Well, if we take our Bible and turn together to 2 Samuel chapter 13. So 2 Samuel chapter 13. And we'll take up a reading from verse 21. So 2 Samuel 13, and we're reading from verse 21. You maybe remember that we considered the first half of this chapter last week, and it's quite a sobering read. this dreadful sin of Amnon against against Tamar. So we're sort of coming to the aftermath of that now. 2 Samuel 13 in verse 21. But when King David heard of all these things, he was very wroth. And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon, neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar. And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom had sheep-shearers in Baal Hazor, which is beside Ephraim. And Absalom invited all the king's sons. And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers. Let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant. And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son. Let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he pressed him, albeit he would not go, but blessed him. Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, smite Amnon, and then kill him. Fear not. Have not I commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant. And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. All the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled. And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. Then the king arose, and tear his garments, and lay on the earth, and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. And Junadab the son of Shimea, David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon only is dead, for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon only is dead. But Absalom fled, And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, there came much people by the way of the hillside behind him. And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons come, as thy servant said, so it is. And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept, the king also and all his servants wept very sore but Absalom fled and went to Telmai the son of Ammihud king of Geshur and David mourned for his son every day so Absalom fled and went to Geshur and was there three years and the soul of King David longed to go forth on to Absalom for he was comforted concerning Amnon seeing he was dead. And we end there at the end of the chapter. So you'll remember that after David's sin with Bathsheba, the word of God came to him, warning him that the sword would not depart from his house. And as we read this chapter, we see that sword swinging wildly and dealing wounds to pretty much everyone within reach. So first of all, wicked Amnon followed in his father's steps and indulged his lusts at any cost. He assaulted, he forced his half-sister, Tamar. And then as we read this, the second half of the chapter, you see the sword swinging again whenever Absalom, Tamar's brother, takes his revenge and Amnon is murdered in cold blood. So it's this murder that we're looking at today, the murder of Amnon. And as we begin to look at this murder, I want to start by thinking about the causes behind the murder. You know, this murder didn't come out of the blue. It didn't just happen one day for no good reason. In fact, you could say this murder was two years in the making. And there were failures in a number of different people that led to the actual thing being carried out. These failures, that's what we're thinking of as something of these causes behind the murder. So first of all, we could think of the cause of Amnon's iniquity. Amnon's iniquity. Remember, Amnon is the one who forced his sister Tamar. It's clear that Amnon was killed in revenge for the wicked thing he'd done. He had abused Tamar, he'd cast her out like garbage, he'd gone on with life as if nothing had happened. And it's very clear that apart from the wicked actions of Amnon, Absalom would never have had cause to be angry with him. And he would never have been placed in danger of death at the hand of his brother. I'm certainly not in any way saying that cold-blooded murder is legitimate. We're not excusing Absalom's sin in any way here. But as you think about Amnon, his sin has placed him in the path of danger. His sin is the first thing that has led him to an early death. If he hadn't done what he did, then Absalom would not be coming for him. His sin put him on this dangerous path. And as you think of that, it certainly reminds us that sin has its consequences. And not just in eternity, but so often even in time. Our sin leads to wars and fighting, and therefore misery. Our sin often proves to be very, very costly, even as it impacts our lives here and now, never mind what it does to our relationship with God. Amnon thought that by carrying out this sin, he'd somehow be helped, that he'd be satisfied, he'd be happier, and all would be well. But in fact, not only did his sin fail to satisfy him in the moment, But you could say that it stole away perhaps many years of his life. What fools we are when we trifle with sin. So obviously Amnon's iniquity led to this murder. That's the first thing. But that's not all. You could also say that this murder is brought about through David's inactivity. So Amnon's iniquity, but then also David's inactivity. If you look at verse 21, It says that King David heard of all these things. That is, he heard of what Amnon had done. And it says he was very wroth. He was incredibly