A father's unconditional love

Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "Peace!" Then he bowed deeply before the king, his face to the ground. "Blessed be your God; he has handed over the men who rebelled against my master the king."

The king asked, "But is the young man Absalom all right?"

Ahimaaz said, "I saw a huge ruckus just as Joab was sending me off, but I don't know what it was about."

The king said, "Step aside and stand over there." So he stepped aside.

Then the Cushite arrived and said, "Good news, my master and king! God has given victory today over all those who rebelled against you!"

"But," said the king, "is the young man Absalom all right?"

And the Cushite replied, "Would that all of the enemies of my master the king and all who maliciously rose against you end up like that young man."

The king was stunned. Heartbroken, he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he wept he cried out,

O my son Absalom, my dear, dear son Absalom!
Why not me rather than you, my death and not yours,
O Absalom, my dear, dear son! - 2 Samuel 18:28-33 (The Message)

It's natural for a father (King David) to mourn the death of his son. But, maybe the world didn't expect the kind of love David had for his son, Absalom. To understand the depth of his devotion, you first must understand what Absalom had done to David leading up to this point. In order to take power from his father, he first stirred up a rebellion in Israel. Then, taking some poor advice, he slept with his father's concubines. Finally, to add injury to insult, Absalom raised up an army in an attempt to kill his father. So, I think I would understand if David were a little teed off at his son at this point.

Obviously, Joab felt the same way, which is why he took the opportunity to kill Absalom against the king's wishes. So, you know his response catches Joab and the others off guard. While David wept and mourned over the loss of his son, most of us think he would have had every right to celebrate.

Well, as I've mentioned before, David was a man after God's own heart. It's no wonder he viewed his children in much the same way God views His own children. With love that is not at all dependent on how we act or what we think or how we feel about Him.

If you're a father, how are you doing at demonstrating unconditional love for your kids? Do they know you love them? All the time? Even when they're screaming and crying? Even when they don't do their homework? Even when you're telling them to pick up their toys for the millionth time? Even when you're ignoring them? Even when you're at work? Even when they've screwed up so bad you don't think you can forgive them? I'm not always so good. But, I can learn from David.

Peace.