2 Samuel 18 -- As Much About David As About Absalom

Absalom and his army came after David.  Joab and others counseled David not to go to war himself, but to remain in the city, which he agreed to do.  The forest in which they fought was so dense that accidents claimed more lives than the actual fighting did!  Absalom's donkey walked under an oak tree, catching Absalom's neck in the fork of two branches while the donkey continued on its way.  Some of David's soldiers saw him hanging thee alive and unable to rescue himself, but they dared not touch him, fearful of David's reaction if he died while they tried to free him.  Hearing the news, Joab took matters into his own hands, stabbing Absalom with a lance or spear.  Then ten other soldiers finished the job and threw Absalom's body into a deep pit, covering it with stones.

David had instructed his men to go easy on Absalom, despite everything Absalom had done to his brother and his father.  "If David had one fault, it was pampering his sons.  But before we criticize David, we must remember that he was a man after God's own heart.  Let's be thankful that our Father in heaven hasn't dealt with us according to our sins.  In His grace, He gives us what we don't deserve, and in His mercy, He doesn't give us what we do deserve," my commentary said.

"It was a bittersweet victory for David.  When the enemy is your own son, there can be no triumph and no celebration."

"In one sense, David pronounced his own sentence when he said to Nathan, 'And he shall restore the lamb fourfold,' for this was the final payment of David's great debt.  The baby had died, Tamar was raped, Amnon was slain, and now Absalom was dead.  David tasted once again the pain of forgiven sin," my commentary added.

"David's tears reveal the broken heart of a loving father.  Speaking of David's sorrow, Charles Spurgeon said, 'It would be wise to sympathize as far as we can, than to sit in judgment upon a case which has never been our own.'"

Father, I've felt some of David's pain.  I've hurt for my sons and prayed for them, asking that You make them into men after Your own heart.  Please let them know then pain I've felt, like David, and also the great love You've given me for them.  Help them to want to return that love by living for You.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford