COMING BACK HOME IS NOT ALWAYS EASY

PROCLAMATION

“King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: ‘Ask the elders of Judah, Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace …?’”  2 Samuel 19:11 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

David had defeated all of the neighboring enemies of Israel under King Saul, and again as the King of Israel after the death of Saul, but he fled the country to escape from his son Absalom.  Now that Absalom had died in battle while leading Israel’s army against him, David was ready to return to Israel and to his throne.  First, he had to get over the death of his son and remember who he was. (2 Samuel 18:33-19:8)  Then, he had to win over the hearts of the people.  The problem was that the people of Israel had anointed Absalom as their king, and they had rebelled against David.  He had just defeated the Israelite army but now he had to deal with the people who had turned on him.  He had to remind some of them that they were his blood relatives (2 Samuel 19:11-14) and some he had to forgive for how they treated him. (2 Samuel 19:19-20)

APPLICATION

Many years ago, I was taught that the way you leave home determines whether or not you can ever come back home.  I also learned that it is possible to be accepted back into the house but that does not mean that you are accepted back into their heart.  Thanks be to God that our Heavenly Father is not like that.  Once we are saved and accepted into the body of Christ as a child of God, we are always accepted. (John 10:28-29)  We may backslide and turn our back on Him and break our fellowship with Him, but we never break our relationship.  Once we confess and believe, we are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  When we pray and ask to be forgiven for our sins, The Lord God forgives us, (Acts 8:22) and we are fully restored into the family and the fellowship. (1 John 1:6-7)