Intrigue, spy craft, deception and battle. I laugh when people say “I can’t read the Bible because it’s so boring”….this is where the ideas for movies come from.
We all know what the big picture is here. David is being punished by God for sleeping with Bathsheba and killing Uriah. This is exactly what God told David would happen to him…someone else would sleep with his wives in full view of everyone, and he would be at odds with his own family.
But underneath that “bigger picture” are some smaller happenings that are just as important. Zimri shows up as David is leaving the city with a gift…don’t be fooled by that (spoiler alert). And, Joab receives instruction from David regarding Absalom and ignores it. Those two things are going to develop into greater issues later. It reminds me that in any one event there are multiple things happening. David was well aware of it, and that is incredible.
For instance: David is able to consider that the man who is throwing stones and cursing could be doing it at God’s command. He even thinks “If this isn’t from God, then perhaps God will see my plight, recognize my innocence and intervene”. That’s a fairly informed and well thought out view for a guy who is running for his life. Maybe David thought that way all the time….maybe he looked at every situation and asked himself “what does God think about this” or “how does this relate back to God?” It’s no wonder he was a man “after God’s own heart”. Even when he was being punished, he put God first. So tomorrow as we read through some more psalms, let’s keep in mind that David could have written them while on the run, or at least written them about the time he was on the run.
I don’t understand why David is so upset about Absalom…this kid is trying to kill his dad. I think that might dampen my feelings just a little bit. As we will see in the next several days, David’s sorrow almost upsets the whole army.
Joab thinks he knows what is better for David than David himself. The practice of ignoring direct orders to do whatever he wants is going to lead him in a dangerous direction.
I wonder why Absalom tried to rebel in the first place? He had a pretty good life, and was in good graces with his father, the king. He might have even been king when David died…I don’t know. He must have been greedy or proud. It occurs to me that is the same set of circumstances under which Lucifer fell from heaven. There was a great battle that time as well. I wonder if God loved Lucifer, before he was betrayed by him. I’ve always thought of the devil as evil, but there was a time when he was the highest created being. Maybe God put it into David’s head to spare Absalom so that the parallel between the devil and Absalom would be more clear. If that would have been the case, Absalom would have been locked away in prison, released after some time, rebelled again and then been defeated forever. When Joab defied David’s order, he could have been messing up a metaphor. (would that be a metaphor?….maybe not. It rhymed.)
Did I learn anything from reading this today? I suppose I did. I learned to be calm when things aren’t going the way I think they should. I learned that I should not react violently toward everyone who opposes me. I learned that not everyone who says they are helping me out will actually be helping, some will have ulterior motives, and most importantly I learn that the best practice for a leader is to think of God first. How will my actions or reactions reflect upon God and the faith? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I know these things, learning them implies that behavior has changed, and I don’t know that my knowledge has been “battle tested” as of yet.
One other thing I noticed today. David is doing exactly what he needs to do, but 20,000 men still die in a battle. I guess we could say that sin is costly…this battle might have never taken place if David hadn’t sinned. In a way, these deaths are on him. In another way, David has been forgiven and cannot be held responsible for what another person (Absalom) does in defiance of God’s will. It just strikes me that there are times when we will have to fight for our very survival while we are doing God’s will.
“Lord, when I am opposed whether it be from within or without, friend or foe, help me to act and react in ways that will bring glory and honor to you, even if it brings shame or embarrassment to me. I don’t want to be embarrassed Lord, but at the same time I want it to be unacceptable that I ever bring any dishonor to your name, regardless. Grant me a wisdom that will allow me to make decisions accordingly, and help me to be wise in the way I interact with others”
faithfully,
PR