A Devotional Thought From 2 Samuel

And the soul of King David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.     2 Samuel 13:39

The soap opera of David’s family life which was the result of his sinful assignation with Bathsheba had come to bloodshed. His son Amnon had raped his half-sister Tamar and Tamar’s brother Absalom had killed the rapist and fled from the presence of King David. David was grief stricken at this turn of events and at the loss of his son Amnon, but Amnon was dead and he was comforted and had come to grips with the fact that the boy was gone and he had to live without him. So his heart turned to Absalom, who was the son he most loved, but he could not bring himself to publicly bring the boy home. Whether he thought that would be an act of weakness or bad religion we cannot say for certain, but David felt he must hold the line.

Joab, the Chief of Staff of David’s armies, was able to read David’s heart and he set in motion a plan to turn the king’s heart to forgiveness and a willingness to bring Absalom back to the capital city. He sent an actress, a wise woman of Tekoah, in for an audience with the King and she said she was a widow and told the story of her two sons.  One had killed the other, and now the family wanted revenge on the living son and wanted to kill him. She did not want to lose him despite his sin, he was all she had left. Could the king understand her position, and could he do something to save the boy’s life? Yes, David replied I’ll give orders that you are not to be bothered, and if anyone does continue the action against you or your son bring that person to me and I will set him straight. Not a hair of your boy’s head shall fall to earth.

Then she added Wherefore then has thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king does speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished (meaning Absalom). For we must needs die, and are as water spilled from the ground which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him (14:13, 14). If you can do this for my son, why can’t you do it for your own son, even God makes a way for those sinners who are gone out of His pathways to come home.

David realizes Joab’s trick, and is moved to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem.

Even in those days of the Old Testament we see there was  some understanding of God’s relationship to sinners. He devised a means for sinners to be brought home: the Cross of Calvary where Jesus died for our sins, and the empty grave from which He rose from the dead.