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It tells ot one wm is contribut­i

On Mother's Day we had a rich and mellar service honorlrg mother.

I have reminded you before hcur strikingly this was brougb. t home to me

years ago.

HE BECOMES A DAD

I am calli~ your attention to two texts. The tirst is one ot the most

The men who uttered these we ms have much in comnon.

1. They are roth tatmrs. In tl:st distant day they occupied poat'$ODS

I I Samuel 18:33

Mark 9:27

-:'"

of honor. Some of you are pe rhaps old encngh to rEmember when a fa ther' was

of second rate honor or of none at all.

the opposite. It is rich in hign loyalty.

i~ his best, of one who is making a sowing that is full ot the ric h prophecies

ot a glorious harve st. "Master. I have brough t unto th ee my sen."

tragic utterances ot the Bible. It is one ot the most tragic to be tound in

the literature ot the world. "0 my son Absalom. my son. my son Absalom\

spoken of as head ot the tamiJ.Y. Of course tIE thigh ti tle is no mre. The

modef.Bii,ems either to have abdicated as did Edward VIII or to have been un..

crowned like the king of Norway. From a poe it10n of honor be has come to one

would God I had died tor thee, 0 Absalom. Irq son, my son.t" The second is

"He BecoD s a Dad" Page 2

-_._--~--.

We wez;.e all very tender and sentinenta1 am emotional. SOIlS went hODB saying

g1841y, "I had a ePod cry." Nor am I averse to tears. It often helps us to

weep. Sometimes it purges soething mean out of us. Having enjoyed this weep,"

*e~viee. I decided when Father's Day came arennd that another would be in order.

But alas, and alas, it was as dry as the Sahara. I have never been able filly

to understand why mothers nan:e should be always a signal for handkerchiefs while

fathers is a signal for howls. But that is mat seems to be the ease. But

both these men were fatb9rs at a time when fathers really counted.

2. They were both men of deep devotion to their sons. Why thi s heart_

breaking outburst from the lips of David. Why t bis exceeding bitter cry that

jars us as it comes across the far spaces of the years" It is bom of the anguish

of a lover. Regardless of any failure tbB t this father may ba va made he was

deeply devoted to his son. Then tender love is heard with even greater emphasis

. in this second word,.."Master, I have brought unto Thee my sm." This father tool:

his son's need upon himself because be eared.

This, of course, is not a1togethe r the popular view. Tm mother usually

gets the oredit for doing a 11 the loving in t~ family. Nor is it my pUIJlose

in any way to discount her love. It is about the most Christ-like something

that our world has ever known. But we need to rEmember though father's hand is

not s:l skillful in petting, nor his voice s:l tender, he 1018S too, Often in his

rough and uncouth way. The touch of my sweet Iri sh mother was as tender as the

petal of arose. But when the need arose , fatter could be no less tender. And

when he shared our troub3fes with us we knew that tho~h be might be all granite

on the outside he was all tenderness Within. Both these fathers deeply eared

for their sons.

3. Then both were DI!ln of faith. They were religious. Being IISn of religious

fai th they were naturally eeger for their sone to share the ir f a1th. The fir st

glimpse we get of this New Testament father .. is on hie knees before our Fa.ther.

"He Becomes a Dad" Page 3

He is engaged in the holy privilege of prayer. The prayer he is offering is

not for himself, but for his boy. "Master, I have brought unto Thee my scm."

But if he was religious, so was DaVid. I know David was a nan of bright lights

and dark shadows. I know that there were some leaves in the boo k of his 11fe

that were shamefully soiled. I am remembering that it his worst he was one of

the greatest of sinners. But I am not forgetting that at his best he was one

of the choioest of saints. They were both men of religious faith.

4. Finally, both of thElll left their DIlrks for good or for ill, for weal

or for woe upon the 11ves of their boys. Generally speaking, the influence

of the mother is 111' 1ii'r the greater and th e more abiding. But this is not

always the ease. Few of us ever f'ully get away from the impressions that our

fathers leave upon us. What a wonderful man Joseph must have been. It was

his fatherliness the. t helped Jesus to come to his b eauti:fu 1 conception of the

. fatherliness of God. But Martin Luther, thoogh he was deeply religious. cOl1ld

never saY the Lord's Prayer with deep fervor because the word, father. brought

up so many memories of a father who had been unkind and cruel. Both t ~se men

put their ~in@9r marks upon the s:>Uls of t:t:eir eDns. And those finger lIElrks

were not erased by a 11 the subsequent years. Here then is where they were alike, .

both were fathers, both were devoted fathers, both were religious, both deter_

mined in a large measure the destiny of their !Dn.

II.

But if' they had much in c onmon there was a wide difference between th em.

1. They differed Widely in their posi tiona. They both started in a lowly

plaoe. This New Testament father who is mneless not only started as a hllllille

man, but he continued there through all the years of his lite. I daresq that

his name was not knCJ'ln outside of his little village. He was a plain, every_day

"He Becomes a Dad" Page 4:

tather as so many tathers have been through the years. He was as comnon as

the wayside grass, as ordinary as the S) il. His s en could never be greatly

proud ot him because of the hi~ positi on tl:St he occupied wither in church

or state. But such was not the case wit h the tather ot Absalom. David hed

begun as a shepherd, but he bad cems more and mom into the lime 11gh t. By

and by he bed been lifted on grateful ham s ot his pEOple to the highe st peak

ot attainment. David was a king.

