Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”
Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.
– 2 Samuel 15:1-6
Devotion
Political maneuvering has been going on for thousands of years with little change. With six months until the national presidential election, many of us are already getting tired of politicians making promises that will never be kept, news media spinning information to support their political views and other people and organizations trying to outspend and outmaneuver the opposing political party. Absalom had his own political ambitions and was using the natural good looks and charisma he had inherited from his father, David, to garner favor with many people coming through the busy city gate. Jerusalem was the nation’s capital and the city gate was like a combined city hall and shopping center. Local and national leaders would meet and congregate there where they could find legal witnesses to their government and business transactions. Many merchants would set up their tents near the gate. There wasn’t a better place for Absalom to go to try and win the hearts of Israel’s leaders, as well as the favor of the commoners.
Absalom’s political strategy was to win over as many people as he could with his good looks, friendly embraces and the false notion that he really cared about justice on behalf of the people while his father ignored them. Because of this tactic many people were swayed to his side. To avoid falling for such manipulations by today’s politicians, we really need to be careful that we aren’t getting duped by the charisma or looks of a candidate and check out their true values and motivations.
The Big Question
Try to remember a time when you made a rash decision because you fell for the spiel of a smooth talking salesman. How did that impact you and maybe those around you? Have you ever spent time in prayer and really checked things out before making a big decision? If so, how did the outcome differ? What has God revealed to you when it comes to making important decisions?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.