2 Samuel 14:25-33
David Forgives Absalom
25 Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king’s standard. 27 To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.
28 And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king’s face. 29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come. 30 So he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
31 Then Joab arose and came to Absalom’s house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
32 And Absalom answered Joab, “Look, I sent to you, saying, ‘Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.“‘ Now therefore, let me see the king’s face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me.”
33 So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.
It took a fire set by estranged Absalom in Joab’s barley field for him to get attention to the fact that David had not completely forgiven his son yet. Certainly David had listened to Joab through the parable of the woman with separated sons and had Absalom brought back to Jerusalem after three years away, yet the king still had not allowed his son to come before him. It took a fire lot under Joab to motivate him to again approach the king to accept or execute his son in such isolation. It did not feel like forgiveness and reconciliation quite yet to Absalom and his desperation drove him to this. All the good looks of Absalom meant nothing to him without the approval of his father, even after the evil he had done to enact his own justice as executioner of Amnon who incestuously raped and forever shamed his sister Tamar. When Joab got the message and approached the king at last, David summoned his son and kissed him who bowed in submission to him and his judgment of acceptance and forgiveness in reconciliation. We find ourselves in a similar situation before coming to be in Christ in that we have grievously offended the Lord with our inherited and ongoing sin and deserve death (Romans 3:23, 6:23) but are accepted unconditionally in true grace and eternal reconciliation (Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19, 20-21) in a way far greater than with David and Absalom in that it makes us truly righteous in the righteousness of Christ Jesus as the Seed of David according to the flesh as his descendant, and according to the divine Father of us all according to the Spirit of Grace. He Himself set a fire under all the fields of our possessions (Matthew 16:24, Philippians 3:7) to open our eyes (Isaiah 42:7, Luke 24:31-32, Acts 26:18) to come to Him before His throne of Grace and mercy for lasting reconciliation. It is the fire of His calling and drawing us to Himself that brings us to such reconciliation through repentance and faith for eternal forgiveness of salvation from His wrath on our sins.
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