A Just Reconciliation • 2 Samuel 14
1:07:10 Teaching begins
Notes
Today we see a guy work hard to put two people together who haven’t worked out the issues. Kind of like getting Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky together and getting them to shake hands. Not until we deal with death, destruction, suffering and all the wrongdoing.
You can’t just smooth everything over with God.
There has to be a just reconciliation.
I’m reading in 2 Samuel 14.
1. Joab manipulates David to reconcile him with Absalom, vv. 1-24.
A. Joab thinks David needs to be reconciled with Absalom
1. At the end of chapter 13 it says the heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom. The original language shows that David thought a lot about Absalom. It doesn’t necessarily means that he wanted Absalom back. When Absalom does come back David says, “Don’t let him see my face.” So David is thinking about Absalom a lot. That’s it.
2. But somehow Joab equates David thinking about Absalom with really missing Absalom. Who knows what made him come to this conclusion, or what made him think, oh, I’ll just help the king come to grips with his conflicted emotions, or whatever. They need to come together.
B. Joab puts together a plan to accomplish the reconciliation.
1. He gets a wise woman from Tekoa, which is pretty well known for their wise women. We’ll see another one again in chapter 20.
2. He tells her what to say and sends her to the king to pretend to be a mother in danger of losing her last remaining son to the avenger of blood. The story is that her two sons fought, one killed the other, and the rest of the family is out for his blood. This will mean a family is extinguished in Israel, they lose their inheritance. Please make it so my son won’t die.
C. This totally bypasses due process of law.
1. What the son could do is run to the nearest city of refuge where his case could be tried and the facts established: did he murder or was it unpremeditated and an accident? If an accident then he could stay there until the death of the present high priest and he could go home. Or if he was really guilty he would be executed because you can’t go around murdering people. That’s due process of law.
2. But this woman comes and breaks down sobbing on the king, all emotional, and he’s got a desperate woman on his hands. Save my son, you can do it, please. Just go ahead and say it and it will be done. And she says in verse 9, let the blame for not following the law of Moses be on me and not on you. Nothing is going to happen.
D. The king says, okay, I’ll protect him, he won’t die. She presses him to remember the Lord your God in verse 11. She’s asking him to swear by the Lord to protect him. And the king swears by the Lord, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground.
E. Then the woman springs the trap: you are the man.
1. You’re not bringing back your banished one, and she means Absalom. You’re allowing him to die and he should be king after you. God Himself figures out a way to bring the banished one back to Himself so that he may not be cast out from His presence. You’re the guilty guy.
2. Remember Nathan told a story to David, and David didn’t recognise himself in the story, and said the guy who did that deserves to die. He should pay back four-fold because he did that thing and showed no mercy. And Nathan says, you are the man.
3. This is the third time someone has lied to David to manipulate him, in the same way he betrayed Uriah the Hittite by sending him back to Joab with a message saying to get Uriah killed in battle. The first time is when Amnon lied to David to send him Tamar so he could rape her. The second is when Absalom manipulated David to send him Amnon so he could kill him. The fourth time David is manipulated is in the next chapter. Four times David is lied to and manipulated.
F. So David says, don’t hide anything from me in what I ask you. Tell me the truth. Because the whole thing up to now has been a lie. Tell me the truth: is Joab behind all this? And she says, yes, with a lot of bowing and scraping and hoping she doesn’t get killed for messing with the king’s head.
G. Joab succeeds in bringing Absalom back, but it’s not a reconciliation.
1. David says bring him back, but let him live in his own house and not see my face. Absalom will be able to be back in Jerusalem, move about freely. But he may not see the king. The king doesn’t officially receive Absalom into court.
2. Yes, David and Absalom are closer than when Absalom was in Geshur. But they are no closer in heart. They are still far apart inside.
2. Absalom is fabulous on the outside, vv. 25-27.
A. He is the most handsome man in Israel. He is the most talked about. He is physically perfect. Tanned, physically fit, his hair suggests that he is 100% manly. He cuts it once a year, it weighs five pounds. That’s some hair!
B. He has a showcase family. Three sons, and a beautiful daughter named after the sister who was raped by Amnon, Tamar. The same word used of her is used of Absalom: beautiful.
C. Absalom is everything you could hope for in a man: beautiful, handsome, in every way he is impressive. He excites your admiration and he is attractive, the kind of guy you would want to follow.
D. Why are we shown this? Why does this matter?
1. We look on the outside and make our judgments. He looks like a nice person. She’s ugly, she’s probably a grumpy person.
