Change of heart

March 18, 2016
CHANGE OF HEART
Dag Heward-Mills
READ: 2 Samuel 15:10-30
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face.
2 Samuel 14:28

Absalom suffered the hardship of living in exile for two years. One would have thought that he underwent a change of heart. However, the spirit of unforgiveness and rebellion was simmering within.
I remember an employee whom we disciplined. He wrote an apology letter in which he said, “I was wrong and I apologize for what I did.”
After writing his letter, he was suspended from his work for some months. Somehow after months of suspension, this strange son of mine rose up in rebellion against me. He attacked me and the church to which he had belonged. At one point, he sent a message to me saying, “I will drive you out of this city .” Perhaps, his intention was to spread enough bad stories about me until I was too embarrassed to hang around.
Do these words not sound familiar to you? Did Absalom not attempt to drive David out of Jerusalem? Actually , Absalom succeeded in driving David out of Jerusalem for some days. The point is this: the spirit of Absalom is not corrected through punishment and even years of hard discipline. Do not be deceived into thinking that Absalom has changed just because he has been through hardships, poverty or a period of discipline.
This explains why some people never apologize no matter what they go through. They may suffer incredibly but will still not humble themselves and repent genuinely .