Daddy's Boy

II Samuel 14-16

David had a special affinity for Absalom. Aside from Solomon, no son of David comes close to being talked about as much as Absalom. He could literally get away with murder. It wasn’t only David that favored Absalom, so did the nation. Absalom was a good looking, charismatic guy. However, much like the favorite child in families today, he began to feel entitled and resentment towards his father.

Chapter 14 reveals more deceit and trickery. While the motives were good, the method involved lying. Joab wants Absalom to be able to return home. He knows David loves Absalom, but he has kept him in exile because he murdered his brother. Joab convinces a wise woman to pretend to be a widow. Her story is remarkably familiar to David. While her husband has died, she has a problem that only the king can resolve. Her two sons became angry at one another and began fighting. They were so mad that no one could break up the fight. Eventually, one brother killed the other. Now, the family wanted the living brother executed for the murder of his brother. However, the woman says that this will leave her childless and without an heir for her husband. She will have no one to take care of her in her old age.

After some pressure, David says that the son will not be executed. Then the woman reveals her true motives. She asks, why is this judgement good for her house but not for David’s own house? Why is Absalom left in exile? David immediately recognizes the work of Joab and the woman confesses that the king is correct. David sends Joab to get Absalom and return him home.

At the end of the chapter, we see some of Absalom’s entitlement mentality. Joab worked hard to get Absalom returned home. However, he was not going to press his luck. Absalom asked twice to speak with Joab about setting up a meeting to see his father. Joab did not acknowledge Absalom’s request. To get his way, Absalom set fire to Joab’s field just before harvest. Angry, Joab goes to Absalom. Absalom says, you wouldn’t answer my other requests. I had to get your attention somehow. Joab gets Absalom the audience with his father and the family is restored.

Chapter 15 tells us that Absalom began planting seeds of discontent in the minds of everyone that came to the palace to receive judgment on issues from the king. “If only the king had made me a judge, I could hear this matter and you wouldn’t have to wait in that long line.” He would share his ideas on how an issue should be resolved and the people would listen. The seed was sown and in time, it would turn the hearts of the people more towards Absalom than towards David.

When the time was right, he took a group of people to Hebron. He told David it was to fulfill a vow, but in reality, it was to make himself king. He had also sent for people who were loyal to him from all over Israel to join him in Hebron. He had quite a following.

David goes into hiding with his loyal followers. Among those that go out with him are the priests, and they bring the Ark of God. David knows that the Ark belongs in Jerusalem and sends them back. He also tells the priests to be his spies in the city. They can send work by their sons to David so that he can keep tabs on Absalom. Also, one of the priests is a prophet and David tells him to send for him when God reveals that it is safe to come back home.

Chapter 16 is a sad chapter as well. David sends people away. He tells some to remain in Jerusalem as spies, and others he sends away to keep them out of his problems. A family member of Saul goes out and curses at David. He tells him that he (David) is getting what he deserves for taking the throne away from Saul’s family. One of David’s servants wants to kill the man, but David will not permit it.

Back in Jerusalem, David’s spies “pledge allegiance” to Absalom. His former adviser begins his job of directing Absalom’s actions. One of the first things he advises Absalom to do is embarrass his father to the point of no chance of reconciliation. This act of embarrassment would be done for all the city to see. He tells Absalom to erect a tent on top of the king’s house and to take the 10 concubines that David left behind to care for the house and abuse them on the roof of the house. Absalom raped his father’s concubines for all the city of Jerusalem to see. There could be no reconciliation after this!

The Midnight Cry is a southern gospel song that starts out, “I look around me and I see prophecies fulfilling…” That is exactly what we see in this chapter. If we remember back to David’s sins with Bathsheba, God pronounced judgement of David through the Prophet Nathan.

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II Samuel 12:10-12

10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.

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Absalom was the fulfillment of the statement “I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house”. He divided the kingdom and tried to take it. The story is not yet over. In fact, there is still a lot that will transpire. While motivated by evil, God used the sins of Absalom to execute his judgement on David for the adultery with Bathsheba, and murder of her husband to cover up the sin. Absalom has already partially fulfilled verse 10, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house”, but again there is still a lot that will take place, including a civil war.

Finally, Absalom does exactly what verses 11 and 12 proclaimed. He takes David’s wives (concubines) and defiles them for everyone to see. “In the sight of this sun” means that it would be outside and public. It would not be concealed at all. That is exactly what Absalom did.

While this is a sad and sordid story, there is hope to be found. That hope is this, God’s word is true! Every decree of God will come to pass. Yes, judgment and damnation are included in that, but so is salvation and heaven. Those who have trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior can rest assured that, just as the judgement of sin comes to pass, so will his saving work be accomplished when all his saints are carried home to heaven. As Isaiah wrote, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).