2. The true value of a person is determined by what happens in the heart. Out of the fullness of the heart the man speaks. It’s the heart that determines the issues of life. As a man is in his heart, so he is. It’s one’s actions that determine what a person is, not their appearance.
3. Absalom might be heart-stoppingly beautiful outside but inwardly he is still a murderer, vv. 28-33.
A. Absalom lives in Jerusalem for two years and doesn’t see the king. He’s kind of on the outs and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change. In his eyes he’s going nowhere. He doesn’t like it.
B. What do you do with, “I don’t like this.”?
1. You could seek the Lord about what He wants. You could be thankful. You could say, hey, you’re lucky to still be alive. You killed the king’s son in cold blood and you’re not dead and even back from exile. Just figure out what the next step is. Pray about it. You know, a man cannot receive anything unless it comes from above.
2. Absalom says, “I don’t like this. I want things to change.”
C. So he sends for Joab to speak with the king. But Joab ignores him twice. This is another hint that Joab read David’s situation wrongly. He can see that maybe he went too far to manipulate David to do what he thought David wanted because evidently David didn’t want that. Oops. Well, if Absalom is persona non grata, I ought to drop out of sight or else I’ll be persona non grata.
D. Absalom doesn’t pray, “O God, open doors for me that no man can shut.” He tells his servants to set Joab’s barley field on fire. That works. Joab comes over and they can talk face to face. Joab is spitting angry and so is Absalom. That is really destructive. That’s toxic. That’s, “I don’t care what happens to you, you listen to me.” That is self-centered. Especially when he says, “If there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death.” He’s daring David to execute him for Amnon’s murder. And David doesn’t. So Absalom can say, “There you go. I’m all right.” And that’s what he thought all along. I’m justified in what I do. I’m right.
E. So here’s the situation at the end of the chapter. Absalom is brought back into the court. It would seem David is closer to Absalom in heart and he receives him. But he has received a person who is convinced he is justified to take vengeance and kill. They are physically in the same room, but no reconciliation has taken place because there is no change of heart. Absalom by this time has decided to kill David and take over the kingdom for himself.
4. So what?
A. God devises means to bring back His banished ones. Those who have sinned like Absalom, doing their own thing, taking revenge, running away from God. Our sin makes us live far from God, far from His love, far from His acceptance.
B. One of the means that God devises is acknowledging our sin.
1. Absalom says if there is sin in me let him put me to death. If there is sin?! He murdered his brother in cold blood and ran away a fugitive.
2. When David sinned he said, I have sinned against the Lord. In Psalm 51:1-6 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
3. Call your sins, sin. Those things that you don’t want anyone to know. Call them sin before God.
C. The other means that God devises is repentance.
1. It means to change your mind so as to change your actions.
2. No repentance in Absalom. No thought of, I did wrong. I murdered my brother, I grieved my father, I hurt so many people. Now Absalom is going to plan David’s murder. No change of mind whatsoever.
3. Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
D. We can acknowledge our sins and repent, turn to the Lord, because God has devised a just reconciliation.
1. God doesn’t sweep our sins under the carpet. He judged them all on Jesus. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He’s merciful to us, and judged all sin on Jesus in our place. Our sins have been fully punished and dealt with in Him. Jesus prayed, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” That should have been you. It should have been me.
2. God also raised Jesus to new life and new relationship. There is nothing to separate the Father and the Son ever again.
E. There is a just reconciliation for everyone who comes to Jesus.
1. When we receive Jesus we receive that reconciliation to God. Our sins are taken away forever. We are welcomed by the Father. We receive His Holy Spirit in our hearts to live in us. We get intimacy with God. We get to know Him.
2. God is right and just to receive us because justice has been executed. He would be unjust not to receive us. We are not on probation. God doesn’t hold us at arm’s length and say, “Okay, kid, now get away and don’t bother Me.” We are His to love. He is ours to love and serve. Nothing can separate us from His love in Jesus.
F. Someone might hear this and say, “Well, that’s lyrical poetry, but that’s pretty unnecesssary for me. I don’t need that. I really don’t need Jesus.”
G. Then you have to face God without His just reconciliation.
1. God remains the same. He doesn’t change. He is perfect in love, perfect in justice.
2. If you haven’t changed and you remain in your sins, rebellion, and arrogance, God in His perfect love will give you perfect justice. You will be condemned and endure His wrath against sin forever.
H. God has made a just reconciliation. Will you receive it?
Let’s pray.