How to Get the Job Done. (2 Samuel 3: 1-39)

One of the most successful television programs in the UK in the 1960’s when I was growing up, was called Jack-a-Nory, which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. All the top actors of the day were delighted to be asked to come on it and simply sit in a chair and read a story. It began with a simple short phrase.

 “Are you sitting comfortably. Let me tell you a story.”

 And it had a winning formula because children love stories.

Adults love stories, and older folks love telling stories.

Stories connect with us in a way that facts alone never can.

 And apparently, God agrees — because the Bible is full of stories. It’s a book that is not just commands, not just doctrines, not just principles, but stories. Real people. Real choices. With real consequences played out.

 Some stories show us what to imitate.

Some show us what to avoid.

I think 2 Samuel 3 is one of those stories.

 It’s messy.

It’s political.

It’s full of flawed people making questionable decisions.

And yet, right in the middle of it, God is quietly at work — moving His purposes forward, shaping His king, and teaching us something about how His work gets done in the real world.

 So let’s step into the story…..