2. Not only did they ditter in position, but they differed vastly in point

ot abi lity. Was this D!neless tather clever') We do not know. If SO there is

no indicat ion ot it. As he was ordinary in his posi tion, I am quite sure that

he was ordinary in his a bility. But not so David. He was a great wan-ior, a

great statesman, a great poet. He 'bad a perronality that was as winsorrs as

sea music. How this brilliant son of hiswould have loved him it he had only

had the proper chance, tar at his best he was so loveabJe. Both of these

tathers had sODBthing to give, but !8vid had tar more tls n this DaDSless tather

whose devotion was so beaut itu!.

3. Tbsn these tathers differed in the material upon which they had to work.

Thi s nameless tather had a son who was heavily handicappe d. J"ust what was the

nature ot the malady from which he suftered we do not know. 'l'he people ot that

day thought he was possessed by demons. Perhaps he was an epi18ptic. Anyway

the neighbors looked at the boy and shook their head and said how sorry they\ ! /

were tar his parents. tThe boy will come to no good end.. he is hopeless. His

poor tather, theretore, didn't have a very promising boy theretore tran which

to work. Prom thi s be did not have as good a chance as David.

What ot David's sonl) He was a lad ot tine possibilities. He hal his tath-

er's physical charm. He was handsome as a matinee idol. He was winsome, mg..

netic. He had something of his tather's capaci ty to wi n tri ends an d intl uene e

"He Becom!l s a Dad" Page 5

people. Though David was on his throne and at the height of his power. his

son through hi s personal cham was able to win such a large following a s to

di vide the mtion and all_but mke himself king. I' this mme1ess father had

rather lean soil to cultivate, the royal ff>atmr. David. bad s011 that might

have grown th e very richest of harvest. He had a ff!!' better chanoe than his

na1lE1ess brother.

4. The final oontrast I mention is the oontrast in the way in which eaoh

measured up to his privileges and to his opportunities. First, look at David.

Wba t did he cb with this handsom!l boy of his that l:8d in him such 1a rge cap:1city

for good or for ill" He did not deliberately teach him to do wrong. tho~h there

is no shutting our eyes to the fact that though while David at the most of his

life was religious. there was one fatal blot that left its mIic upon this boy's

tender soul. When Absalom went wrons. David dared not correct him. He kn 8'11

what folks were saying ... "He is a chip off the old block." David failed often

time s to set a right example. He becane very re11g1 ous. but he became religious

after his boy's character was formed. Then it was too late to reach him.

But if Da Tid's example was not always good. his at titude tQVard his s on was

even we ree. What did David do for Absalom" The answer is t mt he did almost

nothing. He was too busy. too taken up with mtters of state to cultivate the

friendship of his promising boy. David was charming. How his son would have

loved him if be had he. d a chan ce. But his conduot in the story of which our

test is a part is typical of his whole life. When his officers wen t out to

battle. instead of taking his son's safety in his own bands he left it to others.

"De al gant1y with the young IIIl n. "

'!'his. I think. brings us face to face with the dom1~ sin of fat hers in

this present day. Life has grown very strenuous. our own daily task is exacting.

Sone of us have a hard time keeping the wolt' from the door. We feel tlBt as

•

"He Becomes a Dad" Page 6

Il

fathers we make the living, the wife ought to keep the hons and rear the child-

rene Hers is perhaps the heaviest task, but no child ought to be deprived d

a father. You rensmber that lad who went out one day to where his father was

harvesting the barley. He was taken with a sudden illness and hurried .£t-helP

to his father. But his father was too busy. "Take him to his mother," is Us

order. With a disappointment in his eyes the lad turns away. How does the

story end? "The boy sat on his mother's lap and then died." Perhaps he m.jght

have lived if his father had taken a little time to be with him. Many a lad

who died to the best) woulf:i1~e if his father~' taklt""'a bit of time to give

him of himself.

But this nameless father,.we do not knaw mw clever he was, we do not knew

how much money he had, but we do know this, tba t be took his son's need up:>n

himself. He did not try to shift his responsibility on to the shculders of the

. teachers of the day school or the church school. He did not even put the re.

sponsibi1ity for his boy upon the shoulders of his wife. When he heard tl::8t

Jesus was in reach he took tl:Bt needy lad by the hand and never stopped, never

gave up till he kneeled in his company at the feet of the Master.

Haw long bad this father been a Christian" We do not know. I ha VB en

idea that it was the need or his s:>n rather than his awn persQlal need that first

made him think of the Master. I ll1ve an idea that he said to himself, "I oo{not

knG"1 about this young prophet. Perhaps I could get on wi thout him so far as I

am persoIlllly concerned, but I need his help in the raising of my son. My' son

needs his help or he will be robbed and meated, and he will live but Will not

live abundantly. So he trusted this high task to no other bands. Ii! took it

upon himselt. I know of no finer worell than the s'e, "I have brough t unt 0 Thee

my son."

III.

If the se men were contrasted in t heir comuet we are not surprised whe n we

see contrast in results. David had everything to g:l.ve his eDn. His son was

·-"He Becon:ss a Dad" Pege 7

capable of becoming one of the best and most usef'ul of nsn. But in spite of

all tbat he might bive been, David DJ:lde a tragic tailure. "0 Absalom, my son,

my son Absa10mt would God I bad died for thee, 0 Absalom, my san, my son."

What is the matter'? Has tb! king lost his crown'? No. His anny has won the vic_

tory and he is seat ed more firmly on his throne. Has he been captured? Is m

facing toward execution? No. All danger is passed. But the boy whose safety

he bas committed to others is now~ruised and broken bit of hUDlln wreckage attL

the bottom of .. pit. And David is realizing how little p~t it is to gain

the whole world then to lose his own son.

At the loss of this son, David loses the sunshine out of his life. lfmn

hi s boy died joy died too. David loved this wayward son. He cannot give him

up wi thout a broken heart. But tbat whieh brings his sorrow to a c l1max is

. the needlessness of it all. He cannot shut his eyes to the fact tha t the story

might have ended on a d if feran t note. He e annot blind himse1f to t m fa ct the. t

this mngled son of his might even nov have been living gloriously and usefully.

