2 Samuel 18: The Real Influencers

[music] Welcome to Chapter by Chapter 4, your journey through the greatest book given to the human race, the word of God, the Bible. We get to go through it chapter by chapter seven minutes a day, seven days a week. Join us each day and share it with others so they can join this journey that will be life-changing. We'll stop at unexpected places on the journey and be challenged. Some verses will create awe and wonder and will have chapters that will be instructive and in others, we'll find joy and comfort. We will occasionally be convicted and want to change, but all in all the journey will be worth it. Once in a while we may take a detour on the journey and hear from some of God's servants on their favorite passages from a chapter of Scripture and let them give you their insight. Every journey needs a small detour occasionally. Best way to get the most in this podcast is read the chapter we are discussing before after. It's his word, the Transforms. You'll find more and see more than I can ever articulate. Welcome to Chapter by Chapter and today's chapter is Second Samuel 18, The Real Influencers. This is such a sad chapter. War takes place between David's fugitive army and Absalom's rebellious soldiers. Twenty thousand die in battle. David's son Absalom gets his hair caught in a tree and is swinging back and forth. And Joab, David's general comes despite the King's command to show mercy and he thrusts three spears into the heart of Absalom. David mourns for his son Absalom, has built himself a monument for a tomb in Casey dies and all he gets is soldiers throwing his corpse in a deep pit in the forest. In the middle of these dark times, a name arises that is not only new to us, it was new to David and all of Israel. Second Samuel 18 introduces us to hard and harsh times but also to a hero. His name is Itai and you will never believe where he came from. One of my favorite names for a church came out of a tragedy in Tanzania. On January 28, 1992, Southern Baptist missionary Rob Moore and a Tanzanian pastor, Sastanese Coroli, were involved in a head-on crash. Sixty miles from their homes in Bocaba, Tanzania. They crashed into a vehicle carrying five passengers, although neither Moore or Coroli were seriously hurt, all five in the other car were injured. One passenger whom they feared would die was rushed to a hospital and received medical treatment that saved his life. Coroli and Moore led in prayer for all those in the accident and praised God that nobody died. The people who gathered at the scene were intrigued by what they saw. So the two men began passing out tracks and sharing their faith. Moore eventually caught a ride back to Bocaba and Coroli waited two days for a truck to take both him and the wrecked car back home to Bocaba. During that 48 hour wait, Coroli was joined by a Baptist layman and a fellow Tanzanian pastor who had learned of the accident. Together these men led 14 people to Christ and a new church was established within two weeks after the crash. The new church is named Kinesa La Ajali. It's Swahili for Accident Baptist Church. What a great name. Out of an accident, God births a church. David has a head-on collision like these people in 1 Samuel 27 with fear and ends up in gas. Philistine territory for a year and four months. This is not where David is supposed to be. Through a number of events, God rescues David and gets him back to Jerusalem where he will soon become king. David comes back and we meet someone that came back with him. He is a Philistine and a story is amazing. We see this man it's eye at the beginning of the rebellion and he has newly arrived to Jerusalem from Gath. It says this in 2 Samuel 1518. Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Cherithites and all the Pelathites and of all the Githites, 600 men who had come with him from Gath passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ithai the Githite. Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king for you are a foreigner and an exile. Return to your own place. You came only yesterday and shall I today make you wander with us while I go where I will return and take back your brothers. Mercy and truth be with you. But Ithai answered the king and said as the Lord lives and as my Lord the king lives surely wherever my Lord the king may be whether for death or for life there also your servant will be. Therefore David said to Ithai go and pass over. So Ithai the Githite passed over with all of his men and all the little ones who are with him. This newcomer sounds like Ruth for where you go I will go and where you lodge I will lodge your people shall be my people and your God my God. Well David turned back priest and friends he let this Philistine go with them into the wilderness so they would not be killed by the rebellion. Absalom will go after David and his fugitives and a war will take place. David must put together the wilderness army to fight the rebels and this is how it happens in 2nd Samuel 18 starting in verse 1. Then David numbered the people who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. David sent the people out one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abyssal the son of Zoraya, Joab's brother and one third under the command of Ithai the Githite and the king set to the people I myself will surely go out with you all. Did you see it? David will put his three best men as commanders of thousands. He will pick Joab his general of course he'll pick him. He will choose a mighty man as a commander Abyssal that's a no-brainer. Then the shocker Ithai is chosen. The newcomer from Gath the Philistine will command thousands. Can you believe it? Would seem to be a waste of a year and a half in Gath actually gives David a commander to fight a rebellion. The name Ithai is a Philistine and it means companion to be with. David saw something in it and he saw more of the companion in Ithai than his Philistine heritage. That's what leaders do. They see deep into someone. They see potential. David chooses a Philistine from Gath to be his commander and no one pushes back. Keep an eye on those that are willing to walk with you in hard times. As David saw something in Ithai and said yes come with us as a fugitive Ithai must have saw something in David that would make this foreigner sign on the dotted line to walk with him during his darkest time in life. David lost his son in a rebellion, but got a commander unexpectedly. David goes to Gath out of fear. He had no business there. God is merciful even though you have done bad things in wrong places you can still come out with something from God. David went to Gath out of fear but God and his mercy let him leave with Ithai. This man had a destiny. Ithai was going to be a mighty man. When you read 2nd Samuel 238 it says this. These are the names of the mighty men whom David had. Guess who is number 17 on the list of 37? Ithai. It's in 2nd Samuel 2329. Listen to this story. Are your friends on Facebook actually your friends? According to an appeals court in Florida legally Facebook friends aren't necessarily your friends. The court dove into this question because of a judge who may have been required to recuse herself from a case because an attorney involved in that case was friends with the judge on Facebook. However the court ruled that a recusal was not necessary as Facebook data mining and algorithms lead to people accepting friend requests from people they hardly know or who they are only acquainted with in professional circles. We define people as influencers if they have a lot of friends and followers. And may I say the follow E may not be as much of an influencer as you think. It's pretty amazing that David influenced a Philistine national so much that he would become one of David's commanders and mighty men. That is a real influencer. It's not the one with a lot of friends. In fact the Bible tells us in Proverbs 1824 a man of too many friends comes to ruin but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Find that friend that sticks closer than a brother. It's high was not some Facebook friend it's high was closer than David's flesh and blood. It's high would go with him to the end. You may have millions of friends on social media but is there an it tie amongst them who is rare. Has your influencing got one of those kinds of people in your life don't look for followers look for biblical friends look in unexpected places and people you would not even imagine there may be a Philistine name it tie sounds a lot like Ruth. 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