Context

David’s son Absolum had killed his brother Amnon and, knowing he was in trouble, went into hiding. At this point, David was probably in a difficult place. He knew his son was wrong in killing his other son, but he also loved his son Absolum. So, this woman came to the King with a story to help the King see that he should make amends with his son and bring him back.

2 Samuel 14

¹² Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” ¹³ And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the King convicts himself, inasmuch as the King does not bring his banished one home again. ¹⁴ We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. ¹⁵ Now I have come to say this to my lord the King because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the King; it may be that the King will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶ For the King will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’ ¹⁷ And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the King is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”

Interestingly, within this message from this woman to David about reconciliation was another message of God bringing reconciliation to us all. This was way back before Jesus came, yet you can still clearly see the heart of God here for making a way for us all to come back to him even though, just like Absolum, we are great sinners.

The woman tells David he has compassion for her son, but he has convicted himself of being wrong not to bring back his banished son. She points out that God does not take away life, but he makes a plan for the banished not to remain an outcast.

We are banished. We were banished from Eden, but God made a plan for his son to come and take our place and pay the price so that we could return to him.

This is so amazing being reminded of what a loving and merciful Father God is to us. To be reminded of how great this story is that his message and love are woven into it so intricately that when we read his word, we are impacted by the love we see. From the very beginning, God had a plan set in motion, and we all have a chance to return to him now that Jesus came and did it.