Why is such not the case" He feels that the fault is his own. He camot but

shake his fi nger in his ovn faeeand say, "YO! did it."

I have reminded you before that children are not so much born a s IDa! e.

"I am sorry now," said David, "that I did not take your needs upon my oarn

shoulders. I am sorry now that I have tried to stand from under my responsi-

bili ty. I am desperately sorry tba t I did not see to your safety even thought

it had cost me my life." I knew of a simple farner dGfn in Texas WID gave his

life to saving his two small sons from a mad dog. That dog bit this father from

his face to his feet. He died a horrible death. But duri Dg his lucid intervals

he would smile into the face of his wi fe and say, "But the boys are safe aren't

they'? I saw to that." But David did not see to it, therefar e the remembrance

But this nameless father did not bave as good a cbance as David, but in

\ spite of the heavy handicap he sucoeeded. I do not know what his s:>n becaDB

in atter days, but I can quite well img!ne. One day I mee t a DBn not greatly

\

Becomes a Dad"

tai1ure kindled the fire of hell in his heart.

Page 8

brilliant perhaps, but with fineness of character looking out fran his eyes.

Be beconm s confidential. Be tells IDa a story. "I bad a bad start, ro t I was

blessed in my parents. My mother was a tender and precious WODEl n." Then he

hesitates, his lip quivers a bit. "But my old dad, there is no describing

him. He didn't look like much, rot he had a heart of gold. He didnot have

much of this world to give me, but he gave me hinself. The fact ihat I am

what I am today I awe to him."

The difference in the outOOIO!l of these two boys was no accident. It was

not a matter of chame, it was a matter of training. The om with much to

give, with anazing possibilities bad to see the undoing of his son through tmse

poss ibl1it ies. The other took the need of his boy to his own heart. unselfishly

gave his best and won his boy, and brought to his own heart the fine joy 0 f

knOlfing that his s:>n bad I1Bde good. There are some fathers like that, thank

God. I was in a home s:>metime ago where there was a son just finishing college •........Dl:?\

That is the age when boys are of'ten y though t1ess and indifferent. The fatm r

said S:>IlJ!lthing about his own closeness. This son turned on him eagerly, and

yet with a touch of pain, and 8a4.4, "You }p1ow. Dad, 1'00. never were se1rJ. sh in

you.r life except when you were buying tDmething for you me1f ." Tho sa two are

friends. I bave not seen a IOOre beaut itu1 rem tionship in a 11 my ministry.

What finer thing can you ever say in the presence of almighty God than juS;

this,."Master I have broughtunto thee my son." You can say that here, you can

say it when you reach that unseen ]and" "where beyond these voices there is

peace."

face with tears.

hims elf an utter and a bsolute tailure. And that tragi c vonv1c t1 on wets his

would God I had died for thee,

THE PRODIGAL FATHER

II Samuel 18:33

o my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalomt

o Absalom, my son, my son t

But, ot course, David's failure has not been complete by any means. He

king of Israel. He is breaking his heart over the tragic failure that he has

I.

Who is this father, and what is the matter with him? His name is David,

The drama King LeaA is said 'tX> reach the highest water mark of English

son, my son Absalom." Tbat does not SOUM like the cry of a tather at all.

deserves to be classed with that of King LeaJlt. "0 my son Absolom, my son, my

it may seem, this bitter wail was wrung from tb.e heart of a royal father.

serpant's tooth it is to have a thankless c.b1.ld." But here is a tragedy that

j;ragedy. That 1s, there is nothing 1n our 11 terature more pathetic than King

Lea)( as he learns through the disloyalty of his daughter "how sbarper than a

that he has nade an utter mess of the business of liVing. There is no bright-

It souilds like the heart-broken sob of some devoted mother. But strange tbat

made of his life. As this royal lilufferer utters this tearful wail, he feels

ness in all his yesterdays 'tX> compensate for the darkness of today. He feels

"'!'he Prodigal Father" Page 2

himself will doubtless realize this when time has given a touch of healing to

his wounds. In many respects he has been a most successful man. In fact, his

life story has the radiance and charm of a thrilling romance. Had he lived in

our time, we should certainly have written a book abou t him. This book would

.have been entitled "From Shepherds 'l'ent to Royal Palace." And we should have

put it in a success~series and given it to our boys for Christmas.

We love to see the ugly duckling change into a swan. We love to watch

nameless and under-privileged youth climb to positions of distinction and power.

We find all this in the life of David. He was a lad of very humble beginning.

He was the youngest son of a farmer. Being the youngest of Jesse's stalwart

sons, he was not regarded so higJ1as his staunch brothers. Youth was more of

a crime in that distant day than it is today. We can tell how little David

counted by this story:

The prophet Samuel .had been connranded to anoint one of Jesse's sons in

token of the fact that he was one day to be king. There was no small excite-

ment when this great prophet reached the backwoods home of farmer Jesse. At

once those handsome and well-groomed sons were paraded before him. But while

the prophet looked wi th interest, he also looked wi thout enthusiasm. There

was no light in his eye. He rather seemed perplexed. He was beginning to

wonder if he had understood God a right. He still could not see any future

king in these husky youths that stood before him.

At last he turned to the father and asked in perplexi ty "are these all

your sons?" "Not exactly all;" came the answer. "There is one other, the

youngest, a lad named David. We did not bring him because he is the youngest,

and because somebody had to stay ou t and watch the sheep." "We will not silt

down to dinner till he comes," said the prophet. So a runner was despatched

to find David. A little later this lad burst into the farmer's cottage like

a handful of spring. He came like a minature sunrise. He was ruddy of :face,

"The Prodigal Father" Page 3

beams of oriental sunlight were in his hair. He was handsome enough for a

movieite. As the aged prophet 100hBd him over he saw something here more than

. physical beauty. At once he anointed him, ~iving as his explanation, "God

seeth not as man seethe Man looketh on the outward parts, but God looketh

on the heart." Here was a lad with a great heart.

