Being a strong leader requires God’s wisdom, courage, and the willingness to take necessary action. But what happens when the necessary action that is required puts someone you love in the crosshairs?
This morning’s Scripture reading is from 2nd Samuel 19: 1-8.
Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom. As all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son, the joy of that day’s victory was turned into deep sadness. They crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted in battle. The king covered his face with his hands and kept crying, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Then Joab went to the king’s room and said to him, “We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed of ourselves. You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased. Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before.” So the king went out and took his seat at the town gate, and as the news spread throughout the town that he was there, everyone went to him.
Upon hearing that his son Absalom had been killed in battle, David was overcome with enormous grief. Yes, he was the king and everyone looked to him as their brave leader. But David was also a father. And although Absalom had conspired against him, this was not how David wanted things to end. He did not want his son harmed. He made that perfectly clear to Joab and his men before they went into battle. David desperately wanted the opportunity to forgive his son and have their relationship restored. But now Absalom was dead, and so too was any hope of reconciliation.
As we read Joab’s rebuke of the king, we’re left with the reasonable thought that perhaps Joab himself was without children. His words to David were very strong and void of any sensitivity. He chastised him and essentially called him ungrateful, which was incredibly bold, even for a lead commander. But Joab spoke the truth that David needed to hear. “Stop your crying. You’re the king! Now get up and go out there and act like a king by congratulating your troops for saving you and your family’s lives. They’ve earned it.”
It’s challenging for us to read the account of David and Absalom and find anything pleasant at all about it. David might have been a great king, but he was in fact a poor father who neglected to keep his children in line and the consequences were catastrophic.
And yet in chapter 18 and verse 33, we see the broken heart of a man whose love for his son echoed throughout the land of Israel. Upon hearing that his son was dead, David said, “O, my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you – O Absalom, my son, my son!”
A thousand years later, another king would come with the Messianic title, Son of David, who would bring forgiveness and reconciliation. And Jesus did that by taking our place on the cross.
It was a hard day for King Jesus, but a great day for you and me! Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 