The Outrageous Love of David for Absalom

Hey kids, today we’re learning from an outrageous story about King David and one of his sons. Now, you probably know David because he’s the guy who defeated the big giant, Goliath. But that’s not what we’re talking about today. Today, we’re talking about a story that happened years later when David was a Dad.  

As an adult, David became the greatest king of Israel. And he had lots of kids. One of his kids was named Absalom. Now, kids, that doesn’t mean he had a really long torso. That was just his name. So Absalom was a pretty handsome guy. In fact, he was the most handsome guy in all of Israel! He had long flowing hair that he only cut once a year and really really big muscles. But there’s something else you need to know about Absalom.

Handsome Absalom Was Ugly on the Inside

Absalom spent many years trying to get all the other people in Israel to really like him. Eventually, it worked! But then he did something really mean. He convinced all those people who liked him to turn against his dad, King David. He wanted the people to rebel against David and stop listening to him and even kill him! That doesn’t sound like a good son does it?

A messenger ran to David and told him what Absalom had done. David had to run away from his very own country even though he was the king! But no matter where he went, Absalom and his people kept chasing him. Kids, don’t ever do this to your parents. It’s rude.

But let’s look at what happened next.

[Related: The Rock of Love]

David’s Army Fought Against Absalom’s Army

Guess what happened in the battle? Absalom’s long flowing hair got stuck in a tree and he got caught. And then he died. David’s army won, and the naughty son lost. Good ending! Right?

Nope. Here’s the lesson in the story.

David’s Heart Was Broken When Absalom Died

When David found out Absalom died he ran up to his room and cried. Even though Absalom was trying to kill him, David still loved his son. That’s what good parents do. Even when kids are naughty, they still love them.  David cared about his son, even when he was making really bad choices. That’s outrageous!

And did you know that God is outrageous in the same way toward us? He loves us even when we make really bad mistakes. He doesn’t want us to die for our sins, even though we deserve it! God loves you even more than David loved Absalom.

Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us. Now, that’s the most outrageous love of all!

So kids, have you asked Jesus into your heart? If not, talk to a parent or teacher about it today!

[Related: The Shiny Face of Love]