Challenges and Choices
Not all battles come as army against army. Some conflicts are easy on the eyes, but hard on the heart. If King David could have foreseen the end of the matter perhaps...
2 Samuel 18:32 "And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.
33) And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
This account begins back in the eleventh chapter with:
2 Samuel 11:1 "And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem."
And culminates with the prophecy:
2 Samuel 12:10 "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me..."
The story starts in II Samuel 11:1-12:25, but the chapters between II Samuel 12 and 18 tell of the other things that happen in David's household that culminate in Absalom's rebellion. It reads like a modern day novel with its palace intrigue.
There are many paths in this tale that could have led to happier endings if they had been taken. If David had been with his army. If David hadn't let the bird nest in his hair. If Bathsheba had chosen a different occupation, or a different time or place.
The crux of the lesson is, we all face our battles whether it be with a physical or spiritual foe. I flinch when I hear preachers use people that we consider 'men of renown' as bad examples. 'David was an adulterer'—seems a cruel way to sum up his life.
If you and I aren't our past, or our mistakes, why would people do that to others? It is supposed to give us common folk hope, encouragement or what?
It should give us a warning. David had an exemplary life. He did so many things right and was a moral compass to that end in many things. He was courageous and honorable. Like a cat that always lands on his feet he had an instinct to do the right thing—except once.
Sexual sins are the most difficult. Raging hormones and lust, there you have it. Women are usually at the heart of the problem.
It's a conundrum. The real puzzle is how a good woman is for the saving and lifting up of a man. Then there are the Delilah's of the world.
Something to think on is, a good man (character wise) can be an influence in his close society and beyond, yet I don't know any good man (as defined) who is able to turn an evil woman away from her evil ways.
