I’M A LEARNER
Opening Prayer
Open my eyes, Lord, to see You beyond the detail.
Read 2 Samuel 15:1–12
In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. 2 He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” 4 And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”
5 Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.
7 At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. 8 While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.’”
9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.
10 Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” 11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Can you think of a political or cultural leader who leads people with their charisma?Like me, you may look at these verses and wonder, “What on earth have they got to do with my life today with Jesus?” It’s the story of Absalom starting, very skillfully, to line himself up in the nation’s eyes as their future king. From a little hand-kissing at the city gate to setting up support groups around the country and declaring himself king of Hebron, the rise in Absalom’s popularity seems meteoric. So what’s to learn?
With tough Bible passages like this, two good first questions are “How might it help me know Jesus better?” and “What does it tell us about God, his nature and his ways?” We will grow stronger as disciples (learners) if we wrestle with Scripture like this.
Jesus is at the center of God’s big salvation plan. In some way, these events point to Jesus, the best kind of king, who didn’t try to make himself popular by kissing hands. Just the opposite (John 6:14,15), he achieved God’s purposes by the ultimate sacrifice—of himself killed on a cross.
These events also tell us about God the Father—that he brings about his purposes through people who are sinful like David and Absalom, and like us. This passage reminds us that human failings, plottings and setbacks won’t prevent his plan from being fulfilled. He’s doing something much bigger, and it doesn’t all depend on me.
Apply
Make a list of some of the attributes of God’s character you’ve noticed in your reading so far this year.
Closing prayer
God, guide me in my part in Your history, showing to the world the kind of king Jesus is.
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