1
Let Me Run
2 Sam. 18:19-23
2
Background
• Absalom’s rebellion
• Absalom caught under the giant
oak tree
• Joab stabs Absalom and he dies
suspended under the tree
3
•Ahimaaz
• He wants to take the news of
victory to David
• Joab did not want him to go
because it was bad news
4
• Joab commands a Cushite (a man
from Ethiopia) to take the news
• Ahimaaz wanted to follow the
Cushite and was allowed to do so
• Ahimaaz beat the Cushite – he
gently broke the news to David but
did not tell all – the Cushite finished
the story
5
• David laments greatly over the
death of Absalom and is rebuked
by Joab
• There are many lessons in this
account but we want to focus on
Ahimaaz and what he did
6
I. Ahimaaz was loyal
• Absalom stole the hearts of the
people, but not the heart of
Ahimaaz (2 Sam. 15:6)
• Ahimaaz was the son of a priest
but he did not follow the crowd
• He remained loyal to the king
7
• He was loyal in battle
• He wanted the hard job of
bearing the news to David
• How would David react to the
news?
II. Ahimaaz was motivated by love
for the king
• Love moved him to tell the good
news
• 2 Sam. 18: 28 “Blessed be the Lord
thy God…”
• He left the bad news for another to
tell – but he prepared the king to
receive it
8
9
Jn. 14:15
• If ye love me, keep my
commandments.
10
1 Jn. 5:3
• For this is the love of God, that
we keep his commandments: and
his commandments are not
grievous.
11
• Love makes service a joy
• Our labor is a sign of our love
and demonstrates the quality of
our love (attendance, giving,
study, prayer, personal evanglism,
godly living etc. )
12
III. Ahimaaz was good
• 2 Sam. 18:27
• “… and the king said, He is a good
man, and cometh with good
tidings”
13
• David recognized his good
character
• According to the custom of the
day a good man would bring only
good news
14
• Sometimes a good man must
bring bad news
• Noah
• Jonah
15
• Most things are a combination of
good news and bad news
• The world is lost, but Jesus came
to bring salvation
• We must leave this world, but
Jesus has a better place for us
16
IV. Ahimaaz was enthusiastic
• “Let me now run”
• Many today are filled with that
which is wrong or unimportant
• Ahimaaz wanted to run with the
good news of victory
• LET THIS BE OUR ATTITUDE!
17
Rom. 1:16
• For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek.
18
1 Pet. 1:23
• Being born again, not of
corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth for
ever.
19
Mt. 11:28-30
• Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light
20
Ps. 122:1
• I was glad when they said unto
me, Let us go into the house of
the LORD.
21
• Let us run with the work of the
church
• There is something you can do!
• “The total accomplished in the
church is the sum of the
accomplishments of each individual
in the church.” W. T. Hamilton
22
• Let Christians run to the work !
• It is also time for sinners to
decide to run --- to run to Jesus!