Messages from Pastor Raddatz


December 11, 2022, Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Houston TX, CPH Advent Series, “This is My Son”


THIS IS MY SON: ABSALOM


Text: 2 Samuel 18:24–33, (NIV) 24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out to the king and reported it.


The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.


26 Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”


The king said, “He must be bringing good news, too.”


27 The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”


“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”


28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”


29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”


Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”


30 The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.


 


31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”


32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”


The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”


33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”


 


 


Good looks and beautiful, flowing hair can only get you so far. They got Absalom, the son of David, caught in a tree and put to death for his rebellion against his own father. Yet despite his rebellion, David still loved his son and wanted him to live. Our daily thoughts, words, and actions reveal our rebellious hearts against our heavenly Father and King. Yet God desires not the death of the wicked and rebellious, but that we would turn and live. To that end, God sent forth His Son, the true Son of David, to perfectly obey His Father’s will. Through Jesus, the Kingdom is ours forever! 


The story told in 2 Samuel chapters 13–18 reveals the wickedness and depravity of mankind—even those chosen by God to be His special people, a light to the nations. This story contains God’s people committing acts of incest, rape, injustice, murder, scheming, rebellion, and war!


Here’s the quick recap. King David had nineteen sons from several different wives. Amnon was the first-born son of David and was in line to be king. But he lusted after his half-sister, Tamar. He faked being sick so that he could be cared for by her. When they were alone, he forced himself upon her and violated her. Then he placed the blame on her and sent her away to hide in shame. 


When King David heard of this, he was angry, but he did nothing to punish Amnon. Absalom, who was the full brother of Tamar, was infuriated with Amnon and angry at David for not pursuing justice for Tamar. For two years, Absalom hated and plotted against Amnon until eventually, Absalom had Amnon murdered. Then Absalom fled and exiled himself. What a mess!


Jump ahead three years. Joab, the captain of King David’s army, convinces David to bring back Absalom because he can tell that David misses him. But when Absalom returns to Jerusalem, he goes back to his plotting ways. Obviously, he had not yet forgiven his father. Using his natural good looks (the Bible describes him as very handsome with his long hair) and his charisma, Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel by speaking badly of David in the city gates while promoting himself. Absalom did this for four years until one day he left Jerusalem and sent secret messengers, who announced, “Absalom is made king at Hebron!” Thousands of Israelites rallied to him and joined the rebellion because of all the patient, challenging work he had done to build up his reputation. 


Meanwhile, David fled from Jerusalem to spare the citizens there a battle when Absalom moved in to take the throne. David summoned those loyal to himself and amassed a great army. As the battle drew near, David stayed behind but instructed his army to deal gently with Absalom for David’s sake. He still loved his son and wanted to show him mercy. 


On the day of battle, David’s army soundly defeated Absalom’s. As Absalom attempted to flee in the forest, his mule went under the thick branches of a tree, and his hair was caught in the tree so that Absalom was left to hang there. When Joab found him, he ignored the words of David and thrust three javelins into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the tree. 


The reporting of this news and David’s response is what we heard in our reading today. When he heard of Absalom’s death, David wept and said, “O Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” Here ends this tragic father-son story, OR DOES IT?


Parents make sacrifices for their children.   When a baby comes along, the needs and desires of mom and dad take a back seat. Parents will sacrifice time, money, and sleep in order to provide the very best for their children. Sacrifices come in all sizes. A dad might sacrifice the last bite of his favorite dessert and give it to his child who loves it just as much. A mom might give up a career because that is what is best for her children. And I don’t know of any parent who would not be willing to sacrifice their own life in order to save the life of their child. Nearly every parent would be willing to take the place of their child if they are suffering. 


But we don’t always get that chance. 


David, the father of Absalom, wished that he could have died in his son’s place. But the story of this father and son ultimately points us to the love of our heavenly Father and the ultimate sacrifice He made so that we can be saved from the curse of death.


