As we continue to walk through the story of David and Absalom, in my
preaching at our church, we are learning that it is by focusing on David
that we see Christ through him and the godly response to betrayal (read
my previous post).
By focusing on Absalom, on the other hand, we get a pretty good picture
of what bitterness will do to a person who does not deal with hurt
biblically.
Let me encourage you to read 2 Samuel 13-18 sometime this weekend to
see the whole picture of the situation and how Absalom handles the evil
done in his family. We recognize the problem with David’s passivity as a
leader here, but we should not blame David for Absalom’s anger, hatred,
and desire for revenge. For two years, Absalom plotted and planned how he would kill Amnon (2 Sam 13:28-32). For the next three years,
Absalom lived with his maternal grandfather. David was not proactive in
trying to reconcile with Absalom. When Absalom returned, David
communicated no desire to work out the relationship with his son. Two more years went by,
and finally Absalom asked, by way of Joab, “What is the point? Why am I
even returned?” So David allowed Absalom to come to meet him at the
palace. Absalom bowed, and David kissed him. They parted. This is forced
reconciliation. Continue at Paul Tautges
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