2 SAMUEL 18

Dr S. Lewis Johnson writes: After his great sin, David’s life, as we’ve been suggesting, has gone down hill.  There is no question about he covenantal promises.  David is still the anointed king.  God has not withdrawn from him his favored place as Israel’s covenanted king.  But disciplinary judgment has begun to take hold of his life, and it’s rather sad to think of a man now in his seventies having to suffer the disciplinary judgment that David does, after having been such a fruitful young man and also a man of middle ages.  But now, as Nathan had warned him after his adultery, “The sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised Me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” 

18.1 And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

18.2 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, Joab's 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.

·      It is inevitable, but now it is obvious that David cannot run any more; he will have to fight the army of his own son. David divides his army into three divisions.

·      I will surely go forth with you-David knew that the commander belonged out in the battle. It would seem that he didn't want to repeat his mistake of not going to battle before when he should have (2 Samuel 11:1).

·      It is a wonderful thing when we learn from our past mistakes those precious lessons from The Lord that help us grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him.

18.3 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 succour us out of the city.

·      You shall not go out. David desired to lead his men into the battle; however, David’s men believe that the success or failure of the rebellion depends on whether Absalom can kill David, an opinion that was also expressed by Ahithophel.

·      David here is modeling a very important ingredient in good leadership for us by listening to the wise advice of the people around him.

18.4 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.

·      The Jewish historian Josephus writes that it amounted only to four thousand men.

18.5 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.

·      David here orders his troops to deal gently with his son Absalom. It is worth noting here that David refers to Absalom as the young man (cp. Vs. 12).

·      It is not until Absalom is killed that he refers to him as my son.

18.6 So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim;

·      The wood of Ephraim. A dense forest existed east of the Jordan River and north of the Jabbok River in Gilead, where the battle was waged.

·      A commentator by the name of Baldwin suggests that David had "arranged that the battle should take place in this terrain, where the experience and courage of each individual soldier counted more than sheer numbers".

18.7 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.

18.8 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.

·      The wood devoured more than the sword. Many of Absalom’s men were slain in pursuit of David’s men by falling into swamps and pits. The Chaldee, Syriac and Arabic texts indicate that wild beasts in this dense forest devoured these men.

18.9 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.

·      It was common for men of great political stature to ride upon mules in ancient Israel (2 Sam. 13:29, 1 Kings 1:33).

·      Many commentators believe that it was Absalom’s hair that got caught in the bough of a tree. Absalom’s hair was a source of pride. Thus, it was his point of pride that brought him down.

o   Isaiah 2:12 says "For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up-and it shall be brought low."

·      It is worth noting that the Hebrew word translated as "hanging" in verse 9 is found in only one other place in the Torah (Duet.21: 23) where it serves to pronounce the divine curse upon anyone who was hung on a tree.

·      In his book, Legends of the Jews, the author Ginsberg writes, “Absalom one of the few Jews who have no portion in the world to come”.

18.10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

18.11 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 (belt).

·      No doubt Joab believed that the surest way to end the bloody civil war was to kill Absalom.

·      A military belt was the chief ornament of a soldier in ancient Israel. You recall back in 1 Samuel 18:4, that Jonathan had given David his own belt as a symbol of his loyalty, honor and friendship.

·      What we have here beloved is a confrontation between a man of principle and a man of rebellious expediency. 

18.12 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 king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.

18.13 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.

·      This guy was no fool. He not only recognized that David would put him to death for doing this deed, but Joab would not stand up for him. They all knew the kings commands regarding this situation.

18.14 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.

18.15 And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.

·      Joab was a great military leader, but he also was a lose cannon. He defied the orders of David, and at the end of the day, he did what he wanted when he wanted.

·      This is true within the church as well. There are many gifted man and women who are loose canons who circumvent the God ordained order within a congregation and do whatever they want to do it, whenever they want to do it, no matter who they have to kill along the way. 

18.16 And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people.

·      Joab blew the trumpet because Absalom, the leader of the insurrection was dead and thus the battle was in effect over. By blowing the trumpet, Joab officially ends the war and calls the people together.

18.17 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.

·      NTSK- This was the ancient method of burying, whether heroes or traitors; the heap of stones being designed to perpetuate the memory of the event, whether good or bad. The Arabs in general make use of no other monument than a heap of stones over a grave.

·      A very great heap of stones. Absalom was buried in a deep pit that was covered over with stones, perhaps symbolic of stoning, which was the legal penalty due to a rebel son (Deut. 21:20–21). A heap of stones often showed that the one buried was a criminal or enemy (Josh. 7:26 8:29).

