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The Penalty Flags of Life

2^nd Samuel 21: 1-14

Text Scripture:

2 Samuel 21:1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

13 And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.

14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

Intro:

As I stated this morning, your pastor has asked, and it shall be my intention, as God leads me, to preach sermons that follow your theme for this week of revival: REVIVAL STARTS WITH ME.

This morning I preached a sermon entitled: The Price Tags of Life.

Tonight, I will endeavor to lift the following text from the text scripture: The Penalty Flags of Life

ILLUSTRATION:

· A pig ate his fill of acorns under an oak tree and then started to root around the tree.

· A crow remarked, "You should not do this. If you lay bare the roots, the tree will wither and die."

· "Let it die," said the pig. "Who cares as long as there are acorns?"

Often, we as this pig, fail to realize that the consequences of our actions today, are shaping the outcome of our world tomorrow!

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

ILLUSTRATION:

· Years ago a college football player who lived in a big city was walking home from the YMCA

· HE spotted a little lad sitting on the curb of the road with a half deflated football under his arm

· The lad looked as if he had lost his best friend

· The football player sat down beside him and asked why he was sitting there with a half deflated football …. looking so sad

· The lad asked him if he knew anything about football

· The young man told him he did

· The lad continued: Well, then you know how it is when one player lines up off side, and because of his actions, the whole team gets penalized … everybody in the stands gets penalized … everybody listening on radio gets penalized … EVERYBODY GETS PENALIZED FOR ONE PLAYERS ACTIONS.

· The young man said he understood

· The lad looked at him and said:

· Mister, my dad is off side.

o He came home this evening drinking.

o Momma had a beautiful meal prepared for us.

o I was washing-up when he began to yell at my momma

o He turned the table over, and slapped her.

o I grabbed my football and came outside to kick it around some.

o Mister, it ain’t no fun kicking a football by yourself!

o When the penalty flags of life are thrown for the actions of one, everybody on the team is penalized

In the text scripture we see an awful portrait of what happens when one man lines up off side, and God throws THE PENALTY FLAGS OF LIFE!

· The whole nation of Israel was suffering the deadly results of a three-year drought

· The draught was a direct result of the actions of one man … King Saul

· What was the penalty?

· He and the nation of Israel had promised the Gibeonites, (who were a remnant of the Ammorites) in the name of Jehovah, , that they would not be molested or mistreated

· King Saul, broke that promised and mistreated the Gibeonites

Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

· David is now the king.

· He asks God why the draught continues for three years

· God’s reply? Simple. Because of the actions of Saul! (God had thrown the penalty flag!)

· (And let me interrupt myself right here to state: I BELIEVE THERE ARE THOSE UNDER THE SOUND OF MY VOICE TODAY … BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS, AND YOURS ALONE … GOD HAS THROWN THE PENALTY FLAG IN YOUR LIFE …AND UNTIL YOU BECOME BROKEN AND CONTRITE OVER YOUR SINS … ALL THOSE AROUND YOU WILL CONTINUE TO SUFFER FOR YOUR SINS!)

· David gathers ambassadors of the Gibeonites and asks them what it will take to set things right

· They replied: We don’t want Saul’s silver or gold … nor do we want YOU to kill any man of Israel.

· David then said: What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

· The Gibeonites asked for seven sons of Saul and they crucified them.

The whole team is penalized by the actions of one!

Now the story takes a strange twist:

*Note: At this time, Jewish law prevented the burial of any person who was “put to death.” They had to hang on the cross until the birds and animals picked their bones clean

· Two of Saul’s sons who were crucified that day were the sons of a concubine name: Rizpah

· Rizpah embarked upon a mission to prevent the bodies of her sons from being devoured by the birds or animals

· Vs. 10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

· Barley Harvest was in May … the first rains came in September …

· June, July, August, and until the rains came in September, Rizpah never left her post. She kept the birds and animals off her son’s bodies.

· God had thrown the penalty flag!

· The whole team is penalized for the actions of one!

King David hears of Rizpah’s actions

David is so moved that he gathers the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and buries these seven with them.

The Bible states: And after that God was intreated for the land.

What a horrible PRICE the Penalties Flags of Life DEMAND!

ILLUSTRATION:

In 1984 James Huberty walked into a McDonald’s restaurant in San Ysidro, California, and massacred twenty people.

However, the story began long before that tragic day.

· At age 7, James’ mother, Isbel, left a note on the table that she was leaving his father to answer a call of God to be a missionary

· When the husband discovered the note that evening, he was bewildered and didn’t know what to do

· Knowing he had to feed his children supper, he loaded them into a car and drove to a local McDonald’s.

