The Foolishness of Fear
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 successful and took many captives.
2 Samuel 15:18 (ESV) And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
Did you see 600 Gittites are mentioned? That's a HUGE number of people from Gath - Goliath's hometown where David also fled during his exile from Saul. These men were not just with David, they were with him, heart and soul. These are the men who followed David as he sneakily fought battles for the Lord under the guise of Philistine efforts.
The text points out a certain member of the Gittites named Ittai.
2 Samuel 15:19–20 (ESV) Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.”
Ittai is a NEW member of David's group, having just arrived the day before Absalom's rebellion. Evidently, the King's army is growing every day with loyal, devoted fighters. This man who just arrived is SO thrilled to be in David's company he is willing to run with David even on his second day of service.
2 Samuel 15:21 (ESV) But Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.”
The text is begging us to see that David is strong. He shouldn't be running, but he is.
This is the response of David but it is not the response of Christ. Christ came to overthrow the rebellion of our true Absalom - Satan. Christ was God from the beginning, the Word who formed the heavens. He came right into the teeth of the enemy and took the keys of death and hell. He reigns supreme and rules over the whole earth.
David's faith is on display in this passage, however. Notice his statement to Zadok when he tells them to return and bring the ark back:
2 Samuel 15:25 (ESV) Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
His faith is in the favor of the Lord. David knows that even if he is weak in this moment, the Lord's grace can bring him back. It's a simple declaration that David's life is not his own. The Lord has charge over him.
In this passage, David joins us in trusting the Lord's favor to be stronger than our own foolishness and fear. The great king is not without frailty and we are the same. The good news is Jesus not only fearlessly defeated our enemy, But He also reaches out to us to hand us the victory He won.
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 successful and took many captives.
2 Samuel 15:18 (ESV) And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
The text points out a certain member of the Gittites named Ittai.
2 Samuel 15:19–20 (ESV) Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.”
Ittai is a NEW member of David's group, having just arrived the day before Absalom's rebellion. Evidently, the King's army is growing every day with loyal, devoted fighters. This man who just arrived is SO thrilled to be in David's company he is willing to run with David even on his second day of service.
2 Samuel 15:21 (ESV) But Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.”
The text is begging us to see that David is strong. He shouldn't be running, but he is.
This is the response of David but it is not the response of Christ. Christ came to overthrow the rebellion of our true Absalom - Satan. Christ was God from the beginning, the Word who formed the heavens. He came right into the teeth of the enemy and took the keys of death and hell. He reigns supreme and rules over the whole earth.
David's faith is on display in this passage, however. Notice his statement to Zadok when he tells them to return and bring the ark back:
2 Samuel 15:25 (ESV) Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
His faith is in the favor of the Lord. David knows that even if he is weak in this moment, the Lord's grace can bring him back. It's a simple declaration that David's life is not his own. The Lord has charge over him.
In this passage, David joins us in trusting the Lord's favor to be stronger than our own foolishness and fear. The great king is not without frailty and we are the same. The good news is Jesus not only fearlessly defeated our enemy, But He also reaches out to us to hand us the victory He won.
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