365 Reflections

David makes an interesting calculation in his flight from Absalom. While he also waited on the Lord's kindness and grace for his return (see 2 Samuel 15:25-26), he didn't simply let things happen naturally. On his way out of the city, he meets his friend Hushai. 2 Samuel 15:32–33 (ESV) While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. Hushai is broken up about the events in Jerusalem. He's sad for the king and his friend. Notice what David asks him to do: 2 Samuel 15:34 (ESV) But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. Now Ahithophel posed the most trouble for David. Later the text informs us that Ahithophel's adv...

2 Samuel 15:14–16 (ESV) Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. David runs from Absalom's banana republic kingdom. This has to be one of the silliest exiles in the Bible. For what the narrative unpacks for us is how intimidation at the Absalom's taunt is completely unjustified. David's kingdom is strong behind him and deeply loves him. Yet fear has taken hold of his life and he impulsively flees thinking the end has come. The text lists the number of people who flee with David from the foreign lands where David had been so su...

We find in 2 Samuel 15 a step-by-step guide to a political revolution in a nation. Consider the effectiveness of Absalom's plan who turns God's people away from the greatest king they ever had: King David. We should note Absalom is a murderer. For this, he became an exile. Now he's going to work to undercut the nation led by King David. We should also understand that his story points to THE story, OUR story. The church has an enemy - satan himself - a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) - who seeks to mislead and deceive Christians away from their great King, Jesus. 2 Samuel 15:2 (ESV)   And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” First, Absalom's commitment to his cause is firm. The text notes he "rises early." I think we for...

What happens to an undisciplined child? Absalom is a case study: 2 Samuel 14:25 (ESV) Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. We begin to see the character Absalom emerge in several features. First, the text teaches us of his appearance. The words, "there was no blemish in him" are striking particularly for an ancient audience. This was supreme natural beauty. His hair is also mentioned by its weight and also his habit of cutting it every year. Was this a country-wide event? We are drawn in by these details to imagine Absalom as supremely handsome and utterly self-absorbed. I mean, who weighs dead hair? Looks can carry weight for someone in the world. We live in a country enamored by beauty. Often times we let physical beauty mask other deficiencies in a person's character. This is the case for Absalom as the next passage will...

David's family is broken. Amnon is murdered by Absalom who flees from the capital and lives in exile as a result of his vengeful act. Joab, the whiley commander coordinates a plan to get Absalom back home and sends a woman from Tekoa to trick King David into returning his son. 2 Samuel 14:2–3 (ESV) And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 3 Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth. Now the words Joab gives this woman contain a fake parable filled with half-truth relevance to the situation between David and Absalom intended to manipulate the King into returning his estranged son. The plan works and Absalom is restored: 2 Samuel 14:21–22 (ESV) Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 And Joab fe...

David's life begins to spiral downward after the Bathsheba moment. The seeds of these disasters are found in Amnon's lust for and rape of his half-sister Tamar. This produces a vengeful attitude in Absalom and he bides his time for the opportunity to avenge his sister's mistreatment. Absalom waits two years for vengeance. He then calls for the family to gather at his place for a special feast. He invites David and then specifically invites Absalom. 2 Samuel 13:25–27 (ESV) But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. We note here David's reluctant attitude to speak bluntly and authoritatively to his children. This is a problem for David. Firs...

2 Samuel 13:1–2 (ESV) Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. 2 And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. Notice the language of idolatry. Nothing is wrong with beautiful women but Amnon is both tormented and heartsick that he cannot have his beautiful sister. Idolatry is evident when our desires affect our emotions and well-being. That's because idolatry turns something good into something ultimate. It becomes the only thing we can think about. We see that Amnon's desires affected him enough to be noticeable to others.  2 Samuel 13:3-4 (ESV) But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amn...

David has been rebuked strongly by the prophet Nathan. He has also lost a child knowing full well it was the results of his sin. Though he prayed earnestly and continually for the child's life to be spared, the child died. David then does something we can all learn from: 2 Samuel 12:24–25 (ESV) Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD. It's a small moment at the end of a series of far larger moments. But it's an important moment for our understanding of the life of faith. Faith believes God even when we don't get what we want. We have lost the art of waiting on God for His plans to be fulfilled when they conflict with our desires. Most people want to serve the Lord so long as the life they map out goes according to plan. The name Nathan provides for the chil...

2 Samuel 12:1 (ESV) And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. For all the attention we put on David in the Bathsheba episode, we would do well to focus on Nathan for a moment. He confronts David at the height of his power and just after he killed a man trying to cover up his sin. Nathan's confrontation with the king takes serious guts. We need prophets today. We need them like never before. Men who will speak for the Lord without fear or intimidation. Men who do not regard the position of who they are speaking to when it comes to proclaiming the Word of the Lord. It seems this is a lost art. Let's look closer. First, a word about the approach. Nathan does not just come out with, "You committed adultery and murder." No, he beautifully illustrates David's sin with an allegory containing a similar event. The rich man takes the poor man's goat and slaughters it ...