A is for... "not manipulating"

A


Adam, Asenath,  Absalom, Asa, -

Today for the letter “A”, I choose Absalom, third son of King David, a good looking but extremely manipulative man. "Now in all Israel there was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him." (II SAMUEL 14:25).

Yes, Absalom was good looking. He was particularly proud of his thick gorgeous curly hair. He was also extremely manipulative, pretending to care tremendously for his father’s subjects, when really all he wanted to do was be king in his father’s place.

He would sit at the palace gate and listen to the people’s problems. He would sympathize and then say something like “Oh if only I were in power, I could make things right in the kingdom.” Some of the people fell for this line of thinking and made him king. His own father, after years of running from King Saul, now began running from his own son. Eventually Absalom was killed; his long luxurious hair got caught in a tree during battle. Someone came along and finished the job by spearing him to death.

I have been thinking a lot about Absalom lately. I’ve been thinking of him because there have been opportunities in my own life recently where I have had to consciously choose Not to manipulate in order to get my way. It would have been easy, but it wouldn’t have been right.

There have only been a few books that have truly changed my life. One of these books is called “The Tale of Three Kings” by Gene Edwards. The three kings that are written about are Saul, David, and Absalom. Over and over again, David shows himself to be the righteous man, a man who trusts God to fight his battles. He never takes vengeance into his own hands even when the opportunity is handed to him. Both Saul and Absalom are abysmal kings, their actions only benefiting themselves and not their kingdoms or their God.



I want to be a David, not an Absalom. Please Lord, help me.


L