The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’
— 2 Samuel 18
Absalom, the guilty son, hangs in the tree and dies a rebel. Joab and his men pierce him, and his death ends the rebellion of a false kingdom.
Christ, the innocent Son, hangs on the tree and dies the true King. After his death, a Roman spear pierces his side. His death opens the true kingdom.
David’s weeping over Absalom is an icon of God’s compassion for Adam. His wish to die in his son’s place becomes a type that Christ fulfills in his Passion, rescuing his brothers and bringing the fallen children of Adam into the kingdom of his Father.
(Icon pictured: Easter and the rescue of Adam and Eve. I believe that’s David in the background.)
Published by Kern Family
Welcome to The Keep. We're Alan and Joelle Kern, and this blog serves as our family's digital journal. Here we share our experiences as parents to Luke, Levi, and Aletheia, along with our faithful dog, Augustine (Gus).
Alan's background spans from military service to evangelical ministry, and now to software engineering with a focus on AI. When he’s not working on a company project, he’s playing sports with the kids, gardening, or reading about a new branch of knowledge he hasn’t explored yet.
Joelle is the cornerstone of our home life. She manages the kids’ homeschool and is passionate about developing our backyard into a sustainable food forest. You can usually find her helping lead our local homeschool co-op committee or taking the kids out to a sunny park day with friends.
We’re looking to answer the question: what would happen if you threw away conventional thought about everything and worked tirelessly toward finding and pursuing the Good and the True? We hope this leads us to paths that will stretch us beyond a conventional American lifestyle and into a life of purpose and joy.
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