Dads, Love Your Sons

READ 2 Samuel 17-18

Nathan’s prophesy against David has come to pass. After his sin with Bathsheba, Nathan said, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. ’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” (2 Sam 12:10-12) From within his own house his own son Absalom turned against him and sinned against him grievously and now he has died a rather ignominious death in the forest.

David is overcome with grief (18:33). It’s the cry of a father who did not have a good relationship with his son. It’s a cry of anguish that I have seen many times when a son has died and the dad’s know they had not been the best of fathers to them. It’s a reminder to us fathers of sons to do all we can to love them as God loves us and to stay close to them, at least as close as possible. Start as early as you can but it’s also never too late to start.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for my son. Help me to love him as you love me as your son. Help me to show him your love and faithfulness in all that I do. Help all the fathers of sons in our church to demonstrate your steadfast love in all they do.