Bringing Back the Banished One

Introduction

Linger, O blessed Redeemer. Our awesome Savior reigns. I confidently affirm. He sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high, wielding all power. He has a name that is above all names. And you need him. And I need him. And that’s what this lesson is about. But first, a history lesson. And I’m going to have to go over this hurriedly. Perhaps you know the story and the players involved. Begin turning to 2 Samuel chapter 14. Joab is a major player in this story. And a woman of Tekoah, whom we don’t know a lot about other than this text. And of course, King David, who is the central figure of this story as it relates to his estranged relationship with his son Absalom. Absalom has been absent from the king’s presence for three years now.

1. Joab's Daring Initiative

He avenged his full sister Tamar’s abuse at the hand of his half-brother Amnon. And he has Amnon murdered by his servants. As a result, David banishes Absalom, and he has not seen him for three years. And what we have in 2 Samuel chapter 14 is what I’ll call Joab’s daring initiative. He sees that the king’s heart is now inclined toward Absalom. He misses his son. And the fracture that has resulted in this banishment. And so Joab enlists a wise woman, ten miles to the south of Jerusalem, to come and tell a fictional story to the ears of a king. She pretends to be a mourner. And here’s the situation. She is a widow. She has two sons. One of the sons kills the other son, and now the family is seeking vengeance on the murderer.

And if they are allowed to put him to death, and then she is without posterity, she is without inheritance, she has no heir, she has no husband. And so she tells this fictional sob story, a judicial parable, and King David decrees that the son should be spared. After the conniving of Joab and Ms. Tekoah, the dagger is thrust. In 2 Samuel 14 and verse 12, the woman says, Please let your maidservant speak a word to my Lord the king. I mean, she has come and prostrate herself before him and bowed in her mourning gear, and she has gotten the decree that she wanted, but now she has the king’s ear. And he says, speak. And the woman says, Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God?

Perhaps Absalom’s banishment, this rift has been demoralizing to the nation, demoralizing to the leadership, demoralizing to the army. So you have devised this thing against the people, for in speaking this word, the king is as one who is guilty. I find this interesting.

But the end result is the same. You’re the guilty one here, in that the king does not bring back his banished one. Now, verse 14. For we shall surely die and are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Okay, that’s sort of a sad tale, but true. Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one may not be cast out from him. Interesting words from the wise woman of Tokoah. I have them underlined in my Bible. They’ll be the subject of what I’m going to say. Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one may not be cast out from him. Bringing back the banished one. This is a fascinating story.

2. A Story Very Consequential for David and Absalom

It is consequential. It is instructive. As soon as this story unfolds, David realizes. Joab put you up to this, didn’t he? Is the hand of Joab with you in all of this? Verse 19. And she says, Well, yes, but my Lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angels of God. I mean, she’s laying it on thick. And so she accomplishes her task commissioned by Joab. And David brings back Absalom, but he is not permitted to see the king’s face. For two full years, he does not gain access to the presence of the king. So, yes, it is a fascinating and riveting story in 2 Samuel chapter 14, but it is also a story that is very consequential in the lives of both David and Absalom.

What transpires now? After five years, three in banishment, two, he’s not allowed in the king’s presence. Absalom creates designs on the kingdom itself. In 2 Samuel chapter 15, it says that Absalom stole away the hearts of the sons of Israel. And this you might remember in the consequences that the prophet speaks to David in 2 Samuel chapter 12, I should say chapter 12, verses 11 and 12. As a result of the sin with Bathsheba, this consequence is uttered. Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household. That’s what’s happening. I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion. I wonder how often that had been rolling over in David’s mind. This consequence. And he shall lie with your wives in the broad daylight.

