THURSDAY May 12, 2016
Stolen Hearts
And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. - 2 Samuel 15:5-6
Absalom’s heart was to take over the kingdom. He had long lost respect for his father and in his betrayal he would seek to destroy his life. Absalom wanted his father’s position of power and he had smoothly stolen the hearts of the men of Israel. Imagine all of Israel was now bowing down to him in reverence.
But who do the people really belong to? They belong to God and He is the one who anoints and leads a person. Psalm 75:7 tells us: But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. Yet, Absalom was thinking he would make a better king! He thought he could lift himself up to take over David’s Kingdom. This was an ungodly plot; it was not of God but it was of man.
Absalom was not anointed by the Lord and God would not allow a self-willed rebel to take over the throne. Although David was reaping from the sins of his past and his lack of discipline towards his sons, he was still God’s anointed; king of Israel.
Seriously, we need to have listening ears to be able to discern when treachery and betrayal is happening around us. We can take what we hear to the Lord and ask Him to reveal the situation to us. Then we can open our mouth to speak the truth from our hearts to defend, bless or expose someone’s plans of betrayal.
Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
~Psalm 41:9~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!
