Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 13:23-15:37
My selection: 2 Samuel 15:13-15
And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”
My reflections: What a contrast between David’s relaxation (Ch. 12) and his return to fugitive status in this passage. How his life has been turned upside down as a consequence of his sin. Rather than let Absalom besiege Jerusalem and wage a war of attrition, David flees and returns to a familiar lifestyle which he had known during his youth. He wisely left Hushai as a double agent to confuse Absalom and counteract the advice of the turncoat Ahithophel. He also left the priests who were loyal to him and could keep him informed of developments in Jerusalem.
The chaos that had settled into David’s family continued. David would continue to be torn between a blind love for his wicked son, Absalom, and the need to administer justice in the kingdom. This seemed to be a lose-lose situation for him. There would be no possible good outcome. He would either lose the kingdom (and possibly his own life) or he would lose his son.
Psalm 94 may have been David’s prayer in that awful time.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
It was a lose-lose situation for David but not for God. Because of that, it was not ultimately a lose-lose situation for David either.
My challenge: Take comfort in God’s sovereignty in the chaotic situation of your life today. For Him there are no lose-lose situations. Let His consolations cheer your soul.
Tomorrow’s reading: 2 Samuel 16:1-19:7
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