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II Samuel 13:1-39, John 17:1-26, Psalm 119:81-96, Proverbs 16:6-7
“When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry, but Absalom said nothing one way or the other about this to Amnon. However, he hated him with a deep hatred because of what he had done to his sister.” II Samuel 13:21-24a
Crisis resolution… A half-brother rapes his half-sister. Her full brother says nothing but plots revenge. Dad gets mad but does absolutely nothing to correct the situation. What could possibly go wrong. As we see in our reading today, a whole lot could go wrong. All of this could have been prevented had David stepped up and brought his family together. Had David brought his children to the table and gotten Amnon to marry Tamar it would have soothed the situation as far as Absalom and Tamar’s reputation and future. Folks, we can’t turn our head and play like there is nothing to see.
If we don’t deal with a crisis at the start, it will continue through the years and nothing good will come from it. David’s daughter was condemned to a house with no prospect for marriage and a family, Absalom killed Amnon and later tried to take David’s throne. Ultimately, Absalom lost his life as well do to the hatred for his brother and father that stemmed from the rape. When something comes up in your life, even if you don’t completely know what to do, at least bring the parties together and try to talk it out and work toward resolution. You’ll never regret it because even if it doesn’t work out, you can say that you gave it your best shot. And most likely it will help. You’d be surprised at how far an “I’m sorry” goes.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to be bold enough to step up and help iron out tough situations. Help me to walk in forgiveness should I be the one in that position. Teach all people how to properly deal with conflict in their lives. I also pray for families everywhere, asking You to intervene and bring unity and love to them. Bind families tightly Lord, and help them to be there for one another. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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