angry when he heard what his oldest son had done to one of his daughters. He was, as you can expect, not happy at all. But it's worth noticing that while you read about David's anger, you don't actually read about David doing anything. He's angry. He doesn't act. It's important to remember here that David has a role of authority in two main areas, which he ought to be using as he deals with this wickedness. First of all, as a father, and therefore as the head of the family, David has a position of responsibility. And I recognize here that his children have grown up by this point. But at the same time, being the father, being the head of the extended family unit, David has a responsibility to try and guide his family through this mess in the right manner and to do what he can so as to deal with this sin appropriately. But he fails miserably. In fact, despite a lot about David that is praiseworthy in the scriptures, one of his ongoing failures is his unwillingness to reprove his children. So here he is, he's angry with Amnon, but he doesn't seem to do anything about it. Later on, after Absalom murders Amnon, David at first is going to feel grief from that act, but then eventually he'll be seeking reconciliation with Absalom. It takes a while to come about, but when it happens, it doesn't seem like this sin is ever dealt with either. There's never any more mention in scripture about the murder of Amnon. In terms of what we're told, it looks like David never actually addressed it. Similarly, just to sort of build the character, we're told about David as he draws close to his death in 1 Kings chapter one. And as he lies there, one of his sons, Adoniah, sought to rise up and claim the throne for himself. And 1 Kings chapter one and verse six says about Adoniah that his father, that is David, had not displeased him at any time in saying, why hast thou done so? So the passage there is explaining the willingness of Adonai to rise up against his family and to try and claim the throne for himself. And it explains it by saying that his father, David, never rebuked him, never displeased him at any time. His father never challenged his actions. So it seems like David had a similar problem to Eli. You remember how God judged Eli because he failed to challenge the wickedness of his sons when they abused their office in the tabernacle. He never challenged their sin. He left them to it and eventually God judged them and judged Eli too. Well it seems like David failed in a similar way. He didn't displease his sons. He never rebuked them. Now obviously the actual guilt of Amnon's murder lies on the head of Absalom. He's the one who would carry it out. But at the same time you've got to say that David has some guilt of his own as well because of his failure as a father to challenge the sin of Amnon, and even then to allow Absalom to bubble with anger over these past couple of years. Now you could add to that that David not only has the responsibility as a father, but he also has a big responsibility being the king. He's the one tasked with upholding justice, God's justice, in the land of Israel. And the penalty for what Amnon has done was death. You know, with what he had done, whatever you think of it today, well, that's simply the God-appointed penalty in the land of Israel at that time. God had appointed the penalty for this crime. It was death. In some ways, you could say the tragedy of this portion of Scripture is not so much that Amnon dies. In fact, if justice is carried out, he would be dying. The tragedy has more to do with the way in which he dies, the murder that's involved. into his own hands. It would have been appropriate for David, as the king, to execute judgment upon Amnon. And at the very least, even if the full weight of the law wasn't carried out, you would still expect David, as the king, to ensure that something is done, some sort of judgment is passed against such a wicked crime. Absalom's anger seems to bubble away because he's grieved at the wickedness done to his beloved sister, But at the same time, there seems to be no justice in the world. Nothing's being done about it. David was angry, yes, but he didn't do anything. It's worth stressing that even in our own society, one of the building blocks that holds everything together is a somewhat reasonable justice system. Because if you don't have that, then naturally people are going to take matters into their own hands and chaos ensues. The overall point we're getting at here is that David bears some guilt in this chapter for his inactivity. He refuses to deal with his son's dreadful sin. He refuses to use his God-given authority in a godly way. And he himself, through his inactivity here, is sowing the seeds of disaster for his own family. Now, on a practical note, it certainly reminds us of the importance of using the spheres of authority that God has given us. whether that's as a parent in the home or an elder in the church or on a national level, a leader in the land, where there's a failure in the position of authority, the results are often disastrous. Chaos ensues. But then on top of that, as you see David's failure through inactivity, we're again to be thankful that God has raised up a better king than David, one who will execute justice, one to whom vengeance does belong and who ensures that it will be carried out. Praise God that in Christ we have one who really will right every wrong. As Absalom grieved over the wrong