Title: Two Monuments / Topic: Legacy

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 18; Psalm 56; Matthew 27

Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:9, 14-15, 17-18
9 Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going...
14 ...[Joab] took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him...
17 They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him...
18 During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.

Observation: Such a tragedy and what a sad, sad story. The treachery of Absalom, the son, against David, the father, is one of the great tragedies of the Bible. It is ironic that Absalom is snared by his hair, one of the things that he took great pride in. Read the verse here. Joab's men see him hanging from a tree by his prized locks and his fate is sealed. He is put to death by Joab and his men as he hangs.

What I find particularly poignant is the contrast of monuments. The first monument mentioned is the "large heap of rocks" that are piled on top of Absalom's dead body which had been thrown into a large pit in the forest. The location of this heap was chosen by Absalom's enemies with no great thought. They found a nearby pit and dumped his body there, piling rocks on it. It was an ignoble burial with no tribute -- no honor.

The second monument is the monument that Absalom had made for himself, selecting just the right spot in the "King's Valley." He had erected it as "as a monument to himself, for he thought, 'I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.'" It is so sad that Absalom created this monument as a memorial to himself even as he lived. He was like a walking dead man. He could have trusted in God, but he did not. He treacherously took matters into his own hands and while his personal monument stood, it was only a sad tribute to self-promotion. Meanwhile his decaying corpse lies buried in a pit in the forest somewhere.

Application: Trust in the Lord. Self promotion is a shallow and fruitless pursuit. (Absalom is the poster child of self-promotion.) Monuments that I erect for myself will only prove to be reminders to others of what not to do. Building my life through trusting in the Lord is an investment in eternal assets which will stand the test of time and the stress of life.

Prayer: Lord, I want You to be and build whatever monuments mark my life. May I conduct my life in such a way as to be used of You to make a positive difference in this world. May my legacy be You and the wonderful things You have done through me.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.