[One-Verse Meditation]

2 Samuel 19:8

“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.”

(Meditation)

David waited anxiously for news from the battlefield. Two messengers came running and stood before the king with news of victory. Any king would want to hear the report of triumph first. But David’s heart was not there. He cared about one thing only: “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Despite David’s longing, the news that finally came was the news of Absalom’s death. That news tore David’s heart apart. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom.”

The king’s grief soon became the grief of all the people. Though they had won the battle, they could not rejoice, but returned to the city quietly, like those who had been defeated. Then Joab stepped forward again. He made David face the truth of who it was that had risked their lives for the king that day. In this way he pressed David back into his royal place. At last David rose from his place of tears and sat in the gate, and the people came again before the king.

This passage can be meditated on from several angles. If we focus on David’s heart, unable to hate the son who had opposed him and sought his life, we may be reminded of the heart of God the Father toward us as sinners. On the other hand, we may also think about the harshness of Joab, who repeatedly refused to obey the king’s command and valued practical gain more than love. At the same time, we may see that God used even Joab to bring David back to the responsibilities of his kingship. In this way, the passage shows us David’s grief, Joab’s rebuke, and the hand of God working over all of it.

What especially stands out to me today is David waiting for news from the battlefield. Long before this, David had waited for news of Uriah the Hittite’s death. That was news he longed for in order to cover his sin. But today he waits for news of his son Absalom’s survival. Once again, he is restless and waits with all his heart. And so it seems that life is also a time of waiting for news. In that waiting, we come to see what it is that we are truly looking toward. The final verse of today’s passage shows us the Lord, who uses even such news to set us again before Himself.

(Prayer)

Lord, in this life of waiting for news, let me cherish not the news my heart desires, but the news through which You set me again before You. Amen.
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[Daily Meditation]

• 2 Samuel 18:28–19:8