that had been done to his sister, the king wasn't doing anything about it. No one was putting the matter right. Well, be sure that with the true king, with Christ, all wrongs are put right as we feel then The grief and perhaps even sometimes the anger that comes about through the things done to us wrongly or to others that we care about done wrongly. Praise God that we can bring it all to our king and trust him to deal with it. We don't have to take matters into our own hands. As we read in Romans 12 and 19, vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. There's a promise from God. And so rather than remain frustrated at the lack of justice like Absalom, we're able to look up and to see our savior and recognize he's coming again. The day of judgment is set and all wrongs will be put right. Justice will be done in that day. And of course, as we think of that, praise God that he's provided a way of pardon for us through the cross so that when justice is done, that we're not consumed. You know, as we cry for justice, let's never forget that if we got justice apart from Christ, we would be doomed too. Praise God for the work of the cross. So this murder is brought about following Amnon's iniquity and also David's inactivity. But also it's brought about through what we'll call Absalom's internalizing. Absalom's internalizing. If you look at verse 22, you're told that Absalom, he spake unto his brother Amnon, Neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon. Now, bear in mind this is talking about a two year period. This goes on for two years, verse 23, it came to pass after two full years. And over that time, Absalom isn't speaking to Amnon, he's not saying anything good to Amnon, he's not saying anything bad. For two years, he simply quietly stews over the whole thing. He doesn't do anything about it openly, he doesn't challenge Amnon about it, he doesn't bring it to the king. He never outwardly dealt with the rage that he felt, but all the while over these years, there it is, in his heart, bubbling away. Whenever we think of angry people, usually our thoughts go to the person who has an explosive temper. Someone who erupts in rage in a moment, has an outburst. You might look at someone else who doesn't say anything openly, and who holds themselves together, and you might assume that anger is not a problem for them at all. But here's a reminder that whatever the signs are on the surface, or whatever lack of signs there might be, anger is a heart problem. And in Absalom's case, here's anger that's just as furious as any other person, even though outwardly he never does anything or says anything. In fact, you could argue that Absalom's anger is even more dangerous than the person who has an outburst of temper. Now, I'm not encouraging you to have outbursts of temper all the time, but at least there, you could say the safety valve has been released and steam has been let out and everything's out in the open. It's all out there and now needs to be dealt with. In the case of Absalom, the safety valve is broken, the pressure is building and building and building until murder is the outcome. Again, I'm certainly not encouraging you towards outbursts of temper, but there is a reminder here that when we feel wronged, when we're angry about something, and even in cases where we are feeling legitimate anger over the wickedness that's been committed against us or others, there is a need to actually deal with it, to bring the issue out into the open. Ephesians 4 verse 26 tells us, Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. That is, deal with your anger before the end of the day. Don't go to sleep with anger still burning within. Deal with it. If necessary, go to the person you're angry with and talk it over and see if there's not some way of resolving the issue with them there and then. Maybe there's other steps to be taken, but deal with it, deal with the anger. Don't let the sun go down upon your wrath. In Ephesians 4, when it says that, in verse 26, it immediately goes on to say, neither give place to the devil. That's exactly what was going on here. Absalom was holding all this anger in his heart. He's not dealing with it, he's not saying anything. He's allowing it to remain. And he's giving Satan a foothold to work his mischief. He's giving Satan plenty of ammunition with which to do incredible damage when the time comes. When you've been wronged, when you're feeling anger, bring it to the person who's wronged you. Seek to deal with it, you and them. Where necessary, bring it to the appropriate authority, but deal with it. And then ultimately, if it seems impossible in a practical way to deal with the problem, I mean, sometimes it is. Sometimes we just practically aren't able to get things resolved the way we would like. Maybe that's the way Absalom's feeling here. His father, David, hasn't done anything about this crime. Well, even then, for the child of God, deal with it by bringing it to the Lord. Plead your cause with God, like you see done time after time in the book of Psalms. Plead your cause with the Lord. Leave the matter with Him. And again, recognize the Lord is just. He is the judge of all the earth and He will do right. Get your eyes on the Lord, take refuge in Him, and let the knowledge of your God and Savior be like a bucket of water over the furnace of anger that can burn in our hearts. Absalom didn't do that. He did nothing. He didn't address