After David escaped Absalom’s army, he finds rest with allies and regroups. David divides the people that are with him under three leaders: Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. This information reveals a couple of insights: one is that David was able to attract a large amount of people to his side in the wake of Absalom’s takeover. The second is that his battle savvy is still alive and well as the divisions would have given him more flexibility in taking the fight to Absalom.
David wants to join the people as they go out to battle with Absalom’s forces but the people will not allow this as they fear for his safety. So David listens to them and remains but he does provide the following instruction, showing that despite all of the conflict and betrayal, he still loves his son: “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.”
The battle between David’s amassed forces and Absalom’s “Israel” begins and takes place within the woods of Ephraim. David’s strategy to thin out Absalom’s forces across the wilderness is a successful one as Israel is defeated. Many fall prey to natural obstacles in the unfamiliar terrain. Throughout the course of the battle, Absalom gets caught in a tree and is stranded there for a time. During this period, a man with David’s army found him there and reported it to Joab. When Joab comes to know about Absalom’s vulnerability, he questions why the messenger did not kill Absalom, to which the faithful messenger replies in verses 12 and 13:
“Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son. For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!’ Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me.”
This messenger’s wisdom and integrity are admirable, especially as he seems to assume that Joab would have felt the same way if he were to have discovered Absalom. But this was not the case. We should remember Joab’s character from II Samuel 3:22-30, where he killed Abner, who had recently killed Joab’s brother Asahel. Killing Abner was not something that David had ordered Joab to do, but Joab did it out of vengeance and because he believed it to be right. Joab’s loyalty was in the right place, but his actions betray an unwise and self-righteous will. Joab’s will supersedes the will of the king, both in II Samuel 3 and in this chapter. In the same way does Joab kill Absalom, thinking it best and right, but in so doing he goes against the will of the king. Absalom’s body is put in a pit where a heap of stones is laid over him. His “monument” is a sad pillar that he leaves behind, testifying that he had no sons.
When it is time for David to be notified of Absalom’s death, Joab stops Ahimaaz from running to deliver the news and has a Cushite go instead. But after the Cushite leaves, Ahimaaz asked Joab if he could also run to give the news (even though he has no news to deliver as the Cushite is the one delivering the news). Joab allows it and Ahimaaz actually outruns the Cushite. This is consequential because when David sees Ahimaaz coming to bring news, it brings him relief that all was well with Absalom. This was likely a motivator for Ahimaaz to run quickly and deliver the news first because he did not want to see David aggrieved at the death of his son. When Ahimaaz delivers the news, he does so without mentioning that Absalom has died. But then the Cushite arrives, David seeks his news as well. The Cushite does reveal to David that Absalom has died in verse 32:
“And the king said to the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” So the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!”
Naturally this affects David greatly. He weeps and laments that he would have died rather than Absalom.
What are some lessons that we can learn from this chapter?
- Honor the King.
- The unnamed messenger honored David’s wishes concerning having mercy on Absalom and assumed that Joab would as well. Even though Joab took matters into his own hands, the messenger gave Joab an opportunity to think twice and do the right thing. The fact that Joab ignored the opportunity is something that Joab will ultimately pay for in time. Standing up for what is right is its own reward. Although it can go unrecognized, God sees it, and God rewards it.
- Loyalty can be misguided, especially when one is overzealous, hotheaded, or does not consider the mind of the one to whom they are loyal.
- Look at Joab. He had the best of intentions, but they went too far when he went beyond the wishes expressed by David. There is a great lesson here for us in our relationship with God. Do we take vengeance, when God tells us that it is His to take? Or do we follow His instructions and guidance even when it is not what we want to do or not what we feel should be done? What we want and what we feel can and will very often impede us from fulfilling God’s will.
- Adulterating the truth will backfire
- Ahimaaz, even though he had the best of intentions and even though he put up great effort, still failed in his attempt to protect David from the news of Absalom’s death. Some news, although seemingly impossible to deliver, is better to be delivered in all honesty and truth. It should be done with sensitivity and compassion to the situation, but should not be altered because eventually, all truth has a way of coming out.
Monday Night Bible Study 