Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 15:1

And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

Ch. 2Sa 15:1-6. Absalom ingratiates himself with the people

1. And it came to pass after this ] To recall Absalom without granting him a full pardon was ill-judged: to readmit him to favour, after he had been irritated by two years of exclusion, without the slightest sign of repentance on his part, was fatal. The natural consequences of such treatment are recorded in the following chapters [100] .

[100] Dryden has made use of the events of this period as the basis of his political poem on the court of Charles II., entitled “Absalom and Achithophel,” in which Absalom represents the Duke of Monmouth, and Achithophel his evil adviser Shaftesbury.

chariots and horses, &c.] A chariot and horses. Absalom imitated the magnificence of foreign monarchs, in order to make an impression on the people. Cp. Adonijah’s practice (1Ki 1:5), and see 1Sa 8:11.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

And it came to pass … – The working out of Nathans prophecy (marginal reference) is the clue to the course of the narrative. How long after Absaloms return these events occurred we are not told.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

2Sa 15:1-37

Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

Absalom; or, the fast young man

The Bible resembles a portrait gallery adorned with the faces of remarkable historic men, where every variety of feature and every type of character may be found. An imaginative person, visiting such a gallery, and gazing at the silent faces which look down upon him from the walls, until lost in the thoughts and reflections awakened by them, may fancy at length that they are alive. As we study the characters of the people there portrayed, we recognise in them permanent, types of different classes. As such they live again to us. We have known such persons; they have lived in our time; they have acted anew the parts, and displayed the qualities which of old distinguished or disgraced them. They reappear in every age. It is this typical character of the Bible that gives such value to this ancient book. In reading it, we forget that it is an old book. It seems a new book, from exhibiting the latest phases of human conduct, from setting before us moral qualities and actions which we recognise as familiar, and, connecting with them timely lessons for our instruction and warning. Such reflections are awakened by the perusal of the story of Absalom. It is a typical story, and he was a typical character and representative of what is called the fast young man.

I. It teaches the vanity of personal beauty and outward show apart from moral worth. In the pictures of Hogarth, and other painters of society, we find that such superior beauty is the common heritage of the fast young man. It has been called a fatal dower. It is so regarded because it is apt to make the possessor the petted darling of parents and friends, and liable to be spoiled by the thoughtless admiration and flattery lavished upon him. Thus an exaggerated estimate is placed upon mere physical charms. Beauty of face and form is set above the higher excellence of character, whereby vanity and frivolity of mind are engendered, and amiability of disposition and goodness of heart sacrificed. But there is truth in the homely adage that Handsome is who handsome does, and all beauty which is not united with fair doing is only a poor sham.

II. The story of Absalom reveals the type of character that is most dangerous and dreadful. His was not an impulsive nature, hurried away by gusts of passion into sin. There is much allowance to be made for such hot-tempered spirits. The misdemeanours of which they are guilty are not, as a rule so reprehensible as those which are perpetrated by their authors in cold blood. They are more likely than the latter to be only escapades from virtue–exceptions to a course that is ordinarily straightforward and well-meaning. Absaloms wickedness was deliberate and studied. His character is evinced in the way he avenged the outrage done by Amnon to his sister.

III. This fast young man, of desperate type, becomes an intriguing politician. Absalom is the earliest specimen on record, we believe, of a finished demagogue. As we consider the subtle arts by which he courted popularity and wound himself into the favour of men–his attendance at the gate, where the kings judgment seat was, his affability and condescension towards the people who brought causes for adjudication, and his pretended sympathy for their grievances on account of the delay of justice, we seem to have come upon the original model after which the modern opposition candidate has shaped himself It agrees with the character to be forever arraigning those in power for neglect of duty and malfeasance in office, and to promise a complete reformation in case the party of the critic is entrusted with the conduct of affairs. When the outs are in, and the ins are out, all wrong shall be righted, and the millennium will come. So Absalom laboured to make the flattered people believe.

IV. Another aspect in which Absalom appears is that of a wayward, undutiful son. The fast young man causes agonising heartache to his aged father or distressed mother. In the eyes of the Jews, with their traditions of the patriarchal period and its form of government, where the father was both priest and ruler of his household, such a child was a monster of depravity, worthy only of death. Hence the emphasis put upon the fifth commandment, the first commandment with promise; hence the sternness of their legislation with respect to unfilial conduct, and the fearful denunciation their proverbs utter against it. The eye that mocketh at his father, says Agur, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

V. The story of Absalom contains another lesson, without which it would be incomplete, namely, the lesson of sins retribution. It is a striking example of the declaration: As righteousness tendeth to life, so he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his own death. The last act of the tragedy is short and impressive. David and his adherents stayed not in their flight until they found shelter behind the walls of Mahanaim, in the land of Gilead. There opportunity was given to recover from panic, and organise their strength; and thither Absalom and his forces leisurely pursued them. (A. H. Charlton.)

David and Absalom

I. In how many ways men serve themselves in serving others.

1. We may serve ourselves, strengthen our position, advance our temporal interests, when we are truly serving others, But when we are doing them disservice, encouraging them, helping them, to evil, we are our own enemies as well as theirs. We have something higher than temporal interests to think of. Gold is far from everything. In the protest of conscience how the fine gold becomes dim! And when conscience is seared, and the heat dead to all sensibility, at what a cost has anything, how-ever desired by men, been secured.

2. We truly befriend ourselves by unselfishly serving others. And this we can do as we make everything a Divine service. Sometimes we may seem on the vanquished side, like true-hearted Ittai, staunch to David in his flight, but the end will justify us. To be on the side of honesty, truth, purity, is ever at the last to be on the side that wins. So he who forgets himself in doing the things right in the sight of God will be vindicated in the sight of the world as good and faithful servant, as having well done for himself as well as others.

II. In absalom we see how the motive determines the value of conduct. This appears in his bearing towards Amnon. Similarly with Absaloms conduct when seeking to ingratiate himself with the people. The animating motive of what we do should be tested by us. Could we read others as God reads us, could we look at the heart as He does, with what rejection would we meet much that is now welcomed by us! But if we cannot appraise the lives of others by their motives, and if they cannot thus appraise ours, there is One ever thus testing us. There is One who pierces every mask of hypocrisy. There is One who looks through our outward appearance of truth, purity, devotion, and sees whether there is a corresponding inward reality. With Him the motive makes the act.

III. In Absalom we see to what cruel lengths unchecked ambition will lead a man. That was his ruling passion; the explanation, I think, of his long-delayed stroke at Amnon. Ambition goaded Absalom from crime to crime till lie had wrapped the land in the horrors of civil war–of all wars the most prolific in misery–and nerved him to assail a fathers life that he might, over his dead body, step up into the throne. It win not do for us to say that in all this there is no beacon to us. There are many thrones. Some of us, it may be, eager to get into one–to be over others; kings and queens of influence in our little kingdom. There can be ambition in a cottage as well as in a court. There may be wretched envy, the evil eyeing of an imagined rival, the wicked gladness that hears, and that with pretended reluctance retails the disparaging slander; the sty persistence that insinuates itself, or the rough resolution that tramples its way into the petty throne. God save us from such ambition! In His kingdom the thrones are for the lowly.

IV. In David we see the threatened punishment for his sin. Penitent for his great wickedness in the matter of Uriah, his life had been spared, but the sword was not to depart from his house. Sin has broken him, even forgiven sin. A thing to be remembered. He may never have been wisely firm enough in the training of his children. But that feel transgression of his loosened the filial bond that bound his children to obedience, and encouraged them to crimes that laid his kingly head in the dust. Sin finds men out, even godly men. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. He who sows to the flesh, though he be a David, shall of the flesh reap corruption. Well, then, for us to stand in awe and sin not.

V. In the darkness of calamity the better David shines to us. In the bowed, barefooted man weeping his way across the Kedron, and up Olivet, it is a king we see. It is David again. A Divine permission he recognises in all that is befalling him. He has no superstitious trust in the ark–let Zadok and Abiathar carry it back to Jerusalem. In God was his trust. Let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him. So on–one of the most pathetic figures of all history–goes weeping David-on towards the plains of the wilderness. And as he passes out of our sight do you not hear such words as these? Sorrow by sin! Peace by pardon! Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven! Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. (G. J. Coster.)

Absalom: a study

Untrained, except in self-admiration and self-indulgence, imperious, ambitious, quick to take offence and slow to forgive, hot with the riot of youthful blood, the young man–so fathered, so mothered, so brought up–is suddenly flung upon the world, and exposed to the temptations of a court in which the Uriah and Bathsheba scandal is being discussed in all its forms and incidents. And the first grave adventure he meets in it is the intolerable wrong and shame inflicted on his beautiful sister by the heir to the throne! Will not the king avenge so dreadful a crime? No; David is very wroth with Amnon, but does not care to vex his spirit, because he is his first-born. By all Eastern as well as by Hebrew law, then, public justice having failed, Absalom is the goel, the avenger of his sister; it is no crime, bug a duty, to wipe out her shame with blood. But as David will not vex the spirit of Amnon, his son–and there is a world of weak unfatherliness in that fatherly phrase–so neither will he suffer it to be vexed. Hence Absalom is left to brood over the wrong in silence for a couple of years, till, by a treacherous ruse, he makes way for his revenge, and Amnon is stabbed as he sits at his brothers table and drinks his brothers wine. We blame the deed, and, above all, the manner of the deed: but can we very severely blame the man? Not if we remember what the wrong was which he avenged, and how the world has always allowed a certain latitude to the avenger of such wrongs. Not if we remember that the justice, which the king ought to have been forward to execute, had been deliberately refused, and how imperative were the duties imposed on the goel both by Eastern custom and Hebrew law. Amnon was his half-brother, indeed–a thought which might well have given him pause; but have we yet to learn that brothers born in the harem are born enemies, rivals from the first to the last? And it was not Absaloms fault that harem manners and jealousies had been introduced into Israel. If beauty is a gift, beauty is also a snare. To few has the gift been so largely accorded as to Absalom; to few has it proved a snare so deadly. In him the personal comeliness and vigour of Jesses line seems to have culminated. Of Absalom we are told simply that his beauty was without blemish and beyond compare; but it seems probable that it may have been of that rare type in the Hebrew race which stirs even them to an unwonted admiration. It may have been because of his rare and superb beauty that, while still a child, he was celled Absalom, father of peace, though he proved to be a father of strife rather than of peace; for it may not unnaturally have been thought that a child so exceptionally lovely would kindle smiles and win a kindly welcome wherever he went. It adds the last touch to our conception of his beauty if we note that it sprang from the most vigorous physical health, as his magnificent fell of hair indicates. For, then, we can only think of him as quick with life and energy, and accomplished in all the exercises of peace and of war. Now if we think of this young prince with his hereditary bias, his defective training, never taught to rule or deny himself, coming out into a lax world–tall, graceful, strong, his blue eyes swimming in light, his fair locks failing thickly on his broad shoulders–we shall understand that his very beauty may have been a fatal gift to him. Met with smiles, welcome, and an easy compliance with his whims and desires, on every hand, hardly any one saying No to him, he never saying No to himself, what wonder if he became wilful, bold, insolent? What wonder if, his will once thwarted, he should kindle into a blaze; or, If he hid his fire, he should nurse and feed it till it found vent, and swept him beyond all bounds of law and duty? Is it not plain that position, training, temperament, habits, gifts, even the gift of beauty, all worked together to make him self-willed, capricious, restless, imperious, and, if crossed, violent and revengeful? Even in the brief space he occupies in the Sacred Record, we have many proofs that there was something reckless and desperate in the man, that he was apt to throw the reins on the neck of his lusts, and let them carry him where they would. That David and his men had some such suspicion of him, that they held him to be at least capable of an excessive and criminal violence in order to serve his ends, is proved by the fact that whoa an exaggerated report, of Amnons assassination reached them, when they were told, Absalom hath slain all the kings sons, there is not one of them left, they found nothing incredible in the horrible rumour, but rent their clothes and cast themselves on the earth, and wept for the goodly young men cut off in their prime (2Sa 13:30-31.) If the tale were not true, it was only too likely to have been true. A touch of the same recklessness and desperation comes out in the manner in which he jogged the drowsy memory of Joab (2Sa 14:23.) It was by the intervention of Joab that Absalom was called back to Jerusalem from his three years banishment in Syria. It was on Joabs intercession that he relied for an entire reconciliation with the king, who for two years after his return, refused to see his face. Joab may have been doing his best, or he may not. In any case he did not move fast enough for the imperious prince. He sends for Joab, therefore; but, Joab having no good tidings to give him, will not come. He sends a second time, and still Joab will not come. Whereupon he sends servants into Joabs farm to fire his standing barley, and so compels the old warrior to wait upon him, and to listen to his complaint that he would rather die than continue to live such a life as his. But, of course, it, was in his long-planned and artfully prepared rebellion against his father and king that all that was vehement, self-willed, unrestrained in the man found full vent. With Absaloms tragic end the bolt of retribution flew right home. And yet the pity of it! For, had Absalom been reared as hardily and piously as David was, in the home and on the hills of Bethlehem; had he been snubbed, laughed at, kept down, as David was, by a band of tall, stalwart brothers; had he, like David, been tried by stroke on stroke of adversity and undeserved reproach through all the opening years of manhood, there seems little reason to doubt that he might have been no worse a man morally than his father was; or, at least, no room to doubt that, by such a severe and pious training in duty and obedience, he might have been saved from the crimes by which his life was stained, and from the shame by which his memory is oppressed. In him, too, the spiritual man might have conquered the natural man at the last, and stilled and controlled the fever of his blood. As it is, we can but use his name to point a moral, for we can hardly add and to adorn a tale. And that moral is, of course, the immense danger of suffering the animal man in us to overget the spiritual man. The bias of our blood and temperament may not jump with his; our training may have been better than his; our faults, our passions, our gifts, may not resemble his; and certainly we arc not, most of us tempted to an indolent self-indulgence and self-will by a splendour of personal beauty and charm which makes it hard for any one to resist us. And yet no one who knows himself will doubt that the brute is strong in him; that he, too, has inherited cravings, passions, lusts, which must be subdued if he is to be saved from sins as fatal, if not as flagrant, as those of Absalom. And the flesh is not to be subdued and starved in any of us save as we feed and cherish the spirit. We can only overcome evil as we follow after that which is good. But if we seek to subdue the flesh by nourishing the spirit, whether in ourselves or in our children, He who makes large allowance for us all will largely and effectively help us all. (S. Cox, D. D.)

Absaloms rebellion

The monument to Absalom in the valley of the Kidron is buried deep in stones, cast against it by the Jews, as through generations they have passed, in token of their execration of this unatural prince–the counterpart, in the Old Testament, of Judas in the New. These stones are the true monument of Absalom. Let us add our tribute to make it a prominent and permanent landmark in religious history. This instructive example is held up before us in great detail. It is a warning, especially to young men. The methods by which it was secured are carefully stated. The instance is particular; but the application is as general as mankind.

I. Absalom perverted his natural advantages. He was a gifted and handsome young man; he came of a well-favoured stock, and he was its flower. He had a fine head of hair; he paid strict attention to it. It became a matter of national interest when Absalom cut his hair. He had a sheep-farm. We do not know the particulars of his clip of wool; but the weight of his annual poll of hair is carefully noted as two hundred shekels, or more than three pounds. The hair of Absalom represents all natural advantages. For personal gifts play an important part in securing success in this world.

II. Absalom had a perverse energy of character. He had persistency of purpose in a high degree–a masterful trait. He was calculating and deep. He was a tenacious man. Many men of fine powers fail through want of tenacity. The good man in the famous ode of Horace was tenacious of his purpose. So our bad man, Absalom, did not fail here. When Amnon wronged his sister Tamar he concealed his resentment for two years. He bided his time. When he determined to undermine Davids throne he showed a like steadfastness of resolution. He rose promptly in the morning. David rose early to pray; Absalom rose early to plot. This course of patient, insidious plotting Absalom continued for months, perhaps for years, until he was known throughout the kingdom as the poor mans friend.

