2 Samuel 14

“And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king's face.” (2 Samuel 14:28).

Absalom killed his brother and ran away to Geshur. He was in Geshur for three years. At the end of chapter 13 it says that David longed for Absalom and mourned every day for him. This raises the question: If David longed for Absalom why was he still in exile?

You see, David knew the Jewish laws. He realized that his son was guilty of murder, and that his son deserved death. David was in fear that if he were to pardon Absalom that the people around him would flip out. David had grown more and more afraid of the general public, and less and less concerned with what God wanted for him. In this chapter we can perceive that David is very wise at this point, unfortunately, David is leaning on his own wisdom rather than the Lord’s. Remember those days where David would go into battle and before he would go he would ask the Lord first for instruction? David is going through a battle right now, yet he does not ask the Lord.

Through a clever scheme by Joab, David is convinced to bring his son back home. The problem now is that David will not look at him. Our verse above tells us that Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem without looking at the king, his father. Have you ever had tension between someone? Have you ever felt like you could feel their thoughts? Think about the tension here. Nothing was happening. All we read is two years went by. We do not read of any battles that took place. David was just chilling. We never read that he went to the Lord. Finally, Absalom cannot take the tension anymore and he flips out, burns Joab’s field and makes a way for himself to see the king. Meanwhile, David is just letting circumstances run his life.

Gang, I hope that your relationship with the Lord is never based on things from the past. I hope you’re not brought to this level of apathy that David was at. How sad to know that Israel’s greatest king was stuck in a runt, and not following courageously after the Lord. Imagine if he had prayed and had been told to retrieve his son. A lot of things could have worked out differently. Instead, David seemed like a man who was tired of following the Lord. Do not let this happen to you. You should be closer to God today than ever before. Even if awkward circumstances have com your way, allow the Lord Jesus to guide you. Go to God in prayer. Let Him be your strong tower. Too often we see the door wide open and we hear a voice beckoning us to come in, but for some reason we just sit there. Draw closer to God today and do not let apathy set another moment.