Wednesday, November 27, 2013

No Way to Reconcile Righteously

2 Samuel 13:39 KJV
And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

John Gill writes, [though Amnon] "could not be brought back from the grave, ...Absalom might be from his exile, to which he (David) had an inclination; but he knew not how to do it, consistent with justice and his own honour."

The sin of the King had come to this. One son was dead by the hand of his brother and the one whose hand had done the killing was now irreconcilably severed from his father. David longed for him but knew of no way to be reconciled to him in righteousness.

So sin works. Love of brethren is never really quenched. But justice, honor and the sense of right can put us on opposing sides, compelled to fight but broken hearted in the doing of it.

One of Santa Ana's soldiers had a brother slain in the battle of the Alamo. Through they fought and one died, the surviving brother petitioned Santa Ana for permission to bury his brother. The rest were burned in disgrace. This brother, though compelled to fight, still loved the brother who died.

Absalom was returned to Jerusalem at the request of Joab. Joab should have stayed out of it and the nation would have been better off for it. Though we may long for reconciliation, if it does not come through the eye of righteousness, it is a folly that will bring greater heartache later. 

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