“The king set out with all the people after him, but they waited at the last house for all his servants to pass by him in review; all the K’reti and P’leti and all the Gittim (600 men who had accompanied him from Gat) passed in review before the king.”-2 Samuel 15:17-18
During Absalom’s rebellion, I want you to notice King David’s character transformation.
Up until now, we’ve witnessed a very passive and self-indulgent ruler who preferred holing himself up inside his palace away from the commoners.
In this backslidden state, David made many terrible decisions.
Yet, his son Avishalom’s rebellion appeared to have sparked a sense of humility and repentance within him.
It’s like we’re given a snapshot of the pre-Bathsheba David, who was much more spiritually mature and behaved in a much more righteous manner.
David was still a great warrior at heart.
And if he had wanted to, he could’ve probably gathered up an army from his supporters to defy Absalom.
Yet, he didn’t.
Instead, he decided to prioritize the people’s needs over his own.
David knew that if he remained inside his royal enclave in the capital city of Jerusalem and were attacked, many innocent people would be killed.
So we’re witnessing a changed man here.
However, we shouldn’t overlook that David’s confidence also suffered a significant blow.
If Absalom was able to gather such a huge following, what did that say about his leadership abilities as a king?
Was he even worthy of the throne anymore?
David was also painfully aware the Prophet Nathan told him this would occur.
He knew what was happening was because of his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband.
David’s reasoning was:
If this is God’s will, why fight it?
So David chose not to.
Instead, he surrendered himself to the situation.
This leads to today’s takeaway.
There are only two ways to live your life.
You can try to control it…
Or you can surrender control to the Lord.
There is no lukewarm option between these two extremes.
However, here’s the thing, and pay attention, because this is the crux of the lesson.
If you decide to take control of your life…
The Lord will orchestrate situations so that you will have no choice but to be dependent on him.
Ya feel me?
Recall Gideon and his soldiers.
God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 men to just 30.
He did it so Israel couldn’t boast of winning on their own.
The Lord wants to show us that victory comes from Him, not human strength.
So that’s your lesson for today.
If you try to take control of your life…
In due time, the Lord will arrange circumstances to let you know who is really in control.
Believing you’re in control of your life is the ultimate self-deception and pure arrogance.
To that point, I’ll close with these verses today:
The Book of Proverbs says:
“Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
-Proverbs 16:18
In Hannah’s prayer, we’re told this:
“The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and He lifts up.
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the beggar from the ash heap…”
-1 Samuel 2:7-8
The prophet Isaiah said this:
“The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
and human pride brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”
-Isaiah 2:11
The prophet Ezekiel said this:
“I the Lord bring down the tall tree
and make the low tree grow tall.
I dry up the green tree
and make the dry tree flourish.”
-Ezekiel 17:24
In the Book of Obadiah, we find this:
“’The pride of your heart has deceived you…
Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,’
declares the Lord.”
-Obadiah 1:3-4
I’m sure I could prompt ChatGPT to give me a lot more.
But I think ya get the idea.
Let those who have ears to listen, SHEMA.
See ya all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
— James 4:6
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