A Manipulated Kingdom

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 98:1-8
• Hymn — Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon — Romans 8:1-2
• Scripture Reading — Acts 20:17-38
• Hymn — Lord, Thou Lovest the Cheerful Giver
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Prayer of Dedication
• Hymn — We Come, O Christ, to Thee
• Sermon
• Prayer
• Hymn — Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: A Manipulated Kingdom

Scripture: 2 Samuel 14

I. Manipulation with Help

A. Joab knew David's heart had grown cold toward Absalom and devised a scheme to restore him

• Joab hired a wise woman from Tekoa and put words in her mouth to present a fabricated case before David

B. This follows a pattern established since David's sin in 2 Samuel 11

1. David used Joab to place Uriah on the front lines
2. Absalom used servants to murder Amnon
3. Now Joab uses the woman of Tekoa to manipulate David

C. Sin loves company — the primary mover of sin is not always the primary actor

1. Scheming through others creates psychological distance from guilt
2. Satan deceives us into thinking that seeing without touching, or planning without acting, keeps us innocent
3. Jesus corrects this in Matthew 5:27-28 — lust in the heart is adultery; hatred toward a brother is murder
4. The heart is the control center of sin, not merely the outward act

II. Manipulation with Scripture

A. The woman of Tekoa presents a fabricated story designed to ensnare David in his own hypocrisy regarding Absalom

1. Her two-sons parable mirrors the situation of Absalom and Amnon
2. David's promise of protection for her son is meant to expose his failure to restore Absalom

B. The woman invokes God's name and misuses Scripture to sway David

1. In verse 14 she alludes to the cities of refuge in Numbers 35
2. However, the cities of refuge applied only to unintentional killing — Absalom's murder of Amnon was premeditated over two years
3. She omits this critical qualification — a half-truth, not the whole truth

C. Contrast with Nathan in 2 Samuel 12

1. Nathan was sent by God; the woman was sent by Joab
2. Nathan carried God's words; the woman carried Joab's words
3. Nathan's parable led to true conviction and repentance; this woman's story serves manipulation

D. How to combat the misuse of Scripture

1. Be precise in your knowledge of Scripture — Jesus came to fulfill every jot and tittle (Matthew 5:17-18); sloppy or partial quotation must be identified and called out
2. Know the balance of Scripture — when Satan quoted Psalm 91 in the wilderness, Jesus responded from Deuteronomy 6:16, applying the whole counsel of God
3. Jesus consistently answered the Pharisees and Sadducees with a whole-counsel approach — "Have you not read...?"
4. Most heresies in church history arise from narrowing focus to one passage or doctrine while ignoring the balance of Scripture
5. Confessions and catechisms are vital aids for maintaining doctrinal precision and guarding against heterodoxy and heresy

III. Manipulation with Force

A. Joab's plan succeeded — David allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but refused to see him

1. Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem without entering the king's presence

B. Absalom forces a meeting with Joab by burning his barley field

1. This is manipulation by force — mobster-style coercion
2. Absalom again uses servants (henchmen) to do his bidding

C. Absalom's character is further revealed

1. Brash, vengeful, calculating, and self-seeking
2. His physical description (verses 25–27) echoes Saul — handsome, impressive, enamored with himself
3. He expresses no guilt, demanding David either receive him or execute him
4. Guilt causes people to flee; Absalom's false confidence after two years shows how sin is rationalized over time

D. The chapter ends thick with irony

1. David kisses Absalom as a sign of restoration
2. Next week we will see Absalom use kisses to steal the hearts of Israel away from David (2 Samuel 15)

IV. The Manipulated One — David

A. David detects that Joab is behind the woman's scheme, yet acquiesces anyway

1. He knows Absalom is unrepentant, yet restores him with a kiss
2. The bold, decisive David of 1 Samuel 16 onward seems absent

B. When God is distant, confusion and half-heartedness set in

1. David has no godly voice in his ear — only manipulative counsel
2. Reading Scripture and praying alone is not sufficient when we need brothers and sisters to speak God's word to us
3. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's word to him... The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother."

C. The need for Christian friendship and counsel

1. Even Adam in pre-fall Paradise needed a helper — how much more do we as sinners
2. Christian friends illuminate what we cannot see alone
3. The church as the body of Christ is the hands and feet of our Head to us in times of trial
4. We are called to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15)