·      It should also be noted that the location of Absaloms burial would have caused him to be excluded from the Promised Land, since the burial site was east of the Jordan River.

·      Cast him into a great pit.Absalom ends up in a pit. And whenever you or I attempt to rebel or manipulate, whenever we seek our own kingdom rather than the kingdom of God, the result will always be the same. We’ll always end up in a pit. Jon Courson

18.18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's 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, Absalom's place.

·      Now there is in Jerusalem today, in the valley of the Kidron down beneath what they call the pinnacle of the temple which is the corner of the mount that Herod built for the temple in his day, there was down there at the bottom of the Kidron, a sort of a burial place, a pillar, a monument, that is called "Absalom's Tower."

·      Another interesting thought here is that in Deuteronomy 21:18–21, we read that rebellious sons were to be stoned to death. After Absalom was thrown into a pit, stones were thrown upon him, a fulfillment of the regulation given in Deuteronomy.

·      One of the characteristics of the last days is that our children shall be disobedient to their parents.  Absalom surely illustrates the importance of teaching our young people, our children, their duty of obedience to their parents.  While it is true that our children can choose to disobey God and walk after the flesh in spite of their parents instruction, it is all too sad to see the number of Christian parents who are outsourcing the development of their children’s spiritual growth to the church. The consequences of Absalom’s disobedience are very plain, as is the consequences of millions of young people today. To bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is the greatest of the commands that God has put upon us as his believing children. And while it is true that the church should provide sound bible instruction for our young sons and daughters, it is wrong for parents to place the burden of their spiritual growth upon the church.

·      According to 2 Sam. 14:27, Absalom had three sons, unnamed in the text, all of whom had died before him. We can only speculate that they died at an early age and the monument that was set-up was to keep the name alive since he had no son's to do that.

18.19 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.

18.20 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 king's son is dead.

·      Apparently Joab wants to protect Ahimaaz, son of Zadok the priest, from having to deliver the bad news to David.

18.21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.

·      The name Cushi indicates that he was an Ethiopian. Joab also likely remembers the reaction of David when he received news of Saul's death (2 Sam. 1:11-15), and remembered that it could be a dangerous call. Therefore Joab rather chooses an unnamed Cushite (a man from Ethiopia) to run with the news.

18.22 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?

18.23 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.

18.24 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.

18.25 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.

18.26 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.

·      If you saw one or two guys running from the battle, you could pretty safely guess that good news was coming. But if you saw a whole group of guys running from the battle, you were in for trouble because they were in retreat.

18.27 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.

18.28 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.

18.29 And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.

18.30 And the king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.

18.31 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.

18.32 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.

·      Notice that when each of the two messengers approach David, they indicate to him that they have good news for him. David does not ask about the outcome of the battle, but only about the well-being of his son, Absalom. Good news for David would be that Absalom is still alive. Good news for every other man involved in the war with Absalom and his men that day would be that his army has been defeated, and the trouble-maker has been removed.

·      “Our children may plunge into the worst of sins, but they are our children still. They may scoff at our God; they may tear our heart to pieces with their wickedness; we cannot take complacency in them, but at the same time we cannot unchild them, nor erase their image from our hearts.” (Spurgeon)

·      There is an interesting parable here in the accounts of these two runners that relates to the ministry of God’s Word. Saints, it is not enough to be willing to run. You must be willing to bring the entire message. If you want to be the guy that only brings the good news, then you will be told to "turn aside and stand here." You must be willing to present the entire message if you want to be effective, a successful runner that is rewarded.

·      I have met many people in ministry that want the popularity of standing before the people week after week. They want to bring the good news so that people will be happy and refreshed. But that is only half of the message. If you want to bring the good news of a Savior, you must be willing to bring the bad news of sin. If you want to preach the good news of heaven, you must be willing to teach the bad news of hell. Ron Daniels

18.33 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!

·      No doubt David was much moved, or deeply grieved because he realizes that the violent, untimely deaths of both of his sons, Amnon and now Absalom, had been the result of his sin (12:10).

·      There may be pleasure in his sexual sin with Bathsheba or a season, but the cost of that sin far exceeded the price that David paid for it.

·      Would God I had died for thee. David wanted to die in the place of his rebellious son. What David could not do, God the Son did by dying in the place of rebellious sinners. If you are here tonight and you’ve never believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, we remind you again of what Christ has done for sinners; that we are sinners and we need him.  Flee to Him that you too may be safe in Christ.