2 Samuel 12:20-23
Verse 21 His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”
Having gone to the Tabernacle to worship God, David comes back to the palace ready to move forward. And the first thing he did was ask to eat. He had been fasting for seven days and now it was time to end the fast. The grieving was done and now he had to step back into his full role as the king of God’s people.
When he asked his servants for something to eat they are completely confused. He had been so distraught during the child’s illness and when most people would be beside themselves with grief, the king seemed ready to feast. They can’t keep silent and ask what he was thinking. The king had an answer which was rather profound and revealed the depth of David’s repentance and the renewed relationship he had with God.
While the child was still alive there seemed to be a reason for hope God would reveal His might and rescue the child from a premature death, but after the child died there was nothing David could do which would bring him back to life. He knew why the child had to die and he couldn’t go back and change those decisions either. David was accepting the facts and understood why it had to happen.
David finished his reply with a truth he knew and wanted to make sure his servants understood. It is also one of the most important things for us to remember. For God’s people death isn’t the end. When David told his servants he would be going to his son but his young son would not come back to him, he was telling them about the assurance we have as God’s chosen people of being together again.
Would David miss his infant son? Of course! But he wasn’t focusing on what he had lost but rather on what he would be gaining. It was true, he had only known his young son for a little over a week and most of that time the child was dying, but that was only part of their story. It wasn’t that the king didn’t cherish his youngest child, he had simply accepted the fact of the babe’s death and eternal existence. That knowledge gave the king peace in moving forward. It didn’t diminish the loss, it just put it in the view of God and His ultimate grace given to His chosen people.
Making It Personal
Do you respond to things in ways which cause others to wonder about your response? How does knowing the truth of God’s gift of eternal life affect the way you look at the trials of this life? What do you need to trust God about today?
Making It Personal Kids
Does knowing Jesus affect how you respond to hard things in life? What is something you have experienced which was hard to deal with? What does it mean to you that Jesus died so you can live with Him forever?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the assurance of eternal life because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Help us remember Your gift when we are struggling with the hard times in life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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