My grandfather was a strict and quiet man. He was a good man and cared deeply for his family, but he rarely shared or showed his emotions. He had six children: 4 sons and two daughters. The sons, my father, and my uncles all had a unique relationship with their father. The sons respected their father so much, some trying to follow in his footsteps in their professional choices, others with how they raised their families. Not much was shared between the father and the sons until my grandfather was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease in his last years.
Suddenly, a lifetime of regret for not saying how he felt came flowing out because he knew he would not have much time left. In the final two years, he became closer to his family than the previous 86 years, barely having enough time to share things he had held deeply for so long.
King David and his son, Absalom, had been fighting for years. Absalom had ambitions similar to his father’s, wanting the throne. Absalom was charismatic and handsome, and much of the population was willing to fight on his side. In these verses, a significant battle draws near, with the armies of David and Absalom meeting to see who will win the throne. However, David’s primary concern is that his son should not be harmed in the fray. He has already lost his son, Amnon, at the hands of Absalom, who killed his half-brother for raping his sister. David seems unable to bear to lose another, and he presumably blames himself for the relationship problems he has faced in his family. It turns out to be too late: Absalom gets stuck in a tree, and one of David’s most fearsome soldiers, Joab, kills him. In the final verses, David breaks down, realizing his son is dead, his failures as a father, and that he will not get the chance to share how he felt with Absalom.
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