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11th July
2 Samuel 18:18-33. David mourns the death of his son, Absalom
- David’s grief over the death of his rebel son Absalom, as
expressed at the end of this reading, is very moving; but it is also an
admittance of failure. It seemed to be accepted that David should have a
number of wives, and he fathered so many children that he did not attempt
to keep track of all of them.
- One of the best known actors of the last 50 years, Marlon Brando, had
children by his three wives and by his maid, and it is evident that he took
little interest in the upbringing of some of these children. When his
oldest son, Christian, was accused of murder and eventually convicted of
voluntary manslaughter, Brando admitted in court that he had failed his
son.
- David, too, had little idea about what was happening with the children
he had brought into the world—particularly Absalom, who proved so
dangerous, because he almost succeeded in driving his father off the
throne. Absalom had previously committed murder, but David had simply been
indulgent with him.
- Of course, David appeared to have had a far greater sense of
God’s presence and power than Brando. Nevertheless, David lost a lot
of effectiveness as he grew older.
- To consider
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- If you have any young people for whom you have responsibility, how well
are you meeting that responsibility? Sometimes a reminder that you are
there for them if they need you can make a great difference to them.
- Is there anything you could be doing to enable our church to be doing
more for young people?
- Prayer
- Father God, we pray that you will help all parents, and others
responsible for young people, to love and care for them, give them the
guidance they need, and enable them to grow into responsible adults.
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