A Father's Heart Breaks

The account of King David and his rebellious son Absalom illustrates tragic parental love. Despite David's orders to spare him, Absalom died in battle, caught in a tree. David's anguished cry: 'O my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you!' reveals a father's broken heart. Sadly, David's own sins and permissive parenting fostered Absalom's rebellion. But what David desired, to die in his son's place as his substitute, Christ accomplished for all believers.