GROW PLAN
February 3-9, 2025
Day One
2 Samuel 16:15-19
Consequences of Sin
David had been forgiven by God, but his sin still had consequences, effects that went past the death of his and Bathsheba’s baby. His poor parenting (doing nothing about rape and murder among his children) led to Absalom’s revolt. And David’s sin laid the groundwork for the wider rebellion. Bathsheba’s father was Eliam, one of David’s mighty men. Her husband was Uriah, another of David’s mighty men. Her grandfather, Eliam’s father, was Ahithophel, David’s best advisor. So in violating Bathsheba, David had mistreated the daughter of one of his mighty men and the wife of another. Then he had Uriah, one of his mighty men killed. It takes little to imagine the effect this would have on the rest of David’s men. David had not just abandoned the moral high ground, he had fostered dissatisfaction with his rule. The king had given his men good reason to doubt that the loyalty they had shown to him would be returned.
As Pastor Chris recently pointed out, the Lord gives us instant forgiveness, but the effects of our sin still exist, and it can take much longer for the people we have hurt to forgive us. If you have relationships broken due to past sin, hold them up to the Lord and ask him to provide healing in time.
Day Two
2 Samuel 16:20-23
Ahithophel’s Advice
We are told in verse 23 that Ahithophel’s advice was highly regarded, so valuable that asking Ahithophel what to do was like asking God. So why would someone so wise side with Absalom over David? The key may be that Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather. You could easily see how a grandfather might resent David’s treatment of Bathsheba and the ordeal she went through. So Ahithophel changed sides, and David prayed that his advice to Absalom would be foolish (15:31). David had left ten concubines in Jerusalem to look after the palace. Ahithophel told Absalom to sleep with these concubines. Concubines were like second-class wives. They didn’t have the full status of wives, but they were legal, permanent and open members of a man’s family. Sexually taking the king’s concubines meant that the king had been replaced and also signaled contempt for the king. Ahithophel knew that if Absalom did that, there would be no reconciliation between Absalom and David, which would have meant death for the traitors. Anyone who was reluctant to join Absalom, thinking he and his father might solve their differences, would be reassured by this action. Absalom’s actions fulfilled the prophecy God gave through Nathan that while David took Uriah’s wife in secret, someone would take his in public. (12:11-12)
Things look like they are spiraling out of control, but we can still see God working, fulfilling his prophecy against David. That punishment was painful, but the Lord would restore David. When things are going badly for us, we can be assured that the Lord is working and has a plan for us, even if that plan includes discipline. Thank Him for that.
Day Three
2 Samuel 17
God Keeping His Promises
Ahithophel advised Absalom to let him and 12,000 men pursue David and his men. He told Absalom he would kill only the king and bring back all the people, who would have no choice but to follow Absalom once David was dead. But Hushai, who was working covertly for David, told Absalom he should wait and call together all the men of Israel and command them himself against David. Notice that Absalom never asked the Lord what he should do. Verse 14 tells us that Absalom and his men decided to follow Hushai’s advice because the Lord was frustrating Ahithophel’s advice to defeat Absalom. So even though part of Absalom’s revolt is clearly punishment from God for David’s sin, God is still working on David’s behalf. Even though David’s poor parenthood has clearly led to this situation, God is still working to benefit David. Why? Because God has made promises to David, and the Lord always keeps His promises. Because the Lord loves David. And because David is a key link in the Lord’s plan. David is the ancestor of Jesus. The Lord promised David would have a descendant on the throne forever. The Lord will establish a Kingdom of David that the Jewish people would dream about for centuries before learning that the real descendant of David created a much more important kingdom.
While the Lord was working for David, He was working for us, laying the groundwork for the ministry and message of Jesus. Reconciling men with Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus was God’s long-term plan. Have you received new life from this plan through a relationship with Jesus? If so, thank Him for what He has done for you. If not, talk to a group leader or Pastor Chris today.
