The Good, the Bad and the Devious

My sermon title is The Good, The Bad, and The Devious. You may have seen the Clint Eastwood movie The Good, The Bad, and The What? Ugly. Whenever I saw the movie a couple of times, couldn't figure out, I thought they were all ugly. So I never really figured the good, and they were all kind of bad, and I tried to miss the good part there.

So hopefully you can understand this message better than the movie as we define. The Good, The Bad, and The Devious, and this is a warning message for all of us. The word devious by Oxford Dictionary says, Showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals. Perhaps you've met people that way, known people that way. Perhaps one day you are even that type of person. If not, you stay around politics, and you'll have plenty of those, too, to see. So today I want to give a biblical story of three people and one event that changed an entire nation's future. The three lessons for us in this story is one, look for the good. Look for the good. Hopefully we look for the good in people.

Hopefully we keep our eyes open for what is good. And then not just what we think are good, or perhaps what other people label as good, but what is really good in God's eyes. There was an amazing book I read many years ago, Good to Great in God's Eyes, which was a very good book that I read. But the second one is, Beware of the bad. There's a lot of bad out in this world. And sometimes the lines get blurred. Sometimes we can think something is good until it isn't. And then we find out it wasn't good all along. Our vision, our hearts may have been distorted in that way.

And finally, the third one is, Avoid devious people. I hope to go into that, because they can be even, and many times are, more dangerous than bad people. Because they are planning things. So, avoid devious people. Anybody here been around devious people? Just one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Norm is pointing to his wife. And, William, do you need to come back up and talk about Mother's Day? Or, maybe we can just all leave the room and it will be Norman, William, up here talking about the...

She must be very good, because I don't see the devious in her, Norm. Of course, how many years have you guys been married? Sixty-one. Well, you would have to know her better than I do, but your daughter is there, and I don't think she has got that same thought in mind. But, we all have experienced devious people. And, we wonder what made them that way.

What in their psyche causes them to deliberately plan on being a destructive person? Or, fooling people, as sometimes happens in that way? So, I'm going to go through a story in 2 Samuel today. I'd like to give you a little backstory, because it's always kind of good to see it. You remember the story of Judah? Remember him? His wife died? And, two of his sons actually died. And, he went into a little depression. And, as a matter of fact, it's very interesting, that story, because after he and his brothers sold his younger brother, Joseph, it actually shows us that he kind of departed from his brothers.

And, perhaps even didn't feel good about what he had done, lying to his father, and so forth. So, there was something good at the heart of Judah, as we can see. But, then he did something that we all kind of look at and go, Why did you do that? He went and found a woman, and he wanted to have intercourse with her. He thought she was a prostitute, and he thought that was okay. And, he didn't have any money, so he promised a goat. I don't know how that would work today.

I don't know what the price of prostitutes are. I don't think he could go anywhere carrying a goat. Say, let's make a deal, Monty Hall. But, he then left her, and she kind of wanted to fool him, because he had gone back on his word. And, in his tribe, he then found out that his daughter-in-law, who lost two husbands, came up pregnant. And, he said, bring her out. She needs to be put to death.

As a matter of fact, we'll burn her as an example. Extreme cruelty in that realm. But, as we find out, she didn't get the goat, but she got his cane and something else. I don't remember. Rings or something. Thankfully, she did, because she said, the man who got me pregnant gave me these, to which he was embarrassed. But, he also said she's a better person than he is. So, Judah, when you see that story, you see a man who is prone to lust. But, there's also a little bit of good heart in him, because he could have said, that's not mine, to save embarrassment.

But, he didn't. And so, it's one of those strange stories. And, we know, as you go down the path, that from Judah came a set of twins. And, from those twins, you have the nation of Judah. And, from the nation of Judah, you have a man following in his footsteps named David. David. Eventually, Jesus Christ. David is a man, as my wife and I were discussing, coming up here. I don't know. She hates that sometimes. Mary and I, she says, you saved my wife. What does Norm tell me?

