II Samuel 19:1-8 – Father Love
The Living Word With Chuck Davis
II Samuel 19:1-8 – Father Love
Welcome to the Living Word with Chuck Davis. 2 Samuel 19 1-8 Father Love. It was told Joab, "Behold, the King is weeping and mourning for Absalom, so that victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. When people heard that day, the king is grieving for his son. And the people stole into the city that day as people still in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. The king covered his face and the king cried with a loud voice, "Oh my son Absalom, oh Absalom, my son, my son." Then Joab came into the house of the king and said, "You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life in the lives of your sons and daughters and lives of your wives and your concubines. Because you love those who hate you and you hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you. For today, I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now." Then the king arose and took a seat in the gate. And the people were all told, "Behold the king is sitting in the gate." And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his own home. In our last podcast we had left David in deep grief. He had received the news of Absalom's death. And here we hear the refrain, "Oh my son, Absalom, my son, my son." We catch David in his dual role as king and father. Previously his kingly role had eclipsed his fatherly role. We get to experience the reverse here. And his grief after people have protected him is confusion. We should be celebrating and yet we have a level of shame because of what's going on in the king. The king set the tone. This is true of all leadership positions. Leaders establish the culture. And there's a potential vacuum of power in this situation. Remember the shift of allegiance from David had moved to Absalom, the Wonder Boy. Now there's an opportunity for it to go somewhere else. And Joab comes into David and rebukes him. There's shame on those who have shown battle loyalty to you to protect your larger family. They put themselves at great risk. There's an indirect rebuke from Joab. If Absalom were alive today and we were all dead, would you feel better? Then it gets tougher. He even becomes more bold than Nathan. Bruggemann in his commentary on this passage says he offers somewhat of an ultimatum. Kings are used to doing the talking and giving the commands not being talked to in this matter. But David receives his words. Arise and speak kindly. Clean yourself up and make a public appearance. It's interesting, this kind of has an interesting echo after David Sorrow for the death of his illegitimate son with Bathsheba. Joab acknowledges that David has had it tough, but if he doesn't respond, all the evil that has come upon him from his youth until now will seem like nothing. There's multiple things that play out in the text. We have seen him perform a couple times to get himself out of a crisis, but David's in deep grief, but it shows the challenge to leadership. Leadership has sacrificial moments where you do need to grieve, but there's a time where you need to move on. Grief is always appropriate, but the reality is that there's a moment when life goes on. It will never be the same, but it goes on. Grief may linger and recycle. It may inform us, but it doesn't have to define us. The now what for us is to recognize what are some of our dual roles and where have we begun to blend them too much, especially for those of us in public or institutional leadership positions. We don't always get to bear the pain of our families out towards others. There is a place for vulnerability, there is a place for sharing, but there's also that element that we have a responsibility to care for people out beyond our own personal needs. And so Lord today, help us to know where we're crossing boundaries inappropriately with our feelings and our emotions. There's a latent grief in us that's never been dealt with, help us to deal with it properly in the right places so that we would be well and that we would bless others around us. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.