Sabbath, August 10 – 2 Samuel 18, Psalm 26 – Additional reading, Patriarchs and Prophets chapter 72, “The Rebellion of Absalom”

1. As a father or mother, what should be your attitude towards a rebellious son? (2 Sam. 18:5)

2. If we are genuinely committed to God, we can stand up for opposition and cross-examination (Psalm 26).

3. Have you ever given the news to a relative that a loved one had died? How did this person react? (2 Sam. 18:33)

The context in the above passage is that David and his son Absalom’s armies fought each other, resulting in Absalom’s death and David’s mourning for his son.

Absalom was attempting to seize David’s throne. Absalom didn’t consider who he was fighting against in his ambition, and he would do anything to take away his father’s throne. Despite Absalom’s rebellion against his father, David loved his son (2 Sam. 18:5, 33) and instructed his army officials to be gentle and treat Absalom with care should they find him in battle.

Absalom’s army lost the battle, and twenty thousand of his men died, including himself. The battle was over. Now, the most significant and saddest news was that the king’s son was dead. David’s commander, Joab, asked his preferred messenger, a man from Cush (a Cushite), to go and tell David about the sad news of his son’s death. To give the news about the death of a loved one to a relative isn’t an easy job. I have already had to do it a few times. It would be best if you were prepared for different kinds of reactions. Sometimes, the loved one gets mad at the messenger for bringing such news.

The messenger left following Joab’s order. He ran, crossing the mountains, the valleys, and the plains. He needed to bring the sad but important news that the king’s son had died.

Isn’t this our very message today? Yes, it is. Like the Cushite, we are also messengers. We need to cross the mountains, the valleys, and the plains, bringing the message that the Son has died. I think that our message goes beyond that of the Cushite man. Our message isn’t only that the Son has died but that the Son rose, is alive today, and will return very soon to take us home. It is a message of salvation and hope to a world hungry to hear the good news about Jesus.

Death seems to be the end of the road, the ultimate weakness. Death continues to be unfortunate news. The resurrection of the Son shows His power even over death, and He will save us from eternal condemnation, giving us everlasting life if we trust in Him as our Savior. God the Father, in His wisdom, made this sad and shameful event of His Son’s death the center of our message of the salvation of all who believe in Him. The message about the Son’s death and resurrection is the very power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18)

May the Father enable us even more to proclaim the good news of salvation we found in the Son, who was dead but now is alive. Praise Him!

Pastor David Pires