Day 285 – Reconciliation

2 Samuel 14:1 Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived the king’s heart was concerned about Absalom.

 2 Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. 3 Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.

 4 When the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, “Help, O king!”

 5 Then the king said to her, “What troubles you?”

  She answered, “Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead. 6 Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole family has risen against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.’ Then they would extinguish my ember that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.”

 8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”

 9 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father’s house, and the king and his throne be guiltless.”

 10 Then the king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore.”

 11 Then she said, “Please let the king remember JEHOVAH your Elohiym, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son.”

  He said, “As JEHOVAH lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.”

 12 Therefore, the woman said, “Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king.”

  He said, “Say on.”

 13 Then the woman said, “Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of Elohiym? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again. 14 For we will die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet Elohiym does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him. 15 Now, therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your maidservant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant. 16 For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of Elohiym.’ 17 Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of Elohiym, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. May JEHOVAH your Elohiym be with you.’”

 18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything I ask you.”

  The woman said, “Please, let my lord the king speak.”

 19 Then the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in this?”

 The woman answered and said, “As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put these words in the mouth of your maidservant. 20 To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab did this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of Elohiym, to know everything in the earth.”

 21 The king said to Joab, “All right, I have granted this thing. Go, therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.”

 22 Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself and thanked the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows I found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.”

God’s names:

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Elohiym – Supreme God

Yeshuwa – Jesus

God’s character:

Merciful

Forgiving

Sometimes consequences cause rifts in relationships. Friendships end, family members don’t speak to one another, and people avoid acquaintances who wronged them.

JEHOVAH had told David the sword wouldn’t leave his house because of what he did with Bathsheba and Uriah. Consequently, David’s oldest son raped his sister, Tamar, Absolom’s sister. David became angry but did nothing about it. Absolom took matters into his hands and invited his brothers and father to a feast at the end of sheep shearing season. David declined. Then David heard Absalom killed his sons. None survived. However, he learned only Amnon died for what he did to Tamar. David then banished Absolom from him for killing Amnon.

Joab knew David’s heart for Absalom and decided to fight for Absalom and return him to Jerusalem and sent a woman to advocate for him with a story Joab told her to tell the king. When David perceived what Joab did, he told him to send for Absalom and bring him back to Jerusalem.

When you accepted Yeshuwa as Savior and Lord, it didn’t give you a free ticket to good relationships with everyone. However, He gives you a way to settle matters peacefully through prayer. You need to forgive the person who wronged you, even when you never see the person again. Relationships are a two-way street. Both parties must want reconciliation. You can’t change another person’s heart. You can only change your own with Yeshuwa’s help. When the other person refuses to reconcile your differences, the only thing you can do is pray for the person and allow Yeshuwa to intercede for you.

Do you need to forgive someone for what they did to you? Forgive them and if possible, reconcile with them. Don’t let what happened between you become a festering sore in your life. Pray, forgive, and show mercy to the person who wronged you, just as Yeshuwa does for you when you sin against Him. When you show Yeshuwa’s mercy and forgiveness to others, you will find peaceful relationships with others and with Yeshuwa.

Let’s pray: Father, help me reconcile my differences with those who wronged me. Help me show Your love, mercy, and forgiveness to them so I can have peace in my life with them and You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 30 October 2024 by Valerie Routhieaux