Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG021715A
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00:00 (DRAMATIC MUSIC)
00:15 >>TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE IN #9 OUT OF, PROBABLY, WHAT 00:19 WILL BE A 12-PART PRESENTATION TALKING ABOUT DAVID, WHO IS THE 00:23 MIGHTY AND THE MERCIFUL. AND WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN BY 00:28 JUST BACKING UP A LITTLE BIT. WE RAN OUT OF TIME LAST TIME AND 00:31 I WANT TO JUST TIE OFF A VERY IMPORTANT STORY. 00:34 WHEN WE LAST WERE STUDYING THE LIFE OF DAVID, THE GREAT PASSION 00:38 OF HIS HEART WAS TO HAVE THE ARK OF GOD MOVE TO THE NEW CAPITAL 00:43 FOR THE KINGDOM, WHICH IS ALSO A WISE STRATEGIC MOVE, TO MAKE 00:47 SURE THAT YOU'VE GOT BOTH THE CENTER OF THE WORSHIP AND THE 00:51 CENTER OF THE MONARCHY AND THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP WAS IN THE 00:55 SAME PLACE. AND SO, THERE WAS THIS 00:58 PROCESSION - THEY DID IT ONCE WRONG AND THEN THEY DID IT THE 01:02 RIGHT WAY AND THEY MOVED THE ARK UP TO JERUSALEM. 01:06 NOW THE SECOND TIME, WHEN THEY DID IT THE WAY THEY WERE 01:07 SUPPOSED TO, IT WAS IN TIME OF GREAT CELEBRATION - AND YOU CAN 01:13 READ ABOUT THIS IN PSALM 68:24, IT SAYS, "YOUR PROCESSION IS 01:17 SEEN, O GOD, THE PROCESSION OF MY GOD, MY KING, INTO THE 01:21 SANCTUARY - THE SINGERS IN FRONT, THE MUSICIANS LAST, 01:24 BETWEEN THEM VIRGINS PLAYING TAMBOURINES:" - AND I DON'T KNOW 01:28 IF YOU'VE EVER READ THE 150TH PSALM WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT 01:31 PRAISING GOD IN HIS SANCTUARY AND THAT THEY WERE LEADING THIS 01:36 PROCESSION UP THERE - AND IT EVEN MENTIONS DANCE AND 01:39 TAMBOURINES AND THESE THINGS. NOT THAT THEY WERE DOING THAT IN 01:42 THE SANCTUARY, BUT EN ROUTE TO THE SANCTUARY WITH 01:46 THE ARK OF GOD. AND IT SAYS - SO THEY CAME UP, 01:49 THEY BROUGHT THE ARK - YOU REMEMBER DAVID WAS - HE WAS 01:51 LEADING THE PROGRAM AND HE HAD PUT ON A SIMPLE LINEN EPHOD, 01:56 LIKE THE PRIESTS WEAR - LIKE THE LEVITES WEAR. 01:59 HE HAD TAKEN OFF HIS ROYAL ROBES AND HE WAS JUST RIGHT IN THERE 02:02 WITH EVERYBODY ELSE - PART OF THAT PARADE - PRAISING GOD. 02:07 AND YOU READ IN 1 CHRONICLES 15:28, "THUS ALL ISRAEL BROUGHT 02:12 UP THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD WITH SHOUTING AND WITH 02:15 THE SOUND OF THE HORN, WITH TRUMPETS AND WITH CYMBALS, 02:19 MAKING MUSIC WITH STRINGED INSTRUMENTS AND HARPS." 02:22 AND I'VE SEEN SOME OF THE PAINTINGS OF THIS EVENT; THEY 02:25 PORTRAY DAVID AS ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESSION PLAYING A HARP, WHICH 02:28 I UNDERSTAND HE WAS PRETTY GOOD AT. 02:30 NOW WHAT WE LEFT OUT LAST TIME IS, WHILE THIS IS 02:33 HAPPENING, AND AS HE ENTERS JERUSALEM, HIRAM, THE KING, HAS 02:38 GIVEN DAVID CARPENTERS AND MATERIALS AND HE'S BUILT A 02:41 BEAUTIFUL PALACE - A HOME - YOU KNOW, WE'D CALL IT THE WHITE 02:44 HOUSE - FOR THE KING. AND LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW 02:48 WHEN HE CAME HOME WAS HIS WIFE, MICHAL. NOW, IF YOU LOOK IN 2 02:54 SAMUEL 6:16, IN YOUR BIBLES, "NOW AS THE ARK OF THE LORD CAME 03:00 INTO THE CITY OF DAVID, MICHAL, SAUL'S DAUGHTER, LOOKED THROUGH 03:05 A WINDOW AND SAW KING DAVID LEAPING AND WHIRLING BEFORE THE 03:09 LORD; AND SHE DESPISED HIM IN HER HEART." 03:14 NOW, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO READ THE WHOLE STORY THERE, AND SO, 03:17 IF YOU GO TO CHAPTER 6 AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE DAVID, THEN, COMES 03:24 BACK, HE BLESSES ALL THE PEOPLE, HE COMES TO BLESS HIS HOUSE NOW 03:28 - THEY'VE HAD A GREAT FEAST - AND IT SAYS IN VERSE 20 - THIS 03:33 IS 2 SAMUEL 6:20, "THEN DAVID RETURNED TO BLESS HIS HOUSEHOLD. 03:36 AND MICHAL THE DAUGHTER OF SAUL CAME OUT TO MEET DAVID," - SHE, 03:40 SORT OF, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST OF HIS FAMILY - HE'S GOT SEVERAL 03:43 WIVES NOW - TO MEET HIM, AND SHE SPEAKS UP IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY, 03:48 "HOW GLORIOUS WAS THE KING OF ISRAEL TODAY, UNCOVERING HIMSELF 03:52 TODAY IN THE EYES OF THE MAIDS OF HIS SERVANTS, AS ONE OF THE 03:55 BASE FELLOWS SHAMELESSLY UNCOVERS HIMSELF." WOW. 04:01 THAT WAS KIND OF A - I MEAN, THIS IS THE HIGH POINT OF 04:03 DAVID'S LIFE, TO PRAISE THE LORD LIKE THIS, AND HERE, IN FRONT OF 04:07 THE REST OF THE HOUSEHOLD, MICHAL, SAUL'S DAUGHTER - SHE 04:11 HAD BEEN A PRINCESS AND SHE WAS DAVID'S FIRST WIFE. 04:14 SHE WAS PROBABLY NOT TOO HAPPY THAT DAVID'S TAKEN OTHER WIVES. 04:17 AND THEN, WHEN DAVID WAS OUT RUNNING AROUND IN THE HILLS OF 04:20 JUDAH, HIDING FROM HER FATHER, HER FATHER TOOK MICHAL AND 04:23 MARRIED HER OFF TO ANOTHER GUY. AND WHEN DAVID BECAME KING HE 04:26 SAYS, 'LOOK, I WANT MY WIFE BACK.' AND SO SHE CAME BACK 04:29 AGAIN. SHE MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT EITHER. 04:33 HER FATHER'S BEEN KILLED. HER BROTHERS ARE KILLED - SO I 04:36 DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING GOING ON IN HER MIND, BUT YOU DON'T MOCK 04:39 THE KING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSEHOLD. 04:43 YOU DON'T MOCK YOUR HUSBAND IN FRONT OF OTHERS - AND HE WAS 04:50 PRAISING GOD - AND SO DAVID COMES RIGHT BACK. 04:55 IF HE HAD SAID NOTHING, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE. 04:58 HE SAYS TO MICHAL, IT WAS BEFORE THE LORD, WHO CHOSE ME INSTEAD 05:02 OF YOUR FATHER AND ALL OF HIS HOUSE, TO APPOINT ME RULER OVER 05:06 THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD, OVER ISRAEL. THEREFORE I WILL PLAY 05:09 MUSIC BEFORE THE LORD.'" HE SAID, 'GOD'S ANOINTED ME' - 05:12 "I WILL EVEN BE MORE UNDIGNIFIED THAN THIS, AND WILL 05:15 BE HUMBLE IN MY OWN SIGHT. BUT AS FOR THE MAIDSERVANTS OF 05:19 WHOM YOU HAVE SPOKEN, BY THEM I WILL BE HELD IN HONOR." 05:22 AND THEN IT MAKES AN INTERESTING STATEMENT. 05:24 THIS IS WHY I'VE INCLUDED THIS STORY, "THEREFORE MICHAL THE 05:28 DAUGHTER OF SAUL HAD NO CHILDREN TO THE DAY OF HER DEATH." 05:32 NOW, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IS BECAUSE DAVID DID NOT 05:36 ACCOMMODATE WITH THE REGULAR INTIMACY OF MARRIAGE. 05:40 I THINK THAT GOD DENIED HER - THIS IS SOMETHING THE LORD DID - 05:45 I THINK THE LORD DENIED HER HAVING CHILDREN AND - FOR A 05:47 COUPLE OF REASONS: ONE WAS BECAUSE OF THE ARROGANCE AND THE 05:53 SCOFFING THAT HAPPENED AT THIS TIME BUT, BEYOND THAT, JESUS WAS 05:58 TO BE A DESCENDANT OF DAVID. GOD HAD PREDICTED THAT SAUL AND 06:04 HIS HOUSE WOULD NOT CONTINUE. IF SAUL AND DAVID HAD HAD CHILDREN, 06:09 THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOME THAT WOULD HAVE FOUGHT - 06:12 >>MICHAL. >>DID I SAY IT WRONG? 06:14 THANK YOU. IF MICHAL - I JUST DID THAT TO 06:17 GIVE MY WIFE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW. 06:20 (LAUGHTER) IF MICHAL AND DAVID HAD HAD CHILDREN, THEN SOME 06:27 MIGHT HAVE LATER CONTESTED AND SAID, 'SHE HAD - THIS CHILD HAS 06:32 A RIGHT TO THE THRONE.' AND THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A DISPUTE 06:34 IN THAT WAY, AND SO, PARTIALLY, I THINK, FOR THAT REASON, GOD 06:37 DENIED THEM HAVING CHILDREN TOGETHER. 06:39 AND SO, AT THIS POINT, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE NEXT FEW 06:43 CHAPTERS IS YOU SEE THAT DAVID CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN HIMSELF 06:47 IN THE KINGDOM. HERE YOU SEE DAVID THE MIGHTY 06:50 AND YOU CAN LOOK AT A SERIES OF BATTLES -I'M JUST GOING TO GO TO 06:53 CHAPTER 8 - 2 SAMUEL 8, VERSE 1, "AFTER THIS IT CAME TO PASS THAT 06:58 DAVID ATTACKED THE PHILISTINES AND SUBDUED THEM." 07:03 NOW, YOU REMEMBER WHEN 1 SAMUEL ENDS, THE PHILISTINES HAD 07:07 OVERTHROWN ISRAEL AND EVEN TAKEN TERRITORY BACK. 07:11 IT WAS A LOW POINT - THEY'D LOST ALL THIS TERRITORY THEY'D GAINED 07:14 DURING THE TIME OF SAMUEL THE PROPHET AND SAUL THE KING. 07:19 DAVID WAS GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER, THEY ENGAGED IN A FEW 07:21 BATTLES, FINALLY, WHEN IT SAYS HE SUBDUED THEM, THE 07:25 PHILISTINES, WHO DAVID HAD BEEN FIGHTING SINCE GOLIATH, AS A 07:28 CHILD, WHO SAMSON HAD BEEN FIGHTING, ARE FINALLY SUBDUED. 