After this exciting experience David returned to his lowly task. There

is one fine characteristic he had. He knew that the best way to get ready for

a big job was to fill the one that he had faithfully and well. There are some

young fellows that do trifling in the little task, and wonder why somebody does

not give them a big one. They rattle about in the shell of a mustard seed and

get posi tively angry because somebody does not put them in a hogshead. Then

there are others that literally boil over in a little place because they do it

so well. That was the case of David. Fai thful in the small things he came to

be entrusted with big things. By and by he found himself ocuppying the highest

place as a gift of his people.

Not only was he high in position, but he 'Was high in character and in

usefulness. He was wise enough to know that a big position does not make a~-

big man. The higher you climb, the smaller you seem if you are ....really big.

"Pygmies will be Pygmies still though perChed on the Alps," said a wise man.

Not only did David have the position of king, but he was kingly in himself.

He rendered a kingly service. So much was this the case that his people came

to look back to his achievement as the golden age of Israel.

Along with his kingly character and kingly service he had other marvelous

gifts. If one wants to know how to win friends and influence people he might

study David. He was marvelously attractive. At his worst he was a great sinner,

at his best he was a great saint. Then if tradition is tnne, he was a marvelous

poet. He had a flock of skylarks in his hair that he let out one by ore. And

these larks Will sing as long as we hava a sky above our heads. Davi d was,

"The Prodigal Father" Page 4

therefore, a many-sided man. He was successful in a wide variety of ways.

But in spite of this we find him here sobbing over his failure. Wherein

has he failed? He bas not failed as a poet. He has not failed as a king. He

has not failed as a statesman and warrier. But he has failed in a field that

is of supreme importance. He has failed as a father. That is the most tragic

of all failures. However great our success, in other fields, however conspicuous

our achievements in other directions, none of these can atone for our failure

as father and mothers. "What shall it profi t a man if' he gain the Whole world

and lose his own boy?". Tmt is a question David is asking as he thinks of his

own handsome son, now a bit of mangled wreckage at the bottom of a pit in the

wilderness. David would be very much at hon~ in our modern life. I ba~e known

quite a rew like him. Men who succeeded in everything else except at the big­

gest of all enterprises.

II.

But why does he take this failure so hard? Why does he not shrug his

shoulders and say "Well, it is none of my business. I will leave the t.raining

of the kids to my wife, I ha.ve the living to make. I have not tillB for any­

thing like home-making, or church going. My wife is the praying member and

1 am the paying member." But David somehow cannot shrug this ~ragic burden of

failure off his shoulders. Why not?

1. He cannot take the matter llgh~ly because he really loved that way­

ward boy of his. I know this sounds a bit surprising. Mothers get the credit

for doing al. 1 the loving that is done in a family. Mother's name is a signal

in allY congregation for bankerchiefs, while Dads is a signal for howls. We

have taught this sentimental slush antill we have helped Dad to lose his place

in the family and become a little better tban an outcast.

"The Prodigal Father" Page 5

By this I do not n:ean, of course, to suggest that we ought to make less

of a mother's love. I am well aware that it is about the most Christ-like some­

thing that we know. But I do think we too often forget that fathers care is

just as genuin~~~s mothers. My own mother, with her lovely Irish wit, with her

nati ve tenderness, was loving and loveable beyond words. My fat her was in­

clined to ruggedness and sternness. Yet, knowing them both, I knew that at

heart he was just as tender as she. And in tLmes of crisis I have seen that

innate tenderness come out and smile,tiiliili the thought of it melts my heart" to

this day. David is sobbing because he loved.

) 2, David is sobbing because he is realizing that he has not only failed,

but he has failed needlessly. Absalom was gifted and marvelously handsome,

but he was selfish and ambitious. He led a rebellion against his father. He

became guilty of high treason. But that does not mean that he' was a traitor

'born. He was not foredoomed from his birth to play the sad and unhappy role

that he did play. Even in that distant day David was wise enough to know that.

For the Bible is very emphatic that children are not so much born as

made. "Train up a child in the way it shou~d go and when it is old it wdll not

depart from it." This assertion of the Scriptures is affirmed and reinforced

by modern science. Psychology is just as emphatic as the Bible in its asser­

tion that,children are not so much born as made. This assertion is also born

out by commensense and by experience. David would have grieved had he known

that failure with his son was inevitable, but his grief was all the heavier

when he realized that it need not have been so. He might have mde Absalom

into an entirely different kind of man instead of a traitor. He might have

made him into a faithful and loyal supporter and friend. No wonder, therefore,

that his heart broke. "Of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest of

these is 'it might have been.'"

4. Finally, David is sobbing over this failure because he realized its

"The Prodigal Father" Page 6

finality. There are many undertakings at which we may have a second chance.

Having failed once we encourage ourselves by saying "I will do better next

tiD." That is fine. There is so often a next time. Let us thank God for

that. There is a land of beginning again even though we strike out once, we

get to go to the bat again.

"Each day is a new beginning,

Each morn is the world made new;

o ye who are weary of sinning,

Here is a chance for each of you."

But there are some things tbat do not have a next time. One of them is

the rearing of a son. You have a little child in your home, a lovely little

boy. You desire to make him into a good man. But you may fail. If you do,

your failure is final. There is just one chance for you, and no second chance

forever more. Here of all placee--

"The moving finger writes,

And having wri t moves on,

Nor all your piety nor wit

Can lure it back to cancel half a line.'

~._>; '-,":'1 :,D\L' tE'~lTS Nor all your tears wipe-out a single of it.-"

The realization that left David utterly crushed is this:-That he had failed with

his boy, and that failure was final. We have only one chance to rear our boys

and gir:1.S. This man threw his chance away. No wonder he sobbed.

III.

Why did Dav+d fail? Of course, he did not fail because he did not care.

We have already pointed out the fact that these tears are the reminders of his

tender love.

1. The first reason for his failure was neglect. He was a very bUSy man.

"The Prodigal Father" Page 7

There were a thousand calls upon his time. He allowed himself, therefore, to

get so busy doing the secondary t.bat he forgot the primary. What he did in the

story of which our text is a part is typical, I daresay of his Whole life. Look

at the story:-David's forces are going out to meet the army of his rebellious son.

Being a true father, he is far more concerned about the safety of his son than

be is about his own victory. But in spite of this he trusted the safety of that

erring boy to the care of his officials. He fails to go and see to his safety

himself. But his par:t1pgcword is th1s:-"Deal gently with the young man for my

sake." Thus he delegates his responsibility to others.

With this charge ringing in their ears, the officers take command and the

army marches out to battle. A long fearful day wears away. By and by a runner

comes with tidings. He tells of Victory. But the old man is not I1Brely a king,

he is a father. He is not interested in the victory. His one question is this:-

'"Is the young man Absalom safe?" Then he learns the sad truth, and goes sobbing

to his chamber.wi~ht~hese tragic words, "0 my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom,

would God I had died for thee." I am sorry now tbat I did not take your safety

ui>0n myseU, even had it cost me my life.

How then did David come to lose his boy? He passed the buck. He put

the responsibility for his safety on other shoulders. That, I daresay, he had

, been doing through the years. That, many fathers do today. It is so easy.

I daresay it was never qui te so easy as now. We turn our children over to

their mothers, to the teachers of the day SChool, to the teachers of the Sunday

School, to the movies, and to the streets. We do everything except taking it

upon ourselves. David and Absalom might have been more than father and son, they

might have been lOVing iddevoted friends. But they never go t really to know

each other. What a tragedYl

How then did David destroy his son? His first weapon was neglect. That

is ever a deadly weapon. I have reminded you again and again that all that is

"The Prodigal Father" Page 8

necessary to destroy a business, a church, a friendship, a home, a boy, is

just to do nothing. "How shall we escape if we neglect?" There is nO escape.

Traitors like Absalom are not born they are made by the neglect of those who

should train them for strong and God-fearing manhood.

2. A second reason for David's failure was his bad example. For the

major part of his life this father had been a good man. But there was one dark

chapter in his story. For once he had played the prodigal in a ghastly and

horrible fashion. One day he saw a woman that he coveted. She was a woman to

whom he had no ri ght. But in spi te of the fact that she was the wife of another

man he took her. By and by he had to kill her husband in order to keep his se­

oret. His adultery was cawmited in the he~ of passion. We find it possible to

forgive that. But his murder was comm1t~ed against a friend and in cold blood.

Tha t was a crime that almos t none can forgive but God. Though David repented

of this sin, and was mightily forgiven, yet that black chapter left a smirch

upon his family. When la ter his son Amoon coveted a woman he took her as his

father had done. Absalom, the future traitor struck him dead. For the woman

he took was his sister. Thus the breach was widened between father and son.

Thus David helped to destroy his son by his bad example.

That Which brought David's sorrow to its very climax is the realization

of this fact:-His grief was all the more bitter because he himself has repented

and is now a good man. There is no sin that God will not forgive. But even

forgiveness does not always undo the past. When t~e prodigal came home, there

was no end of joy. But there'was an untold tragedy connected with this beauti-

ful homecoming. There were boon companions that went with the prodigal into thedid

far country that not join him when he came home. You might commit a sin tonight,

and repent of that sin ten years from tonight. That repentance might bring to

you personal salvation, but it may fail utterly in the saving of your son.

When I was a boy our nearest neighbor was a solid sensible man with a largefamily

and happily converted. While he yearned that his children share his precious

and through a bad example, and his tai lure was inevitable. If you are to avoid

Page 9

to say, when he was an old man, after all his children were grown, he was soundly

have broken their hearts now only made them ashamed. David failed t.brough neglect

taitb, he was powerless to reach them. A passionate earnestness that once would

like tragedy you must gl ve yourse If' to the knowing and the liVing with your chl1-

no us e for the th i ngs of r eligion • He never went a bout the church • Bu t strange

dren now, and the settlDg ot a right sort of example, not tomorrow but today •

of sons and daUghters. He was a drinking man, though not a drunkard. He had

"The Prodigal Father"

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"Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not detile himself."

I.

II Samuel 15:6

Daniel 1:8

"So Absalc:m stole the bearts ot the D8n ot Israel. It

As a study ot contrastf, the choice ot Absalom and Daniel is very happy.

ABSADCN AND DAJIEL

.j

These WlO brilliant aDd gifted young DBn are as tar apart in philosophies at

lite as night trom day, or as lite tran death. It is easy to see- what val-

ues these two men counted as ot supreD18 worth. Tbey were both tirmly CCll-

v1nced that they kDsw the things that were the mOst worth living tor. This

gives us the key to their characters and to tbe ir destinies. Tell me the

things that you really put tirst and I can tell yOll what you are. I can also

tell you what increasingly you will becane.