My first wife, Mary. We're discussing that. And, you had to do a sermon on that. Because, you see a lot of bad things from David. You see, it's good. Mmm. But, I'm going to do a study on that, all the good and all the bad. Because, God said he was still a man after God's own heart. Which tells us what, Clive? That we can mess up. But, as long as this old ticker is turned towards God. We have a future. If it doesn't, I'm going to tell you, you're going to have a short future.

David had 18 to 20 children. Eight wives. Sixteen concubines, if I remember. He had plenty of women in his life. But, he obviously had an appetite. Always seemed to be following in the footsteps of his great-great-great-great-grandfather, Judah. With lust. Right? I mean, it's a story, different women, different things, different challenges for that. And, he had all these sons. There's an argument of how many? 19, 18. They were sons. But, he only had one daughter. Odds on that happening with all women are almost slim to none. But, it makes it a very interesting story. 18 boys, one girl. It's quite a household.

What about that first-born child?

Was it special? Yes! The first-born male would be what? His heir. His heir. His heir. Would be the king! First-born. Way up here. The others. But, that first-born. Pretty important.

How does that relate to us? How many in here are first-born? Whoa, wait a minute. Wow. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. For the numbers, that's pretty large.

Well, yeah. In my world, they count. But, yeah, I mean seven out of thirty, that's pretty good. First-born.

But aren't we all first-born? Because Christ said He was first of the what? First of the first fruits. So we are, in reality, going to be first-born in His kingdom. Because we're part of the first fruits. We're going to be the first ones chosen. First ones that are changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. That will happen later, again, to others. But we are the first. Makes it kind of nice. First fruits of the kingdom of God. First-born.

Yeah, that's interesting. If we're in line for royalty, are we not? Was it to say you are a royal priesthood, chosen generation?

Man, that kind of puts us in a unique position. A greater position than anyone else? No, just a more blessed. Because it's not by our own works. It's not by our own looks that we get chosen to be a first fruit. I think something has to do in my own mind with the heart, just like it was David.

But there's this amazing thing that says, Scripture that says, Let no one take your crown. Let no man, let no one take your crown. Is that talking about the royal priesthood? Tell me what else. If that's not it, tell me what else. So are we going to let somebody? Because we don't do our job. We don't fulfill the requirements to be a first fruit, a firstborn. A heir to the kingdom? Hmm. A guy explained it to me one time. I hadn't thought about it in that way. I always had my mind, let nobody come and deceive you and take your crown away from you. Floyd Lee, which you know, some of you know, explained it and said, What if it's talking about there's only so many crowns? And you get it, but then you get disqualified and someone else takes your crown. Hmm. It'd be interesting to see that scenario works out if that's what God, but it definitely makes us think about that. But as we go into this good, bad and the devious, I want to take us to a scripture. You'll go with me in Jeremiah because we have to be on the lookout, don't we? Or do we not? Jeremiah, you should know the scripture we do from the New King James. Jeremiah 17 and verse 9. It says the brain is deceitful above all things. The heart. Oh, is it talking about your heart? Is your heart deceitful? Do we have anybody? He says, is, is. I try not to let mine be. But is it? Is it talking to us? Could be. But is it talking about? Because Jeremiah is dealing with proclaiming. To the last team standing before they're conquered. He's being deceived by everyone. No one's following God except. Him and a couple of others. Barack. A barrack. Listen, let's go and read that. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Now. I if it's talking about me, I really made to make some adjustments. But what if it's not talking about me? What if it's talking about others? That. We will confront. Here God says, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart. I test the mind. Actually, my another translation, or maybe it's even in this one, says in the middle that I test the most secret parts. Which is actually talking about the heart. Even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doing. So it can be talking about us or it can be talking about people we deal with. And we need to have our eyes wide open. Because I've been fooled many times by somebody that I think is just this great person. And I find out they weren't. Whose fault was it? Mine, because I really didn't look at it that way. Proverbs 27 verse 19.

I like how the New Living Translation that's up here in the New King James, the New Living says, As a face is reflected in water, so the heart is reveals the person. We need to not be Samuel like. Remember Samuel? He was sent to go anoint a king. And what did he do? Oh, this is him. Wow! Look at the size of that guy. Man, he's a good looking boy. Is he going to be a good looking king? That's him. God says no. Oh, well, how about this one? And he went through three or four until he'd gone through all the brothers.

