in the midst of his suffering. God provided for David through some very unexpected means, but especially through friends, many of whom were not even Israelites.

In His sovereignty, God employed even David's enemies, even those who were ungodly, to bring about His purposes and promises. God raised up Hushai to thwart the counsel of Ahithophel. He used Gentile mercenaries to fight with and for David. He even used a loud-mouthed enemy of David -- Shimei -- to humble David, even though his motives and message were wrong. God used all this to chasten David and to bring about his recovery.

In His sovereignty, God was using these very difficult times to bring David to greater maturity in his faith and practice. God was using “evil” to bring about David's “good.” Romans 8:28 is certainly being acted out in the life of David, and especially in our text. Included in the “all things” which God employs to accomplish our “good” and His glory are the trials and tribulations of this life. God did not allow these painful things to happen in order to destroy David, but to draw him near, to make him humble and dependent.

It is easy to get caught up in the sorrow of this flight from Jerusalem and to be overcome with the tears that are shed. But there is a good side to all the sorrow as well. When we look at David's response to these events in the darkest hours of his life, we see some qualities which were lacking elsewhere. We see here in David a brokenness and a humility which is not always evident in his successes. The “David” who was so eager to kill Nabal and all his male servants for being rude to him is now willing to endure the insults of Shimei, because he knows there is an element of truth in what his enemy is saying. David is willing to learn from an enemy and to patiently endure persecution and affliction.

In many ways, David's suffering provides us with a prototype of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is difficult to read these verses without thinking of our Lord's rejection by His own people, the Jews, and of His acceptance by a number of Gentiles. It is easy to see Absalom's betrayal of his father and king as a prototype of the betrayal of our Lord by Judas. As David and a procession make their way out of the city of Jerusalem and up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, it is easy to recall the procession that left Jerusalem, making their way to the cross of Calvary. In the midst of the sadness and sorrow of our text, there is the foreshadowing of hope that comes from the work of our Lord on the cross of Calvary. Just as David was rejected as Israel's king, only to defeat his enemies and to return once again as the King of Israel, so our Lord will return to subdue His enemies and establish His eternal throne on this earth. May our hope and trust be in the Son of David, who came to save sinners and to establish His righteous kingdom upon this earth.