want for us to look at this whole chapter. And as we look at the chapter, it's important that we remember the context in which this is found in God's word. If we didn't have the context of the preceding chapters and Samuel speaking about Absalom and his murder of his brother, then we would look at this chapter and we would see that Joab and the woman from Tekoa and Absalom himself appear right and wise. But when we consider this in context, we see that rather than a godly wisdom, here is a worldly shrewdness. There is a measure of wisdom in that they are successful in manipulating and achieving their own ends, but it's not according to righteousness. And chapter 14 stands in contrast to chapter 12. For in chapter 12, David is confronted with his sin, And we see he repents. His response is to humble his proud heart and to confess and turn repentance and seek God's mercy. David was initially angry when Nathan came and told him the account of the rich man who'd taken advantage of the poor man. And there was a rage within David. But as soon as Nathan said, thou art a man, I'm speaking about you, O king. We see the king's rage is gone. He's humbled. And instead of that rage, we find a repentance and a reconciliation. David, who had been alienated from God by his sin, is reconciled. so that he humbles himself and submits before the hand of God in judgment and in providence. We saw last Lord's Day concerning Absalom, how sin dominates and sin devastates and it demands a response and there's a wrong response. Absalom strikes his brother, kills him, and that sin has not been dealt with. And so that's why we have chapter 14. We see, in contrast to David's repentance in chapter 12, when sin is not dealt with, we see here the consequences of not repenting. We see here the wages of sin. First of all, I want you to notice in verses 1 to 24, the largest part of the chapter, that there is no repentance. There's no repentance. Similar to Nathan coming to David, the woman of Tekoa comes with a parable. She doesn't reveal that it's a parable, but she tells this story, but this story has a purpose. We're not told the motivation of Job, why he wants to see Absalom brought back to the kingdom. It may be that he had sympathy for his cousin. Remember Job's mother was a sister of David, Absalom was his cousin. and Joab himself had slain Abner in rage. He understood the emotions, he understood the reasoning of Absalom. And so perhaps with a sense of sympathy and of feeling, he wants to see his cousin restored to the kingdom. And it seems that Job, as a man, wants to pragmatically stabilize the kingdom. He's not a principled man, he's pragmatic. He'll do the right thing for the right outcome. Or he'll do whatever's necessary for the right outcome. And there's Absalom, the heir to the kingdom, and he's an exile. And so Job will bring him back if that's possible. Perhaps this would enhance Job's own position. It's important to recognize too that David is not yearning for Absalom's return. If David was yearning for Absalom's return, he'd have brought Absalom back. Or once Absalom had returned, David would have been reconciled to him and brought him into the palace. Instead, we see that when Absalom does come back, David says, he will not see my face. David's not yearning for Absalom's return. It's important to understand that because the way the scripture is translated in the first few verses can give us a different impression. We talked about the king's heart being toward Absalom. It means that the king was facing Absalom. And it wasn't so much that he was toward Absalom because he desired Absalom's return, but he was confronting Absalom in his sin. But yet, as we saw at the end of chapter 13, last Lord's Day, where it says, the soul of King David longed to go forth to Absalom, it means that David came to an end of himself. And that doesn't mean an end in the sense of longing and desire for Absalom, but his enthusiasm, his zeal for judgment and to pursue Absalom and to bring him to account, it was gone. So here we find David, and he's been unable to execute judgment. And in part, that's because of his own sin. What has happened here is one of the consequences of David's sin with Bathsheba. And so there's a sense of shame. There's a sense of guilt. He is slow to pursue and to finally judge his son. Absalom's living in political asylum with his mother's father. And you see the mess. There's David, and he's impotent. He doesn't have the power to do what needs to be done. He doesn't have the drive. He doesn't have the motivation. He doesn't have the ability. And there's an irony in that, because it was David's potency, as it were, that has brought about this mess. You see, also, there's a lack of discernment in David. A lack of discernment. His mind is clouded. His power is dulled. And so when the moon woman of Tekoa comes and she tells this story, David is immediately moved by the emotion of it. He wants to defend her, he wants to protect her, and he wants to make it okay. But what he is doing He is ignoring sin. Because the woman tells a story. Her son has killed his brother, and she's asking the king to overlook his sin. And she makes reference to the gospel. She speaks of God's mercy. She says, surely this should happen, O Ken, Because God is merciful. God has established means, she says. In verse 13 and 14. God has devised means that his banished would not be expelled from him. God is able to bring back those who've rebelled. And if God can show mercy, shouldn't we show mercy? but it's a misapplication of the gospel. It's a superficial account of the gospel and it's a misapplication of the gospel because there's no reference to sin or to judgment, to