SELF

Reading in II Samuel this morning (chapters 18 & 19, but also thinking about what I read in the preceding chapters) and, perhaps because of what I know to be the condition of my own human self, I found a discouraging amount of characters to be concerned about the general upheaval caused by Absalom's takeover only as it pertained to their own selfish ends. No doubt the reason this jumped out at me was because of what God is dealing with in my own heart.

But look, starting with Absalom himself:
- Absalom drove out his father, chasing after his own power and popularity.
- Ziba betrayed Mephibosheth to gain favor in David's eyes.
- Ahithophel hanged himself after his advice was not followed.
- Ahimaaz wanted to be the one who delivered the news of their victory to David, yet when he got to David and realized that David would not be happy to hear of Absalom's death, he pretended like he didn't know what had happened and let the next messenger deliver the bad news.
- The men of Israel and the men of Judah argued among themselves about who was more important to the king.

That is not the whole story - David's gracious words turned aside violence and malcontent many times. Several men were generous to David and his household when they were in their brief exile. Many were loyal to David through the conflict. But for me this morning, the message was the ugliness of a life lived for self. I came away not discouraged, but grateful for a wake-up call about what matters: God's will and His glory.