the issue with Amnon. He didn't appeal to his father. He didn't look to the Lord and place the matter into God's hand. He just stewed. And soon enough, in the passage of time, his anger within bursts forth in the most extreme of ways and he murdered his half brother. So there we've thought about some of the causes behind this murder. Then think about what I'll call the contriving of the murder. That is the planning of it all and the setting out of the circumstances in which this could occur. You're told in verse 23 that after two years there came a season when Absalom had his sheep shearers in Bealhazor, which was, as far as I can tell, it was about 20 kilometers or so north of Jerusalem. And what's meant when it talks about his sheep shearers, it seems to be that this was the time when the sheep shearing was being done. And in connection with that, there was often a feast. And so at first, Absalom comes. He invites the whole royal family, probably expecting his father David to decline, which he does. And David answers in verse 25, nay, my son, Let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. But Absalom continues to press him over the matter. David refuses. He continues to press. And in verse 26 says, if not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. Now at the mention of Amnon, you certainly get the impression that David is instantly on his guard a little bit. Of course, he knows that Absalom has reason to be angry with Amnon. I doubt very much that David has been oblivious over the past couple of years to the fact that Absalom hasn't said a thing to Amnon. I mean, it's bound to be obvious that there's been some sort of grievance there between the two. And, of course, David knows why. The mention of Amnon here must have put him on his guard to some extent. And that's why he asks, why should he go with thee? I mean, David's surprised by this inquiry about Amnon. Absalom's just been pretending Amnon's dead for the last two years. Now he's asking for him. Why should he go with thee? But without giving an answer, when Absalom continues to press the matter, David possibly feeling a bit awkward because he's already refused to go himself, he relents and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. Now, it's quite interesting to note that this is actually the second time in the chapter where one of David's sons has manipulated him into placing another of his children in danger. At the beginning of the chapter, Amnon manipulated David into sending Tamar. And now here's Absalom manipulating David into sending Amnon. We're certainly reminded once again about David's limitations. Yes, he's the king after God's own heart. raised up to rule in Israel and to bring God's blessings upon God's people, but he's not able to do it perfectly. For a start, we've seen his own sin which brought such disaster, we've seen his own failure in terms of parenting his children, but also here you see just the limitations on David's wisdom. Here he is, twice in this chapter, able to be manipulated, able to be used as a tool in the hand of those who would accomplish wickedness. And it reminds us that the true king to bring perfect blessing upon God's people needs to be greater than David. In fact, needs to be greater than any mere man. God blessed Israel abundantly when he raised up David to be their king. This godly man would be an instrument of great blessing in the land. But David was not sufficient to secure perfect blessing. And so again, here you see his failure, even his limitations, his folly. And so we're reminded once again in God's word that we need a greater king. We need a king of perfect wisdom, and that's what we've got in Christ. Christ is the power of God. He's also the wisdom of God. And with that wisdom, he is equipped to be the perfect king, ruling and defending his people, keeping his people in perfect safety. Here's David, and because of his not intentional wickedness or anything like that, but because of his limited wisdom, because of his folly, he's manipulated twice, and David actually is the one who puts two of his children in danger, just through his limitations. What a need there is for a king with perfect wisdom, and we have that in Christ. In Christ, we have one who rules us, who defends us, and who, without limitation, is able to keep his people in perfect peace as we put our trust In him, we've got good reason tonight to return thanks to our God. He has not just given us any old king, and he's not even just given us a good king like David. He's given us a perfect king in Christ. So there's the contriving of the murder. Then the carrying out of the murder. The text doesn't really dwell too much on the details. It tells us more about the planning of it and then the aftermath. Absalom, having gathered the king's sons to Beelhazor, he's able to carry out his plot. We're told in verse 28 that he commanded his servants to keep an eye on Amnon, and when Amnon is merry with his wine, when he's drinking, when his senses are stupefied, Absalom's going to give the command, and they're to rise up and kill him. He told his servants to be valiant. He reassured them that he'd given the command, and probably what he's implying there is that he's going to use his position to safeguard them and keep them from punishment if they carry out his orders. So the time comes and they do to Amnon just as they've been commanded. The rest of David's sons, fearing that something