Day Four
Psalm 3
Depending on the Lord
David wrote Psalm Three when he fled from Absalom. We can see the issues that trouble him. He prays about “how my foes increase!” The problem for David was not just that the number of people against him was increasing, but these people were supposed to be his friends, his loyal subjects. Every new enemy was a betrayal. There was probably much truth in verse 2. There were likely many people in Israel who thought that the Lord would not save David. The affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah had undermined his moral authority. His baby had died. There had been a rape and a murder among his children and now one of his sons had seized his throne. No doubt many assumed that God had cast David aside and would not restore him to power. But David doesn’t seem to be among them. Earlier in his flight, he had said that whatever the Lord did with him was OK. But by the time he wrote this psalm, he seemed to have new confidence. He wrote that the Lord is his shield and answers his prayer. The Lord sustains him and he is not afraid of the multitudes who oppose him. He calls on God to save him and bless the people.
No matter what our circumstances are, the best course is to go to the Lord and set the problem before Him in praise and in confidence that He will do what is right. Are you facing difficulties that have you scared or worried? Do what David did and run to the Lord.
Day Five
2 Samuel 18:1-18
David’s Conflict
David and his men were in a fortified city and well-fed thanks to some men who remained loyal to the king. David organized his army and prepared to send them out. He planned to go with them, but they asked him to stay within the city. This was different from the time David stayed behind when his men went to war and was tempted. This war was about David personally. If David were killed, the war was lost. So, David agrees to stay in the city. As his men march to fight for him, he asks them to “be gentle” with Absalom for his sake. Think about how his men might have felt about this. Absalom had killed his brother, rebelled against his father, slept with his father’s concubines, forced these men away from their homes into flight, and was pushing them into a battle in which they might die. And David asked them to be gentle with him, the very enemy they were going to fight?! You can see why Joab would disobey David’s command and kill Absalom. Also, Joab knew that a live Absalom would continue to be a problem in the kingdom. He needed killing. It’s worth noting that Absalom, who was so prideful he had erected a monument to himself, was brought down by the hair of which he was so proud.
Proverbs 16:18 tells us that: “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.” That was true of Absalom. He was a picture of pridefulness. He sought only to increase his own power and wealth. He did not submit to the Lord nor consult the Lord. Pride is marked by a lack of submission to God. Ask the Lord to reveal any pride in your own life and help you to fully submit to Him.
Day Six
2 Samuel 18:19-19:8
Mourning and Loyalty
We love our children. We love them no matter what they do. Most parents have children who are at some time troublesome, either in rebellion against the Lord or against their parents. We still love them. And David loved Absalom. But there was more to it when David said: “If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son.” David’s men had just fought a pitched, bloody, awful battle to ensure that it was Absalom who died rather than David. The king had asked them to go fight for him, and now he seemed to wish that they had lost. They had lost comrades and friends in combat, but all David cared about was mourning their enemy who forced this battle on them. Joab was absolutely correct to confront David, to point out his ingratitude toward his men and to declare that he was on the verge of losing the loyalty of his men.
Our emotions are not the best guides for our lives. We want what we shouldn’t have. We are loyal to those who will hurt us. Our hearts can deceive ourselves even as David’s heart led him to grieve over Absalom rather than congratulate his men. We need to follow the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and hear the advice of brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord has given us rather than follow our hearts. Is there any direction in which your heart is leading you that the Lord doesn’t want you to go? Commit to following the Lord rather than your heart.
...GROW GROUPS - These groups focus on understanding and applying the daily grow plan for the week.
Men’s Group @ The Journey - Sundays at 9:15am
Adult Groups @ The Journey - Sundays at 6:00pm
Home Group - Saturdays at 6:30pm in Boiling Springs
OTHER MINISTRY GROUPS
Next Gen Student Group @ The Journey - Sundays at 6:00pm
Women’s Group Study @ The Journey - Sundays at 9:15 am (no childcare available)
Men’s Group at Miracle Hill - Mondays at 6:00pm
Women’s Chapel at Miracle Hill - Tuesdays at 9am
Women’s Chapel at Miracle Hill - 1st Tuesday each month at 6:00pm
Men’s Chapel at Miracle Hill - 2nd Thursday evening each month
Sidewalk Hope at Crescent Hill (Mobile Kids Church) - Thursdays at 4:00pm
Women’s Starting Over Recovery Group - Sober Living America participants only. Saturdays at 4:00pm
JOURNEYKIDZ
Sundays at 10:30am @ The Journey
Nursery 0-2
Preschool 3 - 5k
Elementary 1st - 5th grades
* Development of each child and the most appropriate classroom setting is considered as part of the placement process.