So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was concerned about Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman (2 Samuel 14:1-2)
God told David his heir will be Solomon, but Joab and everyone else thinks it will be Absalom. It concerns Joab that the heir to the throne of Israel is hiding in the territory of a vassal state. Joab wants him in the palace reconciled with David, so he devises a plan to persuade David into pardoning Absalom.
Joab is a manipulator and a man who shouldn’t be trusted, but like his sons, David can’t bring himself to deal with the man. A leadership weakness of David was leaving in power those who he shouldn’t trust.
And the king said, Let him go to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the king’s face. (2 Samuel 14:24)
David still has mixed emotions over Absalom. David issued an official state pardon to his son, but he was not ready to forgive his son personally and restore that relationship.
When parents don’t discipline properly from the beginning, they tend to overcompensate in the name of “toughness.” This often provokes the children to wrath (Ephesians 6:4) and makes the parent-child relationship worse.
There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman. (2 Samuel 14:27)
This statement reflects Absalom’s sense that he was fully justified in what he did. Self-justification is not repentance.
So Joab came to the king and told him. And when David had called for Absalom, he came to him and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and [David] kissed Absalom. (2 Samuel 14:33)
David offered Absalom forgiveness without any repentance or resolution of the wrong. David would have to bear the cost of this. This was no prodigal son returning; it was a proud son returning.
God told David his heir will be Solomon, but Joab and everyone else thinks it will be Absalom. It concerns Joab that the heir to the throne of Israel is hiding in the territory of a vassal state. Joab wants him in the palace reconciled with David, so he devises a plan to persuade David into pardoning Absalom.
Joab is a manipulator and a man who shouldn’t be trusted, but like his sons, David can’t bring himself to deal with the man. A leadership weakness of David was leaving in power those who he shouldn’t trust.
And the king said, Let him go to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the king’s face. (2 Samuel 14:24)
David still has mixed emotions over Absalom. David issued an official state pardon to his son, but he was not ready to forgive his son personally and restore that relationship.
When parents don’t discipline properly from the beginning, they tend to overcompensate in the name of “toughness.” This often provokes the children to wrath (Ephesians 6:4) and makes the parent-child relationship worse.
There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman. (2 Samuel 14:27)
This demonstrates the depth of Absalom's love for his sister, Tamar - he named his daughter after her. In doing so, he memorialized his wronged sister Tamar.
This statement reflects Absalom’s sense that he was fully justified in what he did. Self-justification is not repentance.
So Joab came to the king and told him. And when David had called for Absalom, he came to him and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and [David] kissed Absalom. (2 Samuel 14:33)
David offered Absalom forgiveness without any repentance or resolution of the wrong. David would have to bear the cost of this. This was no prodigal son returning; it was a proud son returning.
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