Joel M Bradshaw

31Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

32The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”

33The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!–2 Samuel 18

1. The traitorous prince Absalom had just been killed in battle.
2. He had sought to kill his father David and replace him as king.
3. News was being brought from the front lines to David. David obviously struggled with the battle’s outcome.
4. His struggle was in his identity as both a king and a father.
5. As a father of a teenage son, this text hit me different this morning. I have much more compassion for David’s emotions here.
6. The better question for David might have been “Why wasn’t I a better father?” rather than “Why didn’t I die instead of you?”
7. David never faced his tension head on until it was too late. What tension do you face? How should you honor God with it?–JMB