Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.””
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How tempting it was to highlight the fact that Absalom was undone by his huge head of hair.

But I felt more led to speak of a father’s emotions.

I can relate to David.

Okay, I’m no great warrior or king, nor have I committed adultery or murder.

But he was a man of many emotions.

My kids have not always walked in the ways I would like. No, they haven’t stolen half my kingdom, but there are times when I have to pray that their plans not succeed. I want them to seek earnestly after God and sometimes their plans go against that.

At the same time, I love them deeply. I would take a bullet for any of my kids or my wife in a heartbeat.

So, I understand David mourning.

Sure, he could have been a little more discreet about it, but he was a dad.

The takeaway for me here is that emotions are real and complex. While there are times they need to be kept under control, there are also times when they need to be released.

David had deep compassion. That came out as deep sorrow in this case.

Sometimes it must in us as well.

Are you a person of deep emotions?
Do you sometimes express deep sorrow?
Are those emotions channeled into deep passion for action at other times?