Steven Garofalo
Politics • Spirituality/Belief • Preparedness
WHO IS THE GREATEST PERSON TO EVER LIVE?
By Steven Garofalo, May 31, 2023 (Copyright 2023)
May 31, 2023

When asked, ,"Who Is the Greatest to ever live", the world has many answers; but only one can be the truth. And today, we will learn the truth-and that the truth is exclusive to just one Person.

I googled  “Who is the greatest individual of all time?” And upcoming this from school connect.com: “Muhammad: HE is frequently recognized as the greatest person to ever exist. It's not surprising to see upper education promoting Islam above Christianity due to the Christian withdrawal from the public and Ivy League educational institutions. The article went on to clarify that this was the prophet Muhammad who "is said to have been born in Mecca (now Saudi’s Arabia) in 570 A.D…" In another online article titled “Top ten best humans in the world” by the same website, ischoolconnect.com, published May 12, 2023, they listed Muhammad bin Abdullah (Muhammad, prophet of Islam) a prominent figure in politics, religion, and society. Second was Isaac Newton, famous mathematician who discovered gravity and who passed away in Florence Italy in 1642. And then finally, they listed Jesus as number three. They didn’t name him as "Jesus Christ", but only Jesus. With Muhammad, they referred to him not as "Muhammad" but as, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. This is a great disrespect to Jesus Christ and Christians around the world in more than one way; but to be expected from Islamic scholars. Fourth was Buddha followed by Confucius at number five and so on.

Www.iSchoolconnect.com is an online resource for Ivy League schools, obviously run by a Muslim person or group of people. ISchoolConnect under their “About Us” tab, “is the simple one stop shop for all your higher education requirements”, stating, “We desire to be the most beloved student mobility solution on earth…Making the admissions process globally accessible and hassle-free for every student”. The only problem is that they got it wrong and untrue at the center core of their understanding of the truth-hence they got it wrong there forward. It is a fact that Jesus Christ throughout the entire world has been hailed the greatest person to ever live and who will ever live.

Quora.com, in an entry titled, “What made Jesus Christ the greatest person in history?”,published March 17, 2018 gives countless reasons as to why that is a fact. In an article entitled “Ten Reasons Jesus is the Most Influential Person in history”, by Kurt Mahlburg at www.Kurtmahlburg.blog published in 2019 shows why Jesus is the greatest person to ever live. Some of the reasons include: Jesus is permanently world famous; Jesus launched an equality revolution; Jesus redefined hero; Jesus inspired universal literacy; Jesus is the Star of ancient history; Jesus’ followers discovered science (not Muhammad or the religion of Islam); Jesus is the world’s greatest force for compassion; Jesus paved the way for democracy; Jesus and His church are the most hated people on the earth (When a single faith is the target of so much worldwide opposition-and this despite the many benefits it has brought the world-it should get our attention. Jesus really came to rescue humanity from its deep hostility towards God-Jesus as God loved us while we still hated Him.  Tenth and lastly, Jesus’ claim to be God was unique, unlike Muhammad who never did that, as he self-proclaimed to be a prophet (not God or Allah), referring to Allah as God and not himself. https://kurtmahlburg.blog/2019/03/25/jesus-is-the-most-influential-person-in-history/amp/

Lastly: What the Bible Says About Who Is The Greatest:

The Bible through the words of Jesus Christ answers our question: Jesus, when asked the question by His disciples as to: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Breaks His answer down as follows:

  1. First Jesus called a “child” and put that child in front of them to make His point.
  2. Then Jesus said to them that if they do not and will not become just like this child (children did not have the esteem in biblical times we assign to them in the modern age), that they as adults will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven.
  3. Jesus then further clarifies what He means by that in saying, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”.
  4. Jesus goes on to further clarify the greatest as being those who “receive” one such child in the name of Jesus Christ as one who literally receives Jesus him or herself.
  5. Then Jesus sobers the world up in making clear that throw who CAUSE just one such child who believes in Jesus to sin, that it would be better for him or her to have a great millstone tied around their neck (weighing hundreds of pounds) and be thrown into the depth of the sea. Some people would proclaim this as cruel and wrong. Such thinking is very postmodern and incorrect. Jesus as God and man is the truth and says what “is”, what is “right”, and what “will be”. Here is Jesus said in His own words:

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:1-6)

In closing, who is the greatest? Jesus of course. But we can as authentic followers of Jesus Christ-emulate and live out that greatness  in light His the words, commands and how Jesus live out his life. This includes humbling ourselves (vs.4); meaning that whoever humbles himself until he becomes as innocent and pure in their faith-exhibiting trust, openness, and eagerness to learn-these are the childlike qualities that constitute true greatness. You and I can be among the greatest to ever live as we live out this command-mission Jesus lesson. Once we do this, the rest will follow. And the rest is up to you and I-with the help of God’s Word (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit.