righteousness or to truth. And you hear the same thing today. When people say, well, aren't we all sinners? And isn't God merciful? Therefore, it doesn't matter. Who are you to judge another and who are you to say something's wrong? Who are you to express your opinions? Let's just leave it all because God is good and God's worked out a way and there's this gospel message and therefore we'll all be fine in the end. But you know what we find here? We find that David is manipulated into bringing Absalom back and there's no repentance. And there's no repentance because there's no naming of sin. And there's no repentance because there's a failure to apply the law. And so what we find is an unhappy return. That's the consequences of it. Absalom comes back. He's gone away, he turned around, he comes back. And in a sense, that's a picture of what repentance should be. We who have gone astray turn around and go another way and walk the way of God. But this is just a geographical change. There's no spiritual change in Absalom. There's no repentance. And secondly, see in verse 24, and it's repeated in verse 28, because there is no repentance, there is no reconciliation. It's emphasized in verse 24 and 28, that Absalom returned to his own house and saw not the king's face. He stated in verse 28, Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and saw not the king's face. You see, he's returned, but he's not reconciled. He's not united with the king. And in fact, he cannot be reconciled. You see, the consequence of not repenting is that you cannot be reconciled with the Lord. Sin's a mess. You might acknowledge that sin's a mess. You might speak about the mess that sin has made. You might recognize the fact that God has established in his word a way to receive sinners. But unless you acknowledge sin and come and seek repentance, there can be no reconciliation. There can be no reconciliation. The law exists, and because the law exists, David can't allow Absalom back. And so he's trapped. And Absalom's trapped. And they're all trapped. You see, it's no kindness to avoid the truth. And that's what's been going on here. There's been avoiding of the truth. Our Lord said, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. And that applies when the truth is hard and when the truth is blunt, that there is liberty in the truth. The truth being that we who are sinners need to come and confess our sin and seek the mercy of God. Now verse 14 is sometimes taken largely to context in order to preach the gospel. And that's exactly what this woman does. She takes and she gives a superficial rendering of the gospel. And she uses that to justify this sentimental, emotional covering over of what's gone wrong and not dealing with sin. But the only way to really preach the gospel from this passage is by way of contrast. Because God has devised means whereby his banished can be restored. But what are the means that God has devised? Well, God has devised just means so that sin is called sin, judgment is pronounced. There is a condemnation of sin, not a condemnation of sinners. But the Lord Jesus Christ is our substitute. He stands as a sin bearer. The wrath of God is poured upon him and he is consumed so that we who are sinners might not be condemned. He died that we might live. God has established a just way to reconcile his people. In Romans chapter 3 we read that we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. You see, there is reconciliation with God because God deals with the offence. Further to reconciliation, there must be an acknowledging, a confessing, there must be a repentance. But in the passage we have before us, there is no repentance and therefore there is no reconciliation. and there's consequences to that. What's the consequence of not being reconciled to God? What's the consequence that you see all around us in society? There's people and they're not reconciled to God because they will not listen to the gospel. That's an attitude toward God. One of indifference. No. That's not what you see in society. You don't see indifference. What you see is a hostile resentment. And that's what you find in Absalom. Absalom, he turns to Jerusalem. There's no repentance. He's not reconciled. And what happens? He broods upon it. And there's a hostile resentment. This is what explains the subsequent rebellion. You see, what has happened brings no satisfaction. And the repetition in verses 24 and 28 of Absalom not seeing the king, and Absalom not seeing the king for two whole years, that hurts. That hurts a man like Absalom when he's ambitious and proud. And that hurts a man like Absalom when he's ambitious, proud, and feels justified and entitled. Do you know why he feels entitled? He feels entitled because what he did was right in his sight. What he did was right because his sister was wronged. And while it was correct to say his sister was wronged, what he did was wrong. But he feels entitled, he feels justified, and therefore he resents. And this resentment, it festers. We're told he had three sons and one daughter. We're not told the names of his sons, and it seems that his sons died young, as children, because later on he makes reference to the fact he has no sons. But his one daughter, and he names her Tamar. He names her Tamar after his sister who was wronged. A tribute to his sister perhaps, but it's an evidence that here's a man and he's nursing that grudge. Here's a man and he's vindicating himself. Here's a man and he's got a cause, he's got a crusade. And that all nurtures this sense of resentment, this brooding sense of resentment. Absalom, we're given an insight into him here. Verses 25 to 27. We're told he was an attractive