Richmond Community Church

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:44 — 19.7MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 22:1-51

The Life of David
David’s Song of Deliverance
II Samuel 22:1-51

It is a marvelous song in which David praises God for the many ways in which he delivered David.

I think that David had a wonderfully clear understanding that God was his designer, creator, and fixer.

I. The Context of Praising God for His Deliverance (II Samuel 22:15-17)
He saw how the Lord had delivered him on numerous occasions from many enemies.

II. The Content of Praising God for His Deliverance (II Samuel 22:2-3)
In Matthew 5-7 Jesus was teaching his disciples how to live as citizens of his kingdom in world full of sin.

So, a “fortress” protects one from the enemy. A “shield” also protects one from the attacking missiles of the enemy.

As David contemplated the ways in which God had delivered him from so many situations, he praised God for being his savior.

In his stronghold, he had a strong sense of God delivering him from attacks.

When David was young and constantly on the run from Saul, it seems that he knew every hill, every valley, every cave, and every place to hide from Saul. It was in these places of refuge that God provided a refuge and safety for David.

David praised God for being his strength, shield, savior, security, and safety.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:41 — 15.6MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 21:15-22

The Life of David
David’s War With the Philistines
II Samuel 21:15-22

It involves battles with four different giants.
Scholars debate whether this narrative is from early in David’s life or later in his life.

But enemies constantly threatened David and his kingdom. By opposing David, these enemies were also opposing God.

I. God Destroys Enemies by Preserving His Anointed (II Samuel 21:15-17)
It is more likely that he was much older now and prone to weariness.

God always has a way of preserving his anointed.
Think of Noah.

II. God Destroys Enemies by Honoring His Servants (II Samuel 21:17,18,19,21,22)
David is given the credit for these victories because he was God’s anointed king on earth.

It is right to honor God’s servants for faithful service.

III. God Destroys Enemies by Fulfilling His Promise (II Samuel 21:16,18,20,22)
The point of author in telling us about the demise of these four giants is that God is always faithful in fulfilling his promise.

If you have put your trust in Jesus Christ, God will bring you safely to your promised eternal home.

IV. God Destroys Enemies by Silencing His Enemies (II Samuel 21:20-22)
So, God destroys enemies by preserving his anointed, by honoring his servants, by fulfilling his promise, and by silencing his enemies.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:53 — 19.8MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 21:1-14

The Life of David
David Avenges the Gibeonites
II Samuel 21:1-14

These chapters look back over the whole period of David’s reign (and earlier). The text is not arranged chronologically but thematically.

As we consider the account of David avenging the Gibeonites, it may feel as if God has a little black book called “Le Petit Maurice.”

I. The Offended Must Be Appeased
I don’t think it is a stretch to add a worldwide coronavirus pandemic to the category of “natural disaster.”

We believe that man was made in the image of God, that every person is of intrinsic worth before God, and that every individual has a right to the fullest possible opportunities for the development of life abundant and eternal.

Although God told David that the reason for the famine was Saul’s slaughter of the Gibeonites, he did not tell David what to do to correct the injustice.

We should always go to the Lord in prayer and ask him if our difficulty is because of some unconfessed sin.

II. The Guilty Must Be Punished (II Samuel 21:7-9)
The author quickly takes us back to this horrible account, as he writes in verses 8-9.

They may have protested that they were acting on their father’s and grandfather’s orders, but under Old Testament solidarity laws, God held them liable.

III. The Devoted Must Be Rewarded (II Samuel 21:10-14)
It undoubtedly did not take away her grief, but David’s action bestowed dignity upon the slain.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:24 — 16.8MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 20:1-26

The Life of David
David and the Rebellion of Sheba
II Samuel 20:1-26

But, even before he arrived in Jerusalem, another rebellion arose against David, which David considered even more dangerous than Absalom’s rebellion.

But David, like all of us, fell into sin. David’s failure showed that his kingdom was not the promised, eternal kingdom of God.

I. Rebellion (II Samuel 20:1-2)
David returned to Jerusalem with just a very small part of his kingdom still intact.

II. Sadness (II Samuel 20:3)
These precious women suffered because of David’s sin.

III. Instability (II Samuel 20:4-13)
Joab was extremely strong-willed and also extremely loyal to David, even though he at times disobeyed David.

