Sermon index

1.  The characteristics of sin and its appearance

A.  Sin is perpetrated not by monsters but by ordinary men and women like us

Verses 2 and 3 introduce the murderers who feature in this chapter.  We learn their names (Baanah and Recab), their father's name (Rimmon), and where they came from (Beeroth in Benjamin - there is a little bit of explanation about that).  We also learn about their job - they worked for Ish-Bosheth and were leaders of raiding bands.

It's all very ordinary.  You can scour the verses and try to find some clue to their murderous crime but you will not find any.  Was it the way they were brought up?  Their father?  The place?  Was it their job - leading those raiding parties?  Obviously working for Ish-Bosheth gave them opportunity; but many others worked for him, and there were no doubt plenty of raiding party leaders who never thought of killing their master.

These men were not monsters.  They were ordinary men like you and me; living in a certain place at a certain time, having a certain background, doing a certain job.

This is something that many people find hard to understand.  The newspapers are always looking for a sinister explanation as to why someone should murder or commit some other crime.  They use photographs that make the person look mad or evil.  They delve into people's past looking for clues as to why they behaved as they did.

Of course, we cannot totally dismiss as irrelevant upbringing and background.  However, we can be sure that Rimmon never looked at his sons and thought, "They'll grow up to be murderers"; or that the people of Beeroth or the brothers' fellow raiders found themselves thinking, "These men will murder one day."

Did any of the apostles suspect Judas?  No.  Did Paul have suspicions about Demas or Hymenaeus and Alexander when he first ran across them?  Presumably not.  No, sin is committed by ordinary indecent men and women like you and me.  Thankfully, not all murder.  Not all steal or commit adultery.  Not all are open blasphemers or Sabbath breakers.  However, the seeds of sin are in us all.  We oughtn't to forget it.  What sort of ministers fall?  Ordinary ones.  What sort of believers sin?  Ordinary ones.

B.  Sin often takes advantage of situations of discouragement, alarm and weakness

The opening verse of the chapter tells us that on hearing of Abner's death, Ish-Bosheth lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.  It was an unexpected and terrible blow to lose such a man, especially as he had been about to betray them.  Ish-Bosheth lost courage and there was alarm throughout Israel.  That discouragement and alarm are underlined by what we read in brackets in verse 4 - the only other legitimate heir to the throne was a cripple.  How weak Israel was at this time.  What danger lurked.

It was just at this time that this terrible sin, this crime, occurred.  This is typical of sin.  It looks out for times when there's discouragement, alarm and weakness and seeks to take advantage.  Sin shows a lot of bravado.  It boasts a lot but is in fact a weakling, a coward.  It doesn't relish a fight.  It would prefer to capitalise on weakness, exploit fear, and take advantage of discouragement.

That's why we must be especially on our guard when we're feeling low.  It's when we're fragile, afraid or downcast that sin is most likely to come and take advantage.  Of course, sin can and does raise its ugly head at any time, but it especially tries to take advantage of panic, frailty or dejection.  Watch out!

C.  It sometimes falsely presents itself as daring, noble and right

It's important that we try to see the way the brothers approached their sin.  They didn't see it as a squalid murder.  Rather, they seem to have seen it as an act that was daring - even noble - and certainly not wrong.

Sometimes people sin and are quite prepared to admit that they've been cowardly, shameful, immoral.  Often, though, there's an attempt to cloak the evil deed with a veneer of heroism, nobility and decency.  One can read verses 5-7 in line with this.  What clever deceit; what cunning treachery!  What masters of surprise; what an exploit!

This is also something we must beware of.  Too often sin is passed off as something less than that; something excusable - even laudable - when it is nothing of the sort.

D.  It often acts self-centredly, deceitfully and with violence

This is the reality.  If we read verses 5-7 again we can see it.  The brothers take advantage of their position and worm their way into the palace just when the king is most vulnerable.  They blag their way in and then in a cowardly act they stab the man to whom they had sworn loyalty.  Like guilty dogs they then skulk away.  They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom.  Yes, that was their noble act. 

Then their true motive is seen: self-aggrandisement.  They believe that David will reward them for their act of treachery.  Here is the true root of their so-called nobility.

We need to examine sin and rip off the mask.  We need to probe beneath the surface and see what it is really all about.  We must not be taken in by the PR, the misleading propaganda, the misinformation.  We must look under the surface, probe below and see the reality.

