Through Family Pt 6 Series

Video Illustration: Unanswered by sermoncentral.com

Sermon 6: Finding joy in the journey through family – tag line - it comes from learning how to manage a family crisis and preventing family crisis’.

Thesis: We find joy in the journey of life through family when we learn to manage family crisis’ and prevent family crisis’. Looking at biblical examples is a great way to learn how to do both.

Scripture: 2 Samuel 13-18

Introduction:

We are going to explore the life of David as a father – Yes, David the OT hero of Israel – lion and bear slayer, Psalmist, Goliath slayer, king of Israel, a man after God’s own heart. My purpose today is not to be too severe or overly judgmental with our hero David. Time does not permit me to convey the deep admiration and respect I have for his example of leadership, personal strength, integrity, and unquestioned devotion to the Lord. We should all aspire to be a man or woman of God as David was! But, we also need to learn from his failure as a father and parent of what not to do, so we can find joy in the journey through our families.

Chuck Swindoll: “As we begin to examine this biblical story of physical and sexual abuse, let me assure you that my purpose is not to shock you or write something deliberately sensational. My motivation is to teach the Scriptures, which never glorifies heroes. Unfortunately, included in the history of one of the world’s most remarkable dynasties is an account of an appalling scandal that, tragically, occurs in families today. Our study of 2 Samuel 13 will immediately validate two timeless truths we instinctively know to be at work in the world.

1. First, the worst acts of evil can be found in the most respected home. There’s no such thing as a perfect family. They don’t exist.”

a. George Washington said in 1786, “It is to be lamented . . . that great characters are seldom without a blot.”

2. Second, unresolved evil leads to consequences that fester and cause more complications.

a. As unresolved evil festers, it causes debilitating psychological issues such as fear, nightmares, panic, paranoia, depression, anger, and even physical illness. As the evil spreads, it complicates relationships within the family, distorting one’s ability to be appropriately intimate or twisting the spirit to the point of rage and acts of violence. And worst of all, the sin can be perpetuated as the wounded soul becomes a villain to yet another generation of innocent victims.

i. The above quote from Swindoll, Charles R.. Parenting: From Surviving to Thriving (p. 89-90). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

In our historical narrative of David King of Israel and his family we find disturbing sins. King David was said by God “to be man after His own heart” and he would do whatever God wanted. That is a great praise from God for David yet, our super hero of the Bible had family issues – serious family issues. King David was a great king and warrior for God but he was self-absorbed at times in his life a case in point is his affair with Bathsheba – Uriah’s wife – we have the pregnancy, the cover up, and the murder of one of his loyal friends because of sin. Sin always has repercussions even when we are forgiven – it sets things off in motion at the very act which cannot always be stopped.

Swindoll notes, “David had never experienced defeat on the battlefield. His success was phenomenal. Some scholars estimate that he expanded Israel’s territory from six thousand square miles to sixty thousand. The Lord forgave David’s sin and restored their intimate relationship; however, in His inscrutable sovereignty, He would allow the consequences of the king’s choices to unfold. In 2 Samuel 12:10–11, the Lord declared, “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” Swindoll, Charles R.. Parenting: From Surviving to Thriving (pp. 92-93). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

David was also self-absorbed with leading and defending Israel to the point that he neglected his parenting responsibilities. He failed to be his children’s father and the ramification was rape -murder-national rebellion -civil war and death of thousands.

David had a problem too many wives and no attention and love for his children. In this dysfunctional family unit was different wives and children all at odds with each other – there was no harmony but suspicion, deception and mistrust from one set of siblings to another.

T.S. – Note the following points were taken from the book Recovering from the Losses of life by H. Norman Wright. Pages 91-140. They have been renamed or rearranged to apply to parenting and this sermon.