It's Complicated (S2): WK 6 - MON
2 Samuel 18:9-12
9 During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to
escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his
hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.
10 One of David’s men saw what had happened and told Joab, “I saw Absalom dangling
from a great tree.”
11 “What?” Joab demanded. “You saw him there and didn’t kill him? I would have rewarded
you with ten pieces of silver and a hero’s belt!”
12 “I would not kill the king’s son for even a thousand pieces of silver,” the man replied to
Joab. “We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake, please
spare young Absalom.’
In this chapter, we are in the midst of a civil war between King David and those loyal to him, and his son Absalom, who has tricked many of the Israelites into supporting him as a new king. So how did we get here?
After Amnon’s death, Absalom flees Hebron to Geshur. Geshur is about 250-300 miles away from Hebron, so he is now a good, “safe” distance away from any retribution from his father, the king. After two years, David allows Absalom to return to Hebron, but he doesn’t want to see him; not yet. His feelings are still complicated. He knows what Amnon did was wrong, but he still grieves Amnon. And he loves and wants to reconcile with Absalom, but will that make it look like he no longer grieves Amnon? Meanwhile, Absalom continues to allow his hatred for Amnon’s act to consume him. He has now named his daughter Tamar, after his sister that Amnon raped.
David does eventually reconcile with Absalom, but it’s too little too late for Absalom. Absalom has allowed the cousins of hatred, bitterness and resentment, to also settle into his heart. He is angry that David wasn’t on his side concerning Amnon’s death, and he begins to see David as a weak king who could and should be overthrown.
So Absalom rebels against the king and convinces many in Israel to side with him. But at the end of the day, Absalom is still David’s son and with all the mess that has seemingly taken over their lives, the father still loves the son, longs to reconcile with him. The father doesn’t want to lose another son.
Any of that sound familiar? Even as I write those words, I think of Paul’s famous line about Jesus in his letter to the Romans…
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8, NLT)
Scripture is the story of God chasing His children even when His children rebelled. And though God could have, maybe should have, given up on us many times; He doesn’t. He continues to pursue us and even laid His life down to reconcile us to Himself. The choice is ours, will we choose to believe He loves us, choose to accept His work of reconciliation?
By the time we come to 2 Samuel 18, Absalom is on the run and David’s companions are anxious to put an end to Absalom, David’s enemy. But David doesn’t want his son to die, he wants to save him. Families are complicated that way, aren’t they?
1. Is there anyone in your life that you wish you could reconcile with? What’s stopping you?
2. What does it mean to you that while you were still a sinner, while you still struggled to do that which you know you should, God has always since before you were born, and will always love you, unconditionally?
9 During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to
escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his
hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.
10 One of David’s men saw what had happened and told Joab, “I saw Absalom dangling
from a great tree.”
11 “What?” Joab demanded. “You saw him there and didn’t kill him? I would have rewarded
you with ten pieces of silver and a hero’s belt!”
12 “I would not kill the king’s son for even a thousand pieces of silver,” the man replied to
Joab. “We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake, please
spare young Absalom.’
In this chapter, we are in the midst of a civil war between King David and those loyal to him, and his son Absalom, who has tricked many of the Israelites into supporting him as a new king. So how did we get here?
After Amnon’s death, Absalom flees Hebron to Geshur. Geshur is about 250-300 miles away from Hebron, so he is now a good, “safe” distance away from any retribution from his father, the king. After two years, David allows Absalom to return to Hebron, but he doesn’t want to see him; not yet. His feelings are still complicated. He knows what Amnon did was wrong, but he still grieves Amnon. And he loves and wants to reconcile with Absalom, but will that make it look like he no longer grieves Amnon? Meanwhile, Absalom continues to allow his hatred for Amnon’s act to consume him. He has now named his daughter Tamar, after his sister that Amnon raped.
David does eventually reconcile with Absalom, but it’s too little too late for Absalom. Absalom has allowed the cousins of hatred, bitterness and resentment, to also settle into his heart. He is angry that David wasn’t on his side concerning Amnon’s death, and he begins to see David as a weak king who could and should be overthrown.
So Absalom rebels against the king and convinces many in Israel to side with him. But at the end of the day, Absalom is still David’s son and with all the mess that has seemingly taken over their lives, the father still loves the son, longs to reconcile with him. The father doesn’t want to lose another son.
Any of that sound familiar? Even as I write those words, I think of Paul’s famous line about Jesus in his letter to the Romans…
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8, NLT)
Scripture is the story of God chasing His children even when His children rebelled. And though God could have, maybe should have, given up on us many times; He doesn’t. He continues to pursue us and even laid His life down to reconcile us to Himself. The choice is ours, will we choose to believe He loves us, choose to accept His work of reconciliation?
By the time we come to 2 Samuel 18, Absalom is on the run and David’s companions are anxious to put an end to Absalom, David’s enemy. But David doesn’t want his son to die, he wants to save him. Families are complicated that way, aren’t they?
1. Is there anyone in your life that you wish you could reconcile with? What’s stopping you?
2. What does it mean to you that while you were still a sinner, while you still struggled to do that which you know you should, God has always since before you were born, and will always love you, unconditionally?
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