And they be Chafed In their Minds 2 Samuel 17:1 – 18:33 ^^^^^^^ ~ This report from our Spiritual Safari finds David in deep sadness because he is reaping the consequences from that awful, terrible and heinous sin involving Uriah and Bathsheba. The nation Israel is in an unavoidable civil war at this time and his own son Absalom is attempting a coup against him. We have seen in several previous reports the triumphs that David won and the blessings he brought to Israel. We have also seen the troubles David had and he is in serious trouble as we begin this leg of our expedition. I trust you have your Bible in front of you and have read these two chapters before reading this report. David’s son, Absalom, is now leading the rebellion against him. Naturally, that was a heartbreak for David so he withdrew; and we saw David leave Jerusalem in our last report so that the city wouldn’t become embroiled in a battle and likely be destroyed. David sent Hushai back to Jerusalem to be with Absalom so that David might have some inside information and wise council. Ahithophel, who had also been one of David’s advisors, had already defected to Absalom’s army. That leads to contradictory council from Hushai and Ahithophel relative to a plan of attack! As we begin reading here Ahithophel lays out a plan that would have been a disaster and Hushai gives very good advice that Absalom should have followed through on – if he wanted to defeat David, that is! ~ XVII 1 Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night: 2 And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only: 3 And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace. 4 And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel. 5 Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith. 6 And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not; speak thou. 7 And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time. 8 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: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. 9 Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom. 10 And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men. 11 Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person. 12 So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much as one. ~ Absalom and his men were simply not men of war like David and his men were! David and his men would have utterly flattened this rebellion. David has had good training from escaping and evading Saul, you will remember. If a failing attempt had been made upon David then Absalom’s men would have been told they were losing the battle and they would have deserted and defected from him immediately. Ahithophel was not prepared to do battle against David. A few thousand men were simply not going to be effective against David! Further, if Absalom was going to assume the kingship over Israel he would have to lead the battle personally; there was just no other way! That’s how David had come to the throne! Hushai gave Absalom good advice but, even so, it was not for Absalom’s benefit! This plan would have actually allowed David time to reconnoiter…. 13 Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there. 14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom. 15 Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. 16 Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up , and all the people that are with him. 17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they went and told King David. 18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a mans house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down. 19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the wells mouth, and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known. 20 And when Absaloms servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 21 And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water: for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you. 22 Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan. 23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father. 24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a mans son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joabs mother. 26 So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. 27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, 28 Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, 29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness. ~ So, there was a period where Absalom tried to gather the nation and unite the people with him. In verse twenty six Absalom has assembled as many under him as he possibly could. This chapter ends with David on the lam again – which seems to define his entire life. It seems David was always running away from somebody! In this case he has no one to blame except his own sin. Remember, Absalom had forced David to flee from Jerusalem in the middle of the night without any preparation whatsoever. Well, David had many allies throughout the land and I get the impression that very few people had real confidence in Absalom! Absalom had been deceitful and tricky and I think most of Israel knew he would never have been dependable as a king! So, with the supplies that were brought to them in verse twenty eight David’s men could prepare for a battle. Even so, as we begin chapter eighteen, David’s men weren’t prepared to allow David to go fight…. XVIII 1 And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 2 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joabs brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. 3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou keep us out of the city. 4 And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. ~ Here we see the tender love David had for his son. Yes, Absalom had murdered another son, Amnon, and Absalom was leading this rebellion; but, even so, David still loved this boy of his! This is likely the saddest chapter we have in the life of King David. The chapter that had David’s sin was the most shameful, sordid and sorriest chapter, to be sure; but this is the defining low point in David’s life. By the end of this chapter Absalom will be dead and David will be in mourning. As his three commanders led the army out David asked each one to spare his son. I think some of them actually resented this command! Joab particularly wanted to get rid of this trouble making kid, Absalom; and get back to Jerusalem and back to a normal life; and we can’t blame them for that! Well, Absalom is still David’s own flesh and blood – his son. I think Absalom was just like David in many ways and, of course, David loves him and he wanted this to end peacefully. Certainly, David didn’t want to see Absalom killed! I also think David knew deep down that this would end badly for Absalom…. 6 So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; 7 Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. ~ America knows all about civil war and the ramifications from our own civil war are still very deep in some parts of the country; it’s always a bad thing, friends. It’s too bad it has come to this in Israel at the time in which we are studying but Absalom has chosen the path and David’s men have no choice but to react. Absalom simply underestimated David’s warfare capabilities and he had no idea of the deadly prowess of the three men that were under David! So, as we read on here, Absalom’s men, having picked the wrong place to fight David, find the topography kills more of them than David’s men killed! I think all David’s men did was to chase them into the forest where they all died…. 8 For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. 9 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. 10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. 11 And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. 12 And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the kings son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. 13 Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. 14 Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. 15 And ten young men that bare Joabs armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. 16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people. 17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the kings dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absaloms place. 19 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies. 20 And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the kings son is dead. 21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. 22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready? 23 But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi. 24 And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone. 25 And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. 26 And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. 27 And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings. 28 And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. 29 And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the kings servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. 30 And the king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still. 31 And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. 32 And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. 33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! ~ Our safari ends today with the rebellion being quashed, Absalom is dead, David is grief stricken and Joab is very happy and content. David wasn’t too interested in the battle – he was only worried about his son! I can just picture poor David sitting in the gate waiting for word to be brought about Absalom. I’m sure David knew the report he would receive! We see many messengers running to David in verse twenty nine; and, friends, there are many messengers running around today telling the human family that all is well when all is NOT well! Others have no stomach to make a correct report just like old man Ahimaaz! Well, make no mistake: my report to YOU is that YOU are sinful and YOU are a complete sinner – just like me! Mankind needs a Savior right now and man needs to know today that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for those sins! That’s the message and very few people truly have the correct message! Again, I think Joab was sick and tired of Absalom and his problematic issues! I DON’T think Joab had a right to do what he did, particularly after being commanded to NOT do what he did; but, I can see Joab’s defense being made that he ended the rebellion! What a tragedy we have all the way around this account! The last verse in this chapter is the most moving statement ever made in the Bible or out of it, friends. There is no greater grief in this world than losing a loved one and knowing you will never see them again. I’m not sure if Absalom was saved and David was not sure, either! Certainly some of us feel like asking the Lord to stop the chastening of David now; personally, I feel like, after this event, David has had enough. The reality is that David deserved death for what happened with Uriah and Bathsheba! Again, this is simply another tragedy that has no good answers down here. This is why it is so crucial that we come to understand the Word of God in THIS life and that we be correctly witnessing for Christ to others! This sad experience of David is our example of what NOT to do! Is YOUR family rooted in a proper, correct and complete Bible study? If not, I suggest you begin that immediately. We’re going to have to leave off here today but in the next leg of our safari we’re going to pick back up right here and see another tremendous spiritual message that the Lord has for us ~
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 03:51:18 +0000
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