Ittai the Gittite – Best Supporting Actor in a Bible Story

Introduction

Wow, that was stirring singing for a Saturday morning. That was impressive, brethren. You tenors were up on the roof. I couldn’t even get up there. I tried and I fell off the ladder. I think y’all went to Shipleys for Donuts this morning, like I did. I didn’t even get an amen on that. I think that deserves an amen. Shipleys for breakfast. Man. Shipley’s donuts. You know, this series of lessons is all about people in the life of David. And what I wish we could do, and it can’t, it just doesn’t work, but this almost feels like the kind of situation where every night we come back to a campfire and we all sit around and then we start the next story. Because these are kind of installments in the life of David.

These are fascinating characters. I was saying to Tony on the way home last night, David’s life is so rich in part because of the people he was surrounded by, both good and bad. The best TV show ever made in the history of television is the Andy Griffiths show. And part of the reason isn’t about the main character for whom the show is named. It’s not about Andy Griffith or Andy Taylor as he is in the show. It’s about all those peripheral characters. It’s about Barney Fife and Floyd the Barber and Aunt B. And Ernest T. Bass. All those characters make that story that revolve around this central character, Andy Taylor, the sheriff, so rich. And we come back every week, and each episode is about some other person who’s touching the life of this sheriff of this small town, Mayberry, North Carolina.

David’s life is like that. It’s not just about David. There aren’t very many characters you find in the Bible so surrounded by a rich supply of fascinating characters. And I’m telling you, we could have started last night and gone through next weekend and not run out of fascinating characters to talk about. We’ve chosen just a handful of them to deal with this weekend. So imagine, though, what I will tell you, David’s life would have been like. I can imagine what that would have been like without all these characters when I think about these situations. If you’re familiar with the Battle of Thermopylae, where a Spartan force of 300 men held back the largest marching army in the history of the world, the Persians, at a small pass, just long enough for the Greeks to assemble themselves in Athens to be prepared to receive that massive Persian force.

The Spartans were led by Leonidas, the lion of Sparta. He was their king of that city state. And he’s a pretty notable character in his own right. There are a couple of speeches that Herodotus and others record by him. He’s an eloquent man. He is a courageous man. But I want to tell you something. That would not have gone the way it went, holding off the Spartans for three days. I mean, holding off the Persians for three days, if the only Spartan at Thermopylae was Leonidas. We don’t know the names of those other men. We don’t have the names of all the others who were there. But there were 299 supporting men who were absolutely critical to the success of Leonidas’s plans. We’re all familiar with Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, one of the greatest speeches written in American history.

But if you can’t get that speech in the context of the hundreds of thousands of people who were at the Lincoln Memorial, stretched all the way down the reflecting pool back beyond the Washington Monument. If you can’t put all them in place when Martin Luther King utters his famous words, I have a dream, then you’ve lost some of the power of what happened that day.

When they give out Oscars in the movies, they don’t just give a best actor or a best actress award. They also give out best supporting actor or supporting actress. And I want to share with you the person I think ought to be the recipient of the best supporting role in the life of David. Best supporting role. Go with me to 2 Samuel chapter 15, and now let’s hunker down around the fire because I got to give you the background of this story. 2 Samuel chapter 15 is where I am. But you’re only going to be able to put your eyes on the text in little places around here because I need to bring you up to speed pretty quickly. Absalom has been brought back from exile, and he is living now in the city of Jerusalem.

1. Absalom Is a Political Animal

Absalom is perhaps the most politically astute character you will meet in all the pages of the Bible. If Absalom were in America, he’d be president. He’d not only be president for two terms if he lived that long, but Congress would probably do away with the tenure restriction, and he’d be president for more. He is a political animal.

Because there are some noteworthy things about Absalom in his earlier life that I think are admirable. But here’s here’s Absalom, and let me tell you what he has going for him. Number one, he’s got pedigree. He is now the oldest living prince in Israel. Now, our belief is that the second oldest son of David probably died sometime early in his life because he’s not mentioned after his birth. But of the sons, seven of them born to David while he was at Hebron, the oldest was Amnon. But Amnon isn’t alive because Absalom has killed him. But before you say, killed him, well, that’s horrible. He kills him because Amnon needed killing. That’s an old southern prosecutor’s plea. Sometimes people need killing. And Amnon needed killing. David didn’t do it.

