2 Samuel 19:1

2 Samuel 19;1 says, And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom.  Joab was told about David’s deep mourning for Absalom.  Joab and the others who followed him had fought hard to defeat Absalom in his attempt to usurp David, and now all David seemed to be capable of was mourning Absalom’s death.  If we have to cutoff our relationship with some people, even if they later die, we should never allow this to stop us from rejoicing in our salvation.  I believe that David would have been better off privately mourning for Absalom while publicly rejoicing with the people in the victory.  Verse two adds, And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.  Instead of celebrating the victory, all the people began to mourn with David over the death of his son.  As already stated, the people should have been celebrating the victory, just as we should celebrate the victory over sin and death by our faith in Jesus Christ, but along  with David they were mourning the death of the one who had attempted to destroy them.  We certainly can't afford to mourn the death of those things that would destroy us, especially those that affect our relationship with God.  Nothing we give up for God is worth mourning.  Verse three continues, And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.  The people began to move around secretly as they would if they had fled in battle.  In other words, they became ashamed to have been a part of the victory.  We should never allow the world to make us ashamed or our victories over sin today.  Verse four concludes, But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!   David was still covering his face in mourning and continually crying out for Absalom.  We should never allow the loss of anything in this world, even family members, to come between God and us.  Verse five states, And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;  Joab came to David and spoke honestly to him.  He said that David had shamed the people who had saved him and his family by defeating Absalom and his men.  If we are mourning the loss of the things of this world as Christians, we are bringing shame on Jesus Christ Who died to set us free from those things that would destroy us, and we may need a fellow believer to point this out to us.  Verse six adds, In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.  Joab added that David had no regard for those who had been willing to die to protect him and said that he believed had they all died and Absalom lived that David would have been happier.  We cannot be successful in serving God if we mourn the things we think we have lost by following Him more than we rejoice in our salvation.  Verse seven continues, Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.  Joab told David to go and speak to the people, or in other words act like a king and not a grieving father who felt that the death of his rebellious son was all that was important.  We cannot afford to be the same way, mourning for the loss of the things of this world more than we celebrate our victory through our faith in Jesus Christ.  If we ever begin to feel that we have given up too much to follow Him, this is what we are doing.  Joab added that David was going to lose the support of all the people if he continued to act as he was doing.  Verse eight concludes, Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent.  David listened to Joab’s advice and went and sat at the gate, and when they heard this the people who had sneaked away began to return to David.  If we have been mourning the loss of anything more than we have been celebrating our relationship with Jesus Christ, other Christians may not want to be around us.  If we have, we need to repent, ask God's forgiveness, and begin to rejoice in the Lord.