1. Take tirst tbe philosophy of Absalom. Wbat was Absalom's faith?

What was his philosophy? He believed that it was the supreme wisdom to look

I

~.,,!f

out for number one •. He thought the suprems sanity was to please himself. He

was the sun ot his own world. The one question that be Plt as he faced every

situation was,"Wbere do I cane in?" The decisift issue that determined tlB

road he would take when he stood at the parting at the ways was which turn

will briDg the greater benefit to me? He was as sure as Hitler; it was as

"A bsalam and Daniel" Page 2

sure, as multitudes of us, that the only sensible way to get on in a world

like ours. is to say,"Every fellow for himself and the devil take the hind-

most."

2. Daniel had the opposite philosophy. He had convictions that le'd

in the opposite directian. There were many prizes that Absalan coveted that

Dan:1sl did not despise. But while he thought Absalom's objectives were at

worth, he did not th1ilk them of supreme warth. He believed that the thing

of first importance was to keep peace with God and his own conscience. He

refused to make himself the center of his own world. He refused to put first

thisquestion,- "Where do I came in?" When he stood at the forks of the road

he asked, not which way is easy or which way will make me the richer in things.

He asked which way is right?

The contrasts between these two are the same contrasts tbat separate men

and women today. Jesus often offends people by diViding them into two groups.

He seems to have an arbitrary way of saying that folks are like the Bridesmaids,

k ll.......sa:oe are wise and some are foolish. He declares that SOlll8 build upon"rocktt and

SClDe build upon sand. He declares that some are alive spiritually and some are

spiritually dead. Of course, among the living there are varied degrees of life.

Sane have on~the thinnest rivulet of life while sane are living abundantly.

But the division holds. Then he might have divided them into the self-centered

and into the God-centered. For at the last long last we strike our flag either~

to things or to God. EverY, day"you stand at the forks of the road) you make

your decision according to the faith of Absalom or according to the faith of

Daniel.

Jesus declared that the resu.lts of such choices were wide and fundamental.

He stated it in this fashion,-"He that seeketh to save his life shall lose it,

but he that loseth his life far rrq sake shall keep it unto life eternal." Such

"Absalom and Daniel" Page 3

a ward does not shock us amidst the sanctities of a religious service, but

it seems strangely out or place amidst the hurry and bustle of our modern

l11"e. But, this is eterDally true. It 1s true in every age. It is true-et,,--,-~'

in every situation. The man who lives for himself does not in,e sense live

at all. The man who forgets himself, the man who lives a dedicated l1:f'~ lives. ,

abundantly. He does so in the here and now. He does so thhOl1gh the eternal

ages. The lives ot Absalan am Daniel tend but to dramatize the truth of the

words of J'esus.

II.

Look first at Absalan. This striking young man had great g1:f'ts. He was

perhaps the most handsome man of his day. "From the sole of his foot," the

stor@i. says J "to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him." The

pity is that he lived before the movies. What a movie idol he would lBve

been. Though so perfect physically, his crowning glory was his hair. It was

as abundant as it was beautU'tll. It was his pride. Here again he missed much

by living too soon. Had he only lived today his picture would lave been in

every show window with a finger pointing to,-"Use Dreen," or "Dander1Ile did

this and I can prove it."

But Absalan was more than a fiDe physical spec1msn. He was shrewd, in-

telligent J magnetic. He had abilities that would have carried him. far had be

used them wisely. But he bad this fatal detect, he was out to please himself.

He was thoroughly selfish. Now seltishness does not aways lead in tlle same

direction. Some men mke self their master and go to the gutter. others

go to congress. Some wcrshipp1J:Jg the god of selt end in the penitentia~

others on the platform of a popular pulpit, or in the episcopacy. The im-'

portent matter is not the ditfering goals to which these men travel, it is

the ccmmon motive that lies back of both goals. Self-centeredness is the

"Absalom and Daniel" Page 4

fountain sOl1rce of all evil. It is the Lake Itasca from which flows everT

Mississippi of iniquity.

1. Absalom was exceedi:ngly eager to be popular. Such.-8. des1r8 isthings

perfectly moral. Everybody ought to be popular. otheri being equal, the

measure of my usefulness, as that of yours, is the measure of our popularity.

But the trouble with Absalom was that he set about the w1Imi:ng of this pop-

ularity for a wrong motive. He was not seeking tbs confidence and friendship

of his f'ellows in order tha t he might the better sel"V'e them. He was seeking

their confidence and friendship in order that they might the better serve him.

He studied how to win fr iends in order to use them f' or h is own purpose. All

his PEl rsonal contacts were made f'or selfish reasons. He was as selfish in

his courtesies and his kiDdness8ss as a thug in his stealing.

2. But if his mot ives were wrong, his methods were wise. He used one

that is true and tried. It seldom fails to work. He ~e.4 with everybody.

He told all and sundry that they were exactly right. He flattered. He told

a thousand soft lies. He canplimented brazenly and boldly. He f'airly sopped

his bon bons of flattery in honey. It is woIlderful to this dey how we eat

such stuff up. It is wonderful how many employ it, even good ministers are

not above it.

Watch Absalom work. ~At2.~He is out before the palace gate ;"tell:iJ1! the people 4

-b~J'--{ come to bring their complaints before the k1Dg. He meets them f1rst~ Be listens

to what they have to say. However unjust and unreasonable their complaints

may be, be tells them. earnestly that they are exactly right. Then be sighs

and sayS"What a pity t:tir:tbey haven't somebody on the throne wise enough to

see how right~are and thus grant~ requests • 'If I were only king,"

he said, "I would see that. you got justice." Then when this elated dupe would

start to bow his way out of' his presence, Absalan would 8a'ze him by the hand

and give him an aff'ectionate kiss.

