written by David at that time
when he passed through that rebellion from Absalom, his son, and we
can read about that in 2 Samuel chapter 15. Perhaps if you have
that open as well, we're going to refer to that a few times
tonight. But this was a very difficult
time for David, a time when his own close relations His son,
but also then his close advisor, Ahithophel, would turn against
David. And this was very painful for
David, but it was foreshadowing something that would happen to
our Saviour. It was prophetic of what would
happen to Christ. as Judas, one of the twelve,
would deny his Lord. And so when David was passing
through these difficulties, he felt all the difficulties and
the pain. And yet, you see, there was this, David has in verse
16 that resolve, as for me, I will call upon God. And David, you
see, as he had all this trouble come into his pathway, and it
was great trouble, if you look in to Samuel 15 and verse 12,
it says, and the conspiracy was strong and the people increased
continually. with Absalom. And David then
flees from his throne, goes across the Brook Kidron, and he is in
a great strait. And then the ark comes across
as well. And David has that great trust
in God, that God will deliver him. You see, what we want to
speak of is, cast thy burden upon the Lord. cast it, throw
it, cast it. And this word burden can also
be translated gift. And so, you see, as we come to
the beginning of a new year, we have gifts that we've been
given, responsibilities, but they're also burdens to carry. We need to honourably fulfil
those requirements that are ours. We think of all the responsibilities
as church members, as pastors, deacons, all the different responsibilities
that we have, and each one here in the family, each have responsibilities. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. You see, David had this great
trouble. His son was seeking to take the
kingdom for himself, and it seemed naturally that he would
overcome David. But David had this great faith
in God, that God would deliver him. And you see, when the ark
came across, if you look in 2 Samuel 15 and look in verse 24, it says,
and lo, Zadok also and all the Levites that were with him, bearing
the ark of the covenant of God, They set down the ark of God
and Abiathar went up until all the people had done passing out
of the city. And the king said unto Zadok,
carry back the ark of God into the city. Go back into Jerusalem.
If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring
me again and show me both it and his habitation. You see,
David believed that God would deliver him and God would go
before him. And you see, this was David's
great strength. In his time of trouble, cast
thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. And you
see, David was sustained. And as David was in this time
of great trouble, he went across the Brook Kidron, he went up
Mount Olivet. as the Lord Jesus Christ did
some thousand years later, into the garden of Gethsemane, when
we read that he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. And David went up weeping. But
in verse 31, you see, sorry, verse 32 of chapter 15 of 2 Samuel,
when it came to pass, when David was come to the top of the mount,
where he worshipped God. So David, in all his trouble
with all these conspirators, with Ahithophel having joined
them, he prays, turn the counsel of Ahithophel to foolishness.
He puts his trust in God and he worships. Something really
precious there. You think, David, you're in this
calamity, there's no time to worship. But this is what he
did. He worshipped God. Cast thy burden
upon the Lord, thy gift. The gift, he was a king. He'd
been given a kingdom by God. He was the rightful king of Israel. And this gift, but this responsibility,
this burden, he was casting it upon God. He was trusting, if
it's God's will, I will return. And you see, he encourages himself
in his God. In this difficult situation,
cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. David trusted that God would
sustain him in that way. This burden that God had given
him, this responsibility to be that king and to all that was
involved in that. And as we look at the year ahead,
with no doubt you look at it, You see all the engagements,
perhaps all the different things that are on your calendar, all
the things to do, and you think, how can we get through? But you see, cast thy burden.
You see, all our appointments and all our responsibilities,
they're gifts as well, aren't they? We care for things because
we've been given things. It's a gift, and yet it's a burden. It's a concern. Cast thy burden
upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee. In their gracious promise,
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. They may be shaken,
but never moved, never totally removed from their mooring to
be in Christ. You see, the righteous is not
those that are self-righteous, not those that are pleased with
their own righteousness. They're those that have fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them in the gospel.
David had. David, by this time, had written
Psalm 51. He'd been through that with Bathsheba and Uriah and
all that difficulty. He'd confessed his sins. He'd
clung to the Saviour. He knew he had no righteousness
of his own. And partly what he was going
through was a result of the sword shall not depart from my house.
