Proper 14
Preaching
Preaching And Reading The Old Testament Lessons
With an Eye to the New
"It's a long story." That familiar saying could be applied to our text for the morning, because the final, moving verses that we find in chapter 18 form the ending of a tragedy that has its beginning back in 2 Samuel 13. Indeed, we could say that the tragedy is set into motion already in 2 Samuel 11, where we had the story of David's adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, Bath--sheba's husband, of which we heard last Sunday. The temptation of the preacher, of course, is just to lift 2 Samuel 18:31--33 out of its context in the complicated story and to say some inspiring words about King David's love for his son Absalom, turning that into a model for all fathers. That would not be very good preaching, however, because it would ignore the basic message of the story, and we need to delve more deeply into what is going on in this text.
We learned last Sunday that David's adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah "displeased" the Lord; now we begin to read of the effects brought about by those sinful acts. David's son, Absalom, has a beautiful sister named Tamar (13:1). And lust for a beautiful woman seems to run in David's family. His son, Amnon, rapes Tamar, and we are told that David is "very angry" (13:21), but David does nothing, because he too has a sexual sin on his conscience. Absalom, however, takes vengeance and has his servants kill Amnon, much to David's grief (13:36). So Absalom flees for his life (13:37), but David finally brings Absalom back to his palace and welcomes him with a kiss (14:33) because, you see, David too is guilty of murder. He cannot condemn a son for a sin that he too has committed.
Finally, Absalom, who is praised by all in Israel for his good looks (14:25) and for his wise judgments, wins the hearts of his compatriots and seeks to usurp the throne from his father (15:1--10), forcing David himself to flee from Jerusalem (15:13--18) and to send his troops into battle against the followers of Absalom (ch. 18). But David, in his sin, his weakness, and yet his fatherly love for Absalom, has only one desire: that Absalom not be harmed in the battle (18:5). When Joab, David's commander, nevertheless kills Absalom, David is so grief--stricken that he ignores the fact that Joab and the army have saved the throne and country, and instead, shuts himself in his private chamber and sobs out the moving words that we read in our text. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son" (18:33).
Every father who loves his son can empathize with those words. But every father's own sin has not been the ultimate cause of his son's death. David's sinful past has brought the tragedy upon him, however. In his own guilt, David has not been able to hold his sons responsible for their actions. He has not held Amnon responsible for his rape of Tamar, and so Absalom has been led to take justice into his own hands and to kill Amnon. And David has not justly dealt with Absalom's deed of murder, but has simply accepted it and loved and grieved for Absalom instead. Indeed, David has not even thanked Joab and the army for saving his kingdom, but has been captive to his own emotions instead. His commander Joab tells him as much: "You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I perceive that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased" (19:6). Imprisoned by his own sin, David has failed his family, his compatriots, and his God, who has appointed him to be king over Israel. David is responsible for the covenant requirements - responsible for his covenant with his family, with his citizens, and with his Lord. He has broken those covenants, and disaster has followed. Could it be that it is only as we faithfully keep our covenants with each other and with the Lord that good life, abundant life is possible?
Lutheran Option: 1 Kings 19:4--8
This small snippet is an integral part of the Elijah tales that make up 1 Kings 17--19. It forms an introduction to the well--known revelation of God to the prophet on Mount Horeb (Sinai) through the medium of "a still small voice" (v. 12). Perhaps it can be preached as a passage in and of itself, but the preacher will need to be aware of the passage's context.
The time is the ninth century B.C., when King Ahab rules the northern kingdom of Israel, from about 869--850 B.C. Ahab marries Jezebel, the daughter of a Sidonian ruler to the north, who is a zealous follower of the Phoenician fertility god Baal. In her zeal, Jezebel introduces widespread syncretism and idolatry into the kingdom of Israel, supporting 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah (18:19). Because of Jezebel's influence, 1 Kings 16:32--34 records that Ahab built a temple for the pagan Baal, and even sanctioned child sacrifice. Against such idolatry, the non--writing prophets of the Lord, including Elijah and Elisha, contested with all their might.