"AbsalCID. and Daniel" Page 5

Wbat a politician! How man:r millions have learned from AbsalCID. across

the years. What was wrang with Absalan? Is it wrong to compHment your

friend? No. It is wrong not to, if you think he deserves it. I am not cla1m-

ing for a moment that a porcup1ne is more lovely than a maltese cat. The ma-

chinery of the world would run far more smoothly it it was oiled more otten b:r

appreciation. Abse.lan was wrong because he was lieing. Be was flatter1llg folks

in order to use them to his own purpose. The author says, "that he thus stole

the hearts of the men of Israel." The man who wins friends in such a fashion

is as much a thie,f as a pickpocket.

3. Not only did Absalan steal the hearts of the people at Israel, but he

stole his father fs cfown. TlJa.t was the goal( he had in view all along. His

eagerness to help those in trouble, his handshaking, his kissing, all this had

in view the using of people to the winnmg of the crown of IsDn!. It mattered

not to him that his father was already king. It mattered not to this selt­

centered politician that in crowning himself' he would uncrown the father that

loved h:1Jn. He vas out strictly in the interest of himself. At last his hour

came. The duped people rallied to him. His father saw hiskingdan torn by

rebellion. That was a great heartache. But the saddest tragedy of it all was

that he had to learn, "How sharper than a serpan!s tooth it is to have a thank-

less child."

4. Wbat of the outccme? Absalanfs reign was shor()ived. Those loyal

to the throne rallied under J'oab and went out to meet rebellious Absalom in

battle. Broken hearted David did not have the courage to go. AlJ his own

soldiers went he urged the~howeve) to see that no harm. came to Absalom. Tba

battle was fought and Absalan lost. As he fled through the forest riding a

mule that lumrious hair of his caught in a tree, and left him kicking his

heels between earth and heaven. As otten happens, the thing in which he

prided himself most, his hair, helped to work his :ruin. J'oab came and thrust

"Absalom and Daniel" Page 6

three darts into his heart and flung his body into a pit and threw a heap of

stones upon him. There was no epitaph, but he might have written this ,-"He

that seeketh to save his life shall lose it."

Wha t was the tragedy of this self'-centered man? It was not merely the

tact that he soon lost the crown that he had Well by rebellioa and treachery,

.~11; WRSy- simply the f'act that he was conquered in battle and killed. His tragedyJ~4A-

would have been little.. U sa,. ':Be W8J'&B. had he been victoJ",iaus. The horrible

f'ailure of' Absalom was that choosing to live f'ar himself' he missed all that

was best in the lif'e tbat now is as well as in that which is to cane. This is

not the case in except ionable instances, it is the case every t 1me, everywhere.

It is the case with those who are decent and those who are indecent. It is the

case with the cultured and ref'ined as well as the depraved. He that seeketh

to save his lif'e misses tbe lite tile. t is real. This is true because the self'-

centered lif'e shuts God out. And missiDg God we miss all .., that really

counts.

III.

~Let us turn now to this bright am bracing story of' Daniel. Daniefs.ts

really a Tale of' Two Cities.

Among the ludean hills there stood a little walled city called lerusalem.

This city was the religiQ1s and political capitol of' one of' the most remarkable

peoples the world has everl known. These people have this distinction that

above all others they have been the moral and religious teachers of' mankind.

Every book of our Bible was' written by a lew except two, the Gospel of Luke

and the Book of Acts. There is wide spread bate of the lews today, but we owe

to them a debt that is unpayable. They not only gave us our Bible, but they

gave us our Christ.

Five hundred miles to the East there stood another oi ty called Babylon.

"Absa1.cm and Daniel" Page 7

This city was one ot the greatest at the ancient world. We are told that

it was surrOWlded by a wall that stood toursquare. This wall was titty six

miles in circumterence. It towered to the height ot three hundred teet. It

was wide enough on top tor six war chariots to drive abreast. Down through

the midst ot this city tlowed the river Euphrates. On either side the river

were bu-ilded marvelous tElllples and palaces. Here was the tamous temple at

Bel. On the opposite bank were the royal palaces, a city in itself. Here were

the tamous Hanging Gardens, one ot the seven wonders ot the world. King Neb-

uchadnessar had married a girl trCID. the hill country. She \'8S homesick in

these prosaic low lands. Theretore , he builded her an arttul hill. Upon the

sides ot this hill grew torest trees. Down its sides tlowed streams of water

that were carried to the heights by hydrauJ.ic pressure. These streams were

played upon by varied colored lights that _de the whole scene a dream or

beauty.

New out tram this city had marched an ar.my against Jerusalem. The little

city was not able to withstand the might of Babylon. It was conquered, its

temple was sacked, and all the s llver and gold was taken. But tbe most price-

lass treasure that the king took with him as he marched back in triumph was

some ot the most choice youth. Arriving at Babylon tbese exiles were obj4ets

ot .curiosity. Their captives know1Ilg their love tor mu.sic asked them tor a

sOllg. But they ~%heir harps~ songless silence on the willows and we.pt

as they remmber their tar ott home. "How" they asked, "can we sing the Lord's

scmg in a strange land?"

But a better day dawns tor some ot their number. A 'lew days later bustling

otticers tran the king's ceurt are among them. They select the choicest youth

in order to train them tor govermnent positions. Among those chosen is a yeung

chap scme sixteen years ot age Ilam8d Dp1el. He along with others is taken to

the palace ot .the king. Soon after their arrival Daniel taces a turning point

"Absalom and Daniel" Page 8

in his life. He is made to recline at a table spread with dainties fran

the table of the k1Dg. As he looks upcm these daillt1es he realizes that

he cannot eat them without doiDg violence to his conscience. What is he to

do about it? There were seemingly the best of reasons why Daniel should

eat.

1. If he refuses be will have to stand alone. He WJuld seem peculiar.

He will make himself ridiculous. Everybody else is eat ing, why be silly'?