07:33 AFTER CENTURIES OF BATTLES WITH THEM, THEY ARE NOW PAYING 07:36 TRIBUTE TO ISRAEL. "THEN" - IT SAYS - "HE DEFEATED MOAB." 07:42 - THIS IS THE NATION THAT'S ON THEIR EAST COAST - "FORCING THEM 07:45 DOWN TO THE GROUND, HE MEASURED THEM OFF WITH A LINE." 07:48 - YOU REMEMBER THE MOABITES ONCE OPPRESSED - THEY HAD A GREAT, 07:50 BIG, FAT KING NAMED EGLON, WHO WAS KILLED BY EHUD, AND THE 07:55 MOABITES ONCE HAD THEM IN TRIBUTE AND, UNDER DAVID, HE 07:59 DEFEATS THE KINGDOM OF MOAB - "FORCING THEM DOWN TO THE 08:02 GROUND, HE MEASURED THEM OFF WITH A LINE. 08:04 WITH TWO LINES HE MEASURED OFF THOSE TO BE PUT TO DEATH, AND 08:07 WITH ONE FULL LINE THOSE TO BE KEPT ALIVE. 08:09 SO THE MOABITES BECAME DAVID'S SERVANTS, AND BROUGHT TRIBUTE." 08:13 IT SOUNDS PRETTY FIERCE, HERE - "DAVID ALSO DEFEATED HADAEZER 08:17 THE SON OF REHOB, KING OF ZOBAH, AS HE WENT TO RECOVER HIS 08:20 TERRITORY AT THE RIVER EUPHRATES. 08:23 DAVID TOOK FROM HIM ONE THOUSAND CHARIOTS, SEVEN HUNDRED 08:27 HORSEMEN, AND TWENTY THOUSAND FOOT SOLDIERS." 08:30 - THAT'S A LOT - "WHEN THE SYRIANS OF DAMASCUS CAME TO HELP 08:33 HADADEZER KING OF ZOBAH, DAVID KILLED TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND OF 08:37 THE SYRIANS. THEN DAVID PUT GARRISONS IN 08:40 SYRIA OF DAMASCUS; AND THE SYRIANS BECAME DAVID'S 08:43 SERVANTS, AND BROUGHT TRIBUTE. SO THE LORD PRESERVED 08:48 DAVID WHEREVER HE WENT." SO, BASICALLY, DAVID - HE'S 08:52 ALREADY IN PEACE WITH THE KING OF TYRE - THE 08:54 ZIDONIANS IN THE NORTH. THEN, TO THE NORTHEAST, YOU'VE 08:58 GOT SYRIA - WHERE SYRIA STILL IS TODAY - AND DAMASCUS - AND HE 09:01 DEFEATED THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE EUPHRATES RIVER. AND THEN YOU GO 09:04 EAST AND HE DEFEATED AMMON. ACTUALLY, THE BATTLE WITH AMMON 09:07 COMES NEXT WEEK, BUT MOAB AND THE EDOMITES AND THE PHILISTINES 09:12 OVER BY THE COAST AND THEY WERE AT PEACE WITH EGYPT. 09:15 BUT HE'S BASICALLY - THE KINGDOM IS EXPANDING, HE'S DAVID THE 09:18 MIGHTY - WHAT'S AMAZING ABOUT DAVID, YOU CAN'T FIND AN EXAMPLE 09:23 IN THE BIBLE OF DAVID LOSING A BATTLE. 09:26 SOMETIMES HE CHANGED STRATEGY, BUT HE WON EVERY BATTLE - AND 09:30 DAVID IS A TYPE OF JESUS AND IF YOU'VE GOT JESUS AS YOUR 09:34 GENERAL, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. AMEN? 09:37 NOW I JUST THOUGHT I'D MENTION THAT MANY PSALMS - AND WE JUST, 09:41 YOU KNOW, I WISH SOMETIMES I HAD MORE TIME - PROBABLY TAKEN 09:44 PLENTY OF TIME FOR THIS SUBJECT - TO GO THROUGH THE PSALMS THAT 09:47 DAVID IS WRITING DURING THESE EXPERIENCES. 09:50 BUT JUST ONE EXAMPLE WOULD BE, IF YOU LOOK IN PSALM 60 - I'M 09:53 NOT GOING TO READ PSALM 60, I'M GOING TO READ THE INTRODUCTION 09:56 TO PSALM 60, BECAUSE THESE WERE ORIGINALS - PART OF THE ANCIENT 10:00 HEBREW OR THE INTRODUCTIONS TO THE PSALMS. 10:02 HERE'S WHAT IT SAYS - IT'S CALLED - THE TITLE OF THE SONG - 10:06 HE WILL TREAD DOWN OUR FOES - HE WILL TREAD DOWN OUR FOES - "TO 10:10 THE CHOIRMASTER. ACCORDING TO SHUSHANEDITH, 10:14 MICHTAM OF DAVID, FOR INSTRUCTION; WHEN HE STROVE WITH 10:18 ARAMNAHARAIM AND WITH ARAMZOBAH, AND WHEN JOAB, ON HIS RETURN, 10:23 STRUCK DOWN TWELVE THOUSAND OF EDOM IN THE VALLEY OF SALT." 10:26 SO IT'S TALKING ABOUT THESE BATTLES WITH THE SYRIANS AND 10:30 THIS IS WHEN THIS PSALM IS WRITTEN - A PSALM OF VICTORY. 10:34 SO, ALL ALONG THE WAY, AS HE'S WINNING BATTLES, DAVID IS NOT 10:37 FORGETTING TO BE THANKFUL AND HE'S SINGING. 10:41 SO THE NEXT THING I WANT TO GO ON, WE'RE GOING TO BE JUMPING UP 10:44 NOW TO 1 SAMUEL AND WE'LL BE GOING INTO VERSE 1 OF CHAPTER 9 10:50 - 1 SAMUEL 9. SO DAVID IS - HE'S GAINING PEACE 10:55 IN THE KINGDOM AROUND HIM AND HE HAS SOME TIME TO THINK AND TO 10:59 REMEMBER THE PROMISES AND THE COVENANTS HE'S MADE. 11:03 FOR INSTANCE, IN 1 SAMUEL 20:14 IT SAYS, "AND THOU SHALT NOT 11:13 ONLY WHILE YET I LIVE SHEW ME THE KINDNESS" - HE'S MADE THIS 11:16 COVENANT WITH JONATHAN - "...KINDNESS OF THE LORD, THAT I 11:19 DIE NOT: BUT ALSO THOU SHALT NOT CUT OFF THY KINDNESS FROM MY 11:23 HOUSE FOR EVER: NO, NOT WHEN THE LORD HATH CUT OFF THE ENEMIES OF 11:28 DAVID EVERY ONE FROMMTHE FACE OF THE EARTH." 11:30 NOW YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING WHY THIS EVEN WE'RE GOING TO STUDY 11:33 HAPPENS WHEN IT DOES. JONATHAN, IN HIS COVENANT, SAYS, 11:37 'WHEN YOU HAVE CUT OFF YOUR ENEMIES THEN I WANT YOU TO 11:40 REMEMBER THIS COVENANT.' SO NOW, DAVID HAS, FOR THE MOST PART, 11:43 CUT OFF HIS ENEMIES, HE REMEMBERS THIS COVENANT THAT HE 11:47 HAS MADE WITH JONATHAN YEARS EARLIER WHEN - SHORTLY 11:51 AFTER HE KILLED GOLIATH. YOU CAN READ, AGAIN, IN 1 SAMUEL 11:55 20, VERSE 42, "AND THEN JONATHAN SAID TO DAVID, 'GO IN PEACE, 12:00 FORASMUCH AS WE HAVE SWORN BOTH OF US IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, 12:04 SAYING, 'THE LORD BE BETWEEN ME AND THEE, AND BETWEEN MY SEED 12:08 AND THY SEED FOR EVER.''" SO NOW DAVID'S THINKING ABOUT THE 12:13 OFFSPRING OF JONATHAN. AND THEN HE HAD MADE A COVENANT 12:16 WITH SAUL, THE FATHER OF JONATHAN. 12:19 YOU LOOK IN 1 SAMUEL 24:21, "THEREFORE SWEAR NOW TO ME BY 12:25 THE LORD, THAT YOU WILL NOT CUT OFF MY DESCENDENTS AFTER ME, AND 12:29 THAT YOU WILL NOT DESTROY MY NAME FROM MY FATHER'S HOUSE. 12:34 SO DAVID SWORE TO SAUL. AND SAUL WENT HOME; BUT DAVID 12:38 AND HIS MEN WENT TO THE STRONGHOLD." 12:40 IT WAS A CUSTOM, IN BIBLE TIMES, THAT WHEN ONE KING OVERTHREW AND 12:45 CONQUERED ANOTHER KING THAT, LEST ANYBODY SAY, 'WE WANT TO 12:49 CONTINUE THE FORMER MONARCHY', YOU WOULD EXTERMINATE THAT 12:53 KING'S FAMILY. PRINCIPALLY IT WAS THE SONS, NOT 12:56 NECESSARILY THE WIVES OR THE DAUGHTERS, BECAUSE THE SONS WERE 12:59 THE ONES WHO WOULD - YOU'D BE THREATENED ABOUT THEM REIGNING. 13:02 YOU LOOK MORE AT THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL THAN THE KINGDOM OF 13:05 JUDAH FOR AN EXAMPLE, BECAUSE JUDAH WAS ALWAYS THE HOUSE OF 13:08 DAVID. ISRAEL, THERE WERE SEVERAL CHANGES. 13:10 IT CHANGED FROM JEHU TO BAASHA TO AHAB TO ZIMRAM AND - THERE'S 13:16 ALL THESE DIFFERENT KINGS. AND WHENEVER ONE KING CAME INTO 13:19 POWER, LIKE WHEN JEHU CAME INTO POWER, THEY COMPLETELY 13:23 ANNIHILATED ALL THE SONS OF AHAB. AND BAASHA DID AND NOMRI 13:27 DID IT - THEY ALL ANNIHILATED ALL OF THE KINGS BEFORE AND ALL 13:32 OF THEIR HOUSE SO THERE'D BE NO THREAT OF THEM WANTING TO COME 13:35 BACK AND TAKE OVER AGAIN. AND SO, EVERYONE EXPECTED, AFTER 13:39 ALL THE YEARS THAT SAUL WAS TRYING TO KILL DAVID, THAT WHEN 13:43 DAVID FINALLY BECAME SETTLED IN HIS POWER, HE'D MAKE SURE AND 13:47 ANNIHILATE ANY RESIDUE OF SAUL'S HOUSE. 13:50 SO YOU CAN HAVE THAT AS A BACKGROUND AND UNDERSTAND WHY IT 13:53 MADE SOME PEOPLE NERVOUS WHEN DAVID ASKED THIS QUESTION. 13:57 HE BEGINS TO REMEMBER THE PROMISE HE MADE ABOUT THE 14:00 OFFSPRING OF JONATHAN AND SO DAVID CALLS HIS SERVANTS AND HE 14:04 SAYS, 'IS THERE ANYONE LEFT OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL THAT I MAY 14:09 SHOW HIM KINDNESS?' AND AS SOON AS HE SAYS, 'IS 14:12 THERE ANYONE LEFT OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL?' 14:13 THEY THOUGHT, 'OH WHY, YOU WANT TO WIPE THEM OUT?' 14:16 AND DAVID, REALIZING THEY'RE GOING TO MISUNDERSTAND, HE SAYS, 14:18 'THAT I MIGHT SHOW THEM KINDNESS.' SO HERE YOU'VE GOT 14:22 THE MERCY OF DAVID. WHY? FOR JONATHAN'S SAKE. 14:28 NOW HE WASN'T SHOWING THEM KINDNESS FOR THEIR SAKE, BUT 14:30 HE'S GOING TO SHOW THEM KINDNESS FOR JONATHAN, THE SON OF THE 14:33 KING. NOW WE TALKED EARLIER ABOUT EVEN 14:35 JONATHAN IS BEING A TYPE OF CHRIST. 