Betrayal by Family - Day 141 Through the Bible

Blooms along the Blue Ridge Parkway - near Mt. Celo Church

Gleanings from Today's Readings

Betrayal By Family ( 2 Sam 15 and 16; John 7)  King David receives back from exile Absalom, his son, who schemed the murder of his half-brother for the rape of his sister, Tamar (rather than going to David with the crime.)  With this "kiss" from his father (2 Samuel 14), the unrepentant, self-serving Absalom begins the scheme to usurp the kingdom from David.  For 40 years he seeks to turn the heart of the people to himself by deceit - promising that if he were king, judge, that all would have justice.  He then deceives David by telling him he will go to Hebron to keep His vow to the LORD.  Absalom's only god is himself.  His spiritual posturing is to play on his father's devotion to the LORD, when the son's real intent in this journey is to gather people and take the kingdom from his father.  In John 7, Jesus' half-brothers try to persuade Him to go to Jerusalem and publicly declare that He is the Christ, knowing that the Jews seek to kill Him.  His own brothers do not believe He is the Christ and will not until after the resurrection.  They, in essence, or giving a "put up or shut up" command to Christ.  Jesus does not fall into their unwise counsel.  It is not His time; He answers only to God.

My Lessons and Applications - We know this.  It is often those closest to us - family - that can undermine or destroy us.  Our guard is down; our loyalty and faith to them often unwarranted.  One of the most difficult things for believers is to acknowledge those within their blood or church families who "play" on our faith, use it as a means to get what they want from us or to lead us by unwise counsel. Our loyalty must remain to God alone.  Jesus said in Luke 14:26: “If any man come to Me and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”  Matt 12:50: “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” He understands our hearts, who and what is most likely to cause us to turn away from Him - familial connections, wealth, physical looks, or other outward appearance/trappings. John 7:24: "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Letting Go of Some, Clinging to the One - Shades of Ruth and Naomi and Eli and Samuel - David flees Jerusalem to escape Absalom's coming bid on the kingdom.  David entreats Ittai, the Gittite to return to his own place, not be in exile with him.  Ittai answers, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be."  Ruth said and did the same with Naomi in Ruth 1:16.  They chose God; they chose to be with God's servants.  As they flee Jerusalem, David and his men are cursed and stoned by Shimei, of the house of Saul.  David tells the men to let it go at this time; let the LORD work here as He wills.  Even Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, now turns against David.  David has bequeathed the son all of Saul's property, but the son wants the kingdom.  Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, stays loyal to David in his flight from Absalom and is repaid for this with all of Mephibosheth's holdings.  Hushai, the Achite, maintains his loyalty to David and is sent to infiltrate Absalom's inner circle - to "defeat the traitorous Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom."  Eli, Samuel and David all deal with evil sons, sons who are ungodly, sons who betray them.  Yet all three men come to the point they must choose and declare:  "Let God do to me as seems good to Him."  Even Jesus came to this point in His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He was betrayed by one of His inner circle. Matt 26:39: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 

My Lessons and Applications - There is a point when we must cease the struggle and put our lives - and those we love - into God's Hands.  He is, after all, Sovereign and Providential.  In His will is the best place to be, though it may be a very difficult road on this earth.  One of the hardest experiences in life is the betrayal of family or friends. Many of the Biblical saints endured this as we have seen in our study through the Bible so far.  Jesus said to his unbelieving brothers: John 7:7: "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil." Jesus says to us:  Matt 10:22 “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” John 15:18-19:  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”  Still we are sent out by Him on our Great Commission.  He says we are as sheep being sent out among wolves.  He calls to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves - not innocent - harmless (Matt 10:16).