The king was much moved, and went up to the room over the gate, and wept. As he went, he said, “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!”
–2 Samuel 18:33

David has been called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

Though he made many human mistakes, his response to the loss of his son — a son who…