Tag Archives: Absalom

Devotional

Love Amidst Rebellion

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Read 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

ALSO IN SCRIPTURE
“Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife” (Proverbs 19:14 NLT).

Image created by Rev. Todd R. Lattig with the assistance of Copilot, an AI language model developed by Microsoft and powered by OpenAI.

In the biblical narrative of 2 Samuel 18, we are drawn into a story of profound love and heart-wrenching tragedy amidst the backdrop of political turmoil. King David, despite the rebellion of his son Absalom, exhibits an extraordinary depth of paternal love and loyalty that resonates through the ages. As Absalom’s forces prepare for battle against David’s own, the king issues a poignant plea to his commanders: “For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:5, NLT). This request, born out of a father’s unwavering affection, stands as a testament to the enduring bond between parent and child, even in the face of betrayal and conflict.

As the harrowing conflict unfolds, Absalom meets his fate on the battlefield, prompting an outpouring of grief from David that pierces the soul. “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you” (2 Samuel 18:33, NLT), David cries, his anguish echoing through the annals of history as a raw expression of a father’s deepest love and lamentation.

The parallels with Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, “King Lear,” are striking. In this tale of familial discord and betrayal, we witness the downfall of a king deceived by those closest to him. King Lear, in his twilight years, seeks to divide his kingdom among his daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, based on their professions of love. Yet, it is Cordelia, the youngest and most sincere, who faces rejection for her honest avowal, while Goneril and Regan, with their false flattery, receive Lear’s favor.

The consequences of Lear’s misplaced trust unfold tragically as his kingdom descends into chaos and Cordelia meets her untimely demise. Lear’s anguished cry upon discovering her fate resonates with the raw emotion of David’s lament for Absalom, underscoring the universal themes of love, loyalty, and the agony of familial betrayal.

In both narratives, we are confronted with the complexities of human relationships—the ties that bind us together and the fractures that threaten to tear us apart. David’s unyielding love for Absalom and Lear’s eventual recognition of Cordelia’s loyalty serve as powerful reminders of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

As we contemplate these stories, we are compelled to ponder the nature of love and loyalty. What compels a father to forgive his son’s transgressions? What drives a king to trust those who would betray him? And yet, amidst the turmoil and heartache, we find glimpses of grace—moments of redemption that speak to the enduring power of love to transcend even the deepest wounds.

Let us strive to emulate the compassion and empathy demonstrated by David and Lear, recognizing that every member of our family is deserving of love and understanding, despite their faults or mistakes. As we cultivate an atmosphere of love and acceptance within our families, we create a foundation of support and unity that can weather any storm. Through our actions, may we honor the sacred bonds of family and reflect the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father, who embraces us all with open arms.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Family bonds, despite their trials, reflect the enduring and unconditional love of God.

PRAYER
Lord, grant us the strength to love as You love, to forgive as You forgive, and to hold fast to the bonds of family that unite us. Amen.

Devotion written by Rev. Todd R. Lattig with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.

Devotional

God’s People, part 54: Filicide

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Read 2 Samuel 18

ALSO IN SCRIPTURE

“The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, ‘O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!’” (2 Samuel‬ ‭19:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬)‬‬

When we think of God’s people, we tend to think one of two things. We might think of the Israelites who were God’s “chosen people”, or we might think of specific characters in the Bible. Either way, we tend to idealize the people we are thinking about. For instance, we may think that God’s people are super faithful, holy, perform miracles and live wholly devout and righteous lives. Unfortunately, this idealism enables us to distance ourselves from being God’s people, because we feel that we fall short of those ideals. As such, I have decided to write a devotion series on specific characters in the Bible in order to show you how much these Biblical people are truly like us, and how much we are truly called to be God’s people.

  Part 54: Filicide. We’ve experienced David the shepherd. We’ve experienced David the brave giant-slayer. We’ve experienced David the warrior. We’ve experienced David the husband, David the King, David the cheater, David the murderer, and David the proud. With that said, we have yet to look at David the father. After all, David was the father of 21 children, 19 of whom made it to adulthood. The other two died, with at least one (probably both) of them dying in infancy.

Out of the 19 children, one of them was a woman named Tamar. One would think that an only daughter might be precious to the King; however, David seems to fall short in being a good dad to her. For one, she becomes one of many victims in the dysfunctional family that David has built. David’s eldest son, Amnon, ends up lusting after his half-sister (remember, David had many wives), and rapes her.

Of course, it would be wrong to relegate the rape to just being a result of lust. Rape always comes down to power, and David’s children were all vying for power, just as their father had. The children did not fall far from the tree. After raping her, the battered and broken Tamar told her brother Absolom who, in turn, brought the terrible news to David. What did David do to defend his daughter’s honor and seek justice? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Consider this the beginning of the end Absalom’s relationship with his father. In complete disgust and outrage and after taking Tamar into his home where she “remained desolate”, Absalom avenged his sister’s rape and had Amnon killed two-years later.

Following the murder, Absalom fell out of favor with this father and was exiled for three years. Alhough David had thought he had restored the trust of his son following the three year exile, Absalom had no trust or respect for his dad. He began to build support and ended up stealing the hearts of the people of Israel. After four years, Absalom declared himself king and David had to go into hiding.

We will discuss Absalom’s treachery in more detail later; however, in the end, David was able to gather his troops and plan an attack against Absalom. Again, we see that age old pattern of David’s. He orders that Absalom be captured and not killed; however, Absalom gets his hair stuck in a tree and David’s commander Joab, pursuing him, runs Absalom through and kills him. David later replaces Joab and eventually advises his son Solomon to have him killed.

We could take this account simply at face value, or we can read between the lines here. Absalom’s treachery was unacceptable and David, being the politician and king that he was, had to punish his son for plotting against him and usurping his authority. While I am sure it did grieve the king, there is little doubt that David knew that Absalom would be killed and may have even secretly ordered it.

As you can see, a life of sin amounts to a whole lot of death. David’s sins had completely and fully caught up to him and the weight of those sins had a profound and horrific effect on his family. They suffered because of his sinful and, sometimes, evil choices. His treachery toward God, the one who chose him and loved him, begot the treachery of his family. The treachery of his family led David to kill his own son, committing the horrific act of filicide.

How do we lead treacherous lives? How do we fall short of what God has called us to do. How do we harden our hearts and fail to live up to being God’s people! David was, perhaps, Israel’s greatest and most noble king; however, as you can see, he still fell way short of perfect. Yet, if God loved (and still chose) David despite all of his sins, do we have any excuse for thinking we are not loved and chosen by God? Let us put down our excuses and open our hearts, once and for all, to the love of God and loyalty to God’s purpose for our lives.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Saint Paul (Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬)‬‬

PRAYER

Lord, help soften my heart and help me remove my the treachery within it. I am yours, and want to be faithful in serving your kingdom. Amen.