14:38 JONATHAN MAKES THIS COVENANT - YOU REMEMBER, WITH DAVID - GIVES 14:41 HIM HIS ROBE, GIVES HIM HIS BELT - BELT IS A SIGN OF TRUTH - 14:45 GIVES HIM HIS SWORD - THE WORD OF GOD - AND JONATHAN FINALLY 14:48 DIES AND HE IS SUSPENDED FROM THE WALLS OF BETHSHAN - HE DIED 14:54 SUSPENDED - PINNED - BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH. 14:57 HERE JONATHAN IS THIS GOOD SON OF THE KING AND JESUS WAS THE 15:02 GOOD SON OF THE KING WHO GIVES US ALL OF HIS ARMOR AND HE DIES 15:07 IN OUR BEHALF. SO JONATHAN IS - IS SORT OF A SIGN OF THAT. 15:11 JONATHAN MAKES A COVENANT WITH DAVID BECAUSE HE LOVES HIM. 15:14 I'M JUST REMINDING YOU BECAUSE NOT ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN TO ALL 15:16 OF THE PRESENTATIONS. AND SO, HERE, BECAUSE OF THE 15:20 SAKE OF JONATHAN, HE'S GOING TO SHOW MERCY ON HIS HOUSEHOLD. 15:26 DOES GOD SHOW MERCY ON US FOR THE SAKE OF JESUS? 15:29 WE DON'T PRAY THAT GOD DOES THINGS FOR US BECAUSE WE DESERVE 15:31 IT, WE PRAY IN THE NAME OF SOMEONE ELSE. 15:35 THAT'S WHY WHEN WE PRAY IN JESUS' NAME, WE'RE NOT SAYING 15:37 FOR OUR SAKE, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF THE SON. 15:40 AND SO, I WANT YOU TO TURN WITH ME - AND I'M GOING TO READ WITH 15:44 YOU IN 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 9, HE SAYS, 'IS THERE ANYONE LEFT?' 15:49 "AND THERE WAS A SERVANT" - I'M IN VERSE 2 - 2 SAMUEL 9, VERSE 2 15:54 - "AND THERE WAS A SERVANT OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL WHOSE NAME WAS 15:56 ZIBA. SO WHEN THEY HAD CALLED HIM TO 16:00 DAVID, THE KING SAID TO HIM, 'ARE YOU ZIBA?' 16:03 HE SAID, 'AT YOUR SERVICE!' THEN THE KING SAID, 'IS THERE 16:06 NOT STILL SOMEONE OF THE HOUSE OF SAUL, TO WHOM I MAY 16:10 SHOW THE KINDNESS OF GOD?' AND ZIBA" - PROBABLY LOOKING 16:14 DOWN - HE'S SHIFTING BACK AND FORTH - HE SAID, "THERE IS STILL 16:18 A SON OF JONATHAN WHO IS LAME IN HIS FEET." 16:22 NOW THIS IS MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE BIBLE, ABOUT THIS SON OF 16:27 JONATHAN, BECAUSE AT THE END OF 2 SAMUEL, WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT 16:31 THE DEATH OF JONATHAN - YOU CAN READ IN 2 SAMUEL 4:4 - 16:37 "JONATHAN, SAUL'S SON, HAD A SON WHO WAS LAME IN HIS FEET. 16:42 HE WAS FIVE YEARS OLD WHEN THE NEWS ABOUT SAUL AND JONATHAN 16:45 CAME FROM JEZREEL; AND HIS NURSE TOOK HIM UP AND FLED. 16:50 AND IT HAPPENED, AS SHE MADE HASTE TO FLEE, THAT HE FELL AND 16:54 BECAME LAME. HIS NAME WAS MEPHIBOSHETH." 16:59 NOW, EVIDENTLY, WHEN - YOU REMEMBER, THERE WAS THIS 17:02 TERRIBLE BATTLE WHERE THE PHILISTINES KILLED SAUL, THEY 17:04 KILLED JONATHAN, KILLED MELCHISHUA, KILLED ABINIDAB - 17:07 THE SONS OF SAUL - ISHBOSHETH WAS LEFT OVER. NEWS REACHED, OF 17:13 THE BATTLE, FROM JEZREEL, IT REACHED TO GIBEAH. 17:15 YOU REMEMBER READING THERE, AT THE END OF 1 SAMUEL, IT SAYS, 17:18 'THE ISRAELITES FLED THE CITIES AND THE PHILISTINES POSSESSED 17:21 THEM.' AND, IN KNOWING THE PHILISTINES WERE COMING, AND THE 17:26 FIRST PEOPLE THE PHILISTINES WOULD WANT TO KILL WERE THE 17:28 DESCENDENTS OF SAUL, THAT HIS MAID - THE NURSEMAID - HIS NANNY 17:33 THAT TOOK CARE OF HIM, SHE PICKED HIM UP AND THEY RAN FOR 17:36 THEIR LIVES. AND WE DON'T KNOW 17:37 EXACTLY HOW IT HAPPENED. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN LOWERING HIM 17:39 OVER A WALL OR SOMETHING, BUT HE FELL. 17:42 SHE DROPPED HIM AND HE PROBABLY BROKE HIS FEET OR ANKLES. 17:46 IN THE HASTE AND THE FOG OF WAR THERE WAS NO DOCTOR. 17:49 THEY COULDN'T SET THEM PROPERLY AND IT HEALED DEFORMED SO THAT 17:53 HE ALWAYS WALKED WITH A LIMP. AND SO, HERE HE IS, HE IS REALLY 17:57 NEXT IN LINE TO BE KING, BECAUSE THE WAY THAT IT WORKED IN A 18:02 MONARCHY - THEY STILL PRACTICE THIS IN ENGLAND, TODAY - IT'S 18:06 GOING TO BE THE CHILDREN OF THE FIRSTBORN. 18:08 SO SAUL'S FIRSTBORN WAS JONATHAN. 18:11 SAUL IS DEAD. JONATHAN IS DEAD. 18:14 THE OTHER BROTHERS ARE DEAD - THEY WOULD BE NEXT IN LINE - SO 18:18 NOW IT'S GOING TO BE THE FIRSTBORN OF THE FIRSTBORN WHO'S 18:21 IN LINE TO TAKE THE PLACE OF SAUL IF THE REIGN OR MONARCHY OF 18:26 SAUL WAS TO CONTINUE. THIS HAPPENS TO BE MEPHIBOSHETH. 18:29 SO HE IS THE FIRST ONE DAVID OUGHT TO BE THREATENED BY BUT, 18:33 INSTEAD OF BEING THREATENED BY THE ONE WHO WOULD HAVE HAD TITLE 18:36 TO SAUL'S THRONE, DAVID SHOWS HIM MERCY AND HE GOES, WHAT YOU 18:39 WOULD CALL, 'THE SECOND MILE'. AND HE'S DOING ALL THIS BECAUSE 18:43 HE MADE A PROMISE AND HE PLANS ON KEEPING HIS PROMISE. 18:46 NOW, THIS WAS NOT IN MY NOTES BUT, YOU KNOW, A VERSE JUST 18:50 POPPED INTO MY MIND. IF YOU TURN, IN PSALMS 15 - 18:56 THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO GO. THIS IS A PSALM YOU OUGHT TO - 18:58 YOU OUGHT TO JUST MEMORIZE - PSALM 15 - "LORD, WHO MAY ABIDE" 19:06 - BY THE WAY, WRITTEN BY DAVID - NOT ALL THE PSALMS ARE WRITTEN 19:08 BY DAVID, BUT THIS ONE IS - "LORD, WHO MAY ABIDE 19:11 IN YOUR TABERNACLE? WHO MAY DWELL IN YOUR HOLY HILL? 19:15 HE WHO WALKS UPRIGHTLY, AND WORKS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SPEAKS 19:18 THE TRUTH IN HIS HEART; HE WHO DOES NOT BACKBITE WITH HIS 19:21 TONGUE OR DO EVIL TO HIS NEIGHBOR, NOR DOES HE TAKE UP A 19:25 REPROACH AGAINST HIS FRIEND; IN WHOSE EYES A VILE PERSON IS 19:29 DESPISED, BUT HE HONORS THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD;" - NOTICE 19:32 THIS PART - "HE WHO SWEARS TO HIS OWN HURT AND DOES NOT 19:37 CHANGE; HE WHO DOES NOT PUT OUT HIS MONEY AT USURY, NOR DOES HE 19:42 TAKE A BRIBE AGAINST THE INNOCENT. 19:43 HE WHO DOES THESE THINGS SHALL NEVER BE MOVED." 19:46 THAT'S A NICE PROMISE, BUT NOTICE THE PART: "HE WHO SWEARS 19:49 TO HIS OWN HURT" - YOU MAKE A PROMISE AND IT BECOMES 19:51 INCONVENIENT TO KEEP THE PROMISE, BUT YOU'VE MADE A 19:54 PROMISE AND YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISE. 19:56 AND SO DAVID SAID, 'LOOK, I'VE MADE A PROMISE TO JONATHAN.' AND 20:01 IT SAYS THAT ZIBA SAYS, 'WELL, THERE IS THIS YOUNG MAN NAMED 20:06 MEPHIBOSHETH, BUT HE'S LAME IN HIS FEET. 20:09 YOU DON'T WANT TO BOTHER HIM, HE'S NOT A REAL THREAT TO YOU. 20:12 HE'S NOT GOING TO BE LEADING AN ARMY INTO BATTLE.' 20:15 SO DAVID SAID, 'WHERE IS HE?' "AND ZIBA SAID TO THE KING, 20:18 'INDEED HE IS IN THE HOUSE OF MACHIR THE SON OF AMMIEL, IN LO 20:22 DEBAR.'" NOW THIS IS ABOUT 70 MILES NORTH OF WHERE DAVID IS IN 20:28 JERUSALEM - A LITTLE NORTHEAST. IT'S UP AGAINST THE FOOTHILLS 20:32 IN WHAT WE CALL THE WEST BANK - IT'S ON THE WEST 20:34 SIDE OF THE JORDAN. IT IS A BARREN PIECE OF LAND - 20:38 MATTER OF FACT, THE WORD 'LO DEBAR' MEANS 'NO PASTURE'. 20:42 SO, HERE, WHAT WAS ONCE THE KING'S SON, OR AT LEAST THE 20:47 PRINCE OF JONATHAN, WHO, YOU KNOW, LIVED IN A PALACE - WELL, 20:53 BENJAMIN IS NO LONGER RECOGNIZED AS A LEADING TRIBE - NOW HE'S 20:59 DEPENDENT ON SOMEBODY ELSE, BASICALLY, TAKING HIM IN AND 21:02 TAKING CARE OF HIM AND SHOWING HIM MERCY - PROBABLY SOMEONE 21:05 ELSE FROM THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN - AND HE'S LAME IN HIS FEET. 21:09 SEVERAL YEARS HAVE GONE BY - WHEN DAVID BECAME KING, FINALLY, 21:13 HE WAS ABOUT TWELVE YEARS OLD. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENS DURING THE 21:15 BATTLE OF THE PHILISTINES AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER SEVEN 21:18 YEARS GO BY AND THEN DAVID HAS SEVERAL YEARS OF BATTLE SO, 21:22 AT THE TIME THIS HAPPENS, MEPHIBOSHETH IS IN HIS TWENTIES. 21:26 AND "...DAVID SENT AND BROUGHT HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE OF MACHIR 21:30 THE SON OF AMMIEL, FROM LO DEBAR." THAT'S A LONG JOURNEY. 21:34 HE'S GOT TO BE TRAVELING BY CART OR BY MULE OR SOMETHING - 21:38 SEVENTY MILES - CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING MEPHIBOSHETH AND HEARING 21:46 'THE KING WANTS TO SEE YOU'? NOW, SAUL WAS WANTING TO KILL 21:52 DAVID FOR YEARS, AND THEN, AFTER SAUL DIED, ABNER APPOINTED 21:57 SAUL'S SON ISHBOSHETH TO BE KING AND THERE WAS A LONG WAR. 22:02 YOU REMEMBER READING LAST WEEK THERE WAS A LONG WAR BETWEEN THE 22:05 HOUSE OF DAVID AND THE HOUSE OF SAUL. 22:07 NOW DAVID IS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED, HE'S DEFEATED ALL THESE FOREIGN 22:10 POWERS AND HE SAYS, 'I WANT TO SEE MEPHIBOSHETH. 