Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Absalom, the son of King David, led a rebellion against his father and was killed in the battle, and David mourned the loss of his son, wailing “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2Samuel 18:33; 19:4). Who can fault a father his grief, but this lingers too long and too loud, and at last his commander Joab rebuked his king, “You have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased” (2Samuel 19:6). Absalom, David’s son, had been, after all, David’s enemy.
Death is grievous, and should be, but there is a particularly awful agony in the loss of a son you never really had, whose death was as pointless as his life. King David, the father, is mourning not just the death, but the life of his rebellious, disobedient son, and in doing so, he scorns the faithful people who had well-served their king in battle.
But not all the sons of David died such. There is another, actually, the great, great, great, etc., grandson of David, but the Hebrews kept it simple, “Jesus Christ, the son of David” (Matthew 1:1). What a contrast to Absalom, for Jesus showed us how to die because he showed us how to live, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Absalom lived for the moment, for himself, and Jesus lived for eternity and therefore served others, and therein lies the difference in their deaths, and ours, as well. To a life lived for today, death closes the door, but to a life lived for Jesus, death opens into eternity.
Daily Prayer
God, Your salvation is amazing. I, a sinner, was not looking to be saved, but rather, I was self-seeking, longing to be self-satisfied. I could not, however, find satisfaction, contentment, peace, love, purpose in my pursuits. I needed a Savior.
Your Son left His place by Your side and became like me to show me who You are. He sought me, saved me, and showed me true love, how to serve and sacrifice. He laid down His life to give me mine. No greater love.
Thank You
Daily Question
How do you hope to be remembered by others?