You know, it hadn’t happened yet. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel under the sun. And then, as Absalom comes and occupies Jerusalem, and David flees for his life, the counsel of Ahithophel, whose words at that time were like the very word of God. So reliable and trustworthy and dependable. David so regarded the words of Ahithophel, but Ahithophel was with Absalom. And Absalom says, Here’s what you do. You make yourself odious to the king. You set up a tent in the eyes of all Israel for them to see, and you go in unto his wives and concubines before all Israel, fulfilling what Nathan had said in 2 Samuel chapter 12. But then there was the counsel of Hushai, David’s friend, who was sent back by David to thwart the counsel of Ahithophel.

And here are the ominous words of 2 Samuel 17 and verse 14. Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Architect is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not being followed, he went out and he hung himself. He knew the writing on the wall. Beware of the wages of sin. Now we get to the instructive part of this story. Absalom. No one was so beautiful. I mean, he was such a handsome dude. From his head to the sole of his foot, from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot, it says, there was no defect in him. Guys, wouldn’t that be awesome? If you were that good looking, well, that didn’t last very long for Absalom, and it doesn’t last very long for us.

Not that I would know about that particular endowment that he had of being so handsome from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot. I mean, seriously, no defect in him. Every woman thought Absalom was a heart throb. But then he found himself stuck in an oak tree, done in by an oak. And Joab thrusts him through with spears to the heart. And then all of his buddies pile on, and they all stab him. And they make a very great heap of stones over Absalom. But in his lifetime, he made a monument to himself. That was his posterity.

3. God Plans Ways: Bringing Back the Banished One

A monument. A life of rebellion. A life of ingratitude. A life that was ultimately misspent and disastrous. The wages of sin. They will take you places that you never intended going. The instructive part of this for us. Bringing back the banished son. Bringing back the banished one. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span. I think there’s a lesson here in the words of the woman of Tokoah. About how God plans. God does not take away life, but plans ways. There, the scheme of redemption. God plans ways so that the banished one may not be cast out from him. I would tell you that’s the Bible story. God executed a plan that the banished ones may not be cast out from him forever. Sin alienates. Sin drives a wedge between a person and God.

Not multiple sins, just a single transgression. Does so. Incarceration and sin is a serious problem, as so many are contemplating the resurrection of Jesus. It is the resurrection of Jesus that gives hope. And without his death, providing the suitable penalty for our sin and his resurrection, our circumstance, our situation would be absolutely totally hopeless. Would you see something in the story of Absalom? He was banished for three years. Can you imagine not seeing your father’s face, the king, not being in his court, not eating from his table? You have grown up in a palace, and for three years you have been banished from something so good. I don’t think we can begin to grasp. Eternal banishment from the presence of God.

Such banishment. Paul goes at great lengths to describe the seriousness of the problem. Though he was not evil to the core. He says in Romans 7, the wishing to do good is present. But sin indwells in me. I’ve become dominated by sin. He says, Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? If sin is on your account, if your sins have not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. If you have not been released from your sins by the blood of Christ, you stand alienated from the King of Kings. In need of his provision. Observe your state. Wretched person. Wretched. How wretched. Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death. Only Jesus. Now there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Only Jesus can remedy. Can you imagine being sentenced in a court for a crime that you’ve committed? And not only have you heard the guilty verdict, but the sentence comes back from the judge that says, You will now serve five consecutive life sentences. You hear about this sometimes in an egregious act. Five life sentences. Now, if you do the math, that’s a little bit difficult to do when you have one life. Five life sentences. But you know how it is sometimes you get 30 years and you’re out in ten. But you know, if you get five life sentences, you’re done. You’re done. You’re going to spend the rest of your days in prison. Oh, what a horrible prospect. The freedom that you’ve known, the liberties that you’ve had, they’re gone.

You will live behind bars the rest of your days. What a horrible predicament to our minds. It’s nothing. It’s nothing compared to banishment from the presence of God. I probably need to go on for 10 or 15 more minutes, but I won’t. About what unremedied sin in your life really means. Oh, to grace. How great a debtor. The great favor of the merciful king. Sentence commuted. Utterly dependent on Jesus. The fact that those in Christ have received the great mercy of the king should remove every vestige of pride in ourselves. Oh, but look at what I can do. Look at how smart I am. Look at what I know. I can preach an eloquent sermon. Who are you talking about, Tony? Who’s he? Maybe not so eloquent.