III. Absalom perverted the study of human nature. He studied the weaknesses of men. This is called by men of his base aims the study of men. The vices and the foibles are noted; the theory being that for one who would play effectively on this fine instrument what is especially necessary is a Wagnerian mastery of discords. The adventurer, the opposition politician, the quack doctor, the fortune-seeker, give themselves to men have succeeded as Absalom succeeded–in politics, in professional life, in Absaloms study of human weakness. Upon this knowledge their success depends.

IV. Absalom had unlimited and perverted self-assurance. With all his shrewdness in measuring others, he had no proper sense of his own weaknesses. To scrutinise the weaknesses of others he closed, so to speak, one eye–that one whose outlook was upon his own heart. Exaggerated self-confidence is typical of this class of men. To the ordinary man with his misgiving and fear of himself it is surprising, dazzling. His own modesty prepares him to yield to the most audacious and preposterous claims of another. Perhaps the wonderful physician can work a cure of the incurable. He says he can. And what hair he hast Perhaps the politician can redress the evils of society which have baffled the wisest statesmen. He says he can. He is a remarkable-looking man. Perhaps one can be safely given a place of trust, though it would seem as if he can have had no experience to fit him for its delicate duties. He says he is competent. There is a degree, and, it is an amazing degree oftentimes, to which men will give confidence to bare pretension. Absaloms pretension was most shrewdly calculated.

V. Absalom Perverted The Choice Of Counsellors. He chose sagacious, but evil advisers; masterly, but unprincipled. Ahithophel was the oddest statesman in the nation. Absalom improved the opportunity. He sent for Ahithophel. The bad old man came to him–a man after his own heart. We must recognise the dangerous wisdom of the councils of this world. This wisdom is necessary to worldly success. If one heeds it, he greatly increases his prospects of accomplishing all worldly aims.

VI. Absalom perverted the use of religion. It has been suggested here that when David rose early to pray he and Absalom may have met. It may be that the crafty prince first shared his fathers devotions on the way to the gate. He saw the hold which religion had upon David and upon the nation. It would not answer for him to have the reputation of being irreligious; he must guard his religious standing. He made a religious excuse for visiting Hebron. It was a natural one. He had made a vow, he explained, while he was in Geshur in exile for the murder of Amnon. It was a nicely-calculated excuse. David believed in vows. He would look upon the handsome prince with heightened tenderness, touched by his manifest sensibility. Religion, in all times, is one of the readiest and most serviceable of cloaks. It especially serves the purposes of one who would win success in a religious community. Thus Satan comes among us disguised as an angel of light.

VII. Absalom studiously secured the support of good men, with the same steady perseverance. He valued them. They could help him. He wanted the approval of such men at large in the nation. He despised them. He wanted them only as tools. But he knew the value to his cause of having men of character associated with his followers. The rebellion triumphed without a blow. It war one of the best considered and most brilliant enterprises in history. Absalom seemed to be repaid for all his self-denial, his unsavoury wiles, his clever hypocrisy, his long patience. He had reached his goal. He was king. Many society. You may be tempted to cherish the low aim. But look at Absalom at the goal of his hopes, in tile full flush of success! Even then who would take his place? What had he accomplished but the fatal perversion of a life capable of greatest things. Look into his heart, and try to conceive the thoughts which must have been there in the very exaltation of his triumph. Then look again upon that sombre background, the forest of Ephraim, the figure of a man dripping with blood from many wounds, hanging and swaying in the awful twilight in the terebinth tree, suspended by his beautiful hair. Ah! this, then, is a part of what Absalom was planning–that part of which he was all unconscious, but the inevitable end! Learn from this history how the noblest gifts may be perverted, industriously, painfully, fatally, to secure the false success. How are you using your life? your fine natural advantages? How are you treating the privileges of religion? Who are your chosen counsellors? For what aim of life are you fostering deep, tenacious, self-sacrificing purposes? What a man Absalom might have been with a right aim I What a man you may become if you set your heart on the one end worthy of a Son of God–to be a prince of the kingdom of tight; in love and loyalty and honour, to be one of the pillars of His temple. (Monday, Club Sermons.)

The rebellion of Absalom

I. Absaloms conduct began in the exercise of the basest ingratitude. He assassinated Amnon at a banquet, and then fled to his grandfathers city Geshur for a refuge. There he remained for some years; the popular soldier Joab caused the woman of Tekoa to go to David with a parable and an entreaty; and the king reluctantly permitted his son to return to Jerusalem, but he would not meet him in the palace. That gave Absalom a chance again. And now we have two lessons to learn at once.

1. One is this: what a man sows he must also reap. Davids boys divided up Davids crimes between them, and repeated his guilt there under his own roof. That was an instance of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind. It is wise to remember that harvests are greater than seed.

2. The second lesson is, there is no gain in discipline unless it leaves behind it a better heart. Even after a shipwreck, the old philosopher Seneca remarks, there are hosts who still wilt seek the sea. It is not for any man to say that affliction sanctifies; of itself it sours a heart which is not sanctified beforehand. And he has lost much who has lost a discipline at Gods hand; he has had all the weary pain of it without any of the good; he has had the roughness of the ploughing without any of the fruit from the furrows.

II. This rebellion disclosed itself in the mere show of personal vanity. That is the only significance of such gorgeousness of equipage, and a half a hundred men to run before this conceited creature Absaloms chariot. There is not a sign of patriotism in his course. So here we have another lesson to learn: all true leadership is taught by the discipline of endurance under fierce distress. It was with David as with Jesus Christ; he that is to be a Captain of salvation unto Gods people must consent, as our Divine Saviour consented, to be made perfect through suffering.

III. This outbreak of Absalom was conducted with the hypocrisies of malicious deceit. How plausibly the man talked; how venomous were his insinuations; how false were his kisses; yet thus it was that he won the peoples hearts and undermined his fathers throne. The lesson that comes to us just here is: there can be no dependence on mere personal advantages unless they are put to a serviceable use. The record which is familiar to us all reminds us of the old commendations of Saul in the day when he came out before the people a head and shoulders above any one of those who cried God save the king! We have a kindling picture of Absaloms attractions of person and form. The old honest historian of the Greeks says with a creditable frankness that Themistocles was able to make his insipid son, Cleophantes, a good horseman, but he failed in every particular when he endeavoured to make him a good man. And that same failure has been reached a great many times since.

IV. That this insurrection was relentlessly continued through a long period of time. Not forty years, surely, as one of the verses seem to say; such a chapter can be found neither in Davids nor in Absaloms biography. It is impossible to put the reckoning anywhere. Josephus states the time, with the authority of the Syriac and the Arabic version behind him, as being four years instead of forty. And that is long enough certainly for an ungrateful son to continue mischievously to plot against his father is so villianous a way. There can be no value in a noble lineage unless the position is employed nobly. Absalom had nothing to do with the item of his birth; it would be a credit to him or a shame according to what he should do with it. Honour and wealth from no condition rise. The Bible makes short work with primogeniture; in almost every instance the chieftainship goes away from the sons earliest born. Later history is suggestive. Cleanthes lived by watering gardens; Pythagoras was the child of a silversmith; Euripides was brought up to help his brothers till the fields; Demosthenes was the son of a cutler; Virgils father was a potter. There is no pretension more impertinent than that which is forcing itself forward on the merits of mere parentage and position:

V. That this wild rebellion is consummated at last with a lie in the name of religion. This was at once the meanest and the shrewdest of all Absaloms subterfuges. In order to cover his absence from suspicion, and put David off his guard in Jerusalem, he trumped up this pretext of an old vow. God sometimes leaves wicked people to the retribution of apparent success. Absalom comes to Jerusalem, is actually crowned as king, has a few military victories; then his downfall is swift and heavy; the triumph of traitors is short. In a part of one year is dissipated all the fortune of the four years the treacherous son had plotted against his father. Ahithophel closes his career with a suicide, and ere long the rebellion is ended; David sits in his throne and sings brighter songs even while he mourns in his heart.

VI. We mention a few reflections concerning the death which this rebel prince died.

1. There is a limit beyond which patience, both human and Divine, cannot be expected to go. When the heart of this royal ingrate became fixed in his wickedness, the Lord simply withdrew from all interposition; so he was left to his fate; he died the rebel he had lived. Here is an inspired warning: Some mens sins are Open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

2. When a false leader falls, he drags down his favourites in the failure. The most interesting feature of this story has always been the immediateness with which the rebellion subsided when those darts went through Absaloms heart: What ultimately became of those who had perilled all their fortunes upon his success we are not informed. Their hopes failed; they had attributed many excellences to that young and beautiful prince; possibly they had not studied the future carefully, into the abysses of which they land now plunged. Hereafter they were outlaws and wanderers.

3. There can be no advantage in having a fair chance in life unless one hastens to improve it for the good of others. The fact is, we instinctively hold this man Absalom responsible all the more sternly because he had opportunities so fair and abused them so basely. His sin was the more heinous on account of his conspicuous position.

4. The hour of retribution is likely to be an hour of melancholy review. Confidence in the successful issue of evil purposes only deepens the humiliation of defeat. There is even to this day pointed out in the valley close by Jerusalem a lofty structure of stone called Absaloms Tomb. The Scripture has given us a hint concerning its true origin, but not of its date: Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the kings dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absaloms place. That particular structure is perhaps replaced by this: tradition says it is not a sepulchre, but a monument; and Josephus goes so far as to insist that it was called Absaloms Hand, and bore at its summit a hand as the symbol of power and victory. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

Absaloms rebellion

After domestic broils and the violent death of Amnon in circumstances full of horror and disgrace, and after Absaloms banishment and return, this adroit and unscrupulous man, impelled by his own ambition, and having no idea of co-operation with Deity in the punishment of evil, sets about dethroning his own father and, if possible, possessing himself of the crown. When one thing is radically wrong, other Wrong things follow in the train of it. Like woes, sins cluster. The city-gate was the place for the administration of justice (Rth 4:1), and those who were charged with dispensing it held court early in the day. On the approach to the court an anxious litigant is greeted with frank courtesy by the handsome and stately Absalom, who with the deepest interest inquires about his residence and his business. Won by the affability of such a distinguished and exalted questioner, the man tells his place and his grievance. The hollow courtier has the same story for each. He reaches a verdict without the trouble of a hearing of the case or the appearance of the other side. The man is delighted. He is at rest. And when the simple provincial, in addition to such intelligent sympathy with his wrongs, found himself taken by the hand and kissed by the handsome pretender, he was sure to go back to his own town and say that David had become useless as a king and was neglecting his duties, and that things never would be right until Absalom, who was as wise as he was elegant, filled the throne. Alas, poor human natural It is the same to-day that it was in Davids time. Ambition, as a word, comes from the Roman politicians going about in their canvass for votes, fawning upon and flattering the people. English ladies of rank have gone and coaxed and caressed butchers whom they scorned to secure their votes for their husbands or their proteges. Members of legislatures have kissed the children and hobnobbed with their parents to make reputation among them. Doctors have sat as friends by the bedside of the wealthy, hinted their regrets that more vigorous measures were not adopted and more hopeful views taken by the physicians in attendance, only dropping their smooth generalities when the device succeeded and they were called into consultation, and regard for their reputation compelled them to agree with the rest. It is all in the same line with the policy of the mean, smooth-mannered traitor who (v. 6) stole the hearts of the men of Israel. It took three years to carry out his schemes, make his party and arrange for his being proclaimed. So he made a pretence of going to Hebron, the old capital; which probably resented the loss of its prestige, where friends of his youth probably lived and could be counted upon, and where his father had been crowned. It is not needful to ask if his vow were a reality. He was now at his ease in lying, and could readily supply the details of v. 8. To keep up the show of things, Absalom offered sacrifices, in which all who partook were to be held as pledged to his support. Men of this sort will use religion for their own ends. History since the Reformation has many a sad case of rulers shaping their religious courses so as to secure popular sympathy. Meanwhile, and in order to have him at the banquet, Absalom invites Ahithophel, a man of influence, whose adhesion would carry great weight, as he was Davids counsellor. Absalom probably knew his feelings of discontent and dissatisfaction with David. Absaloms plans now seemed sure to succeed. The conspiracy was strong. He had many friends throughout the tribes. The fascination of his personal approaches, the fair promises he had informally made, the relation he sustained to royalties already–all these things influenced the people, and his following increased continually. Ill-news will commonly travel fast. A messenger–from some friend perhaps–to David announced the extent of the movement, no doubt with details of Absaloms plans as far as they were known or inferred. The afflicted king realised the danger, and at once decided upon flight. There were two good reasons for this: No preparation had been made for the defence of Jerusalem, and an attack on it would have been disastrous in the extreme. But such an assault would have been the natural and politic course of the rebels if David remained there and attempted to hold the city. It was both humane and politic to quit the capital. At the same time, the flight must be prompt and rapid, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us. This suggests the second reason: Flight gave time for the development of events and for calm reflection on the part of the people, This shrewd view was held, it will be noticed, by Ahithophel (2Sa 17:1-2), and also by Hushai the Archite (2Sa 17:7-13). They looked at it simply as managers and political observers. The following points may be emphasised with profit:–

1. The home and the public welfare are inseparably linked. Samuels sons took bribes and proved unfit for continuing the system of judges. Davids family-life was not as it Ought to have been, anal murder, widespread rebellion and slaughter, with indescribable dishonour and disgrace and danger to the kingdom, are the results. The suffering, too, falls on the sinning family first of all.

2. Bad morals on the part of rulers relax the ties of obedience and make government contemptible. The plausibilities of the rebel son drew their force from real faults of Davids administration. We may well pray for just and pure men in places of power.

3. But over and above these natural effects we have the just rule of Jehovah. David in his misery and penitence owns this. There is a difference between him and an enemy of God (2Sa 15:25-26). Hence his language regarding the cursing of Shimei (2Sa 16:11).

4. The life of Absalom speaks to both parents and children, setting in a clear light the weakness, folly, and sin of unreasoning parental indulgence, and on the other hand the atrocious character of ingratitude, selfishness and disobedience on the part of a child. Vices go in groups. They deaden sensibilities; one prepares for another. The impure and lustful will be ready for dishonesty, violence, and unnatural crime. (J. Hall, D. D.)

An ungrateful son

Everyone recognises that ingratitude is a grievous defect in a character. The ingrate is invariably condemned by the opinion of his fellows and by posterity. Who, for example, has not sympathised with poor Beethoven, when at the close of a laborious, self-sacrificing life his heart was broken by the knowledge that the boy to whom he had given all he possessed had repaid his love with cold selfishness and cruelty? There can only be one opinion as to the blameworthiness of the pampered ingrate. Ingratitude is all but universally regarded as one of the worst of faults. (J. R. Campbell.)

A struggle for a crown

A man will venture a knock that is in reach of a crown. The ambitious will run all risks of cruel wounds, and death itself to reach a throne; the prize hardens them against all hazards. Even so will every wise man encounter all difficulties for the crown of life; and when, by faith, he sees it within reach, he will count all afflictions light through which he wades to glory. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Ambition

The brilliant, but erratic, Marie Bashkertsheff, wrote in her diary: It is the New Year. At the theatre, precisely at midnight, watch in hand, I wished nay wish in a single word, Fame! This is frank, but tragic. Yet if men were equally honest with themselves and at New Years breaking, or any time of solemn impression, spoke their candid feelings, one would cry Pleasure, another Gold, another Fame, another Power, and, thank God, not a few would cry To me to live is Christ. Ambition in itself is not evil; all depends on its quality, its supreme aim. Paul had three ambitions, and each of them was noble and worthy of a Christ-purchased and Christ-possessed soul.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

CHAPTER XV

Absalom conspires against his father, and uses various methods

to seduce the people from their allegiance to their king, 14.

