Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Confess, Return and Learn

Psalm 32

Absalom’s Revolt

15 Now it came about after this that Absalom provided himself with a chariot, horses and 50 men as runners before him. ² Absalom used to rise up early and stand beside the road to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a suit to come to the king for justice, then Absalom would call to him and say, “What town are you from?” Should he answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,” ³ Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no one assigned to you by the king to hear you.” ⁴ Moreover, Absalom would say, “If only I were appointed judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or case would come to me, and I would get him justice!” ⁵ Also, whenever anyone approached to bow to him, he would stretch his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. ⁶ So Absalom kept doing this to everyone of Israel who came to the king for judgment. Thus Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

⁷ At the end of 40 years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron and pay my vow which I have vowed to Adonai. ⁸ For your servant vowed a vow while I was still living at Geshur in Aram saying, ‘If Adonai will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve Adonai.’”

⁹ So the king said to him, “Go in shalom.”

Then he rose and went to Hebron. ¹⁰ But Absalom sent spies to all the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the shofar, then you are to say, ‘Absalom has become king in Hebron!’” ¹¹ Now 200 men from Jerusalem went with Absalom, who were invited and were going innocently, knowing nothing of the situation. ¹² Also Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor from his town Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. So the conspiracy gained momentum for the people following Absalom continued to increase.

Israel Not Rejected

11 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He?^[a] May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not rejected His people whom He knew beforehand.^[b] Or do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? ³ “Adonai, they have killed your prophets, they have destroyed your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” ^{[c] 4} But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ^{[d] 5} So in the same way also at this present time there has come to be a remnant^[e] according to God’s gracious choice. ⁶ But if it is by grace, it is no longer by works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷ What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained; but the elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened— ⁸ just as it is written,

⁹ And David says,