2 Samuel 14: Absalom’s return from a 3 year exile. Maybe a little summary of this chapter will help.

More of the “trouble in David’s house” as predicted by Nathan. Mostly about David’s son Absalom.

2 Samuel 15: Absalom’s conspiracy and David flees Jerusalem. Absalom formed his takeover of the kingdom from David in Hebron. David fled Jerusalem but left the ark in Jerusalem (just the opposite of Eli’s sons taking the ark into battle to get victory). In spite of the Bathsheeba, David is still a man after God’s own heart. Zadok the high priest (through the descendants of Aaron’s son Eleazar) and the Levites actually brought ark out of the temple and were going to bring it with David wherever he fled to, but David them to put in back in the Holy of Holies. David said, 15:25″ If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. ²⁶ But if He should say thus, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” An humble attitude. He sent his counselor Hushai back into Jerusalem to be his spy and to thwart Absalom’s counselor Ahithophel. Here is a great map showing all the action in chapter 15. The final battle between David’s men and Absalom’s men will be fought in the forest of Ephraim on the map, which is where Absalom died.

2 Samuel 16 has a few interesting things. 1) Ziba’s lie: When King David fled Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion, Ziba met him with food and supplies. When David asked where Mephibosheth was, Ziba falsely claimed that Mephibosheth stayed behind in Jerusalem, hoping the Israelites would restore his grandfather Saul’s kingdom to him. Believing the lie, David hastily gave Ziba all of Mephibosheth’s land and property. The Truth Revealed (2 Samuel 19:24–30): After the rebellion ended and David returned to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth came to meet him. He showed signs of deep mourning and explained that Ziba had deceived him and left him behind because he was lame and could not saddle a donkey himself. David’s Final Judgment: Realizing he had acted too quickly, David modified his ruling and commanded that Mephibosheth and Ziba divide the land. However, Mephibosheth told the king that Ziba could keep all of it, expressing that he was simply overjoyed that David had returned home safely. Mephibosheth had the same humble qualities that his father Jonathon had. 2) Shimei curses David. Shimei was a descendant of Saul’s clan. As David fled Jerusalem, Shimei cursed David and through rocks at him. Joab’s brother Abishai wanted to kill Shimei but David would not let him. David’s attitude is humble again. He said, “If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’ Let him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” David will not seek vengeance of Shimei. David made mistakes, but again we see a “man after God’s own heart”. He is willing to put his fate in the hands of God. How do you react when people say bad things about you or attack you personally? I had that experience with one particular person for several years. I think I might have just tried to handle in my own way instead of just turning it over to the Lord. Later, after Absalom is killed and as David is returning to Jerusalem, Shimei begs forgiveness of David. David swore to him not to kill him at that time, but on David’s deathbed he left the fate of Shimei with Solomon. . Solomon placed Shimei under house arrest in Jerusalem, warning him that he would be executed if he ever crossed the Kidron Valley. Three years later, Shimei left to retrieve runaway servants, violated the pact, and Solomon had him put to death. God took care of the vengeance on Shimei. “Vengeance belongs to the Lord.” 3) Absalom entered Jerusalem. Absalom then went in to (had sex with) the 10 concubines that David left to take care of his palace. He did that on the roof so that all Israel could see his spite for his father. Absalom had so much hatred in his heart. He hated (and killed) Amnon for raping his sister Tamar. He probably hated David for not doing anything about the rape of his sister. He probably hated David for sending him into exile for 3 years. He hated his own father David so much that he tried to kill him and take over his kingdom. David wasn’t a perfect father, but how could a son hate his own father so much? Proverbs 23:22 explicitly states: “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old”. Despising means holding someone as insignificant, showing contempt, or belittling them. Proverbs 30:17 warns of severe shame for those who mock their father or scorn obedience to their mother: “The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures.” Proverbs 15:20 notes that “a wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”

2 Samuel 17: Hushai’s counsel. David’s spy counselor Hushai contradicted the counsel of Ahithophel which was to flee David immediately before he crossed the Jordan. Hushai advised Absalom to delay and gather more men. Hushai’s counsel allowed David to flee safely over the Jordan overnight. Ahithophel committed suicide after his counsel was rejected. David is apparently frustrated, maybe even afraid of Joab, and makes Amasa his commander of his forces instead of Joab. It is noted that Barzillai brought supplies and food to David at Mahanaim (where Jacob saw the camp of angels). David had his personal household, royal officials, and 600 men so there was a great need for food. After Absalom is killed, King David rewarded Barzillai the Gileadite by offering him a permanent place at the royal court in Jerusalem, and later, by extending royal favor to Barzillai’s family. Barzillai declined the personal invitation due to his advanced age, poor health, and desire to die in his hometown near his parents’ graves. David, on his deathbed, told Solomon to Before his death, King David instructed his son and successor, Solomon, to continue showing loyalty to Barzillai’s family by allowing Barzillai’s sons to eat continually at the king’s table.

2 Samuel 18: The death of Absalom. 18:1 indicates that many more men loyal to David had come to him at Mahanaim. He now has an army of thousands, and not just the 600 Ittitite warriors who fled Jerusalem with him. He divides his army with 3 commanders: Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, but they advise David to remain behind in safety since he was the king. ⁵ The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” The final battle between David’s men and Absalom’s men takes place in the forest of Ephraim (locate that again on the map above). David’s army killed 20,000 of Absalom’s men and Absalom fled on his mule. Do you remember that Absalom was very handsome and had long hair that he only cut once per year? As he was fleeing, that hair got caught in a tree and he was left hanging from the tree by his hair. Ouch! Joab defied David’s instructions about not killing Absalaom and thrust 3 spears into the heart of Absalom as he was hanging from the tree. David has lost control of Joab but is probably afraid of him and is struck with him as one of his commanders even though he replaced him with Abishai. When the runners came to David with news of the death of Absalom, ³³ The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” “King David loved Absalom with a deep, unconditional paternal bond, driven by natural parental affection, guilt over his own parenting failures, and the charismatic beauty of his son. (The Vineyard Camp, Medium, Wikipedia) Perhaps you have seen some father show this kind of love to a son even though the son despised his father and did many things to hurt his father. I know of one such thing just recently as the rebellious son didn’t even come to the funeral of his father but his father was still expressing his love for that son in the years before he died. Not that a father doesn’t love his daughters, but there is just something special about a father’s love for his sons.