· James protested … HE DIDN’T WANT TO GO TO MCDONALD’S!!!

· 37 years later, distraught by life, he walked into a McDonald’s and killed twenty people.

You see, if you think “your sins” are just “your business” … you are sadly mistaken! YOUR SINS ARE NOT JUST YOUR BUSINESS … THEY AFFECT EVERYBODY!

As we concentrate on this story of Rizpah, let’s go up on that hill on the day they were crucified and ask three groups of people this question: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

1: Let’s Ask the Seven Son’s of Saul: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

The unanimous answer must be: BECAUSE OF THE SINS OF OUR FATHER!

· We were but mere children when our father sinned

· We didn’t do anything

· We didn’t know anything about it

· We’re innocent

How many times do the children suffer because of the sins of the parents?

· Babies born on Crack Cocaine

· Mothers Drinking alcohol while pregnant (Institute of Medicine’s report to Congress 1996, “Alcohol is more destructive to developing babies THAN ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE!)

· Absentee parents

· Divorced parents

· Alcoholic parents

· Drug-addicted parents

· Physically and Sexually abusive parents

Adults … How many times will the children suffer because of our sins … THE PENALY FLAGS THAT ARE THROWN AGAINST US?

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Church … how much will the next generation of this church have to suffer because of our sins?

Lackadaisical attitude toward:

· Lost people

· Church attendance

· Ministry to our community

Compromise on:

· Morals

· Manners

· Discipline

· Work ethics

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The seven sons of Saul were there because of the sins of their father

2: Let’s Ask the Gibeonites: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

The unanimous answer must be: WE’RE HERE FOR REVENGE!

I pose this question to you: Which was the greater sin:

(1) Saul mistreating the Gibeonites

(2) The Gibeonites demand for revenge.

It was not Saul’s mistreatment of the Gibeonites that caused Mizpah’s boys to be killed … it was the Gibeonites demand for revenge.

Mizpah’s boys … and Mizpah herself … paid the penalty of the Gibeonites desire for revenge.

When one person is off side … EVERYODY SUFFERS!!!

The thing we allow to control our thoughts … WILL EVENTUALLY CONTROL US!

Proverbs 23:7(a) For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

· A little grudge

· A little action un-forgiven

· A word misspoken

· A thoughtless act or deed

· A judgmental attitude

· A lustful thought

· A desire for revenge

Left unchecked … will become a cancer on our soul!

And many people will suffer because of our action!!!

Saul’s Seven Sons were there because of the sins of their father

The Gibeonites were there seeking revenge

3: Let’s Ask Rizpah: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

The answer is simple: A Mother’s love

· A love that rose above the circumstances (Three months in the elements!)

· A love that wouldn’t stop loving simply because death had occurred

· A love that surpassed all reason and logic

Now … let’s fast forward to similar hill with a similar scene:

Three crosses: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

· The two on either side could have replied:

· Because of the way I was raised … or

· Because that judge wanted revenge

· But the man on the middle cross WAS THERE BECAUSE OF LOVE!!!

Close:

Church, you have a theme for this revival: REVIVAL STARTS WITH ME!

· Now, I want you to know right now … the quickest route to revival is when God’s people start to realize that there are consequences for the decisions we make … AND LOVE BECOMES THE DRIVING FORCE FOR ALL WE DO!!!

· When we are guilty … the whole team gets penalized!

· You may not be able undo what you’ve done …

· But you can be forgiven for it!

· And you can purpose in your heart … from this day forward … to live a life without penalties that will cause yourself, your family, and your church to suffer!

I close tonight with this question: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

For what reason was the Penalty Flag thrown in your life?

Who is suffering because of your decisions and actions?

What kind of legacy are you leaving for your family and your church?

REVIVAL STARTS WITH ME! … AND I BELIEVE IT STARTS TONIGHT WITH SOME PEOPLE COMING CLEAN BEFORE GOD

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Are you willing to acknowledge the penalty, turn from your wicked ways, and let God heal you?

What about it husband / dad?

What about it wife / momma?

What about it children?

What about it grandpa and grandma?

What about it church member?

What about it deacons?

What about it teachers?

What about it singers?

What about it brother or sister?

What about those SECRET SINS?

Numbers 32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.

When will we acknowledge our sins … and when we’re finished with ourselves … forgive those who have wronged us!!!

The PENALTY FLAGS OF LIFE are painful … but they don’t have to be fatal!!!

Forgiveness is available to all!!!