It all started when Absolum’s sister Tamar was raped by her half-brother Amon. Absolum was so angry he brutally murdered him, after which he went into exile to avoid paying the price of his crime. After 3 years King David pardoned him but would not see or forgive him, and Absolum felt rejected. So much so that he tried to take the kingdom away from his father. Being persuasive, he got a following of men that plotted to help him do that and David had to flee to the wilderness again. Even his most trusted advisor and good friend, Ahithophel abandoned him and supported Absolum. One of his enemies, Shimei cursed him and threw rocks at him as David was fleeing. David’s captain wanted to cut his head off, but David restrained him, for he felt like God was using him to preach to him. But in his situation, he turned to the Lord and recovered compassion and his close life with the Lord. He knew His real help came only from the Lord. As a result. he had compassion again for Absolum and ordered his men not to kill him. But Joab stabbed him to death as Absolum was caught in a tree by his thick hair and left dangling. David wept greatly for his son, as his heart had been touched to forgive and to love Absolum again; so much so that he laments, “Why not me rather than you, my death and not yours, O Absalom, my dear dear son!” (II Sam. 18:33)
Maybe we can think of situations when we have been betrayed by even good friends, do we let the Lord change our hearts to forgive them and to love them again? If we refuse, our hearts will grow cold and we will feel distanced from Him.
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