Like Father, Like Son (sadly)

READ 2 Samuel 15-16

Sometimes fathers must suffer the pain of watching their sons commit the very same sins that they did when they were younger. We have a glimpse of that in 16:22 where Absalom, in likely the very same location as David, sins greatly against the Lord. This was surely the very same rooftop mentioned in 11:2, “It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king 's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.” Now Absalom uses it (fulfilling Nathan’s prophecy of 12:11-12) to commit sexual sins with David’s concubines. One wonders, when the news came to David, if his thoughts went back to that afternoon on the rooftop when he first saw Bathsheba. Like father, like son.

So what does a father do? As dads we must teach our sons (and daughters) how to deal with sin. We must teach them and model for them confession and repentance. We must show them how we humble ourselves before the Lord when we have sinned. Especially if we have sinned against our children we should go to them in humility and admit (confess) our sin and ask their forgiveness. This will give them a clear picture of how they are to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Then, lovingly and patiently we should help them to do the same when they sin.

Prayer: Father, you are merciful and gracious and great in your forgiving love to us. You do not remember our sins against us but cast them as far as the east is from the west. Help us, who have known the depth of your forgiveness to teach our children the way of repentance before you. Help them to learn that if they confess their sins you are faithful and just to forgive their sins and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness.