2 Samuel 15:13-16:14
Let me
start with some of the backstory, Absalom, King David’s oldest son, had
returned from his own self-imposed banishment.
He had manipulated Joab in an aggressive way to at least outwardly be
restored to his father. Remember that
Absalom had spent three years in the kingdom of Geshur, his mother’s home
country. Then, he spent two more years
in Jerusalem without seeing his father.
Why
was Absalom estranged from and not allowed to see his father for five or more
years? Absalom had taken vengeance into
his own hands against his brother Amnon.
Amnon’s guilt is not in question.
But, Absalom did not have the right to take the law into his own hands and
have his brother killed.
As
Carl explained last week, there remained a gigantic unspoken disagreement
between David and Absalom. Absalom believed he was right to take action against
Amnon, and David did not. Underlying the disagreement between them is the
broader question of whether justice was served in the two years prior to Absalom’s
actions against Amnon. Despite David’s desire to reconcile with Absalom, David
did not see how this broader disagreement could be solved unless Absalom were
to admit he was wrong.
Sadly,
Absalom continues on his path of separation from his father. We saw last week how Absalom had changed his
tactics from how he had treated Joab.
(Absalom had his servants burn down a field of barley that belonged to
Joab in order to get Joab’s attention.)
In the first part of 2 Samuel 15, Absalom spends four years in an almost
daily routine to steal the hearts of the people of Israel. He gets up early, he rides in a chariot
looking important, he has 50 runners further raising attention to himself, he
stands in the city gates, he speaks to anyone who has a complaint to be decided
before the king, he asserts that they cannot find justice perhaps even
discouraging them so much that they believe him and do not even ask for a
hearing, he tells the people that he should be a judge to see that the people
get justice, he won’t allow anyone to bow before him but instead kisses them.
It is
very easy to proclaim motives for why people do certain things. This risk also exists when looking at the
people in the bible. I cannot say for
sure what Absalom was thinking. Though
it is safe to say Absalom was painfully impacted by the great injustice in the
handling of Amnon’s crime. By his
actions now, it appears Absalom has projected the reality of injustice in that
situation onto everyone’s complaint.
Since justice was not enforced against Amnon, he is telling everyone
with a complaint no matter how big or small:
there is no justice in Israel.
When
did Absalom’s behavior turn into a conspiracy against his father? We don’t know. Perhaps on day one of his sensational trips to
the city gates, this was Absalom’s endgame.
Perhaps as the bitterness Absalom held onto coupled with the favor he
was gaining among the people, an even more insidious plan beyond merely
discrediting his father took shape.
Regardless, Absalom does rebel against his father in an effort to become
king himself.
After
winning the hearts of the people, Absalom goes to his father for permission to
go to Hebron saying he is going there to worship the Lord in response to a vow
he had made when in Geshur. I couldn’t
remember anyone going to worhip at Hebron, but I did find that Abraham had
built an altar to the Lord there in Genesis 13:8. There are other things about Hebron which
might make it a significant place to worship the Lord including it being a city
of refuge in Judah, the tribe of David and Absalom. Whether Absalom truly made a vow when in
Geshur, we do not know. But remember too
that Hebron is the place where David reigned as king before the capture of
Jerusalem. David’s agrees to Absalom’s
request.
Absalom
goes to Hebron and sends out secret messengers throughout Israel to respond to
the trumpet call that Absalom is king in Hebron. There were 200 innocent guests who had
accompanied Absalom to Hebron. Even
while Absalom is offering sacrifices, he sends for Ahitophel, one of David’s
counselors. Last week’s passage
concludes (2 Samuel 15:12), “the conspiracy gained strength and Absalom’s
following kept on increasing.”
Let’s
pick up the story at 2 Samuel 15:13,
A messenger came and told David, “The
hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”
Then David said to all his officials who
were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from
Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and
bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.” – 2 Samuel 15:13-14
This
is an incredibly short accounting. It’s
almost as if David expected this news.
Again, I cautioned against trying assess what people were thinking. We don’t know what David’s thoughts were
leading up to this moment. It is
interesting that his reaction is to flee rather than confront Absalom. David seems to know exactly what is happening
around him, but he has not taken action to prevent it.