22:16 COME TO ME.' WHAT DO YOU THINK'S GOING THROUGH HIS MIND? 22:22 'I'M THE NEXT ONE IN LINE AFTER ISHBOSHETH DIED, TO BE THE KING, 22:27 HE'S PROBABLY THREATENED. HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE NOTHING'S 22:29 GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT HE'S THE KING. 22:30 WHAT AM I GOING TO DO, RUN? I'M LAME.' AND SO HE'S GOT TO GO 22:34 - HE'S BEEN SUMMONED BY THE KING AND HE PROBABLY COMES WITH GREAT 22:38 TREPIDATION, WONDERING 'WHAT IS DAVID GOING TO DO TO ME?' 22:42 MY GRANDFATHER TRIED TO KILL HIM AND THEN MY UNCLE ISHBOSHETH WAS 22:45 AT WAR WITH DAVID, AND NOW HE'S CALLING ME IN ON THE CARPET.' 22:50 AND SO, YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE FEAR - MAYBE ZIBA SAID, 'DON'T 22:55 WORRY, HE'S NOT GOING TO HURT YOU. 22:56 HE SAYS HE WANTS TO SHOW KINDNESS.' BUT I'M SURE THAT ALL 22:59 THESE THOUGHTS ARE GOING THROUGH HIS MIND. 23:03 "NOW WHEN MEPHIBOSHETH THE SON OF JONATHAN, THE SON OF SAUL, 23:07 HAD COME TO DAVID, HE FELL ON HIS FACE AND PROSTRATED 23:11 HIMSELF." - HE'S SHOWING A SIGN OF SUBMISSION. 23:14 HE SAID, 'I'M NOT CLAIMING ANY DIGNITIES' - AND DAVID SAID TO 23:19 MEPHIBOSHETH, 'ARE YOU MEPHIBOSHETH?' 23:22 "AND HE ANSWERED, 'HERE IS YOUR SERVANT!'" 23:26 AND DAVID SAID, "DO NOT FEAR," - NOW HE MUST HAVE SAID THAT 23:29 BECAUSE HE LOOKED LIKE HE WAS AFRAID WHEN HE FELL BEFORE HIM. 23:34 HE'S SURROUNDED BY DAVID'S SOLDIERS - "DO NOT FEAR, FOR I 23:38 WILL SURELY SHOW YOU KINDNESS FOR JONATHAN YOUR FATHER'S 23:42 SAKE," - 'YOUR FATHER WAS MY BEST FRIEND AND EVEN THOUGH YOUR 23:46 FEET ARE MAIMED, YOU LOOK LIKE JONATHAN' - 23:51 AND THEN HE GOES ON TO SAY, "AND WILL RESTORE 23:53 TO YOU ALL THE LAND OF SAUL YOUR GRANDFATHER; AND YOU SHALL EAT 23:58 BREAD AT MY TABLE CONTINUALLY." - WOW, THAT'S GOOD NEWS. 24:04 NOW, I WANT TO TELL YOU JUST A FEW THINGS ABOUT SOME OF THESE 24:07 WORDS - WHAT THEY MEAN AND WHAT HAPPENED. MEPHIBOSHETH ACTUALLY 24:12 MEANS 'SHAME DESTROYER' OR 'THE ONE WHO EXTERMINATES SHAME'. 24:19 HE MAY HAVE FELT ASHAMED BECAUSE HERE HE WAS, LAME IN HIS FEET. 24:23 HE WAS THE ONLY SON OF JONATHAN, THAT WE KNOW OF. 24:27 BY THE TIME HE COMES TO DAVID'S HOUSE, HE'S ALREADY MARRIED. 24:31 LIKE I SAID, HE'S PROBABLY TWENTY-TWO TO TWENTY-FIVE - 24:33 SEVERAL YEARS OF BATTLES HAVE GONE BY - AND IT SAYS HE'S EVEN 24:36 GOT A WIFE - AND MEPHIBOSHETH ALREADY HAS HIS OWN SON. 24:40 AND SO, HE'S A YOUNG MAN ABOUT - TWENTIES - PROBABLY HEALTHY, 24:43 BRIGHT, HANDSOME IN EVERY WAY, BUT HE JUST CAN'T GET AROUND 24:46 WITHOUT CRUTCHES OR SOME OTHER FORM OF CONVEYANCE, BECAUSE HIS 24:52 FEET DON'T WORK. HE'S COMING FROM A LAND OF NO PASTURE. 24:57 HE'S STAYING IN THE HOUSE OF SOMEONE NAMED MACHIR AND MACHIR 25:00 MEANS 'SOLD'. ALSO IN THE HOUSE OF AMMIEL, 25:05 WHICH MEANS 'PEOPLE OF GOD', AND HERE HE COMES INTO THE PALACE 25:10 OF DAVID AND HE'S EXPECTING JUDGMENT. PROBLEM IS, HE'S LAME 25:14 IN HIS FEET. WELL, YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TELLS 25:17 US THAT ALL OF US ARE SOMEWHAT LAME IN OUR FEET. 25:22 HAVE YOU EVER - REMEMBER THE PARABLE ABOUT THE - JESUS TELLS 25:27 THIS PARABLE ABOUT A KING AND HE SAID TO HIM WHO INVITED HIM, 25:34 'WHEN YOU GIVE A DINNER OR A SUPPER, DO NOT ASK YOUR FRIENDS 25:37 OR YOUR BROTHERS OR YOUR RELATIVES, OR YOUR RICH 25:39 NEIGHBORS, LEST THEY ALSO INVITE YOU BACK AND YOU BE REPAID. 25:43 BUT WHEN YOU GIVE A FEAST, INVITE THE POOR, THE MAIMED, THE 25:47 LAME, THE BLIND, AND YOU'LL BE BLESSED BECAUSE THEY CANNOT 25:52 REPAY YOU. FOR YOU SHALL BE REPAID IN THE RESURRECTION OF 25:55 THE JUST. YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN WE WENT TO INDIA THE FIRST 26:00 TIME - AND I MIGHT EVEN HAVE A PICTURE OF THIS THAT I GAVE THEM 26:05 ON THE SCREEN. IN 1999 I WENT TO INDIA. I WAS THERE WITH DOUG 26:09 HILL, WITH LOWELL HARGREAVES, WITH - MICAH WENT ALONG WITH US 26:13 ON THIS TRIP - AND THEY - A LOT OF KIDS WOULD COME INTO THE 26:16 MEETING AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S ONE THERE ON THE LEFT AND HE'S 26:19 GOT A CRUTCH, BUT I DIDN'T GET A PICTURE - IF I DID, I COULDN'T 26:22 FIND IT. THERE WAS A GIRL WHO WOULD COME EVERY NIGHT AND I 26:25 WONDERED WHY SHE WAS SITTING ON THE FLOOR. AND SOMEBODY ASKED - 26:31 I ASKED SOMEBODY AND THEY SAID, 'SHE CAN'T WALK. 26:34 SHE'S LAME.' AND THEN ONE OF THE NIGHTS OF THE MEETING I SAW HER 26:37 COME IN - SHE WAS TWELVE YEARS OLD - BEAUTIFUL FACE - JUST - 26:41 SOME OF THOSE DEAR PEOPLE HAVE SUCH BEAUTIFUL FACES AND EYES 26:45 AND BIG SMILES AND BEAUTIFUL WHITE TEETH - AND SHE JUST HAD 26:48 SUCH A BEAUTIFUL FACE, BUT HER LEGS WERE MANGLED - I DON'T 26:51 KNOW, SOME BIRTH DEFECT - SHE DRUG HERSELF TO THE MEETINGS. 26:56 DIDN'T HAVE A CART OR ANYTHING AND SHE'D FIND A PIECE OF 27:00 CARDBOARD TO SIT ON DURING THE MEETINGS, BUT SHE LITERALLY - I 27:03 COULDN'T BELIEVE IT, SHE'D GET TO THE MEETINGS AND SHE WAS SO 27:06 HAPPY AND SHE WAS SMILING. SHE WAS SO GLAD TO BE THERE. 27:09 AND WHEN THE MEETINGS WERE OVER, SOMETIMES PEOPLE WOULD CARRY HER 27:12 OUTSIDE AND THEY'D TAKE HER SO FAR AND THEN SHE WOULD JUST DRAG 27:15 HERSELF DOWN THE STREET AND HER LEGS WERE BLACK AND CALLOUSED 27:20 FROM CONSTANT CONTACT WITH THE STREET AND IT JUST BROKE MY 27:24 HEART. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE JESUS SAID, 'WHEN 27:28 YOU HAVE A FEAST, BRING THESE PEOPLE IN.' 27:32 WELL, IF DAVID WOULD DO THAT, AND IF JESUS WOULD DO THAT? 27:36 SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE THAT? 27:39 >>AMEN. >>AND BRING THEM IN? 27:41 JUST SHOW THEM A RELATIONSHIP? BUT ALL OF US ARE 27:44 SOMETHING LIKE THAT. WE'RE ALL CRIPPLED. 27:48 WHAT DOES 'WALK' REPRESENT IN THE BIBLE? 27:52 IT SAYS, 'SOMEONE WALKED WITH GOD' - IT'S TALKING ABOUT THEM 27:54 HAVING AN ABILITY. ALL OF US ARE CRIPPLED. 27:58 ALL OF US HAVE PROBLEMS GETTING AROUND. 28:01 WE'RE ALL LAME IN OUR FEET, IF YOU WILL, AND WE STRUGGLE TO 28:07 WALK THE WAY WE SHOULD WALK BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN CRIPPLED BY 28:10 SIN. WE'RE ALL MARRED. WE'RE ALL MAIMED. 28:14 AND - BUT YET DAVID SAYS, 'COME INTO MY HOUSE.' FURTHERMORE, IT 28:19 TELLS US THAT HE WANTS THEM TO HAVE A PLACE AT HIS TABLE. 28:22 THIS IS WHAT IS SO AMAZING TO ME. 28:24 GO BACK TO CHAPTER 9 OF 2 SAMUEL. 28:28 HE SAID, "YOU SHALL EAT BREAD AT MY TABLE CONTINUALLY." 28:32 NOW, WHEN I READ THIS, I COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK OF 28:35 ANOTHER STORY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO FIND - IF YOU HAVE YOUR 28:37 BIBLE, DON'T LOSE YOUR PLACE IN 2 SAMUEL 9, BUT I'M GOING TO 28:40 SHOW YOU AN AMAZING STORY - VERY QUICK - JEREMIAH CHAPTER 52 - 28:45 JUST FIND THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH, THEN FIND THE LAST CHAPTER IN 28:48 JEREMIAH - CHAPTER 52 - THEN THE LAST FEW VERSES IN THE LAST 28:51 CHAPTER OF JEREMIAH. THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH, AND THE 28:54 BOOK OF 2 KINGS BOTH END WITH THIS STORY. 28:58 SO THIS IS A STORY YOU'LL FIND TWICE IN THE BIBLE. 29:01 JUST TO GIVE YOU THE BACKGROUND, WHEN KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR 29:04 CONQUERED JERUSALEM, HE DID IT IN TWO STAGES. 29:07 FIRST TIME HE CONQUERED, HE CARRIED THE KING - HE WAS THE 29:10 SON OF JOSIAH, HIS NAME WAS JEHOIACHIN - HE CARRIED HIM OFF 29:13 TO BABYLON AND HE PUT HIM IN PRISON. 29:15 HE WAS ONLY LIKE 18 YEARS OLD OR 20 - HE WAS A YOUNG KING. 29:18 THEN HE MADE ZEDEKIAH, HIS BROTHER, KING. 29:21 ZEDEKIAH REBELLED. ZEDEKIAH LATER HAD HIS EYES PUT 29:24 OUT AND HE WAS KILLED FOR HIS REBELLION. 29:25 MEANWHILE, JEHOIACHIN IS IN PRISON IN BABYLON AND DANIEL'S 29:30 CARRIED OFF TO BABYLON AND ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENED WITH 29:32 SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO - AND THE FIERY FURNACE HAPPENS 29:35 AND THE GOLDEN IMAGE HAPPENS AND ALL THIS TIME JEHOIACHIN IS 29:38 STILL IN PRISON IN BABYLON. 