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Every Man to His Tent 2 Samuel 20
Summary
- David is returning from a long-fought battle with his own son Absalom who is killed in the battle
- A trouble maker names Sheba from the tribe of Benjamin incites people to leave David
- Brew the horn and said “Every man to His tent “- Lets do what we want.
- Men of Israel desert David and Men of Judah stay with David
- David asks Amasa (an old general from Absalom’s army) to gather an army in 3 days but he takes his time
- David sends Abishai and Joab to hunt Sheba who was trying to run to a fortified city for safety
- Joab meets Amasa on his way back and kills him
- Abishai, Joab and their army arrive at the city Sheba is hiding and they start attacking the fortified city
- A wise woman asks to speak to Joab and offers to redeem the city by handing over Sheba
- And so they do, they cut off Sheba’s head and throws it over the wall.
- Joab blows the horn and called his troop back and they “Every man to His tent”
This morning I want to talk to us about the call from and to our Tent’s – our homes, our dwellings.
- Before this am, I am almost sure that, you don’t think much about the call you hear
- Every Morning before you rise up, there is a call to your tent
- It’s a call to leave your tent and be part of something
- You can’t ignore it because its loud and a response is required
- At the end of the day as we return to our tents, a question arises, what actions did you do and did they build your family, your church, your community?
- Our actions have a lasting implication to the things that we answer to
- It could be a call from a friend to pray for something, listen to something, or do something
- Here we see two calls – one from Sheba to desert and another from Joab to regroup
- This morning I am challenging you to rethink about the calls you hear and the respond to them and the implication of each one of them.
- We are going to look at 3 characters involved and see what kind of response they had
- Don’t be mistaken, all of them heard their call and choose to leave their tent to a certain direction and that shaped the rest of their day
- Sheba – A rebel
2 Samuel 20:1-2 – And there happened to be there a [a]rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said:
“We have no share in David,
Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse;
Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
2 So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.
- A Rebel
- There happen to be a worthless man
- A base and Contemptible
- A wicked man
- A trouble Maker
- That is not how I want to be introduced in the Bible
The Sad part is that he was a Benjamite –
Deuteronomy 33:12 (Of Benjamin he said:
“The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him,
Who shelters him all the day long;
And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”)
- A man from a tribe beloved by God and unfortunately, he heads a call from the enemy and leads others to desert a man of God.
- A man who would have lived a life pleasing to God, a warrior of God
- It’s crazy that God has a plan for us and given us names – Yet we follow our own desires to go against that which we are naturally called to be
- Where have you pitched your tent?
- Your location matters because it influences the voices you hear
- Just like Sheba, this season I see many people, take up their trumpet and go against the Church, against the leaders and folks as we read this chapter, we realized that a rebels will not prevail
- Spoil alert, you can’t be a rebel with you head is cut and thrown over the wall
- Such a wasted talent
- We are not immune, the call we answer is our hearts – the places we choose to rest, the voices we choose to listen to, the battles we choose will determine how we rest in our tents at the end of the day
- Its when we let our hearts rule us that we become the judge and Jury
- Even though God is saying
- The battle belongs to me
- Our hearts are deceptive – Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, And [a]desperately wicked; Who can know it?
- Every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba – They heard the call and followed a man instead of sticking with the man of God.
- But – Praise God for BUT – Men of Judah stayed
- David is coming from a long fought painful battle that he had to see his son defile his household, his son get killed
- And just when he is now recovering and trying to continue to lead people
- Sheba want to kick him when he is still on the ground
- But there comes man of Judah, who say- I know that you are God’s beloved, I will stick with you
- Do we have Men and Women of God who will stand with our Pastors?
- Defend their honor, blow the trumpet and ask for others to stand with them and push back the work of the enemy.
- At the end of the day when a call goes out to your tent, what voice are you heading to:
- 2 Samuel 20:6 – And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.”
- The voice to make it harder and cause more damage (Sheba)
- Or defend their hearts and take up the battle towards good (Abishai)
- The Church will prevail – God will always protect the Church
- Sheba end up headless- because He choose to open his tent to the enemy’s voice
- Amasa
- 2 Samuel 20:4-6 – And the king said to Amasa, “Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.” 5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him. 6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us.”
- He was Absalom’s former general and David was trying to reconcile with him and made him general
- (David in this instant reminds me of our Pastor Matt)
- Chances after chances
- I am like, let me cut their heads and throw them over the fence
- But Amasa – I had hope for this guy
- But his heart was not with David
- He still had allegiance to the old ways. The echo of old ways was still within
- Some us look the part, we stand up and are even given responsibility
- Yet when it comes to the real thing we are found lacking
- Jeremiah 17:10 – I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the [a]mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings - Soon, the real you will come out and unless you repent, your business will be out in the field for all who passes by to see
- 2 Samuel 20:10 -12 – But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab’s hand. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 11 Meanwhile one of Joab’s men stood near Amasa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David—follow Joab!” 12 But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted.
- The wise woman.
- At this point Sheba is hiding in a fortified city
- 2 Samuel 20:14-22
- Every man to his tent – This woman would have chosen to stay in her tent
- To let the men go to war or make decision but she was not willing to see God’s city been put to ruin
- How many of us are willing to give up sin, relationships to preserve our Church, our families?
- Who among you is willing to stand up and say- Please Lord, do not destroy my city, I will not support that which is defiling our city?
- Don’t be quick to say I am the wise woman – Let others call you so
- I love watching people, especially in traffic, in the evening
- How did you do today
- What kind of choices did you make?
- Did you put your family – physical family and church family safer or did you cause harm to them
- This evening when you get back home. To your tent- You will be asked to give an account of what you have done, who you have influenced
- Did you cause division(Sheba), did you play the part ( Amasa) or did you save a Gods people and Church?(Wise Woman)
- There is one who hears and sees the chatter in your tent
- A time will come when every decision will weigh on how we spend eternity
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-14 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward
- 2 Samuel 20: 1 – And there happened to be there a [a]rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: “We have no share in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
- 2 Samuel 20: 22- Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent