The Hub 2 Samuel 14-15 May 11, 2025
Let me start with a little history for context of this week’s reading.
Jacob’s whole family was very dysfunctional and yet the 12 tribes of Israel came from Jacob and they will go on in infinity since the 12 gates of Jerusalem will be named after them. So, it is with David a man after God’s own heart and yet his family is very dysfunctional as well. God works in our mess as we see it on earth looking at life on earth. So, then what does it look like to be following God.
Just like Jacob, David lacked family interaction skills completely. He was an excellent warrior and never lost a battle. That was because he always prayed before every battle no matter what and always sought God in his fighting endeavors. However, he was completely blind when it came to his own family and all the goings on with his children.
Last week we talked about how Amnon raped Tamar and then threw her out and had nothing to do with her after that. This really made Absalom very mad since he admired Tamar and even had named his daughter Tamar after her. He also was made madder since his father did nothing about it at all for two years. Since this was not addressed, his anger built up till he killed Amnon.
David was distraught that now Amnon was dead and mourned continuously for 3 years over Absalom being gone.
This is where today’s lesson starts. David was so wrapped up in his sorrow and mourning that it occupied his mind all the time.
When Joab, the son of David’s sister Zeruiah, realized that David was preoccupied with Absalom.
That meant that he was not ruling the kingdom and looking after the people in what was going on with them. The people always did what the king did and followed his example, so this caused a lot of discord in the kingdom.
This is where Joab enters.
20 He did this because he hoped to change your situation with Absalom.
Joab saw that David was putting Absalom above his people. That is what a good friend does.
However, it did not help the situation. David agreed to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, but:
David: 24 Take him to his own house. I won’t let him see my face.
So, Absalom returned to his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.
Absalom’s anger grew for 2 more years and finally he appealed to Joab again.
2 Samuel 14:33
33 So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus, he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.
So, Absalom left, and he came up with a plan to steal the kingdom by deception to get what he wanted. He told people that he would fix problems that they did not even know they had and got them all stirred up about nonissues that he made into big issues that he told them he could fix.
It took 4 years to do this.
2 Samuel 15:7
7 Now it came about at the end of four years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have made to the Lord, in Hebron.
2 Samuel 15:12
12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices to God, he sent for David’s counselor Ahithophel of
Giloh. The rebellion grew in power and number,
2 Samuel 15:13-14
13 and at last a messenger came to David.
Messenger: Absalom has captured the loyalty of the people of Israel.
14 David could see now that he had been outmaneuvered, so he called for his advisors in Jerusalem and instructed them.
David: Gather your things, and let’s flee from the city right now, or we won’t escape Absalom’s revolt. Hurry, or he will catch us and kill us and anyone left in the city.
David chose not to fight his son and trust God.
2 Samuel 15:25-26
David (to Zadok): 25 Carry the covenant chest of God back into Jerusalem. If the Eternal looks on me with favor, then I will come back someday to see it in its place in Jerusalem where it belongs. 26 But if He says, “I am through with you,” then I stand ready to endure whatever He wills.
David’s warrior instincts kicked in. He had never fought in a city before, yet he was very good fighting out in the wilderness. He also planted spies so he would know what was going on.
2 Samuel 15:34-37
34 But if you return to the city, speak to Absalom. Gain his confidence. Tell him you will serve him as king as you once served me, and that way you can block Ahithophel’s advice for me. 35-36 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be in the city with you. Tell them what you hear in the palace; and they and their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan respectively, will pass the news on to me.
37 So David’s counselor and friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.
Notice how important friends are.
So, what stood out to me is this:
I grew up in the church and was taught that if you follow God fully that your life will more or less do well in having a good job or ministry, a reasonably well-behaved family with a loving wife. So, if you had big problems, then God was mad at you, or you were not doing things God’s way and out of God’s will. If you just follow the right steps, then life will be good.
Let’s go back to the question I asked at the beginning.
So, then what does it look like to be following God.
David was a man after God’s own heart and yet look at the serious turmoil in his life.
Again, look at Jacob where the 12 tribes of Israel came from:
Genesis 47:9 New English Translation
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.
Read all 6 Oz Hillman sheets.
