April 12: Absalom's Rebellion

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012

Absalom's Rebellion

Today's message contrasts sharply with our Easter celebration of Christ's resurrection and the granting of new life to those who trust in Him.  Here, in King David's family –  the very family from whom the Messiah will come -- we have great intrigue that emerges from the longings of sinful hearts.  Like Jesus, David will experience the pain and disappointment of seeing those closest to him bring betrayal and sorrow.  David had just finished his stealthy campaign to avoid the jealous Saul, and now he finds great violence and heartbreak within his own family.  Because of sin's consequences, David can cry like Jesus:  "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?/ Why are you so far from saving me,/ so far from the words of my groaning?" (Psalm 22:1)

 

We notice several themes with the sinful nature and actions displayed in the passage:

 

1.       Even the righteous will face great sorrow at the sin of others.  As David painfully sees in his own family, despite his heart after God's own, he cannot control his own family members.  Perhaps this lack of spiritual connection with prodigal sons and daughters is most troubling to parents of faith.  There may be questions of:  Could I have done more?  How could I have loved them better?  In the example of David, we see that each person must individually make choices to love and serve God but that, by our sinful nature, we are inclined not to.

 

2.       Sin often has shrewd trappings.  Amnon, who rapes his half-sister Tamar, receives counsel from Jonadab, David's brother.  Jonadab sets up a plan to facilitate Amnon's lust.  People have sinned creatively since the Fall, but their motivations are generally not very complex.

 

3.       Unrighteous desirers will never be truly satisfied.  Where do we seek our satisfaction?  From a Snickers?  A new car?  As Mick Jagger told us (in the song that some have named the greatest rock song of all time), "I can't get no satisfaction."  Sin always leaves us wanting more.  In the case of Amnon, he initially "loves" his half-sister Tamar, but, in reality, he merely lusts after her.  As we see her powerfully, love builds up, while lust breaks down.  Lust is self-centered, while love is others-focused.  His lust pushes him from love to hatred in the moments after their sexual encounter, and he pushes his sister away in great disgrace:  "Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred.  In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her.  Amnon said to her, 'Get up and get out!'" (2 Samuel 13:15)

 

4.       Anger that masks itself as "righteous" anger may lead us to even greater sin.  Absalom's anger is initially justified, but he acts on his anger in murderous rage.  Imagine Absalom's thought life for the two years between Amnon's rape and his murder.  Was Absalom ever free?  He never sought restitution from Amnon nor gave him forgiveness; as a result, his grudge welled up into great sin.  We must not be naïve to let others' sin roll over us, but we also cannot allow our response to sin to lead to greater sin.  We often believe that grudges give us power over another person, but they really only act to trap us.  Please be careful with roots of bitterness because they can grow into mighty trees that harden our hearts.

 

 

In his book The Bondage Breaker, Neil T. Anderson explains, reflecting on Ephesians 4:26,27:  "Paul is saying that we may allow the devil a place in our lives if we fail to speak the truth in love and manage our emotions.  Anger that turns to bitterness and unforgiveness is an open invitation to demonic control (2 Corinthians 2:10,11)."  Furthermore, "bitterness and unforgiveness toward other people is the most widespread stronghold that Satan enjoys among Christians." 

 

The book argues forcefully that spiritual warfare affects all people, but Christians have the means to stand firm against the Evil One's schemes.  Anderson urges that "resisting the devil in your life is your responsibility based on the authority you possess in Christ."  Per Philippians 4:8, we must evaluate all penetrating thoughts in light of Paul's eight-fold criteria, only allowing the "true" and "noble" to speak to our hearts and minds.  By taking in God's Word on a daily basis and remaining connected to him through prayer, we may renew our minds and "be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)

 

 

QUESTIONS

 

1. How has others' sin affected your walk with the Lord?  How might you seek to forgive them fully and so be freed from grudges?

 

2. How can you better seek satisfaction in God?  Perhaps you might start by listing five ways in which the Lord has shown His great love to you.

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