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- Oct 26, 2007
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Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Please, let my lord the king speak." So the king said, "[Is] the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "[As] you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. 2 Samuel 14:18-19 NKJV
The story of Absalom’s conspiracy against his father, David, is full of intrigue. Perhaps we can draw a spiritual application from the political machinations.
Exceptionally good-looking, Absalom was equally selfish. He killed the half-brother who violated Absalom’s full sister, then ran to another country for refuge. David longed for Absalom but maintained his banishment—so the king’s military commander found someone to spin a story paralleling David’s own situation. He quickly recognized the subterfuge and responded with the words above.
David allowed the return of Absalom, who then began to flatter his countrymen in an attempt to usurp the throne. Soon, a messenger told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom” (2 Samuel 15:13). Absalom’s rebellion against God’s anointed king was ultimately doomed, and his followers would have been wise to look below the surface to the young man’s dark purposes.
As Christians, we shouldn’t be immediately suspicious of people. But we should recognize that people and situations aren’t always as they first appear. Perhaps that’s why Jesus once told His disciples to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
Prayer: Lord, give me discernment in this world of falsehood.
The story of Absalom’s conspiracy against his father, David, is full of intrigue. Perhaps we can draw a spiritual application from the political machinations.
Exceptionally good-looking, Absalom was equally selfish. He killed the half-brother who violated Absalom’s full sister, then ran to another country for refuge. David longed for Absalom but maintained his banishment—so the king’s military commander found someone to spin a story paralleling David’s own situation. He quickly recognized the subterfuge and responded with the words above.
David allowed the return of Absalom, who then began to flatter his countrymen in an attempt to usurp the throne. Soon, a messenger told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom” (2 Samuel 15:13). Absalom’s rebellion against God’s anointed king was ultimately doomed, and his followers would have been wise to look below the surface to the young man’s dark purposes.
As Christians, we shouldn’t be immediately suspicious of people. But we should recognize that people and situations aren’t always as they first appear. Perhaps that’s why Jesus once told His disciples to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
Prayer: Lord, give me discernment in this world of falsehood.
