Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 18
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 18:33
Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: “O my son Absalom — my son, my son Absalom — if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!”
King David was very conflicted as he prepared for battle against the forces loyal to Absalom. David was aware that God willed that he continue as King over all Israel. The divine order is to put God first, family second and organization third. God created family long before human organizations, like government, existed. We cannot help but be emotionally involved if we read, not just with our minds, but with our hearts also. David mourned so deeply that he would have been willing to die in Absalom’s place. God became man so that He could die in our place. If David, a “man after God’s own heart,” could love so deeply, let us meditate on Jesus who “wept” over Lazarus’ death and over the people of Jerusalem. The greater the love, the deeper the grief. God’s grief over human rebellion, suffering and death, is far beyond our ability to comprehend. We are His family, His sons and daughters. 1 John 4:7-21 tries to put God’s love into words.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord Jesus, I weep as I type these words. Please enlarge my heart so that I may enter more deeply into Your heart, loving with as much of Your love as I have the maturity to experience. I love You Jesus, and I mourn that my sins caused Your death. The future for David’s family could’ve been so different if he had been obedient to You. Please give me grace and spiritual growth, learning the lessons of the tragedy of David’s family. In Your Name I pray. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
As Norma-Jean and I welcomed our children into our family, I shared the following decision with the congregations I served. As a father, I was directly responsible to God for my children and that Norma-Jean’s role was to the children before anyone else. I let it be known. God was first, my family second and my congregation third. I never heard anyone complain of being neglected in any of the four congregations I served. “Love” can be translated “time” in all languages: time with God early in the morning, and time with the family at breakfast, dinner and most evenings. After those priorities came time with the church members, hospital visitation, home visits and study time.
