Introduction

Good morning! Let us turn to 2 Samuel, chapter 3. The theme of this chapter is, The guilt of the blood of Abner shall rest on Joab and all his father’s house. (2 Samuel 3:29) Why do we say this? It is because God takes the shedding of innocent blood very seriously. After Noah came out of the ark, God made a covenant with him: whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image. Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood must be avenged; from father to son, to the third and fourth generation. Shedding blood is a very serious matter. If a place often has wrongful convictions and frequently sheds innocent blood, then the sin will cause that place to be cursed and it will become increasingly worse.

Our brothers and sisters must know that God absolutely does not take the sin of shedding innocent blood lightly. Genesis tells us this. During David's time, David deeply understood the cost of sin and was very vigilant about sin. If a person is not vigilant enough about sin, then there will be trouble. If a Christian sins, he will still be cursed. If a non-Christian eats the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil out of ignorance, he will also be cursed.

Yesterday, I ministered to a sister who suddenly caught a cold, had body aches, a runny nose, and a stuffy nose. She came to me to pray for her. In fact, when she had previously received the COVID-19 vaccine, she had almost died. Others were fine after receiving the vaccine, but she was not. A pastor and I ministered to her and released her from the side effects of the vaccine.

Why does this happen? It is actually closely related to a person's attitude towards sin. You must understand this well. In the time of Adam and Eve, eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would surely lead to death. In our generation, will eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lead to death? Yes, it will! So, in this chapter, when I talk about The guilt of the blood of Abner shall rest on Joab and all his father’s house, you must begin to learn to hate sin like David, be vigilant about sin, and have an attitude of drawing a clear line with sin. David was remarkable. His understanding of sin was much clearer than that of ordinary people. Brothers and sisters, do you want to become strong and prosperous? Do you want to live to an old age without declining? This is closely related to your attitude towards sin. You must understand this well.

Why do we often encourage brothers and sisters to learn to love God? Because if people do not love God, they will love money and the world. Then you will be deeply controlled by sin, and it will be difficult to become strong and prosperous. Even if you are strong and prosperous, it will be a prosperity under a curse. The guilt of the blood of Abner shall rest on Joab and all his father’s house This is very important. I have already declared before the Lord: this guilt will not rest on me and my nation. If this guilt rests on you and your nation, it will be fatal! The consequence will be very tragic. Our God is a holy God, and everyone must learn to be a holy person. How can you become holy? You must start with loving God.

David's House Grew Stronger and Stronger

David reigned in Hebron, leading the tribe of Judah, because David was from the tribe of Judah. David's house and the tribe of Judah grew stronger and stronger. The key was that David had a deep understanding of sin and had an uncompromising attitude towards sin. In the previous chapter, we talked about David, the King who treated his people with love and faithfulness. This is very interesting. David first considered how to please God. Later, the Book of Kings often mentioned a phrase: who followed David his father and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. So, recognizing sin and drawing a clear line with sin is very important!

David's attitude towards sin was quite sensitive. Why didn't David use force to order his commander Joab to attack the various tribes of Israel? If he had attacked, many of David's men would have died, and many of the Israelite tribes would have died as well, because they were unwilling to submit and wanted to serve their own king under Saul's son Ish-bosheth.

Could this be done? Actually, maybe it could, but it was not good to do so, because it would have meant shedding blood. So, I ask you: is your throne more important or is God's will more important? If you think that your throne is more important than God's will, you will dare to do anything for your throne. Many people think this way: what does it matter if a few more people die in order to get the throne? But David did not think this way, because David was very clear about the cost of sin. Whether it is an individual, a company, or a nation, if you want to walk on the path of strength and prosperity, you must value God more than you value your own enterprise, family, personal interests, and throne. But this is difficult to do.