29:40 MATTER OF FACT, NEBUCHADNEZZAR REIGNS FOR FORTY YEARS. 29:44 AND, OF THE FORTY YEARS THAT NEBUCHADNEZZAR REIGNS, HE LEAVES 29:47 THE KING OF JUDAH IN PRISON THIS WHOLE TIME. 29:52 CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING IN A BABYLONIAN JAIL BACK THEN? 29:54 NO AIR-CONDITIONING BACK THEN - THEY DIDN'T HAVE SOME OF THE 29:57 CONVENIENCES IN AN AMERICAN PRISON. 30:01 WE WERE JUST - I THINK I TOLD YOU ABOUT TEN TIMES, WE WERE IN 30:04 NEW GUINEA A LITTLE MORE THAN A WEEK AGO AND THEY'RE HAVING - 30:06 THE GOVERNMENT'S BANKRUPT IN PNG RIGHT NOW - AND THEY'VE HAD 30:11 TERRIBLE PROBLEMS. THEY'VE TURNED OFF POWER 30:13 TO THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING. WOULDN'T IT BE A LITTLE 30:16 DISTRESSING IF, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THEY TURNED OFF POWER TO THE 30:18 WHITE HOUSE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T - COULDN'T PAY THE BILL? 30:21 THEY TURNED OFF POWER TO THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING AND ONE OF 30:23 THE SADDEST THINGS ABOUT THE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IN NEW 30:27 GUINEA, THEY HAD NO FOOD FOR THE PRISONERS. 30:31 AND SO THE PEOPLE IN PRISON, IF SOMEONE DIDN'T BRING THEM - FROM 30:34 THE OUTSIDE - FOOD, SOME OF THE GUARDS WOULDN'T EVEN TAKE CARE 30:37 OF THEM BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T GETTING PAID AND, HOPEFULLY - 30:40 THEY SAID IT'S PICKING UP NOW, BUT, BOY, I COULDN'T IMAGINE 30:43 BEING IN A JAIL IN PORT MORESBY AND NOT HAVING FOOD BROUGHT TO 30:49 YOU, RIGHT THERE, SEVEN DEGREES FROM THE EQUATOR, NO 30:52 AIR-CONDITIONING. THAT'D BE PRETTY BAD. SO HERE HE IS, 30:55 TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS IN A BABYLONIAN JAIL. IT'S BELIEVED 30:59 THAT DANIEL, THEN, TALKED TO THE SON OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 31:02 WHEN NEBUCHADNEZZAR DIED, YOU KNOW, HE WAS A FIRM KING AND 31:04 ONCE HE MADE A LAW, HE WOULDN'T CHANGE. 31:06 BUT WHEN HE DIED, DANIEL TALKED TO HIS SON - HIS NAME WAS EVIL 31:09 MERODACH - HE ONLY REIGNED FOR ONE YEAR - KING OF BABYLON - 31:13 "...IN THE FIRST YEAR OF HIS REIGN, LIFTED UP THE HEAD OF 31:16 JEHOIACHIN KING OF JUDAH AND BROUGHT HIM OUT OF PRISON. 31:20 AND HE SPOKE KINDLY TO HIM AND GAVE HIM A MORE PROMINENT SEAT 31:25 THAN THOSE OF THE KINGS WHO WERE WITH HIM IN BABYLON." 31:28 - SO THE KING OF BABYLON'S GOT ALL THESE OTHER KINGS WHO 31:30 REPRESENTED OTHER COUNTRIES, WHO HAVE SEATS AT HIS TABLE - "SO 31:34 JEHOIACHIN CHANGED FROM HIS PRISON GARMENTS," - HE TOOK OFF 31:38 HIS RAGS THAT YOU WOULD WEAR IN PRISON, AND HE GETS ROBES FROM 31:41 THE ROYAL WARDROBE - "AND HE ATE BREAD REGULARLY BEFORE THE KING 31:47 ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE. AND AS FOR HIS PROVISIONS, THERE 31:50 WAS A REGULAR RATION GIVEN HIM BY THE KING OF BABYLON, A 31:54 PORTION FOR EACH DAY UNTIL THE DAY OF HIS DEATH, ALL 31:57 THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE." NOW THIS, TO ME, IS ONE OF THE 32:00 MOST WONDERFUL PASSAGES IN THE BIBLE. 32:02 FIRST TIME I HEARD THIS I WAS ACTUALLY IN A PRESBYTERIAN 32:04 CHURCH AND I HEARD THE PASTOR PULL THIS OUT AND I THOUGHT, 32:08 'I'VE NEVER READ THAT VERSE BEFORE.' AND I THOUGHT, 'WOW, 32:12 WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY OF SOMEBODY GOING FROM THE PRISON 32:15 TO THE PALACE IN ONE DAY.' THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO JOSEPH; HE 32:20 HEARS THE KEYS IN THE LOCK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE JAILER SAYS, 32:24 'THE PALACE WANTS TO TALK TO YOU.' AND YOU KNOW THE STORY, HE 32:26 TRANSLATES THE KING'S DREAM AND, BEFORE THAT DAY IS OVER, JOSEPH 32:30 IS SHAVED, HE'S CLEANED UP, HE'S GOT NEW ROBES, HE'S GOT AN 32:33 ALLOWANCE, HE'S GOT SERVANTS THAT RUN BEFORE HIM, HE'S IN 32:37 CHARGE OF EGYPT - CAN YOU - TALK ABOUT A RADICAL TURN OF EVENTS - 32:40 TO GO FROM BEING A PRISONER IN A FILTHY PRISON WITH NO HOPE AND, 32:45 ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE WORD OF THE KING AND YOUR STATUS CHANGES AND 32:49 YOU GO FROM PRISONER TO PALACE IN ONE DAY. 32:52 >>AMEN. >>YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT 32:54 HAPPENED WITH ESTHER. SHE WENT FROM - IT DIDN'T HAPPEN 32:57 OVERNIGHT WITH HER, BUT SHE DID DEFINITELY GO FROM THE STATUS OF 33:00 BEING A CAPTIVE - AN ORPHAN GIRL - TO BEING THE QUEEN 33:05 IN THIS PALACE. THIS IS WHAT 33:07 HAPPENED WITH DANIEL. HE WENT FROM BEING CAPTIVE TO 33:10 BEING PRIME MINISTER WHEN HE TRANSLATED THE 33:14 KING'S DREAM FOR HIM. THIS IS WHAT ISRAEL DOES - THEY 33:17 GO FROM BEING A NATION OF SLAVES AND PRISONERS TO BEING LEADERS. 33:22 YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME INTERESTING VERSES IN THE BIBLE 33:27 THAT TALK ABOUT GOD BRINGING PEOPLE OUT OF PRISON TO RULE. 33:32 AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. YOU CAN LOOK, FOR INSTANCE, IN 33:35 PSALM 142:7, "BRING MY SOUL OUT OF PRISON, THAT I MAY PRAISE 33:40 YOUR NAME;" - AND YOU CAN READ IN PSALM 68, VERSE 6, "GOD 33:45 SETTLES THE SOLITARY IN A HOME; HE LEADS OUT THE PRISONERS TO 33:50 PROSPERITY, BUT THE REBELLIOUS DWELL IN A PARCHED LAND." 33:54 WELL, HERE, MEPHIBOSHETH HAS GONE FROM THIS PARCHED LAND 33:59 CALLED LO DEBAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN DAVID SAYS, 'LOOK, I WANT 34:01 YOU TO COME TO THE PALACE AND I WANT YOU TO EAT FROM MY TABLE 34:06 AND I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU NEW CLOTHES' - THE SAME THING THAT 34:08 HAPPENS TO JEHOIACHIN YEARS LATER - THE KING SAYS, 'I'M 34:13 GOING TO TAKE YOU AND I'M GOING TO CHANGE YOUR STATUS AND I'M 34:16 GOING TO GIVE YOU A SEAT AT MY TABLE, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU NEW 34:20 CLOTHES, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU FOOD, YOU'RE GOING TO BANQUET 34:24 WITH ME' - TALK ABOUT A RADICAL CHANGE - BUT THIS IS THE STORY 34:29 OF SALVATION. WHAT GOD DOES WITH MEPHIBOSHETH 34:33 IS WHAT HE REALLY IS OFFERING TO EACH ONE OF US. 34:36 HE SAYS, 'I'M GOING TO ADOPT YOU BECAUSE OF MY LOVE FOR JONATHAN. 34:41 BECAUSE I HAVE A COVENANT WITH JONATHAN, I'M GOING TO ADOPT YOU 34:45 AS MINE. I'M GOING TO CHANGE YOUR STATUS. 34:49 I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A SEAT AT MY TABLE. 34:51 NOW, DOES HE DO IT BECAUSE HE'S A FAST RUNNER, OR DOES HE DO IT 34:56 IN SPITE OF HIS BEING CRIPPLED? DOES GOD SAVE US BECAUSE OF OUR 35:06 GOOD WORKS - OF OUR GREAT WALK? OR DOES HE SAVE US 35:11 WHILE WE'RE CRIPPLES? HE INVITES US TO COME TO HIS 35:15 PALACE BECAUSE HE SHOWS MERCY ON US. 35:18 IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF OUR GOODNESS, IT'S IN SPITE OF OUR 35:20 BADNESS THAT GOD EXTENDS HIS MERCY TO US - IT'S BECAUSE OF 35:25 THE COVENANT HE'S MADE - AND WHEN WE BELIEVE IN THAT 35:28 COVENANT. AND HERE, YOU KNOW, WE COME TO 35:30 JESUS AND WE THINK 'OH, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO' AND 35:33 'WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?' AND HE SAYS, 'DON'T FEAR.' HOW 35:36 MANY TIMES DID JESUS SAY, 'DON'T FEAR'? 35:39 AND SO, WHAT DOES MEPHIBOSHETH DO? 35:40 HE BOWS HIMSELF - I'M IN 2 SAMUEL 9:8 - HE BOWS HIMSELF AND 35:45 SAYS, BEFORE THE KING, "WHAT IS YOUR SERVANT, THAT YOU SHOULD 35:48 LOOK UPON SUCH A DEAD DOG AS I?" YOU KNOW, SOLOMON SAID, 'FOR HE 35:53 THAT IS JOINED TO THE LIVING THERE IS HOPE, FOR A LIVING DOG 35:56 IS BETTER THAN A DEAD LION.' AND EVEN THOUGH HE WAS CRIPPLED IN 36:01 HIS FEET, HE SAID, 'I'M GOING TO TREAT YOU LIKE A PRINCE.' ISAIAH 36:06 40, VERSE 1, "'COMFORT, YES, COMFORT MY PEOPLE!' 36:09 SAYS YOUR GOD." - HE WANTS US TO BE BLESSED 36:12 HE WANTS TO COMFORT US. AND SO, THIS IS REALLY 36:14 THE STORY OF SALVATION. I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER, FOR 36:17 A MOMENT, THE - THE RADICAL CHANGE. 