IV. Deliverance (II Samuel 20:14-22)
Joab let her know that if she gave up Sheba, he would not destroy the city.

V. Administration (II Samuel 20:23-26)
However, the kind of leadership that is essential is humble and servant-hearted, not proud and ambitious.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:57 — 17.8MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 19:8-43

The Life of David
David Returns to Jerusalem
II Samuel 19:8-43

Today’s lesson is about David’s return to Jerusalem and the grace he extended to those along the way.

His essential message, which was supposed to represent Jesus‘ message to a world of sinners, was this: “Hey, don’t be a dirty rose.”

I. Grace Is Given to the Unable (II Samuel 19:8-15,41-43)
The indecision of the Israelites mirrors our own futility in reconciling ourselves to the throne of God.

II. Grace Is Given to the Angry (II Samuel 19:16,18-23)
Some think that Shimei’s repentance was not true repentance.

III. Grace Is Given to the Betrayer (II Samuel 19:17-18,26-27,29)
When David asked Ziba where Mephibosheth was, Ziba betrayed his master by saying that he stayed in Jerusalem in order to regain the kingdom for himself.

IV. Grace Is Given to the Disabled (II Samuel 19:24-30)
Mephibosheth affirmed that he really did not care about property and wealth; he simply wanted King David back in Jerusalem.

V. Grace Is Given to the Generous (II Samuel 19:31-40)
Barzillai had been generous to David and his followers in their time of great need.

Instead of deservedly receiving his harshness and disfavor, Jesus offers us grace.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:18 — 18.1MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 18:1-19:8

The Life of David
David Mourns for Absalom
II Samuel 18:1-19:8

This account tells us of Absalom’s death and David’s mourning for his son, Absalom.

Historians tell us that the Black Plague or Black Death ran in various forms from 1347 to 1665 and killed at least 25 million people in Europe and from 75 million to 200 million worldwide.

It is interesting in light of our current worldwide pandemic.

I. The Death of a Son (II Samuel 18:1-18)
David’s command to “Be gentle” with Absalom was a poor command to give to his military leaders.

With Absalom dead, Joab called for his soldiers to stop pursuing Absalom’s army.

II. The Despair of a Father (II Samuel 18:19-19:8)
When David’s returning victorious army heard of David’s inordinate sorrow for Absalom, they entered Mahanaim stealthily, and the day of victory was turned into a day of mourning.

We are all like Absalom. We are faithless and rebellious. We do not want to submit to the kingship of Jesus. In our revolt against him, we want him out of our lives.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:49 — 17.0MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 17:1-29

The Life of David
David Saved by Hushai
II Samuel 17:1-29

But God had wonderfully provided Hushai, another friend of David, to return to the city of Jerusalem to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.

God’s plan to have David serve as his anointed king on earth seemed to be falling apart.

I. The Plan to Destroy God’s King (II Samuel 17:1-4)
Ahithophel’s plan would have received high marks in today’s military academies.

II. The Plan to Protect God’s King (II Samuel 17:5-14a)
Perhaps Absalom thought that since Hushai was David’s friend, he could confirm the viability of the plan that Ahithophel put forward.

Buying “David precious time to escape and regroup” seems to have been Hushai’s primary goal.

III. The Plan to Alert God’s King (II Samuel 17:15-29)
Having been alerted by Hushai’s message, David and all his loyal supporters crossed over the Jordan river.

IV. The Plan Behind the Plans (II Samuel 17:14b)
Yahweh’s sovereignty is not meant to give you philosophical problems but spiritual comfort.

God sovereignly answered David’s prayer, just as he hears the prayers of all who call on him in the name of Jesus Christ.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:19 — 18.1MB)

Speaker: Pastor Val Watkins
Scripture Text: II Samuel 16:1-23

The Life of David
David Flees From Jerusalem
II Samuel 16:1-23

God had forgiven King David for his sins of adultery and murder. But the consequences of those sins dogged David, primarily through the evil that arose from within his own household.

David heard about this and made a hasty retreat out of Jerusalem with a number of people who were still loyal to him.

I. The King’s Enemy Is Deceptive (II Samuel 16:1-4)
In their haste to flee Jerusalem, David and his supporters almost certainly did not pack food for the journey.

The lesson for us is that there are always two sides to a story.

II. The King’s Enemy Is Derisive (II Samuel 16:5-14)
They believe that the problems we are experiencing must be due to God’s punishment for our sin.

III. The King’s Enemy Is Destructive (II Samuel 16:15-23)
David believed that Hushai was God’s answer to his prayer to turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

But, when Ahithophel turned away from David, his counsel was that of a betrayer and his words were intended to destroy David.

God shows that he uses even an enemy to fulfill his ultimate purposes.