I
think there are two or more lenses through which we can view this situation.
I
wonder at David as a father. Could he
not have somehow done more to be reconciled to Absalom? We don’t have an account of David taking any
action in the case against Amnon. We
don’t have an account of David reaching out to Absalom. We see others acting to bring about some form
of reconciliation, but not David. The
primary thinking I have seen to explain David’s lack of action is a perceived
loss of authority to speak into his sons’ lives due to his own sins. Is this the case? We don’t know for sure, but it could be. Sin is damaging on many levels, some we don’t
see for quite some time. I think we can
take away the warning we shouldn’t have a careless attitude toward sin. Sin is serious, and we should flee from
it. We should seek to pursue God and a
life of holiness continually.
I
wonder also at David as king. Could he
not have prepared to defend the throne and insure that the kingship of Israel
did not pass into the hands of the heir apparent in an untimely way? We will come to this more as we get into the
passage. But I think the answer to my
question is yes. David could have prepared
to fight. He chose not to. David chose exile instead of destroying
Absalom.
The king's officials answered him, “Your
servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.” The king set out, with his entire household
following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace. So the king set out, with all the people
following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. – 2 Samuel 15:15-17
It
must have been a huge group. Absalom had
gone to Hebron with 200. David’s entire
household and a portion of the army would have numbered in the thousands. It was impossible for David to know but, the
decision to leave ten concubines behind will have another tragic result.
They
stopped at the edge of the city to arrange the caravan likely to be able
maneuver along the roadway.
All his men marched past him, along with
all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had
accompanied him from Gath marched before the king. The king said to Ittai the
Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King
Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. You came only
yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know
where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the LORD show you
kindness and faithfulness." But Ittai replied to the king, "As surely
as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may
be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be." David
said to Ittai, "Go ahead, march on." So Ittai the Gittite marched on
with all his men and the families that were with him. – 2 Samuel 15:18-22
The soldiers move to the front. The Kerethites and Pelethites are mentioned various places and make up a kind of royal guard for the king. The exact origin of these two groups is not clearly known, but various mentions of them in scripture makes it appear that they are not Jewish, at least not born Jewish. David’s entourage consists of people who are not native born Israelites. This inclusion is quite remarkable.
Furthermore,
we see Ittai as the leader of 600 Gittites.
In the message on 2 Samuel 6, we talked about how there was more than
one place named Gath and that Obed-Edom the Gittite who kept the Ark of the
Covenant for a time was likely an Israelite rather than a Philistine. It is obvious here that Ittai is a foreigner
and an exile from his land. Ittai is
a Philistine. Again, remarkable. 600 soldiers from an enemy are committed
supporters of the King of Israel. David
shows great deference and respect to Ittai by offering to release him to return
home.
Ittai
expresses his devotion to the king, and Ittai, his soldiers and their families
all march together with King David.
Ittai’s commitment is beautiful, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my
lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or
death, there will your servant be.” May
we seek continually to live with our Lord, King Jesus, as Ittai followed David.
The whole countryside wept aloud as all
the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the
people moved on toward the wilderness. Zadok was there, too, and all the
Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They
set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people
had finished leaving the city. Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark
of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, He will bring me
back and let me see it and His dwelling place again. But if He says, 'I am not
pleased with you,' then I am ready; let Him do to me whatever seems good to
Him." – 2 Samuel 15:23-26
We
said in the opening of the message that Absalom had stolen the hearts of the
people, but not entirely. The people
surrounding Jerusalem all of them are grieved at the departure of the king.
They
cross the Kidron Valley. John 18:1 tells
of another crossing of the Kidron. Jesus
too followed this path to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives on
the night he was betrayed.
I
marvel at the action of Zadok, the priests, and Levites. They bring the ark of God to go with
David. This is not a trivial thing to
do, and not something you do at the drop of the hat. Then, they offer sacrifices and worship the
Lord in the midst of this tragic exodus.
It is such a contrast with Absalom.
