His Question

     David sat by the gate of the little city of Mahanaim waiting on the report of the effort to defeat the attempted overthrow of his kingdom by his son Absalom. When the runners came to him he asked not who won the battle in Ephraim, how many men were lost in the conflict, whether his throne was restored, but that which was most important to him. "Is the young man Absalom safe?"

     The body of Absalom was in a pit in the forest of Ephraim. He had been killed. This father's love for a wayward son was rewarded by a tragic end. 

    We wonder if David's question came too late in the life of Absalom. Parents must ask this of their children early and often for the child to be safe.