Battling Family Problems

Sword of the Spirit (II Sam. 18: 31 – 32)

Then the man from Cush arrived and said, "I have good news for my lord the king. Today the LORD has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you."  "What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?"

And the Cushite replied, "May all of your enemies, both now and in the future, be as that young man is!"  The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to his room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I could have died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son."

David's Battle: Family Problems

David knew what it meant to have family problems.  His own sons were often troublemakers.  When one of them, Amnon, did something awful to his own sister – something that he never should have done – his brother, Absalom, was so angry that he killed him.  Imagine how terrible David must have felt!  He was king at the time, and his own family couldn't even get their act together!  Absalom took off, afraid to come back into the King's presence.  He was a murderer.  It took some time, but David finally learned to forgive Absalom and welcome him back.  However, just about the time he did, his son did something awful again!  He stood outside the gates of the city, talking big about himself, trying to turn the hearts of the people away from David and towards himself.  He managed to get things so stirred up that David ended up fleeing for his life!  In the end, Absalom was killed by David's men, but the whole thing just left David feeling really heartbroken.  He knew that this never should have happened in the first place.  He cried his heart out before God, weeping for Absalom – not just because he was dead, but because he had fallen so far away from God and his own father.  It took time, but David finally recovered from the loss of his sons.  Like the King that he was, he fought this fight with courage and strength.   He refused to let family problems destroy him.

Strategic Questions:

Which do you think was harder – hearing that Absalom had betrayed him, or hearing that Absalom had been killed by his men?
What was Absalom's first mistake?
If Absalom had his life to live over again, what do you suppose he would change?

Putting On Your Armor:

We all know what it's like to struggle with family members, especially those we never seem to get along with.  Like David's sons, we often mistreat our brothers and sisters, often just to get our own way. Sometimes the things we do to each other are absolutely cruel, aren't they?  But how do we stop when we've acted like this for years?  We have to learn to fight this battle with the courage of David.   We don't listen to our parents when they tell us to 'drop it.'   Absalom didn't, and look how his story ended up.  We must learn to let go of our petty differences, or we could end up destroying our own families.  Did you realize that it takes more courage to 'drop' something than to get your own way?  We have to pray for the courage to  face family members with love and peace.

S.O.S. (Speaking to Our Savior in prayer)

Dear Lord,

I thank You for placing me in the family I'm in.  I pray that you will show me how to treat everyone like I should.  Help me to learn from the mistakes that David's sons made so that I don't act like that, myself.  Please help me to know when to let go of things.  Remind me that getting my own way isn't the most important thing.  Thank You, Lord.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Which Side Are You On?  (Thought for the Day)

Am I an Absalom?