Absalom was a very handsome man. His hair was long and luxurious. He was fully aware of his good looks. He was also aware that likes a sympathetic ear. Israel was drawn to his good looks and he told Israel what it wanted to hear. The combination of his youthful good looks and his promise to make life better for them led to a rebellion against his father, David. There are a lot of good things that you can say about David, but being a good parent doesn't seem to be one of them. His sons are murderers, rapists and revolutionaries.......what a group of miscreants.
David gathers his family and those who are loyal to him and flees Jerusalem. He leaves behind some trusted servants as spies including Hushai. Husahi had been a loyal advisor to David but persuades Absalom that he is now loyal to him. Absalom accepts Hushai's advice of Ahitophel and thus saves the day for David. Absalom hesitates before pressing the attack against his father which gives David's loyals time to rest, organize and prepare. Absalom attacks David on David's chosen turf and is routed. Absalom seeks to flee and catches his long beautiful locks in the branches of a tree. One of David's generals finds him there and ends his life, against the orders of David. In spite of his wickedness, his treachery and his rebellion; David loved his son, Absalom and now he mourns the loss of another child.
Further examples of why God blessed David and called David a man after God's own heart. When David is being cursed as he leaves Jerusalem he tells his men not to harm his verbal assailant. Why? because David sees God at work in everything and if that is true, God's will be done. What a wonderful attitude and how that would help us to keep our own blood pressure in check when the world seems to turn against us. God's will be done! Certainly when David was surrounded by treachery and deceit, it served David well to believe that God would win inspite of all of the evil around him. And that is true.....as bad as the world may seem to be.....God still wins. Hold onto that faith and the journey of life will be a little easier.
How David mourned the loss of another child. It is unnatural for a parent to have to bury a child and David has done so several times now, beginning with the child born to he and Bathsheba. Do you remember how Nathan, the high priest, rebuked David after his great sin involving the death of Uriah the Hittite and David's sinful relationship with Bathsheba? Nathan told David that "the sword shall never leave your house because of your sin against God and I (God) will raise up adversity against you from within your own house." Part of David's mourning must surely have been because he realized that much of this great tragedy was the consequence of his own sin.
As I have often told you before; sin will take you to places that you never meant to go and it will keep you there longer than you ever meant to stay and it will cost you more than you will ever be able to pay. God save us from our sin!!
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