David had learned through years of experience that when he was desperate for God, he could overcome great obstacles. But now, he’s getting older and more settled. The kingdom is running well and David is feeling entitled to the perks of kingship.
What happens next serves to remind us that success in earthly affairs can sap spiritual awareness and vitality. When David became self-satisfied, he acted thoughtlessly and caused great pain.
Read More temptation, selfishness, entitlementIt seems incredible that David could remain blind to his complicity in a terrible crime, oblivious to the grievous injuries he inflicted. Yet he did, and he’s not the only one with a problem coming to terms with his own misdeeds.
How telling that it took a storyteller to get him to see things through a proper moral lens.
Read More blind spots, rationalizing, friend, sinKing David’s son Absalom had plenty of reasons to be angry with his father. David did not act fairly as a parent. He favoured his elder sons and ignored the defiling of one of his daughters. When such family conflict was left unresolved, Absalom took matters into his own hands and murdered his own half-brother.
Absalom’s anger landed him a season in exile before David reluctantly allowed him to return to the proximity of the palace.
Read More conflict, ambition, evilWhat happens when pragmatism comes into conflict with principle? As a king facing an armed rebellion, David fled his palace and abandoned the capital city. Propelled by fear, he left in a hurry with only the inner circle of his court to accompany him. The city was getting ready for disaster to sweep down upon it, and the king was heading for the hills.
At this bleak point, David really did not know who he could trust.
Read More fear, commitment, coercionThroughout his life, David was known as a man of action. In fact, he caused trouble when he remained idle, such as when he used his power to take advantage of Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Sam 11). He also fomented dissension when he neglected to tend to family relationships, especially his failure to deal with the rape of Tamar (2 Sam 13:1-19).
In retrospect it’s plain to see how David’s inactivity created the circumstances that made his final years on the throne so unsatisfying.
Read More relationships, weaknessIt was good news for Israel’s army to hear that the leader of the insurrection had been captured and killed. But King David was deeply conflicted because the rebel was one of his sons. So while he valued the stability of the kingdom and his throne, it was scarcely worth the price. What he really wanted was to be reconciled with his son.
David found out what happened through the tales of two messengers.
Read More truth, diplomacyTwo brothers coached the opposing teams in the 2013 NFL Super Bowl. Which team, I wondered, would the parents be pulling for?
If their hope for the success of each of their sons was equal, the final score really didn’t matter. Any result registered a winner. By the same token, they couldn’t avoid a loss. Did they have favourites? Were they parents first?
Read More mourning, dilemma, family relationshipsHave you ever seen someone try to put spilled milk back into a glass? It’s a messy and largely unproductive task.
Something like that happens after a political disruption, especially when there’s a rebellion where blood is spilt. Even if the ruling party “wins,” things don’t just go back to the way they were. The new order will inevitably be different from what was status quo before.
Read More betrayal, humility, leadership, broken relationshipsIn the aftermath of the failed coup d’état, King David had to figure out which people were truly his friends and how to respond to subjects who treated him poorly. He had to discern who was lying, and who was truly loyal.
His first encounter was with a citizen who had cursed David on his earlier flight from Jerusalem.
Read More mercy, justiceMany troubles awaited David as he returned to resume full authority as king over Judah and Israel. Tribes, clans and factions are a challenge to even the most judicious of leaders.
At this stage of his comeback, David needed reliable people at his side. He knew he could count on Barzillai, a wealthy man from the northern reaches of the kingdom who had provided for David and his troops during the darkest hours of the insurrection. So David invited Barzillai to reside in the king’s court, a place of tremendous honour and prestige.
Read More generosity, loyalty, graciousness