Absalom has been working diligently, masterminding a plot, carefully
gathering support to supplant his father.
David in the meantime arguably saw what was coming and accepted exile
when it was the course which would best preserve peace in the nation.
After
the time of sacrifice and worship, David returns the ark to Jerusalem. Despite the great promises of God, David does
not suppose that it is his right to take the ark of God into exile. David sees himself far different than other
ancient rulers. For example, the
pharaoh’s were made out to be gods on earth.
David regards himself as a man subject to God. His trust even at this moment of great
uncertainty is in the Lord. If it is the
Lord’s will, then David will return.
Regardless of what comes though, David’s trust is in the Lord. David’s thinking is as Job said, “The LORD
gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed
be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
The king also said to Zadok the priest,
"Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son
Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar's son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return
with your two sons. I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes
from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to
Jerusalem and stayed there. But David
continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and
he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were
weeping as they went up. – 2 Samuel 15:27-30
David
also asks Zadok to be a point of contact in Jerusalem. David will travel up to a place where it is
possible to cross the Jordan River. He
will cross when Zadok confirms that it is necessary. Interestingly, at this point, David doesn’t
know how Zadok will get the necessary information. I don’t know if you have worked with great
leaders, but it is as if they know what is needed before the path is mapped
out. David sends Zadok and Abiathar to
receive a critical message for which David will wait at a critical place at a
critical moment, and the messenger is unknown to any of them.
David
continues on. His posture is one of
humility. Head covered and barefoot both
signs of sorrow. He is broken-hearted. He allows himself to weep even in the sight
of everyone. It is a sad time. They are traversing the Mount of Olives that
place too where Jesus was “sorrowful and troubled” (Matthew 26:37) and “being
in anguish … His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” as He was
on the final path to the cross.
Now David had been told, "Ahithophel
is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "LORD, turn
Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness." When David arrived at the summit,
where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his
robe torn and dust on his head. David said to him, "If you go with me, you
will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'Your
Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father's servant in the past, but
now I will be your servant,' then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel's
advice. Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them
anything you hear in the king's palace. Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok
and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with
anything you hear." So Hushai, David's confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as
Absalom was entering the city. – 2 Samuel 15:31-37
This
news about Ahithophel joining the conspiracy is devastating. Ahithophel was incredibly wise. Borrowing from next week’s passage, 2 Samuel
16:23 says this about Ahithophel, “Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave
was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom
regarded all of Ahithophel's advice.”
If
Ahithophel were so wise, why would he join the conspiracy? We are not expressly told, but Ahithophel was
Bathsheba’s grandfather. Did Ahithophel
harbor resentment over David’s treatment of both Bathsheba and Uriah? It is certainly plausible.
What
about Hushai? Who is he? We don’t see more of Hushai’s life than what
is told in these two chapters in 2 Samuel.
But, I Chronicles 27:33 explains that while “Ahithophel was the king’s
counselor. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s confidant.” Other translations use the word friend
instead of confidant. Not only was
Hushai the king’s closest personal adviser.
Hushai was the king’s friend.
Hushai’s
appearance at this moment is the beginning of the answer to David’s prayer to
frustrate Ahitophel’s advice. Seriously,
I’m not trying to find foreigners in David’s inner circle behind every bush,
but it is likely that Hushai too was a non-Israelite. Apart from passages involving Hushai, Arkites
are mentioned 3 other times in the bible.
Twice they are clearly a separate people group from the Israelites and
in fact descended from Canaan. The third
time in Joshua 16 their territory is described as part of the border Ephraim
and Manasseh. David seems to regard people
as individuals unique in character and relationship far more than would have
been common in His time or in any time really.
The
details of the plan which David had set in motion with Zadok and Abiathar are
now coming together. Hushai returns to
Jerusalem, and we see how truly close Absalom is to David and his caravan. The summit of the Mount of Olives is only a
half a mile from Jerusalem.