Under pretence of paying a vow at Hebron, he obtains leave from

David to go thither; and, by emissaries sent through the land,

prepares the people for revolt, 7-11.

He gains over Ahithophel, David’s counsellor, 12.

David is informed of the general defection of the people; on

which he, and his life-guards and friends, leave the city, and

go towards the wilderness, 13-18.

The steadfast friendship of Ittai, the Gittite, 19-22.

David’s affecting departure from the city, 23.

He sends Zadok and Abiathar with the ark back to Jerusalem,

24-29.

He goes up Mount Olivet; prays that the counsel of Ahithophel

may be turned into foolishness, 30-31.

He desires Hushai to return to Jerusalem, and to send him word

of all that occurs, 32-37.

NOTES ON CHAP. XV

Verse 1. Absalom prepared him chariots and horses] After all that has been said to prove that horses here mean horsemen, I think it most likely that the writer would have us to understand chariots drawn by horses; not by mules or such like cattle.

Fifty men to run before him.] Affecting in every respect the regal state by this establishment. Of this man Calmet collects the following character: “He was a bold, violent, revengeful, haughty, enterprising, magnificent, eloquent, and popular prince; he was also rich, ambitious, and vain of his personal accomplishments: after the death of Amnon, and his reconciliation to his father, he saw no hindrance in his way to the throne. He despised Solomon because of the meanness of his birth, and his tender years. He was himself of the blood royal, not only by his father David, but also by his mother Maacah, daughter to Talmai, king of Geshur: and, doubtless, in his own apprehension, of sufficient age, authority, and wisdom, to sustain the weight of government. There was properly now no competitor in his way: Amnon, David’s first-born, was dead. Of Chileab, his second son by Abigail, we hear nothing; and Absalom was the third: see 2Sa 3:2-5. He, therefore, seemed to stand nearest to the throne; but his sin was, that he sought it during his father’s life, and endeavoured to dethrone him in order to sit in his stead.”

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

As being the kings eldest son, now Amnon was dead; for Chileab, who was his eldest brother, 2Sa 3:3, was either dead, or manifestly incapable of the government. And this course he knew would draw the eyes and minds of people to him, and make them conclude that David intended him for his successor.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

1. Absalom prepared him chariots andhorses, and fifty men to run before himThis was assuming thestate and equipage of a prince. The royal guards, called runners,avant couriers, amounted to fifty (1Ki1:5). The chariot, as the Hebrew indicates, was of a magnificentstyle; and the horses, a novelty among the Hebrew people, onlyintroduced in that age as an appendage of royalty (Psa 32:9;Psa 66:12), formed a splendidretinue, which would make him “the observed of all observers.”

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And it came to pass after this,…. After the reconciliation of David and Absalom, and the latter was admitted to court again:

that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses; to make himself look grand and respectable among the people; perhaps he got these from his grandfather at Geshur in Syria:

and fifty men to run before him; which added to his pomp and magnificence; and such great personages in later time have had; Nero the Roman emperor never went on a journey with less than a thousand calashes or chariots, and a great number of men that ran before him c: and this was tacitly setting himself up for king, at least preparing for it, as Adonijah afterwards did in the same way and manner, 1Ki 1:5.

c Suetonius in Vit. Neron. c. 30. Vid. Senecae, Ep. 87. & 123.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

2Sa 15:1-3

Absalom seeks to secure the people’s favour. – 2Sa 15:1. Soon afterwards (this seems to be the meaning of as distinguished from ; cf. 2Sa 3:28) Absalom set up a carriage (i.e., a state-carriage; cf. 1Sa 8:11) and horses, and fifty men as runners before him, i.e., to run before him when he drove out, and attract the attention of the people by a display of princely pomp, as Adonijah afterwards did (1Ki 1:5). He then went early in the morning to the side of the road to the gate of the palace, and called out to every one who was about to go to the king “for judgment,” i.e., seek justice in connection with any matter in dispute, and asked him, “Of what city art thou?” and also, as we may see from the reply in 2Sa 15:3, inquired into his feelings towards the king, and then said, “Thy matters are good and right, but there is no hearer for thee with the king.” signifies the judicial officer, who heard complainants and examined into their different causes, for the purpose of laying them before the king for settlement. Of course the king himself could not give a hearing to every complainant, and make a personal investigation of his cause; nor could his judges procure justice for every complainant, however justly they might act, though it is possible that they may not always have performed their duty conscientiously.

2Sa 15:4

Absalom also said, “Oh that I might be judge in the land, and every one who had a cause might come before me; I would procure him justice!” is a wish: “who might (i.e., oh that one might) appoint me judge,” an analogous expression to ot (vid., Gesenius, 136, 1, and Ewald, 329, c.). placed before for the sake of emphasis, may be explained from the fact that a judge sat, so that the person who stood before him rose above him (comp. Exo 18:13 with Gen 18:8). , to speak justly, or help to justice.

2Sa 15:5

And when any one came near to him to prostrate himself before him, he took him by the hand and kissed him. It was by conduct of this kind that Agamemnon is said to have secured the command of the Grecian army (Euripid. Iphig. Aul. v. 337ff.).

2Sa 15:6

Thus Absalom stole the heart of the men of Israel. does not mean to deceive or cheat, like in the Kal in Gen 31:20, but to steal the heart, i.e., to bring a person over to his side secretly and by stratagem.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Absalom’s Ambition.

B. C. 1027.

      1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.   2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.   3 And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.   4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!   5 And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.   6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

      Absalom is no sooner restored to his place at court than he aims to be in the throne. He that was unhumbled under his troubles became insufferably proud when they were over; and he cannot be content with the honour of being the king’s son, and the prospect of being his successor, but he must be king now. His mother was a king’s daughter; on that perhaps he valued himself, and despised his father, who was but the son of Jesse. She was the daughter of a heathen king, which made him the less concerned for the peace of Israel. David, in this unhappy issue of that marriage, smarted for his being unequally yoked with an unbeliever. When Absalom was restored to the king’s favour, if he had had any sense of gratitude, he would have studied how to oblige his father, and make him easy; but, on the contrary, he meditates how to undermine him, by stealing the hearts of the people from him. Two things recommend a man to popular esteem–greatness and goodness.

      I. Absalom looks great, v. 1. He had learned of the king of Geshur (what was not allowed to the kings of Israel) to multiply horses, which made him look desirable, while his father, on his mule, looked despicable. The people desired a king like the nations; and such a one Absalom will be, appearing in pomp and magnificence, above what had been seen in Jerusalem. Samuel had foretold that this would be the manner of the king: He shall have chariots and horsemen, and some shall run before his chariots (1 Sam. viii. 11); and this is Absalom’s manner. Fifty footmen (in rich liveries we may suppose) running before him, to give notice of his approach, would highly gratify his pride and the people’s foolish fancy. David thinks that this parade is designed only to grace his court, and connives at it. Those parents know not what they do who indulge a proud humour in their children; for I have seen more young people ruined by pride than by any one lust whatsoever.

      II. Absalom will seem very good too, but with a very bad design. Had he proved himself a good son and a good subject, and set himself to serve his father’s interest, he would have done his present duty, and shown himself worthy of future honours, after his father’s death. Those that know how to obey well know how to rule. But to show how good a judge and how good a king he will be is but to deceive himself and others. Those are good indeed that are good in their own place, not that pretend how good they would be in other people’s places. But this is all the goodness we find in Absalom.

      1. He wishes that he were a judge in Israel, v. 4. He had all the pomp and all the pleasure he could wish, lived as great and in as much ease as any man could; yet this will not content him, unless he have power too: O that I were a judge in Israel! He that should himself have been judged to death for murder has the impudence to aim at being a judge of others. We read not of Absalom’s wisdom, virtue, or learning in the laws, nor had he given any proofs of his love to justice, but the contrary; yet he wishes he were judge. Note, Those are commonly most ambitious of preferment that are least fit for it; the best qualified are the most modest and self-diffident, while it is no better than the spirit of an Absalom that says, O that I were a judge in Israel!

      2. He takes a very bad course for the accomplishing of his wish. Had he humbly petitioned his father to employ him in the administration of justice, and studied to qualify himself for it (according to the rule, Exod. xviii. 21), no doubt he would have been sure of the next judge’s place that fell; but this is too mean a post for his proud spirit. It is below him to be subordinate, though to the king his father; he must be supreme or nothing. He wants to be such a judge that every man who has any cause shall come to him: in all causes, and over all persons, he must preside, little thinking what a fatigue this would be to have every man come to him. Moses himself could not bear it. Those know not what power is that grasp at so much, so very much. To gain the power he aims at, he endeavours to instil into the people’s minds,

      (1.) A bad opinion of the present administration, as if the affairs of the kingdom were altogether neglected, and no care taken about them. He got round him all he could that had business at the council-board, enquired what their business was; and, [1.] Upon a slight and general enquiry into their cause, he pronounced it good: Thy matters are right. A fit man indeed to be a judge, who would give judgment upon hearing one side only! For he has a bad cause indeed that cannot put a good colour upon it, when he himself has the telling of the story. But, [2.] He told them that it was to no purpose to appeal to the throne: “There is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. The king is himself old, and past business, or so taken up with his devotions that he never minds business; his sons are so addicted to their pleasures that, though they have the name of chief rulers, they take no care of the affairs committed to them.” He further seems to insinuate what a great want there was of him while he was banished and confined, and how much the public suffered by his exile; what his father said truly in Saul’s reign (Ps. lxxv. 3) he says falsely: The land and all the inhabitants of it are dissolved, all will go to wreck and ruin, unless I bear up the pillars of it. Every appellant shall be made to believe that he will never have justice done him, unless Absalom be viceroy or lord-justice. It is the way of turbulent, factious, aspiring men, to reproach the government they are under. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, and not afraid to speak evil of dignities, 2 Pet. ii. 10. Even David himself, the best of kings, and his administration, could not escape the worst of censures. Those that aim to usurp cry out of grievances, and pretend to design nothing but the redress of them: as Absalom here.

      (2.) A good opinion of his own fitness to rule. That the people might say, “O that Absalom were a judge!” (and they are apt enough to desire changes), he recommends himself to them, [1.] As very diligent. He rose up early, and appeared in public before the rest of the king’s sons were stirring, and he stood beside the way of the gate, where the courts of judgment sat, as one mightily concerned to see justice done and public business despatched. [2.] As very inquisitive and prying, and desirous to be acquainted with every one’s case. He would know of what city every one was that came for judgment, that he might inform himself concerning every part of the kingdom and the state of it, v. 2. [3.] As very familiar and humble. If any Israelite offered to do obeisance to him he took him and embraced him as a friend. No man’s conduct could be more condescending, while his heart was as proud as Lucifer’s. Ambitious projects are often carried on by a show of humility, Col. ii. 23. He knew what a grace it puts upon greatness to be affable and courteous, and how much it wins upon common people: had he been sincere in it, it would have been his praise; but to fawn upon the people that he might betray them was abominable hypocrisy. He croucheth, and humbleth himself, to draw them into his net,Psa 10:9; Psa 10:10.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Second Samuel – Chapter 15

Absalom Conniving, vs. 1-6

It soon became apparent that Absalom had returned from his exile with the same ambitious plot to make himself king which was already apparent when he assassinated his brother, Amnon. The first thing he did was to put himself in the public eye. He prepared himself a princely chariot and horses, and employed runners like a mighty king. the purpose of the runners was to move the crowds out of the path of his chariot and to call on the pedestrians to bow as the prince rode by. In this way he showed himself to be someone of surpassing importance, and many of the gullible people accepted him as such.

Absalom next put himself in a prominent place, at the king’s court, where he would be seen by those coming to the throne to receive judgment. Absalom arrived on the scene early to impress the people with his concern. He would talk with the supplicants to the king to learn their matters, then advise them of the worth of their cause. Absalom would condone their cause, then show how helpless it was for him to get them justice. If only he could be in a judge’s place the person could get a friendly hearing! Thus he persuaded the people of Israel that he was a person of wisdom and who would govern them well.

Thirdly, Absalom distinguished himself as a crafty politician. He appeared to be willing to place himself on a level with the common man. It was customary, even usually required, that members of the royal family should receive the obeisance of those who approached them. But Absalom would lift up those who started to do him obeisance, embrace, and kiss them.

In this way Absalom sought to show the people that he had regal bearing, knowledge of their problems and wisdom to deal with them properly, and humility to treat them fairly. All these were calculated to give Absalom the reputation and accrue to him the support he would need to seize the throne. Thus the Scripture says, “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” Israel was thoroughly deceived (Rom 16:18).

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.

2Sa. 15:1. After this. Keil, Erdmann and Thenius attach the idea of immediateness to the Hebrew adverb here used, but other scholars consider this doubtful. The word occurs only here, in 2Sa. 3:28, and in 2Ch. 32:23, and its precise meaning cannot therefore be determined by usage. Chariots, i.e., a state carriage. (Keil.) Fifty men. These runners are accustomed to precede the equipage of persons of distinction in Oriental countries. They usually carry a staff or baton, which they constantly wave about them, and strike right and left to clear the way, especially in the streets of Oriental cities which are always narrow and crowded. They can keep on at a rapid pace, with the equipage which they precede, for many miles without stoppage, their feet covered with dust and frequently bleeding from wounds. In ancient times fifty of these runners formed the usual attendance upon royalty. See 1Ki. 1:5. (Jamieson).

2Sa. 15:2. Rose up early, etc. The gate here referred to is the gate of the royal palace, whither those came that sought the decision of the king in law matters. (Erdmann). Malcolm-son says that Oriental ministers hold their levees before western people of rank rise from their beds.

2Sa. 15:3. No man, etc. Lit. No hearer for thee on the part of the king. The hearer signifies the judicial officer, who heard complainants and examined into their different causes for the purpose of laying them before the king. (Keil.)

2Sa. 15:4. O that I were, etc. Lit. Who will make me, etc.

2Sa. 15:6. So Absalom stole, etc. The phrase may also mean to deceive the heart, as in Gen. 31:20; but the connection shows that the meaning here is to bring a person over to ones side secretly and by stratagem. (Erdmann and Keil.)

2Sa. 15:7. After forty years. It seems imposssble to read forty in this connection as it cannot be understood either of Davids reign or Absaloms age, as Davids entire reign was only forty years and a half, and Absalom was born after his father became king. Almost all commentators read four years, but the chronology here must evidently be regarded as uncertain.

2Sa. 15:7. Hebron. Probably assigning as a reason that he was born there, but really because his father had been made king there, and also possibly because there may have been many persons there who had been displeased by the removal of the court to Jerusalem. (Keil.)

2Sa. 15:8. Serve the Lord. Rather to do a service, explained by Josephus to mean to offer a sacrifice. We have here an example of sacrificial feasting, not in connection with the tabernacle (as in 1Sa. 20:6), an indication that the strict law of Leviticus (Lev. 17:3-4, and Deu. 12:13-14) was not in practical operation, else David would have objected to sacrificing in Hebron. (Translator of Langes Commentary.)

2Sa. 15:9. Go in peace. That David observed nothing of all this till the startling news reached him that the heart of Israel was turned towards Absalom, cannot be reckoned to his disadvantage, since so ancient and simple a kingdom had nothing like our modern state police; it is rather a mark of the noble-minded security that we elsewhere see in him, that he gives so free scope to his beloved son, who might be regarded as first-born and heir-apparent. (Ewald.)

2Sa. 15:10. Spies. So called because they were first of all to find out the feeling of the people and only execute their commission where they could reckon on support. (Keil.) The trumpet. We must suppose that there were various stations where the summons was repeated. (Cohen.)

