THE new king got up from his seat after a council meeting.
All of his ministers had left for their houses about half an hour before. Only he remained in the hall, thinking hard for so long a time.
Absalom stood up from the throne seat at last. As the huge burden on his mind wouldn’t allow him the leisure of rest.
So he stood up and paced about the palace hall for about half an hour again. He was boiling, and nervous, and all sweaty.
It was three weeks since David’s son had been waiting for him to come out to trouble. Three stressing weeks since the prince had slept with his father’s wives to kindle him to battle.
But the older king remained in hiding all of the time. Even though he got the news and felt the blow.
Truly, Absalom knew that his father’s ears were everywhere. So when he had intercourse with his wives in front of all Israel, he knew the report would travel as fast as the spread of fire.
Anywhere David was already, the prince was sure that his fire would catch up with him.
And, indeed, that bad tiding reached David’s curious ears at the crossing of Jordan. As the old monarch had reached there and lingered for news.
It was two little boys, sons of the presiding priests, who ran as far as Jordan to first bring the king news.
It was Ahi and Jona that their fathers sent with the message of the awful thing the prince had done.
Ahi and Jona were swift as a frightened hare in the paces of their steps. So they ran forth and back to keep the king abreast of his son’s deeds.
But when that shocking news reached David, his reaction to everyone was a surprise itself.
The king bowed down with a heavy thought, and simply sighed. For he somehow knew that this was coming.
He knew this by the prophecy of Nathan. He knew it before Ahithophel planned it, in fact.
Thus, the schemer’s plan didn’t birth a stir in the broken soul. King David only heard a thing that made him sigh.
Therefore, Absalom waited in vain for a prey that wouldn’t show up. And those days of waiting weren’t anything tender.
For the young new ruler knew agony and a pain of soul. He knew no sleep nor anything peaceful.
Yes, the Third Prince of David seemed to have it all. All he ever wanted seemed to be in his grasp already.
But those things he loved to own, those things he’d raced too hard to hold, now appeared like a handful of beach sand.
And no matter how tightly he clutched on to them, they kept slipping out from between his fingers.
Of a truth, Absalom had all things to himself. As his father had vacated the throne before he got there. Then, nobody in Israel stopped him from ascending it.
Yet now that he sat on the throne. That marble seat of glory and power. That lofty height he’d always wanted to climb…
Right then that he sat on it, he felt like a fish on a heated seat. Like a fool in a furnace. Like the doomed on a flaming throne.
He sighed, then sunk to the ground and sat. He buried his head between his knees, and bowed it down with a heavy thought.
Just then he recalled his father’s words, the day he started to eye the throne. And it rang in his ears, so much his heart ached.
Son, did you wonder who on earth could mount up God’s lofty hill? Or, who could sit in His holy place?
Only the man who has clean hands and a pure heart. Who has not lifted his soul to vanity!
Now the young king could bear it no more. He sunk his head further down and bowed his crown in sorrow.
For he realized a golden truth. He saw it only right then.
Absalom realized that the throne wasn’t called flaming just because it burned. That the flaming throne was both a blazing fire and a brilliant glory.
That it glowed like the glorious sun when the man sitting in it was pure gold. And so he shone as bright as the moon in a black night.
Like the stars of God’s splendour. Like the sons of His Flaming Throne.
But he realized that he was not that kind of star that catches the blazing sun and glows.
He realized that he was a piece of wood; for the flames of that glow only sets him on a destructive blaze.
So he hissed and crackled, and broke down into ashes. As straws do in a burning field when the scorching sun sets them ablaze.
Like a son of perdition. Like the sons of Balial.
Then in that moment of the strange awareness, when a pin-drop silence engulfed the throne room of David’s child, Absalom made a crucial decision.
For he stood up. Then chose between his reign and his peace.
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