Joab went into the king’s house and told him, “You make all the people who fought for you today, including your entire family, ashamed because you act like you love your enemies and hate your friends! You've proven that you don't care for any of us, and I think you would've been happier if we had all died and Absalom had lived. Now, go out and reassure your people that you care for them or I promise none of them will remain loyal to you through this very night. Then you’ll be worse off than you’ve ever been in your life.” 

What a tangled up story this is, huh? We know that all of what's happening has been prophesied, that David’s family would be in conflict because of the mistake he made with Bathsheba. David’s son Absalom, who had the best intentions defending the honor of his sister, kills Amnon, his brother who raped her, and ends up an outcast. He finally gets to return home after three years in banishment. Once home, however, David doesn’t speak to Absalom for another two years. Finally, they reconcile, to David’s glee because he really does have a very tender affection for Absalom. For the following years, Absalom gradually wins the hearts of Israel while slowly luring their loyalty away from David, convincing Israel ever so cleverly that he's the cat’s pajamas. Absalom then hatches a plan to take over the kingdom from his dad. My, oh my, oh my! One has to imagine that David isn’t exactly a sprightly young man by this time and he is forced to flee from his home with much of Judah following him, yet the last thing he wants is for any harm to befall his beloved son. Absalom ends up dead in the end, hanging by the hair of his head from an oak tree. Would you ever have imagined it would all end up this way when you were reading about how Absalom took his little sister in so that she wouldn’t feel like her dignity was destroyed after her other brother raped her? 

How many of our lives have drama like this in them? Truthfully and sadly … Most of them. And how much of it could be conquered, OR AVOIDED if we did things just a little differently? Bible stories have important lessons hidden in each of them that we can relate to our own lives, if we will just open up our hearts to God’s Word and apply it whenever and wherever we can. Now, back to our story. 

So the king got up and went to the gate. Keep in mind, David is still in Mahanaim. News spread that he was sitting at the gate so all the people went to see him. 

Must have been a really weird time, don’t you agree? The people who remained loyal to David were feeling strange because he was acting like they were the bad guys for killing his son the bad guy, and the people who were deceived by Absalom and were fighting against those who remained loyal to David, were feeling like traitors. But one thing is a fact … David is still the king. Absalom’s followers may have “declared” Absalom king, but Absalom is dead now, and David is still alive. David IS the king. Yet all the people, no matter who they chose to support, are feeling a litttttle weird about things right now … No doubt.

Now, Absalom’s army had all fled to their own homes in their own cities in Israel, but the people reminded one another saying, “King David saved us from our enemies and delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines. Then he fled out of the land because of Absalom. Now Absalom, who we declared king, is dead. They asked one another, "Why don't we ask the king to forgive us and take the kingdom again?"

RETURN TO JERUSALEM LESSON WITH RETURN TO JERUSALEM EXPLANATION

Couldn't we all benefit from that kind of perspective? Stop complaining, no excuses, and start fresh in the moment.