David and Absalom
My reading up to the episode of David and Absalom had caused me to question. Why does God deal so harshly with some individuals. In the desert, the Israelites wander for forty years. They complain. He sends plagues. Some members plan a revolt and the ground swallows them up along with their children. Uzzah reaches out to grab the ark and God gets angry and strikes him down.
And then David doesn't seem all that great. He does some pretty terrible things. Should he have raided villages while he was in exile? The entire Bathsheba incident involving adultry and murder. How come God seems so pleased with him?
God gave me three insights.
1. I have very little insight into the mind of God or his dealings with creation. I have to understand that I won't know everything here on this earth. Even David didn't know why God killed Uzzah.
2. Evidently there is a book about Alexander the Great by John Preva. Preva writes of Alexander's later years. I think he only lives to be thirty three, take into account that King David ruled for forty years. Apparently at the end of Alexander's reign Alexander becomes an absolute Tyrant who sets himself up as God. And he believes he is God. Those who give him information he does not like usually find themselves dead a few days later. Finally, his own teacher (Aristotle) poisons him. He is like a circus animal that became too unruly and has to be put down. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And in his case it took about ten years. It should be noted that he did not start out this way. He began his rule at a young age and in the beginning he was loved by his men. In the end, his men want him dead.
In contrast, David rules for many years. And in the case of Bathsheba he is corrupted by power. This incident occured at the height of his reign. But, when confronted with his sin by Nathan, he doesn't have the messanger killed. He shows great kindness to Mephibosheth. And who can not help but be moved when David mourns Absalom's death, "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you--O Absalom, my son, my son!"
3. Which leads me to the third insight. If anyone lived in a garden of Eden it was Absalom. Actually all of David's children lived in Eden, metaphorically speaking. Amnon raped his sister. And he did it knowing that he could have married her with the blessing of his father (Although God did not condone such relations). Absalom could have been king, but instead, seduced by his own power, he tries to become king on his own and it leads to his death. It just seems that very few people can handle Eden. In this world Eden corrupts. I once wrote about an experiment about monkeys here. I'm afraid without Christ we are alot like animals. Why sadness and poverty? Why a constant supply of unmet needs? Why is there scarcity among so many? I think the short answer is that in Eden, without Christ, we all become monsters.
And then David doesn't seem all that great. He does some pretty terrible things. Should he have raided villages while he was in exile? The entire Bathsheba incident involving adultry and murder. How come God seems so pleased with him?
God gave me three insights.
1. I have very little insight into the mind of God or his dealings with creation. I have to understand that I won't know everything here on this earth. Even David didn't know why God killed Uzzah.
2. Evidently there is a book about Alexander the Great by John Preva. Preva writes of Alexander's later years. I think he only lives to be thirty three, take into account that King David ruled for forty years. Apparently at the end of Alexander's reign Alexander becomes an absolute Tyrant who sets himself up as God. And he believes he is God. Those who give him information he does not like usually find themselves dead a few days later. Finally, his own teacher (Aristotle) poisons him. He is like a circus animal that became too unruly and has to be put down. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And in his case it took about ten years. It should be noted that he did not start out this way. He began his rule at a young age and in the beginning he was loved by his men. In the end, his men want him dead.
In contrast, David rules for many years. And in the case of Bathsheba he is corrupted by power. This incident occured at the height of his reign. But, when confronted with his sin by Nathan, he doesn't have the messanger killed. He shows great kindness to Mephibosheth. And who can not help but be moved when David mourns Absalom's death, "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you--O Absalom, my son, my son!"
3. Which leads me to the third insight. If anyone lived in a garden of Eden it was Absalom. Actually all of David's children lived in Eden, metaphorically speaking. Amnon raped his sister. And he did it knowing that he could have married her with the blessing of his father (Although God did not condone such relations). Absalom could have been king, but instead, seduced by his own power, he tries to become king on his own and it leads to his death. It just seems that very few people can handle Eden. In this world Eden corrupts. I once wrote about an experiment about monkeys here. I'm afraid without Christ we are alot like animals. Why sadness and poverty? Why a constant supply of unmet needs? Why is there scarcity among so many? I think the short answer is that in Eden, without Christ, we all become monsters.
posted by Leslie at 12:20 PM
1 Comments:
I think it also has to do with God knowing the heart of the individual. It’s like that parable in Matthew where the guy has two sons that he tells to do something. The first says, yeah sure, but then doesn’t do it. The second says, no, but then goes out and does as he is asked. Jesus says that the second is the better son.
I think what we see in the Old Testament is God being fed up with the Israel’s attitude. God continually sends them into “exile” both literally and figuratively. But they still don’t learn to be submissive to God’s will.
In contrast David, though he is corrupted, always turns back to the face of God and prostrates himself before him. So even though he has sinned, and admittedly sinned big, he is still able to confess these sins and have a change of heart.
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