And you might think, well therefore God's against David. Ah, but
God, but David goes back to God. And you see, the devil might
say, well, it's your own sin that's brought all this in your
life, and it may be related to that. But you still go back to
God. David didn't make that as a reason
why he couldn't go back to God. He understood the mercy of God
in Christ. And you see, he went back to
God. Caste thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee,
and he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. What was
going to happen to David? Well, you see, his prayer, turn
the council of Ahithophel into foolishness, was answered. And
Ahithophel's council was not heeded. Ahithophel went and when
he realized that his council was not going to be taken, he
set his house in order and went and hanged himself. So much similar
to Judas. who hanged himself when he realised
that he had betrayed innocent blood. You see, those that rose
up against David were destroyed. He shall never suffer the righteous
to be moved. David, you see, was returned
to the kingdom. David was put on that right place. But the Lord Jesus Christ, you
see, he went the same way. And you say, but he died. He
died at Calvary. But that wasn't the end. You
see, we have Psalm 2 that says, yet have I put my King upon my
holy hill of Zion. Christ, you see, he passed through
death. And God's people passed through
some valleys, deep valleys, dark valleys. And David did. But they're brought through,
you see, because God is their God. And they will be brought
through trusting in him. He shall never suffer the righteous,
those who have laid hold upon the righteousness of Christ,
those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set
before them in the gospel, he shall never suffer the righteous
to be moved, not to be removed from their foundations of Christ.
they will still be able to have that union with him. And he will
deliver his people. And you see in the next verse
it talks about, but thou, O Lord, shalt bring them down into the
pit. Those Absalom, you see, and Ahithophel, they perished. Absalom with all his, the conspiracy
that was very strong and was getting stronger and stronger.
And it seemed that he would gain the victory over David, but he
didn't. We read, bloody and deceitful
men shall not live out half their days. Absalom didn't die old,
did he? He died young. But I will trust
in thee. And that's what David trusted
in the Lord. He wrote this psalm. We're not
absolutely sure that it was at this time, but it fits what he
says here. So much fits what was going on
at that point in his life with being deceived and those that
were his counsellors then turning against him and his own familiar
friends. And so David was able to do this. And so as we come at the beginning
of this year and we come to a prayer meeting, surely this is a gracious
exhortation, cast thy burden upon the Lord, the gift, the
responsibility that God has given you, your cares here below, but
also, you see, your never dying soul. You see, that which God
hath begun, a good work in you, it's a gift and yet it's a concern,
isn't it? We read in Psalm 22, no man can
keep alive his own soul. How are we doing this year? Will
we grow in grace or will we go backwards? Will we walk no more
with him? Will we go and join ourselves
with the world? Cast thy burden upon the Lord.
He's able to bring his people closer to him in this year. He's
able to lead us into those fountains of living waters. He's able to
give us food. He's able to sustain us. Cast
thy burden upon the Lord. He shall sustain thee. David
proved it. He was speaking and encouraging
himself in his God. And it came to pass. God did
appear for David. His enemies were overcome. He
had so many that were dissenting from David, but then there were
some that were loyal to David that he couldn't have imagined
would be. all those Ittai, the Gittai, the one that came from
Gath, the one that was a Philistine with his 600 men. David said,
you go back, don't come with me. You've only just come to
me recently. I don't know where I'm going
quite. You stay back with Absalom. But no, he said, I'm going to
go with you. Like Ruth, talking to Naomi. There is something
beautiful here, you see. If you look in 2 Samuel 15 verse
21, and it's, I answered the king and said, as the Lord liveth
and as my soul, as my Lord the king liveth, surely in what place
my Lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there
will also thy servant be. So you see, God is able to raise
up those to support us that we would have never imagined. David
never imagined that Gittite would be his companion. And yet, you
see, the Lord, though he had those that were against him,
yet, you see, and this was foreshadowing that the Gentiles, you see, would
have an interest in Christ. His own people would reject him. He came unto his own, his own
received him not, but as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God. Cast thy burden upon the
Lord. He's able to sustain you, your
natural burdens, burdens, responsibilities, gifts. It's not all negative,
but even if we're given a gift to look after, there's something
to, you know, we may be blessed with many things, but there's
still responsibilities. Cast thy burden upon the Lord. And he shall sustain thee. He shall keep thee. He's able
to keep his saints. He's able to support them. He's
able to deliver them from all their enemies, from all the risings
of the mutinies that was against David. He brought him back to
his kingdom. He brought him back to his kingdom
and so the Lord Jesus, when he was a rejected king, going over
that brook Kidron, God made him. King of Zion. Yes, the stone
which the builders refused, the same has become the head of the
corner. And this is the Lord's doing, and it's marvellous in
our eyes. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain
thee. He shall give thee the strength
day by day, and he shall never suffer. righteous to be moved. We look at ourselves and our
own strength and naturally David looked at it, it was impossible.
But he said, if I shall find favour in the
eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again and show me both it
and his habitation. He would come back to the ark
in Jerusalem. He believed that if it was his,
if God's will he would, and he trusts it in God, cast thy burden
upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the
righteous to be moved. Well as we then meet for prayer,
may we cast our cares upon him. One who has broad shoulders,
is able to carry the greatest loads and able to cause us to
continue and to be able to honourably do all that the Lord requires
of us. As he's cast it on us, that we're
to cast it back on him and to trust that he will go before
us and deliver us from all of our troubles, that we might be
able to serve him with newness of life. May the Lord add his
blessing.