Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 18:6-11 (day seven)
And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. vs 18:9b
Earlier in 2 Samuel 14, we learn that Absalom had beautiful hair. So much so, that he prided himself in it and weighed it every year when he got it trimmed. In our Re:Verse passage, it is believed that it was actually his hair that got caught up in the brush. Is it not ironic that the thing that Absalom most prided himself in was the very thing that led to his demise? Quite literally, his pride came before his fall.
That is the way Satan works. C.S. Lewis says,
Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
We live in a world that encourages us to be self-consumed. We find pride in our job, in our accomplishments, in our possessions, in our looks, and even in our children. Although it is not necessarily a bad thing to be proud of these items, it becomes sinful when humility does not precede it. We must first give recognition to Whom made all of these things possible. If we do not realize that we are simply the stewards of these things that already belong to God, we will end up just like Absalom, hung up in our pride waiting for our fall.
Sooo good Rick! Thank you for reminding us of these truths!