Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If it weren’t for the macabre scene to follow, this verse would be hilarious.

When you take a look at the whole story, it borders on bizarre.

You can’t make this stuff up (more proof the Bible is real).

And that is what real life looks like.

Okay, hopefully you haven’t been royally betrayed by your son who proceeded to do all sorts of heinous things to spite you.

But humans are unpredictable, illogical and selfish.

You will be offended by what some people do or say.

You will be betrayed by others.

At times, you will react unwisely to what they do to you or what gets done to them.

Just ask David.

He had to deal with humanity in himself and those around him.

Sometimes he failed.

But he never failed to turn back to God.

When those around us start acting a little too “human,” or you do the same, remember that David always turned back to God.

He looked forward to the redemption that was to come through Jesus.

On this side of Jesus sacrifice it should be easy to trust the God who helps us survive our humanity.

What was your initial reaction to Absalom’s demise?
If you were in David’s shoes, how would you have reacted to the news of Absalom’s death?