similar is about to happen to them, they are quick to jump on their mules and they flee. But when Amnon has been drinking, when he didn't have his senses about him to defend himself, his downfall comes. I'll not labour the point, But once again, notice here that alcohol is used so as to facilitate someone's downfall. You see it a number of times in scripture used by men who plot against their neighbor. And of course, we could add to that. It's certainly something that's been used by Satan plenty over the years to deprive men of their senses and of their inhibitions and to lead men into all sorts of other deadly sins. But here's the carrying out of the murder. They wait till Amnon. is deprived of his senses, and then at the signal, death comes swiftly. That leads us to think about the communicating of the murder and the telling of it. In verse 30, attention switches back to David, and the first pieces of news are starting to arrive with him as to what Absalom has done. But you'll notice, first of all, the exaggeration that's communicated. The word coming to David doesn't tell him that Amnon is dead. The report tells him that all his sons are dead. Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. That's the message David hears. No wonder that David arose and tore his clothes and lay on the ground. He thought he'd lost virtually his whole family. It's interesting to notice he doesn't question this report. Back in chapter one, when a messenger came to him before he was king and told him about the death of Saul, he was wise on that day and he questioned the messenger. He was careful to make sure that he got the facts straight. He asked the man, you know, how do you know that Saul is dead? He's wondering, you know, are you just telling me a story that you've heard or have you seen it firsthand? He was looking for the evidence. He doesn't do that here. Possibly that's because At the back of his mind, he's already been worried about Absalom. And this report just seems to be the confirmation of his worst fears. But it certainly reminds us of the importance of getting the facts. As we listen to the different pieces of news that we hear, you can understand David immediately being alarmed. But it would have saved him a lot of grief if he got the matter straight and he sought for the report to be verified first. Now there is a reminder here about the damage that exaggeration can do when you recount events and add your own spin to it. Here's this story, and it's quickly turned from the death of one of David's sons into the death of all of David's sons. And the result is that the king is brought to utter despair. So you've got this exaggeration. But then also notice the encouragement communicated. There's David, he's grieving with his clothes torn and he's lying on the ground in immense distress. And suddenly we have the reappearance of Jonadab. Now, you might remember him, we thought of him last week. That's David's nephew, the crafty man who had explained to Amnon exactly what he needed to do so as to get alone with Tamar. That was the man very much involved in orchestrating the dreadful sin against Tamar. Well it's this same man, he now comes to David and he's the one who gives David this encouragement. He explains. He's urging David here. Do not think that all your sons are dead. It's only Amnon. So there's a word of comfort there. But when you tie in what you've seen of him earlier in the chapter, here's a man who, he's not a man to be set on high and honoured. He's a man who seems to be working his politics. He's one of these men who's unconcerned about right and wrong. He just does whatever is needed to please the person beside him. Earlier on when he saw the grief of Amnon and he wanted to ingratiate himself with Amnon, Who cares if it's wrong? He's going to help plot how to get with Tamar. That'll please Amnon, so that's what he'll do. Well, now here he is wanting to be on David's good side. So when David is in distress, he's going to curry favor by trying to comfort David. What I want you to notice, though, is that Jonadab seems to know an awful lot about this. Remember, at this point, the right message has not reached David. There's David and Jonadab in Jerusalem, and the word has come to them that all of David's sons are dead. So you've got to ask the question, well, how does Jonadab know that that's not right? How does he know that it's only Amnon? He just seems to know far too much about what has happened here. And to be honest, it's hard to see any other explanation for his accurate knowledge before anyone else actually comes with the news than to conclude that he has known something about Absalom's plans already. And presumably, he's discovered those plans from Absalom. Now, we're not told, but it's very possible that Junadab was a confidant of Absalom and perhaps even drew up the plans along with Absalom, just like he'd schemed together with Amnon. Again, that's guesswork, admittedly. But he seems to know far too much to not be involved somehow. In fact, he even can give the motivation David, this has happened just against Amnon, and this has been two years in the planning. How does he know all of that when this is such a surprise to David and to David's family? How does Jonadab know that? He seems to be involved somehow. Now if that's the case, and it seems to be, I would stress to you that Jonadab is presented in this chapter somewhat akin to Satan. Like the serpent, we