It is very easy to read a psalm and ignore the first line—the
line that says who wrote it and for what reason or what context. Psalm 3, which
is an incredible psalm of deliverance, is a psalm written of when David fled
from his own son who was seeking to have him put to death. It would have been a
big deal for a king to be pursued by another power and seeking to save his life
and the lives of his family, but to have to flee from the hands of his own son
is something that most of us would have a hard time imagining. It is one thing to
be attacked, it is entirely another to be betrayed by someone close. Yet I
imagine that most of us can relate to this aspect of the account in one way or
another.
Starting with 2 Samuel 13 we read the account of Absalom (David’s
third-born son). We read of his full sister being raped by his oldest half-brother
and then him having that brother, Amnon, killed, to his fleeing and subsequent
return, even returning to a place of authority. Then we read of Absalom using his
position of authority to build his own influence and favor which led to him declaring
himself king in Hebron, where David himself was first made king and first ruled
prior to moving to Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 15:12-16 records for us what happens
next.
2 Samuel 15:12-16 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his
city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was
strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.
Then a messenger came to
David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” David said
to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, for
otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will
overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the
edge of the sword.” Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are
ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” So the king went out and all his household
with him….”
As we progress
through the account of what transpired, we find that Absalom did indeed enter
Jerusalem and take authority in his father’s house. We even read in 2 Samuel
17:1-4 that his next step was to have his father pursued and put to death. 2
Samuel 17:1-4 Furthermore,
Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise
and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and
exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee.
Then I will strike down the king alone, and I will bring back all the people to
you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the
people will be at peace.” So the plan
pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.”
But then another
plan was brought forth to which Absalom agreed, and then the one who brought
the plan forth, Hushai, sent messengers to David to warn him of the plan. In
doing this he changed the plan enough that the advantage shifted to David, and
led even to Absalom’s death as is recorded in 2 Samuel 18:9-18.
While there was
relief in the end of the uprising, there was also great mourning by David because
the leader who died was still his son. We read in 2 Samuel 18:33, The king was deeply moved and went up to the
chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “O my son
Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my
son, my son!” Of course this was not received well by those who had just fought
on behalf of David, leading them to even feel that he had favored his
rebellious son over their faithful service. David was confronted with this, and
though his heart was broken for his son, he also recognized the faithful
service of others, forgave those who were swayed by Absalom, and was himself
restored to his kingdom.
Today Sarah writes about bringing God all of our feelings,
and letting Him deal with them. As we know from Scripture our God does indeed
know our every feeling, thought, and word before they ever approach our heart,
mind, or tongue. David wrote about this so eloquently in his psalms to the
Lord, and in particular we see this in Psalm 139:1-6. “For the choir director. A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from
afar. You
scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my
ways. Even
before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord,
You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too
high, I cannot attain to it.”
Just as we know David
found solace and hope from God, we too can find it in those intense times when
we come before Him openly, admitting our thoughts and our hurts and then
focusing on who He is and His ability to handle our problems. This is true of
the really big ones like David experienced with his family and the small ones
we experience on a daily basis. There is nothing too big or too small for our
God, and in that we can truly praise Him.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (7/19)
Bring Me all your feelings, even the ones you wish you
didn’t have. Fear and anxiety still plague you. Feelings per se are not sinful,
but they can be temptations to sin. Blazing missiles of fear fly at you day and
night; these attacks from the evil one come at you relentlessly. Use your
shield of faith to extinguish those flaming arrows. Affirm your trust in Me,
regardless of how you feel. If you persist, your feelings will eventually fall
in line with your faith.
Do not hide from your fear or pretend it isn’t there.
Anxiety that you hide in the recesses of your heart will give birth to fear of
fear: a monstrous stepchild. Bring your anxieties out into the Light of My
Presence, where we can deal with them together. Concentrate on trusting Me, and
fearfulness will gradually lose its foothold within you.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to
you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have
fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the
truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1
John 1:5-7
No comments:
Post a Comment