Grace in a Barren Place, Part 1

Today from Chuck Swindoll racism picking look for things that have done this love, grace operates the response or the ability of the graces one-sided. It is God's self acceptance to someone who does not deserve and can never earn it and will never be able to repay today on Insight for living.

Our focus is not on celebrities but on the forgotten the marginalized people who long to our studies touching story second Samuel chapter 9. David, the king of Israel had achieved remarkable success.

He was a mighty warrior celebrated room but today our accolades turned from David's achievement to his kindness. Chuck Swindoll titled his message grace in a barren place will become today to one of the greatest chapters on the grace of God in all the Old Testament, perhaps in all the Bible. I'm referring to second Samuel chapter 9 this chapter revolves around the story of a man whose name looks a little like a misprint for Bush F that's it for Bush and the grace he received from King David.

Now for this story. Let's open our Bibles together to second Samuel chapter 9 and will begin a reading with verse one second Samuel 91. Then David said, is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. Now there was a servant of the house of Saul, whose name was zebra and they called him to David and the king said to him, are you zebra and he said I am your servant. The king said, is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God, and zero said to the king. There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet. So the king said to him, where is he and Levon said to the king, behold, he is in the house of maker, the son of Abigail Lind loaded bar then King David sent, and brought him from the house of maker, the son of Abigail from loaded bar chef, the son of Jonathan, the sum Saul came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. David said myth of a chef and he said, here is your servant David said to him, do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you, for the sake of your father Jonathan and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul. You shall eat at my table regularly again. He prostrated himself and said what is your servant but you should regard a dead dog like me and the king called Saul's servant, zebra, and said to him, all the belong to Saul and to all his house. I have given to your master's grandson, you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, you shall bring him the produce so that your master's grandson may have food. Nevertheless method to chef your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly now. Zebra had 15 sons and 20 servants. Then, as Yvonne said to the king, according to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do so. November chef ate at David's table is one of the kings chef had a young son, whose name was Mika all who lived in the house of Simon were servant, some of it was chef lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king's table regularly.

Now he was lame study and now the message titled grace barren place some time ago a gentleman who occasionally tends church was talking with Dr. Loftin Hudson. Dr. Hudson is the director and founder of the Midwest Christian counseling center and the man was expressing concern over the religious jargon.

A lot of the words that are tossed around from church to church, that he just simply didn't understand. Dr. Hudson decided he would put the man to the test and so he threw out a word that is familiar to all of us but frankly was not too familiar with with which the man is not too familiar and he said what you think of for example when I use the word grace and the man thought for a moment, smiled facetiously and said well to me graces a blue-eyed blonde and Dr. Hudson thought for a moment and pondered it and he said hey that's a good title for a book and he wrote his 11th book entitling it. Grace is not a blue-eyed blonde and in the middle of the book, he describes what grace really is. It would seem, then the grace is what happens between two persons. It is one giving himself to the other. It is your responsibility to another. It is a distinctive kind of relating. In a world of man turning their backs on one another, exploiting one another, killing one another gossiping about one another trying to possess one another and controlling one another. Grace is one person accepting and confronting another in freedom and responsibility about that man's comment that even though I'm sure he was joking. There is a reason to believe that the word grace could be misunderstood. We use it in six or seven different ways we refer for example to a ballet dancer having grace and it means simply that the person is coordinated and has a smooth movement in the dance we speak of saying grace at the meals and we mean prayer by that we talk about how the Queen of England brings grace to the meeting that she intends or how the woman is a woman of grace, meaning, dignified and elegant.

We use grace with reference to a number of different things and we seldom use it quickly so no wonder people are misunderstood. Misunderstand the concept of grace and every once in a while we come across a moment in Scripture or grace just sort of opens in a beautiful illustration that you can never forget and that's where we come in our study of the life of David. It is in my personal opinion the greatest ration of grace and all the Old Testament and it has to do with a man who is so obscure we can hardly pronounce his name. Second Samuel chapter 9 is the story and describes grace for us in the life of myth for Bush F had to lick my lips to start that word to say it just right, beautiful, beautiful story, second Samuel chapter 9. Last time we were with David. He was in an interlude of peace and quietness. He was thinking about his past and all the blessings that had been his and he came upon this express moment in which he thought about his recent days and then beyond those recent days is distant past, and I'm sure as we begin second Samuel nine. David had thought specifically about his love for Jonathan's friend, whom he had lost in the war and the predecessor. The king's place. He took Saul and reflecting upon those two men and the impact they have had in his life, David began to think about a promise he had made. He pondered it and then he addressed verse one is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him. Here's our special word tonight, kindness is there anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. So rather unfortunate translation because kindness smacks of a soft tenderness and it's deeper than that.

It's the word that could be and should be rendered either Mercy or grace. Let me give you a workable definition and then we'll go from there. Grace is positive acceptance in spite of the other person. It is a demonstration of love that is not deserved and can never be repaid.

Grace is a demonstration of love that is deserved and can never be repaid. Now you got a better grasp of verse one. David looks around and thinks is there anybody in this entire area to whom I might show forth that kind of positive acceptance quantity want to do that.

It made a promise impacted me to promises.

Hold your place and go back to first Samuel chapter 20 here is this great king on the throne. Thinking about someone out there in the barren wilderness Palestine who ought to be the object of his grace because of a promise he made first Samuel 20 verse 13. These are the words of Jonathan.

According to verse 1213 says it'd please my father to do you harm, may the Lord do so to Jonathan and were also if I do not make it known to you and send you a way that you may go in safety and may the Lord with you as he has been with my father.

If I'm still alive.

You not show me the word again. We do not show me the grace and mercy of the Lord, that I may not die and explained that in eastern dynasties. It was the custom that when a new king took over all of the other dynasties were all of the other families and family members of the previous dynasty were exterminated to take away the possibility of revolt, and Jonathan said David when you get to the throne, as surely you will will you show my family.

Grace we do preserve our lives would you take care of us and protect us, that we may not die. Verse 15 you shall not cut off your loving kindness. There's the word again from my house forever.

Not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the year so Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying.

May the Lord require it at the hands of David's enemy.

Jonathan made David Val promise he gave his word again because of his love for him because he loved him as he loved his own life. One more passage 26, 24, verse 21st Samuel 2420 David promise Jonathan I will I will forever for the rest of my life demonstrate grace to your family and now Saul, behold, I know that you shall surely be king that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendents after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father's household and David swore the soul that David made the promise to Jonathan. David made the promise to Saul and here we find them in second Samuel chapter 9 thinking about the promise and so we asked the question among the people in his court among his counselors. Is there anyone left to whom I might demonstrate grace because of Jonathan. I think it's worth noting, and it's not a good point that he asks is there anyone he doesn't ask, is there anyone qualified or is there any one word he says is there anyone he asks, regardless of who they are. Is there anybody still living who ought to be the recipient of my grace unqualified acceptance unconditional love will they identified someone verse two there was a servant of the house of Saul, whose name was Eva. Listen carefully. This is a beautiful account and they called him to David and the king said to him you see places on your servant. The king said, is there not any one of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God in zebra said to the king. There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.

If you read this, says as I read it you will feel a little bit of counsel in his words. David you really better think twice before you do this because he's not very kingly doesn't fit throne. He doesn't fit surrounding this beautiful new home and city of Jerusalem. You know, David is crippled. He walks on crutches.

He's not one to carry himself in the regal dignity of the king's crypt as part of the reason the story is so moving because unless you are crippled or have been you have you. You really can't grasp the trauma of living your life like that. Here's a man who looks upon the whole kingdom and asked is there anybody in this account for this is yeah what is crippled and you don't want to give yourself to him.

David David was right on. He said were easy, beautiful is a beautiful response on David's part how badly didn't ask how it happened and he just said was a man located halfway grace is grace is a picky grace doesn't look far for things that have been done that deserve love, grace operates apart from the response or the ability of the individual. Grace is one-sided.

It is God's giving himself full acceptance to someone who does not deserve it and can never earn it and will never be able to repay.

And this is the beautiful story of David. David says, where is he so the king said to him, where is he in zebra said the king, behold, he is in the land and the house of Manker, the son of Abigail below the bar, just the last name is of interest to me. The word low in Hebrew means no debar is from the root word meaning pasture pastureland. He's in a place where there is unimaginable desolation. David he he lives out in the helluva, the barren fields of Palestine. The customer was that the king would kill one who lived on from a previous dynasty, and so an individual was either exterminated or he hid for his life and that's what this meant it done. He had hidden himself away. The only one who knew his whereabouts was a servant of Saul names Eva said II know where we can find these he's out that in that area. Question comes how is it crippled. Look at verse four of chapter 4. See the answer quite a story. Jonathan Saul son had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. That is the death of Saul and Jonathan and his nurse that is the nurse of the son hurriedly took him and fled. See she was running for the life of the son knowing that he would surely be exterminated and it happened that in her hurry to flee. He fell and became lame.

His name was my fellowship. The only verse that explains the condition she picked up the boy and was running with him to find some area of escape and in the process, he tumbled and fell out of her arms and perhaps down over a cliff and when he landed, he became lame in both his feet. I got an amazing letter this past week from one of our missionaries are a missionary friend of mine in Venezuela. His name is Larry slot felt.

Larry has a little boys two years old named Lauren. He says this last week. Vanilla Anita and I were reminded of God's protection and grace our two-year-old Lauren was run over by a car. He had tire marks on both arms and attire marked down one shoulder blade. Nobody saw it happen after the x-rays we found no damage of any kind. Nothing broken and no internal injuries. Can you imagine he was just a little sore. Isn't God so very good. God must have something special in mind for our Lauren but there was a young man who was not as fortunate as Lauren slot felt in his name, was the son of saw seven Jonathan when he felt he became lame in both his feet. In spite of his condition, he still feared for his life.

And so the nurse took him and hid him away.

Now back to the story in this freak like accident. We have a young fellow who is hiding away fearful of his life. The last thing he ever wanted was to see an emissary from the king wrap on his door but that was the thing that happened, verse five verse yes verse five the king sent and brought him from the house of maker, the son of Emile from low debar so they sent it in an entourage from the king, and he went out to that area. This group did wrap on his door and he opened the door and can you imagine his shock only was perhaps a young man had a family by now. And there was this young man standing there looking at the faces of the soldiers from the king saying to them. The king wants to see you. We then went over in his mind. This is the end, this is it within the shaft, the son of Jonathan, the summer Saul came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself.

He said he answered here is your servant. What a moment that was full crippled throws aside crutches and falls down before the king who has all rights sovereign rights over his life, he said, is that your name and he said that's me. I'm sure you know what to expect.

David said to him, do not fear, for I will surely show grace, I will demonstrate mercy to you for the sake of your father, Jonathan and I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul usually eat at my table rig then you that expecting his sword to strike his name.

He hears the words that are believable words from the king people who understand grace fully have a guess face in the words of manager he saw a face across David and David looked at him and he said all my friend you going to have a place of honor that you've never had before to eat regularly on my team. Imagine the relief that settled into that room. When the king demonstrated such grace. There's much to the story we need to hear and please keep listening when Chuck Swindoll concludes a study in second Samuel chapter 9, he titled today's message grace in a barren place.

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