Enemy Within
5 The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom. 31 Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, "Good tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you." 32 The king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" The Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man." 33 The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Samuel 18:5, 31-33)
Like father, like son. Like mother, like daughter. We can use these phases as a compliment or a critique. After the prophet, Nathan, gave David the pronouncement of God's judgment (2 Samuel 12), the drama that unfolds bears out that prophecy and the reality that violence begets violence. David's firstborn and oldest son, Amnon, began to lust after his half-sister, Tamar. With the help of his cousin, Amnon concocted a plan and raped Tamar. When Tamar's direct brother, Absalom, found out he went to their father, but David refused to punish Amnon, so Absalom plotted against and killed Amnon in retaliation. Absalom then ran away and decided he would be a better king than his father, so he gathered forces in order to overthrow King David. In an effort to gain support and show that he was "worthy" of the kingship, Absalom raped the concubines of his father. Just as David had refused to discipline Amnon, he also refused to retaliate against Absalom. But, although the king had pleaded for mercy in dealing with Absalom, his military leader Joab ordered his men to kill Absalom when the opportunity arose.
It's easy to surmise that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and that David got exactly what God said would befall him. But all along David had a choice - the choice to be defined by his past sin, or to choose a new reality for himself and his family. Perhaps God's declaration to David was not a curse God handed down, but a proclamation of the natural consequence of a regret-filled heart that was not transformed.
No matter the external challenges we face, it is the battle raging within each of us that truly determines the trajectory of our lives. Ultimately we are descendants of the Creator, siblings of the Savior, connected and empowered by the Spirit. May we never fall far from the Tree of Life.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. 2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! 3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. 5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. 8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. (Psalm 130)