2Sa. 15:11. Two hundred men. Courtiers such as usually accompanied kings and kings sons on their journeys. (Erdmann.) Called, i.e., invited to the sacrificial feast. Knew not anything, i.e., were ignorant of the conspiracy.

2Sa. 15:12. Giloh. Upon the mountains of Judah and a little to the south of Hebron (Jos. 15:51). Ahithophel had no doubt been previously initiated into Absaloms plans, and had probably gone to his native city merely that he might come to him with greater ease, since his general place of abode, as kings councillor, must have been in Jerusalem. (Keil.) On the possible cause of Ahithophels desertion of David, see notes on 2Sa. 11:3.

2Sa. 15:14. Let us flee. Davids immediate flight is to be explained by the reason that he himself gives, by the fact that he sees that the fulfilment of Nathans prophecy of approaching misfortune is now beginning, that the punishment cannot be warded off, and that to stay in the city will only occasion much bloodshed. (Erdmann.) To leave the city would be to gain the advantage of his military skill and of the discipline of his tried warriors in the open country. (Translator of Langes Commentary).

2Sa. 15:15. Servants, i.e., soldiers. (Langes Commentary.)

2Sa. 15:17. A place that was far off. Literally, The house of the distance Probably a proper name given to a house in the neighbourhood of the city, and on the road to Jericho, which was called the farthest house, viz., from the city. (Keil.)

2Sa. 15:18. Cherithites, etc. See note on 2Sa. 8:18. Gittites. Most scholars identify this body of men with the Gibborim or mighty men mentioned in 2Sa. 16:6. Some suppose that Gittite is a corruption of Gibborim. It is not likely that they were all natives of Gath, although they are said to have followed David thence. Most commentators consider that this body-guard was formed of Davids first faithful followers (1Sa. 22:2), kept always up to the number of six hundred by the addition of other trusted and valiant soldiers.

2Sa. 15:19. A stranger, etc. Do you remain with whoever is or shall be king, since there is no necessity for you as a stranger to take sides at all, (Keil) or, You may remain quiet and see whom God shall appoint as king, and whether it be I or Absalom; you can serve the one whom God shall choose. (Schmidt). Strangernot an Israelite; emigrant or exileone not in his native land. (Erdmann). Some suppose that the latter noun signifies that Ittai was a captive or a hostage taken in war, but his position in Davids army is against such a supposition.

2Sa. 15:20. Mercy and truth From this and from Ittais saying, As the Lord lives, it is probable that Ittai, with his whole house, had already become a believer in the God of Israel. (Erdmann.)

2Sa. 15:22. Pass over, rather, pass on, (Keil.) The little ones. It is characteristic of Oriental people that they carry their whole family along with them in all their migrations. (Jamieson.)

2Sa. 15:23. Kidron. This mountain torrent, which only flows during the rainy season, runs through the valley of Jehoshaphat, between the eastern side of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. Afterwards passed over by the son of David, the King of Israel, when He was rejected by Jerusalem. (Wordsworth.)

2Sa. 15:24. Zadok and Abiathar. (See notes on 2Sa. 8:17.) Zadok is placed before Abiathar by the historian, although Abiathar was the High Priest, either because Zadok, as the younger man, took the lead in bearing the ark, or perhaps because Abiathar was already beginning to show some signs of lukewarmness and disaffection towards David and his cause. The writer composed the history at a time when it was a well-known fact that Abiathar was deposed by Solomon for disloyalty, and Zadok was placed in his room (See 1Ki. 1:7; 1Ki. 2:35.) (Wordsworth.) Keil and Erdmann consider that Abiathar did not join the procession until all the people had passed out of the city, and therefore his name could not have been placed first here. But the same order is observed in 2Sa. 15:29. Went up. That is, to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where the ark was set down. (Erdmann.)

2Sa. 15:27. Art not thou, etc., rather, Thou seer. On this word see note on 1Sa. 9:9. Davids reasons for so naming Zadok is found in 2Sa. 15:25 scq. Through him David is to learn whether the Lord will again take him into favour and restore him to Jerusalem; that is, Zadok was to act as seer for him. (Erdmann).

2Sa. 15:28. The plain, rather the fords, the place where the Jordan could be crossed.

2Sa. 15:30. The ascent of Olivet. Josephus reckons the distance from Jerusalem to the top of the mount at five stadia, and Luke (Act. 1:12) says it was a Sabbath days journey. The same pathway over that mount has been followed ever since that memorable day. (Jamieson.) His head covered. Covering the head is the symbol of the mind sorrowfully sunk in itself, wholly withdrawn from the outer world. Comp. Est. 6:12; Eze. 24:18. (Erdmann.) See examples of King Darius having his head covered, 2 Curtius, lib. iv. cap. 10, sec. 33, and lib. v. cap. 12, sec. 8. (Jamieson.) Bare-foot. While all covered the head, this sign of mourning appears to have been adopted by David only either as a penitent (Ewald), or to manifest his humiliation in the sight of God. (Thenius).

2Sa. 15:32. Where he worshipped. Rather, where men worshipped, etc., supposed to have been one of the high places which then existed in Palestine. Hushai the Archite. See 2Sa. 15:37, 2Sa. 16:16, and 1Ch. 27:33. Keil and others consider him to have been a privy councillor. He was probably a native of the city of Ezek. (See Jos. 16:2.)

2Sa. 15:33. A burden, He was probably a very old man. (Keil).

2Sa. 15:34. I will be thy servant. This was not honest, but it was according to the policy practised in those days, and indeed in all ages; which Procopins Gazaens approves so far as to say that a lie told for a good end is equivalent to truth. But I dare not justify such doctrine. (Patrick).

2Sa. 15:36. Zadok, etc. This was not an ordinary stratagem; these men were not simply spies, but we can avoid calling them traitors by supposing that the priests were not recognised as adherents of Absalom, but as indifferent non-combatants, or as friends of David. (Translator of Langes Commentary).

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE CHAPTER

THE REBELLION UNDER ABSALOM

We have here

I. An aggravated crime. The rebellion of Absalom against his father would have been an act of great wickedness in whatever manner he had carried it out, but the cloak which he used to conceal it added to his guilt. He must have been a bad man indeed to conspire against his fathers throne; but to dress up his base designs in the garb of patriotism, and even of piety, added hypocrisy to his other sins. But there appears to be no limit to the extent to which men will veil a vicious act in the semblance of a virtuous deed, and thus give proof of the great depravity of which human nature is capable.

II. An aggravated calamity. If Absaloms guilt was increased by the attendant circumstances so was Davids sorrow. There was, first, the quarter from which it came. It was no small addition to the severity of the trial that the evil sprang from Davids own housethat the rebel was one of his own children and apparently a son for whom he had a deep affection. And added to this was the fact that Absalom was aided and encouraged by one in whom David had placed implicit confidence, his familiar friend, Ahithophel, whose faithfulness, it seems, he had never doubted (Psa. 41:9). David had been warned to look for trouble, and for trouble from his own family; but he could hardly have expected so heavy a calamity as the one which now befel him nor is it likely he had ever thought it possible that Absalom and Ahithophel would be the chief instruments of his chastisement. Then, again, it must have been a bitter surprise and mortification to David to find that so many of his people were ready to renounce their allegiance to him and to follow one who was in all respects his inferior, and who had no claims upon their gratitude. Faulty as David had been in his later years, and just as might have been the charge brought against him by Absalom (2Sa. 15:3), his rule upon the whole had been productive of great good to the nation, whereas Absalom had done nothing for it. Yet, when the standard of rebellion was raised, many men gathered to it who doubtless owed much to the efforts which David had made to benefit the people and thus showed themselves capable of great ingratidude. And we all know that unkindness from such a quarter is much harder to bear than when it comes from the hand of strangers. But by far the greatest aggravation of Davids trial must have been the consciousness that he had brought it on himself. It was no arbitrary sentence which God passed upon him when He warned him that evil would come from his own house. If Davids household had been ordered more in accordance with the will of God, and his own personal life been under more strict discipline, it is more than probable he would have had no such sons as Amnon and Absalom, and no subjects so faithless as Ahithophel and those who followed with him. But even if then such circumstances had arisen, the father and the king would have found strong consolation in the reflection that he was in no sense blameworthy. But he could not have this strongest support in trial but had this burden in addition to all the others, that he was only reaping as he had sown. And, alas! although he alone was responsible for the sowing, many besides himself had to taste the bitter fruit. To a man like David, this must have been an inexpressible grief. To any true-hearted man or woman it is far easier to suffer than to be the means of bringing suffering upon others, even when it is a matter of pure misfortune. But surely nothing can cause such agony of mind as to look upon the miseries of others and to feel that we are the cause of it, and that by our own transgression. David now saw his kingdom rent by civil war with all its attendant desolations, and knew that he, and he only, was to blame; and as we look upon this man after Gods own heart, ascending the Mount of Olives, where can we find a more vivid illustration of the terrible consequences of sin or of the inflexible impartiality of God. If David must thus suffer even after his repentance, what must be the tribulation necessary for those who live a life of rebellion against their God and their conscience and who have never, like him, acknowledged their transgressions and sought to be cleansed from their sin.

III. Calamity lightened by the faithfulness of friends and by confidence in God. If Absalom and his followers afford painful examples of human hypocrisy and ingratitude and make us ashamed of our manhood, the unselfishness and fidelity of Ittai and other servants of David more than redeem it from the disgrace. Although there are many false and cowardly men in the world, there are also many brave and noble ones, and times of trial, whether personal or national, are times of self-revelation which bring to light the real character of both the good and bad. If it had not been for Absalom and Ahithophels treachery, David would never have known how deep was the affection which his friends felt for him, and their devotion would not have had the opportunity of manifesting itself and of gaining for them the admiration of future generations. So it is in all timesthe wickedness of some brings out the goodness of others and strengthens their virtue and makes it shine more brightly. And to David, in this hour of sorrow, this loyaltywhere perhaps he least looked for itmust have been what a spring of living water is to a weary traveller in a spot where he did not expect it. For the friend that comes without being sought in the day when friends are few, is indeed a well in the wilderness, which restores the strength of the fainting wayfarer and enables him to go on his way. To David this faithfulness on the part of man would be a pledge of the faithfulness of God, and a confirmation of the truth of his own words, Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.

But Davids own conduct and temper under the trial, tended also to lighten the affliction. Behind the wrong-doing of man he sees the righteousness of God and acknowledges the justice of the permissive providence which allowed such a calamity to overtake him. And although he knows that he is being chastised for his sin, he does not lose the sense of Gods loving-kindness; but, as his words testify (see Psalms 3) hopes in Him against whom he has sinned, having the blessed assurance that although he is thus afflicted, his iniquity is forgiven. Any man who is able thus to meet affliction, finds its sting removed; but a soul which cannot see a Divine hand behind the dark cloud, or, seeing it, does not recognise it as a hand of justice and love, is indeed in a sad case. Many as were the aggravations of Davids calamity, it had this greatest alleviation.

OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS

2Sa. 15:2. The plot which Absalom was working out required a great amount of sapping and mininga kind of labour extremely trying, and demanding much patience and self-command. Yet for years, apparently, he persevered in it, upheld and encouraged by the one hope of ultimate success. How much wiser in their generation are the children of this world than the children of light! If for wicked or selfish ends men toil with so much perseverance, how should good men labour in the service of God!Blackie.

2Sa. 15:19. Davids general desertion by his own peoplethe tribe of Judahand the attention which he received from comparative strangers foreshadowed the Lords own experience, when betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, and forsaken by all the apostles, His only sympathy seemed to come from the weeping women, and when strangers like Nicodemus and Joseph were left to attend his funeral.Blackie.

2Sa. 15:31. This text is a glass wherein Gods justice is plainly to be seen. David had formerly falsely forsaken Uriah, and now God suffers Ahithophel to forsake David. I. Let us learn when our friends forsake us, to enter into a serious scrutiny with our own souls. Hast thou never played false or foul with thy friend, if not in action yet in intention? Dost thou not mean to prove base if put to the trial? If so, know thy false friend hath only got the start of thee. II. The most politic heads have not always the faithfullest hearts. While David swayed the sceptre, who more loyal to him than Ahithophel? and once David is in banishment, he falls first to Absalom; he loved to worship the sun rising; yea, while, David, the true sun, was but overcast with a cloud, he falls adoring a blazing stara comet. That cement which conglutinates hearts is grace and goodness, whereof many politic heads are utterly devoid (1Co. 1:26), and politic men make their own profit the rule and square of their lives. Do not, then, undervalue the love of those who are of mean and inferior parts. Wise men have made use of such servants and found them more manageable and more profitable; though their judgments were weaker, their affections might be stronger than wiser men. III. False friends will forsake thee in times of adversity. He that believeth that all those who smile on him and promise fair in time of prosperity will perform it in time of his want may as well believe that all the leaves that be on trees at Midsummer will hang there as fresh and as fair on New Years Day. Come we now to consider what good uses one may make to himself from the unfaithfulness of friends when they forsake us.

1. Consider with thyself whether thou hast not been faulty in entertaining tale-bearers, and lending a listening ear to them. Solomon says, A whisperer separateth chief friends (Pro. 16:28.)

2. If herein thy conscience accuse thee not, examine thyself, whether there was not a esum principium in the first initiation of your love. How came you first acquainted. Didst thou first purchase his favour with the price of a sin? For, know, friends unjustly gotten are not long comfortably enjoyed. We see King Hezekiah, who procured Sennacheribs love by his sacrilege, enjoyed not that purchase which he made God and His temple pay for. (2Ki. 18:16.)

3. If there has been no fault in the inclination, examine hath there been none in the continuance of your friendship? Hast thou not committed many sins to hold in with him? Hast thou not flattered him in his faults, or at leastwise by thy silence consented to him. If Amnon, in cold blood viewing the heinousness of his offence, so hated Tamar, who only concurred passively in his transgression, how may our friends justly hate us, if haply we have been the causers, movers, and procurers of our badness!
4. Hast thou not idolatrised to thy friend? Hath he not totally monopolised thy soul? It if just with God that those wooden pillars should break, on whom we lay too much heft.
5. Hast thou not undervalued thy friend? If so, God hath taught the worth of a pearl by losing it. And this often comes to pass, though not in our friends voluntary deserting us, yet when God takes them away by death.

6. It may be God suffers thy friends to prove unfaithful to thee, to make thee stick more closely to Himself. Excellent to this purpose is Mic. 7:5-7. As if he had said, Is the world come to this bad pass that one must be far from trusting their nearest friends? It is well, then, I have one fast Friend on whom I may rely, the God of heaven. I must confess these words of the prophet are principally meant of the time of persecution, but they contain an eternal truth, whereof good use may be made at any time.Thos. Fuller.

2Sa. 15:34. In the midst of such piety and resignation, it is strange to find David asking his friend thus to act a dishonest part, and play the spy. We are not called to vindicate his conduct. The Scriptures simply record it; and we must not suppose that everything here is approved which is not directly, and in so many words, condemned. But we may say two things by way of debarring hasty judgment here. Firstand I am using now the words of Professor Plumptre: Slowly in the character of any people; more slowly still in that of any Eastern people; most slowly of all, perhaps, in that of Israel, have men risen to the excellence of veracity. We must not think that the kings religion was a hypocrisy because it did not bear at once the fruit of the spotless honor and unswerving truth which mark the highest forms of Christian goodness. The Christian Church herself has to notice many like inconsistencies among her crowned martyrs. Second: let us not forget what those means are by which, even in these modern days, with all our Christian loftiness of character, we seek to countermine and check political rebellion. Some years ago, while I was a resident in Liverpool, there was great talk of Fenianism. We heard of plots for the taking of the ancient city of Chester, and the burning of ships in our own docks. How did we hear of them? By spies, who feigned themselves Fenians for the time! and the man whose astuteness made these discoveries through means of Hushai-like instruments was rewarded by being made a companion of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath! Observe, I do not vindicate either David or these modern officers. I simply state the facts, and beg to say, that if men, with the New Testament in their hands, can do such things, we ought to be tender in our treatment of David here.Taylor.

