2 Samuel 14:28 (KJV)
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
David takes a lot of flack from Bible students concerning his parenting, and I would be the last to say he did it well. The situations with Amnon and Tamar, then Absalom and Amnon, and now Absalom again—this is truly a royal mess.
We often feel justified in criticizing David because Scripture gives us insight that much of this family grief flowed from his sin with Bathsheba—and it was a grievous sin indeed. Let it not be once named among us, and yet it very often is.
Here is the application I would like us to consider.
None of us is perfect. All of us sin. And for all of us, our sins affect our families. Our children learn from us—for better or for worse—how to become who they will be. They have their own personalities and their own propensities to sin, but all of that is compounded by what they see in us.
When they are young, we can often contain things. But sooner or later they grow up and move on, and then all of it—their whims and wishes, their nature and tendencies, their joys and loves, their similarities to us (good or bad)—comes into the light.
And frankly, sometimes we just do not know how to respond.
We are their parents. People, like Joab, often think we ought to have a response. But sometimes what to do, what to say, or how to react is beyond us.
I do not know whether David handled the situation with Absalom rightly or wrongly. He certainly could not have condoned Absalom’s behavior. But I do note this—David never stopped loving his son.
As a parent of adult children, and as a parent whose children now have adult children, all I really know to do is this: keep loving them all. And though sometimes we do not know exactly how to respond, never—never—stop loving them or praying for them.
#ParentalHeart #FamilyConsequences #NeverStopLoving #BiblicalParenting #PrayForYourChildren
Hard Truths: The Pain of Parenting Adult Children
Looking for Bible answers when family situations are hard and confusing? God’s Word speaks honestly about broken homes, wayward children, and a parent’s faithful love. Scripture doesn’t give us every detail—but it gives us truth, hope, and direction. 📖✨
👉 Question for you: What Bible verse has helped you keep loving and praying when you didn’t know what to do? Share it in the comments below.
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