II Samuel 14:1-33 – Generational Walls
The Living Word With Chuck Davis
II Samuel 14:1-33 – Generational Walls
Welcome to "The Living Word" with Chuck Davis. 2 Samuel 14, 1 to 33, generational walls. Now Joab the son of Zeruea knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom. And Joab sent to Tacoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, "To her pretend to be a morner and put on morning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been warning many days for the dead. Go to the king and speak thus to him." So Joab put the words in her mouth. When the woman of Tacoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, "Save me, O king." And the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "Alas, I am a widow. My husband is dead." And your servant had two sons and they quarreled with one another in a field. There was no one to separate them and one struck the other and killed him. And now the whole clan has risen against your servant. And they say, "Give up the man who struck his brother that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed." And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on face of the earth. Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house and I will give orders concerning you." And the woman of Tacoa said to the king, "I may be the guilt my lord the king and on my father's house. Let the king in his throne be guiltless." The king said, "If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me and he shall never touch you again." Then she said, "Please let the king invoke the lord your god that the avenger of blood kill no more. And my son be not destroyed." And he said, "As the lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground." Then the woman said, "Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king." He said, "Speak." And the woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God?" For in giving this decision the king convicts himself in as much as the king does not bring his banished one home again. We must all die. We are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. Now I've come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid and your servant thought, "I will speak to the king. It may be the king will perform the request of his servant. For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God." And your servant thought, "The word of my lord the king will set me at rest. For my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The lord your god be with you." Then the king answered the woman, "Do not hide from me anything I ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king speak." And the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me. It was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant. In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of angel of God to know all these things that are on earth." And the king said to Joab, "Behold, now I grant this. Go bring back the young man Absalom. And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight by lord the king. And in that the king has granted the request of his servant." So Joab arose and went to Geshear and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, "Let him dwell apart in his own house. He's not to come into my presence." So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king's presence. Now in all of Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the soul of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish on him. And when he cut the hair of his head for at the end of every year he used to cut it. When it was heavy on him he cut it. He weighed the hair of his head 200 shekels by the king's weight. There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman. So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem without coming into the king's presence. Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time but Joab would not come. Then he said to his servants, "See Joab's field is next to mine and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servant set the field on fire. Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, "Why have your servant set my field on fire?" Absalom answered, "Joab, behold I sent word to you. Come here that I may send you to the king to ask why have I come from Gesher. It would be better for me to still be there. Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king and if there is guilt in me let him put me to death." Then Joab went to the king and told him and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on the face of the ground before the king and the king kissed Absalom. Very interesting story. Joab finds this woman of Takoa and she lives out a human parable before him. David is trapped by her wisdom. What's really Joab's wisdom is an artistic beauty to how it's put there. As Nathan says, "You are the man." Once again this woman says by her parable, "You are the man." Bruggemann says in his commentary, "The wise woman wants to free David from mistaken notions, the stakes that come from rage, resentment and pride." It's actually Joab who wants to bring him from those things. And so Joab brings Absalom back to Jerusalem but David won't allow him into his palace. Absalom has to live apart. David plays somewhat of the anti-prodigal father in this story. He does not pursue. He has a heart after God but it's not exactly like God's. Absalom burns Joab's field. It leaves to a moment coming together. David kisses Absalom and we're hoping at this point that the family strife is going to come to a close. But we're going to see maybe this is the so what of this passage is David's reconciliation seems to be somewhat reluctant. And reluctant reconciliation is not real reconciliation. For all practical purposes Absalom is still excommunicated. The now what is a reminder that we need to welcome the prodigal's home. It would be costly but it will be worth it. There's time to create space. David has created space but it seems to have gone too long. It's interesting that the drama of this alienation goes all the way back to the situation of Tamar. Her memory is with Absalom all the time because he names his daughter Tamar. At some point somebody needs to lay the gauntlet down and take the step of reconciliation. It feels like Absalom is leaning this way when he burns Joab's field and asks for a meeting with the king. Better to be dead than to live in this ambiguity of being unreconcelled with his father. And so Lord today we pray that you'll give us courage to lay any animosity down that we have and to welcome the wandering prodigals back into our life. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.