Keep Your Head Up (2 Samuel 16:1-14)
One of the most tragic stories in the Bible is that of David being forced out of Jerusalem by his son Absalom. David has to leave everything he knows and loves – his people, his nation, his city and even his home, and he has to do it quickly. So he gathers up his family, his household, his advisors and his security team and evacuates Jerusalem.
But because he has to leave quickly, he doesn’t have time to gather provisions. So a man named Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, brings him provisions. Mephibosheth is the son of Jonathan, the best friend of David, and the grandson of Saul, both of whom were killed in battle. So David brought Mephibosheth into his home and treated him as his own son for more than 20 years. So naturally, David would ask, “Where is Mephibosheth?” Ziba tells him that Mephibosheth has also defected to Absalom and this is just another gut punch of betrayal to David. To make matters worse, a man named Shimai, who is also of the house of Saul, is running beside David and his retinue hurling stones, dirt and insults at David, so much so, that one of David’s men asks David if he can kill him. David says, no, but that if God has called the man to curse him, let him curse me. The text portrays David a man who is in despair and near the end of his strength.
But when you read Psalm 3, which is a psalm David wrote regarding this event, you see a little different picture. Here, David saying that God is his defender, his shield, the lifter of his head. Though he has ten thousand enemies, God will deliver him. And at the end of the song, he prays a prayer that is a bit unusual. He prays that God will strike his enemies on the jaw, and break the teeth of the wicked.
So, dads, maybe you’ve prayed that prayer. I know I have. And when you are in a situation where you feel like you have been betrayed and abandoned by your friends and family, you go through a range of emotions – from despair and despondency to anger and vindication. Maybe you are experiencing this in your career, work, your family – maybe you are experiencing this in the racial division happening throughout our country. And let me just add, that when you stand up for what is true, just and right, you will have people walk out of your life. But it’s the right thing to do, because what kind of nation are we handing off to our sons and daughters where large sections of our citizens are not experience justice and peace.
So, if you stand up for righteousness, you will feel this range of emotions, just as David did – just as I do. But we have to remember that the place of strength is in knowing that God is our strength, our shield and our defender. He’s the lifter of our head.
So dads, keep your heads up, be bold, be strong, stand to justice and peace, and know that we love you. Happy Father’s Day.