When David had gone a short distance
beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet
him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of
bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine. The
king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered,
"The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and fruit
are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted
in the wilderness." The king then asked, "Where is your master's
grandson?" Ziba said to him, "He is staying in Jerusalem, because he
thinks, 'Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather's kingdom.' “Then
the king said to Ziba, "All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now
yours." "I humbly bow," Ziba said. "May I find favor in
your eyes, my lord the king." – 2 Samuel 16:1-4
There
is a lot of good here, but there is some bad, too. Quick recap.
Mephibosheth was a son of Jonathan son of Saul. David had brought Mephibosheth to Jerusalem
and rather than having him executed as a part of Saul’s family, David had
Mephibosheth regularly at his table just as one of his own sons. David had also restored all the lands of Saul
to Mephibosheth, no doubt a tremendous estate.
David then installed Ziba, a former servant of Saul’s household, as the
steward of all that property with great resources at his disposal. So, Ziba was able to act quickly to help meet
the physical needs of David and his caravan.
He has seemingly thought of everything.
Transportation. Food.
Refreshment. All very welcome to David
and his people.
Unfortunately,
we’ll see in chapter 19 that Ziba though certainly a help here is also an
unscrupulous opportunist. When David
asks after the grandson of Ziba’s master, he means Mephibosheth. It is a bold-faced lie that Mephibosheth
hopes that the kingdom will be restored to him.
For starters, the kingdom was never Mephibsoheth’s. Even during the uncertain time after Saul’s
death and David being recognized as king over all Israel, it was Ish-bosheth
not Mephibosheth who was held up as Saul’s successor as king by Abner who had
been the commander of Israel’s army under Saul.
David’s
initial question to Ziba is an interesting one.
“Why?” Why Ziba, what’s your
angle? Then, I wonder whether David sees
that something is a little off in Ziba’s story about Mephibosheth. David sees Mephibosheth nearly every
day. It seems unlikely he’d be
completely unaware of whether Mephibosheth has rebellious aspirations himself.
In the
end, I don’t think we can know whether or not David has been taken in by Ziba’s
craftiness. David has already confessed
that he doesn’t know whether or not he will be restored in Jerusalem. Giving rights of ownership to Ziba at this
moment seems uncertain at best. No
doubt, David does appreciate Ziba’s support and wishes to reward him in some
way.
As King David approached Bahurim, a man
from the same clan as Saul's family came out from there. His name was Shimei
son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king's
officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on
David's right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, "Get out, get out, you
murderer, you scoundrel! The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in
the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has given the
kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you
are a murderer!” – 2 Samuel 16:5-8
So
David’s path to the fords of the Jordan take him through the land of
Benjamin. Saul was from the tribe of
Benjamin. Shimei who is from Saul’s clan
comes out cursing. Not only that, he’s
throwing rocks. That can be
dangerous. His message is biting, but
misguided. David indeed carries the
guilt of Uriah’s murder on himself. No
doubt David has not forgotten the words of Nathan the prophet. David sees this flight as a result of God’s
judgment that “calamity would be brought from his own household.” (2 Samuel
12:11) This tempers David’s response to
Shimei who could rightly be called a loose cannon.
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the
king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and
cut off his head." But the king said, "What does this have to do with
you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, 'Curse
David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?' "David then said to Abishai and
all his officials, "My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me.
How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the
LORD has told him to. It may be that the LORD will look upon my misery and
restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today." So David
and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside
opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him
with dirt. – 2 Samuel 16:9-13
We’ve
seen David previously lament the hot-headed behavior of the sons of
Zeruiah. It’s as if Abishai and Joab’s
go-to solution is the sword. Is this guy
bothering you? I can fix that. David immediately rejects this
suggestion. In fact, he goes on to try
and get Abishai to see the bigger picture.
In the midst of David’s shame and broken-heartedness, he is able to
speak to Abishai of God. He also
implores Abishai to have some perspective.
This situation where Shimei even has the chance to curse David came about
because Absalom is attempting to supplant his father.
David
then says, “It may be that the LORD will look upon my misery and restore to me
his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.” I think that we have to be a little bit
careful interpreting a statement like this.