After Elijah scorns and jeers and brings about the death of the 850 pagan prophets in a contest with them on Mount Carmel, Jezebel vows that she will have Elijah's life (1 Kings 18-19:2). Verse 3 of chapter 19 tells us, therefore, that Elijah is "afraid" and flees for his life toward the southern kingdom of Judah, where Jezebel has no jurisdiction. At this point, we encounter our stated text for the morning.
After fleeing south and trekking just one day into the desert south of Judah, Elijah sits down under a solitary broom tree and prays. But his prayer is not one of devotion. Rather, he wishes to abandon his God--given prophetic ministry and, indeed, life altogether. "Let me die, Lord," he prays in so many words. "With Jezebel after me, I'm as good as dead." Exhausted by his fear and his journey, he falls asleep. But while he sleeps, an angel touches him, commanding him to wake up and eat. And there he finds before him a baked cake of bread and a jar of water. So Elijah eats a little bread and drinks a little water, but immediately lies down again to sleep. Once again the angel appears to him, telling him to wake up and eat, in order to be strengthened for his continuing journey toward Mount Horeb in the Sinai peninsula. This time, Elijah obeys fully, and the food gives him the strength he needs to reach the destined mountain.
What of his desire to abandon his prophetic mission? That's forgotten, isn't it? God is not done with Elijah, and so he will not let Elijah either die or despair. In fact, if we read on in chapter 19, we find that on Mount Sinai God speaks to Elijah and instructs him to return to his land and to start a revolution that will finally, under Elijah's successor Elisha, topple Ahab and Jezebel and their dynasty and lead to the enthronement of a new king.
Obviously, you and I are not prophets like Elijah, and we are not called to Elijah's particular tasks. But the Lord isn't through with us either, and he will not let us either abandon his purpose for us or despair. Instead, he will provide the necessities for our ongoing journey, as he provided for Elijah, and he will be with us every step along the way. So the message of our text is, "Take heart, good Christians! You have work to do. God has a purpose that he wants you to fulfill in the little corner where he has placed you. Perhaps it has to do with opposing the worship of false gods in our society. Perhaps it has to do with something else. But God will provide for your task, if you will trust him through Jesus Christ."
We learned last Sunday that David's adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah "displeased" the Lord; now we begin to read of the effects brought about by those sinful acts. David's son, Absalom, has a beautiful sister named Tamar (13:1). And lust for a beautiful woman seems to run in David's family. His son, Amnon, rapes Tamar, and we are told that David is "very angry" (13:21), but David does nothing, because he too has a sexual sin on his conscience. Absalom, however, takes vengeance and has his servants kill Amnon, much to David's grief (13:36). So Absalom flees for his life (13:37), but David finally brings Absalom back to his palace and welcomes him with a kiss (14:33) because, you see, David too is guilty of murder. He cannot condemn a son for a sin that he too has committed.
Finally, Absalom, who is praised by all in Israel for his good looks (14:25) and for his wise judgments, wins the hearts of his compatriots and seeks to usurp the throne from his father (15:1--10), forcing David himself to flee from Jerusalem (15:13--18) and to send his troops into battle against the followers of Absalom (ch. 18). But David, in his sin, his weakness, and yet his fatherly love for Absalom, has only one desire: that Absalom not be harmed in the battle (18:5). When Joab, David's commander, nevertheless kills Absalom, David is so grief--stricken that he ignores the fact that Joab and the army have saved the throne and country, and instead, shuts himself in his private chamber and sobs out the moving words that we read in our text. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son" (18:33).
