2 Samuel 14:8-17
8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your home, and I will issue orders concerning you.”
9 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, the king, the guilt is on me and my father’s house, but the king and his throne are guiltless.”
10 So the king said, “Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.”
11 Then she said, “May the king please remember the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
12 Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
13 The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is like one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.
14 For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. Yet God does not take away life, but makes plans so that the banished one will not be cast out from Him.
15 Now then, the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your servant said, ‘Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the request of his slave.’
16 For the king will listen, to save his slave from the hand of the man who would eliminate both me and my son from the inheritance of God.”
17 Then your servant said, ‘Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
David’s Decision
David prioritized the survival of the family line
When David heard the plea of the woman from Tekoa, he initially said, “Go to your home, and I will issue orders concerning you,” trying to buy some time. But the woman persisted, and in the end, she drew from David the judgment she had hoped for. David declared, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.” Having compassion on the widow and her remaining son, David finally issued a judgment that guaranteed the son’s life. In David’s heart, mercy triumphed over justice. This is also the will of God the Father. The Lord Jesus said, “Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13). We are those who have experienced the salvation of our souls through the mercy of God.
The true intention of the woman of Tekoa
The woman from Tekoa, based on the judgment David had rendered, now proceeds to the “main point” of her argument. Her key point is this: (1) If the son who committed murder can be forgiven, then shouldn’t Absalom, who remains in exile, also be forgiven? (2) Refusing to forgive Absalom would be equivalent to eliminating another successor to the kingdom of Israel. Would this not be a betrayal against the people of God? (3) Punishing Absalom will not bring the dead Amnon back to life. (4) Since you yourself have been forgiven by the grace of God, you should forgive Absalom before it is too late. (5) The king, like a messenger of God, possesses the ability to discern between good and evil. In fact, the king has rendered a merciful judgment on behalf of this case. Trusting in the king’s discernment, I have come here to receive words of comfort from him. The woman urged David to apply the merciful judgment he had rendered to himself as well. Understanding a truth and applying it are two different matters. If we have come to understand God’s love, then we must also apply it in our daily lives. Have you received God’s forgiveness and God’s love?
Today's prayer
Gracious God, thank You for loving me. Please help me to put into practice the ability to forgive and love myself. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.