Friday
Absalom, the rebel son dies and David mourns his loss. Why wouldn’t David celebrate over the death of such a rival in his life? I think there are several reasons why David was so upset over the death of Absalom. First, Absalom, no matter what he had done (sleeping with David’s wife, trying to kill David, etc) was still his son. If you have rebellious children, there is always a part of you that will love them, no matter what they have done. Second, I think David must have felt some responsibility for the actions of his son. Remember Nathan had prophesied this would happen because of David’s actions against Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. When David had him placed in a position that would surely cause Uriah’s death, Nathan said there would be strife and fighting within David’s family. Third, David was really not a very good father. He didn’t deal with the problems between his sons and chose to ignore the issues. So I imagine, David felt some responsibility for the bad choices Absalom made.
As parents we have such an obligation to raise our children to become godly men and women, but it is often a difficult task because for some reason as they grow up they begin to think for themselves. Our task is to provide for them a safe environment and two people (a mother and father) that love each other and them and shows them how to love the Lord.
Blessings on the day
PK