man. There was no one like him, from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet. He was a beautiful man, and his hair grew big, and his hair grew strong. It was a symbol of his strength, so much so that when he cut it every year, that it was a remarkable weight. It's not really clear how heavy that was, it doesn't matter. The point is this, here's this man and he's attractive. And not only is he attractive, there's something audacious about Absalom. He's got this sense of entitlement. He's got this pride. He carries himself and he conducts himself in such a way. Absalom. He is what men so often admire. He is the classical rebel, bold and beautiful, brash, a sense of daring. And you see that when he asks Job to come and to speak to him, and Job won't come. We don't know why Job has changed his mind. It's not relevant. But what we know is that Job won't come. So after asking twice, Absalom sets fire to his field, because that's the sort of man that he is. He's daring. And when Job comes, Absalom says, you go tell the king. And you see how daring he is? You tell the king if I'm guilty, put me to death. And that's not because he believes in justice. And that's not because he wanted to run the risk of being put to death. That's because he has such a sense of self and entitlement, he believes that that won't happen. Why do you think people always admire the rebels? So many heroes are rebels, aren't they? I think it's because of a tendency to want to live vicariously, to live through the rebel. People admire them because in their dreams, the picture of themselves being like that. And Absalom's this sort of man. With his self-confidence, with his anger, with his sense of entitlement. He's a man who walks with a swagger. And Job comes and explains to David. And we see David, he welcomes Absalom before him. And Absalom comes and he bows before the king. Doesn't confess that he's done wrong. Doesn't acknowledge his sin. Doesn't ask forgiveness. Here's a man and all he wants is his position. And so he comes and he bows before the king. What does David do? David kisses Absalom. Do you know what should have happened? Absalom should be coming and he should be bowing before the king. He should be the one seeking to kiss the king. He's the one who should be seeking the king's mercy and the king's grace. But instead the tables have turned and there's the king seeking Absalom. How does Absalom feel about it all? There's this increasing resentment. There's contempt for his father, his father who was powerless to deal with the offence against Tamar. His father who's been powerless to bring him to justice. His father who's made rules when he came back to Jerusalem but has crumbled and has now received them back. Friends, when there's no repentance, there can be no reconciliation. And when there's no repentance and no reconciliation, there will only be a resentment. What a contrast to David himself. When his sin was pointed out, he confessed that sin and sought the mercy of God. And when we consider these two contrasting responses, we have to ask the question, what about you? How do you respond to your own sin? Do you repent? Do you humble your heart? Do you bow before God and do you seek mercy or do you try to find a way back that avoids repentance? Because there is no way back to God that avoids repentance. There is no way back without repentance. You can worm your way into society. You can work your way into fellowship. You can work your way into a church. But if there's no repentance, there will be no reconciliation. And ultimately, within your heart, there will develop this resentment, this contempt, this dismissal of God himself. You know, what we see in Absalom, the sense of entitlement as he comes before the king is what you find in so many people. God will have to accept me as I am. Isn't that what people generally say? Perhaps that's what you think yourself. God will just have to take me as I am. I'll do things my way, on my terms. I'm a good guy, and what I do is right, and what I do is necessary. And all this self-justifying, this sense of entitlement, do you not see where it will end? Do you not see what I'm, utter mess we have here. There is one way to be reconciled. There is one way to find peace with God, and that is to acknowledge your sin, to seek his mercy, to turn repentance, Lord, relevance does this have to you who may have been in Christ for many years? Well, surely it's this that you must live with repentance. You must daily come again and again, as daily we stray, come again and again, recognizing, remember that you're standing before him. It's not a sense of entitlement. You cannot swagger like Absalom. and wait to be acknowledged. But you come, you seek His mercy. You kiss the Son. And that's what we do when we bow before Him. That's what we do when we offer our praise. That's what we do as we call out for seeking to be reconciled and to receive His grace. Absalom, he waited two years after Tamar was wronged before he slew his brother Amnon. He fled for three years and he hid with his grandfather. He returned to Jerusalem for two years before he made this move and found himself before David. Seven years. Seven years with this sense of entitlement. Seven years with this growing resentment and hatred. We don't know how long after that, before he acted as we see in chapter 15. And he ended up in battle against the king. And ultimately he was consumed. But even now, here's a man and he's been eaten away by his own resentment, his own hatred. Let the life of Absalom be a warning to you, not to live like this, not to die like this, but rather to follow what we see in David. to seek the mercy of God. Amen. We'll pray.