2Sa. 15:16-27. There is no single day in the Jewish history of which so elaborate an account remains as of this memorable flight. There is none, we may add, that combines so many of Davids characteristicshis patience, his high-spirited religion, his generosity, his calculations: we miss only his daring courage. Was it crushed, for the moment, by the weight of parental grief, or bitter remorse?Stanley.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

IV. ABSALOMS REVOLT, 2Sa. 15:1 to 2Sa. 19:43.

1. The Rebellions Beginning, 2Sa. 15:1-37.

Absaloms Conspiracy. 2Sa. 15:1-13

And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
2 And Absalom rose up early, and stood by the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is one of the tribes of Israel.

3 And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.

4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!
5 And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

6 And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray the, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron.
8 For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.
9 And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron.
10 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron.
11 And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing.

12 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, Davids counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

13 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

1.

Why did Absalom have fifty men run before him? 2Sa. 15:1

The Eastern way of calling attention to the position of a man included having men to run before him as he proceeded through the streets. Absalom was not nearly as democratic in spirit as David. There was more showmanship in his makeup. He was promoting his own personal ambitions. Absaloms personal appearance was very striking, his beautiful hair being explicitly mentioned in the Scripture.

There may have been something of personal satisfaction in his naming his daughter Tamar (2Sa. 14:27). It would be natural for her to be so named inasmuch as they were of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 38:6), but the name may have had a deeper significance to Absalom and those who knew the events causing Absaloms exile. Many of those things done by Absalom were to attract the attention and win the love of the people.

2.

What was Absaloms campaign plan? 2Sa. 15:2-6

Absalom set out to steal the hearts of the men of Israel. His main effort was to win the confidence of those who had had cases to be brought to the attention of the king.
Absalom was very energetic and industrious in this as he arose early in the morning and stood by the gate so that he could meet any man who came up to Jerusalem to present a case. He made specific inquiry into each mans background finding out all he could about his home, city, and tribe. He made every effort to agree with each man and express his wish that he were made a judge in the land so that he could render decisions in the cases. He did not allow the man to do obeisance to him, but rather stretched forth his hand and drew the man to him and kissed him. This demeanor was very pleasing to the people, and he did win the favor of many of the men of Israel.

3.

How was the rebellion begun? 2Sa. 15:7-12

The text reads that the rebellion began after a period of forty years, but it is hard to understand the point from which the time is counted. Absalom may have revolted when he was forty years old, but it could hardly be forty years after his return from Geshur.
Absalom was dishonest in asking to go to Hebron. He wanted to go for the purpose of instigating a rebellion, not to make a vow or pay a vow. Absalom knew that he had to get away from Jerusalem, and he knew that David would consent under such a pretext. A signal was given whereby the men of every tribe would know when the time to arise had come.

One wonders why Ahithophel would consent to such a plot. His son was Bathshebas father, and he may have keenly felt the insult that David had put on his family (2Sa. 11:3; 2Sa. 23:34).

4.

Why did Absalom go to Hebron to begin his revolt? 2Sa. 15:9

David began his rule in Hebron; and it would be in the tribe of Judah, where Davids family had its origins. The city would be filled with men who were loyal to any good son of a man of Judah. Furthermore, it was far enough away from Jerusalem to be out of immediate danger of reprisal from David. Ahithophels home was southwest of Hebron (Jos. 15:51). Ahithophel may have been able to arouse a great deal of sympathy for him and his cause as he opposed David on account of his taking Bathsheba as his wife.

5.

How did some of them go in their simplicity? 2Sa. 15:11

They had gone along not knowing Absaloms full intentions, not knowing that he intended to make an armed rebellion against his father. They knew that he was rallying men to support him and his cause. They knew that the sound of the trumpet was a signal for his saying that he was the ruler of Judah and that he was establishing a kingdom in Hebron. With such a group assembled the conspiracy was described as being very strong, and the people increased continually with Absalom. He had made them very attractive promises, and this allured many to follow him.

6.

Why did David flee from Jerusalem? 2Sa. 15:13

David was not prepared for a siege. His company included some of the former residents of Gath, who may not have been ready to fight. They had come to him soon after his capture of that city. Even with all the faithful followers he had, he was still not in a position to defend the city. The steadfastness of men like Ittai would be useless against the hordes with Absalom. The priests were with David, but he would not allow them to take the Ark from its resting place. Some of the Israelites may still have been holding the idea held by some of the older Israelites who believed that where the Ark was, there God was. David knew this was not true. David forced the priests themselves to turn back. They stayed in the city as spies. Beyond all these reasons was the fact that David would not want to subject his capital city to a siege. The shock to David must have been great, and he was willing at almost any price to avoid a direct confrontation in battle with Absalom.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

XV.

(1) Prepared him chariots and horses.As a preparation for his rebellion, it was necessary to impress the people with his wealth and splendour. (Comp. 1Ki. 1:5, where Adonijah does the same thing.) This was the first use in Israel of chariots and horses as a part of regal pomp.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

ABSALOM’S REBELLION, 2Sa 15:1-12.

Absalom had a boundless ambition to attain the crown. There is reason to think that these aspirations were forming before the time of Amnon’s incest with his sister, so that that disgrace of Tamar was not the sole reason for his slaying Amnon. David’s firstborn was an obstacle in his way to the throne, and if he lived Absalom’s hopes must die. But now, with Amnon out of the way, and himself reinstated in the royal favour, he yet fears that he will fail to receive the kingdom by inheritance, and, too ambitious to await his chances in the future, he plots and carries out this bold rebellion, the history of which extends through the four following chapters.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1. Prepared him chariots and horses Like Adonijah, who at a later period aspired to the throne. Many of these horses and chariots were probably those that David had captured in war.

Fifty men to run before him So that he affected royalty in its most ostentatious form.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Absalom Wins For Himself The Loyalty Of The People ( 2Sa 15:1-6 ).

Absalom had by now probably caught on to the fact that if he waited for David to die the throne would be given to someone else. and that would explain why he began to plan a coup. Initially his activity would only appear to be that of a rather vain king’s son, but gradually it built up into something more insidious as he began to convince the people that ‘if only he was in power’ all would get justice. And yet even that might have been looked on by David with some amusement as he saw it as being with the intention of building up support for when David died. He had overlooked the traits that indicated that when Absalom wanted anything, he was willing to do anything to obtain it.

At first sight all appears to go well for Absalom. Judah and Israel will be won over, Ahithophel the Wise will join him in Hebron in order that together they might commence the rebellion, and David will have to flee from Jerusalem for his life, leaving the way wide open for Absalom into the capital. It is all part of YHWH’s chastening of David for his great sins. But it will be made clear that YHWH has not rejected David, and that because David’s heart is still right towards him. Though he will chastise him severely (2Sa 7:14) he will then enable him to retain the kingship, and the remainder of the account will indicate how it is YHWH Who will be instrumental in defeating and humiliating Absalom, and thwarting all his plans.

Thus:

It is YHWH Who, when David learns that Ahithophel is aligned against him and prays for help, sends him Hushai the Archite who will confound the wisdom of Ahithophel (2Sa 15:31).

It is YHWH who causes Absalom to prefer the counsel of Hushai to that of Ahithophel, even though Ahithophel’s counsel is almost like that of God (2Sa 16:23; 2Sa 17:14).

It is YHWH who sends to David assurance of His goodwill, not only through the coming of Hushai, but also through the determined loyalty of Ittai the Gittite, through the Ark of God supervising his departure from Jerusalem, and through provisions being brought to him by Ziba the Saulide (2Sa 15:19 to 2Sa 16:4).

Even the forest itself fights against Absalom and Israel (2Sa 18:8), and it is the forest which will take Absalom captive and make him ready for the slaughter (2Sa 18:9).

So Absalom’s defeat will finally be due to YHWH. On the other hand Absalom is also depicted as defeated by his vanity, as well as because he has rebelled against the anointed of YHWH. Thus:

He listened to Hushai because whereas Ahithophel offered him sound wisdom, Hushai offered him great glory (2Sa 17:11).

In striking contrast with David, he went into battle in person in order that the glory might be his ( 2Sa 17:26 ; 2Sa 18:3-4; 2Sa 18:9).

He entered the forest riding on a royal mule, a factor which led to his downfall (2Sa 18:9).

It was his flowing hair, of which he was so proud, that finally sealed his fate (2Sa 18:9-10).

So, as so often in history, it is God’s sovereign activity and man’s rebellion and folly which go hand in hand in order to accomplish God’s purposes, which was in this case the chastening of David because of his gross sins and complacency, and the destruction of those who rebelled against His Anointed.

Analysis of 2Sa 15:1-6 .

a And it came about after this, that Absalom prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him (2Sa 15:1).

b And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate, and it was so, that, when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him, and said, “Of what city are you?” And he said, “Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel”. And Absalom said to him, “See, your matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear you” (2Sa 15:2-3).

c Absalom said moreover, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice!” (2Sa 15:4).

b And it was so, that, when any man came near to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him. And in this manner did Absalom to all Israel who came to the king for judgment (2Sa 15:5-6 a).

a So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (2Sa 15:6 b).

Note that in ‘a’ Absalom puts on a show of splendour and in the parallel he steals the hearts of the men of Israel. In ‘b’ he seeks to subvert those who come for justice to Jerusalem, and in the parallel he seeks to win their heart’s response. Centrally in ‘c’ he declares what a good ruler he would be.

2Sa 15:1

‘ And it came about after this, that Absalom prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.’

Absalom’s first move was to increase his reputation in the popular mind by travelling in a chariot and horses preceded by fifty runners. This display of pomp, common with many kings of the day, was intended to indicate to the people how important he was (compare 1Ki 1:5-6; 1Sa 8:11). It underlined to them his supreme royal status. (Ordinary people are often impressed by great display).

2Sa 15:2

‘ And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate, and it was so, that, when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him, and said, “Of what city are you?” And he said, “Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.” ’

But he went further. Every day he would go down to the city gate (which was where justice would normally be exercised) early in the morning and when anyone came by, who had come to see the king in order to seek justice, he would begin to chat with him and find out who he was and what his case was all about.

2Sa 15:3

‘ And Absalom said to him, “See, your matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear you.” ’

And once he knew the details he would point out to the man that his case was good and right, but that there did not appear to be anyone there, deputed by the king to hear it. Thus everyone got the impression that Absalom would certainly have ensured that their case was heard and that if only Absalom had heard their case they would have succeeded in their bid for justice.

We know in fact from the case of the wise woman of Tekoa that the court of David was open to such suppliants, but those who came (somewhat pensively because they were not sure what to expect, and knowing that justice was usually dispensed at the city gate) were no doubt soon persuaded that there was no opportunity of justice available because there was no one at the gate to dispense it, but that had Absalom been king it would have been very different. It is probable that in Jerusalem justice was not dispensed at the numerous gates of the city, but at a place appointed by the king. But the ordinary people visiting from other cities would not necessarily know that.

2Sa 15:4

‘ Absalom said moreover, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice!” ’

Having given his assurance to each one who came that had he been ruler they would have succeeded in their case, Absalom would then proclaim for all within hearing to hear that if only he were king in the land every man would be able to come to him and would obtain justice, in other words would win his case.

2Sa 15:5

‘And it was so, that, when any man came near to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.’

And he not only assured each person that they would each obtain justice (as they saw it) from him, but when they approached him to do obeisance to him as the king’s son, he would wave it aside, put out his hand, take hold of them and kiss them as though they were his best friends.

2Sa 15:6

‘ And in this manner did Absalom to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.’

This was the way in which Absalom behaved towards all in Israel who came to the king seeking justice. It was the way by which he ‘stole the hearts of all Israel’. Soon the word would get around which would convince the people of what a wonderful king Absalom would make. David was about to learn that if you invite a snake into your bed you should not be surprised if you are bitten.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

2Sa 15:1-6 Absalom Steals the Hearts of the People In 2Sa 15:1-6 Absalom attempts to steal the hearts of the people. Just as Absalom tried to steal the hearts of Israel, so the Judaizers were trying to draw the Galatians away from Paul so they would follow the Judaizers and exalt them (Gal 4:17).

Gal 4:17, “They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.”

2Sa 15:3  And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.

2Sa 15:3 Comments – Absalom was saying that the king had not assigned anyone to deal with this matter, therefore making King David look bad.

2Sa 15:6  And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

2Sa 15:6 Comments – Absalom had not been dealt with according to the word or the Law of God, and now he is allowed to freely continue in his evil deeds (Ecc 8:11). Absalom had not only allowed a root of bitterness to spring up and defile him (Heb 12:15), but he was causing many other hearts to become evil towards David with a lying, gossiping tongue.

Ecc 8:11, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

Heb 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”

2Sa 15:6 Scripture References – Note:

Psa 55:21, “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.”

Pro 11:9, “An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.”

2Sa 15:7 And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD, in Hebron.

2Sa 15:7 “And it came to pass after forty years” Comments – Although the Hebrew text reads “forty years,” ancient versions testify to a variant reading of “four years.” For example, Josephus reads “four years.” [63] The scholars tell us that the Syriac and Arabic versions, and others, read ‘four years.’ KD adds the Vulgate (quattuor) and Theodoret to his list of Syriac and Arabic versions, and favours this variant reading. [64] However, some ancient witnesses retain “forty.” For example, the LXX reads “ ” (forty), and the VgClem reads, “quadraginta” (forty).

[63] Josephus says, “When he [Absalom] had made himself so popular among the multitude, he thought he had already the good will of the people secured to him; but when four years had passed since his father’s reconciliation to him, he came to him, and besought him to give him leave to go to Hebron, and pay a sacrifice to God, because he vowed it to him when he fled out of the country. So when David had granted his request, he went thither, and great multitudes came running together to him, for he had sent to a great number so to do.” ( Antiquities 7.9.1)

[64] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, 1&2 Samuel, in Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, trans. James Martin, in P.C. Study Bible, v. 3.1 [CD-ROM] (Seattle, WA: Biblesoft Inc., 1993-2000), comments on 2 Samuel 15:7-8.

For this reason, a number of modern English translations read, “four years.”

BBE, “Now at the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, Let me go to Hebron and give effect to the oath which I made to the Lord:”

ESV, “And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.”

God’sWord, “Four years later Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and keep the vow I made to the LORD.”

NAB, “After a period of four years, Absalom said to the king: “Allow me to go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the LORD.”

NCV, “After four years Absalom said to King David, “Please let me go to Hebron. I want to carry out my promise that I made to the Lord.”

NET, “After four years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron.”

NLT, “After four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and fulfill a vow I made to him.”

RSV, “And at the end of four years Ab’salom said to the king, “Pray let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron.”

2Sa 15:8 For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.

2Sa 15:8 Comments – Absalom made a vow unto the Lord. Unfortunately, he did not keep his vow and serve the Lord the rest of his life. Instead, he tried to take the kingdom from his father in rebellion against the Lord’s anointed. As a result, his life ended in a tragic death.

2Sa 15:12  And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

2Sa 15:12 Comments – Ahithophel was very likely the grandfather of Bathsheba (2Sa 11:3; 2Sa 23:34). The murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, would have given Ahithophel a motive in defecting against King David.

2Sa 11:3, “And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam , the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

2Sa 23:34, “Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite ,”

2Sa 15:20  Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.