No. And God had to tell this great man of God. Samuel, I don't look upon as men look upon people. I look at the heart. And haven't we found that to be true in our own lives? We find people who are so dedicated, morally, emotionally, personally, dedicated to doing what is right. We met those people who would take it at their loss rather than defraud someone, rather than upset someone. This is what God is looking for in his future kingdom. The royalty is going to have to hold themselves up to a better standard than the kings and queens of England have held their standard. He's looking. He's looking for those certain people.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

If I were to look in the mirror, I'd say, you know, if Jeannie was looking in the mirror, she goes, Pastor, you need a haircut. And I'm just a person to do it. But we look in a mirror. We have mirrors now. And we can see a pretty good reflection. Sometimes on our trip up to Ohio, we stayed at a hotel or somewhere, and they had this little mirror that was right there, and it just magnified. I thought I could put my nose up there and see my brain. It was such a, you know, so it showed every little thing. You know, water was the best thing they could reflect.

They did have metal on shields and so forth at that time, but God uses the water because you could see your reflection in it. And you could actually think, look, pretty good. You know? But He's telling us in Proverbs that the heart truly shows you what you look like. You'd say, well, how's that? No. The heart truly shows what you look like to God. He wants us to start looking at ourselves as He sees us, and He sees us through this thing. Are we that way? Do we want to be that way? And talking about Mother's Day, which we had a celebration at the morning service.

You know, it's the one thing that you find about mothers, whether you watch NBA, NFL, or baseball, and they interview somebody who does something great. Hey, they say, Mama. They say, Mama. Daddy might have given them all the DNA they knew to be a good ball player and may have spent hours training, but who do they go to? Most of the time, it's Mama. It's Mama. Because it is that heart of her that has done so much. And God made us that way. Made women that way. So there is that attachment. God wants us to kind of have that same attachment. Not only to Him, but to each other because of our hearts. Yeah, I do a wedding next week at this time. It would be about this time, I guess. No, no, I do that on Sunday. I had to forget. Yeah, but I give a service. I have a sermon to give. The foot of Mount St. Helens. 45 years to go to next weekend, I think it erupted. It would be at the foot. Yeah, let's see the ground move. I think it would be very touching. I just don't want it too touching. But when a young couple, they fall in love. And you know what they always did? Mary used to write me letters when we were dating each other. And she would put a big heart up there. You know, I don't think I ever did that. But isn't that what we think about when we fall in love? You know, the heart, my heart and so forth. But that's what God wants. That's why God does this one thing. Me and my father are one. Husband and wife may be one flesh. I mean, it's this powerful, powerful word in the Old Testament. But they're one in heart. That's what he wants. Because if you both are one in heart and you love each other so much, there's not going to be anybody else. Just not. And so that's what he wants us to have, a big old heart. And that's what he wants us to not only create. Isn't that what David said? Create in me a what? We need some clean hearts. And the cleaner they are, the bigger they'll be. The dirtier they are, the smaller they will be. That's part of God's design and his plan. So let's go back to our story today, the time I have our story and the lessons. But I'd like you to look at one thing. How bizarre these three people act. And then I'll wrap up with the three lessons that we have for today. So if you will join me, go back to 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel chapter 13. And I will say at the very beginning, this is a sad story.

But it's in there for us.

Let's go there. New King James Version. Chapter 13, verse 1 and 2 Samuel. Now after this it was so that Absalom, the son of David, had a lovely sister. Remember? 18 and 1, only one girl. Had a lovely sister whose name was Tamar. And Amnon, the son of David, her half-brother, loved her. That's what Scripture says, right? He lusted her. He lusted after her. Why would he do that? Here he's a prince, and she's a princess. But he's a prince. Remember who he is? Amnon, firstborn. Dale's right. He's the firstborn. We're talking king! He is being trained to be the king. So with roughly a guesstimated one and a half million people in and around Jerusalem or Judah, you'd say he pretty well has his pick of young maidens, wouldn't you think? He's a prince. He could be pretty choosy.