E.  It sometimes falsely presents itself as acceptable by means of theological argument

One commentator tells the story of how when his brother was young he came home soaking wet having fallen into a pond.  He excused himself by saying that it was after he had said, "Get behind me Satan!"  that Satan had pushed him in!  He also tells of a college student who testified about driving in his home town.  Again and again he had crossed a certain intersection where he was supposed to stop; he never did - yet in his providence God had never allowed him to have an accident!

Verse 8 describes the arrival at Hebron and the way the brothers try to convince David their act is right.  They too use a theological argument.  "This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."  Look what God has done for you!

The facts can't be disputed - here they are with Ish-Bosheth's head.  He'd opposed David, trying to take his life, but was now dead.  What was in dispute was the interpretation of the facts.  Should they really be thought of as the Lord's servants, bringers of vengeance and justice on this rebel king?  It's not the last time murder's been excused by a religious argument.

What about us?  Do we excuse sins large or small by giving some theological excuse?  Do we say that we didn't pray or evangelise but we believe in the sovereignty of God, so it's OK?  Do we sin and say it won't matter because we believe in repentance?

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2.  The right reaction and the right attitude to sin

A.  We must look to the Lord our deliverer and not to man

David's answer in verse 9 is a real model of how to react to sin.  Note how he begins.  "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, ..."  Do you see what David is doing?  The natural reaction would be to say, "At last, after all these years, it's happened.  Now I'll be king."  Now, of course, this was one of the providences that lead to the kingship.  However, that did not make the brothers' actions right.  And so David looks from them to the Lord.  It is the Lord who has delivered him from every past trouble, and the Lord will deliver him from every future trouble.  He dare not start relying on human help at this stage.

It is an obvious lesson, but one that we miss too easily, one that we forget so often.  In various ways we want to rely on human help - some great preacher, some wonderful personality or strategist, some fixer or problem solver, some hero, some rising star.  No.  Look to the Lord.  That is the need always.

Fix your eyes on Jesus.  Look to him.  He's delivered you in the past; he will in the future.  Look ever to Jesus; he will carry you through.

B.  Sin must be shown for what it is - outrageous, cowardly and unfair

At some point these men must have told David exactly how they had done what they had done.  I'm sure they expected David to be very impressed and to offer them some reward, a place in his new administration perhaps.  But they had miscalculated.  See verses 10 and 11.

There's a film in the cinemas at the moment about the beheading of Charles I.  As you may know there was a lot of debate at the time - and there continues to be - as to whether it was right to execute Charles.  Whether it was right or wrong it was certainly nothing like this dastardly and inexcusable crime.  What they had done was outrageous.  It was shocking and shameful, an act of craven injustice, a cowardly and contemptible deed.  Spineless and unjust, they perpetrated an unwarranted and indefensible transgression against an innocent man.  There was nothing noble or impressive about it at all and David was to leave them and everyone else in no doubt whatsoever of the fact.

We too must do all we can to expose sin and to show it up for what it is.

C.  Sin must be dealt with by justice

First David warned them that they were going to die, and then we read (verse 12), "So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them."  Their act was murder.  It may have been a political murder; they may have defended it.  It may have been the means that God used to bring an end to the civil war that was raging.  However, it was still a crime, a sin of the deepest dye.  It was murder and deserved to be treated thus.

David was not always so resolute.  The last chapter describes how he failed to deal with Joab.  Here he is on better ground.  He quite rightly orders the deaths of these murderers.  They thought it would lead to a reward, but it led only to their death.

This is what all sin ultimately deserves - not a reward, but death.  In the end, unless there is genuine repentance, that is what all sin will receive.  Indeed all sins are punished - if not during this life in the person of Christ who died on the cross, then in the next life in everlasting hell.

Here in this life some crimes are so grievous that the civil government must endeavour to deal with them as severely as they can - but many sins cannot be dealt with in that way.  They will be dealt with either through Christ or in the world to come in hell.

D.  Justice must be seen to be done

We read further that, "They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron.  But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it ..."  It all sounds rather gruesome.  What was that all about?  It was important that justice not only be done but that it be seen to be done.  David wanted to make abundantly clear that he had nothing at all to do with the Beerothites' wicked act.

It was not enough to simply have them put to death.  People could have countered that this was typical of how astute politicians work - set up the murder and then kill the perpetrators.  The fact that the northern regime was on its last legs anyway would not have counted for much.  It is important that we keep this in mind at the personal, family, church and state level.

E.  We must look confidently to Christ to deal with sin

The last thing we should say is that here we catch a glimpse of Messiah and how he will one day reign.  It's only one little sign but a sign nevertheless.  What injustices there are in this world!  But here is an indication of how the Lord Jesus Christ will one day deal with them all.  Look to him.