 


THE OLD MAN AND THE GULLS


It is gratitude that prompted an old man to visit an old broken pier on the eastern seacoast of Florida. Every Friday night, until his death in 1973, he would return, walking slowly and slightly stooped with a large bucket of shrimp. The sea gulls would flock to this old man, and he would feed them from his bucket. Many years before, in October 1942, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker was on a mission in a B-17 to deliver an important message to General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea. But there was an unexpected detour, which would hurl Captain Eddie into the most harrowing adventure of his life.


Somewhere over the South Pacific the Flying Fortress became lost beyond the reach of radio. Fuel ran dangerously low, so the men ditched their plane in the ocean... For nearly a month Captain Eddie and his companions would fight the water, and the weather, and the scorching sun. They spent many sleepless nights recoiling as giant sharks rammed their rafts. The largest raft was nine by five. The biggest shark...ten feet long.


But of all their enemies at sea, one proved most formidable: starvation. Eight days out, their rations were long gone or destroyed by the salt water. It would take a miracle to sustain them. And a miracle occurred. In Captain Eddie’s own words, "Cherry," that was the B- 17 pilot, Captain William Cherry, "read the service that afternoon, and we finished with a prayer for deliverance and a hymn of praise. There was some talk, but it tapered off in the oppressive heat. With my hat pulled down over my eyes to keep out some of the glare, I dozed off."


Now this is still Captain Rickenbacker talking..."Something landed on my head. I knew that it was a sea gull. I don’t know how I knew; I just knew. Everyone else knew too. No one said a word, but peering out from under my hat brim without moving my head, I could see the expression on their faces. They were staring at that gull. The gull meant food...if I could catch it." And the rest, as they say, is history. Captain Eddie caught the gull. Its flesh was eaten and it’s entrails were used as fishing bait.


This is why you could see Eddie Rickenbacker gratefully feeding the guls till the day he died.


 


It is a story not unlike the story we share with our heavenly Father. And sadly, that identifies us in the person of Absalom, the rebellious son


But surely you aren’t that bad! You have never murdered anyone or incited rebellion or anything like that. 


You might think that the only thing you have in common with Absalom is your good looks, but while we look at outward actions, God looks at the heart. And in our heart, we are just as rotten and sinful and rebellious as Absalom and as every other character portrayed in this story. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person (Matthew 15:19–20, emphasis added). 


Like Absalom, we rebel against your heavenly Father each and every day when you put yourself on the throne of your heart and attempt to run your own life. Unlike David, God is a perfect Father, and He has told you what is good and right. But in our selfish pride, we have chosen to listen to God or not to listen?  Absalom decided that it wasn’t enough. He wanted to be king. And we desire the same thing. Whenever we break any of the Ten Commandments, we also break the first one by placing our own desires above God’s will. 


God identified Absalom as someone who was cursed for his sin by allowing him to hang from that tree. God’s Law declares in Deuteronomy 21: “A hanged man is cursed by God.” You deserve the same punishment for your rebellion. Because of your sin, you are cursed and should expect the wrath of God.  


Yet out of His great love, God sent Jesus, the true Son of David, to become a curse for you by hanging from a tree in order to make you an heir of His heavenly kingdom. 


Like David, God is a merciful king who does not want you to die, despite your rebellion against Him. For you, God cries out like David, “O My children, My children! Would I had died instead of you, O My children!” But in God’s case, He conducted the substitution that David could only hope for. In order to save you from the curse of death, God willingly gave up His only Son. The Son of God also became the son of a human being—the true Son of David, in whom no sin or rebellion could be found, to carry out God’s promise that David’s kingdom would be established forever.


 


Yet out of His great love, God sent Jesus, the true Son of David, to become a curse for you by hanging from a tree in order to make you an heir of His heavenly kingdom. 


Like David, God is a merciful king who does not want you to die, despite your rebellion against Him. For you, God cries out like David, “O My children, My children! Would I had died instead of you, O My children!” But in God’s case, He carried out the substitution that David could only hope for. In order to save you from the curse of death, God willingly gave up His only Son. The Son of God also became the son of a human being—the true Son of David, in whom no sin or rebellion could be found, to carry out God’s promise that David’s kingdom would be established forever. 


