March 18

2 Samuel 15-16:14

Absalom means “father of peace”. Although Absalom was a talented and handsome young man, his character fell way short of his name.

Absalom killed Amnon for acting out his lust for Tamar, but he couldn’t see the wickedness behind his own lust for revenge and power. And peace was not even close to what resulted from his behavior.

Although David falls short in the category of being a strong father, he still honors God. He recognized that the Ark is not a magic object that guarantees God’s blessing. Instead, David shows that he truly believes that God is in control over who is king of Israel. That takes real faith!

Once again, David finds himself fleeing and totally dependent upon God.

Read Psalm 3 which he wrote while fleeing from Absalom.

Do you have a lust for revenge?
Do you have a lust for power?
Do you try to steal the hearts of people – even if you have to be dishonest to do it?
Do you believe, like David, that God truly is in control?
Do you believe this enough to keep you going when everything is going wrong?
Have you ever found yourself totally dependent on God?

Have you ever had to ask God to take control?