36:20 NOW HE'S GONE FROM HOPELESSNESS TO HOPE. 36:24 IT'S LIKE WHAT THE LORD DID FOR JOSEPH - NOW HE GETS A NEW 36:28 POSITION. EPHESIANS 2 SAYS HE "...RAISED 36:31 US UP TOGETHER, AND MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN THE HEAVENLY 36:34 PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS." AND YOU, AGAIN - YOU READ IN 36:37 REVELATION 5:10, "AND HAVE MADE US KINGS AND PRIESTS TO OUR 36:42 GOD; AND WE SHALL REIGN ON THE EARTH." 36:44 HE GIVES US NEW ROBES - YOU MAYBE READ IN ZECHARIAH 3:4, 36:49 WHERE HE ANSWERED AND SAID TO THOSE THAT STOOD BY HIM, 'TAKE 36:52 AWAY THE FILTHY GARMENTS FROM HIM.' AND HE SAID, "SEE, I HAVE 36:56 REMOVED YOUR INIQUITY FROM YOU, AND I WILL CLOTHE YOU WITH RICH 36:59 ROBES." HE GIVES US NEW BREAD. 37:03 CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING KING JEHOIACHIN? 37:05 YOU'RE IN THE BABYLONIAN JAIL AND YOU'RE EATING, YOU KNOW, 37:08 JUST MOLDY BREAD FOR 37 YEARS AND THEN THEY SAY, 'OH, YOU'RE 37:13 NOT EATING THAT BREAD ANYMORE, YOU'RE EATING THE KING'S BREAD 37:15 NOW.' ONE OF THE LAST THINGS JESUS DID IS HE HAD A FEAST WITH 37:20 THE DISCIPLES AND HE SAID, 'I'LL NOT DRINK OF THE FRUIT OF THE 37:25 VINE TILL I DRINK IT WITH YOU AGAIN IN THE FATHER'S KINGDOM.' 37:28 THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT THIS FEAST WE'RE GOING TO HAVE. 37:31 LUKE 22:30, "THAT YOU MAY EAT AND DRINK AT MY TABLE" - JESUS 37:35 IS SAYING THIS - "THAT YOU MAY EAT AND DRINK AT MY TABLE IN MY 37:38 KINGDOM, AND SIT ON THRONES JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF 37:42 ISRAEL." SO THIS IS INCREDIBLE - AND 37:45 HE MAKES A NEW PROVISION. SEE, EVEN WITH KING JEHOIACHIN - 37:49 NOT ONLY DID HE SAY 'I'M GOING TO TAKE CARE OF YOU', HE SAID, 37:51 'I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU AN ALLOWANCE. 37:53 WHAT THAT, BASICALLY, MEANS IS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A ROYAL 37:55 EXPENSE ACCOUNT. YOU GET A COMPANY CREDIT CARD. 37:59 AND SO, NOT ONLY AM I TAKING CARE OF YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO 38:02 HAVE INCOME - YOU'LL HAVE SOME SPENDING MONEY FOR INCIDENTALS 38:04 AS WELL - FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE I'LL GIVE YOU AN 38:07 ALLOWANCE.' AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING, THAT THE 38:11 BOOK OF JEREMIAH ENDS WITH THE WORD 'LIFE'. 38:14 IT'S SAYING, 'FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE' - 'AS LONG AS YOU 38:18 SHALL LIVE I'M GOING TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.' THAT'S KIND OF AN 38:22 ANALOGY FOR HEAVEN AND WHAT THE LORD DOES FOR US. 38:27 MEPHIBOSHETH CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. 38:28 HE BOWS HIMSELF DOWN AND SAYS, "WHAT IS YOUR SERVANT, THAT YOU 38:31 SHOULD LOOK UPON SUCH A DEAD DOG...?" 38:33 AND THEN THE KING, FURTHERMORE, HE CALLS ZIBA, SAUL'S SERVANT, 38:36 AND HE SAYS TO HIM - NOW ZIBA WAS THE STEWARD FOR THE HOUSE OF 38:41 SAUL. AND WHEN SAUL DIED AND HIS SONS 38:44 DIED AND ISHBOSHETH WAS KILLED, ZIBA, WHO AT ONE POINT HAD BEEN 38:50 A SERVANT, HE SORT OF INHERITS EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAUL'S. 38:53 HE'S MANAGING ALL THIS PROPERTY THAT BELONGED TO THE HOUSE OF 38:55 SAUL AND DAVID REPROVES HIM A LITTLE BIT. 38:59 HE SAYS, 'LOOK, YOU'VE TAKEN CARE OF ALL OF SAUL'S STUFF, BUT 39:01 YOU'RE NOT DOING A VERY GOOD JOB OF TAKING CARE OF JONATHAN'S 39:03 SON.' HE HAD KIND OF NEGLECTED TO CARE FOR HIM. 39:08 AND HE SAYS TO HIM, "I HAVE GIVEN TO YOUR MASTER'S SON ALL 39:15 THAT BELONGED TO SAUL AND TO ALL HIS HOUSE." 39:19 NOW THIS IS VERY GENEROUS FOR DAVID, BECAUSE KING SAUL WAS 39:22 KING FOR FORTY YEARS. HE'S GOT A LOT OF PROPERTY. 39:25 HE HAD SERVANTS. HE HAD LAND. TYPICALLY, WHEN ONE KING 39:28 OVERPOWERS ANOTHER KING, HE TAKES ALL THE PROPERTY. 39:32 BUT DAVID SAYS, 'LOOK, I'M NOT TAKING ANYTHING FROM SAUL. 39:35 IF GOD MAKES ME RICH, THAT'LL BE GOD'S BUSINESS. 39:37 I'M GIVING THIS ALL TO JONATHAN - I'M GIVING IT TO JONATHAN'S 39:41 SON. AND SO WHAT, BY RIGHT, DAVID COULD 39:44 HAVE TAKEN - HE SAYS, 'I WANT TO GIVE IT, NOW, ALL TO JONATHAN' 39:47 - AND ZIBA CAN'T ARGUE WITH THE KING. HE SAYS, IN VERSE 10, "YOU 39:51 THEREFORE, AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR SERVANTS, SHALL WORK THE 39:55 LAND FOR HIM, AND YOU SHALL BRING IN THE HARVEST, THAT YOUR 39:58 MASTER'S SON MAY HAVE FOOD TO EAT. 40:00 BUT MEPHIBOSHETH YOUR MASTER'S SON SHALL EAT BREAD AT MY TABLE 40:03 ALWAYS.'" - HE SAYS, 'YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO WORK THE FIELDS. 40:05 YOU CAN SELL IT.' HE'LL HAVE SOME SPENDING MONEY PLUS SOME 40:07 EXTRA FOOD, BUT HE'S GOING TO SIT AT MY TABLE. 40:10 NOW ZIBA, THIS CHIEF STEWARD, HE HAD FIFTEEN SONS AND TWENTY 40:15 SERVANTS. "THEN ZIBA SAID TO THE KING, 40:18 'ACCORDING TO ALL THAT MY LORD THE KING HAS COMMANDED HIS 40:20 SERVANT, SO WILL YOUR SERVANT DO.'" THAT'S A GOOD IDEA 40:24 FOR US TO SAY THAT TOO. "'AS FOR MEPHIBOSHETH,' SAID THE 40:28 KING, 'HE SHALL EAT AT MY TABLE LIKE ONE OF THE KING'S SONS.'" 40:34 HOW IS DAVID GOING TO TREAT MEPHIBOSHETH? 40:36 HE'S ADOPTING HIM AS HIS OWN. HOW DOES THE LORD TREAT US? 40:41 YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE SAYS WE'RE ADOPTED. 40:43 CHRIST ADOPTS US INTO THE FAMILY. 40:46 I SAID, 'THIS IS JUST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STORY.' YOU KNOW, JUST 40:48 TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT IN THIS, YOU REMEMBER 40:51 BEFORE ABRAHAM HAD ISAAC OR ISHMAEL, HE PRAYED AND HE SAID 40:57 TO THE LORD, 'LORD, YOU'VE GIVEN ME ALL THIS SUBSTANCE; I'VE GOT 41:00 A HOUSE FULL OF SERVANTS, I'VE GOT MONEY - I'VE GOT SILVER, 41:03 I'VE GOT GOLD, I'VE GOT CATTLE' - AND HE SAID, 'I'M GOING TO 41:06 LEAVE IT ALL TO MY STEWARD, ELIEZER OF DAMASCUS.' DO ANY OF 41:10 YOU REMEMBER THAT? THE STEWARD - THE CHIEF STEWARD 41:13 OF ABRAHAM - WAS GOING TO GET EVERYTHING. 41:15 AND SO, WHO DOES ABRAHAM SEND TO FIND A WIFE FOR ISAAC? 41:19 ELIEZER. NOW, IF YOU'RE THE CHIEF 41:22 STEWARD, WOULDN'T THAT MAKE YOU FEEL A LITTLE FUNNY? 41:25 'IF IT WASN'T FOR ISAAC, ALL OF THIS WOULD BE MINE.' BUT ELIEZER 41:29 IS A SERVANT AND HE WANTS TO DO WHATEVER THE KING TELLS HIM TO 41:32 DO. ELIEZER WANTS TO DO WHATEVER 41:34 ABRAHAM TELLS HIM TO DO. HE IS HAPPY. 41:38 HE IS PRAYING TO FIND THE VERY BEST WIFE. 41:40 HE IS A GOOD STEWARD. HE DOESN'T SEE IT AS HIS OWN. 41:43 HE SEES IT AS HE'S MANAGING THE GOODS FOR ANOTHER. 41:45 ZIBA DOES THE SAME THING - AT LEAST AT THIS POINT. 41:48 HE SAYS, 'WHATEVER THE KING SAYS, THAT I'LL DO' AND HE NOW 41:53 BECOMES - MEPHIBOSHETH HAS GONE FROM BEING DEPENDENT ON THE HOS 41:59 - HE'S GONE FROM WELFARE TO BEING GOVERNOR. 42:04 YOU KNOW, THAT'S HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN HISTORY. 42:06 IT WAS VERY INTERESTING - THERE'S A NUMBER OF PLACES YOU 42:12 CAN FIND, WHERE PEOPLE HAVE GONE FROM BEING A CAPTIVE IN A 42:16 COUNTRY AND THEN THEY BECOME THE LEADER OF THE COUNTRY - LIKE 42:19 NELSON MANDELA - HE'S IN PRISON IN SOUTH AFRICA - YOU KNOW, 42:23 THERE'S A PASSAGE IN THE BIBLE THAT SAYS, 'YOU'LL BRING SOMEONE 42:26 OUT OF THE HOUSE TO RULE, THOUGH HE WAS POOR IN THE KINGDOM.' 42:30 NELSON MANDELA, WHO'S IMPRISONED BY SOUTH AFRICA, ENDS UP 42:33 BECOMING THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA. 42:36 HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER, IN POLAND, LECH WALESA? 42:39 I THINK HE'S STILL ALIVE. HE WAS THE LEADER OF THE 42:42 SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT THAT HELPED OVERTHROW COMMUNISM IN EUROPE 42:46 AND THEY IMPRISONED HIM SEVERAL TIMES THERE IN POLAND. 42:49 HE ENDED UP BECOMING THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF POLAND. 