A few weeks ago I looked in our church bulletin and saw that the title of the sermon for that day was, “Getting Rid Of Dandelions.” Our first elder was preaching and on seeing him, I told him I would be listening carefully as I intended to do a blog post on dandelions.
When he started speaking, I didn’t hear anything that would make me think of dandelions, but I thought this was only the introduction, and he would soon get into speaking of dandelions. Well he kept on speaking and I kept on waiting—my mind only focus on dandelions. It wasn’t till he was about three quarters through his sermon that I started to make some sense out of what he was saying, and now because of that, it’s a sermon that I will always remember. Our speaker for the day was Richard Jules, and not only is he an incredible artist /www.youtube.com but he is also a fantastic speaker.
The Bible is a book that no matter how many times you read it, there is always something new to discover, and on this particular day I would make a new discovery all because of Richard’s Sermon. So His sermon started with David looking at Bathsheba from his roof top and he knew her to be the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah.
Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not a]”>[a]Bathsheba, the daughter of b]”>[b]Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.” 2 Samuel 11:2-5 You can read the whole story if you are not familiar with it.
Well I knew this story of what David did to Uriah, sending him off to be killed, but for some reason the name Ahithophel was new to me, and it was around this name that Richard’s sermon would be, as I listened on in hopes of learning how to get rid of dandelions. I won’t go into everything as Richard did but will give you a much shorter version.
Ahithophel was the father of Eliam, so therefore he was the grandfather of Bathsheba. Ahithophel also was filled with wisdom and he would counsel David and also Absalom. When Absalom came seeking advice from Ahithophel, he advised Absalom to go sleep with his father’s concubines.
21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. 2 Samuel 16:21-23
Maybe some have figured it out at this point, or if you’re like me you are still a bit puzzled until everything is explained to you.
The Explanation:
Many years has passed since David took Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. David went on and repented, and we all know that it is said that David is a man after God’s heart, so we know that God forgave David. But man is not like God, and Ahithoophel being the grandfather of Bathsheba and probably having a fondness for Uriah never really forgave David. So now he advised David’s son to go up to the rooftop and do to his father David, what David did to Ahithophel and his family so many years ago. Though he would advise David and was so close to him, Ahithophel obviously held much hatred in his heart towards David and he waited patiently until he finally got an opportunity to use it.
The dandelion have roots that run deep down and not only do they run deep, but they spread out in many directions making them very difficult to get rid of. Hatred can be like this, and the hatred of Ahithophel for David was like this. As close as he should have been to God he held this hatred towards David for many many years. He became so consumed by it that it eventually cost him his life.
Many of us today are the same way, with our hearts filled with hate towards others. The other person could be just like David in that they may of made things right with God, while the unforgiving person is being consumed by hate and anger. As hard and difficult as it may be, the Bible tells us that we must overcome evil. It’s a much better way to live.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans+12:21 NKJV
So while the roots of the dandelion runs deep and as a result we have to use the right tools and dig very deep to get rid of them, in order for us to get rid of hatred we have to seek a very deep relationship with Jesus. I pray that we may all seek that relationship so we may overcome all evil and replace it with the goodness that is needed.
Very interesting and very poignant! Thank you so much for sharing it. God bless you.
Thank you so much for reading and I’m so glad you found it interesting.
Very beautifully written. Thank you!
Glad you liked it.
Another blessed post to understand divine messages. Thank you so much for sharing. 🌷🙏
My pleasure. We’re always learning something new from the Bible.
So true about each time we read the Word there is more and more to see!
Yes there is, and it can very well go on until the day Jesus returns once again.