Sometimes there is a high price for doing what is right. David chose to pay the price so that God would be glorified–through the pain, through the sorrow, through the agony.
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Scripture
2 Samuel 18:32-33
“The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”
The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Observation
What a heartbreaking story, in every way! A rebellious son, a divided nation, a violent uprising, and a king who was forced to send elite special forces after his own child. David did what he knew he had to do and sent his army to quell the uprising–but his grief was real, raw, and agonizing–even though he knew what he had done was right.
Application
Sometimes there is a high price for doing what is right. As a young man David had defended ‘the Lord’s anointed’ when Saul was on the throne–and now, David was forced to uphold this same responsibility now that he was the one sitting on the throne. The ‘right thing’ had not changed–but now the cost was much higher.
There are times in my life that the ‘right thing’ will cost me something. This may be a physical cost, or it may be an emotional and relational cost. David paid the cost, because he realized that the cost of NOT doing the right thing would be even higher–not only for him, but also for the nation and potentially even for Absalom. The cost of inaction was to give up and abdicate the anointing of God, and surrender the kingdom to evil men.
Instead, David chose to pay the price so that God would be glorified–through the pain, through the sorrow, through the agony.
Prayer
God, thank you for guiding and leading through the hard moments as well as the easy ones. Thank you for being willing to pay an unfathomably high price to show you love for me! Give me courage and wisdom to make decisions that honor you, even when the price is high. May you be glorified not only in my joy, but also in my sorrow.
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