Summary
1. Life is not a formula, can get messy, can be uncomfortable, but you can know my Nature.
2. I am the only one who can reconcile life’s contradictions. I don’t always make life easier, but I make it better.
3. Are we willing to trust Him enough to forgive the Judases in our lives. When we refuse to forgive, we risk infecting others with a “bitter root” of resentment. (like Absalom)
4. Graduate-Level Test: Self-Defense. It is to find out if we truly believe in the cross, to find out if the cross is sufficient.
5. Trusting in me means you believe that my nature and character is to care for your concerns.
6. Note: This was added after closing worship when Felica said she was prompted by God to start with Jesus Loves me.
Jesus shows up in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes the presence of God can show up in the smallest and simplest acts.
• Oz was asked the above on a flight by his mentor. At the end of the flight his mentor said that if God had said He was the God of Abraham only, then everyone would try to be like Abraham. Or, if Isaac or Jacob, then all would try to be like them. However, by saying all 3 all the time, life is different for each one. Abraham was a man of faith. Isaac was a man who prospered and ruled his family well. Jacob was a deceiver and his family was completely dysfunctional. Yet, that is where the 12 tribes of Israel come from whose name will live on forever since the 12 gates of Jerusalem are named after them. So, God is the God of who each of us are created to be individually here on earth.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Attachments
1. Listening to the Fathers Heart 08/24
2. Listening to the Fathers Heart 08/11/24 you want the pain to be removed
3. The Judas Test
4. The Graduate
5. Listening to the Fathers Heart 02/13
6. The Worship Service TGIF 8-8-24
1
Listening to the Father's Heart - 08/24/23 by Os Hillman
Son, sometimes your obedience will make life harder instead of easier. Life in the Kingdom is not a formula that will make life work in an orderly fashion. I do my greatest work in the haphazard daily grind of life. In the end, my purposes are accomplished in my order. But the process of walking in obedience to my ways can get messy. The power of my Spirit can appear to cause havoc in the lives of my sons and daughters at times. This is not a bad thing. I disorganize to reorganize. I stir life up to move you to another level of our relationship. The process can be uncomfortable and my ways are not understood at times. But you can know my nature, which is always good and always working for your benefit. Keep obeying me and leave the outcomes to me.
Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox. Prov 14:4 (where there is poop)
And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.” Exodus 4:21
2
Listening to the Father's Heart - 08/11/2024 by Os Hillman
Son, when you hurt, of course you want the hurt to be removed. You want to feel better. And I desire you to seek me for all of your needs, especially when you are hurting. However, there is a higher place to go in your pain than just toward the removal of it. Your real goal should be to discover me and my grace in this place of pain. And to grasp a certainty that I am there with you. When you live to please me, you will begin to open the wells of deep joy that you are missing. Joy is not determined by circumstances. It’s determined by the degree of my presence you experience. I want to reveal myself to you and I know that deep down you desire to experience me. As you turn completely to me, you will find my presence. I know there are times when it feels like life is simply not working. You try to do all the right things but are stuck with seeming contradictions in the way you thought life would be and should be. I am the only one who can reconcile life's contradictions. I don’t always make life easier, but I make it better.
My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalms 84:2
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. I Peter 5:6, 7
3
The Judas Test
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman 02/28/2024
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship as we walked with the throng at the house of God (Ps. 55:12-14).
Betrayal is one of the most difficult tests that we will ever face because it involves being wounded by someone we trust. It’s hard not to become bitter when a friend or family member wounds us. It takes a lot of Christ-like grace to forgive a traitor.
You have probably faced the Judas Test yourself. Every day you and I work in a marketplace that is rife with betrayal, deception, duplicity, and treachery. Perhaps you have been betrayed by your boss or a coworker. Or perhaps somebody betrayed a confidence or stabbed you in the back. It may have even been someone you’ve gone to church with or prayed with—someone you trusted as a brother in Christ.
The Judas kiss stings worse than a slap across the face. Almost every leader I know has experienced that sting at one time or another. Yet God is watching to see how we respond to the Judas Test. If we pass the test, He can then take us to the next level, the next test. If we fail, we’ll probably have to repeat the test until we learn to forgive.