There are few things that we dread so DlUch as failing to conform. to the

usages of tbe crowd with which we find ourselves. How many take their first

step downward, not because of the appeal that that false step bas in itself.

They take it because they dare not refuse to be like the crowd in which they

find themselves.

2. Then Daniel was sorely tempted to conform because many of the sup-

ports that he had known in other days were lacking now. Once he had had the

backing 01' a pious hane, but that is behind him. Once he lJad been taught

that the God of Israel was greatar than all 0 ther GodS, and tbat He would

deliver Israel from. the hand of any eneIDy'. But he has found tllat this is a

mistake. God is either not as strong as he th"QQgh~ or he does not work as

he once thought he workEid. His faith is not so clear as it once was.

3. Then he is tempted because it seems the only way be can get on.

"Ii' I conform," he said to himself. "I will escape from slave17. I will cCllle

to a position of prestige and power. Q:l the contrary, if I fail to conform it

might cost me my life."

Here then is the test--What does Daniel count most worthwhile? What are

those values that he puts first? We find the answer in this brave word,-

"Daniel purpose in his beart that he would not defile hmtself." Maybe he

said that God is not just as I thought he was. Maybe I have been mistaken ill

my faith. But I believe it is better to be clean than unclean whether Jq faith

"Absalom and Daniel" Page 9

is tne or false. It maybe that I will lose my position and my lite by

taking this eouxse. But I can afford not to live, but I CaDnot atford to

be untrue to the best that I kncm while I do live. When a storm was rag1Dg

ott Cape Hatras years ago, the lifeguards discovered a ship going to pieces.

The captain ordered the lower1Ilg ot the lite boe.ts. "But the wind is seaward."

one of his men canpla1ned. "We can get out there but we can never get back."

"It 18 not necessary to get back." came the answer. "It 18 necessary to go."

Wbat was the result ot Daniel's choice? Absalan made e. wrong choice and

went to weakness and to death. Daniel made a right choice, and the story says

that he prospered. It 1s a suggestive word. Of' course tm author has in mind

that he got on materially. Now material prosperity does not always follow.1n

the wake ot loyalty to conscience. Some m:ln have lost their material wealth

through loyalty. Some have lost their lite. Yet, other things being equal,

loyalty to your convictions is most profitable in the life that now is.

Years ago a speaker was announced to lecture in 1113 church against legal­

ized liquor. One ot my stewards wrote me a special delivery letter protesting

against the torthcam1Ilg address. "This 18 purely a pol1tical quest ion." he

declared. "and. questions of politics have no place in the Church." ThiS man

was a heavy contributor. In tact, his contribution was thirty-su: hundred

dollars a year. When I received this Jetter I saw that money takiIlg wings

and I needed it desperately for we were carrying a heavy debt.

But I knew but one reply to make so I wrote him a letter. "My dear

Friend," I said. "I see tro·m your recent comnunication. that you are a con­

v inced wet. It so happens that I am a convinced dry. That be ing the case,

the only way I know how to keep my self' respect and to hold your respect for

me is to act like one. Therefore, the address will go an. It will not be

the first t1.IoB a lecture ot this kiDd has been held in the MethOdist Church, and I am

sure

,lf.

"Absalom. aDd Daniel" Page 10

it will not be the last." This brother wrote me a lovely letter. Not only

so, but he kept on sendlJlg in his thirty-six hundred dollars a year. But

my letter would have been just as successful 11' he had never paid another

pemy.

Daniel prospered in the very co in that Absalcm wanted and missed. Ab-

salan was out after popularity. He was eager for the confidence of his people.

He desired political power, but he missed it. Daniel was seeking above all

else to be loyal to the best that he knew and he won these lesser values as

b1'-products. He became the most pOptllar, the best loved man in Babylon. Even

his enemies tl"'l1sted him with a confidence that nothing could shake.

Take this picture for instance. Daniel has become so powerful that they

have decided that it is necessary to get rid of him. They hold a conference

to devise ways and means. "There is only one chance," the keenest one suggests.

"That is to maneuver him into a position where he will have to choose between

his loyalty to his king and to his conscience. If' we can get him in that po-

sition he will decide for his conscience. Then we will have him." Wbat a

canpl1ment% Therefore, they had the silly old king to pass a law that nobody

was to pray to anyone but the king himself' for thirty days. Then we read this

fine word. "When Daniel knew that the writing was signed. He went up into

his chamber, the window being opened unto Jerusalem and prayed three t1Ds a

day as he had done aforetime." He had found the path to power.

But far bigger than his material prosperity was his prosperity of soul.

Putting God and his conscience first he had come really to live. He came

to possess a quality of life over which death has no pQV'er. Glamorous Babylon

has been a heap of ruins long centuries. There is only one thing left standing

of the Babylon of that distant day. What is t1»lt? It is Dot the king's palace.

~It is not those tremendcus city walls. It is not the tower at B8rti;y7;0a. The

,). t

, • Absal(lll and Daniel"f

one thing lett is the character 01' Daniel.

Page 11

Which, let me ask, of these two brilliant and gifted men'" found

l11'e the more worth living? Who made the finer contribution to his own daY

and to the coming oenturies? Absalom robbed his tellows. He broke the

heart at the one who loved him best. He~h18 own money sate and wrec.ed

hjmself. Be cheated himselt tor time and tor eternity. Daniel on tb:l other

hand found the best in the lite that now is as well as 'in that which is to,

CaDe. That does not happen now and then at rare intervals, it always happens.

To put selt tirst 18 to die. To put God and conscience tirst is to live.

Yesterday, today, am forever this is true. "He tbat seeketh to save his life

shall lOS;'t and .be that loseth it for my sakEl shall have lite eternal."