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The Matt Damon movie is not accurate. The FBI was so incensed that they took upon themselves to produce a more accurate movie to honor Mark for his courage and honesty. That movie-Mark’s real story can be found at www.MarkWhitacre.com
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MARRIED PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO BE THRIVING

Married People More Likely to Be ‘Thriving’: Gallup Survey
Ben Johnson / @TheRightsWriter / March 25, 2024 (DAILY SIGNAL)

Married couples are more likely to be happy today, anticipate future happiness, and have a “strong and loving” relationship with their children than cohabiting partners.

A new Gallup survey has found that, over more than a decade, one variable has consistently predicted whether people described themselves as “thriving”: marriage. Married couples are more likely to be happy today, anticipate future happiness, and have a “strong and loving” relationship with their children than cohabiting partners.

Gallup classified respondents into one of three groups—“thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering”—based on how they rated their home lives. Surveying data over 14 years, Gallup found that married couples consistently rated their current lives, and their likelihood of future happiness, better than those who lived together outside marriage or had a committed relationship without living ...

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A BLESSING FOR YOU TO START THE NEW WEEK!

Today is Monday...my least favorite but most necessary day. WHY? Because without Monday, there would be no Friday. Friday would mean nothing if Monday was never the start of the work week. Rather than dreading Mondays, let's redeem them! Make it a blessed start to your day and the new week!

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Palm 118:24)

"...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and now grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

SIN NOW-PAY LATER
By Steven Garofalo, March 25, 2024 (Copyright 2024)

Something struck me this morning in light of today’s Bible reading. That thing was that all of the good things the United States has done over the years brought blessings upon blessings for many generations. But God is both loving and just. As such, as the number one exporter of abortion, war, dis-mis-information, we lead the way in breaking God’s Command to speak the truth “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Then there is Covid and forced everything from don’t work to many. We have also exported Christian missionaries and continue to do so. And that is what keeps us in God’s provision for sure. Thank God for that.

When I read 2 Samuel 21:1-7, I was reminded that David, recognize God’s hand of consequential judgment for something he wasn't even responsible for. In Verses 1-2, David recognized this famine as divine chastening (cf. Deut. 28:47-48) and asked God the reason why he was facing such judgment. The sin was that Saul, zealous to exterminate the heathen from Israel, had slain some of the Gibeonites whom Isreal had made a treaty (cf. Joshua 9:3). In verse 3 David asked the Gibeonites what they would accept as settlement for the injustice. And in verse 6, the Gibeonites demanded justice in keeping with the principles of Number 35:31, a life demands a life in light of Deuteronomy 24:16.

IN APPLICATION: I am not saying that God calling for anyone to be hanged necessarily. That is His business. But I am saying that God takes keeping our word and any covenants made by individuals and nations very seriously. This goes for nations as well as individuals alike. For example, with the Ukraine war as the center of the news, we must keep in mind that the USA made a covenant with the USSR upon its dismantling NOT to expand NATO eastward towards Russia. Henry Kissinger, who passed away last 2023 year said that for the U.S. and NATO to break that convenient and expand eastward was a recipe for disaster and war, and cautioned against NATO expansion. Upon the signing of the covenant, lead by then President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the first president of the USSR, there were 13 NATO Nations at that time. But NATO, led by the U.S. continunued to expand eastward, starting with President Clinton's breaking of the treaty. As a result, today, there are 31 and NATO has expanded all the way east to Ukraine which boarders Russia.

