Family Feuds Series

AMC, 30.06.2024

Text: 1 Chronicles 3:1-9

Theme: Family - siblings Feuds or Disputes

Greetings: The Lord is good; and his love endures forever!

Introduction:

Today, I would like to, share with you three important lessons from the family life of King David with a special reference to family feuds:

- David failed to train up his children

- David failed to resolve the disputes among his children

- David failed to do the settlement among his children

God ordained family as the most sacred institution in the life of the humanity. Institution of marriage began at garden of Eden. Family is the basic unit of a society even to the church. If a family walks right with the Lord then the whole church becomes right with the Lord.

I would like to define the family as: ‘A family could be a cage of social animals living together or could be a palace of godly family living together. A house could be a place of shelter of many individuals or could be a home of love, affection, fellowship with feelings.’No house can be neither a military academy nor a chaotic place where everyone does what he wants.’

David’s Family Life:

I would like to make it very clear that David had a very disturbed family life. David’s family was recorded as a synopsis in 2 Samuel 3:2-5, 5:13-16, and 1 Chronicles 3:1-9. His sons were recorded as 6+4+9=19, and he had many sons a daughter known as Tamar.

“A numerous offspring was always accounted a very great blessing; and it must be very pleasant to a parent to see his children round about his table, placed in their proper order according to their age, partaking of what it is furnished with” as we read in Psalm 128:3. (John Gill in open Bible commentary).

David had many good qualities such as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 18:12-13). He walked with the integrity of his heart (1 Samuel 18:14-15). He had served God’s purpose in his generation (1 Samuel 18:16). David was much talented musician and singer (Psalms 8,19,23…).

It’s very crystal clear that none had followed the footsteps of David’s piety. But, they quickly learned the immoral acts of David - adultery, killing, lies, hatred, and deception in spirituality.

Matthew Henry: “An unlimited power leads a person to an ungrateful life and egotistical lifestyles”. The extremity of man is an opportunity of God. He was not able to enjoy the meaningful family life.

1. David failed to train up the children

Let me tell you the greatness of David. David is a great name with fame. His name appears for the first time in Ruth 4:22. The name continues to the end of the book of Revelation (22:16). 1 Chronicle 29:26-28 says David died at good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. He became king at 30 and reigned for 40 years. He lived for 70 years (2 Samuel 5:4).

According to the Talmud Yerushalmi David was born and died on the same day as Shavuot (feast of weeks). Islam gives him high honor as one of the Nabis, calls him Daoud. His name is mentioned 16 times in Holy Quran. Jesus was called the Son of David.

But David’s sons were a burden to him, they brought unrest to him and to his family. It’s a normal course of monarchs family life. David being a godly man, it’s is expected of him that he should have a good and godly family.

Proverbs 22:6- “train up the child the way he should go”. He didn’t train up the children the way they should go. Deuteronomy 6:7 says you speak, talk and teach your children while you sit, while you walk, while you lie down, while you rise up. The Israelites were taught to talk to their children and converse with them.

Abram was chosen because he would be a great and powerful nation, he would instruct his children to keep the way of the Lord and do the right and just things (Genesis 18:18-19). According to the Book of Jubilees, Abraham taught all of them ‘the unity of life, covenant of God and the future plan of God.’

Richard T. Ritenbaugh in Forerunner commentary says that Psalm 128:6 suggests that the godly fear practiced and taught in Christian families are the real sources of church well-being, prosperity and peace. They bring an environment of peace. Such homes produce productive individuals who build church, society without hostile, and peace to the whole nation.

David’s life was a mixture of good and evil, mixed with noble deeds, high aspirations, great accomplishments, and stained with terrible and grave sins of Adultery and Murder. However, he was known as a man of righteousness because he never became an unthankful man for what God has done to him.