2 Samuel chapter 3. I'd like to read the last verse of
2 Samuel chapter 3. These are the words of David,
and he says in verse 39, and I am this day Weak, though anointed king, and
these men, the sons of Zeuriah, be too hard for me. The Lord shall reward the doer
of evil according to his wickedness. Let's pray together. Lord, we're so thankful that your God beside thee is
none else. We're so thankful for your person. We're so thankful for your holiness,
for your justice, for your love, your mercy, your grace, your
power. Lord, we're so thankful for the salvation that's in your
son. Now we ask in Christ's name that you would be pleased to
meet with us and speak in power to our hearts through your word.
Bless us for the Lord's sake. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. And Lord, we confess our sins. We pray
for forgiveness and cleansing. Lord, we ask that you would enable
us to be quick to forgive as you've forgiven us for Christ's
sake. Lord, we pray that you would
give us grace to love you more and love one another more. Meet
with us for the Lord's sake. In his name we pray, amen. Now you'll notice in verse 39,
I am this day weak, though anointed king. He had already been anointed
king. As a matter of fact, God had
determined that he would be king before time began. And he was
already said by God to be anointed king 13 years before this. But
now he's experiencing it and he's saying, I'm this day anointed
king. But instead of being or feeling
empowered, he felt weak. I am this day weak, though anointed
king. These men, the sons of Zeruriah,
are too hard for me." Now, David said, I just can't handle these
men. Now, these were two of three brothers. One had already been
killed. You remember him, Asahel, and this is Abshi and Joab. Joab
was a murderer. He murdered Abner, as we saw
last week, and David, as king, should have had this man put
to death. That was his kingly responsibility, to make sure
justice was done, but he said, I can't do it. They're just too
hard for me. I'm this day weak. I'm weak as
water, though anointed king. He said, I just can't make myself
do the right thing. I think it's interesting. If
you look in the next chapter, he's going to put somebody to
death for murder and he's going to fulfill his kingly office.
But right now he feels like he just is unable to do anything. He said, although I'm anointed
king, I realized that I'm this day very weak. Now that's David's testimony
concerning himself. Yes, I'm anointed king, but I'm
very weak. These sons of Zariah. I think
it's interesting what this name Zariah means. It means wounded. And it comes out of the word
that means crack under pressure. I think that's an interesting
name. Have you ever felt like you're in a crack under pressure?
Well, that's what these. fellows were doing to King David. He said, I am weak. Now, what
I thought about when I thought about this statement David made,
is this not true? A true and an accurate view of
a believer's life. Truly anointed King by God. He's made us kings and priests.
This is his work. Truly anointed King made a king
and a priest to God, yet we see ourselves to be weak. The sons
of Zuriah are just too much for us. We can't handle them. They're
too hard. And this word hard is also translated
in the King James Version, severe, curlish, cruel, grievous, hard-hearted,
heavy, impudent, obstinate, stiff-necked, stubborn, and sorrowful. These sons of Uriah, this is
what he says about them and what they do to him. They're just
too hard. I can't handle them. And those
words used to describe. Now, what is interesting is these
two men left, one was already dead, were also of the number
of David's mighty men. And there were times where David
would be so thankful for him. And he'd say, these are my strengths.
These are the guys that protect me. I'm so thankful for these
men. But here, he turns around and says, they're too hard for
me. Now, if you go on reading about Abishai, Abishai was with
David all the way to the end. You remember there in 2 Samuel
23 when we're given the mighty axe of David's mighty men? Well,
Abishai was the one who broke through the Philistine garrison
just in order to give David a cup of water from a well in Jerusalem. David said, oh, I want water
from Jerusalem. And Abishai courageously did
this for him. There were times when these men
who he was saying, they're just too hard for me, they were his
strength. And one of the things that you
think about in that, since these men were actually his strength,
this lets me know he depended on these men. These men were
his strength, his protection. The things that are our natural
strengths end up being our enemies spiritually. These men were his
natural strength. He depended upon these men for
protection, but they end up being his downfall. The sons of Zariah are just too
hard for me. And I think this is another interesting
slant before we can go on considering what he meant by being weak.
David was now in a different position. He went from being
a shepherd. He went from fleeing everywhere
to all of a sudden he's king. and he's in a very different
place in his life. And he says, I am this day weak,
though anointed king. Now, me a king? I can see where David
was, but am I? Well, let's look at the scripture.
