“And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.’”- 2 Samuel 18:5
How could David say such a thing about Absalom? This rebel son, this scoundrel who turned the kingdom upside down. He was a murderer and a liar who conspired against his father David, didvided the nation of Israel, and caused David and his men to run into hiding. Yet, when the occasion finally arose for vengeance, the king asked nothing of his commanders but gentleness toward this prodigal son.
David had shown this kind of love toward Saul, the man who threw spears at him and gave him many sleepless nights and years of wandering in the wilderness and exile from his home. Why would David deal gently with someone who did not deal gently with him?
You might be surprised, but this type of love is no stranger in the Scriptures. It was the same kindness which threatened king Abimelech with death if he lifted a finger against Sarah, even though her husband was the one at fault (Gen. 20:3). It was the mercy which turned Balaam’s curses into blessings while the people were cluelessly complaining beneath the mountains (Deut. 23:5). It was the gentleness that moved Boaz to pull his male servants aside and instruct them to not say even one harsh word against Ruth – a poor widow from a pagan land (Ruth 2:15).
Occasions like these often raise my eyebrows whenever I meet them in Scripture. “Seriously? Why go to such lengths for such people?” But then I realize that I’m like the Pharisee in the temple who thanks God that he’s not like the tax collector (Lk. 18:11). Brothers and sisters, beloved of Christ, we are the Absaloms who constantly rebel. But, remarkably, our rebellion has never affected our Greater David’s gentleness toward us.
This unfathomable love that David had for Absalom is the same type of love that caused Peter to cry out: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Lk. 5:8). David’s commander Joab thought it wrong that David mourned for Absalom the traitor. Jesus’ disciple Peter thought it wrong that the Lord Jesus performed a great miracle for a sinner such as himself.
But it is not wrong for God to show mercy toward sinners, and he can do so freely only because he showed no mercy toward his Son Jesus, our substitute. The heart of David for his wayward son Absalom is a faint though true reflection of God’s heart for us. Because of Christ, God will not depart from his children. He will stay, and he will deal gently with you.
Resting in His Gentle Hands, With You,
Damian Mai