Compassion: A Character Trait God Esteems: August 12, 2018

TEXT:  2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 (NIV)

5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.  6 David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.  9 Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.

31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”  32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”  The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”  33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!

I. Some People Have Compassion for Those Who Have Earned Disaster

II. Some People Have No Compassion at All

III. We Need to Have Compassion on Those Who Have Lost their Capacity    for It

Quotes for Reflection from Faithful Christians:

Compassion colored everything He [Jesus]did.

John MacArthur (Pastor and Author)

We must never minimize the suffering of another. Scripture’s mandate to us is, “Weep with them that weep.” (Romans 12:15, KJV)

Billy Graham (Evangelist)

Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will.

William Cowper (English Poet and Writer of Hymns)

Africa, your sufferings have been the theme that has arrested and engaged my heart. Your sufferings no tongue can express, no language impart.

William Wilberforce (English Politician and Abolitionist)

The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.  

John Stott (Anglican Priest and Theologian)

Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world.

Francis Schaeffer (Christian Theologian, Philosopher and Pastor)

All day long some of them [the Christians] tended to the dying and to their burial, countless numbers with no one to care for them.  Others gathered together from all parts of the city a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all.

Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 263 – 339) was an early church historian. In AD 314, he was made bishop of Caesarea in Palestine