2 Samuel 17:8 says, “For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field…”(KJV). The aforementioned chapter is an account of Absalom conspiring against his father, David, to continue to overthrow his authority, steal his following and take his life. There must be no greater heartbreak for David than to suffer these attacks at the hands of his own son. The end of the story is that the Lord intervened on David’s behalf, gave him victory and restored his authority.
In the process of restoration, a looming attack was thwarted by the hand of God through a man named Hushai. He was a trusted spiritual advisor to Absalom, but was secretly funneling information to David to keep him one step ahead of his would-be attackers. Verse 8, above, is a portion of the advice that Hushai gave Absalom. What Absalom didn’t know is that the advice would give his father the upper hand and provide a way of escape from the assault. You know the end of the story.
There is something interesting imbedded into the words of Hushai. He uses a metaphor to describe David’s state of mind and that of his men. He equates them to a mother bear that has lost her cubs. Why? Because it describes the fierceness of these warriors. Hushai is basically saying, if you go after your father, he and his men will attack fiercely like a bear that has been robbed of her cubs. The sorrow of loss is turned into rage and violence. Proverbs 17:12 also speaks of the fierceness of a bear that is robbed of her cubs. This is the “fierceness of fruitlessness.”
Focus on the metaphor used in scripture. I believe that a person born of the spirit has a need to multiply spiritually, or bear fruit. Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Just as the bear that has no cubs is fierce and full of sorrow, so can God’s people be when there is no fruit present in their lives. It indicates that there is a deficiency in their connectedness to the will and purpose of God for them.
Fruitlessness in a person’s life can cause them to be like that bear. They begin to push away those who try to come near. They take out their frustrations on others. They can be fierce in their communications, their relationships, their attitudes, and in many areas of their personal lives.
I challenge you to be a decider. Decide that you are going to stay “grafted in” to the true vine. Decide that you are going to yield to the life of God flowing through you, and bear much fruit. After all, “a tree is known by its fruit!”
