“And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.” (2 Samuel 15:30)
Introduction
Absalom has moved the leaders of Israel onto his side in a rebellion against his father King David. Absalom is not just intending on replacing King David, but in his greed he is replacing God. We see this in our everyday life. Absalom is leading otherwise God fearing people into a Satan filled existence. If we remember the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, beautiful and full of soothing words, we recognize how destructive that path becomes.
Interested Parties
What begins as King David versus his son Absalom quickly changes into a multiple faceted problem. It is no longer a battle for Kingship, but individual battles for a piece of the pie.
This rebellion leads the elders of each tribe into the battle for self-preservation and away from the followership, worship, and listening to God. The elders of the tribes are supposed to be shepherds of the flock, instead they become wolves.
The Absalom Faction
Absalom does not have to entice every person in Israel. He only needs to entice specific people to follow him. From there his words will flow like honey into their ears. But with honey, comes poison.
In Order of appearance.
David, King of Israel: Yes, David is the first member of Absalom’s faction. Through disobeying God’s commandments by sleeping with and taking his friend’s wife as his own wife; God makes the consequence clear.
“11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” (2 Samuel 12:11-12)
Although Absalom is about to revolt against David, it was David that made Absalom’s revolt possible.
Amnon, King David’s oldest son: Amnon was not interested in Kingship, he was interested only in his own lusts. Amnon’s lusts targeted his sister Tamar. He raped his sister and everyone knew he was guilty. Absalom used this as a means to have his brother killed. Absalom didn’t personally cause his death, Absalom had ordered his servants to kill Amnon. The same way David did not personally kill Uriah, his friend. David had his general Joab make sure that Uriah died. By calling his brothers to watch the death of Amnon, Absalom sends a strong message that he will do the same to them.
Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur: Talmai is Absalom’s Grand-Father on his mother’s side. Absalom lived for three years with his Grand-Father, who is a pagan.
Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s Counselor: The court of a king always has its enemies. David had counted Ahithophel as a friend at one time. Ahithophel had a mind for politics and the means to use it for his own desires. As David put it “But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.” (Psalms 55:13) and “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalms 41:9) Ahithophel is a crucial supporter of Absalom.
King David’s Faction
King David is not alone in Israel. Those who were following David before Absalom’s rebellion are still willing to follow David. This includes Jews and Gentiles.
Stay tuned…
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