Every father who loves his son can empathize with those words. But every father's own sin has not been the ultimate cause of his son's death. David's sinful past has brought the tragedy upon him, however. In his own guilt, David has not been able to hold his sons responsible for their actions. He has not held Amnon responsible for his rape of Tamar, and so Absalom has been led to take justice into his own hands and to kill Amnon. And David has not justly dealt with Absalom's deed of murder, but has simply accepted it and loved and grieved for Absalom instead. Indeed, David has not even thanked Joab and the army for saving his kingdom, but has been captive to his own emotions instead. His commander Joab tells him as much: "You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for today I perceive that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased" (19:6). Imprisoned by his own sin, David has failed his family, his compatriots, and his God, who has appointed him to be king over Israel. David is responsible for the covenant requirements - responsible for his covenant with his family, with his citizens, and with his Lord. He has broken those covenants, and disaster has followed. Could it be that it is only as we faithfully keep our covenants with each other and with the Lord that good life, abundant life is possible?
Lutheran Option: 1 Kings 19:4--8
This small snippet is an integral part of the Elijah tales that make up 1 Kings 17--19. It forms an introduction to the well--known revelation of God to the prophet on Mount Horeb (Sinai) through the medium of "a still small voice" (v. 12). Perhaps it can be preached as a passage in and of itself, but the preacher will need to be aware of the passage's context.
The time is the ninth century B.C., when King Ahab rules the northern kingdom of Israel, from about 869--850 B.C. Ahab marries Jezebel, the daughter of a Sidonian ruler to the north, who is a zealous follower of the Phoenician fertility god Baal. In her zeal, Jezebel introduces widespread syncretism and idolatry into the kingdom of Israel, supporting 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah (18:19). Because of Jezebel's influence, 1 Kings 16:32--34 records that Ahab built a temple for the pagan Baal, and even sanctioned child sacrifice. Against such idolatry, the non--writing prophets of the Lord, including Elijah and Elisha, contested with all their might.
After Elijah scorns and jeers and brings about the death of the 850 pagan prophets in a contest with them on Mount Carmel, Jezebel vows that she will have Elijah's life (1 Kings 18-19:2). Verse 3 of chapter 19 tells us, therefore, that Elijah is "afraid" and flees for his life toward the southern kingdom of Judah, where Jezebel has no jurisdiction. At this point, we encounter our stated text for the morning.
After fleeing south and trekking just one day into the desert south of Judah, Elijah sits down under a solitary broom tree and prays. But his prayer is not one of devotion. Rather, he wishes to abandon his God--given prophetic ministry and, indeed, life altogether. "Let me die, Lord," he prays in so many words. "With Jezebel after me, I'm as good as dead." Exhausted by his fear and his journey, he falls asleep. But while he sleeps, an angel touches him, commanding him to wake up and eat. And there he finds before him a baked cake of bread and a jar of water. So Elijah eats a little bread and drinks a little water, but immediately lies down again to sleep. Once again the angel appears to him, telling him to wake up and eat, in order to be strengthened for his continuing journey toward Mount Horeb in the Sinai peninsula. This time, Elijah obeys fully, and the food gives him the strength he needs to reach the destined mountain.
What of his desire to abandon his prophetic mission? That's forgotten, isn't it? God is not done with Elijah, and so he will not let Elijah either die or despair. In fact, if we read on in chapter 19, we find that on Mount Sinai God speaks to Elijah and instructs him to return to his land and to start a revolution that will finally, under Elijah's successor Elisha, topple Ahab and Jezebel and their dynasty and lead to the enthronement of a new king.
Obviously, you and I are not prophets like Elijah, and we are not called to Elijah's particular tasks. But the Lord isn't through with us either, and he will not let us either abandon his purpose for us or despair. Instead, he will provide the necessities for our ongoing journey, as he provided for Elijah, and he will be with us every step along the way. So the message of our text is, "Take heart, good Christians! You have work to do. God has a purpose that he wants you to fulfill in the little corner where he has placed you. Perhaps it has to do with opposing the worship of false gods in our society. Perhaps it has to do with something else. But God will provide for your task, if you will trust him through Jesus Christ."