42:52 AND YOU CAN POINT TO DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE THIS 42:54 HAS HAPPENED. AND SO HERE, MEPHIBOSHETH HAS 42:57 GONE FROM BEING ON WELFARE TO HAVING SERVANTS AND 43:01 HAVING A HOUSEHOLD. AND THE REASON I'M PRESSING THIS 43:05 ON YOU IS BECAUSE, WHENEVER I READ THIS, I'M READING ABOUT 43:08 WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR ME - THAT GOD TAKES ME, THOUGH I AM A 43:12 CRIPPLE; THAT GOD TAKES ME, THOUGH WE'RE POOR AND WRETCHED. 43:16 BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, RIGHT? 43:18 AND THAT HE ADOPTS US - HE BRINGS US INTO HIS HOUSE - HE 43:22 SITS AT HIS TABLE AND HE SAYS, 'I'M GOING TO TREAT YOU LIKE ONE 43:25 OF MY OWN SONS. NOW, CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS - I 43:29 THINK I HEARD CHUCK SWINDOLL TALK ABOUT THIS STORY ONE TIME 43:32 AND HE TRIED TO PAINT A PICTURE OF WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE 43:36 WHEN YOU HAD DINNER AT DAVID'S HOUSE. 43:38 NOW DAVID'S GOT A BEAUTIFUL PALACE, HE'S GOT A BANQUET HALL, 43:40 THE KING OF TYRE BUILT IT FOR HIM - CEDAR FROM LEBANON - NEVER 43:43 ROTTED - THIS GREAT WOOD THEY HAD UP THERE. 43:46 AND YOU READ AT THE END OF CHAPTER 8 ABOUT DAVID'S - HIS 43:52 ATTENDANTS. YOU LOOK IN VERSE 15 OF 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 8, "SO DAVID 43:59 REIGNED OVER ALL ISRAEL; AND DAVID ADMINISTERED JUDGMENT AND 44:03 JUSTICE TO ALL HIS PEOPLE. JOAB THE SON OF ZERUIAH WAS OVER 44:08 THE ARMY;" - HERE'S YOUR GENERAL - "JEHOSHAPHAT THE SON OF AHILUD 44:11 WAS RECORDER;" - THIS IS HIS CABINET - "ZADOK THE SON OF 44:15 AHITUB AND AHIMELECH THE SON OF ABIATHAR WERE THE PRIESTS; 44:19 SERAIAH WAS THE SCRIBE; BENEAIAH THE SON OF JEOHIADA WAS OVER 44:23 BOTH THE CHERETHITES AND THE PELETHITES;" - BY THE WAY, 44:26 BENAIAH ENDED UP BECOMING GENERAL AFTER JOAB - "AND 44:30 DAVID'S SONS WERE CHIEF MINISTERS." 44:32 SO THE DINNER BELL RINGS AND THEY'RE ALL HUNGRY, YOU KNOW, 44:37 AND SO THEY ALL MAKE THEIR WAY PAST THE SERVANTS AND PAST THE 44:40 SOLDIERS AND PAST THE SECURITY AND THE METAL DETECTORS AND THEY 44:43 COME INTO THE BANQUET HALL OF DAVID AND HERE'S JOAB, HE COMES 44:46 STRIDING IN FIRST AND HE'S COVERED WITH SCARS. 44:49 HE'S GOT HIS ARMOR AND HIS GEAR ON AND HE GETS AROUND THE TABLE 44:53 AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT - THE PRIESTS COME IN AND THEY'RE 44:58 WEARING THEIR ROBES AND ABIATHAR - THEY HAD TWO, KIND OF, HIGH 45:03 PRIESTS AT THAT TIME - ZADOK AND ABIATHAR - AND THEN YOU'VE GOT 45:06 THE SCRIBES COME IN, AND DAVID'S SONS COME IN ONE BY ONE, AND 45:09 YOU'VE GOT ABSALOM THERE AND HE'S BEAUTIFUL BEYOND WHAT YOU 45:12 CAN IMAGINE - AND ALL OF THEM WERE GOOD LOOKING - AMNON AND 45:16 ADONIJAH - AND THE RECORDER AND THE DIFFERENT OFFICERS COME IN 45:22 AND DIFFERENT VISITING KINGS MIGHT BE THERE, AND THEY ALL 45:25 GATHER AROUND THIS TABLE FILLED WITH CHAIRS AND THEY PULL OUT 45:29 THEIR CHAIRS AND THEY GET READY TO SIT DOWN AND THEN YOU HEAR 45:32 'DRAG CLOP, DRAG CLOP, DRAG CLOP' AND THEY LOOK AND IN 45:37 THROUGH THE DOOR - HE CAN'T GO VERY FAST SO THE OTHER ONES BEAT 45:40 HIM TO THE TABLE. IN COMES MEPHIBOSHETH AND THEY 45:44 ALL WAIT FOR HIM AND HE COMES UP TO THE TABLE AND HE SETS HIS 45:47 CRUTCHES ASIDE AND THEY SIT DOWN AND THEY PULL THEIR CHAIRS IN - 45:51 BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY PULL THEIR CHAIRS IN UNDER THE TABLE, 45:53 AND THE TABLE CLOTH IS THERE, NOBODY SEES HIS FEET. 45:57 HE SITS AT THE TABLE JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. 46:01 AND THIS IS REALLY WHAT THE LORD DOES FOR US HE SITS 46:04 US DOWN IN HEAVENLY PLACES. WE HAVE BEEN INVITED 46:07 TO THE FEAST OF A KING. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT 46:10 ABOUT THAT BEFORE? HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT IS? 46:13 WE'LL SIT DOWN IN THE KINGDOM WITH JESUS. 46:16 YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER READING IN HISTORY A FEW YEARS AGO, ABOUT 46:21 SOMEONE BY THE NAME OF WILLIAM RUDOLPH - WILMA RUDOLPH - AND 46:28 SHE WAS A YOUNG BLACK GIRL BORN IN TENNESSEE - STARTED INTO LIFE 46:34 WITH JUST SOME VERY DIFFICULT CHALLENGES. 46:37 FIRST OF ALL, SHE WAS THE TWENTIETH OF TWENTY-TWO 46:39 CHILDREN. WHEN SHE WAS BORN SHE WEIGHED 46:42 FOUR AND A HALF POUNDS - NEARLY DIED AT BIRTH. 46:46 BY THE TIME SHE WAS FOUR YEARS OLD SHE CONTRACTED DOUBLE 46:50 PNEUMONIA, THEN SHE HAD SCARLET FEVER, AND THEN SHE GOT POLIO, 46:56 WHICH LEFT HER CRIPPLED IN HER LEGS - PRINCIPALLY HER LEFT LEG. 47:01 DOCTORS SAID SHE'D NEVER WALK AGAIN WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. 47:04 EVENTUALLY, BY THE TIME SHE WAS NINE, THEY HAD A LEFT BRACE. 47:08 I THINK SHE ALSO HAD AN INSERT - A DIFFERENT SIZE SHOE ON HER 47:11 LEFT FOOT. BUT SHE WAS VERY DETERMINED - 47:14 A VERY DETERMINED YOUNG GIRL. AT NINE SHE SAID THAT SHE 47:18 BELIEVED - SHE TRUSTED GOD THAT HE WAS GOING TO HEAL HER - AND 47:21 SHE NOT ONLY PRAYED, SHE WORKED AS HARD AS SHE COULD. 47:23 I THINK SHE HAD TO RIDE TWO HOURS EACH WAY TO THE NEAREST 47:28 PLACE WHERE - WHEN THEY HAD SEGREGATION BACK THEN - SHE 47:31 COULD GET THE PRIMITIVE PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR POLIO, AND THEY 47:35 WOULD MASSAGE HER LEG. WELL, HER MOTHER COULDN'T MAKE 47:37 THE TRIP AND SO, THEY TAUGHT HER MOTHER HOW TO MASSAGE HER LEGS. 47:40 AND SHE CONTINUED TO DO EVERYTHING SHE COULD. 47:44 SHE FINALLY TOOK OFF HER METAL LEG BRACE WHEN SHE WAS NINE AND 47:47 SHE AMAZED PEOPLE THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO WALK WITHOUT THE BRACE. 47:50 BY THIRTEEN SHE HAD DEVELOPED A RHYTHMIC WALK WHERE YOU COULDN'T 47:54 TELL THAT SHE HAD ONCE HAD POLIO - THE ONE LEG WAS JUST A LITTLE 47:57 BIT SMALLER THAN THE OTHER. FINALLY SHE DECIDED THAT SHE 48:01 WANTED TO JOIN THE OTHER KIDS WHEN THEY HAD P.E. 48:04 AND SHE WANTED TO RUN. THEY FELT SORRY FOR HER - SHE 48:07 GOT INTO A RACE AND SHE CAME IN LAST, BUT SHE KEPT RACING. 48:11 SHE WOULD NOT GIVE UP. AND SHE WAS LAST MANY TIMES AND 48:14 THEN, AMAZINGLY, ONE DAY SHE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE WHEN 48:19 THEY FINISHED AND, INCREDIBLY, THEN SHE WON A RACE. 48:23 AND, FROM THAT POINT ON, SHE NEVER LOST A RACE. 48:26 SHE KEPT ON RUNNING AND EVENTUALLY, THAT GIRL WHO WAS 48:30 TOLD SHE WOULD NEVER WALK AGAIN BECAUSE SHE WAS CRIPPLED IN HER 48:34 FEET, WENT ON TO WIN THREE OLYMPIC MEDALS. 48:37 SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN IN AMERICAN HISTORY TO WIN THREE 48:40 MEDALS AT ONE OLYMPIC EVENT - AND SHE NEVER GAVE UP. 48:43 YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE 48:47 LORD WILL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH. 48:50 THEY WILL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS LIKE EAGLES, THEY WILL RUN AND 48:53 NOT BE WEARY, THEY WILL WALK AND NOT FAINT. 48:56 THE LORD INVITES US INTO HIS HOUSE AND WE MAY COME AS 48:59 CRIPPLES BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE LEARN TO WALK ALONG THE WAY. 49:03 YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE MINISTRY OF JESUS. 49:06 YOU READ ABOUT IT ISAIAH, "THE EYES OF THE BLIND WILL BE 49:09 OPENED, THE EARS OF THE DEAF WILL BE UNSTOPPED, THEN THE LAME 49:14 MAN WILL LEAP AS A HART AND THE TONGUE OF THE DUMB WILL SING." 49:19 AND THIS IS ONE OF THE SIGNS OF JESUS' MESSIAH MINISTRY, IS THAT 49:22 HE COULD HEAL THE CRIPPLES - PEOPLE THAT COULDN'T WALK, HE 49:26 WOULD HEAL. WE COME TO CHRIST, WE LIMP IN 49:28 LIKE MEPHIBOSHETH, HE ADOPTS US, HE ACCEPTS US, HE FEEDS US, HE 49:32 EMBRACES US, HE PROMISES US DON'T FEAR, AND THEN WE END UP 49:36 HAVING A PLACE IN HIS KINGDOM. ISN'T THAT A WONDERFUL 49:39 STORY OF GOD'S GRACE? AND HE CAN TEACH US TO WALK. 49:42 HE CAN HEAL - HE CAN HEAL US AND HELP US TO WALK A NEW WALK. 49:46 SO DAVID SHOWED HIM MERCY AND, I THINK, THIS IS ONE OF THE 49:49 REASONS THAT DAVID IS SHOWN TO BE A KING AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART. 49:53 ANY OTHER KING WOULD HAVE EXACTED VENGEANCE. 