But we only are what we are because of him. We have this treasure, this treasure in earthen vessels, of the surpassing greatness of the power, maybe of God and not of ourselves. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 7, it is amazing that God can take the likes of us and he can use us in a powerful way, and that God is working in our lives and we can influence others and we can encourage others and help each other in the journey to the presence of God. Where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever, the fact that we can be participants, we can be effective participants, and God can use us and work in our lives and answer our prayers and guide our steps, that’s all incredible.

But please understand, it is only because of his mercy. It is only because of him. It is only because God commuted our sins and brought the banished one back. That, as Steve said, is what the Lord’s Supper means. And that’s why we should think about it more than just once a week. Because the banished one has been released. The banished ones have come home. And oh, what a future home.

4. What Happens When the Banished One Comes Home?

These words don’t do it justice. To simply speak of the great favor and mercy of the King of Kings. But then there’s this. What happens when the banished one comes home?

Too often. We are like Absalom. Oh, I’m back. I’m back. And all of a sudden, we forget where we came from and where we could have stayed. What we now have. How quickly we forget. We must not forget. David didn’t have to bring Absalom back. He did. Granted mercy. And he paid the price. Because Absalom was an ingrate son. Can you imagine? Wanting to kill the man who was the man after God’s own heart. Your dad. Especially after he has granted you mercy and brought you home. Oh, the ingratitude of it all. But so often. We forget. God knew it when he brought that young nation into the land of promise. The land that was flowing with milk and honey. He was going to powerfully display his fellowship and presence.

He was going to give them victory at Jericho and victories that followed. He’s going to give them this awesome land, and he says, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to eat to the full and become satisfied, and you’re going to forget me. Is it just human nature? Is it what we do? Because we’ve been given so much that we take it all for granted. It is amazing sometimes how children treat their parents. How children treat their parents with contempt when they become adults.

And that they taught me about commitment to the Lord. We didn’t wake up on Sunday morning saying, What are we going to do today? It’s a beautiful day. What are we doing today? No, that was the Lord’s day. And the Lord’s people were meeting on Sunday night. And so we were there, and they were meeting on Wednesday night. We were there because we were numbered among the Lord’s people. And again, on Wednesday night, it wasn’t, hey, are we going to try to make services? Of course we are. Of course we are. I appreciate what they instilled in me, what they taught me. Beyond all of that, I had a great childhood. I know everyone didn’t have, doesn’t have the childhood that I had, but I it was carefree.

It was fun. I had my summers to do whatever I wanted. You’re envious, aren’t you? I did work a little bit in high school. Could never repay them for what they gave me. It’s time to show gratitude. But so often we forget. And in Christ, it can be no different. We’ve known Jesus and his salvation for so long. It’s been so many years since we were baptized and received the flow from Calvary that cleansed our sins that we don’t appreciate. How completely undone we really were. And how completely dependent we are even now. Nor realize what God is yet to do for us. And because he is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Let us pursue gratitude. Let us not forget the purification of our former sins. That’s why people leave off in all diligence. Instead of supplying to your faith all diligence and adding the virtues that he goes on to speak about in 2 Peter chapter 1 that leave us neither barren nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to pursue such things as godliness and love and brotherly kindness to pursue those things. Why do we do that? Because we remember. We remember. We remember that we were purified from our sins. We remember how indebted we are. We remember the great cost that was paid for us. I know. Paul says, I am a debtor. I’m a debtor. I will always be that. I will never be anything but that.

Conclusion

I’m a debtor to my Lord. So often. Instead of all about him, it becomes all about me. But I’m the banished one that he brought out of the darkness. Leave the banishment. Embrace his deliverance. Bask in the glory of the great King. If you’re subject to His invitation, come out of the darkness and be transferred into the kingdom of His dear Son. Always stand the same.