The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Tuesday
June 3, 2008
She replied, "Why don't you do as much for all the people of God as you have
promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision,
because you have refused to bring home your own banished son. All of us must die
eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be
gathered up again. That is why God tries to bring us back when we have been
separated from him. He does not sweep away the lives of those he cares about—and
neither should you!
"But I have come to plead with you for my son because my
life and my son's life have been threatened. I said to myself, 'Perhaps the king
will listen to me and rescue us from those who would cut us off from God's
people. Yes, the king will give us peace of mind again.' I know that you are
like an angel of God and can discern good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you."
2 Samuel 14:13-17
Yep, David fell for it again. Joab knew of a wise woman and sent her to King David. He even gave her the words to tell about her two sons who had gotten into a huge fight and one of them was killed. She went further and said that the rest of the family wanted the blood of the surviving son and she simply wanted her son to live because he was all she had. David fell for her story hook, line, and sinker. He told her that the son should be protected and restored and that he would see to it himself. You have read her reply.
Sibling rivalry is tough; especially when one is clearly in the fault. However, grace is grace. As humans it is hard for us to recognize reconciliation and restoration in the spiritual realm, much less in the physical. However, it is not to be understood, simply obeyed.
Our family has definitely had our share of sibling rivalry and it is stronger in blended families than in natural ones. Absalom and Amnon were not full-blooded brothers, they were half-brothers, add to that the fact that Amnon had raped Absalom's sister and you have a good basis for a "made for TV movie." However, since there is a spiritual aspect to the ending, don't expect to find it in sweeps week.
David allowed Absalom to return to the Kingdom, but not into his arms. Eventually, Absalom was killed and David mourned horribly, but he learned his lesson. David was a changed man after the death of his son, as we might well expect from a man after God's own heart.
Our loving Father left this story in the Bible so that we might learn some really good, hard lessons. Our children will do things that are against everything we have taught them, but we need to have the faith and strength to face their failures. We need to forgive them and allow them to be reconciled to us. Believe me, it isn't easy allowing children to move back in with you when the very reason they have to is because they didn't learn the lessons you tried to teach them. However, there will be a happy ending to our story ¾ in His time.
Father, again I thank You for the life of King David. I know You weren't proud of what happened, but I know You are pleased when we learn from him. Help us share the wisdom. Help us forgive before it's too late to love.
