When God Shoots Down Your Plans

November 14, 2021

In this message, Ben Stuart tackles how we can handle God denying us success in our genuinely good plans. When our plans fail, His plan is always better and will always succeed. Ben explains how the Bible put on display the sovereignty and power of God’s purposes.

Key Takeaway

God's plan is better. We can made great plans, even have the goal of that plan to bring God glory and He reserves the right to upend them. We don't have to get anxious when our plans fail, because we can trust that His ways are better.

1) Everybody makes plans.

If someone has no plans for the future, ask them where they will be at twice their age. While people may not want to commit to speaking their plans, they definitely have an idea of what direction they are going and who they want to be.

David certainly had plans. Pastor Ben gave an explaination of how David went from hiding in a cave to being King over Israel. After he had mourned the death of Saul and Jonathan, had multiple battles, and dealt with dysfunction from every side, David finally became king and wanted to honor God. God told David where he had started and where He had brought him, so David wanted to build God a house to dwell in among the people. God flat out refuses this plan.

2) God shoots down plans.

This is actually something that scares us the most about God. He can destroy our plans! We like our plans, we made them for a reason, and while we appreciate His plan of salvation, we often do not want him messing with our own personal plans. The irony is that He can mess with our plans no matter what. God does whatever God wants to whether we like it or not.

People tend to either love that or hate that about God. But regardless, there is always hope.

What do you do when you have a good plan and God shoot it down?

1)You listen. You receive the Word of God.

This does not mean you just sit there and be quiet hoping to hear something. Sometimes that happens, but it's through the Word of God that He has spoken to us! The words that God gave to David were the same words that the prophets constantly called back to, what Mary referred to as she carried our Savior. His word is powerful and enduring. The Bible is for us! So receive the Word of God and rest.

2) You rest.

After God tells David that he is not to build a house for him, David didn't get mad and throw a temper tantrum. Instead, this is where we first see David referenced as King, and he went in before the Lord and sat. (2 Samuel 7:18) He found his rightful place in the presence of God and poured out his heart of thanksgiving and confessing that he trusts God's plan and covenant. King David is given a promise, but not the details, yet he praises God anyway.

Is it wrong to make plans? No. The Bible is full of examples of people making plans. The hope of the Believer is that even when our plans fall apart, we don't worry about it. God's secret will is His to keep. David didn't apologize about making plans to build God a house, in the New Testament Paul doesn't apologize for trying to get to Spain to spread the gospel. They just pivot and trust that God has a better plan when God says no to theirs. His plans never fall apart or fail.

3) Run in the path of His commands.

David didn't just sit and pout. He may not have been the designated one to build the temple, but he went ahead and started making preparations and sacrificing his own fortune for it. Just because God says no to something doesn't mean we give up. King David knew that his son would be building a House for the Lord, so he helped gather materials. We get to excel at the revealed things.

The Davidic Covenant is given in 2 Samuel 7:9-16. God promises that He will make David's name great, He will establish a house, or dynasty, that will far outlive David, and that estblished kingdom will endure forever, David's throne will be established with no end. God is ultimately talking about His Son, Jesus coming. Matthew 1:6 and Luke 3:31 show us exactly where David falls in the genealogy of Jesus. Genesis 49:10 promises that the scepter shall not fall from Judah. This is the tribe that both David and Jesus come from. Redemption has always been in the story. From Genesis, through all of the covenants, God's plan is always better! And what also is remarkable is that God gives this covenant to David, promising an enduring throne that will lead to our salvation, before David commits a heinous trail of sin. Part of the Davidic Covenant was that God would never take His love away. That word is true for us today as well.

“

"When you get on board with God's plan, it's easier to loosen your grip on yours."

”

Ben Stuart

Discussion Questions

What are your plans? When you are twice your age, what do you want life to look like?
David mourned Saul even though Saul had relentlessly pursued David to kill him. Pastor Ben said, "David understood a loss for the king is a loss for the nation." How do you reconcile David putting aside his own experience to look at the bigger picture?
God reserves the right to thwart our plans. What do you think about that? Does that irritate you or console you?
God made it very clear that He was responsible for David's success. Do you think this fueled David's trust that God had a better plan even though his personal plans were shot down? Would you want to defend yourself or would you find a position of humility?
Ben made a point of saying King David sat like a kid before the Lord. When you sit before the Lord, what is your posture? Is it childlike? A business meeting? Casual? Reverent? A place of comfort? A place of fear?
Is it wrong to make plans?
What is your response when your plans falls apart? Are you ashamed or apologetic? Do you just move on?
Ben warned about filling ourselves with anxiety rather than good theology. What do you find fuels your anxiety? How do you recover good and sound theology?
In what ways can you run in the path of God's commands, excelling in the revealed things?
What preparations can you be making to help a future plan, even if the plan is not yours?

Scripture References

God’s Promise to David

1After the king was settled in his palace and the

Lord

had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

3Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the

Lord

is with you.”

4But that night the word of the

Lord

came to Nathan, saying:

5“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the

Lord

says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’

8“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the

Lord

Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

“ ‘The

Lord

declares to you that the

Lord

himself will establish a house for you: 12When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

17Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer

18Then King David went in and sat before the

Lord

, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign

Lord

, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign

Lord

, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign

Lord

, is for a mere human!

20“What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign

Lord

. 21For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

22“How great you are, Sovereign

Lord

! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?24You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you,

Lord

, have become their God.

