The dark side of succession (Part 1)

King David misses his son, Absalom, who fled after murdering his brother, Amnon. (Amnon had raped their sister, Tamar.) King David’s key general and right hand man, Joab, encourages David to bring Absalom home, which King David finally does.

So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence. (2 Sam. 14:23-24)

Absalom was gone for about 3 years before coming home. But he doesn’t really come “home” because David won’t see him. David puts Absalom in another part of the city and doesn’t interact with him. Why? Perhaps David was conflicted, knowing his son had committed murder while simultaneously understanding why Absalom had killed. Maybe David was trying to signal that the relationship between them could not be what it was prior to the murder; things had changed. We aren’t sure what message David is sending, but it sure feels mixed! (Absalom will say as much a few verses later.)

Mixed messages can be a common occurrance in the family business. Family, ownership, and management systems overlap and create confusion for even the best communicating families. For examp