Absalom told his men, “Wait until Amnon gets drunk; then at my signal, kill him! Don’t be afraid. I’m the one who has given the command. Take courage and do it!” 2 Samuel 13:28
Every once in a while I run across a passage of Scripture that reminds me the Bible is definitely rated R and is not always an easy read. The chapters of 2 Samuel assigned to today’s daily reading are no exception.
Rape. Incest. Betrayal. Scheming. Murder. Conspiracy. Revenge. Mutiny. Backstabbing and gossip. There’s a whole truckload of humanity taking place in these four chapters!
And maybe that is the point.
Reading an ancient text in our modern age can prove difficult. There is a great gap between what the world was like back then and what it is today to fill and compensate for when reading this. What may seem normal to us today may not have been normal back then and vice versa. What was tolerated in the ancient age probably would look different in the world today. In David’s day, the world was more barbaric. People lived shorter lives. Obviously, over the years, many things have changed for the better.
But not everything has changed. The core survival instinct of humans and the lengths we are willing to go to get those needs met has not changed at all. We all make choices that end up hurting others in our world and it breaks God’s heart. We may not all sexually assault our sister because we are burning with lust and we may not plot a rebellion against the king of our nation, but often we all do step over God’s line into territory that moves well in the opposite direction of God’s desire for us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as ourselves. It is as much a part of being human as yawning at the end of the day is.
This passage of the Old Testament reminds us we need some help. In short, we need a savior. Celebrating Holy Week and the fact that God has sent that victorious Savior is definitely a good thing, but it is also important we do not lose sight of what we have been rescued from. Daily we are reminded to take account of what went well and what did not, and marvel at God’s response as we ask him for what we need. You may not be plotting murder, but there are definitely areas of your life where you desperately need God’s help and grace. The question is, can you name them today and bring them to him?
Questions for reflection:
- Reread 2 Samuel Chapters 13-16. What is most upsetting for you to read about?
- How would you describe God’s standards for us in your own words? In other words, what does he expect out of us?
- How do you understand how God responds to us when we miss the mark? Where can you find that in the Bible?
- Where are you missing God’s mark? And how can you bring it to him and get what you need to keep moving forward?