Advice frustrated, victory defeated, rule restored

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Greg Nixon:

What did I like about today’s passage?

Today’s passage comes with a health warning – blood and guts a’plenty! And like all the people that stopped pursuing Sheba to look at Amasa, I wonder what captures my attention and distracts me from doing what I should?

These tactical, highly descriptive chapters continue the story of David’s fall and rise at the hands of one of his sons. Twice more we see Joab tragically going against David in his killing of Absalom and Amasa, yet twice protecting the kingdom with his good counsel for a mourning king, and his pragmatic victory against Sheba.

Amidst the war and killing, we see touching displays of loyalty by Mephibosheth: mistreated by Ziba, but only concerned about David – and Barzillai: who supported David and his men after their flight from Absalom.

I find it curious that the footnote to Absalom’s life describes Absalom’s Monument, which he’d put up in his own memory as he had “no son to carry on the memory of my name”. Perhaps its construction was an excess of youth before Absalom had the 3 sons and a daughter mentioned in 14v27, or perhaps this was a sad mirroring of the broken relationship between him and his father, David – that Absalom’s own sons were not with him in spirit – either way, it feels like a forlorn end for someone with much potential, a son of the king.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

We see God answering David’s prayer to frustrate Ahithophel’s good advice, to stop Absalom – God’s earlier promise to David in chapter 7, that one of his sons will sit on the throne of Israel, is not going to be fulfilled by a son who advances himself, plotting against and seizing control from his father.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Thinking of Ahithophel in this passage puts me in mind of a pair of socks I used to have. They bore the phrase “work to live, not live to work”. Here we see a man whose life was so fully wrapped up in his role, that when his advice was not followed, the only way forward he could see was death. This cautions me not to treat my work so seriously that a failure means I am worthless. It also helps me realise that when things don’t work out as I feel they should, there may be Someone behind it, writing His larger story.

Who am I going to share this with?

One of my best friends, who I’ve known for 20 years and has recently taken on a new job.