So Absalom did. He took up the cause of his sister Tamar and he killed the rapist Amnon. But because of that, he has to go into exile because he’s not an official executor. He’s a killer. While he is in exile, Joab works to bring him back and to soothe his father David’s feelings toward him. So Absalom returns, but now, after four years, now that he’s back, he’s got an attitude. Absalom’s not happy with his dad for two reasons. Number one, because David didn’t take action against Amnon, and Absalom had to do it. And then number two, because Absalom suffers for what he did by being cast into exile, and his father only reluctantly allows him to come back. So now there is this seething undercurrent of revenge.

That’s not good. But here’s how Absalom begins to work it. I said he has some noteworthy characteristics. Pedigree. He is the oldest son of David. Number two, he is incredibly handsome. He’s beautiful.

He is physically, he is a perfect specimen. And he has hair. I mean, I’m not just talking about he has a little bit of hair. He’s got hair. Fabio would have Absalom’s picture on his wall. And third, pedigree, all the physical characteristics of a king. He is the one who looks like he ought to be king. Third, he is astute. He knows how to play to people. So the people come into the city of Jerusalem, and Absalom greets them. He catches them before they can go to the palace. I want you to imagine, I want you to imagine that. Well, let’s bring it up to our current situation. You’ve got to go to the courthouse. And you know what it’s like to go to the courthouse.

It is long lines, or you’ve got to go to the DMV to get a driver’s license renewed, and the line is outside the door, wrapped around the building, and you know you’re going to be outdoors for a long time and it’s really hot and you don’t want to be there, and you’re going to have to fight up to the front, and then you’re going to have to get a number, and then you’re going to have to wait until your number’s called, and then they’re going to call you up to the desk, and then there’s probably going to be some problem, and the computers are going to be down. That’s what you’re expecting to happen. And then this person greets you as you get out of your car and says, Hi, I’m here to help you.

What are you here for? I’ve got to get a driver’s license. You know what? That’s terrible. If you elect me as your mayor, I’ll guarantee you’ll never wait in a line like that. So you think about that while you’re in line today. Because if I were mayor, we’d take care of all this online. You wouldn’t even have to leave your house. You could drink your coffee and go online and you’d get your driver’s license just like that. But remember me when it’s election time. Absalom says to people who are coming for resolution of their problems. He says, if I were the judge, I’d take care of that for you. You wouldn’t have to worry. Now, I don’t think Absalom is necessarily lying to everybody, but he is certainly playing to their frustrations.

So it says the people began to go after Absalom. They’re talking about him. You know what? As long as David’s king, we got this problem, and we got a backlog of court cases, and the judges aren’t ruling on things. And you know, David himself, I mean, he let his son Amnon go. I don’t know that he’s the best person for a king, but that Absalom, man, that guy has got it together. And then the fourth thing Absalom has Absalom has got an aura. He knows what impresses people. So everywhere Absalom goes, he has this retinue. Chapter 15, verse 1 says, He provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. Horses, plural. Not just one horse. He rides in a chariot every day, every day.

When Absalom goes out, he says, get the chariot ready. Hey, we waxed it yesterday. It’s good. Bring the horses out. He’s got impressive horses. Hooks him up to the chariot, and then the third thing: bring the runners. Fifty men, fifty who run in front of his chariot. Their only purpose is to draw attention to the fact that Absalom is in the house. That’s their purpose. Now I have to tell you, it might have been a position of prestige. I don’t run unless something’s chasing me. I’m not a runner. I’ll take up running when I’m driving my car and see a person jogging with a smile on their face. All I see is you know. But I want you to imagine here’s your job. You wake up in the morning.

What’s on the agenda today? Oh, Absalom’s going to breakfast at Shipleys. All right, put on your running shoes. Here we go. We’re running. That’s what we do. We’re not doing anything but just running. Here he comes. He’s behind us. Run. Keep running. Get to Shipleys. What’s going to happen next? Catch your breath, because we’re going from here to HEB. He’s got to pick up some things at the store. Let’s run. And they run all day long. For what purpose? To draw attention to Absalom. It serves the same purpose as flags and lights and horns for political figures or parade dignitaries. So he’s impressive. And then Absalom, after he has accumulated all the people to himself, he orchestrates a coup against his father, David. He tells David, I’ve got to go down to Hebron.

I have to offer a sacrifice because when I was in exile and away, I promised God that when I came back, I would offer a sacrifice to him at Hebron. Hebron is a very important city. It is, we say, if I were to ask you, what’s the city of David? You and I would say, Bethlehem. That’s where he was born, but that’s not really his city. I mean, his city really is Hebron. That’s where he grew up. And that’s the place where he was first crowned king. So for the house of Judah, Hebron is the place where kings are made. Absalom carefully orchestrates his coup to take place at Hebron. So he invites a bunch of dignitaries, and even people who don’t know. Verse 11 says, Two hundred men went with Absalom who were invited and went innocently, and they didn’t know anything.

Now he’s got his core group that knows what’s going on. But what he’s done is brought people down there who are friends of his, and he’s going to declare himself king, and then they’ve got to make a decision, but they’re in his house, so to speak.

2. Arise, Let Us Flee

Verse 13 A messenger came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. Now, I do not believe that’s the only message that causes David to do what he says. I’m sure he examines it and comes to the conclusion. We’re done. The people are with Absalom. He is coming. He is not going to let me live. Absalom’s going to kill me. His father. He’s going to kill his father because Absalom wants to be king. Well, David says to all his servants who were with him. Arise. Let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.

And then the king’s servants said to the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my Lord the king chooses. So the king went out and all his household with him, but the king left ten concubines to keep the house. And the king went out and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house. Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the cherites, all the Pelothites, and all the Gittites. Six hundred men who had come with him from Gath on before the king. All right. Let me paint this picture for you.

David is now the deposed king. He has very little power. He is fleeing, so he’s not taking anything with him. He is now old in age. He is a toothless lion, declawed, defanged, defeated. He is leaving the capital city of Jerusalem. And as he is leaving the city, Absalom’s forces are going to start coming in from the other end. So if, just to picture it, if Absalom’s forces are coming in through that back corner, David’s family and friends and loyal subjects are leaving through this door. It’s the gate of the city that they’re going out. David’s taking all his people with him. And it says they wept as they went. And the people in the city wept as they went by because they know what’s coming.

Now they’ve either got to render allegiance to Absalom or suffer at the hands of the new king. So it’s not going to be easy for them. Everything’s been disrupted for them. This reminds me very much of the people of Saigon when the Vietnam War was coming to an end and the American forces were pulling out. And the South Vietnamese citizens of Saigon were trying to cling to the bottoms of the helicopters and trying to climb into airplanes, hanging on to wings and wheels, trying to hang on to vehicles that were all exiting Saigon. As the Americans were leaving, the North Vietnamese, the Viet Cong were coming in the other end of the city. It was almost like if they could catch up with him, they would have destroyed him, but they couldn’t.

It was that bad. And so David has taken all his people and he’s going, and here is the last house, the last house in Jerusalem, right up against the wall. And at that point, David stands to the side and he watches his people go out. He’s the last one to go out. He stays till the end.

They’re going to cross the Kidron Valley and the river there, and they’re going into the wilderness. The wilderness where David has been before. See, he’s been a rebel in exile before. He’s been here. When he was crowned king by Samuel, nobody recognized him except his own people as king. And Saul brought David into his house, and it looked like, okay, everything’s going to be legitimate. David’s going to be fine. Even Mary, Saul’s daughter. Now he’s set up. He’s the next king, and he’s the husband of one of Saul’s daughters. This all looks good. And then it goes bad, and Saul hunts David, and David has to flee. And then he goes to the house of Achish, the Philistine king, and he seeks refuge there, and the Philistines kick him out.

