Don't Be Absalom!
But King David covered his face,
and the king cried out with a loud
voice, “O my son Absalom!
O Absalom, my son, my son!”
2 Samuel 19:4
William Faulkner’s novel Absalom,
Absalom!
was named the best Southern novel of all time.
The novel, set in nineteenth-century Mississippi,
follows a greedy rise and tragic fall of the family
of a would-be Southern patriarch and
aristocrat.
Faulkner chose the title of his novel
from the tragic story of King David
and his son Absalom.
Absalom had a self-serving bent. He
began
seeing himself as the potential successor to
his father David's throne, He began to gather
supporters among northern tribes of Israel.
His intention was to raise an army, mount a
rebellion against his father, and take over
the throne.
But in a battle with David’s armies, Absalom
was killed, throwing David into an extended
season of grief. Even though Absalom was
his enemy, David loved him unconditionally,
even at the time of his death.
Loving enemies unconditionally is the New
Testament’s picture of
our salvation. When
we were God’s enemies, He sent Christ to
die for us (Romans 5:10). Thank God
today
for His unconditional love.
"God’s love for his
people
is infinite and unconditional."
John Blanchard