Thurs’s Devo - Absalom is Defeated

Read: 2 Samuel 18:1-19:10; John 2 0:1-31; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 16:14-15 David gathered all the men who followed him and divided them into three groups appointing captains over them. Joab’s name means “Jehovah is Father” so he stood for God. Abishai means “father of a gift” and he stood for the Holy Spirit. And, Ittai means “with me” who stood for Jesus who came to live with us. *** They agreed not to let David go out to battle because if he was killed then they would lose he whole battle. He agreed but told them to deal gently with Absalom. *** The forest was so thick where they were fighting that more men died because of it than the battle itself. Absalom’s thick hair got caught in the branches of a tree and he was hanging by it. One of the soldiers reported this to Joab and explained that he refused to kill Absalom because of what he had heard David say. Joab who stood for God knew not to let Absalom live no matter how much David wanted to show him mercy. He knew that Absalom would continue to cause David and his kingdom problems if he let him live. He killed him with three daggers into his heart. *** Joab blew the ram’s horn and the war was over. They threw Absalom’s body into a deep pi in the forest and piled stones over it. *** While Absalom was alive, he had built a huge monument to himself because he had no sons to carry on his name. *** When David learned that Absalom was dead, he was so broken hearted all he could think of was Absalom. Meanwhile his soldiers came home humiliated instead of honored and congratulated. Joab told David if he didn’t go out and thank his troops and congratulate them, he wouldn’t have a follower left to rule. He finally did. The people that had fought for Absalom talked of bringing David back as their king since he was the one who fought their enemies. *** I can’t help but compare this story to what is going on now in our nation. I pray that when we have defeated the evil regime that has taken over our nation that the ones who blindly followed it will turn and realize who fought for their freedom and support him. *** In John, when Peter came to the tomb and saw the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings, he believed. He had not understood what Jesus had meant about rising from the dead until then. *** Mary, who stood outside the tomb she saw two angels in white robes . They asked her why she was crying. She answered she was crying because they had taken away her Lord and she didn’t know where they had put him. She saw another man in the garden and he asked her the same thing. Then he called her name and she recognized him as Jesus. He wouldn’t let her hug him because he was on his way to heaven but he told her to tell the others that he had risen to his Father. *** That Sabbath, Jesus appeared to the disciples who were hiding behind locked doors. Jesus suddenly appears to them and declared peace to them. Then he showed them his nailed printed hands and his side. He told him that he was sending them as the Father had sent him. He breathed on them and told them to “Receive the Holy Spirit”. When they forgave anyones’s sins, they would now be forgiven because of what he had done on the cross. *** Thomas had not been with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them, so Jesus came back to show Thomas his hands and feel so he would be an eye witness to his resurrection also. *** Lord, we are blessed because we believe even though we have not seen you with our eyes. You are alive in our hearts because the Holy Spirit has revealed Jesus to us. Thank you for all you did for us. Thank you for being faithful to your calling. May we be faithful to ours.