READING: 2 Samuel 16-18
I am not a father, as Pam and I do not have children. So, I can’t fully enter into David’s grief when he learned that his son, Absalom, was dead. My attempts at imagining that pain, though, remind me of what I assume a father’s heart might sense: “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).
At the same time, scholars view David’s grief as compounded by the fact that his adultery with Bathsheba led to this deep tragedy in his home (2 Sam 12:10-11). It’s one thing to grieve a son’s death simply because you’re the father; it’s another matter to grieve a death influenced by your own sinful actions. The anguish must have been intense for David.
Today, all of us thus need to ask this question: “How might my actions today lead to future issues with the generations I influence?”
PERSONAL REFLECTION: What is your answer today to the above question?
DAILY PRAYER: “Help me, God, to leave a good mark on the next generations.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Samuel 19-21
