Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you." — 2 Samuel 15:3
The most dangerous lie you can tell is one that you believe yourself.
This is one of the most instructive passages in the Bible if you want to know how the devil manages to be so successful. Years earlier, the enemy laid a trap for an entire nation by getting the crown prince to rape his half sister. Without going into all the dynamics, that violation took years to set up, but it happened. King David was caught in a hard place. Not only was he dealing with his own family, but if he punished the crown prince, he would condemn himself for his earlier actions with Bathsheba. So he appeared to take the "let’s-do-nothing-and-hope-this-problem-goes-away" approach.
But it didn’t go away. Absalom hated the crown prince for what he did to Absalom’s sister. So, since King David wasn’t punishing the crime, Absalom decided to take it upon himself to do so. He murdered Amnon.
After a five year cooling off period, David decided to normalize relations with his son, Absalom. But Absalom was a time bomb. Unrepentant for his murder and convinced that his father had lost his ability to administer justice, Absalom schemes to seize the throne.
All he has to do is convince the nation what Absalom already believes: With David there is no justice. Four years of campaigning, and Absalom is ready to overthrow the king.
Jesus tells us that the truth sets us free. The genius of God is this: He knows exactly what truth is needed where. If Absalom had taken his pain to God instead of using it to justify sin, he would have found the truth, and he may have become king of the land. As it turned out, he ended up hanging in an oak tree with three javelins plunged into his heart.
If you want to know how God outmaneuvers the enemy, here it is, in part: He knows where to deliver the truth.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
Dwight Clough is the author of four Christian books and is an active member of Lake City Church in Madison. This devotional is also available via email and you may review the archives back to 2002. To contact Dwight or Kim, use their contact form. You may also support their ministry.