were told at the introduction to him, that he's very wise, and then you see him use that craft to orchestrate Amnon's sin with Tamar, and then it's very possible that he's involved too in the downfall of Amnon. At the very least, he seems to have known something about this plan and said nothing, and he was happy to leave Amnon to his doom. So here's a man who lures Amnon into sin, or at least paves the way for him, and then happily watches Amnon walk to destruction. That's what Satan does. Be clear, when you're facing temptation in any area of life, and the tempter is coming and injecting some tempting thought to your mind, you're dealing with one who is more deadly and treacherous than Jonadab. Satan will befriend you and lure you and encourage you to walk a sinful path. He will present it as being good for you, but then he'll delight as you walk that path toward your destruction. Friends like Jonadab are no friends at all, Far better to shun his advice when he'll turn with treachery at the end. And even more so, better to shun the temptations that Satan would bring your way when all of it is to lead you to destruction. In contrast to Christ, you could say that Satan is described in Proverbs 9 verse 13 like a woman inviting passing men to turn into her house and she encourages them that Stolen waters are sweet, bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But the final verse of Proverbs 9 says, but he knoweth not that the dead are there, and that her guests are in the depths of hell. We'll recognize it as Jonadab sets the plan in motion and lets Amnon rush off to his doom at the hand of Absalom. Likewise, as Satan comes to you with temptations and invites you in, His guests are in the depths of hell. He'll bring you to ruin. Where did it all go wrong for Amnon? Obviously, there were numerous wrong steps, but one answer is that it all started to go wrong when he listened to the advice of this treacherous friend. So finally, let's conclude by looking at the consequences of the murder. The consequences. Sin always brings forth dreadful consequences. And when Absalom murdered Amnon in cold blood, again, it brought dreadful consequences, as sin always does. First of all, the obvious consequence it brought was death. It brought the death of Amnon. Sin is destructive. Sin destroys lives. Sin destroys relationships. It brings utter ruin. That's been the case since Cain killed Abel and nothing has changed right up to today. This brought death. Secondly, the murder brought despair. Jonah Dab was encouraging David that it was only Amnon who had died and that turned out to be true. But there was still incredible grief in David's heart over Amnon and probably over the manner in which Amnon had died as well. You're told in verse 36 that Yes, true to Junadab's words, the king's sons were mostly safe. They started to arrive. But as they arrived, they lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also, and all his servants wept very sore. You could say there was incredible grief right throughout the whole kingdom over such a thing that had been done. Again, sin always brings misery. Sin is the fountain from which so many of our tears flow. And then finally, this murder also brought division. It brought division. Recognizing that there could well be consequences for what he'd done, verse 37 tells us that Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Amahud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. So there's David. He's back in Jerusalem. He's grieving over Amnon. At the same time, Absalom is now in Talmai. He's taking refuge with his family on his mother's side. He's going to stay there for three more full years. Finally, we're told that David will find comfort over the death of Amnon, and he'll long to go to Absalom, that there are hints that the breach can be repaired. But for three long years, there's this division between David and Absalom, who's living in exile. And in fact, as we'll see, the division never really is mended. All of this is the starting point for a great rebellion by Absalom against his father, Absalom seeking to steal his father's throne. Sin has brought about a breach in the relationship. It has divided this family altogether. And you could say more than that, this particular sin is going to divide Israelite against Israelite as to which side they'll end up being on in that rebellion of Absalom's. Sin has brought division. And again, that's what sin does. It divides, it separates brethren, it breaks apart families, it destroys communities. Sin brings forth death, despair, and division. It brings about all the brokenness that we see around us in this world. And so to finish today, let's stress once again how thankful we need to be for a savior who has conquered death, at the cross by dying, death he slew. Praise God for a Savior who brings forth a gospel, good news of great joy. Praise God for a Savior who is ultimately able to wipe away every tear of despair that sin has caused from his people. Praise God for a Savior who's able to take a divided people like ourselves in a world full of division and able to unite us all in himself and heal every divide. So once again today, by the end of the chapter, we see the ugliness of sin, the destruction that it leaves in its wake, but let's not stop with that sight. Let's lift our eyes to Christ in whom there is full restoration from all the damage of sin. May God use his word tonight. Amen.