King James Version
The Book of 2 Samuel
Chapter 20
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Commentary
2 Samuel 20
Cleaning up the mess that Absalom made seemed a dangerous task. His roots were strong against his father, David, the king. After all, he dedicated his whole life to overthrow the kingdom. With all of his planning and crafty antics, Absalom could not put asunder that which the Lord had given David. I'd like to say here again that whether David was a wise king or not was never clarified at any time. From the way things played out, it would seem that David was the wisest of them all, perhaps. This is not necessarily true. Until now, royalty was never in David's linage. He was a shepherd boy, knowing only this. When he was appointed to play the harp for King Saul, undoubtedly he learned a great deal about the kingdom, and how to do some things. This education would not have been sufficient to success. David's dominant factor to his success as king was solely due to his dedication to God, the true strength of Israel. It will be God who cleans up after Absalom, too.
It is true that David was not perfect, in that he did do things that displeased God. He done things that would give the impression that his heart was evil. This simply isn't true. David's heart was for God, all the days of his life. We have learned some of the sinful things David had done already, and you may ask, "how can David's heart be for God... all the days of his life?" The key is that David had a heart of repentance. This means that David recognized his sin, acknowledged God and confessed. This means that David accepted his chastisement humbly and learned from each one. David grew in strength, knowledge and experience because he did not grow stubborn and he did not rule the People with self-indulgence. He kept the best interest of the People at heart. He sought after the will of God. He understood that being king was no greater than being a commoner, in that he was still only a man.
We learned that no weapons formed against us can prosper. We learned that those who call upon the Lord WILL be saved. We learned that there is nothing too great for God to handle. We have learned that the wisdom of man is as foolishness compared to God. We have learned that no matter what we have done wrong, God will forgive us and give us strength to rise above the situation, all we have to do is call upon the name of the Lord. He wants to bring us life... abundant life. He wants to make our name great among the nations. He wants all people to see His mighty hand work for His faithful ones. He will reveal Himself in a way that brings most glory to Him. There are countless opportunities for this in each of our lives. The only thing left to do now is to embrace it, to own it.
Monday, November 1, 2010 - 5:30 AM
