Lost Children

Read 2 Samuel 12:16-31

I'm sure you've heard the statement "no one should ever have to bury their child." The loss of a child is not an easy thing to deal with, some people will say just move on, but to those that live the experience, it's an easier said than done thing. We honestly don't know if we've never gone through it and I pray you never find out.

- both David and Bathsheba went through this experience. David fasted, lay prostrate on the ground before the LORD and prayed. Fasting is not easy, laying on the ground would be uncomfortable, and confessing to GOD that you messed up is humbling, but doing all this for seven days reveals David's love for his child. I'm sure if the baby had lived longer David would have continued for as long as it took.

- David's servants were afraid to tell him the child had died, but David did the last thing they expected, he got up off the ground, cleanup, changed clothes and went to the house of the LORD and worshipped him. Don't jump past this sentence too fast, David went to GOD's house, the one who took his child (albeit because of David's sin) and David worshipped the LORD.  You may think going hungry, laying on the ground and pleading for your child's life is hard, but try going to and worshiping the one who passed the judgement in the first place. I know of parents who struggled with their relationship with GOD because of such a loss.

- at verse 24 David comforted Bathsheba and they had another child, Solomon. It says the LORD loved him. Another line not to go past to quickly, that GOD loved him, keep this in mind when we get to the part where Solomon listens to his wives over following GOD.

- at the end of the chapter Joab is about to take the city of Rabbah and then he sends for King David to come, and finish taking the city and claim the crown and victory. This is where the detour began for David and now, he gets another chance to make it right. Going into battle as their king instead remaining behind as an adulterer.

Read 2 Kings chapters 13 to 18.

- Here we are introduced to some of David's children, Absalom, his sister Tamar, and another of the sons, Amnon. At the close of chapter 18 David will have lost two more of his kids. They are not infants like the first but ask almost any parent and no matter if the child is six or sixty a parent still doesn't want to be burying their child.

- Amnon's love, obsession with his sister was both wrong and sinful. After he raped her, it says he hated her with a hatred that surpassed the love that he thought he had for her. He then had her kicked out of his house and locked the door behind her, cruel.

- Absolom found out what had happened and eventually King David too and he was angry, but as far as we know he didn't do anything about it.

- Did David as a father drop the ball? Was he waiting for Amnon to confess? Did David's track record of sexual misconduct serve to limit his ability to deal effectively with the situation?

- Was it like Moses allowing for a certificate of Divorce? It was not GOD's plan for marriage, but because Moses himself was also limited due to his own situation with Zipporah.

- Absolom would take matters into his own hands and had his brother killed. He then ran away to his grandfather the King of Geshur and stayed there fearing his father and his other brothers might take revenge.

- David mourned for his son, but after a while he was comforted and began missing Absolom.  Joab knew David was missing his son Absolom, so he comes up with a plan to get David to see he needs to bring Absolom home. Joab gets a woman to pretend to be a widow who has two sons, and one son kills the other, you already see where this is going right? I'd like to focus on what she says in verse 14 - We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.

This interesting statement will find its fruition in Jesus, we are all guilty, we are all deserving of death, but GOD wants no one to perish and his devised means is Jesus.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV — The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

- through chapters 15 to 18 we read about the conspiracy of Absolom to usurp his Father's Kingdom with the help of Bathsheba's grandfather, who also instructs Absolom to go into all of David's concubines on the rooftop of the palace as a power play that has been mentioned previously in other blog posts. I wonder if the rooftop idea was Ahithophel's attempt to get back at David for his rooftop experience with Bathsheba?

- In the end David has the kingdom restored, but Absolom is killed by the very man that took his side when he had fled after having his brother Amnon killed.

- I would like to focus on David's heart toward Absolom and his reaction to his son’s death.

2 Samuel 18:5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

Then after Absolom was killed verse 18:33 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

To recap Absolom killed one of the king’s sons, plotted and stole the kingdom, had relations with the king’s concubines and tried to have the king killed. Joab killed Absolom while he was stuck and hanging from a tree.

- People wonder sometimes, me included, why GOD allows the Devil to do what he does? He plots to setup his throne above GOD, he kills and imprisons GOD's children, but we tend to forget that all the spirits are also GOD's children including the Devil. If you thought David, a sinful man loved his children and would do anything for them, how much more does GOD. What does the passage about love say - 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV — Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Like David, GOD hopes that his kids, all his kids come home to him. GOD knows what the Devil will do, scripture even says that the lake of fire was created for the Devil and his angels Matt 25:41, but that doesn't stop GOD's love for all his children in fact GOD demonstrated his love by being the one who hung on a tree. It shows both them and us how far he would go for his kids. My intent in writing this is not sympathy for the Devil, but to show the heart of GOD and his love, whether they be spirit or human. If you thought David’s story was solely for our benefit you would have missed the stark comparisons to the rebels attempt to overthrow the heavenly kingdom.

The final thought is no matter how far you think you are from GOD; he still loves you and hopes you accept what Jesus did for you and that you come home.

Next - Rebuke, Rebel, and Repay