25“And now,

Lord

God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The

Lord

Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

27“

Lord

Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28Sovereign

Lord

, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign

Lord

, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

God’s Promise to David

1After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the

Lord

is under a tent.”

2Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

3But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

4“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the

Lord

says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’

7“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the

Lord

Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.

“ ‘I declare to you that the

Lord

will build a house for you: 11When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ ”

15Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

David’s Prayer

16Then King David went in and sat before the

Lord

, and he said:

“Who am I,

Lord

God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You,

Lord

God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

18“What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19

Lord

. For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

20“There is no one like you,

Lord

, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 21And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you,

Lord

, have become their God.

23“And now,

Lord

, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The

Lord

Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

25“You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26You,

Lord

, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you,

Lord

, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

9In their hearts humans plan their course,

but the

Lord

establishes their steps.

21Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the

Lord

’s purpose that prevails.

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the

Lord

, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

10The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he to whom it belongs shall come

and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

7“My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the

Lord

, the God of Israel.

8But the

Lord

said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name.

9Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’

Ahaziah King of Judah

1The people of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, Jehoram’s youngest son, king in his place, since the raiders, who came with the Arabs into the camp, had killed all the older sons. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.

2Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri.

3He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. 4He did evil in the eyes of the

Lord

, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing. 5He also followed their counsel when he went with Joram son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; 6so he returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds they had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.

Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab because he had been wounded.

7Through Ahaziah’s visit to Joram, God brought about Ahaziah’s downfall. When Ahaziah arrived, he went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the

Lord

had anointed to destroy the house of Ahab. 8While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the officials of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s relatives, who had been attending Ahaziah, and he killed them. 9He then went in search of Ahaziah, and his men captured him while he was hiding in Samaria. He was brought to Jehu and put to death. They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the

Lord

with all his heart.” So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom.

Athaliah and Joash

10When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. 11But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah’s sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so she could not kill him. 12He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

1Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the

Lord

, just as his father David had done.

3In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the

Lord

and repaired them. 4He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the

Lord

, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the

Lord

our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the

Lord

’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8Therefore, the anger of the

Lord

has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. 10Now I intend to make a covenant with the

Lord

, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11My sons, do not be negligent now, for the

Lord

has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”

12Then these Levites set to work:

from the Kohathites:

Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah;

from the Merarites:

Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel;

from the Gershonites:

Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;

13from the descendants of Elizaphan:

Shimri and Jeiel;

from the descendants of Asaph:

Zechariah and Mattaniah;

14from the descendants of Heman:

Jehiel and Shimei;

from the descendants of Jeduthun:

Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the

Lord

, as the king had ordered, following the word of the

Lord

. 16The priests went into the sanctuary of the

Lord

to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the

Lord

’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the

Lord

. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. 17They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the

Lord

. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the

Lord

itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.

18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the

Lord

, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the

Lord

’s altar.”

20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the

Lord

. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the

Lord

. 22So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splashed it against the altar; next they slaughtered the rams and splashed their blood against the altar; then they slaughtered the lambs and splashed their blood against the altar. 23The goats for the sin offering were brought before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone for all Israel, because the king had ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.

25He stationed the Levites in the temple of the

Lord

with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the

Lord

through his prophets. 26So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.

27Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the

Lord

began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel. 28The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the musicians played and the trumpets sounded. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed.

29When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped. 30King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the

Lord

with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed down and worshiped.

31Then Hezekiah said, “You have now dedicated yourselves to the

Lord

. Come and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the temple of the

Lord

.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

32The number of burnt offerings the assembly brought was seventy bulls, a hundred rams and two hundred male lambs—all of them for burnt offerings to the

Lord

. 33The animals consecrated as sacrifices amounted to six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats. 34The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their relatives the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been. 35There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings.

So the service of the temple of the

Lord

was reestablished. 36Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly.

David’s Charge to Solomon

1When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

2“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3and observe what the

Lord

your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4and that the

Lord

may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

5“Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7“But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8“And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the

Lord

: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

10Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

Solomon’s Throne Established

13Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”

He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” 14Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”

“You may say it,” she replied.

15“As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the

Lord

. 16Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”

“You may make it,” she said.

17So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

18“Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”

19When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

20“I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”

The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”

21So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

22King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”

23Then King Solomon swore by the

Lord

: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24And now, as surely as the

Lord

lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

26To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign

Lord

before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.” 27So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the

Lord

, fulfilling the word the

Lord

had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

28When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the

Lord

and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the

Lord

and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

30So Benaiah entered the tent of the

Lord

and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ”

But he answered, “No, I will die here.”

Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

31Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32The

Lord

will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he. 33May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the

Lord

’s peace forever.”

34So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.

36Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”

38Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” 40At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

41When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the

Lord

and warn you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ 43Why then did you not keep your oath to the

Lord

and obey the command I gave you?”

44The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the

Lord

will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the

Lord

forever.”

46Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and he died.

The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.

1Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

On Cyprus

4The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

6They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

In Pisidian Antioch

13From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.”

16Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20All this took about 450 years.

“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

23“From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

26“Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead, 31and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

32“We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

“ ‘You are my son;

today I have become your father.’

34God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said,

“ ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’

35So it is also stated elsewhere:

“ ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’

36“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

38“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

41“ ‘Look, you scoffers,

wonder and perish,

for I am going to do something in your days

that you would never believe,

even if someone told you.’”

42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

44On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.

46Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,

that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

48When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

49The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Ben Stuart

Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.