Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. (2 Samuel 19:6 NLT)
Observation
Wow! It gets complicated, doesn’t it? Not with regard to Absalom’s baseless rebellion or any question as to David’s right to rule over Israel, but with regard to all the subplots that accompany the rebellion itself, the battles that result, and David’s return to Jerusalem. Something has happened to David’s leadership, and I think Joab was right when he admonished the king: “You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you” (2 Samuel 19:6 NLT).
In battles with foreign enemies, David was an unequaled warrior, but when it came to the management of his own household—and specifically the necessity of disciplining his own sons—David struck out. I wish I knew why that were so.
It is, I’m sure, one of the most difficult tasks of any parent to see his or her children with honest clarity. Too easily we lean one direction or the other—either seeing our children as “never good enough” or seeing our children as “above reproach”. What no parent can afford is a fear of correcting when correction is necessary. What every parent needs is a willingness to let consequences teach life lessons when correction hasn’t been heeded.
One of my favorite verses in this regard comes from the Gospel of John chapter 9, when the parents of the man born blind (and now healed by Jesus) are brought before the Sanhedrin and questioned regarding the status of their son. Their reply? “Ask him. He is of age. He will speak for himself” (John 9:21 NIV).
Their point, of course, was that their son should answer for himself and was responsible for himself. There is some point at which every parent needs to make that decision with regard to his or her children. Every day that moment edges closer for me. When the moment of truth comes, I hope I’m up for it.
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