GRACE VS. CONSEQUENCES

The point of today’s lesson is simple in that we more often than not assume God’s grace, but expect Him to delete the "CONSEQUENCES" of our sins. We freely accept that God not only forgives us our sins, but we wrongly assume that He also eliminates the consequences of our physical and mental sins. That is not true at all. Consequences are more often than not felt for generations yet to come. And when people and/or nations “SIN NOW” it’s guaranteed to have to “PAY FOR THAT SIN LATER”. Let’s pray that God turns His judgement from us and that the United States leadership (who we as a country vote for) and we as citizens would sober up regarding the seriousness of God's Word and our faith. Christianity, or better yet, living out the Christian faith is not a sport. It’s a serious thing. A very serious thing in that we are tabernacaling and associating with the God who created the universe and everything in it. Please think about that for just a moment. We have a lot of difficult times ahead. But, we have a lot of wonderful times of joy that will come from and through our trials if we put God and His will and ways first. Within that context, please read 2 Samuel 21:1-7 below for better context of today’s lesson. And make it a wonderful start to the new week.

P.s. This is good news, as God is showing us the way BACK to His favor. And that is a wonderful thing. I just report on what the Lord shows me to report on. I am the messenger, not the message:)-Steven Garofalo

2 SAMUEL 21:1-7 David Avenges the Gibeonites

"21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul."

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EVERYONE WANTS JUSTICE BUT TRUST IN UNJUST RULERS
By Steve Garofalo, March 22, 2024 (Copyright 2024)

Everyone wants justice but selfishness leads many to trust in unjust authorities.

Everyone wants justice, so why do so many people in the public space support, trust in and vote for immoral and unjust rulers.

in an article titled “accountability deficit: why do citizens vote for corrupt politicians? Published November 6, 2023, at www.u4.no the author notes that complex media environment makes it hard for voters to make informed choices. And loyalty to one’s group as well as pessimism about the likelihood of change all play in their part.

Instead of supporting morally grounded candidates, in a winner-takes-all political systems, voters often tolerate corruption among leaders of their own party or ethnic group because they expect to share in the proceeds or be worse off under the leaders from a rival party or ethnic group.

While the article is very informative, I want to turn to the core of the issue, which is God, morality and how we can do better for our generation and that of our children. To do so, I want to turn to the book of 1 Samuel, chapter sixteen in the Jewish or Old Testament scriptures. Let’s look.

What’s going on in 1 Samuel chapter sixteen?

This chapter outlines king David’s son Absalom overthrowing his own father, king David. How he do this? The answer boils down to the fact that he gained the support of the Jewish people who turned on their godly king (David) who was given to them by God himself.

Today, we will see is that Absalom unrightly inserted himself as judge and national leader at the city gate of Jerusalem, providing the people with a “perceived social justice”. Absalom was personable and charismatic-but also untruthful, and a horrible judge. He was also a powerful charismatic persuader. And this helps explains what’s going on today in the 21st century, in that “while everyone demands justice, many choose trust in and vote for unjust and corrupt rulers.

in 1 Samuel chapter sixteen, we find David’s son Absalom betraying his father after coming back to Jerusalem from hiding for killing his stepbrother who raped his (Absalom’s) biological sister. What had happened is that Absalom had killed his half-brother in retaliation for his half-brother raping his (Absalom’s) biological sister.

To make things worse, King David wrongly ignored Absalom upon his return. Absalom, being a handsome, charismatic man became bitter at his father for not speaking with him and made himself a self-proclaimed “judge” at the city gate. “Absalom lived two years in Jerusalem without coming into the king’s presence” (2 Samuel 14: 28). He finally had enough of living a life secluded from his father the king.

Absalom simply got tired of being an outcast. As a result, he sat at the city gate and helped the populous settle their issues to the point of gaining their trust and loyalty. After some time, Absalom “…got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him” (2 Samuel 15:1). This would be equivalent to building a militia. Over time, Absalom sat by the city and helped men settle their disputes. Absalom did this to the point that he had enough support to overthrow his father the king.

Absalom gave them what they wanted and appealed to their emotions. “Oh, that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me and I would give him justice. And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:4-6).

SO WHAT!

To answer the title question of this episode: “Everyone wants justice-but many trust in the wrong authorities” the answer boils down to the fact that as sinful human beings “our hearts are easily stolen”. Why do we do this? Because we fail to lead with our head, and instead trust the truth and critical-logical thinking to our “heart-emotions”-which come out of the heart minus the head.

The bible says: “So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel”. Today, nothing much has changed because people are the same and sin is still at work in human nature. It’s obvious to see leaders that have stolen the hearts of the people in our present age.

So, what can we do about it? We can learn from the past. Let’s do that now by looking more deeply at this passage and make some observations that can help us think more biblically and rightly an effort to help us out of our current predicament. These observations are not emotionally driven-just logical, truthful observations made through critical thinking.  