Revelation chapter one, verse five. This is true of every believer. You know, a king is someone whose
will is done. And you see, if the Lord has
made you a king, your will, your desire is to be made just like
Christ. That's your will. And that will
is done. You are going to be made just
like Christ. As a matter of fact, you already
are just like Christ in Christ right now, present tense. But
look at this passage of scripture in verse four of Revelation chapter
one, John to the seven churches, which are in Asia, grace be unto
you and peace from him, which is, and which was, and which
is to come. and from the seven spirits which
are before his throne and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful
witness and the first begotten of the dead and the prince of
the kings of the earth. Now look at this. Unto him that
loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood and hath
made us kings and priests unto God and his father. To him be
glory and dominion forever and ever. He loved us. He washed
us. It's already been done. He washed
us from our sins in his own blood and hath made us kings and priests
unto God. And as he is seated in glory
on the throne right now, Every believer is seated with Him,
already seated in heaven. Now this can only be understood
in light of union with Christ. But if I'm united to Him, whatever
He is, I am. If I'm united to Him. And Ephesians
2, 6 says, He hath made us sit together with Him in heaven.
Seated with Him on His throne, made a king and a priest. Look
in 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse nine, but you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a kingdom of priests, and holy
nation, a peculiar or a purchased people that you should show forth
the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. Now Christian, you may feel yourself
to be weak, and indeed you are, and indeed I am. But that doesn't
take away from the truth that I am of a royal race if I'm a
Christian. I am a king and a priest to God,
Christ having made me so. That is his work. Now you, like
I said, may feel weak in your faith and consequently weak everywhere
else, but you're in Christ and you're part of a true royal race. Loved by Christ, washed in his
blood, and made a king and a priest by God. And David's kingly anointing,
it was determined before he knew anything about it, wasn't it?
He didn't know. When he was out there playing
a harp, watching a few sheep, he had no idea that he had been
ordained by God to be king, but he was. And it was certain. Your destiny, I can say this
to every child of God, your destiny is fixed. It's certain. You're going to be with Christ,
seated in him in heaven, ruling and reigning with him. Now that's
the fixed and certain destiny of every child of God. But David says, I am this day
weak. Weakness is how I feel, weak
in faith, weak in love, weak in every other grace, fearful,
discouraged, despondent. I think of where David said,
I'm ready to halt. I'm ready to fall. My sorrow
is continually before me. The sons of Zeruiah in my life
are just too hard for me. I can't stand before them. I
feel like I'm too weak to do what I know I ought to do. And
he demonstrated that. Joab was a murderer. He murdered Abner. Abner gave
him every opportunity to get away. And I mean, Abner gave Asahel every
opportunity to get away and he killed him anyway. Abner killed
Asahel, giving him the opportunity to flee because Asahel was going
to kill him. So Abner was not a murderer.
Well, Joab murders Abner because of this action. Asahel was his
brother. You remember that. And the king's position was to
put Joab to death for what he did. If somebody murders, they
ought to be put to death. And that's what he did, but he
let it go because he says they're just too hard for me. I'm this
day weak, though anointed king. Now, weakness, while it's a horrible
feeling, it's the truth. Now, however weak you feel in
reality, you're weaker. You're weaker. You believe that?
I think of what the Lord said to his disciples in the Garden
of Gethsemane. The spirit truly is willing,
but the flesh is weak. And that word weak means impotent. It means without strength. The spirit is willing. That's
the new man. That's the inner man. That's
what happens when you're born from above and born again. You're
given a new nature, a holy nature, but you still have the old nature,
the sinful nature. That's nothing but weakness incarnate. The spirit truly is willing.
And that's what Paul meant in Roman seven, when he said to
will is present with me, but how to perform that, which is
good. I find not. He said, I'm weak, weak, weak,
weak. Now, here's the blessed thing
about this thing of being weak. When we were yet without strength,
same word translated weak, when we were yet without strength,
in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. for those who were
without strength. In that sense, it's a good thing
to be without strength. And if you have strength, you're
in trouble. God has chosen the things that are without strength. that are nothing, to bring to
nothing the things that are. That's how he operates. And it's
a good thing to be without strength. Now, in one sense, it's horrible.
It's one of the most horrible feelings, but what a blessing
it is when the Lord enables you to look totally away from yourself
to Christ. What a blessing. You know, your
weaknesses, your weakness ends up serving you. It causes you
to look to Christ because you don't have anywhere else to look
when you're without strength. And that's what David said, I'm
this day, though anointed King, I'm without strength, I'm weak,
I'm helpless. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
12. People will debate forever over
what Paul's thorn in the flesh is, and I have no idea what it
is. nor does anybody else. But it was a trial to him. Look what he says in verse 6
of 2 Corinthians chapter 12. For though I would desire to
glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth. But
now forbearalist, any man should think of me above that which
he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. What Paul's saying,
just in case somebody puts me on a pedestal. And lest I should
be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations,
Paul was brought into the third heavens. He was taught the gospel
directly by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He was used to write
13 books in the Bible. What a blessing it was for him. But look what he says. And lest
I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations there was given to me, who gave it to him, God did,
a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me, to beat
me black and blue, lest I should be exalted above measure. For
this thing, I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from
me. And he said unto me, and I love this, he didn't say no.
