Text: 2 Samuel 14

• Key phrase (14:14) — he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
  • King David is to devise Absalom’s restoration.
    • “King” 40 times
    • “David” 0 times
      • But his restoration of Absalom is limited and inadequate.
  • King Jesus devised our restoration — and it is absolute!
    • Title: The Absolute Restoration Of Believers To God
    • Real Title: God’s intentional initiation, in a holy and right way, with eager volunteerism, at steep personal cost, and hopeful of our future fruitfulness, to fully, completely, and totally, restore us to full access to himself, following, of course, our repentance, and leading to a promising future together.

1 David did not intend to restore Absalom, but God planned to restore us.

• 1 Joab knew: unintended / planned
• Acts 2:23 (ESV) — 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
• God promised:
  • To Adam and Eve: Genesis 3:15 (ESV) — 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
  • To Abraham: Genesis 12:3 (ESV) — 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
  • To David: 2 Samuel 7:13 (ESV) — 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
  • To Daniel: Daniel 9:24-27 Prophecy — 483 years after the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem the Messiah would come.
  • To Us: Revelation 13:8 (NKJV) — 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
    • The garments. The beatings. The cross. The third day. All of it predicted and planned by God.

2 Others initiated David’s restoration of Absalom, but God initiated his restoration of us.

• 1-2 Joab, wise woman: initiated by others / initiated by God
• 1 John 4:10 (ESV) — 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
• 1 John 4:19 (ESV) — 19 We love because he first loved us.

3 David’s restoration of Absalom ignored justice, but God’s restoration of us is holy and right.

• 7 Put him to death: unjust / holy
• Romans 3:26 (ESV) — 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
• Psalm 85:10 (ESV) — 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

4 David’s restoration of Absalom remembered Absalom’s sin, but God forgets ours.

• 14 Outcast: sin remembered / sin forgotten
• Isaiah 43:25 (ESV) — 25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
• Part of New Covenant — Hebrews 8:12 (ESV) — 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

5 David was reluctant to restore Absalom, but God was eager to restore us.

• 21 I grant this: reluctant / eager
• Prodigal’s Father:
  • Luke 15:20 (ESV) — 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
  • Luke 15:22 (ESV) — 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

6 David was obligated to restore Absalom, but God volunteered himself to restore to us.

• 21 I grant this: obligatory / voluntary
• Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV) — 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

7 David’s restoration of Absalom cost little, but God’s restoration of us was costly.

• 22 Granted the request: cheap / costly
• John 3:16 (ESV) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
• 1 John 4:9 (ESV) — 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

8 David’s restoration of Absalom led to disloyalty, but God’s restoration of us should result in loyalty, obedience, and fruitfulness.

• 25 Praised: disloyalty / loyalty, obedience, fruitfulness
• 2 Corinthians 5:15 (ESV) — 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

9 David’s restoration of Absalom was partial, but God’s restoration of us is full, complete, and total.

• 28 Two full years: partial / complete
• 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) — 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
  • David made it harder to see his face than God does.
    • Do you do likewise?

10 David’s restoration of Absalom required drastic measures to gain a conversation, but God’s restoration of us provides us with easy access to himself.

• 30 Set the field on fire: drastic / easy access
• Hebrews 4:16 (ESV) — 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
• Romans 8:15 (ESV) — 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

11 Repentance did not precede David’s restoration of Absalom, but God’s restoration of us does.

• 32 If there is guilt in me: No contrition / repentance
• Mark 1:15 (ESV) — 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

12 David’s restoration of Absalom had an ominous future, but God’s restoration of us includes a promising future.

• 33 Ground / kissed: ominous / promising
• 1 John 3:2 (ESV) — 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Close

• We are on the other side of the cross
  • Assignment: Philemon.
    • We have Onesimus and Philemon, rather than David and Absalom.
      • Philemon 17–18 (ESV) — 17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.