The key to verse: 2 Samuel 15 is found in verse 4 which says this:

“Oh that i were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me and I would give him justice”.

OBSERVATIONS:

FIRST: in verses 3-4, notice that Absalom ingratiates himself with the people and takes their side without any investigation because he wants to give them what their heart desire as opposed to true justice. This is corrupt politics. This is how you win the unrighteous favor of people-when you give to them what benefits them “personally” and not as an objective people, culture, or country.

SECOND: Absalom offered himself as a desirable judge for their grievances. When people get what they want, it’s desirable at first-but then comes back to haunt them later, because what was given to them unrightly eventually came back against them. That’s the way unrighteous gain works.

THIRD: if you look carefully, you will see that Absalom ultimately offered an “administration of justice”, portraying the proper relationship between people in society according to God’s standard of righteousness. This very thing was of major concern to the rules and prophets (8:15; 1 Kings 3:28; Isaiah 1:17; Amos 5:24). Here, Absalom gave the “perception’ of an “administration of justice”.

FOURTH: This is the big one in that Absalom was playing on the people’s emotions when he presented himself as the answer to their needs for justice but had none to give them. It’s easy to make the Israelites out to be the victims here, but that is not true. They willfully chose Absalom as an unrighteous ruler to get what was best for them “personally” as opposed to God’s objective law which kept peace throughout the kingdom. Simply put, they chose according to their emotions, and they paid dearly for it in the end.

>>> FIFTH: I want to reiterate verses 5-6 which says, that “Absalom stole the hearts” of the people. How did he do this? Through giving them what they wanted as opposed to judging according to the law. You see, when things work for us personally, we tend to turn a blind eye to injustice to get what we want and what benefits us. The problem is that this goes against God’s ways and eventually god lifts his hand of blessing, provision and protection, much like we see in our modern age with paying illegal immigrants to come and stay in this country, through the welfare programs, and in some cases inflated pensions. Absalom with all his personal charm and promises gave people what they wanted as opposed to true biblical justice God demanded. And as a result, Absalom managed to win the affection and loyalty of the Israelites.

In the end, Absalom’s public relations strategy at the city gate worked so well that he “stole away the hearts of the men of Israel”. Besides being a murder, Absalom was now also a thief. His stealing the hearts of the people is a classic example of political manipulation.

IN CONCLUSION

Remember, everyone wants justice, but many trust in the wrong authorities. Today I have answered through the scriptures why so many people support, trust in and even vote for immoral-unjust rulers to their own (or better yet our own) detriment. The bottom line is this: It all boils down to the fact that we selfishly want “our own desires” - our own “selfishness” in getting what benefits us as opposed to what benefits the nation according to God’s exclusive standard found in His Word. And in the end, it’s the leading of our minds by the emotional heart that drive us to the point of self-destruction. So, while everyone wants justice, it is our selfishness that most often leads us to trust in unjust authorities.

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PT2-OUR GREATEST LEGACY
By Steven Garofalo, March 18, 2024 (Copyright 2024)

In our last episode, we discussed the fact that it’s ultimately how we commune with God that determine swhat kind of person and nation we become. Today, in part 2, we are going to pick up from PART 1 and address the epidemic that we face as a nation with deficit of biblical literacy which has led to a bankrupt Moral Standard in the family, government, corporate culture and world at large. Let’s get started.

As stated, today, I am going to show you that ultimately, it’s how we commune with God that will determine what kind of person and nation we become. And what kind of person we are will determine what kind of parent we are to our children, which dictates how our children grow up to run corporations, government, societies, countries, continents and the world.

WELCOME BACK TO PART 2: IN PART 1, we looked at 2 Samuel and the life of David and established that we as Christians and the world a large face a deficit of biblical morality in the family, government, corporate culture, our community, the country and world at large.

Today, I am going to sound the sobriety alarm and say what most all of us are thinking, which is that if we as Christians don’t change ourselves and take a stand to be salt and light in order to change culture-culture will continue to change us as the body of Christ and church into it’s own image. If that continues, life and freedom as we know it today are going to diminish if not perish at our own demise. To be clear, we can change that over time and right side the world once again for our children’s generation if think, act and move courageously and rightly-according to God’s Word and ways. It won’t be easy but it can be done. It’s up to you, me and all of us as Christians to do this.

