The woman reveals Joab‘s message. She says the king is condemning himselfwith his verdict by not bringing back his son and reminds him that God looksfor ways for the banished to return. - P41
David asks whether Joab set her up for this,
and she admits it. The king allows Absalom to return but refuses to see him. - P41
The messenger that Joab sent to David reveals that she pleaded formercy for her son so that David would feel remorse over his actions to-ward his own son, Absalom. - P42
Speaking up on behalf of her community,
she proclaims that God‘s desire is not for Absalom to remain an exiledoutcast as a punishment for his sin; God‘s desire is for David to extendmercy even in the face of Absalom‘s sin. - P42
When believers show mercyto sinful people, we are not ignoring or dismissing their sin, but we arechoosing to trust and believe that God is the ultimate Judge who willdeal with sinners as He knows best, according to His infinite wisdomand righteousness. - P42
David discovers that Joab was the one who instructed the woman toapproach him and urge him to have mercy on Absalom. - P42
Joab‘s schemeis successful as David agrees to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem. - P42
How-ever, he places Absalom in separate living quarters and forbids his sonfrom seeing his face. His actions reveal that there is something in hisheart that is preventing him from fully forgiving and reconciling withhis son-he offers only partial mercy to Absalom. - P42
The sinful conditionof the human heart sometimes hinders us from showing others the same mercy that God has shown to us. - P42
Let us daily meditate on the amazing grace that God poured upon us when we were still sinners, so that ourhearts nay be moved to radical mercy. - P42
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