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5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders. 6 David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword. 9 Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.” 33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 NIV)
A wondrous Wednesday be yours, dear ConCafe Family, and may you, dear Friend, find what you lack in God's word and His presence, and may our prayers reach the throne of Heaven and bring to earth the desired results of God. May we pray for comfort for the Ploeger Family who today laid to rest, Deannie, a marvelous woman of faith. May she rest in peace. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
When we last visited King David, he had confessed to his sin and God shared with him some hopeful, merciful words, but also some truthful words; "10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own." (2 Samuel 12) The sword did not depart from David's home. One of his own sons challenged him for the throne and went to war against him. David, faifthful father that he was, pleads for compassion in the treatment of Absalom. The passage shows otherwise. As the young man hangs from the branches of an oak tree, ten of General Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and struck him dead. The army rejoiced and thought the king would as well. When he asked about his son, the officers replied that what happened to Absalom happen to all of the king's enemies. David was shaken and sad by the news. David wept and wept for his son, even though the young man was willing to kill his own father for his politial ambition.
Friends, just as there is no perfect person in the world, save our Lord Jesus, there is no perfect family either. And no place does that seem to appear more than in the Bible. Remember the first family? With Cain and Abel, one would think they will certainly fight like brothers and sisters do, but to have killed him? And to the children of Abraham; sure, separate mothers, but hatred of this magnitude? And to the present age? Since the times of Genesis? If your family immune to this? Chance are that your family, nor mine, is not. And it can be the littlest thing that triggers wars in the household. "This is mine, not yours!" Or, "Who gave you permission to do that?" or even "Who do you think you are?" Lines are crossed, boundaries are erected, and feelings, sometimes hearts, sometimes lives are broken, and it seems like nothing can ever repair them. One would think the prestige, the protection, and position of a palace would count for something, but in this case of King David and Prince Absalom, it counted for nothing but heartache and death. Even modern monarachies do not have any sort of protection from the human condition. You would think wise words like those we read last night from the Apostle Paul would or should make a difference in the lives of believers; yet we can step back and say, the first four books of the New Testament are about the Good News, one book about the history of the start of the Church, and the rest of the book can be summed up with one word, behave! Okay, two words, behave Christians! Yes, the majority of the NT is how to act right, live righteously, and seek to glorify God. And do we do it?
This then, my friends, is our call to action. To be men and women, boys and girls, of love, service, sacrifice, praise, and compassion. May true change happen in our hearts, and our spirits so that we can, truly transform the world for Jesus Christ.
PRAYER: Loving Father, we have heard and we will respond as You guide us. We want to transform the world for You, but we know it must start in our hearts first; so, come Holy Spirit and ignite in us the strength and peace we need to serve You in faithful ways. We pray for all families represented in this prayer, that love would reign supreme in each heart and spirit and truly become the places where love is no stranger. This we pray in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be love for others today!
Receive my blessings of joy and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