Why are people busy? It is not that they don't have time, but that their time is occupied by other things. If one day I say to you: I am very busy! I don't have time! What does that mean? It means that you are not important. I have many other more important things to do. If we don't have time to pay attention to God and we have more important things to do, do you think that is appropriate? It doesn't seem appropriate! If you set aside your daily time for Bible study, dedicating it to God, have you lost out? If you think you have lost out, then you will definitely lose out. If you don't think you have lost out, then you really won't lose out and you will definitely become stronger and stronger. The issue of sin is the issue of your relationship with God. In this chapter, there is a man named Abner, who was the commander of Saul's army. Abner was killed by Joab. This was a big deal, and it led to a statement by David:

And afterward, when David heard it, he said, ‘I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. (2 Samuel 3:28)

You must know that shedding blood is no joke. Putting God below your own throne and core interests is also a big deal. This chapter begins with this statement:

Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. (2 Samuel 3:1)

It also talks about something very interesting: David took many wives. I admire him for this. Even we ordinary people cannot handle one wife. David took many wives and had many sons in Hebron. If you ask me if this is a sin, I don't think it is a sin. But if you apply the current national laws to David, it is polygamy. There are still many Muslim countries that maintain polygamy. If you want to learn from David and have many wives, then you can immigrate to that kind of country.

Whether it is monogamy or polygamy, I ask you if God thinks this is important? God doesn't think it is very important, so let's not get entangled with the current laws. I am saying that in David's time, God didn't care at all. God still allowed David to become stronger and stronger, because we didn't see God say, David, why are you doing this? God didn't care about this. Not only that, but God wanted him to become stronger and stronger. So, did God care about this? God didn't care.

In the past, when we studied Genesis, we saw that Abraham had several wives and Jacob also married four wives. Many people often use this monogamy to discuss. I don't know if we are studying the law or studying the Old Testament of the Bible. If we are studying the Old Testament of the Bible, then let's not bring out monogamy. If we are studying the legal provisions, then let's explain the monogamy of the law clearly.

Not only that, David's first original wife was Michal, who was Saul's daughter. Michal loved David very much, but Saul remarried her to another man. This time, David wanted to take back his original wife Michal. Did David lack a wife? Moreover, Michal's later husband cried to death when he was about to lose his wife. That was quite pitiful. Do you think this is a sin? Does it destroy people's families? Actually, this is not important.

But Michal was indeed David's wife, and David wanted to bring this wife back to his side and treat her well. David valued what God valued and did not value what people valued. You value what God values and you do not value what people value. A person's strength and prosperity lies entirely in this, so David's house grew stronger and stronger. What can we say? God blessed what David did. What David did pleased God and prevented many people from dying on the battlefield. Peaceful unification began with David. He unified Judah and the other eleven tribes. At that time, the small country of Israel was not big, and there were two kings: one king was Saul's son Ish-bosheth, and the other was David. David ruled one tribe, and Ish-bosheth ruled the other eleven tribes.

Ish-bosheth often had Abner attack Judah. They fought a battle last time, but they were defeated by David. We rarely see David leading people to attack Ish-bosheth. Actually, it was not taken by force. David peacefully unified the country. This shows that David valued what God valued more than he valued his own throne and more than he valued his own achievements. David would not think that because he was anointed as the king of Israel, he would say, Why don't the other eleven tribes come to submit to me? If people don't submit, what can he do? Does he have to go to war? But David didn't do that.

God has a small principle in this matter, which is that people should look at the big picture and not the small picture. Many people like to look at trivial matters and petty things, so it is difficult for them to become strong and prosperous. If your head is filled with trivial matters and petty things, it is no wonder you are busy. Why? Because people's minds are confused. If people prioritize things well, how could they be busy?

Actually, unifying by force is not a good option, because it would kill many people. Everyone must learn to value what God values. This is the path to becoming stronger and stronger. I deeply understand how to walk this path of strength. I want to emulate David, not pursue my own core interests, but simply value what God values. We must think carefully and ask ourselves: is our core interest really God? If you want to judge a person's character, then just judge their core interest.

If you determine that a person's core interest is money, you must be especially careful, because they will dare to do anything for money. This is terrible. So, value God more than you value your own core interests. David put all his core interests on God: if God gives me the opportunity, then I will unify. If God doesn't give me the opportunity, then I will wait slowly. I have plenty of time.

Saul's House Grew Weaker and Weaker

Why did Saul's house grow weaker and weaker? Whether a person is managing a country, a company, or a family, it is the same: if you treat small things as big things, there will be trouble. A few days ago, a brother said to me, When a woman is in charge, the house will collapse. This is a saying, not my opinion. But there is something very interesting about this. Why do people say that when a woman is in charge, the house will collapse? Because women like to look at trivial matters and treat all small things as big things. That is terrible. When women are in charge, they like to value small things.