2Sa 15:20 “mercy and truth be with thee” Comments – This phrase is like the opening of many of Paul’s epistles.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

David’s Sin and Judgment – Beginning in 2 Samuel 13, we see the curse of Nathan, the prophet, taking effect in David’s family (2Sa 12:7-12). David’s children had seen their father commit adultery, lie and murder. Now, some of his own children will follow in their father’s actions.

2Sa 12:10-12, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 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. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.”

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

Absalom Attempts to Take the Kingdom from David – In 2Sa 15:1 to 2Sa 18:33 Absalom rises up to take the kingdom from his father David. Absalom was the third son of King David (2Sa 3:2-5, 1Ch 3:1-4). He is soon killed in battle in fulfilment of Nathan’s prophecy against David’s lineage.

2Sa 3:2-5, “And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.”

See also 1Ch 3:1-4.

The first born son, Amnon, was dead. The second son, named Chileab, or Daniel, is mentioned nowhere else in the Scriptures. Therefore, it appears that Absalom believed that he had the right to the throne as one of the eldest living sons of King David.

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

The Insurrection Begun

v. 1. And it came to pass after this, shortly after Absalom had received the pardon of his father, that Absalom prepared him chariots, a state-chariot, and horses, and fifty men to run before him, to be runners or footmen. He thus appeared before the people in royal state and influenced their minds to think of him as the coming ruler.

v. 2. And Absalom rose up early, in order to impress people with his zeal in their behalf, and stood beside the way of the gate, at the entrance to the royal palace; and it was so that, when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, if he had a matter in which he sought the king’s decision, then Absalom, with every show of winning condescension, called unto him and said, of what city art thou? Such an inquiry on the part of a royal prince was, of course, very flattering to the average member of the nation. And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel, a member of the Israelitish nation, belonging to this or that specific tribe.

v. 3. And Absalom, who had inquired also about his business, said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right, his decision being made without a thorough investigation of the matter; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. The “hearers” of Oriental kings were judicial officers whose duty it was to investigate the matters brought to the king’s court, the king usually deciding on the basis of their findings. It is possible that neglect and partiality had crept in without the knowledge of David, so that Absalom could avail himself of a dissatisfaction already existing.

v. 4. Absalom said moreover, in following up the advantage of the good impression made by this bid for the people’s favor, Oh that I were made judge in the land, literally, “Who will establish me as judge in the land?” that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! Absalom’s imagination causes him to see the people crowding around him as he sits on the throne of judgment before them, eager to correct all the faults which had crept into the judicial procedure of the kingdom

v. 5. And it was so that, when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, to fall down before him and render him homage, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him, thus feigning an affability which was ready to acknowledge all men as brothers.

v. 6. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel, secretly, by guile, gained them for himself, made everything ready for the insurrection which he had planned.

v. 7. And it came to pass after forty years, about four gears after Absalom’s return to Jerusalem, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. He pretended that his vow required a sacrifice in the city of his birth, but in reality he considered Hebron a city peculiarly suited for his temporary capital after he had been proclaimed king.

v. 8. For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, during his banishment, saying, if the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord, namely, by a special sacrifice.

v. 9. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. Since full order had not yet been restored in the religious observances of Israel and the strict law of Leviticus 2Sa 17:3-4, was not in practical operation, such sacrifices, especially in priestly cities, were not unusual at that time. So he arose and went to Hebron, to carry out his intention of gaining the kingdom.

v. 10. But Absalom, having gained the hearts of the people by the methods described above, sent spies, emissaries, through out all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. The sound of the trumpet was to be a signal to all those who favored him to proclaim him as king over the entire nation.

v. 11. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem that were called, members of the king’s household; such as usually accompanied the royal princes, invited to the sacrificial feast; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not anything, they were in total ignorance of Absalom’s intentions.

v. 12. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, a city near Hebron, while he offered sacrifices, for he felt that the time for the open insurrection had now come. Ahithophel had probably joined Absalom’s party some time before, turning traitor to David either from motives of ambition or on account of the affair with Bathsheba, who apparently was his relative. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom. His venture seemed to be very successful. Absalom is a type of a rebel who disregards the Fourth Commandment. Such people are disobedient to their parents and oppose the lawfully constituted government. Their stock in trade consists of deceits and treason, and they end by being murderers.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

2Sa 15:1

After this. The Hebrew is a more precise phrase than that on which we have commented on 2Sa 10:1 and 2Sa 13:1, and implies that Absalom began his devices soon after obtaining his liberty. Chariots and horses; Hebrew, a chariot and horses; that is, a chariot for state occasions, in which Absalom rode, while fifty footmen ran at his side. Probably his grandfather Talmai practised similar magnificence at Geshur. In India it is still common for men of rank to be attended by runners on foot, who will keep up with horses or elephants for an incredible distance.

2Sa 15:2

The way of the gate. The gate would be that of the royal palace, where the king gave audience and administered justice. At the gate of the city the elders were the judges, and, though the higher authority of the king may have weakened the action of this citizen court, yet passages such as Isa 50:1-11 :23 and Jer 5:28 imply, not only its continued existence, but also that it retained much importance. Probably all causes between citizens were tried by it, just as causes in the country were tried by the mishpachah (see note on 2Sa 14:7); but with an appeal in weighty matters to the king. It is a mistake to suppose that David altogether neglected his judicial functions. On the contrary, the woman of Tekoah obtained an audience, as a matter of course; and Absalom would not have risen up thus early unless David had also taken his seat in the early morning on the royal divan to administer justice. It was the suitors on their way to the king whom Absalom accosted, and made believe that he would be more assiduous in his duties than his father, and that he would have decided every suit in favour of the person to whom he was talking, whereas really one side alone can gain the cause. Still, we may well believe that, guilty himself of adultery and murder, and with his two eider sons stained with such terrible crimes, David’s administration of justice had become half hearted. And thus his sin again found him out, and brought stern punishment. For Absalom used this weakness against his father, and, intercepting the suitors on their way, would ask their city and tribe, and listen to their complaint, and assure them of the goodness of their cause, and lament that, as the king could not hear all causes easily himself, he did not appoint others to aid him in his duties. It was delay and procrastination of which Absalom complained; and as many of the litigants had probably come day after day, and not succeeded in getting a hearing, they were already in ill humour and prepared to find fault. Now, as David possessed great powers of organization, we may well believe that he would have taken measures for the adequate administration of law had it not been for the moral malady which enfeebled his will. In the appointment of Jehoshaphat and Seraiah (2Sa 8:16, 2Sa 8:17) he had made a beginning, but soon his hands grew feeble, and he did no more.

2Sa 15:6

Absalom stole the hearts. By professing anxiety to devote himself to the hearing and deciding of the people’s causes, by flattering each one with the assurance that his case was so good that it needed only a hearing to be decided in his favour, and by his affability, made the more charming and irresistible by his personal beauty, he won the love of the people almost without their knowing how devoted they had become to him.

2Sa 15:7

After forty years. As Absalom was born in Hebron after David was made king (2Sa 3:3), and as David’s whole reign lasted only forty years and six months, the reading “forty” is evidently incorrect. Suggestions, such, for instance, as that the forty years are to be reckoned from the desire of the Israelites to have a king, or from the anointing of David by Samuel, are merely methods of evading a difficulty. The Syriac, however, and the Vulgateexcept the Codex Amiatinus, which reads “forty,” supported by Josephus and some manuscripts have “four years,” which would give ample, yet not too long, time for the growth of Absalom’s popularity, and of dissatisfaction at David’s tardy administration of justice. In Hebron. Absalom chose this town, beth as being his birthplace, and also because it was on the road to Geshur (1Sa 27:8), whither flight might be necessary should the enterprise fail. He hoped also to win to his cause some of the powerful tribe of Judah, though it generally was the mainstay of David’s throne. Local sacrifices were still customary (see note on 1Sa 16:2), and the visit of the king’s son for such a purpose would be celebrated by a general holiday and much feasting at Hebron. As Ewald remarks, David’s confidence and want of suspicion were the results of a noble-minded generosity. And besides, there was no state police ever on the watch, and ready to put an unfavourable construction on all that was done; and probably David was even pleased at his son’s popularity, and took his professions as proof that he would be a just and wise ruler on succeeding to his father’s place. Perhaps, too, he was glad at this indication of religious feeling on Absalom’s part; for a father is sure to look on the better side of his son’s acts. tie had been tardy enough in fulfilling his vow, but it seemed to David that conscience had at last prevailed, and that right was to be done.

2Sa 15:10

Absalom sent spies. The word means “those who go hither and thither,” and, as the object of such journeying would usually be. to gather information, the right translation often is “spies.” Here there was no such purpose, nor were they to report to Absalom, but to disperse themselves everywhere, and, when the signal was given at Hebron, they were to endeavour to gather the people to Absalom’s standard. Some simple minded commentators wonder how one trumpet could be heard throughout the land. It was heard only at Hebron, but the news of the proclamation would rapidly spread; and, though the rumour might be vague and confused, yet these emissaries, fully acquainted beforehand with its meaning, would turn it to Absalom’s advantage, and urge the people to confirm the choice, made, as they would affirm, by the whole tribe of Judah. In such attempts everything depends upon gathering a powerful following at first; and usually a good deal of vigour and even force is necessary to make men take part in a revolt. But as the numbers swell, adherents readily flock in to what seems to be the winning side.

2Sa 15:11

Two hundred men. These, doubtless, were courtiers and men of rank, who were so accustomed to Absalom’s love of display, that, when called, that is, invited, they would go without suspicion. To Absalom their attendance was most important, not only because, being compromised, many would join him, and even all of them for a time be forced to yield obedience, but because they would make the people of Hebron suppose that Absalom had a powerful body of supporters at Jerusalem. It is quite possible that at Hebron, and generally in Judah, there was great discontent because David had left their tribe to choose a capital elsewhere, and because he did not show them any decided preference over the other tribes, whose good will he would rightly seek to conciliate. The existence of much jealousy between Judah and the ten tribes is plain from 2Sa 19:41-43.

2Sa 15:12

Ahithophel the Gilonite. The desertion of David by Ahithophel is in every way remarkable, even if he were Bathsheba’s grandfather (see note on 2Sa 11:3). For he was far too subtle a man to have joined the conspiracy unless he bad felt reasonably sure that it would be successful. Successful it would have been had his advice been followed; but so correctly did he estimate the result if David were allowed time to gather his friends, that, when his counsel was rejected, he withdrew immediately to Giloh, and committed suicide. Still if the revolt had been successful, it would have involved, if not the death of Bathsheba, yet certainly that of her sons, and the exclusion of Ahithophel’s great-grandchildren from the throne. In Psa 41:1-13; written at this time, we learn what were David’s feelings when he heard the news of this conspiracy, and Ahithophel is the familiar friend, in whom he had trusted, and who had eaten at his table, but now raised up his heel to kick at him. In Joh 13:18 the words are quoted of Judas Iscariot, of whom Ahithophel was a type in his treachery and in his death by his own hand. The translation, “sent for Ahithophel,” cannot be maintained. The Hebrew is “sent Ahithophel,” but for what purpose or on what embassy is not mentioned. As thus something must have dropped out of the Hebrew text, it possibly may be the preposition “for,” as this gives a good sense. For Giloh, Ahithophel’s town, was situated a few miles to the south of Hebron (Jos 15:51), and Ahithophel had probably been working there secretly for Absalom for some time. As David’s counsellor, his proper place of residence would have been Jerusalem, but the conspiracy had been kept so secret that he had been able to get away without suspicion. He is now summoned to Absalom’s side, and his presence there brings in so many adherents that a rapid march on Jerusalem might have put David into their power. The Revised Version is right in translating, while he offered the sacrifices; namely, those which he had vowed, and which were the reason given for his visit to Hebron.

2Sa 15:14

Arise, and let us flee. The rebellion of Absalom, and David’s humiliating flight, bring out all the better parts of the king’s character, and set him once again before us as a man after God’s own heart. For this period is richly illustrated by the psalms which were written under the pressure of this great affliction, and which are marked by firm confidence in God, and an assured sense of the Divine nearness and protection. Psa 41:1-13. shows how poignant was his anguish at Ahithophel’s treachery, but it inspired no fear: “As for me, thou up. holdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face forever” (Psa 41:12). It was a firm faith which prompted such words. In Psa 63:1-11; written “in the wilderness of Judah,” before David had reached the Jordan, he gives utterance to his grief at the loss of his religious privileges at Jerusalem; but Jehovah is still his strong Tower, and his dwelling will be in God’s tabernacle forever. Psa 3:1-8; Psa 4:1-8. are his morning and evening hymns written “when he fled from Absalom his son.” Psa 55:1-23 is one more sad even than Psa 41:1-13. He describes in it his panic stricken feelings when the news reached him, his longing to escape from the turmoil of life, and flee into the wilderness and be at rest; and his grief at his desertion by men in whose company he had worshipped in the house of God. Upon this follows an outburst of vehement indignation, made the more bitter by the sense of the treachery whereby he had been duped into connivance with Absalom’s plans (verse 21); but amidst it all his confidence was unshaken that if he cast his burden upon God, “he would sustain him, and never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Finally, in Psa 27:1-14, we have the contrast between Jehovah’s abiding goodness and the inconstancy of men; while Psa 61:1-8; Psa 62:1-12. were probably written at Mahanaim, when David s anguish of mind was being assuaged, and a calm confidence was taking its place. Everywhere in all of them David speaks as one who had now given all his heart to God. As regards his terror and flight (Psa 55:5-8), it may seem strange that David should have withdrawn so hurriedly from a city so strong as Jerusalem. But we must not suppose that he had a standing army, and his few Cherethites and Pelethites could have made no head against the nation. Probably, too, the fortifications of the city were incomplete (Psa 51:18); and even if in good order, yet, cooped up in Jerusalem, David would have left the whole country in Absalom’s power, and finally, after a long blockade, he must have been driven by famine to surrender. Away from Jerusalem he was the centre whither all who disliked Absalom’s attempt would gather, and every day as it passed would make men reflect more and more upon what David had done for them, and the more steady and thoughtful of them would finally decide in his favour. There would be, moreover, the secret conviction that David, with such men round him as Joab and Abishai, if free to take his own course, would be more than a match for Absalom and his larger numbers. This was what Ahithophel foresaw, and was so convinced that, if David were not crushed at once, he would gain the day, that he did not even wait to see, but destroyed himself. Abarbanel thinks that the wish of the people had never been for more than the association of Absalom with David on the throne, according to what he had himself suggested (Psa 62:4); and that there was a great revulsion of feeling when they saw that they must choose absolutely between father and son, and that whoever lost the crown must lose his life as well. Some commentators consider that Psa 31:1-24. also belongs to this period, though others ascribe it to Jeremiah. Parts of it are singularly applicable to the circumstances of David’s flight, as where the psalmist speaks of Jehovah as being his Fortress in contrast with Jerusalem, and adds, “Thou hast not shut me up into the hands of the enemy, but hast set my feet in a large space,” as though “the net which the conspirators had privily laid for him” had been the design to coop him up within the walls of the city, There are touching words, too, of distress at the slander and reproach breaking forth on every side, and at the completeness of his fall, so that whereas but a few days before he had been a king, now “he was clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind; and east aside as though he were now of no more account than the shards of a broken vessel.” But, with the calm strength of faith he adds, “My times are in thy hand;” “Thou shalt hide all who trust in thee in the secret of thy presence;” “Oh, then, love Jehovah, and be of good courage! for he shall strengthen the heart of all whose hope is fixed on him.”

2Sa 15:15

The king’s servants. These were the officers of David’s court and household, numerous enough to hamper his movements, but not enough to protect him. All David’s wives, moreover, went, and his children, and some of his concubines (2Sa 19:5), ten, however, being left in charge of the palace.

