May 1: EXPLORING AN ANCIENT MYSTERY (part 5)
“O my son Absalom—my son, my son Absalom—if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!” 2 Samuel 18:33b (see also 19:4)
The cries of King David after learning that Absalom had been killed are gut-wrenching. Even in the face of Absalom’s extreme disloyalty, David loved him. The king’s response to the terrible news is revealing. It gives us a clue regarding how God feels about his lost children: if only I had died in your place!
God’s love for His children defies description in human words. The love that we have for our children is only a faint resemblance by comparison. If only we could aspire to love as God loves! There is a trait in God’s character that is a great asset for people who believe that He desires each man to reflect His own image. It is the trait of humility, and it bears a direct connection with unselfish love.
The opposite trait – pride – poses the most serious threat to our spiritual well-being. Absalom’s pride brought about tragedy. It blinded him from the appreciation of precious treasures; priceless relationships with people, especially family, and most of all his father. The decisions he made because of his pride exerted no positive influence in the world.
Many people ask if God made the devil. No, He created a beautiful angel who was perfect in [his] ways (Ezekiel 28:15) until he allowed a tiny seed of covetousness to put down roots in his heart. That angel made a devil of himself because of the pride that he nurtured and acted upon. God’s ability to see clearly into the future is behind the prophetic verses in the Bible that speak of the death of Satan (Ezekiel 28:18,19). God saw that he would never humble himself and surrender his pride. Instead, he would just continue to mislead people and misrepresent God as aloof, exacting, stern, unapproachable, and unfeeling. We are guaranteed in God’s written word that He will set a limit and bring an end to sin. Today, He stands ready to mercifully forgive and cleanse, having sent His Son to die in your place as a just punishment for sin. He recreates hearts by the power of His Spirit in every dear soul who humbly submits to transformation. It has been said that at the cross, mercy and justice kissed!
What do you conspire against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time. Nahum 1:9
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. Psalm 85:10