Order of Worship
24th of November | 10:30 (Espoo) & 16:00 (Helsinki)
Song 1 – I Will Wait For You (Psalm 130)
Hear God call you to worship:
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,”
Psalm 63:1-5 ESV
Let us worship the Lord!
Song 2 – This is Our God
Song 3 – (chorus) King of Kings
Song 4 – The Servant King
Song 5 – My Worth is Not in What I Own
Our welcome team members will pass an offering basket during this song.
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Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen
A warm welcome to all, and especially to any visitors joining us today – if you’d like to get connected or find out more about UCC, please see our digital visitors card or speak to us after the service!
If you have children, they are welcome to join our Sunday school classes!
Our Scripture reading today is 2 Samuel 19:9–15 & 31–39 and 20:1–2 (ESV). Hear the Word of God:
19:9 And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”
11 And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?[a] 12 You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’”14 And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.” 15 So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.
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31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. 33 And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.” 38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” 39 Then all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home. 40 The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. All the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way.
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20:1 Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,
“We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
This is the Word of the Lord.
A Longing for the King
2 Samuel 19–20
I. The King’s Grief (vv 1–8)
II. The People’s Arguments (vv 9–15; 40–43)
III. Encounters with the King (vv 16–39, 20:1–2)
Song 6 – His Mercy Is More
Song 7 – Blessed Assurance
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come;
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
“‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
– Numbers 6:24-26
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Introduction
- C.S. Lewis states, “No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.” Consider this quote and how it applies to your own life. Give some examples of how this might be true.
Into the Text:
- How many ways does God’s Word in 2 Samuel 12:10 manifest in David’s life throughout chapters 13–20? What does this reveal about the certainty and reliability of God’s Word?
- Can you see similarities between the arguments among Israel’s tribes during David’s time and the divisions in the Corinthian church that Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 1–4? What can we learn from these parallels?
Applying the Text:
- As David regains the throne amidst the chaos in Israel, he responds humbly. Are there conflicts in your life currently? How could approaching them with humility help you navigate these challenges and foster peace?
- Consider David’s interactions with Shimei, Mephibosheth, Barzillai, and Chimham. What lessons can we learn from their examples?
- Richard Phillips observes that David’s failure to restore unity reminds us that no human king can restore unity; only the Divine king, Jesus, can truly restore unity. How does this passage remind us of our need for Jesus as our perfect and ultimate king?