David’s family relationships are tragic. One son kills another. Oh my! I don’t know if I would handle it any better.
What I see in this chapter is a lot of conniving. Joab and the woman to get to David. Absalom setting fire to get Joab’s attention.
The other situation I see is lots of time going by with no real forgiveness or reconciliation. It seems to me that conniving and manipulation can alter some surface results in a situation, but they do not bring true forgiveness and reconciliation. David and Absalom never reconcile. Years have gone by and they haven’t reconciled. Such is a recipe for disaster.
My meditations slid to Jesus who taught about forgiveness and reconciliation. What a difference it is when people at odds with each other can honestly reconcile.
I know families where there are deep rifts. It is painful for everyone who happens to be part of the relationship circle of those with the broken relationships. Can you talk to both parties? Can you be friends with both parties? How do you act when both parties are present, if that ever happens? Oh, the tangled webs we weave.
One of the very great gifts God gives us is the gift of forgiveness and reconciliation. But they are gifts that don’t come automatically. They take work…
Do you have broken relationships in your life? What could you do to move toward reconciliation?
Think about it…
Lord, thank You for the gift of forgiveness. As I sit this morning I am realizing again what a good and wonderful gift forgiveness is.
Lord, as difficult as forgiveness can be, reconciliation is even harder because I cannot control the other person. So I only control half of the equation where I have broken relationships. Please, Lord, give me the strength to do what I must do to forgive and then to do what I can do to open the doorway to reconciliation. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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