WOW, what a insight on family feuds. This sums up the heart of the Father towards us. What would our families and churches look like if we practiced this characteristic of God?
Let's look a little closer at how the story plays out using the scriptures in today's Proverbs reading. Proverbs 14:16 The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
David's stubborness and half hearted willingness in bringing Absalom home but not meeting or seeing him is worst than being a hothead, he had grown cold towards his son. And yet he felt secure in his position.This was to change, and eventually this led to a split in the kingdom.
Irrational, ungracious behaviour will result in leading ourselves and others astray. Absalom was given all the time and "good reason" to plot evil and lead himself and others astray. He was left to his own devices and fed isolation with a decaying relationship in the family.
So, like mushrooms that grow in the dark and in manure, he had "much room" to split the kingdom and his family! And like the atomic bomb mushroom image, the beginning of a matter exploded out of all proportion to the perceived wrong done.
Proverbs 14:22 Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find [a] love and faithfulness.
May we be the ones "who plan what is good and find love and faithfulness". Amen
King David's family story is one of the sadest in the Bible. Absolum had every reason to be furious with his father. David had done nothing about the fact that one of his sons had raped one of his daughters. Absolum took revenge against his half brother for the rape of his sister, because David had done nothing to bring about justice.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a painful story.
Shirley Fay