Choices

February 4th, 2025

Choices

2 Samuel 19:1-8

1 It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” 3 And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. 4 The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” 8 Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king.

The Choices I've Made

In one of the most haunting songs I know, the aging George Jones sings of the regrets that crowd his mind at the end of his life: “I’ve had choices, from the day that I was born / there were voices, that told me right from wrong / if I had listened, I wouldn’t be here today / living and dying with the choices I made.” That’s David’s song today.

He falls apart at the news of Absalom’s death: “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” Maybe David thinks of all those hard-hearted years, leaving Absalom in exile, refusing to see him. If only I’d welcomed my prodigal son! Maybe his mind goes further back, to his failure to punish the rape of Absalom’s sister, Tamar. That’s what set Absalom on this course. If only I’d done my duty then! Maybe his mind goes back further, to the year or so he spent playing god with the lives of Bathsheba and Uriah. That’s when Nathan told him the sword would never depart from his house. If only I’d made different choices then. David is a broken, helpless king. He wants to spare his enemy, but he can’t. He wishes he could die for Absalom, but he can’t. He wishes he could reverse the past, but he can’t. He weeps for his own sin, and all that it has cost so many people.

Back to His Senses

Word spreads to his brave little army. They stayed loyal to David in the rebellion, risked their lives, and saved his Kingdom. They expect him to welcome them home with a victory parade. Instead, the king sobs over the enemy they defeated, as if they should be ashamed. “And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle (19:3).” As usual, Joab sees the situation clearly. If David doesn’t get a grip on his emotions and show some gratitude, he’ll have another crisis on his hands. So he storms into David’s chamber and roughs him up: “You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased (19:6).” Joab’s words shock David back to his senses. He gets up, dries his tears, and greets his army.

What We Can't Change

As we take in the sorrow of this story, most of us can hear an echo in our own lives. At some point, we will all find ourselves weeping over what we have done or not done. We will lie awake, thinking of the damage that our choices have brought to us and to others. And while we want so desperately to go back and change the past, we know we can’t. We are as powerless as David to secure a happy ending for our lives.

Making All Things New

But Jesus is not. Like Absalom, we have all rejected God’s rule in our lives, and like David, our sinful choices create much damage. But while God the King requires justice for our sins, he is also the Father who longs to be reconciled to us. David could not resolve this tension, but God did. He sent Jesus, his perfectly obedient Son, to hang on a tree like a rebel, and die a cursed death in our place (Gal 3:13). When Jesus rose from the dead, he had made peace by the blood of his cross (Col 1:20)! We don’t have to be doomed by our sinful choices—we prodigals can be reconciled to our Father (2 Cor 5:16–21)! Our failures can be forgiven! Whatever brokenness our choices have created, God will be with us, until the day that he declares, “Behold, I am making all things new (Rev 21:5).” But you must come to him, and trust him with your broken story. Will you?

FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, SEE:

A Homecoming Spoiled