2Sa 15:17

And tarried in a place that was far off; Revised Version, in Beth-merhak. “The Far House”so we may translate this proper namewas probably not a dwelling, but a pavilion overlooking the Kidron valley; and here David halted his household until all were assembled, and arrangements made for their journey. Here, too, the bodyguard would gather, and they would cross the Kidron only when everything was ready for their orderly progress. Confusion at such a time would breed a panic and invite an attack.

2Sa 15:18

All the Gittites, air hundred men which came after him from Gath. The Septuagint reads “Gibborim,” and without doubt these are the persons meant; but while they were styled Gibborim, the “mighties,” for honour’s sake, because of their prowess, they probably were popularly called David’s Gittites, because they were the six hundred men who had formed his little army when he sought refuge with Achish, King of Gath (l Samuel 27:2; 30:9). They were not Philistines, but Israelites of desperate fortune (1Sa 22:2); and it is a proof of David’s great ability, and of the moral influence of his character, that he was successful, not only in controlling them and maintaining discipline, but also in forming them into as noble a set of heroes as ever existed, and who were faithful to him in all his fortunes. To their number belonged the thirty-seven champions end-merated in 2Sa 23:1-39; and possibly the title “Gibborim” strictly belonged to them only. As they are still called “the six hundred,” it is probable that the corps was maintained at this number by new appointments, and that they had special privileges which made their position very desirable. Certainly David would never forget men who had shared all his fortunes, and been so true and so useful to him; and it is evident, from Hushai’s counsel (2Sa 17:8), that Absalom feared their resolute valour, and hesitated to attack without overwhelming numbers. Thenius compares these veterans to Napoleon’s Old Guard.

2Sa 15:19

Ittai the Gittite. Ittai was not one of the six hundred, though there was an Ittai among them, a Benjamite. He was a citizen of Gath, who had lately come (“yesterday,” see 2Sa 15:20), with all his household of slaves and dependents, his clan, Hebrew, his taftranslated in 2Sa 15:22 his “little ones.” He had evidently been a person of importance in his own country, whence he had been driven, perhaps by political troubles, and was now, therefore, an exile and a foreigner (Authorized Version, “stranger”) at Jerusalem. As David made him joint commander of his army with Joab and Abishai (2Sa 18:2), he must also have been a general of recognized military skill. As he was thus not personally interested in the government of Israel, and, in fact, had only lately come thither, David recommends him to return and abide with the king, that is, with the de facto king, Absalom. But so great was the fascination which David exercised upon those around him, that this foreigner boldly threw in his lot with him, and accompanied him in his flight. Return to thy place. This is a very daring transposition, as the Hebrew is, Return and abide with the king; for thou art a foreigner, and also an exile art thou to thy place. The Revised Version gives the same sense as the Authorized, though it shows more respect to the grammar. But the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, by “his own place” understand Gath, either taking the words as meaning “an exile as to thy own place,” or having a different reading. The Hebrew then proceeds, Yesterday was thy coming, and shall 1 today make thee wander to go with us, seeing I go whither I go? that is, I go I know not whither. Return thou, and take back thy brethrenin mercy and truth. This gives a very good sense, but the Septuagint and Vulgate have a different reading: “Take back thy brethren with thee, and the Lord chew thee mercy and truth.” The Syriac gives the genera] sense of the Hebrew, rendering, “Take back thy brethren well.”

2Sa 15:22

All the little ones; Hebrew, all the taf; in 2Sa 15:20 called “his brethren,” that is, all the relatives and dependents who had accompanied him in his exile. Their presence with him proves that he had entirely broken with the Philistines, and left his country for good. He may have taken this step for religious reasons, though his swearing by Jehovah (2Sa 15:21) does not prove it, as Achish did the same (1Sa 29:6); or Ittai, after the capture of Gath by David (2Sa 8:1), may have made himself unpopular by becoming the ally of the conqueror, and so finally have determined to leave the city, and find a home in Israel.

2Sa 15:23

All the country wept. This general lamentation proves that David was not really unpopular in Jerusalem, though it was there that Absalom had dazzled the people by his magnificence, and sought to win favour by his gracious ways. By the country the inhabitants are meant, who watched the king’s departure; while the people are David’s followershis retinue and attendants. The brook Kidron. This is a winter torrent, dry during most of the year, but serving at the rainy seasons to carry off the rainfall from the Valley of Jehoshaphat. It lay on the east of Jerusalem, and beyond it was Mount Olivet. The direction of David’s flight was toward the wild country on the east of the Jordan, in which Ishbosheth had found a refuge after the defeat of Gilboa. To reach it he must pass by Jericho, and thence through the Arabah (Jer 39:4) to the ford of the Jordan, after crossing which he would be in comparative safety. Ahithophel would have followed that very night, and have attacked before David had placed the river between himself and his pursuers.

2Sa 15:24

And Abiathar went up. This rendering, though confirmed by the versions, is very unintelligible. Whither did Abiathar go up? And moreover it is said that he continued going up until all David’s followers had passed out of the city. Another possible rendering is, “And Abiathar offered (sacrifices) until all the people had done passing out of the city.” Passages quoted in proof that the verb may be so rendered without the addition of the word “sacrifice” are 1Sa 2:28 and 2Sa 24:22; but in both these places the context makes the sense plain. Such a sacrifice would, of course, sanctify both king and people in their flight; but as none of the versions support this method of translating the text, it seems unsafe to adopt it, and the passage must remain obscure. On the one hand, it is unlikely that there would be time to offer sacrifices at so hasty a flight; but on the other hand, the removal of the ark was a solemn thing, which probably required some such religious ceremonial, and Cahen and other Jewish authorities translate, “Abiathar offered burnt offerings.”

2Sa 15:26

Let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. David’s answer is full, not only of devout resignation and trust in God, but is remarkable also for the absence of superstition. He feels that God will not judge him by any mere outward sign or privilege, but in truth and equity. If he deserves condemnation, he will not escape it by carrying the ark about with him. If, on the contrary, God accepts him, he will restore him to the enjoyment of his spiritual privileges, and bring him back to worship at the place which he has chosen for his dwelling. We must notice that he addresses these words to Zadok, who had remained with the ark. This was natural if Abiathar was occupied in offering, but hard to understand if he had gone up, that is, in advance of the ark, to acquaint David with their purpose.

2Sa 15:27

Art thou (not) a seer? Both the Authorized Version and the Revised Version evade the difficulty of this passage by inserting the word “not.” It is one of the merits of the Revised Version that usually it does not take these liberties. But “Art thou a seer?” is meaningless; and the attempts, moreover, to show that Zadok was a seer fail entirely in proof. The receiving revelations by Urim and Thummim was a priestly, and not a prophetic, function. Without altering the text, the words may be correctly translated, “Seest thou?” This was probably a colloquial phrase, of which the Septuagint gives the sense by rendering it in the imperative, “See;” while the Syriac, regarding it as an expletive, boldly omits it.

2Sa 15:28

In the plain of the wilderness. The Revised Version has “at the fords of the wilderness,” that is, it rightly keeps to the written Hebrew text (the K’tib), while the Authorized Version adopts a conjecture of the Massorites (the K’ri). This conjecture is the substitution of arboth for abroth, and they have made the same alteration at 2Sa 17:16. But the substitution is uncalled for and mischievous; for David would not halt indefinitely in the plain, the Arabah (of which Arboth is the plural), but would press on to the fords, where some delay must take place, and where the king’s presence would be important in giving instructions for what was by no means an easy operation. At the river, moreover, David could be assailed only in front, where his “mighties” would make a strong defence, while in the Arabah they might be surrounded; and, encumbered as they were with women, their line must be so extended as to be weakened. We find, too, in Jdg 3:28 that the fords of the Jordan formed a good military position. In 2Sa 17:22 it is expressly said that the fording of the river did not take place until Jonathan and Ahimaaz came with their reports; and their words there, in 2Sa 17:21, show that David was on the bank when they arrived, with his preparations so complete, that, in the next few hours, all his company were safely carried over to the other side. Ahimaaz was a famous runner (see 2Sa 18:27), and, if David was ready, the time gained by him upon any body of troops leaving Jerusalem at the same hour, would have enabled the king to get his people across; but if he had still some miles to march, with a number of women and children, Ahimaaz’s fleetness would have been rendered useless.

2Sa 15:30

The ascent of mount Olivet; Hebrew, the ascent of the olive trees. The hill never was called Olivet, which is a word formed from the Latin mons oliveti, the mount of the olive grove. David had his head covered. This was a sign of grief among the Persians, Egyptians, and Romans, as well as the Hebrews (for whom see Eze 24:17), it being originally a natural movement to conceal an outburst of tears. So we in great sorrow bury our faces in our hands. In this mark of mourning all joined, but David added the going barefoot as a sign of deeper humiliation. According to the Jewish Midrash, it was upon the Mount of Olives that David composed the third psalm. More probably it was at the fords of the Jordan, after David, wearied with the fatigues of the march, had enjoyed a short refreshing slumber, and while he was waiting for his two young friends, that he comforted himself by this outpouring of his heart to God.

2Sa 15:31

And one told David. The Hebrew literally is, and David told. But we cannot suppose that David had previously known of Ahithophel’s defection. The text is evidently corrupt, and the Authorized Version gives the right sense. On hearing of the defection of a man so famous for practical sound judgment, David prays to God to frustrate his counsel, and the opportunity for devising means for this end quickly follows.

2Sa 15:32

Where he worshipped God; more correctly, where God was worshipped, and so the Revised Version. The summit of the Mount of Olives was one of the many bamoth, or high places, situated on the top of hills, where, in the old Canaanitish time, men had worshipped their heathenish deities. They were still regarded as consecrated places, but the worship had now been transferred to Elohim, the true God. They continued to be hallowed spots, with Levitical priests to minister at them, until the stricter times of Josiah (2Ki 23:8), when such worship was forbidden; but even then these priests seem to have retained considerable privileges, though their position was inferior to that held by the priests of the temple. It was at this hallowed spot that David’s old friend and privy counselor (2Sa 15:37), Hushai, met him, with his coat rentnot the upper garment, but the kuttoneth, the under tunic, the rending of which was a sign of deeper sorrow. We read of “the border of the Archites” (so the Revised Version, rightly) in Jos 16:2, near Bethel, in the tribe of Manasseh; and Hushai’s birthplace was probably there.

2Sa 15:33

A burden unto me. Host likely because Hushai was old and infirm. Others, with less probability, think that it was because of his rank, which would demand special attendance.

2Sa 15:34

Then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. David was thus meeting treachery by treachery, and we cannot approve of it, even granting that Ahithophel’s conduct was base and selfish, while Hushai was risking his life for his master. Still, he was sent back to tell a falsehood, and his excuse was necessity; for Ahithophel was so sagacious that, if his counsel were not upset, David’s cause was lost. It was not Christian morality, but yet it has a sort of nobleness about it in Hushai’s devotion to his king. And even now, in war and diplomacy, such acts are not uncommon, and a distinction is unhappily drawn between political and social morality. Even in common life immoral doings are often sanctioned by use. Thus many customs of trade are frauds, considered legitimate because generally practised. Even among ourselves Christian morality is far below the level of our Master’s teaching; and the Old Testament must not be taken as approving all that it records. Similar blame does not attach to Zadok and Abiathar. They were known to be David’s friends, and had even tried to go with him, bearing with them the ark. They professed no friendship for Absalom, and returned for no covert purpose, looking for protection, not to guile, but to their sacred office. And Absalom would be glad to have them in his power, and would make them continue the customary sacrifices, and, if his rebellion proved successful, would force them to anoint him, and so give his usurpation a religious sanction. But he would tell them none of his plans, nor would they try to insinuate themselves into his confidence. They would have a perfect right to be useful in any way they could to their true master, but would do so at the risk of severe punishment. Hushai’s way of defeating Ahithophel was treacherous; but there was no deceit in the young men carrying a message from him, for they were openly David’s friends.

2Sa 15:37

Absalom came into Jerusalem. Absalom had evidently pushed rapidly forward from Hebron, in hopes, perhaps, of surprising David in the city. Evidently he entered it on the day of David’s flight (2Sa 17:1), and Ahithophers proposal to select twelve thousand men from Absalom’s followers shows how very powerful the conspiracy was. Had this advice been followed, the decisive battle would have been fought that evening at the fords of the Jordan, a few miles only from Jerusalem.

HOMILETICS

2Sa 15:1-12

The shady side of human nature.

The facts are:

1. Absalom sets up a large domestic establishment with a semblance of royalty.

2. Rising early in the morning of each day, he is first to meet the suitors for judgment at the gate of the city, and seizes the occasion for insinuating that there is defect in the king’s provision for the administration of justice.

3. He also professes to manifest sympathy with suitors by expressing the wish that he were in a position to do them justice, and gives outward evidence of his concern for them by taking each one by the hand and kissing him.

4. These plans being in progress, he next asks permission of David to go to Hebron, on the plea that he desired to redeem a vow which he had sacredly made to God while in exile; and David granting his request, he sets out for Hebron, with a company of men ignorant of his design.

5. Meanwhile he sends spies throughout Israel, so that on a given signal they might simultaneously make the announcement, “Absalom reigneth in Hebron.”

6. He moreover gains to his side Ahithophel, David’s counsellor, and so advances his cause among the people. The narrative gives us in brief form the scheme, the principles, the methods, and early form of Absalom’s conspiracy. He knew his own mind, and was set on the overthrow of his father’s authority, from sheer vanity and lust of power. The outline of his method was clearly defined:

(1) to win over the people by criticizing the king’s administration, and gratifying them by a showy establishment, professed zeal for justice, and marked personal attentions;

(2) to secure a good centre for proclaiming his authority, and this by a hypocritical profession of religion which required him to go there;

(3) by scattering agents through the land, and gaining to his side the king’s most sagacious adviser. There is not one relieving feature to the dark picture of pride, ingratitude, filial alienation, low cunning, and religious hypocrisy. It is, however, our province to extract good out of evil, and in the early stages of Absalom’s rebellion we may see illustrations of the shady side of human nature, which, if noted and applied to conduct, may warn against often-recurring evils, and put us on our guard against the same tendencies in other departments of life.

I. THE PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF UNJUSTIFIABLE REBELLION. Rebellion against existing authority may perhaps be right under special circumstances. People do not exist for governments, but governments for the people; and it is possible that the rights of the people may be so utterly trodden upon that it is the duty of self preservation to rebel. Even parental authority must be resisted when it comes into direct collision with conscience and with Christ (Mat 10:33-38). But rebellion is wicked when, as in this case, it springs from a blending of conceit, dislike of constituted authority, and lust for power. This may characterize rebellion originating in an individual or in a restless people. Talk of oppression, justice, kindness and consideration for the oppressed, may be but a cloak for a selfish aversion to restraint and a love of self-will. Even where there is justification for resistance to an evil rule, it is wicked to have recourse to flattery, deceit, hypocrisy, and low cunning to accomplish the end in view. In times of turbulence and agitation it is important that men scrutinize the secret motives of their actions. As a rule, injustice in rulers can be best resisted by the calm, sober protest and passive resistance of conscientious men. Faith in God, and in the force of true principles, with patient persistence, will in the end accomplish more than can be secured by violence; and where injustice exists only in the imagination of the restless, and the evils of life spring from their own habits and practices, then rebellion is one of the greatest crimes of which man is capable.