The Judas Test is God’s graduate level course in faith, designed to reveal the truth about ourselves: Are we willing to trust Him enough to forgive the Judases in our lives? The book of Hebrews warns, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Ps 12:15). When we refuse to forgive, we risk infecting others with a "bitter root" of resentment. (ie Absalom)
The above Psalm was written by David during one of his times of betrayal. He chose forgiveness when his advisors often encouraged retaliation. How about you?
Will you wash the feet of Judas and model the forgiveness of Jesus?
4
The Graduate-Level Test: Self-Defense
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Saturday, April 16 2016
"He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." - Psalm 37:6
As a believer grows in trusting obedience and love, God often brings a test that seems uncharacteristically cruel. The test: being wrongfully judged by those close to you. It is not for the reactionary. It cannot be passed over by simply gutting it out. Supernatural grace is the only means of passing this one. It is one of those tests the Savior had to experience Himself when being tried by the court of public opinion, the religious community, and the government of His day. His response to the government was silence. His response to the religious establishment was silence at the final judgment. To the rest of His accusers, He remained quiet and left vindication to the Father. He lived the commandment He gave to the disciples:
"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Luke 6:35).
How do you react when you are accused or mistreated for no reason? Do you listen quietly, or do you justify each and every action? Most of us take pride in doing what is right and expect the same from others, especially our brothers and sisters in the faith. Jesus knew that if you were to be a true follower of His, you would enter this test eventually. It is part of the program. The workplace gives ample opportunity to be wronged, misunderstood, and maligned. When God brings a measured assault against one of His children, it is to find out if he truly believes in the cross. The cross is where each of us is given the opportunity to die to our pride, our reputations, and our ego. When He allows a measured assault upon us, it is to find out if the cross is sufficient. He wants to see if we will seek to rescue ourselves. Jesus said if we die with Him, we will be raised with Him. When God allows satan to bring the measured assault, ask God for the grace to cling to the cross. Let the pride and arrogance that Jesus wants to remove from our lives be crucified. Thank God for the opportunity to be crucified with Christ. Then your righteousness will shine like the noonday sun and the justice of your cause will be in His hands.
5
Listening to the Father's Heart - 02/13/23 by Os Hillman
Son, trusting in me means you believe that my nature and character is to care for your concerns. It means you are willing to trust the outcome of your future to me. It means you choose to let go of those things that you cannot understand, because you believe I do understand. It means letting go of your right and need to have to understand things I have not chosen to reveal to you at this time. It means you come to me with every issue, problem or concern, knowing I am the source of wisdom for how to deal with each of life's ups and downs. It means you place your trust in my ability to direct your every step. Today, no matter how large or small your concern, come to me with it. I take delight in giving you my wisdom.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5, 6
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. Isaiah 55:8
6
The Worship Service
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman 08/08/2024
This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed (Lam 1:16).
Angie and I walked into the worship service. I pushed my Mom’s wheelchair into the room among many, many others. This was no ordinary worship service. This wasn’t our first time. The organizer recognized us and asked if we would assist in handing out the songbooks.
About only 20% of the participants could actually use them. For most of them it sat on their laps. "Why does life have to be reduced to this?" I questioned and prayed silently to the Lord. "If Jesus walked through this room, how many would He restore?" I continued to ponder. You see, Angie and I were in a dementia and Alzheimer's elderly care nursing home unit where my mom resided. A few chairs over sat the father of my older sisters’ longtime best friend. Next to him was my brother-in-law’s grandmother.
They were all once successful people—doctors, lawyers, business leaders, and stay-at home moms. They had, at one time, lived in fine southern homes. But they now lived in one-half of a single room. Some patients could recognize their loved ones, others could not.
The service began with singing. Only a few voices could be heard among the patients. A simple message followed. Then, something remarkable happened. The speaker said they would now close with a well-known song. It began this way; "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Suddenly, the voices in the room got louder. Patients that were not singing before were now singing. I looked over at my mom. She was whistling the tune. I looked over at Angie; tears were streaming down her face.
Yes, the presence of Jesus was walking through the room. But it wasn’t in the way I thought He’d come. Sometimes the presence of God can show up in the smallest and simplest acts.