2Sa 14:24 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

Absalom killed his eldest brother, Amnon, and ran away. David misses Absalom very much (v.1). But he can’t just bring back his son and treat it like nothing has happened. The Law says blood for blood and so the murderer must die (Leviticus 24:17). Through the intervention of Joab and an old woman, David is “coerced” to bring home Absalom from exile. Absalom returns to Jerusalem but the king’s command is: “Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face” (v.24). Why did David forbid Absalom from coming to his presence? There are many opinions to it and your opinion is as good as mine. Still, let me tell you what I think. 1. Return But Not Forgiven. David wanted his subjects to know that what Absalom did was sinful and he did not approve of his action. It is an honour to be in the attendance of the king, so by forbidding Absalom from seeing him, he is showing his displeasure. Likewise, in the New Testament, we are to show our displeasure to a member who continues in his sin by putting him away: “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person” (1 Corinthians 5:13). 2. Hoping Absalom Would Reflect On His Deeds And Repent. By this humiliation, David was hoping that Absalom might reflect on his action and make a change. Probably, he saw that Absalom was unremorseful and evil still reigned in his heart. If that’s so, David was right. We see later that Absalom was unrepentant. His behaviour was based in the extreme – he revolted against his father and committed fornication in the open with his father’s concubines (2 Samuel 16:15-22). There are two reasons for church discipline: 1. To keep the church pure. 1 Corinthians 5:5, 6 2. To let the sinner see the error of his way and repent. James 5:19-20 David hoped that by this means Absalom might be brought to a more thorough consideration of the heinousness of his crime, and to repentance for it. Unfortunately, Absalom was evil to the core that instead of repenting, he committed more evil. 3. Appreciating Grace. David hoped his son could see how much he loved him. But Absalom abused the love his father had for him. He did not treasure the second chance his father had given him. It was by his father’s grace that he was able to return but he rejected that grace and committed more wickedness. Like Absalom, we are returned to the Father’s house. Our heavenly Father is a God of grace and His grace is abundant. But some Christians abuse the Father’s grace and continue to live in sin. Paul has to write to them and ask them this: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1). Paul introduced the idea that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Romans 5:20). He now wonders if some might take this truth to imply that it doesn’t matter if a Christian lives a life of sin, because God will always overcome greater sin with greater grace. Paul answers the question himself: “God forbid” (Romans 6:2). It means, No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning? The gospel of grace calls us to come out from sin and live holy life (1 Peter 1:15, 16). Let us not be like Absalom and grieved his father. Let us be transformed and live a new life for God.