He’s been here over and over again. On the lamb, on the run, out of resources. So he’s there, and he says, it says the cherithites pass by him, and the Pelothites pass by him, and all the Gittites pass by him, and six hundred men who had been with him since Gath. And that’s interesting because these are David’s life preserver. They’re the only thing he has to cling to. If you go back to 1 Samuel chapter 22, I’m only going to read one verse there, but you can go back there if you want, or let me just read this for you. First Samuel chapter 22 and verse 2. Everyone who was in distress, every one who was in debt, everyone who was discontented, gathered to him, that is David, and he became captain over them.

And there were about four hundred men with him. When David was fleeing from Saul, the disaffected came to him, the discontented. David is the leader of the outcrowd. All the people who’ve been left on the fringes of Saul’s kingdom come to David in the wilderness. And that 400 grows to a six hundred. And then when he comes to Jerusalem, they come with him. And now they’re the in crowd. Now they’re accepted. They’re the ones in power until today. Until today. I want you to imagine how heavy their hearts are. Especially the 600. They’ve been here before. The Cherithites, Pelothites, it may be new for them. But the 600 go, here we go. We’ve been in this wilderness. I’ll tell you what that wilderness is like. There’s not much water.

And there’s not much shelter from the sun. And we live in caves. And when they find our caves, we have to get out and go someplace else. We are constantly on the move. There is no security.

There is nothing good about being in the wilderness except we’re alive.

3. Whether for Death or for Life

Verse 19, then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile. Return to your own place.

You came only yesterday. And shall I today make you wander with us while I go where I will? Return and take back your brothers. Mercy and truth be with you. Okay, go back and set the scene. Come back with me. David is here. There’s the gate. The people are passing through. There go the Cherites. There go the Pelathites. Here come the Gittites. The 600 are there. They’re all going out, going, see in the wilderness. We’ll be there. And here comes Ittai. Ittai. And David says, Whoa, wait a minute. You don’t have to go with us. When he says only yesterday, I don’t think it’s literally yesterday, but you’ve been here a short period of time. Nobody’s going to assume you’re my guy. You just got here with all your men.

You’re kind of the honor guard. These Cherites and the Pelotites and the Gittites. They’re kind of like honor guards. You know how the Vatican has Swiss guards? They don’t use native Italians. They use a Swiss guard because there’s something about that. Buying your mercenary army. These men are that. And David stops it. Well, wait a minute. You don’t have to do this. Why should you wander in the wilderness with the rest of us? You haven’t earned that. You don’t have to suffer that. You go back into that city. Just stay here. Stay here. You’ll be okay. Absalom’s not going to take anything out on you. Take your men and go back. Mercy and truth be with you. And David’s saying, There’s no hard feelings. I want you to do this.

But Itai answered the king, verse twenty-one says, As the Lord lives, and as my Lord the King lives, surely what wherever my Lord the King may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.

So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. Let’s talk about Ittai. He has brought a force of men of the Gittite nation to serve David. He’s in charge.

All his men. And the decision he’s making has serious consequences for him. What happens to David will happen to the Gittites. They’ve not been here before. They don’t know what that wilderness is like. They’ve come from another place. And they are committing themselves to a very difficult time. You know, it is one thing. I’ll use Tony and I are old friends. It’s one thing for Tony to declare his loyalty to me when everything looks good. It’d be another thing for him to declare he’s my loyal friend to the end when it really does look like the end may come. It reminds me of my favorite story. When I lived in Mississippi, I heard this. Two guys are walking down this country road together, and they’re just kind of musing as they walk, and one of them says, if you had a thousand acres of farmland, would you give me five hundred of them?

And his friend says, of course. If I had a thousand acres, of course I’d give you five hundred of them. We’re best friends. He said, thanks. Walked along a little further, and he said, If you had a hundred head of cattle, would you give me fifty? And he goes, You don’t even need to ask that. As long as I got a biscuit, you got half.

