2 Samuel 15:13 says, And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. David received word that the people of Isreal were beginning to devotedly follow Absalom instead of David. As Christians, we can never begin to follow anyone but Jesus Christ if we are to be spiritually successful today. Verse fourteen adds, And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. David told all his servants that they and he himself must quickly flee the city of Jerusalem so that Absalom would not kill them and destroy the city if necessary in order to do so. David had allowed Absalom to make himself more powerful and popular and now he was paying the price. If we allow sinful situations to go unchecked, we may one day pay the price. Verse fifteen continues, And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. At least David’s closest servants remained loyal to him. This would put them in danger. Our true fellow believers should remain faithful to us if we are following God, even if that puts them in a bad situation and we should do the same with them. Verse sixteen states, And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house. David left with everyone except ten concubines who were left to take care of the house. David evidently had more concern about his house than he did about these ten. Having several wives and concubines was never God's plan, and I believe that it led David to being indifferent about many of them. They simply became like another possession, and if we begin to do things that go against God's will, other people can become of little concern to us. Verse seventeen adds, And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. David and those with him went to a place far off and remained there. David had faced the giant Goliath and defeated him and had been successful in all his wars when he was following God's guidance, but I believe that he had allowed his relationship with God to stagnate. By faith, we may have been successful in the past, but if we allow our faith to become stagnant, we may find ourselves in danger spiritually and maybe physically as well. Verse eighteen continues, And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. David had six-hundred men with him, so he wasn't totally alone. We may not know them, but we can be certain that God has other believers doing His work today, so we should never feel like we alone are following Him. Verse nineteen says, Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. Ittai, a Gittite was with David and his group, and David asked him why he was there, since he was a stranger and an exile. David then told him to return home. Matthew Henry says the six-hundred men were with Ittai, and they were likely Philistines who had become loyal to David. We should never reject the help of others simply because of who they are by nationality or race. We once were all strangers to God's kingdom. Verse twenty adds, Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee. David basically said that he didn't want to put Ittai and his followers in danger, especially since he didn't know what was going to happen to him. David told Ittai to go in the mercy and truth of God. We as followers of Christ need to help new Christians and do our best to not put them in harm's way, but we also need to acknowledge that they should stand with us in fighting evil in the world. Verse twenty-one states, And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be. Ittai acknowledged his faith in God and David as his king and said that he would stay with him in life or death. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should be ready to stand with Him in the battle against evil in the world today, even if it costs us our life. Verse twenty-two adds, And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. David then told Ittai to come with them. We need all the help from our spiritual brothers and sisters that we can get. Of course, whatever we are facing, we should look to God for direction and strength first. Verse twenty-three continues, And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness. David and all those with him wept for the country as they passed over the brook of Kidron into the wilderness. If we do not continually look to God for guidance, which I don't believe that David had been doing leading up to this situation, we may find ourselves wandering in the wilderness again. This does not mean that we lose our salvation, but we may lose our purpose and direction as Christians. David had been content, allowing Absalom to do whatever he chose to do, and now he was suffering the consequences. If we lose sight of God's direction today, we may end up suffering spiritual and even physical consequences.
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