Parable (again)


2 Samuel 14:1-33
Take the time to follow the link to the Bible reading for today or look it up in your own Bible. The story is rather detailed and the devotion will make more sense if you understand what happens in the chapter.
http://www.esvbible.org/2 Samuel 14:1-33

Apparently David is a sucker for a good story. This is the second time that a parable or story has been used to get his attention about an situation in his own life. While it would be a stretch to compare Joab (the commander of David’s army) to Nathan (the prophet David listens to), they use the same foil to accomplish their goals. Maybe Joab learned it from Nathan. At any rate, Joab hires an actress to come in and move David’s heart to let Absalom back into Jerusalem. The story they use on David allows him to reach out to someone with grace and mercy, not knowing that his own son would be the recipient of the forgiveness. While David does allow Absalom back into the capital city, he is basically under house arrest, and David refuses to see his son and remains estranged from him. Absalom presses Joab into service again (albeit in a coercive manner) in order that father and son might be reunited for real.

One might ask, in reading this story, why Joab cares about Absalom’s return to favor with David. What we are possibly seeing is Joab's attempt at being a king-maker. Absalom stands to gain the throne if he is in good favor with the king, for he is next in line for the crown. Joab appears to enjoy the power struggles that go on inside of a government. Remember, each of the actions we see played out on these pages points to the character and substance of the people who are living out these events. What is described in this chapter points to Joab as a power broker and to Absalom as a prideful person who isn’t above burning another man’s field in order to get his way. Neither of these guys are very nice people, lest you want to cast them in the role of hero. They won’t wear the role well.

Here is a story that proves that our actions are the result of who we are on the inside. Our character will always squeeze out in the end. When you look back over your day as it draws to a close, what did your actions display about your character? Were they the product of a heart that loves the Lord and seeks to serve others? Or maybe there was a little bit of self-preservation going on and you served yourself all day. Either way, your character is sticking out! Were your words kind and uplifting or were they filled with gossip. Either way, your character is sticking out! We will find in the next few chapters that the negative aspects of Joab and Absalom’s personality will take over and attempts will be made to crush David, perpetrated by those whom he trusts.

All of us have personality warts – those aspects of our true selves that are not very attractive. But the Good News is always the same every day; God forgives all of those things in the blood of Jesus and we are spared from the punishment that we deserve because Jesus already bore it. As you review the day, hold it all up to God and ask His forgiveness where your “warty” self stuck out. He is faithful and will show you only grace!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

יהוה שָׁמַר--Yahweh Shamar (God Watches)

Image
Psalm 121 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. There are numerous passages I cling to when stress takes over my life. I would be hard pressed to declare a favorite, but this psalm would come close. So this morning I listened to Psalm 121 about 20 times as I meditated through the verses. First, I want to point out that the word or idea of shamar appears in every verse expect 6. The NIV uses the word "watch" while the ESV uses "keep". The...
Read more

Excusez-moi

Image
2 Kings 23:31-37 31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was twenty-fiv...
Read more

Narrow Door

Image
Luke 13:22-30 22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them , 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ 28 In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. 29 And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at tabl...
Read more