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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
2 Sam. 16
Jesus once told His twelve apostles, “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28). David never heard these words form Jesus, but he understood the truth. As Shimei hurled curses at him and his men, David said, “Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and restore goodness to me instead of Shimei’s curses today.” (2 Sam. 16:12). David knew Shimei was not the one in control of those curses. He could neither make them happen nor prevent them. But God could. And so David trusteed in God’s mercy while humbling himself before His word.
2 Sam. 17
I like that the text points out God’s answer to David’s specific prayer against the advice of Ahithophel. David prayed, then God decreed that Ahithophel’s good advice be undermined. I also take note of how God brought that about. The way I see it, God used Hushai to appeal to human nature. Ahithophel planned a small group to strike down David only, seeking peace with all the others. Hushai, on the other hand, had a grand plan to show Absalom’s power and might. The large force, Absolom’s personal involvement, and the obliteration of David’s entire group all appeal to pride. So it’s no real surprise that Hushai’s plan sounded better to Absalom and all his men.
2 Sam. 18
An obvious question from this story is why David got so upset at Absalom’s death. He was David’s son, true, but he wasn’t exactly good to his father. He took David’s throne, disgraced him by publicly sleeping with his concubines, and sought to kill him. Not what I’d call a model son! So why did David grieve so heavily? I have a couple of thoughts as to the answer to that question.
One thought is that David may well have recognized his responsibility in Absalom’s actions. God had told David there would be turmoil in his house because of his sin with Bathsheba. That turmoil started with Amnon’s sin in disgracing Absalom’s sister. And David’s apparent failure to take action against Amnon in that situation evidently launched Absalom down his destructive path. The original sin was David’s, but it was his sons who paid the price. Thus his cry, “If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Sam. 18:33b).
The other thought has to do with David’s being a representation of Christ. Not a perfect one, mind you, but one that gives fragmented images of the person and work of Christ. In this case, David’s grief for his son who wronged him so badly demonstrates God’s grief over us in spite of our faithlessness to Him. The gut punch comes when you realize that, where David only wished he had died in Absalom’s place, Jesus actually did die in our place. “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8).