49:56 DAVID, NOT ONLY JUST LET HIM GO, DAVID SAID, 'NO, I'M NOT GOING 49:59 TO LET YOU GO. I'M BRINGING YOU INTO MY HOUSE. 50:01 EVEN THOUGH YOU WOULD NORMALLY BE MY NUMBER ONE THREAT AND 50:04 ENEMY, BECAUSE YOU'RE THE NEXT IN LINE, I'M BRINGING YOU INTO 50:07 MY PALACE. I'M GOING TO TREAT YOU LIKE A SON. 50:09 I'M GOING TO ADOPT YOU. I'M GOING TO FEED YOU AND I'M 50:12 GOING TO KEEP MY PROMISE. AND EVERY TIME DAVID LOOKED 50:14 ACROSS THE TABLE AND HE SAW MEPHIBOSHETH, HE COULDN'T HELP 50:18 BUT SEE THE IMAGE OF JONATHAN THERE. 50:21 AND SO, IT JUST ALWAYS BROUGHT DAVID GREAT JOY BECAUSE HE 50:24 THOUGHT ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR JONATHAN WHENEVER HE LOOKED AT 50:27 HIM. WHEN OUR FATHER LOOKS 50:29 AT US, WHAT DOES HE SEE? >>JESUS. 50:32 >>DOESN'T HE SEE HIS SON THAT HE LOVES? 50:34 AND SO, DOES HE LOVE US AND TREAT US LIKE HIS OWN SON? 50:37 IT'S THE STORY OF SALVATION. (MUSIC) 50:53 >>HI FRIENDS, THIS IS PASTOR DOUG BATCHELOR. 50:55 WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR AN AMAZING FACT? 50:57 MORE AND MORE OF THE WORLD IS TURNING, NOW, TO NATURAL FORMS 51:00 OF ENERGY TO TRY AND FIND THEIR POWER AND THEY'RE RESORTING TO 51:03 THINGS LIKE THE WIND FARM THAT WE HAVE HERE IN JAMAICA AT 51:06 WIGTON. YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER YEARS AGO, 51:08 MY WIFE AND I GOING TO VISIT THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII AND WE WERE 51:12 AMAZED AT ALL THE POTENTIAL THERE FOR NATURAL POWER, 51:15 BUT THEY WEREN'T USING IT. THERE AT THE SOUTH PART OF 51:17 THE ISLAND THERE WAS VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. YOU CAN MAKE 51:21 GEOTHERMAL POWER THERE. IF YOU WENT TO WAIMEA, THE WIND 51:25 WAS CONSTANTLY BLOWING, BUT THEY HAD NO WINDMILLS THERE. 51:28 IF YOU WENT OVER TO KONA, SUN ALWAYS SHINES - SOLAR ELECTRIC - 51:33 BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE VERY MUCH SOLAR ELECTRIC THERE. 51:35 AND IF YOU WENT TO HILO, IT WAS ALWAYS RAINING - HYDROELECTRIC. 51:39 AND IN SPITE OF ALL THAT POTENTIAL FOR POWER THERE ON THE 51:42 BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII, THEY WERE POWERING THE ISLAND BACK THEN 51:45 WITH DIRTY DIESEL GENERATORS. 51:47 IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT HOW WE SOMETIMES WASTE THE POWER OF 51:50 GOD'S SPIRIT THAT HE'S MAKING AVAILABLE TO US. 51:52 AND EACH OF US CAN HAVE THAT SPIRIT IF WE SIMPLY ASK. 51:56 YOU CAN READ IN ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 10 - WHAT DO WE DO? 51:59 'ASK OF THE LORD RAIN IN THE TIME OF THE LATTER RAIN AND HE 52:02 WILL SEND FLASHING CLOUDS.' JESUS ALSO SAID, IN THE BOOK OF 52:05 LUKE, 'IF YOU THEN BEING EVIL KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO 52:09 YOUR CHILDREN, HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN GIVE 52:12 THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THEM THAT ASK?' 52:15 WHEN YOU LOOK IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS 52:18 POURED OUT, IT SAYS THERE WAS A SOUND OF A MIGHTY RUSHING WIND. 52:22 AND THAT POWER THAT LAUNCHED THE CHURCH BACK THEN CAN STILL POWER 52:25 YOUR LIFE TODAY, FRIENDS. SO WHY DON'T YOU ASK HIM? (MUSIC) 52:44 >>FOR LIFE-CHANGING CHRISTIAN RESOURCES VISIT 52:47 AFBOOKSTORE.COM OR CALL 1-800-538-7275. 52:57 >>AMAZING FACTS, CHANGED LIVES. 53:05 >>I'M TLINGIT INDIAN FROM SITKA, ALASKA. 53:08 MY TLINGIT NAME IS WISH DUSTY CLOUD. 53:12 IT WAS A VERY DEPRESSING TIME FOR THE PEOPLE OF ALASKA. 53:16 A LOT OF ALCOHOL ABUSE WAS TAKING PLACE AND, UNFORTUNATELY, 53:23 MY MOTHER GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE ALCOHOL. 53:28 IT MADE MYSELF AND MY SIBLINGS GROW UP IN A PRETTY HORRIBLE 53:37 ENVIRONMENT. IT WAS REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND GOD. 53:44 IT WAS REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT LOVE WAS. 53:48 I ENDED UP HAVING A CHILD IN MY TWELFTH GRADE AND LEAVING HOME 53:57 WHEN I WAS FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, BUT SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, WE MADE IT 54:02 AND I BECAME A LONER. I BECAME A HERMIT. 54:06 SO I WENT UP TO THE BIGGEST MARIJUANA COUNTY TO HUMBOLDT 54:11 COUNTY AND STARTED MY NEW CAREER. 54:15 THINGS WEREN'T RIGHT THOUGH. NO MATTER HOW NICE I KEPT 54:19 THINKING LIFE WAS LIVING UP ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, NOT HAVING 54:24 TO WORRY ABOUT WEARING CLOTHING, JUST WAKING UP AND WATCHING THE 54:30 PLANTS GROW - SEARCHING, STILL, FOR MORE AND MORE. 54:35 I WENT TO THE POST OFFICE AND I WAS STANDING THERE BY MYSELF. 54:41 I LOOKED DOWN AND HERE WAS THIS WHAT IS CALLED A HANDBILL - A 54:46 POSTCARD - AND THE LETTERS ON IT GRABBED MY ATTENTION AND IT 54:51 SAID, 'REVELATION' - I'D NEVER HEARD REVELATION TAUGHT BEFORE 54:56 AND I THOUGHT, 'GOSH, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD.' I LOOKED AT 55:00 THE TIME AND THE DATE AND I SAID, 'WOW, THAT'S TODAY.' AND 55:07 FOR SIX WEEKS I SAT THERE IN THE FRONT SEAT OF THAT BUILDING AND 55:15 COULD NOT BELIEVE THE THINGS THAT I HEARD AND I FOUND THIS 55:22 HUNGER THAT I HAD IN MY HEART FOR DECADES BEING FILLED. 55:27 I WAS ACTUALLY LIKE A STARVING CHILD, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO GET 55:31 IN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT REVELATION. 55:34 AND I CHOSE TO BE BAPTIZED ON APRIL 3RD. 55:40 EVEN THOUGH I CHOSE TO SERVE GOD, I KEPT FALLING. 55:45 I WAS GOING TO BIBLE STUDIES ALL - FOUR TIMES A WEEK AND JUST SO 55:51 HUNGRY TO LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. 55:55 GOD JUST OVERNIGHT HAD ME STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD THROUGH 56:00 AFCOE AND THE MIRACLES THAT HAPPENED THROUGH AFCOE IS SO 56:05 INCREDIBLE. 56:07 THE ONLY PREACHER I WAS LISTENING TO WAS PASTOR DOUG 56:10 BATCHELOR, WHO I DIDN'T EVEN CALL BY HIS NAME. 56:13 I CALLED HIM 'THE CAVEMAN' AND THEN HERE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, I'M 56:18 SITTING IN FRONT OF HIM IN HIS CLASSROOM, LEARNING FROM HIM. 56:25 ON OCTOBER 11, I SAT THERE, THOUGH, IN MY ROOM SAYING, 56:30 'LORD, HERE I AM STUDYING YOUR WORD, BUT WHAT - WHAT AM I DOING 56:37 HERE? WHAT DO I NEED TO DO? WHAT IS IT YOU WANT ME TO DO?' 56:42 AND THAT NIGHT, ABOUT ONE IN THE MORNING, GOD SPOKE TO ME AND HE 56:46 SAID, 'I WANT YOU TO WRITE A NOTE TO PASTOR DOUG AND TELL HIM 56:51 WHAT YOU DO.' I SAT THERE AND I SAID, 'NO, I'M 56:53 NOT GOING TO WRITE A NOTE. I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE A NOTE.' 56:55 AND I SAID, 'OKAY.' SO I RIPPED OFF A PIECE OF PAPER AND I WROTE 56:59 ON THE NOTE AND I SAID, 'I'M AN EXPERIENCED FASHION DESIGNER. 57:03 I CAN SEW ANYTHING. I CAN MAKE ANY PATTERNS. 57:07 IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT I CAN BE OF ANY SERVICE TO YOU, GOD TOLD 57:12 ME TO BE BOLD AND TELL YOU.' AND I WALKED UP AND I HANDED HIM THE 57:16 NOTE AND HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT HE SAID, 'THANK YOU.' 57:19 AND FOUR HOURS LATER I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM AMAZING FACTS. 57:23 PASTOR DOUG TOLD ME THAT I WAS AN ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS. 57:27 THEY HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR A WARDROBE STYLIST FOR THEIR NEW 57:31 FILM THAT THEY'RE PRODUCING. >>ACTION! TWO! THREE! 57:37 >>AMAZING FACTS HAS CHANGED MY LIFE IN THE DIRECTION THAT GOD 57:42 WANTS ME TO GO. AND NOW, OUT OF ALL THE 57:46 KNOWLEDGE THAT WAS TAUGHT TO ME, I'M ABLE TO GO OUT INTO THIS 57:50 WORLD AND SHARE THE GOSPEL AND FINISH THE WORK 57:55 FOR JESUS CHRIST. >>FRIENDS, IT'S BECAUSE OF GOD'S 58:00 BLESSING AND YOUR SUPPORT THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHERS, LIKE NITA, 58:05 HAVE FOUND JESUS AND EVERLASTING LIFE. 58:17 (DRAMATIC MUSIC) |
Revised 2019-05-02