It is easy to think transactionally or formulaically. If this, then that. If I endure misery, then I will gain
something and even a particular thing in return. I don’t think we can set terms like
this. We certainly have the promises of
God, and God will not go back on His promises.
But we can’t see how every situation will work out. We’ve all offered prayers to God in faith
that were not answered in the way we wanted (or planned). Looking at this situation with Shimei and
David’s statement about the Lord looking on the misery of it, the thinking is
“do what is right at this moment knowing that God will take care of the
future.” David makes allowance that the
time of his kingship is in God’s hands, not his own.
Meanwhile,
Shimei just keeps going, yelling and throwing.
It is really hard to be insulted.
It’s even harder to endure insults while being peppered with dirt and
rocks. Exhausting even. And that brings us to the end of today’s
passage.
The king and all the people with him
arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself. – 2
Samuel 16:14
There
is good news in this short verse. The
king arrived at his destination. All the
people arrived their destination. None
were lost or left behind. There was the
opportunity to be refreshed. It was not
endless running without hope. Short
though it may have been there was time to be refreshed.
In
conclusion to this passage, I still marvel that David chose exile over fighting
back. David chose exile over destroying
Absalom outright. David was willing to
let Absalom go free even into rebellion.
I think we can see Jesus in David’s behavior toward Absalom.
In our
sins, separated from God, people are in rebellion against God. God has the power to “reconcile” us to
Himself in judgment. “All have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God.” But God
does not give up on us there. We don’t
have clear evidences that David reached out to Absalom and he arguably could
have done better there. At the same
time, we should not go too far and miss the fact that David held to hope that
Absalom would turn back to his father and to his God in repentance and seek
forgiveness.
God is
more than patient with us desiring everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter
3:9). There has been no more humiliating
spectacle in all history than Jesus on the cross. The creator of the universe was beaten beyond
recognition and stripped. He was jeered
and insulted. Those hours on the cross
were agonizing. The chief priests and
teachers of the law even taunted and mocked, "He saved others, but he
can't save himself! He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the
cross, and we will believe in him.” (Matthew 27:41–42)
For
you Lord of the Rings fans, there is the moment in the movie The Fellowship of
the Ring where Bilbo Baggins is being particularly stubborn to the point of
being deceived by evil. Gandalf the
wizard confronts him simultaneously appearing to grow very large and dark. He says, “Bilbo Baggins!” with obvious
superiority.
Among
many temptations that Jesus faced … at any moment, He could have said, “Do you
know who I am?” But in saving the world,
Jesus did not do that. He endured all
the difficulty, all the shame, all the scorn, he did not lash out, as a sheep
before its shearers, he was silent.
Jesus was not merely shorn for our transgressions, but pierced. He was crushed for our iniquities. “The punishment that brought us peace was on
Him.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Jesus
experienced exile on our behalf. He
walked this earth in sinless perfection for 33 years, separated from the Father
in a way He never had been in all of eternity past. Then, at the cross, Jesus was banished from
the Father’s presence as the full cup of the wrath of God was poured out on
Him. There is nothing like it anywhere
or in any time. David’s behavior gives
us a glimpse of what Jesus has done perfectly and completely.
I’ve
been enjoying reading the J.B. Phillips translation of the New Testament. Though last revised in 1972, Phillips began
his translation work by rewording the epistles for his church’s youth group in
modern English. That was during World
War 2 when his group met in bomb shelters.
The following verses come from Romans 15:
For all those words which were written
long ago are meant to teach us today; that when we read in the scriptures of
the endurance of people and of all the help that God gave them in those days,
we may be encouraged to go on hoping in our own time.
May the God who inspires people to
endure, and gives them a Father’s care, give you a mind united towards one
another because of your common loyalty to Jesus Christ. And then, as one
person, you will sing from the heart the praises of God the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Open your hearts to one
another as Christ has opened his heart to you, and God will be glorified. –
Romans 15:4-7
May the God of hope fill you with joy
and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life
and outlook may be radiant with hope.
For myself I feel certain that you, my brothers and sisters, have real
Christian character and experience, and that you are capable of keeping each other
on the right road. – Romans 15:13-14
Amen.
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