He didn't say, no, it's going to stay there. He didn't say
that at all. You know, if he would have said no, Paul could
have taken comfort in the fact that, well, he said, no, nothing
I can do about it. I'm not gonna worry about it anymore. But he did
say this. He said, my grace is sufficient
for thee. For my strength is made perfect
in what? Weakness. Most gladly, therefore,
while I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may
rest upon me, therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches
and necessities and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake.
For when I am weak, powerless, then am I strong. Only when I'm weak Then am I
strong. Now, question, did David's weakness
prevent him from being saved and ascending to the throne?
Absolutely not. David's weak, but David's savior
is not weak. That's the point. Now, concerning this weak person. David was weak, and as a matter
of fact, his weakness, it's awful, it made him not do the right
thing. He should have had Joab put to death as king, and he
went ahead and did it in the next chapter with somebody else,
but right here, he's so weak, he can't even do what's right.
I mean, he's just in this paralyzed feeling. That's how he felt,
paralyzed. He said, these sons of Zariah,
I'm cracking under the pressure, I can't deal with them, I can't
handle them, they're too much for me. I am this day weak, weak. helpless though anointed king. This is how he felt. Now, that
being said, the attributes of God demand the salvation of every
weak believer. I enjoy thinking about this. The sovereign will of God determined
my salvation before the foundation of the world, and there's no
way his will can be thwarted. No matter how weak I am, saved
I must be because God determined my salvation. He is all-powerful,
and the reason I believe up to this point is because I'm kept
by the power of God. His omnipotence demands my salvation. He's got the strength, though
I'm weak, he's got the strength to save me and to keep me in
the faith and to keep me persevering. His love is eternal. You know,
he never began to love me. He always has. Do I understand
that? Of course not. Do I believe it? Absolutely.
Not only does his love never have a beginning, It'll never
have an ending. He cannot stop loving me any
more than he can stop being God. That's who he is. His love is
eternal. It's saving. I've heard people
talk about that scripture, Jacob have I loved but Esau have I
hate it. And they say, well, that means he loved Esau less. Can God do anything less? Can
he do anything less? He's God. His justice demands my salvation. You see, my sin's been put away.
And I stand before God without guilt, as weak as I am in myself.
And I have some, some little notion of my own personal weakness.
I believe you do too. But the very justice of God demands
my salvation. Bring him in. He deserves it.
Through Christ, what he did for me, no matter how weak I am,
I deserve to be saved. God's wisdom. God is so wise
that he's made a way to be consistent with his justice, to be absolutely
just, and yet take me, sinful as I am, and say he's just. Bring
him in. That's through the work of Christ
Jesus on the cross. That's what he actually accomplished. He that hath begun a good work
in you shall perform it." In all of David's weakness, in all
of David's blundering, in all of David's falls, in all of David's
tears, none of that will prevent his salvation. He said, I am
this day weak. And oh, he was weak. And this
same one, I think this is so interesting, this same one who
at one time killed a bear and a lion with his bare hands. This
same one who came running at Goliath, saying, who is this
uncircumcised that he should defy the armies of the living
God? He's not a bit afraid of him. He comes running at him.
Now look at him. He's so weak. He's so disabled
that he can't do the right thing. You could tell him he ought to,
and he knows it. He'd agree with you, but here he is. He lets
Joab go. He says, the Lord will deal with
him. That's true, the Lord will deal with him. But David was
supposed to deal with him and he didn't. On this day, weak,
powerless, helpless, though anointed king. Now, however weak David
felt, he was in reality weaker. I love what the Lord said, without
me, you can do what? Nothing. He didn't say hardly
anything. He said nothing. David was in
the same place. But David's weakness did not
in any way prevent him from ascending to his kingship because the Lord
had purposed it. You see, salvation really is
all of grace. It really is. That fills me with
joy, to know that salvation really, really is all of grace. Not of works, but all of grace.
My weakness, as much of a grief as our weakness
is to us, it's not going to prevent salvation. Because salvation
is by grace. And we praise him for that. We're
aware of our weakness. I'm this day weak, though anointed
king. These sons of Uriah be too hard
for me. Now, these sons of Uriah, his
natural strength, he just couldn't stand before him. But he would
again. He would again. Because salvation
is of the Lord.