The Psalm of Betrayal

Sermon Outline:

Confidence (vs 1-3)
Admission (vs 4)
Schemers (vs 5-8)
Betrayal (vs 9)
Request (vs 10-12)


Sermon Content:

Ill:
• One day, a mother explained to her five-year-old daughter;
• That if she chose to disobey her, she would have to live with the consequences.

• The little girl looked terrified and said:
• “Please don’t make me live with the Consequences. I want to live here with you!”


• Well, unbeknown to that little girl,
• We all live with the consequences of the choices and decisions that we’ve made.



Quote:

• Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish Essayist, Poet and Author, 1850-1894)
• "Everybody, sooner or later, sits down to a banquet of consequences.”



BACKGROUND:


This psalm was written by a king who had to live with the consequences of his actions.


• David the king had committed the sin of adultery with a woman called Bathsheeba.
• When Bathsheeba became pregnant;

• David tried to cover up that sin by arranging for her husband Urriah;
• To be placed on the front line in battle, knowing he would be killed.


• Although in time David would realise his folly and later repent of his sin;
• (You can read about it in Psalms 51&52):
• He STILL had to live with the consequences of his foolish actions;


Question: What were those consequences?

Answer:


• Nathan the prophet told him (2 Samuel chapter 12 verse 10);
• That his sin was forgiven, but…“The sword will never depart from your house”.

• David had wrecked a man’s home and family;
• Now he would experience his own home and family in turmoil.

• That turmoil would reveal itself most clearly and painfully;
• In his son Absalom.



Ill:
• Absalom was the third and favourite son of Davidson of David,
• With his wife Maachah, daughter of Talmai (1 Chronicles 3:2, 2 Samuel 3:3)


• 2 Samuel chapter 14 verse 25 describes Absalom;
• ‘As the most handsome man in the kingdom’.


• Absalom decided to rebel against his father;
• And he made a bid for the throne – wanting to be crowned king.

• He built support for himself among the common people;
• By promising justice for all.


• His plan of betrayal seemed to work well as all Israel and Judah flocked to his side,
• And David, with only a handful of supporters was forced to flee and hide.
• You can read the sad story of events in 2 Samuel chapters 11-16.



Note:


• So the background to this Psalm is believed to be the rebellion of Absalom:
• Yet despite the sad and sordid circumstances to this Psalm;
• Notice that it starts off positively with a note of praise.
(1). Confidence (vs 1-3)


Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.

2 The LORD protects and preserves them—
they are counted among the blessed in the land—
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.

3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.



Ill:
• Rev.Martin Niemoeller was one of Adolf Hitler’s least favourite people,
• Rev. Niemoeller was placed in prison and summoned to a special court.

• He was as you might expect afraid.
• He had no idea what to expect!

• But according to the writer Francis Gay,
• As he was taken along the seemingly endless corridor to the courtroom,

• He heard a low voice speaking