He said, thanks. He said one more question. If you had two hogs, would you give me one? Oh man, you know I got two hogs. See, it’s easy to talk about loyalty and what you’ll do for somebody when there’s really nothing on the line. It’s one thing for Ittai to come in with his Gittites and say, We’re your men, David, when David’s on the throne. But to say to him when he’s going out the door, fleeing in exile wherever you go. And the words of Val Kilmer and Tombstone, I’m your Huckleberry, I’m yours. Why would he do that? Why does he make that commitment to David? Let me tell you why he shouldn’t have. This isn’t his fight. He’s a foreigner. I mean, he’s not even an Israelite.

He’s not of David’s family. He doesn’t have a dog in this fight. He could walk away from that. Verses 19 and 20 clearly indicate that. You came only yesterday. While I go where I will, why should you go with me? Return and take back your brothers. Secondly, this isn’t his team to back. I mean, I do appreciate sometimes appreciate people who are loyal to teams, no matter how bad they are. I feel sorry for them. But there’s something noteworthy about that. But I’ll tell you what, when you’re backing a team like this, and you’ve just taken it on, if somebody said to me, I think I’m going to start following the NFL, what team should I declare my loyalty for? I wouldn’t tell him Cleveland.

Yeah, go with the Browns. Ittai throws his lot in with David, not at the best moment, but at the time when he is fleeing for his very life. And all the people of Jerusalem are crying. So it’s not like, well, maybe David thinks it’s bad, but nobody else does. Everybody knows it’s bad. The people, the citizens are standing there watching this retinue go out the door and they’re crying. And Ittai says, stay with him. Stay with him, guys. And there’s no personal gain for this. He doesn’t gain anything from going with David. Not at this point. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Look at his words again in verse 21. Wherever my Lord the king may be, whether for death or for life. You notice what he puts first?

You know, when people get married, I say, you know, in for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, we say in life or in death. We talk about life first, life first. That’s not what Ittai says. Ittai says, whether for death or if we live, he is facing the reality of what’s happening. For all practical purposes, it looks like David’s forces will be destroyed. Absalom’s coming in the other end of the city. They’re fleeing into the wilderness. They have not prepared for this. It’s a last-minute ditch effort. Absalom could catch him and kill him. And in fact, that’s what should have happened if it hadn’t been for the character we will look at tomorrow morning in our worship hour. He makes all the difference.

4. As the Lord Lives

Whether by death or in life or death, we’re yours. And they will win. And I will tell you, just to jump forward, David will come back. You know what happens to Absalom? He becomes target practice for Joab in spear throwing. And Ittai will be given command of one-third of all David’s army. So he will be blessed. But at this point, it’s not that. At this point, he doesn’t know that. When he goes through that door and out the city, as far as he knows, it is likely he will die, but even if he dies, he is David’s man. Why? Why? Look at verse 21. Ittai answered the king and said, What’s his first words? As the Lord lives. And as my Lord, the king lives. This Ittai, where did he get that courage and that loyalty and that faith and that insight?

How does he know David is God’s man? How does he know that? I don’t have the answer. He’s astounding to me. He says, Oh, as the Lord lives before God, he knows who he’s answering to. The most important figure in this whole story for Itai is God and his Lord David, who is under that God. Man, I love his heart. I love his insight. Hey, this isn’t about me, and it’s not really about you, David. It’s about God. And I believe your God’s man. So I’m with you. I have no alternative. And then I want to show you one more thing. You probably have read it, and I read it this morning, and it probably went right past you. But there’s somebody else involved in Itai’s decision that is absolutely astounding.

5. All the Little Ones Who Were With Him

Verse 22. Therefore David said to Itai, go and pass over. So Itai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. Ittai’s I’m making a decision for his family. He’s making a decision for his children. What he is deciding to do here is going to affect his posterity, his heritage, his future generations. If his house survives, that’s all well and good. But if it doesn’t, it’s his decision today that is the reason. All his little ones. David’s standing there. Cherites go through. Pelothites go through. The six hundred warriors who’ve stood with David. Loosen up and say, We’ve been here before, we’ll make it. But Ittai brings the Gittites. And behind them are the children.

I can’t help but see a mother and father duck with the little ones behind. In our neighborhood near the golf course, there are a lot of ponds there, and we got a lot of ducks, and those ducks are fearless. They just walk out, waddle out in the road, and they expect everybody to slow down, which is why our city has a twenty five mile an hour speed limit. We’re all turtles going through Temple Terrace. The ducks walk out, and the little ones, they just follow. They don’t say, whoa, back off. There’s a big car coming. They just follow. The little ones follow Ittai.

6. Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?

That’s why I think if anybody cheered the heart of David that day, it wasn’t the 600. He says, hey guys, you’ve been with me before. These are David’s mighty men and others. They’ve been there. And the Cherites and the Pelathites, they’re paid mercenaries, but Ittai, oh, Ittai’s words. As the Lord lives. And as my Lord the King lives, I’m yours. I love that story. And I love the heart of that man. So what does that mean for us? Is there anything in that for us? Go to John chapter 6, would you please? John chapter 6. I could have gone to one other incident in around John chapter 12, but I like the wording of John chapter 6, and I’m in verse 66. It’s a long chapter.

Verse 66. Jesus has fed the 5,000, and they’ve come back, and he refuses to give them food again, physical food. He preaches to them a pretty stern lesson about how he’s really the bread they need to be eating, and that he is the one that needs to be followed, not followed because he provides food. He’s not the heavenly food wagon. And the disciples, the vast majority of those disciples, they turn their backs on him and they walk away. So Jesus looks at the backs of that huge crowd. By the way, this is a watershed moment in the ministry of Jesus. From this point on, the masses will quit following him. This is a pivotal moment. And as the backs of those disciples are seen walking away, it says, as a result, many of his disciples withdrew, and we’re not walking with him anymore.

So Jesus said to the twelve, got the picture? Here’s the twelve. They’re right up with Jesus. I’m sure some of them are thinking, big mistake. That message was probably a little too harsh. Because everybody just gets up. They’re dusting off their clothes. We’re gone. We’re out. I don’t want that. I’m not going to listen to that. And as that huge crowd that the disciples were so excited about yesterday, as they all depart, they all are going. Jesus says to the disciples, you don’t want to go away also, do you? Now, that’s actually worded in a nicer way than the literal translation. The literal translation is, do you want to go with them? Jesus says to the twelve, it’s available. You want to go, you can go.

You can leave with the rest of them. You can cast your lot with the majority. I’m not going to be angry. I’m not going to blame you if you do. The vast majority is going the other way. You can go. Do you hear David talking to Ittai? You don’t have to do this. The majority of people have gone after Absalom. You can go back in there and you can serve him and you can live. You can live.

And Simon Peter answered him. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that you’re the holy one of God. His answer to Jesus is, why would we go with them? Sure, they’re the majority, but they’re going the wrong way. You have the words of eternal life. When Jesus said, I’ve got to go raise Lazarus from the dead. I’ve got to go to Bethany, which is in the environs of Jerusalem. You remember what the disciples said to him? Lord, you can’t go back there. They’re seeking your life there. They’ll kill you. You remember that? Okay, two of you remembered that. I only saw, I saw two heads, not. Y’all don’t remember that story? The disciples said, Lord, you can’t go back there.

Conclusion

They’ll kill you. And Jesus says, I must go. And one disciple spoke up and said something really profound. He’s the guy we typically call doubting Thomas, but I think that’s not his best moment. This is. Thomas said, let’s go die with him. Do you hear Itai? Do you hear Itai in that? Whether in death or in life, we’re with you. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have. You have the words of eternal life. As the Lord lives, and as my Lord the King lives, wherever you go, in death or in life, I am with you. I’m gonna tell you something, folks. If you can’t make that statement of loyalty to Jesus, you’ll walk with the disciples who left him. You got to go through that door with David.

You gotta declare your loyalty to the Lord no matter what happens. That’s all and the only thing the Lord will accept. Total complete surrender to his will. As the Lord lives, and as the Lord my King Jesus lives, let us follow him in death or in life. If you’re ready to make that kind of commitment and join the ranks of the best supporting actors in the lives of the saints, I encourage you to make that commitment this morning, to make Jesus that much a part of your future, and not only for yourselves, but for your little ones, that they may see the depth of your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Can we help you with that? If so, you come to the front and share that with us while we stand and sing this song.