Ish-bosheth was a very interesting person. Abner was his commander, who had made great contributions to him in leading troops and fighting battles. Abner brought back one of his father Saul's concubines, Rizpah, and was very fond of her. She must have been quite attractive. Ish-bosheth, as the king of Israel, had no ability to fight battles, no ability to lead troops, and no ability to manage the economy. He did not manage the people's livelihoods, the economy, or the construction of the country well, but instead managed Abner's personal affairs. This was a woman's perspective.

Although Ish-bosheth was king, his heart was as small as a peanut and his brain was as small as a walnut. This kind of person cannot manage a country well. If you cannot manage the big things, then don't manage the small things. That is putting things upside down. How did people later become Pharisees? It was because they did not take God's truth seriously, but they treated trivial matters such as tithing on spinach, celery, and fennel, and whether or not to wash their hands before eating as big things. If a person lives their whole life without grasping the key points, will they not be ruined? Later, I discovered that people who cannot grasp the key points will really cause the house to collapse.

How can one tell if a person has grasped the key points? By observing whether they are busy or not. Over the years, I've had meals with people from royal families, descendants of royalty. Their ancestors passed down a saying: When the ruler is busy and the ministers idle, the nation will perish. When the ruler is idle and the ministers busy, the nation will prosper. After they shared this with me, I realised I hadn't been a busy person in the past. I did many things, but I was never busy. It's quite a magical thing, requiring a bit of cleverness. The reason? Grasping the key points. Later, I met some very capable people, and I found they were all unhurried, with extremely clear minds.

I learned from them, and you'll find I have a characteristic of being unhurried. I can put anything down and handle things well. I understand everything clearly, never in a slipshod manner, because busyness is the road to ruin. Sometimes, I like to meddle, and even if people don't ask me to pastor them, I'll proactively do so. They'll say to me, Teacher, I'm so busy. And I'll reply, Why are you so busy? Show me what you're busy with. When I look, I see dozens of things to do.

After seeing that, I think to myself, This is a disaster. It would be strange if they weren't busy, confused, and declining! They're on a path to destruction, their minds a jumble. How can that be good? The things they write aren't even done correctly. Many things lack strategy and method. If there are people like this among us, I must remind you: Do you want to gradually weaken? It's easy to live a life of gradual decline—just work blindly, caring only about the trivial matters of men and women, like Ish-bosheth arguing with his general Abner, being quarrelsome and also afraid of Abner.

Abner was like Ish-bosheth's grandfather in Ish-bosheth's eyes. We need to know how to walk a path of prosperity. If you ask me, how do you walk this path of prosperity? By valuing what God values and not valuing what God does not value. Some people say, What, do you also want to have multiple wives? I reply, I can't even handle one. I'll follow Paul's example and not have any. Besides, it's not important. I didn't come into this world for one woman, nor for two or three women.

It wasn't easy for me to come into this world. I was born for God, I'll die for God, and I live for God. No one can stop me. Whoever tries to stop me, I'll leave them behind. This is a path of prosperity. So whatever I do, I prosper. David became king of Judah at thirty. If David lived to seventy, he would have had forty more years. He could have waited and brought the eleven tribes of Israel under his name.

David had plenty of time, so he wasn't in a hurry. God took the kingdom and gave it to David. Can God take the kingdom and give it to David? Yes. But God didn't do it that way. Why? God wanted to see David's level, to see if he really valued the throne. So God gave David the tribe of Judah first, to test him. If David was too anxious, he would have been defeated by the eleven tribes because he had violated God's will. After God tested David, He found that this young man was alright, that he really cared about God's words, valuing them more than his own throne. As a result, God gave the entire kingdom of Israel to David.

God Will Give the Kingdom to David

God was not going to give David the kingdom in such a bad situation. Ish-bosheth was so stingy, managing the country so poorly that the people suffered greatly. How could it be good to have such a muddlehead as king? Ish-bosheth argued with Abner over a woman. Abner in Ish-bosheth's house was like Cao Cao and Emperor Xian, holding the emperor hostage.

Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?” (2 Samuel 3:7)

Upon hearing this, Abner thought, Are you looking to die? What's wrong with your head?

Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? To this day I have been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba.” (2 Samuel 3:8-9)

God gave the kingdom to David in this way, without a single soldier lost. Because David was a very good superior and a very good king in Abner's heart. We must all know that if you only care about trivial matters, you cannot be successful, and those who follow you will suffer with you. Therefore, as you follow my pastoral leaders, I must expand your hearts, your horizons, and your vision, so that you know that your heart cannot contain the kingdom of God. Through God's expansion, emulate David, who pleased God, valuing what God values. If you only see trivial matters, how can you bless others? I think you should bless yourself first.

Without shedding blood, God gave the kingdom of Israel to David, because David had a very good image in the eyes of the people. If you're a boss or a leader in a company, what should you do? You must be kind and generous, never a pushover. You must be smart, wise, and know what's important and what's not, and you must not like to grab things. David was truly amazing. His warriors were even willing to risk their lives to get water for him to drink. David is worthy of our emulation.

There was someone who didn't like David getting the kingdom of Israel. This person is not important, but the demon behind him is very important. This person was Joab, David's general. Because Abner, who had come to join David, was a general, skilled in martial arts, leading troops, and a talented man, he was stabbed to death by Joab with a knife. The devil doesn't like David getting the kingdom of Israel. God created an opportunity for David, but the devil wanted to ruin David's reputation and make the people hate David, because Abner was a general who won the hearts of the people of Israel, and he was killed by David's subordinate, Joab. This was terrible! David said, This guilt will not be on me or my kingdom. I didn't do this, Joab did. Not only did he say that, but he also cursed Joab and Joab's descendants.

Joab was a general, but all kinds of curses would come upon his descendants. God wanted to give the kingdom to David, but the devil still wanted to destroy it, but he didn't succeed. David was very clear that the guilt for shedding Abner's blood did not belong to him or his kingdom, but to Joab. So if David didn't have wisdom, a broad mind, and determination, it would have been troublesome. He would have been afraid of Joab, just like Ish-bosheth was afraid of Abner. This Joab was a general who led troops. If David wanted to appoint another general, Joab would have tried to kill him. If some of you are working and the boss hires a talented person, would you be like Joab? If so, it means your heart isn't broad enough. This matter brought a challenge to David, but David achieved a very good result, which was an uncompromising attitude towards sin.

All the People Were Pleased with Everything David Did

The devil wanted to ruin David's reputation and killed Abner through Joab. But David held Abner's entire funeral in a very grand manner. David cried and shouted behind the coffin. You might say it was acting, but it might not have been. One's attitude towards sin is very important. Not only that, but he also buried Abner in Hebron.

And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. And the king lamented over Abner, saying, “Should Abner die as a fool dies? Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen.” And all the people wept again over him. Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David took an oath, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!” (2 Samuel 3:32-35)

If you follow a pastor whose attitude towards sin is like David's, you should prosper. Some of you brothers and sisters, whether you're small or big pastors, when leading people, you must emulate David and have a very clear understanding of sin. All the people were pleased with what David did, and the people all came under David's name. David began to lead the people on a stronger path. The country David managed was the strongest dynasty in Israel's history, so one's view of sin is very important. Let's see how David cursed Joab:

May the guilt of his blood fall on the head of Joab and on all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread.” (2 Samuel 3:29)

If you see someone leaning on a crutch, killed by the sword, lacking food, leprous, or having a discharge, what is the reason? Probably an ancestor was like Joab, often shedding innocent blood. We brothers and sisters must be careful not to do what Joab did for your own benefit. If you do, many curses will come upon you.

Acknowledge your weakness

And David said, “Though I am the anointed king, I am weak today. These sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!” (2 Samuel 3:39)

David wanted to kill Joab so badly, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He really wanted Joab to pay for Abner's death, but he was too weak. David thought that Joab was still his general and had to help him lead the troops, so it's always good to admit your weakness before God. Because David couldn't deal with Joab, one of the two sons of Zeruiah was Joab, David's general. Joab remained his general until David's death. David valued talent and couldn't protect Abner's life. This should have been a deficiency in his life.

Did David know that Joab was going after Abner? David was so smart, how could he not know? He should have known. If David had stopped him at that time, a disaster might have been avoided. What I want to say is, This guilt will not be on me or my kingdom. This was really not done by David. David did a series of things to show that this guilt did not belong to him or his kingdom. He hoped that the nation of Israel would continue to be strong.

May God bless everyone!