II Samuel 15:1–15
After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” 3 Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” 4 Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” 5 And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron. 8 For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’” 9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10 But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” 11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing. 12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for[Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
13 And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”
Prayer: O Lord, bless us as we study Your Word. We thank You for Your mercy and invitation to be Your people. Grant us faith to pick up our cross and follow You; knowing that in You we find true rest and a yoke that is easy—for with You, we are never alone. Amen.
The Burdenless Yoke
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
If a congregation was looking for someone to help with marketing, they may be hesitant to give St. Paul this role. Paul didn’t try to sugar coat things. He did not try to paint his life as an apostle as an always happy and easy thing. He writes, “To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things” (I Corinthians 4:11–13).
Paul’s description of his life as an apostle is certainly noble, but it’s not extremely appealing from a worldly perspective. Yet, it is the truth. The scriptures plainly tell us that you can expect hardships for seeking to live a godly life in Christ (II Timothy 3:12). If a person’s only reason for wanting to be a Christian was so that their earthly life was filled with jolly and fun, well then you would not expect a long line of people eager to sign up based on Paul’s marketing campaign.
Yet, Christianity is still the largest religion in the world. Christians take up their cross and follow Jesus because he offers something that this world cannot offer. Yet, the amazing thing is, that even when Christians go through hardships, you will be hard pressed to find people more joyful and hopeful than they. Why is that? Because they know Jesus loves them. They know God’s love, concern, and care for them even if they can’t see it through their tears. They know that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins and rose on the third day guaranteeing their own bodily resurrection on the last day. They know that nothing, neither hardship, pain, or strife, or even death, can separate them from the love of God. You know this too.
Today, we learn about how King David, in his later years, had to flee Jerusalem because of a conspiracy to steal the throne by his son, Absalom. We will see that followers of Jesus face their own crosses, but also the comfort they have through all the crosses they might bear.
Absalom was David’s third oldest son. He was a very good-looking, handsome fellow. Yet, his spiritual virtues did not match his physical endowments. He was extremely self-willed and conceited. He was especially proud of his long, beautiful hair. His unbridled ambition went hand in hand with his conceit. In our lesson we hear of his attempts to usurp his father’s throne. He would go to the city gate to give a hearing to those who lodged legal complaints. He would fawn over them and flatter them. Still worse he planted doubts in the minds of the people as to whether King David really cared about them and implied that if he were king things would be different. “Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
Absalom’s treachery did not end there. Under the appearance of religious faithfulness, he went to Hebron where he gathered his supporters and openly rebelled against his father. And this rebellion grew! The rebels reached the very gates of Jerusalem forcing David and his retinue to flee. Despite all of David’s great military victories, he had to go on the run because of his own son. What shame and sadness this brought David. We are told how David wept as he went up the Mount of Olives (II Sam 15:30). But we learn that later when Absalom tried to pursue his father and destroy him, Absalom was killed in battle. He was caught in a tree by his long, beautiful hair and became the target for Joab’s javelin. Even though his enemy was defeated, it was still his son. David mourned, “O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!”
Nothing is worse than betrayal. David was betrayed by his son and his close advisor, Ahithophel. Those were surely some dark days for David as he hid in the wilderness. David’s troubles were in part because of his own sins. Absalom held a grudge against David for not avenging his sister Tamar. If David would have carried out his parental and royal duties Absalom’s rebellion wouldn’t have come to be. Yet, certainly much of his trouble was a result of living in a world of sin where the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
Christians will face struggles—our own crosses. Some of the troubles we endure are entirely self-inflicted. They might be consequences for our sins. However, there are also many crosses we endure that are a result of living in a world of sin where the devil prowls about like a roaring lion.
As Christians living in this world of sin, we will all face our own battles. They can come in all different shapes and sizes and from all areas of life. I’ve never met a Christian who hasn’t. This is not only true for believers, but also for unbelievers. But the difference for the Christian is that you will never go through them alone.
King David reflected this confidence in God’s help, even as he fled for his life. He prayed a wonderful Psalm which is recorded for us in Scripture. He called out (Psalm 3):
Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
Despite all that David was facing—he knew he was not alone. If he had the Lord on his side, he had everything. The Lord would sustain him. He would protect him from all danger. He was David’s hope and salvation. David demonstrates this unswerving faith in this Psalm.
Maybe you have or are facing some crosses in your life right now. Then take comfort in knowing that God is going to be with you through it all. We have a Savior who can sympathize with our weaknesses—he knows what it’s like to go through hardships—losing a loved one, enduring family strife, being the recipient of public ridicule or shame. He is not going to forget about you.
While you and I might go through some bumps in the road or just plain hard times—we know that they do not indicate God’s disfavor with us. We don’t believe in karma. Why? Because Christ has already paid for your sins and mine. Jesus took the punishment that we truly deserved. And he did it all willingly– born in lowliness, betrayed, condemned, crucified—suffering hell itself. He did it so that we could be set free from the bondage of our sins. He did it so that we would never have to suffer what our sins deserve. He did it to give us the hope of standing before God. Christ is risen. Alleluia!
Whether people realize it or not—our greatest problem is our sin and death. But because of Christ—our fear and dread of standing before God is gone. When Jesus caused the disciples to catch such a great number of fish that their nets were at the breaking point—Peter became afraid. He knew he was standing in the presence of the Son of God. He said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” But what did Jesus say?
“Do not be afraid.” He was saying to Peter, “Do not be afraid your sins are forgiven. I am your Savior. I am going to use you to bring this message to others.” This gave Peter peace as he went on ahead. He knew Christ was his Savior. Even when faced with death, he knew his future. Whatever trial he might face was little in view of the salvation he had in Jesus.
It’s to this life of hope and peace that Jesus has called every one of us. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).
Our mission as the church is to share Christ’s saving word with others so that they might come to the knowledge of the truth and be given the hope of eternal life. We do this by faithfully preaching God’s Word and rightly administering the Sacraments which create faith and bestow the forgiveness of sins. This is what we come to receive each and every Sunday. We along with the whole Christian church confess these God saving truths. And Jesus promises, “whoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).
Whatever trials we might face in this life we know we are not alone. Whatever may come, we do not need to be afraid. Our sins are forgiven. Christ is with us. As we sing (ELH 377:1):
Why should cross and trial grieve me?
Christ is near
With His cheer;
Never will He leave me.
Amen.