READING: 2 Samuel 16-18
“Absalom, my son, my son!”
2 Sam. 18:33
Just read the words of David when he learned of Absalom’s death, and you cannot help but enter his grief a bit: “The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, ‘My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!’”(2 Sam. 18:33). Read the words again, and watch for the repetition that echoes as grief throughout the sentences: “My son . . . .” Five times, David called Absalom his son; five times, a broken father shows the wounds of his heart as he grieves the death of his son.
Of course, there is much behind this story. Absalom had rebelled against his father, David. Indeed, Absalom died during war when he unintentionally hung himself in an oak tree, which allowed Joab and others to take his life. David had ordered the troops, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom” (2 Sam. 18:5), but Joab and his armor bearers ignored that command. Absalom was dead, buried under “a huge mound of stones” (2 Sam. 18:17).
We can wonder if David saw in Absalom’s death a fulfilment of Nathan’s prophecy when he confronted David over his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:10-11). The sword of battle would never leave his house. Evil would rise up against David from within his own house. Someone would publicly lie with David’s wives (as Absalom did). All of this pointed back toward God’s judgment on David for enticing and sleeping with Bathsheba. Consequences of David’s sin were becoming increasingly apparent.
I am reminded today that there is no wisdom in ignoring the Bible’s teaching on sin and its repercussions. Even if the consequences of sin are not immediate, they are still sure to happen.
ACTION STEPS:
- Assume that your sin today will carry consequences today or tomorrow . . . or later.
- Ignore the devil’s lures today. Follow God fully.
PRAYER: “Father, deliver me from the evil one today.”
TOMORROW'S READING: Psalms 26, 40-41, 58, 61-62, 64