WEEKLY REFLECTION by Pastor Lap Dinh on ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭

“Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road to the gate; and when any man who had a lawsuit was to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but you have no one to listen to you on the part of the king.” Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that someone would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has a lawsuit or claim could come to me, and I would give him justice!” And whenever a man approached to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom dealt this way with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:1-6

The hearts of the people of Israel were stolen by Absalom. But how? Here are a few signs that you, as the church, can watch out for. Those who are “Absalom-like” might be visiting or mingling in our midst. It has happened before in our church, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it happens again. They seem to have good intentions, but their motives are ill or at least misguided. They invite people from the church to their home without inviting or informing the Pastor. They don’t want to serve in the ministry team or come under pastoral oversight, but show interest in listening to people’s small/big/hard cases and give advice that pleases them because the Pastor’s biblical advice is oftentimes hard to the ears. They assume a counseling/guiding/judging role without joining the ministry teams—who are regularly guided, equipped, and trained by the Pastor. And the worst part is, when the Pastor finds out and corrects them, they rebel and gather their admirers whose felt needs were fed by their ill or misguided “Absalom-like” motives—leading to unhealthy emotional attachments. Most people don’t know how to detect or deal with it, because it happens so naturally. The outcome is always heartbreaking to Jesus and causes division, damage, and injury to Christ’s Body—the church. So let us stay vigilant of “Absalom-like” people.