And as the Son of David, Jesus also hung from a tree—the cross—and a spear was thrust into Him. Paul refers back to Deuteronomy 21 and connects it to the cross in Galatians 3:13 where he writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs from a tree.” Jesus became cursed for you. He died the death you deserved. He who knew no sin became sin for you so that you might receive His righteousness. 


That’s the sacrifice your heavenly Father was willing to make for us! It doesn’t matter if you have short hair or long hair, or no hair God has made you his child through Jesus.  No matter how far you stray, no matter how violently you rebel, no matter how often you attempt to remove Him from the throne of your heart, God will always love you and is ready to forgive you for the sake of the One who hung on the tree in your place. Through Jesus, the true Son of David and King of the universe, you are a forgiven and eternally loved child of God, and you have a place in His kingdom forever. Amen.


Pastor John Raddatz


 


 


Current Weeks Message



Sunday, November 20, 2022



Sunday, November 13, 2022



Sunday, October 9, 2022



Sunday, September 25, 2022



Sunday, September 18, 2022



Sunday, September 4, 2022



Sunday, August 21, 2022



Sunday, August 14, 2022



Sunday, August 7, 2022



Sunday, July 24, 2022



Sunday, July 17, 2022



Sunday, June 19, 2022



Sunday, June 12, 2022



Sunday, May 29, 2022



Sunday, May 22, 2022



Sunday, May 15, 2022



Sunday, May 8, 2022



Sunday, May 1, 2022



Sunday, April 24, 2022



Sunday, April 17, 2022



Sunday, April 10, 2022



Sunday, April 3, 2022



Sunday, March 20, 2022



Sunday, March 13, 2022



Sunday, February 27, 2022



Sunday, February 6, 2022



Sunday, January 23, 2022



Sunday, January 2, 2022



Sunday, December 19, 2021



Sunday, December 12, 2021



Sunday, November 28, 2021



Sunday, November 21, 2021



Sunday, November 7, 2021



Sunday, October 31, 2021



Sunday, October 17, 2021



Sunday, October 10, 2021



Sunday, October 3, 2021



Sunday, September 26, 2021



Sunday, September 5, 2021




Sunday, August 22, 2021




Sunday, August 15, 2021



Sunday, July 18, 2021



Sunday, July 11, 2021



Sunday, June 20, 2021



Sunday, June 6, 2021



Sunday, May 30, 2021



Sunday, May 23, 2021



Sunday, May 02, 2021



Sunday, April 25, 2021



Sunday, April 11, 2021



Sunday, March 28, 2021



Sunday, March 21, 2021



Sunday, March 14, 2021



Sunday, March 7, 2021



Sunday, February 28, 2021



Sunday, February 14, 2021



Sunday, February 7, 2021



Sunday, January 31, 2021



Sunday, January 17, 2021



Sunday, January 10, 2021



Sunday, January 3, 2021



Sunday, December 27, 2020



Sunday, December 20, 2020



Sunday, December 13, 2020



Sunday, December 6, 2020



Sunday, November 29, 2020



Sunday, November 22, 2020



Sunday, November 15, 2020



Sunday, November 8, 2020



Sunday, November 1, 2020



Sunday, October 4, 2020



Sunday, September 27, 2020



Sunday, September 13, 2020



Sunday, September 6, 2020



Sunday, August 23, 2020



Sunday, August 16, 2020



Sunday, July 12, 2020



Sunday, July 05, 2020



Sunday, June 28, 2020



Sunday, June 21, 2020



Sunday, June 14, 2020



Sunday, June 7, 2020



Sunday, May 17, 2020



Sunday, May 10, 2020



Sunday, May 3, 2020



Sunday, April 26, 2020



Sunday, April 19, 2020



Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020



Good Friday, April 10, 2020



Sunday, April 5, 2020



Sunday, March 29, 2020



Sunday, March 22, 2020