“And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.”
II Samuel 15:13-14
Reading these simple verses as shared, not many would take note of the tragedy that they relay. The truth of the matter is, Absalom, the man whom David and the royal house hold are fleeing, is actually one of David’s own sons.
The account that brings us to this dark day is one that is filled with heartbreak, betrayal, evil, poor decisions, and revenge. Absalom, who had experienced a great heartbreak concerning his sister, would soon find himself disappointed by a failure to act by his own father. What is worse is the truth that Absalom would take matters into his own hands and shed blood! This would only lead to him on the run to another kingdom until the day came that he was summoned home with a promise of safety. Many arguments could be made concerning Absalom’s decisions, but at the end of the day we must all agree that above all, God’s Word, is to be obeyed.
In the end,
If we are not careful dear believer, we can become a weapon in the hands of enemy and we can bring about much harm in the hearts, minds, and lives of others.
For a few moments, let us look at what made Absalom so vulnerable to the enemy’s influence:
1.) Absalom experienced a great heartbreak making Him susceptible to the enemy:
Absalom loved his sister dearly and her attack was a great heartbreak. And to add to the pain, the man that Absalom looked up too, his father, David, did nothing in response to the tragedy that befell Tamar, Absalom’s sister.
When we face times of heartbreak, suffering, or any type of pain we are more susceptible to attacks of the enemy. Not only are we vulnerable to the attacks, we are also open to being manipulated for His evil purposes against the children of God. Feelings of hate, malice, revenge have a tendency to creep up within us causing our hearts to harden toward our offenders, and others involved. Sadly, when our heart hardens we act less like Christ and more like the devil, himself, who would soon have every soul in Hell.
During times of heartbreak we need to stay close to Jesus and allow Him to mend our hearts. We must strive to keep a tender heart, so that we are not influenced by the enemy. One of Satan’s greatest tactics is to turn the people in the church against one another.
I am reminded of Proverbs 4:23, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
2.) Absalom experienced a great disappointment making him susceptible to the enemy:
Absalom took his sister into his house and they waited for two full years for something to be done concerning the attack on Tamar. But sadly, justice never came by decree of the king. Absalom was so disappointed in the person that he revered, and that disappointment gave way to plotting revenge.
We too, like Absalom will face times of great disappointment. People that we looked up to will fail us and others we thought we could trust will prove otherwise, we will face our times of great disappointment. It is then that we must choose wisely to forgive others, and to deal with things head on. Instead of nursing a grudge, or storing hurt feelings until they galvanize into a sword, we must follow the biblical approach of dealing with times of offense and disappointment. Matthew chapter eighteen makes things clear how we are to proceed.
If we fail to act upon things and we allow them to become a phantom in our minds we do more to hurt ourselves and to become a weapon in the hand of the enemy. How many churches have been split because things were not handled biblically? How many relationships ruined because we did not handle things in the right spirit? How many of us have been guilty of being a weapon in the hand of the enemy in our own homes and churches? Dear believer, we must not let the enemy get the upper hand. When we are hurt, angry, frustrated, we must strive to deal with things biblically. Do not bottle up the toxins of bad emotions, you will poison yourself and your whole family.
3.) Absalom reacted carnally rather than spiritually making him susceptible to the enemy:
Absalom, instead of pleading the case before his father, instead of going to those close to David and asking for justice, Absalom plotted revenge and bloodshed. Absalom acted as a carnal person, and not as a child of God. Absalom’s plotting didn’t stop there, Absalom would face a similar cycle of events and once again he would be plotting revenge, first his brother then his father.
When we are acting in a carnal (
We must not become a weapon in the hand of the enemy. We must not let the enemy use us to bring injury or harm to another person or their spiritual walk. Human beings are the instruments that both The Lord and the enemy influence in our world today. Who is influencing you?
Guard yourself dear believer, and take note of how you are acting and how you are treating others. If you are going through a time of heartbreak, disappointment, or hurt, then be sure to keep your guard up and surround yourself with loving and godly people who will help you during your challenging time. May we be used of the Lord for good rather than find ourselves a weapon in the hand of the enemy.