Absalom’s Death: Victory or Defeat?
Today we
read about Absalom’s death. In one
respect it is easy to lean back in the chair after reading this story and
simply decide that the villain got what he deserved. And on one level that is absolutely
correct. However, on another level it is
a sad story. Absalom’s fall begins in a
house where lust goes unchecked. His
sister gets violated by his half-brother.
He responds out of passion and the downward spiral of his fall begins in
earnest. I’m not saying Absalom is
absolved because of the conditions out of which he came; but I am saying that
it is sad how the conditions around him allow his fall into sin far more
readily than providing a check against the fall.
A Look at the Battle
Let’s
unpack this story a little bit.
Absalom’s and David’s men meet in battle, and David orders his
commanders not to harm Absalom. This is
a silly request, but it is certainly an understandable one. But we’ll get to this in a bit. As they go out into battle, Joab finds
Absalom and ensures his death. When the
news reaches David, David mourns.
A moment
ago I said that David’s request for Absalom to be spared is silly, but
understandable. It is a silly request
because Absalom has already shown his deception against the Lord’s
Anointed. He has already shown that he
desires his way over God’s way. He has
shown himself seeking things for himself rather than for the things of
God. He has shown himself as an enemy of
God’s ways. He stands in judgment for
his actions. As far as we can tell – not
that it is our place to judge – he is unrepentant.
However,
David’s request to spare him is understandable as well. Parents watch their children grow. They watch them become adults. Good parents try and teach them right and
raise them to be productive adults in society.
But all parents must come to grips with the fact that their kids will
make the decisions that they will make as adults and there is little that the
parent can do about it. But even when
their children make disappointing decisions the parents don’t typically stop
loving their children. They may disagree
with the decisions and they may wish a different path for their children, but
good parents do not stop loving their children.
David’s desire for his son to be spared is out of this natural parental
love – in spite of what David knows that Absalom deserves.
This is
both a good and a bad thing. Ultimately,
it is good that parents have a near-unconditional love for their children. After all, we are to demonstrate God’s love
for us to our children. This is absolutely
a good thing. However, because we are
not God we as human beings have difficulty understanding how “tender love”
mixes with “tough love” all while remaining “unconditional love.” This is an incredibly difficult balance to
maintain. We’ve already seen how David
struggled with bringing his children into account for their actions in spite of
his love for them.
God’s Unconditional Love
I think
this is what makes the unconditional love of God a love that we can only find
in Him. God knows how to love us
unconditionally but how to also hold us accountable for our thoughts and
actions. God knows how to demonstrate
grace while at the same time also bringing us to the judgment seat. God maintains a beautiful balance that we as
human beings find it utterly impossible to accomplish.
David’s Mourning
At the end
of the chapter, David mourns. He hears
the news of Absalom’s death and he mourns for his son. Be careful here, though. David mourns his son, but he does not condemn
his son’s death. He mourns the loss of
his son out of his love; but he is careful not to condemn the act. David knows that Absalom has committed
treason among other offenses.
We’ll deal
with this mourning a little more tomorrow, but for right now let’s be content
to see this mourning as a healthy and positively directed emotion.
Joab’s Disobedience
This only
leaves Joab’s disobedience to David’s command to be discussed. Joab kills Absalom in spite of David’s direct
order. The question is – was this act
wrong?
Unfortunately,
I don’t have that answer. Yes, Joab
disobeyed David’s order; that much cannot be in doubt. But was David’s order an order from God or an
order from a parent making a request out of blind love? This is where I struggle today. Certainly Absalom has made himself a stench
against the will of God and certainly he deserves to come to judgment. So I am torn.
Clearly Joab went against the will of David. On the other hand, Joab brought judgment upon
a person who was directly opposing God’s will to have David lead the Hebrew
people. I am torn on this issue.
Furthermore,
as I hint at the end of the last section I think Joab speaks wisely to David
about his mourning in the next chapter.
Joab has good reason and good wisdom in what he does in spite of going
against David’s desire. Did Joab disobey
David? Certainly. Did Joab sin against God? Now that’s a better question – a question
that only God can answer.
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment