In 2 Samuel 13 we read that David’s son Absalom fled after killing his brother Amnon. Absalom had taken it upon himself to punish Amnon for the horrible act he had committed which had gone unpunished by King David. Following the murder of Amnon, Absalom was afraid of retribution from his father and brothers, so he fled Israel and sought political assylum with his maternal grandfather Talmai, the king of Geshur. And he remained with him for three years.
In 2 Samuel 14:1-21 we read about Joab’s response to Absalom’s prolonged separation. Joab was a son of Zeruiah, King David’s sister (1 Chronicles 2:13–17). He was David’s general and for most of his life was very loyal to him. It seemed apparent that he knew David’s heart and his desire to be reconciled to his son.
So Joab made a decision to intercede and devised a plan to help facilitate reconciliation. His plan was to have a wise old woman – go to the king, pretending to be a widow with two sons. She told him the story, that one of her sons had killed the other in anger and now her entire clan was demanding that her remaining son be put to death for murder. The woman appealed to David to protect her son. And David did so by ruling: “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
For the sake of that family, David placed mercy and forgiveness ahead of justice. This was exactly what the woman wanted to hear and she proceeded to boldly ask David why he “does not bring his banished one home again?” She goes on to state, “For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”
Following some additional discourse King David declared to Joab, “All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.”
There is much that we can learn from Joab and the wise old woman who spoke to King David.
We need to love all people and recognize that each one of us needs reconciliation with God.
Joab knew that King David longed to have his son back. Joab recognized the need for reconciliation between David and Absalom and he acted to help make it happen. We, too, need to have the courage to bring about reconciliation between people and God. I admit that when I look at people around me, I often fail to recognize their separation from God and need for reconciliation. It is just not at the top of my mind, and yet the need is there. The question is, ‘do we love others enough, as Joab loved David, to help make reconciliation possible?’.
Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The prophet Isaiah teaches us that our iniquities have separated us from God. I am confident we all know that our sin has separated us from God, but do we truly appreciate the dire need for reconciliation? In 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Paul teaches us that we can be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Christians have in fact been given a message of reconciliation. May we recognize what we have been given and love others enough to bring about reconciliation with God. Our ministry of reconciliation requires us to make others aware that sin has separated them from God and that reconciliation with Him is possible through Jesus Christ.
We need to speak the truth with boldness, trusting that God will give us the right words to say.
We don’t know much about the woman Joab sent to speak with David. But we do know that she spoke with boldness. She was direct with David when asking him why he did not bring his banished son back home. I think that it would have taken a lot of courage to speak to the king that way.
- When Peter and John were commanded by the Sanhedrin stop preaching about Christ, they returned to their peers and prayed that they might declare God’s word with boldness (Acts 4:29).
- Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly about the Lord, despite opposition from the unbelieving Jews at Iconium (Acts 14)
- After describing the armour of God in Ephesians 6, Paul asked the church there to pray- that he would “open his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which he was an ambassador in chains; that in it he may speak boldly, as he ought to speak.”
These examples encourage us to pray for the ability to speak boldly in the face of opposition. And when given the opportunity, to rely on God’s help to forcefully and effectively proclaim the gospel. The gospel is all about God’s plan to reconcile the world to himself.
Our lives are short and when we are dead, reconciliation is not possible.
The ‘wise woman’ described our lives – like water that is spilled on the ground. Once it is spilled it cannot be recovered. She was emphasizing the urgency of reconciliation and the price of opportunites neglected.
- James reminds us that we do not know what tomorrow will bring. He describes our lives as a mist or vapour that is here for a short time and then disappears. We are not promised tomorrow, we are only given today (James 4:13-14)
- Moses reinforced the brevity of life, when he asked God to “…teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
Because we don’t know how much time we have, we need to preach and teach the gospel today.
- Jesus pointed this out in John 4:35 when he said to his disciples “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”
- Paul said much the same thing in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 , “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Both of these passages reinforce the urgency of teaching the gospel message. Paul had accepted his personal responsibility to preach the gospel, yet he writes in a way that extends that responsibility to us. To the church at Corinth he wrote: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
God has given us a way of bringing each of us back to Him.
In the words of that ‘wise woman’:
- “God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.”
Other translations word it this way
- “But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”
- Or “But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.”
God has always wanted His people to repent, to turn from their ways, and to live. As he explained to the prophet Ezekiel, “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?’ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'” (Ezekiel 33:10-11)
Israel was accusing God of making his judgment so severe that there was no room for repentance. God’s response was, that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and that His desire was for them to repent, to turn to Him and be saved.
Our God is not cruel nor does He make repentance impossible. And while he does not want to see humanity suffer, He will also not withhold justice and punishment from those who refuse to obey and follow Him.
- Jesus explained this to Nicodemus when he said: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)
- And Peter reminded his readers of the same, writing: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)
How can I apply these insights to myself?
- I must act upon the responsibility of sharing the message of reconciliation in a serious way. I need to pursue a love for the lost and a willingness to share the message of reconciliation with them.
- Our lives are short and uncertain. Therefore I must have a sense of urgency when sharing the gospel message, which includes helping others understand the consequences of their separation from God.
- I need to take advantage of the opportunities that God sets before me. I need to pray to God to help me to have a spirit of boldness and courage to speak the truth to others.
God has given us a tremendous gift in Jesus Christ and it is through Him that we are reconciled to God and promised eternal life with Him. God has put people in our lives who have loved us, who have seen our need for reconciliation and shared God’s word so that we could receive this incredible gift. This gift is far too important to keep to ourselves. I must love others and be willing to share it with them. We need to be praying for opportunities to have God put us in the lives of others to share His incredible Good News.
Like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again, our opportunities to share the gospel will one day cease. Our loving God wants all people to come to repentance. His desire is for each one of to be restored to Him. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. But our God is also just, visiting the consequences of eternal damnation upon those who reject his salvation and refuse to be obedient.
In Ephesians 5:1-2 Paul calls us to be like God and to love others as Christ has loved us. To do that, we must have a strong desire and an unfailing commitment to see that as many as possible are called to repentance and a saved relationship with God.
Kevin Pickles
Owen Sound