1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word comes to us from the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel 18:31-33 (read the text) He who has ears to hear, let Him hear. It’s entitled, “Is the Young Man Safe?” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. Graduation season has come. At one Christian college, the president had a standard line written into the script for commencement exercises every spring. He would thank the graduates for letting that college be a part of their quest of their educational goals. He was acknowledging what the students had given the college, yet he didn’t mention what the college had given to the students. I think that this would be a pretty weak statement to make to the graduating class at any school. At a Christian college, the statement stands out as horribly weak. Something is missing.
3. Speaking of something missing, look at Absalom in our text from 2 Samuel 18. He was one of King David’s many sons. Absalom was handsome, capable, smart, a charismatic type of guy, a born leader, the kind who could easily get people to follow him. Absalom had a lot going for him. Yet something was horribly missing. When his half-brother Amnon raped his sister, Absalom was so filled with rage that he started plotting revenge on Amnon. Coldly and calculatingly, Absalom let things brew for 2 years before he killed Amnon. Later, he schemed for 4 years before he launched a carefully-planned rebellion against David, who was both his father and his king. There was something sadly missing from Absalom, all right.
4. One high school religion teacher used to ask his classes whether they thought an assault by one person against another person—a sexual assault, for example—could bring about something as big as a full-scale war. Usually the pupils would say no. They found it possible to imagine that a single case of assault might lead to hurt feelings or anger, even violence on a small scale. But they didn’t think it would start a whole war. The teacher would then point them to this story, and show them how the seeds of Absalom’s huge rebellion were sown in one act of assault. Even secular history tells us that the massive battles of World War I had been lit by a one-on-one attack. If secular history is all we have to go on, though, something is missing.
5. Look at King David, against whom Absalom launched his rebellion. Remember David’s adultery and murder? The Lord forgave David, but still David had to bear the consequences of his sin. Absalom’s rebellion was exactly the kind of consequence the Lord had predicted. There would be evil for David from out of his own house, as someone close to the king would make a claim to kingship. (See 2 Samuel 12:10–12.) David had brought this rebellion upon himself, not only indirectly but also quite directly. After Absalom had killed Amnon and went away to lay low for 3 years, David finally brought Absalom back to Jerusalem . . . but then refused to see him for another 2 years. There had been something missing from David during that time. A Lutheran pastor once preached this story as a Father’s Day message, but with all the names removed so people would not catch on right away this Bible story. He pointed out how badly David had turned his back on Absalom, and what consequences took place when fathers don’t extend themselves to their children in love, compassion, and mercy. Because it was while David was keeping his distance that Absalom’s thoughts turned to staging a rebellion against his father.
6. What’s missing when a father who has himself been forgiven for murder won’t turn around and share the Lord’s forgiveness with his own son? What’s missing from a son who takes it upon himself to get revenge, not once but twice, a son who finds it essential to get what he wants—no matter who stands in his way? Or what’s missing when we go to school and get an education for our purposes, to fulfill our own educational goals? In all these cases the answer can be the same. What’s missing can be faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and love resulting from that faith.
7. Why do we go to school? Why do parents tell their children that they should go to school? To learn enough to get a good job? Why? To make lots of money. Why? To have nice things? If this is as far as it goes, something is missing.
8. When was the last time any of us considered the thought that we go to school so we can learn something that will enable us to glorify God and serve our neighbor? Maybe it will be in church work, but Christians can glorify God and serve their neighbors in any honorable calling in life. Why don’t Christian parents put it this way to their kids?
9. Something is missing in our views on education. What’s missing is the Lord himself. Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” That’s what we’re really talking about here, lives that acknowledge the Lord instead of focusing on ourselves. It might surprise some people to hear this, but the Bible never tells people to fulfill their dreams. Instead, the Bible tells us to acknowledge the Lord and to serve him where He’s put us. Our resistance to this fact shows how deep idolatry goes within us, and our need to repent.
10. David was calling upon the Lord, too, and the Lord didn’t forsake David when Absalom rebelled. Instead, God got David through. The rebellion of Absalom wasn’t the only crisis that came upon Israel while David was king. It wasn’t even the only rebellion. (See 2 Samuel 20.) But, this crisis weighed more heavily on David than any of the others. The king was worried about his family. He was concerned about the kingdom, of course. But I’m sure he couldn’t help think about the line of descent for the Messiah, which by God’s promise was to go through his household. Yet the Lord’s faithfulness came through. In this way also, David was saved by Christ.
11. David hit rock-bottom when he had to flee from his son Absalom. He went up the Mount of Olives, barefoot and weeping, praying that the Lord would stop Absalom’s plans. (See 2 Samuel 15:30–31.) Bear in mind that our Lord Jesus ascended on the Mount of Olives. In fact, Jesus ascended clear off that mountain. When Jesus did this he wasn’t weeping, but victorious. Our ascended Lord Christ intercedes for us before the throne of God, praying that all his enemies—and ours—be finally destroyed.
12. That’s not all. While David was still trying to get away from his Absalom, he came upon an angry relative of the previous king, Saul. This man threw rocks at David, and he hurled a few insults and curses at him too. One of David’s army commanders volunteered to take the guy’s head off, but David said no. This was the worst humiliation of his life, but David accepted it as discipline from God himself. David realized that he had to go through this humiliation if he was to be exalted again as king. He had to go through it.
13. Think of what Jesus went through in his humiliation. He had all kinds of insults and curses heaped upon him. The worst of those curses came from God himself. Christ endured it all because he knew that for the sake of our salvation he couldn’t go around his humiliation unto death, even death on a cross. He had to go through it. And at the end of that humiliation he was exalted. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at God’s right hand as our King.
14. This point in David’s life, when he was struggling against his son Absalom, is when he looked the most like Christ. Like Christ, David loved the unlovable. Despite everything Absalom had done, David didn’t want him harmed on the field of battle. David loved his rebellious son. But, his soldiers disobeyed the David’s order and killed Absalom. When the reports came to David he urgently wanted to know whether his son was safe. And when David learned that Absalom had died, he broke down in bitter weeping and said, “Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom my son, my son.”
15. What David wanted to do for his rebellious son is what Christ did by dying for sinners like you and me. Because he loved us with a love much more intense than the love that moved David to say, “Absalom, my son, my son,” Christ the eternal Son of God was willing to be cut off from his Father and to cry out to him, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Such was his love for the unlovable. Such is his love for you and me.
16. Is the young man or the young woman safe? We might question about those young men and women now graduating from high school or college. Are they safe? There’s safety only with the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ. The story of Absalom shows that all the ambition and learning in this world can’t keep us safe. In fact, intelligence can be put to terrible uses apart from God. The pursuit of the wrong goals can be catastrophic. We can be safe only with Christ. He died for us and rose. He ascended and intercedes for us before the throne of grace and he will someday take us to be with him in heaven. And when we’re preparing for his coming again by remaining in his Word all through our lives, never graduating, then we’re safe. Amen.
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