The Rock That Is Higher. This study is more in the line of a message, but be sure you will find grace laced throughout and teaching in the truth of scripture. David wrote the following Psalm at a time when his son Absolom was trying to kill him. It was a terrible time in his life.
Psalms 61:1-8
1 O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!
Now that’s the way to start a prayer. Not with some King “Jameth” syrupy, religious, holier than thou, false humility prayer. You know, the ones that start out with “Oh most merciful Father. I know I’m not worthy to ask you for anything. I beg you God, please hear my prayer and if it be your will, provide the answer”. Now I could go on with this, but you get the point.
You see here that David prayed a powerful prayer by starting with “HELP”!!!
2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
Now David is looking for a place of safety, and he knows where that is. He’s heading for the presence of God.
3 for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
Not only does he know where safety is, but he knows his enemies cannot reach him there. He’s telling God he’s God. “You are my refuge and fortress.
4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Interlude
That word “Interlude” in this NLT version is the word Selah in the KJV. It means to pause or rest and think about what was said. Meditate on the previous statements.
5 For you have heard my vows, O God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.
Unlike the silly prayer I started with above that had the phrase “please hear my prayer and if it be your will, provide the answer”, David knew God heard his prayers. He didn’t beg God to hear them. He also knew he had an inheritance as one who believed God. David understood the grace of God long before Paul the Apostle penned one word about the great grace of God. In the midst of the Old Covenant of Law, David walked in and understood the grace of God. And God loved it.
6 Add many years to the life of the king! May his years span the generations!
7 May he reign under God’s protection forever. May your unfailing love and faithfulness watch over him.
It’s as if David looked into the future and read Romans 8:38,39. He understood the ridiculous, radical, inexhaustible grace and love of God.
8 Then I will sing praises to your name forever as I fulfill my vows each day.
So, in the midst of great tribulation when his heart was totally overwhelmed, David called upon the Lord. So lets look closer at the troubles that surrounded David in this moment.
We will start with Absolom. Handsome, winsome Absolom. The heir apparent to the throne of David. He was to be admired as a very striking attractive man with his long flowing black beautiful hair. He was also a hater of David. He was ambitious, but very deceitful. He wanted right now, that which would have been his in the future.
Absolom learned well from his father, David. David who killed Uriah to get what he wanted, that being Bathsheba.
What was it he learned? That if he wanted something, just kill or destroy whatever is in your way in order to get it. BE CAREFUL PARENTS. Your kids learn from you.
God’s law of sowing and reaping is always in operation. God cannot change it because God does not change. Also, He does not lie. Galatians 6:7 in the Easy To Read Version states “If you think you can fool God, you are only fooling yourselves. You will harvest what you plant”.
The sword never left David’s house. Absolom tried to kill him. His daughter was raped by his son, her half brother. The baby David and Bathsheba produced out of wedlock, in adultery, DIED.
Even so, with all of that, God forgave David. There are many proofs of this. One is that David is called a man after God’s own heart in the book of Acts. In Acts Chapter 13 it is Paul preaching in Antioch about God and His actions. In that message, Paul gets to the point in verses 21 through 23 when he discusses David, that He says Saul was removed as King and David a man after His heart was anointed King.
As you study a little further, it says that David will fulfill all of God’s will and that Jesus will come forth from the descendants of David. Said another way, Jesus is of the lineage of David. Even though the two are many generations removed, Jesus is called the Son of David.
More proof that God forgave David is found in the truth that Solomon was born of David and Bathsheba and became the wisest King ever. He was the contractor who took David’s blueprints and rebuilt the temple.
You will also find in the book of Matthew that the first human name of a person born of man and woman is David, and the last human name in the book of Revelation is David. That’s pretty good billing for an adulterer and murderer.
So here’s the scene. David is slipping out of Jerusalem so his son can’t kill him. He is at the end of his world. His own son is trying to kill him. How like Satan to use those you love to attack you.
Jacob’s sons tried to kill Joseph. Noah’s sons conspired against his father. But God settles every family dispute by His Word. Honor your father and your mother. Absolom disobeyed God’s authority. He broke the first commandment with promise. The result – his days were not long.
Absolom went to battle. As the battle ensued it was obvious he was losing, so he flees. As he’s galloping away on a mule, he gets his long flowing black beautiful hair caught in tree limbs.
Joab, David’s general and premier body guard, rides up on Absolom hanging there in the tree by his hair and throws 3 spears into him. You can study that story in 2 Samuel 18.
I'm going to break off right here with part 1, but there's even more in part 2. Don't miss it. We will begin part 2 by looking at another example of failing to give honor as directed by God. You can study ahead. It is in 2 Kings 2:23, 24. Grace and Peace
