Family Tragedy

(2 Samuel 16-18)

King David's son, Absalom undermines his father's rule over the kingdom. He secretly works to obtain the loyalty of the people and casts dispersions on his father's name. Over time, the people are persuaded that Absalom is God's chosen to lead His people. David learns of these events and flees Jerusalem with his family and those loyal to him. Absalom moves into his father's position as King and determines to find David and end his life. His father learns of the upcoming battle and sends his troops out to face the forces of Absalom. Absalom and his forces are defeated and he is killed during the battle. David is devastated by the news that his son has died and goes into mourning.
As the life of David continues to unfold before us, family tragedy is the theme. He faces the fact that his own son would rise up against him, turn the people against him and even seek his death. This, at the very least is a difficult pill for David to swallow as a father. It is difficult in this life to be betrayed by someone you trust, but to have his own son conspire to overthrow and kill him must have broken David's heart.
I really appreciate God's honesty in His word. We get the good, the bad and the ugly. We are given the best of a man and the worst. David has shown us his humanity. He loves God, but still makes horrible decisions. He loves his children, but they still have problems. He loves his wives, but they still fight. He loves the family of God, but still has issues with many of them. He is human and his humanity is on full display for us.
He is just like us. We try, but fail. We love, but hurt others. We love our children and teach them right from wrong, but they will still choose wrong sometimes. That is life and we are not exempt from it. Pain will come our way and we will hurt. A life without pain is no life at all. Many today seek a painless life through alcohol, drugs or other addictions, but the pain is still there when the effect is gone. Life is full of pain and sorrow, even for the king.
When David learned of his sons death he was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “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) Even though Absalom had betrayed him, even though he had sought his death, David was devastated by his son's death. He wished for his own death instead of his sons. A good father will always question what he did wrong in raising a child that chooses to live wrongly and David is a good father. He knows that his own failures have contributed to Absalom's decisions. Heartbreaking. Another son in the ground. Another family tragedy.
So what can we take from this. What does God want us to learn from David. We continue to see the lasting effect of David's sin. Some sin can be dealt with quickly and the consequences don't last, while other sin is a life changing event. I won't list sin here that has consequences from generation to generation, you know what they are and have seen the outcome. If you have been a part of that type of sin, you still hurt, just like David. While nothing can remove the hurt, the guilt is handled by our Savior. Sure, we should do everything we can to help those that have been affected by our sin, but we are freed from the guilt of that sin when the blood of Jesus washes us clean.
David remained faithful to God through the good and bad times. We must understand that a relationship with God is not a vaccine against pain in this life. We will have trouble! "In this world you will have trouble." (John 16:33) But Jesus tells us that just as he overcame this world, so will we. He gives us peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7) In the midst of tragedy, with Jesus we can stand. Weep, yes. Hurt, yes. Mourn, yes. Unlike the world, we are not alone in our hurts. We have a family that lifts us up and a Savior that promises that he will never leave us. As the song writer Thomas Ken put it..."Praise God from whom all blessings flow".