This is real life! This is Amnon! And yet he is being electressed towards his own half-sister. The only girl in the entire family of David, and you can't tell me that they didn't have dinners because the king usually had dinners with not only his top men and so forth, but his family. And so here you would have had this huge family, and there was all the brothers, and then there was his sister. Now we know from the previous story that the story of Absalom was a good-looking guy. So his sister was a, as it says here, good-looking thing. You women can tell me better than anyone else could, but can't you tell when a guy is just looking at you and not in a good way? I mean, you've seen it. You can see it on the street. You can see it growing up. You can see it when you're a teenager. You can see it. You see it! On the bus, yes.

I bring this story up for what? She didn't see it? Let's go on. Amnon was so distressed over his sister, Tamar, that he became sick, for she was a virgin. I feel even worse for your husband. Amnon was so distressed over his sister, Tamar, that he became sick, for she was a virgin. So he wanted her sexually. Get that! For she was a sick mind. Sick mind. I knew a guy in high school, like that, who said, I only wanted eight virgins, and then when they're no longer a virgin, I don't want to date them anymore. That's a warped mind, and even a warped heart. Well, I don't know how many times he's been divorced, but that's what his mind is. So I look at Amnon, because the way it put forth, that's what he was about. How sad is that? And if girls don't know what you young girls in here today don't realize that, your parents need to teach you. There are guys just like that out there. Let's go on. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.

But Amnon had a friend whose name was... and what a friend... Jonah Dabb. Jonah Dabb, the son of Shemea, David's brother. This was a first cousin. This is the first cousin. He's a friend, first cousin. And now, Jonah Dabb was a very crafty man. Can I say that again? Devious. Devious. Man. And he said to him, Jonah Dabb said to his first cousin Amnon, who he wanted to be around because this was a future king, why are you the king's son becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love lust. I love tomorrow. My brother, Absalom's sister. He's sick. Sick guy. That's his half-sister. This is incest, guys. Sick.

Five. So Jonah Dabb said to him, lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. Remember that song from the 50s of the great pretender? Uh-huh. He's going to be a great pretender. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, please let my sister tomorrow come and give me food and prepare the food in my sight that I may see it and eat from it from her very hand. Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, I know the words of Jonah Dabb, please let tomorrow my sister come and make me a couple of cakes for me in my sight that I may eat from her hand.

He had servants. He could have the best cooks and chefs anywhere.

And David bought it. Because look at verse 7.

David did not know his son's heart, the future king's heart.

There's something wrong with that picture.

He didn't pick up any of this thing.

He should have. I could tell my dad some stories, but he could read through most of them. And then comes out that belt.

The future king of the entire nation, and he didn't pick this up. Let's go down. So tomorrow went to her brother Amnon's house. She was innocent, and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cake. She went and did this service with her own hands. The good. The good. She was good. She was a good person. Let's go in and see about the bad. And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat, pretending. Then Amnon said, Have everyone go out from me. And they all went out from him. Why? Because he's future king. He tells somebody, Go here, they go here. Then Amnon said to tomorrow, Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.

This is sick. This is really sick. And tomorrow took the cakes, which she had made, because she was a good person, and brought them to Amnon, her brother. Look at that. Her brother into the bedroom. Now, when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, Come, lie with me, my sister. That sick mind. And she answered him, No, no, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing. And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you. However, he would not heed her voice. And being stronger than her, he forced her and lay with her. He raped her! He raped his own sister. Forced her. 15. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love for which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Arise, be gone.

There was no love involved. It was just lust. And when that lust wasn't returned, that's not what God made the act for. He made it for love, not for lust. He made it so that it would bond two people. She's not a choice. She was a victim. Why do you think he? You know, he probably thought in his mind, oh, this is going to be so great. No, it wasn't.

And she said to him, No, indeed. This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me. You're disgracing me. You just do nothing. I'm nothing but like a prostitute, a whore. But he would not listen to her. And then he called his servant, who attended him and said, Here, put this woman out away from me, and bolt the door behind her. What man with any type of heart could do that? Would do that? Did do that? Now, she had on a robe of many colors. For the king's virgin daughters wore such apparel. Well, he only had one daughter, didn't he? Yes, but this was common in king's daughters. You knew who they were. You knew they were a virgin princess. Princess! She had this. And so, being she was the only one, that's what she would be wearing.