WHERE DO WE START?

FIRST, with the understanding and acceptance that USA as we know it from the past 75-100 years is gone. SECOND, it will take at least one generation to turn things around. And THIRDLY, we must embrace the fact that turning the world right-side up in God’s strength starts with equipping the next generation to be godly, morally driven leaders, fathers and mothers, rulers and leaders who stand on consistent principles.

But, this all starts with the family. It’s like a tree that grows in a forest. It always grows in the direction of the sun. If the sun is not directly overhead, it will grow crooked-to the left or the right-ultimately becoming a crooked tree. Anyone who is a father, mother or a leader knows that communication with their children, employees and constituents is essential to their well being as their upbringing as a child, and development as a person is what makes all cultures and civilizations successful.

THE DOMINO EFFECT: There is a “DOMINO EFFECT” to creating and raising up strong children, communities, churches, cultures and countries. How you and I parent our children determines how the next generation will run the WORLD, including corporations and governments around the world. Let’s be careful to go to God’s Word and get in prayer about this for our own life and family before we look to the crumbling world for counseling and psychological direction.

Again, the USA and world as we know it is gone. This is simple history as empires rise and fall. The question is not so much what is in the present, but preparing our young people for WHAT COMES NEXT. The world they inherit is much different and more challenging than the one most of us inherited. That being said, the one thing we can all be assured of is that God is on the throne, and will raise up and use His remnant to create a very different but wonderful new world. And God will use those who know and serve his rightly. Those with strong biblical commitment, moral fortitude, and conviction. With that setting being laid out, let’s switch gears to the main source of wisdom and pick up where we left off in life of king David and his son Absalom in 2 Samuel.

THE SCRIPTURAL PICTURE: Remember the SETTING-Absalom had planned to kill his father king David in 2 Samuel 17:1 and unsightly assumed the throne as king. The succession of the throne would most likely have been Absalom. Had Absalom been patient, he would not have gone after his father. But, as we know, God is always in full control and used David’s good friend Hushai to protect David and correct the wrong of Absalom. David’s loyal friend Hushai stayed behind, acting to be loyal to Absalom and to help thwart Absalom, which he did when re-directed an effective plan to kill David devised by traitor and treasonous Ahithophel. God used Hushai, David’s loyal friend to usher in advise that would benefit king David, and successfully thwarted the counsel of Ahithophel which lead to the downfall of Absalom as well as Ahithophel taking his own life. WHY did Ahithophel take his own life? Because he realized that his cause was lost and that they would lose the war to David with the advise that Hushai gave him. Ahithophel know that they would lose the battle and that he himself would be put to death for treason. As a result, the Bible tells us that:

“WHEN AHITHOPHEL SAW THAT HIS COUNSEL WAS NOT FOLLOWED, HE SADDLED HIS DONKEY AND WENT OFF HOME TO HIS OWN CITY. HE SET HIS HOUSE IN ORDER AND HANGED HIMSELF AND HE DIED AND WAS BURIED IN THE TOMB OF HIS FATHER” (2 Samuel 17:23).

SO WHAT!-Take Aways:

FIRST: The tragedy of Absalom was a consequence of David’s sin with Bathsheba (12:11-12). We should all know that while our sins are be forgiven by God. We all need to as well understand  and accept that despite God’s forgiveness, we often still reap the inevitable consequences of our sin and actions. Too many Christians see heavenly forgiveness of our sins to include the erasing of our earthly consequences. That’s not true. The vest thing to do is to NOT commit the sin to begin with in order to avoid offending God and earthly consequences. But all of us are imperfect and must accept the earthly as things we need to live with in light of God’s grace-using those consequences to instruct our minds and hearts there-forward.

 

SECOND: The danger of rooting for the evil underdog, which we often do in American and around the world is wrong, harmful. And it also carries consequences. King David often seemed to almost support those who sought his life at the expense of those who were keeping him (David) alive to begin with. In verse 7 Joab warned that David’s Unrestrained expression of his grief for Absalom could lead to political disaster because David selfishly put his emotional distraught for Absalom before his own military men, leaders and the general population. It’s understandable that David would mourn Absalom as that was his own son who he loved greatly. But he ought not have done that publicly. Remember that Absalom set out to kill David and many of the Jews in the process through war and David’s men are the ones who kept David alive. David was WRONG to publicly mourn his son who was Israel’s deadly enemy. LISTEN TO HOW JOAB makes this this clear to David in verses 5-6,

“…YOU HAVE TODAY COVERED WITH SHAME THE FACES OF ALL YOUR SERVANTS, WHO HAVE THIS DAY SAVED YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR SONS AND YOU DAUGHTERS AND THE LIVES OF YOUR WIVES AND YOU CONCUBINES, BECAUSE YOU LOVE THOSE WHO HATE YOU. AND ATE THOSE WHO LOVE YOU”.

Joab didn’t stop there thought. He then calls David on the carpet in the second half of verse 6, saying, “FOR YOU HAVE MADE IT CLEAR TODAY THAT COMMANDERS AND SERVANTS ARE NOTHING TO YOU, FOR TODAY I KNOW THAT IF ABSALOM WERE ALIVE AND ALL OF US WERE DEAD TODAY, THEN YOU WOULD BE PLEASED”. (That’s a strong statement to the king that Joab woudn’t have made had it not been true).

APPLICATION FOR YOUR AND I TODAY: David was a father and Good fathers put the right thing ahead of their own interests and their own emotions. David was a valiant man in many ways, but he missed the mark as a father in many ways. This is not uncommon for most high level leaders. To be at the top, such as the “king”, it is demanding on one’s time, emotions and physical strength. Had David granted Absalom the same grace upon Absalom (his son) for killing the young man who raped his daughter-had he shown the same grace David asked God to bestow upon him (David) for committing adultery with Bathsheba, and then murdering her husband Uriah, the story most definitely would have turned out much different.

Let’s remember that David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of David’s most committed servants (Uriah) and then murdered. Had David been a better father to Absalom, his son it seems most likely that he would have remained alive and probably even would have ended up taking over the throne with David’s blessings as opposed to by force upon David’s death of old age. I’m not blaming David for Absalom’s sin, but only saying that perhaps, had David acted more like a loving father, Absalom may not have sinned as he did in the first place.

I am not seeking to put David down either. He was a great man, a great leader and a man after God’s own heart. What I am saying is that he is praised in our modern age without looking at his downfallings. It’s David’s courage with Goliath that we love to speak about and it’s that courage that strengthens many of us. But it’s in his sin and error that we can learn from as well. David was a servant of God, God’s chosen king, and a man after God’s own heart. That is a fact. He was a valiant, courageous warrior for God. But he was also a polygamist, an adulterer, and a murderer; not to mention an absent father. While one ought not outshine other other-both should be observed.

Where was David for those two years when his own son, Absalom yearned to meet with him, spend time with him and be with his father who brought him out of hiding to be in Jerusalem with the king in the first place? I revere David as a biblical Character but I don’t fully understand him. As Absalom said in verse 6, “…BECAUSE YOU LOVE THOSE WHO HATE YOU, AND HATE THOSE WHO LOVE YOU”. To David’s defense, it must have been difficult to be king and father at the same time, but that’s an excuse. Le’t keep in mind as we learn from the Scriptures that one ought never be too busy for their son, daughter, husband or wife.

IN CONCLUSION: Anyone who is a father knows that communication with their children is essential to their healthy upbringing and development as a godly person in their adult life. Let’s keep in mind that our actions and words hold consequences as God makes clear in 2 Samuel 12:10.

“NOW THEREFORE THE SWORD SHALL NEVER DEPART FROM YOUR HOUSE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE DESPISED ME AND HAVE TAKEN THE WIFE OF URIAH THE HITTITE TO BE YOUR WIFE” (2 Samuel 12:10).

None of us are perfect fathers, mothers or parents in general. That’s not the point. This story has been told, taught and studied for thousands of years. But I have seldom heard as sermon on David’s failings. In the end, David was a man after God’s own heart because he demonstrated his faith and was committed to following the Lord. As a man after God’s own heart, David is a role model in many ways for all of us. But, in other ways, he is life lesson of how not to parent and act as a leader as well.

You and I have been given this biblical lesson to help instruct us regarding how we ought to raise up our own children and how to avoid the same pitfalls we see in David’s life. We can do better only if we learn from others as well as our own failures in life. And it all starts with our sitting down with God, spending proper time in His word and prayer. And then in light of God’s wisdom, applying those principles to how we raise our children. And this includes with open-loving communication. When we do this, our children and the next generation will want to hear God’s wisdom. And this can be our greatest legacy.

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