And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her. Then Tamar put ashes on her head, tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly. Devastated. And Absalom, her brother, said to her, Has Amnon, your brother, been with you? Why did he say that? Well, he saw the robe. But he also knew what this brother was like. He knew what Amnon was like. He had been at those dinners. He looked at that, the lecherous cad, scum, that Amnon was. He knew it. Has Amnon, your brother, been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart. Ah, yeah.

So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

Very? He should have been ballistic. Did he do anything? And we all know the story of what happened two years later. The future king was killed, assassinated by Absalom, for the very act.

So, as I wrap this up, we had the good in Tamar. And we had the bad, and I mean really bad. And Amnon. And then we had the devious. Jonadab. That cousin? Ah, crafty, evil cousin. I've got the plan. Here's what you do. Lie to the king that you're sick, when all you have is a sick mind. Get out of bed and go take care of yourself. Go get busy. You're training to be the king. Nope. Here, let me tell you how you can lay your own sister. I'll put the plan together. All you gotta do is follow it. So, what are the lessons for us? If you're good, Tamar. If you see somebody, Tamar. If you like Tamar, keep your eyes open wide. We want to be good. God, ask us to be good. That means we need to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.

Eating at the king's table, she should have noticed. And she didn't notice, she should have asked. Why does he keep looking at me?

So, don't be a Tamar. When it comes to evil, try to see it. Try to see it.

So, keep your eyes wide open. Number two, listen. If you see bad, keep your distance. There's more bad in this world than there is good. Otherwise, we wouldn't have the problems we have today. Wouldn't it be so nice if everybody was just...

You helped other people and you gave and we were coming out of stores. There was such a... We stopped and got gas somewhere in South Carolina. Mary went to the restroom and I was filling the vehicle and I started to go in. I opened this door for this person. And he said, thank you. And I go in, come back out, and his girlfriend wasn't his wife. His girlfriend was pumping gas in the car. And he comes out and just starts dog-cussing her. Young couple had to be in their early twenties. Just disgraceful act. And I'm going, wait, you thank me for opening the door. And here this young girl is trying to pump your gas and she was having trouble with it. He just started cursing. That's the world we live in.

We need to remember the Linda Ronstad song from many years ago. Remember? You're no good. You're no good. You're no good. You're no good, baby. You're no good. Because we need to know those people who are no good and avoid them. Get them out of our lives. Don't get involved. This would have been good for tomorrow about Amnon. He was no good. At a very young age, he was no good. Finally, number three. If you see the devious, avoid it. Avoid it. And call it out.

I want to do that again. If you see devious, avoid it. And call it out. Even in the church of God.

Amnon, one of the throne. But what did he get instead? He got the grave. He got the grave, not the throne. But you see, there's something about the devious. Because even in today's world, the planner is more guilty of the crime than the perpetrator. Remember why we searched for Osama bin Laden? He didn't touch any of those planes, but he did the planning. That's what Jonah Dabb did. This was so evil. And mob boss, that order's a hit. He is more guilty than those who actually committed it. Brethren, I want you to think about that. As we go down the road, look at the good, look at the bad, and then look at the devious. Or how about even a minister who is devious? Who is devious? And I've seen him many times. And creates a following so he can have his own church.

Doesn't matter how many you hurt. They believe you. Brethren, that's the lesson for us. Keep our eyes open. Because God wants, if you've got these open, he can work with this. And he's going to tell you. Because haven't we all had gut feelings about something? Or felt it in our heart that it just wasn't right to do? Or that person's just not a good person? That's the Holy Spirit working with your heart. And sends that up to your mind. Brethren, they're a good, they're a bad, and they're a devious. It's our job to be good. To stay away from, keep our distance from the bad and make sure we avoid the devious at all costs. Even spiritually.

God gives us amazing blessings in this country.

He gives people amazing blessings in this country. Until many of them take those blessings, and they're not only bad, but they're devious. Let's make sure we have our eyes wide open. Because the future is going to be a while right. It just is. This book tells me it is. Let's make sure our hearts and eyes are open.