II. INCIDENTAL REVELATIONS OF CHARACTER. The character of a man lies primarily in the main principles and passions that are deep down in his nature, and which in course of years shape his outward conduct. Absalom’s real character was in existence long before it came out to the eye of the public in the form of rebellion against his father’s authority. Probably David discerned its incipient form, and hence his extreme slowness in recalling him to a position of prominence. The setting up by Absalom of a large princely establishment, with chariots and horses and runners, was really an incidental revelation in palpable form of a character internally maturing. It was a sign to such men as David and Nathan of what they had believed to exista vain, proud, ostentatious spirit. So in course of time men generally do something in their domestic arrangements or business developments which, if the world will only read aright, brings into public view tendencies and tastes which hitherto have been kept under restraint. Our visible acts and creations are the successive revelations of our condition. A man’s dress, his handwriting, his domestic establishment, his bearing before the public, his mode of transacting business, is a manifestation of the hidden manthe indicator of the elements entering into the permanent character. The outward aspects of a man’s life may be studied with a view to a knowledge of the habits and tastes of his mind.

III. EVIL TENDENCIES IN CONGENIAL ENVIRONMENT. The evil tendencies of Absalom were somewhat pronounced when he set up his pretentious establishment, but by his own act those tendencies were placed in the midst of circumstances eminently calculated to strengthen and develop them further. The heart of man can devise things out of its own tastes and propensities which become at once food on which those tastes and propensities grow to further power. A man of pleasure out of his own desires creates occupations and pursuits which become the nourishers of the passion for pleasure. The same holds of dreadful vices and blessed virtues. There is a self-promotive power in the forces that dwell within our moral nature. Intellectual and physical forces are not so recuperative of themselves by means of what they create as are the moral. We are to ponder the path of our feet, forevery step increases the momentum in the road, be it good or bad.

IV. LUST OF POWER MINUS FITNESS FOR ITS EXERCISE. Absalom set his heart on being King of Israel. The vision of a throne and a submissive people had great attractions for him. The princely establishment, With chariots and horsemen, was only the first instalment of a splendour soon to be won. Like all such men, he had unlimited confidence in himself. He could administer justice! He could win the people and hold them in subjection! And yet this vanity, this low cunning, this love of outward show, and mean lying flattery of the people, disqualified him for ruling as a king. Morally speaking, he was a handsome fool, and knew it. not. The lust for power is common, and often very strong in men. As manifested in bad men, it is an abnormal development of a love of mastery over what is not self. The possession of power over man is safe and good only when there coexist with it justice, generosity, considerateness, and honesty.

V. ALIENATION FROM A FATHER‘S HEART THE CLIMAX OF EVIL. Absalom was no longer a true son. No man could have entered on such a scheme and have devised such means unless he had lost all true natural affection. To find fault with a father’s administration, to expose a father to ridicule, to seek to alienate men from attachment to a father, and, in short, crush a father’s hopes and life’s work, could only proceed from a heart utterly alienated. And such a father! Weak and erring as David in a notable instance had been, he was the most generous, and magnanimous of men, and had brought peace and plenty and honour to Israel. Absalom’s crime was one of the basest ever recorded. And all alienation from a true father’s heart is utterly base and deserving the strongest detestation. There is hope for sons when they still cherish love and reverence for parents; none when these are gone. Every feeling, and act, and companionship, and habit which tend towards this awful separation of heart, should be shunned as men shun the road to death. And yet this is the real state of the human heart in relation to God. The gulf is awful; and nothing but a new creation will lead to a reconciliation (Joh 3:5; Rom 8:7).

VI. PSEUDO–PATRIOTISM AN ASSUMED VIRTUE. Patriotism is strong in men whose country has been associated in memory with great deeds. To care for one’s land and people, to be more concerned for the maintenance of justice and adjustment of the claims of the poor than for the form and personnel of government,this is always commendable; and so much is this virtue esteemed that it is assumed by Absalom for his own purposes. We cannot believe in the patriotism of any man who shuts his heart against a good father. Civil virtues cannot make amends for the absence of the domestic and primary virtues. It is easy to prate about justice and the oppressed, and to speak smoothly to the populace; to keep the heart pure, loving, true toward man and God, is not so easy. There is much pseudo-patriotism in political life. Men claim virtues they do not possess, and use the claim for gaining an influence that else would be unattainable.

VII. RELIGION A CLOAK FOR EVIL DESIGNS. Absalom knew his father to be a pious man, and therefore seeks to accomplish his purpose by a profession of piety. The heartless son finds no difficulty in taking the holy name of God in vain, and concocting a tissue of lies. To the populace he can be a critic of the government; to the pious king he can be a devout man, intent on keeping sacred vows. No clearer proof of a Satanic spirit than when men dare to lay hold of the most sacred things and use them for vile and selfish purposes. Righteous, indeed, was the indignation of Christ against such “hypocrites.” “Woe” from the lips of love came upon them. Manifold are the forms and degrees in which this evil appears. To worship in order to be respectable, to profess religion for the sake of trade, to utter pious phrases in order to win popular applause, are but the less repulsive forms of the very crime of Absalom. How abominable such persons must appear in the sight of the all-searching God!

VIII. TAKING UNDUE ADVANTAGE OF ANOTHER‘S DIFFICULTY. In consequence of the immense work thrown on an absolute monarch, the growing complications of a flourishing state, and the incompetence of subordinates, there would necessarily arise many difficulties in the administration of the affairs of the kingdom. In all lands people have to wait for justice when others are being served. But the evil heart of Absalom showed itself in using whatever incidental delays arose as an occasion of promoting its own wicked schemes. There is too much of this in the world. The rich have often taken advantage of the ignorance and helplessness of the poor to secure ends otherwise unattainable. In political life it is a maxim to seize the hour of weakness for a party triumph. It is the devil’s opportunity with feeble souls to render more sure their destruction. Trouble in state, Church, or family affords opportunity for testing the qualities of men. Love or hate, sympathy or antagonism, will thereby be revealed. How different to others the blessed Saviour in presence of human infirmity!

IX. POPULARITY ON AN UNSTABLE AND HOLLOW BASIS. The people’s hearts were won to Absalom. It seems a great triumph to win the hearts of multitudes; it is an indication of great power on the part of the conqueror or of fickleness on the part of the conquered. But in this, as in many instances, the conquest was a revelation of shallow thinking on the one side and basest cunning on the other. There is in most men a soil for receiving the seeds of discontent from the hand of a deft sower. People are easily caught by flatteries and personal attentions. A visible parade of splendour dazzles and pleases the crowd, who think modest, quiet bearing a sign of mediocrity. The dash and careless promises of a young and handsome man excite the imagination, and raise up pictures of great possibilities. The mass of men do not think; they feel, and are led by the clever orator who can stir up their feelings. It is not always a credit to “go with the multitude,” and fall in with an order of things because it is popular. The vox populi maxim is often false. Of One it was once true, “Of the people there was none with him.” He was “despised and rejected of men.”

X. AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE MOST DREADFUL OF CONSPIRACIES. It is not necessary to endeavour to trace resemblance in all details between antagonism to the mortal king in Zion and opposition to the immortal King in Zion. But there has been and still is a plot to destroy the authority of him whose right it is to reign. Fashion, wealth, power of speech, wit, and alliances with wise Ahithophels, continue to undermine and eventually overthrow the influence of Christ over the hearts of men. The “gates of hell” take counsel against the Lord and his Anointed. Another seat of supreme influence is being set up as a substitute for that occupied by the Anointed One, and “spies” are abroad seeking to create doubt and distrust in the hearts of the faithful. As we read the account of Absalom’s ingratitude, daring, and baseness, and feel for his deeds the utmost detestation, so holy beings who look on the endeavour to destroy the authority of Christ over men cannot but regard the deed as the basest, most daring, and at the same time most fatal to the perpetrators, ever attempted. The wicked may seem to triumph, but their end is destruction.

2Sa 15:13-30

The facts are:

1. David, being informed of the rising in favour of Absalom, calls upon his friends to flee from Jerusalem, in order to avoid its being smitten by a sudden attack.

2. His servants being willing to go with him, he leads out his entire household, with the exception of a few to take care of the house.

3. In his departure he is accompanied by his bodyguard, and the six hundred men which followed him from Garb.

4. Observing Ittai in the company, he suggests that, being a stranger and exile, he should not risk his fortunes with his own; but, on receiving an assurance that it was his deliberate desire so to do, he permits him to pass on.

5. The people of the district weep with a loud noise as he crosses the brook Kidron, and passes on toward the wilderness.

6. The ark of the covenant being brought out into the procession, when the people have passed the brook, David urges on Zadok that the ark be conveyed back to the city, expressing his humble hope that it might please God to allow him to see it once more, and, in any case, he submits to the appointments of Providence.

7. David requests Zadok and others with the ark to return to the city, and to inform him in the wilderness should anything of great importance arise.

8. The king expresses his grief by passing up the Mount of Olives, with covered head and weeping, accompanied by a covered and weeping multitude.

Submission in the day of adversity.

The order of the narrative of David’s departure from Jerusalem is rather involved, as may be seen by comparing 2Sa 15:17, 2Sa 15:19, 2Sa 15:23, 2Sa 15:30; but the actual facts are clear enough. As soon as he became aware of the extent of the rebellion, he resolved to leave the city, and we have a record of the fact and the incidents accompanying it. The first and most obvious impression produced on the mind of the reader is the prompt and quiet submission of the king to the force of circumstances, not because he was of cowardly spirit, but because he saw in what was happening the providence of God. If we analyze the conduct and words of David in their relation to the great fall and Nathan’s prophecy (2Sa 12:9-13), we shall see the leading features characterizing his submission, and in so doing we shall get a view of the main characteristics of all true Christian submission in the day of adversity.

I. A RECOGNITION OF PERSONAL DESERT. The prompt action, the surrender of regal state, the broken spirit, the barefooted departure from the seat of authority, and the tender references to God doing with him as seemed him good (2Sa 15:26), all point to more than a forced submission to mere military necessity. There may have been a deep inexpressible anguish on account of filial ingratitude, and the father’s heart could not but weep in silence over an erring lost child; but the remembrance of his own great sin, and the words of the prophet of God, furnished the chief theme of reflection; for the son’s ingratitude base as it was, had become the rod to chastise for the errors of the past. A forgiven man does not the less think of the sin as a disgrace and worthy of being branded as evil. Adversities come to us allhappily, few know the sorrow of such filial ingratitudeand the enlightened mind sees in them more than physical sequence. The doctrine that every sorrow that falls is for a specific sin need not be held. Yet all trouble is connected with the fact that sin is in the world, and a consciousness of personal shortcomings makes us feel, when adversity in home, estate, or health falls, that we deserve every pain that enters the heart. There is no assertion of right to be free from the trouble; rather the true heart says, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (Lam 3:22).

II. ACQUIESCENCE IN GOD‘S RIGHTEOUSNESS. To a human observer it might seem that it was a very unrighteous thing for the Supreme Ruler to allow so wise and good a king to be set aside and humiliated by a man so base and vain as Absalom, and many a man in his anguish might question the equity which allowed such sorrow to fall upon him when he had recovered from his special sins. David’s spirit was the reverse of this. Not a word of complaint, not a murmur or a fret in trouble. During his long exile, when death encompassed him about, and he had washed his hands in innocency, and all the blame lay with Saul and Doeg the Edomite, he trusted in the justice of God; and this confidence, won in the days of comparative innocence, failed him not now, when, after his recovery from a fall, the storm burst upon him with more terrible violence. He knew and rested in the precious truth that the Lord reigned in righteousness and brought correction to his servants for their good. Yes; this is the faith of the faithful. Never do they, however terrible the disaster in this life, distrust the righteousness of God. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him,” was true for Job and all of kindred spirit. Men who know not the new life cannot understand this. It is the alphabet of religious experience to all who are really born again and accepted in Christ. None of these things move them.

III. ACCOMMODATION TO NEW CIRCUMSTANCES. David does not yield to fretfulness and irresolution. He vacates his home, provides for his house, goes out to a place of safety, and, by his discreet arrangement with Zadok and Abiathar, keeps up means of connection with the city (verses 27, 28). Utter prostration under calamity does not come where there is the counteractive element of recognition of personal unworthiness and of the righteousness of God. Whether this trouble would pass he knew not, but as a wise man he adapted himself to the storm. As Jacob to his exile (Gen 28:10-22.), as Moses to his deprivation (Deu 3:25-27; cf. Deu 34:1-6), so David makes the best of his position. Providential chastisements are not designed to paralyze action; their benefit is secured when, in a spirit of resignation and trust, we use our powers to bear them and to mitigate their incidence (Heb 12:5-12). Adversity becomes truly educational when we are stirred up to adjust our life to its conditions.

IV. CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS, THAT THEY BE NOT UNNECESSARILY DRAWN INTO OUR SORROWS. David’s removal into the open country was partly from policy and partly from feelings of kindness. He probably had suspicions, seeing that his trusty counsellor had been drawn over to Absalom (verse 12; cf. Psa 41:9; Psa 55:10-14), that Absalom had many friends in the city, and should he in concert with them come suddenly upon him and his friends, multitudes would fall victims to his malice. It was the same generous feeling that prompted him to suggest that Ittai, not being a Hebrew, should not embroil himself in this sad conflict, and so run a risk in case another king should reign. We see the same David as in earlier years, ever mindful of others, and magnanimous to the extreme. The dreadful sin had not destroyed his noble qualities, but had given a sadly tender form to their expression. There ate beautiful instances in Christian life of this kindly consideration for others. Fathers and mothers strive to shield their children from the woes which they may connect with their own want of wisdom or goodness. The great Saviour himself, in his dire trouble, sought to shield his faithful followers (Joh 14:1, Joh 14:27; Joh 17:9-12; Joh 18:8).

V. GRATEFUL ACCEPTANCE OF SYMPATHY AND AID. The voluntary sympathy and aid of the faithful bodyguard, and the six hundred who had shared his fortunes prior and subsequent to his departure from Garb, was as cool water to a thirsty soul; and the free services of Ittai and Zadok were greatly valued. In the adversities which Providence permits to come for purposes of discipline there is the merciful admixture of some provision to meet the pressing need of the hoursome human channel for Divine sympathy and compassion to enter the heart. Submission to the inscrutable will always includes a grateful recognition of this relief. The love and presence of Ruth was as balm to the desolate heart of Naomi as she mourned her forlorn condition, imparted a sweet gentleness to her, and enabled her to submit to the blow that had shattered her early joys. David and she had herein a common experience.

VI. A THOUGHTFUL SELF–SACRIFICING CARE FOR THE INTERESTS OF RELIGION. It was very beautiful conduct on the part of Zadok and Abiathar to bring out the ark of the covenant (verse 24), to form a prominent object in the sad procession out of the city; it revealed a tender consideration for the man who in his prosperity had associated his purest joys and most glorious triumphs with that precious symbol of the Divine presence. The ark could not but remind David of the mercy that endureth forever, and its presence with him would be regarded as a pledge of blessing in his wandering. But he desired the priests to take back the treasure, and he, meekly bowing to the chastisement, would go out and suffer the loss of the outward privileges of the sanctuary. The reason of this no doubt was that, as he had been the means of procuring a permanent resting place for the ark (2Sa 6:17-19), and constituting Jerusalem the centre of religious influence for the nation, he would not now undo that work and serve his own personal advantage at the cost of the people. No; the religious institutions should remain intact, the blessings of public worship and spiritual comfort should abide for Jerusalem, though he a poor exile pine in solitude and peril for the “beauty of the Lord” (Psa 42:1-4; Psa 43:1, Psa 43:2). How beautiful this tender care for the interests of religion appears in true submission to adverse providences is known to all acquainted with Christian biography. Not a deed, not a word, not a thought is allowed that might be prejudicial to the kingdom of God. Storms may come, hopes may be blasted, if only the Name that is above every name be still honoured.

VII. A DELIBERATE COMMITTAL OF PRESENT AND FUTURE INTERESTS INTO THE HANDS OF GOD. “If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation. But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here I am, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him” (verses 25, 26). O blessed trust! O sweet resignation! O modest yet unshaken hope! Truly the discipline was already bearing precious fruit. The spiritual barrenness of those hot days of prosperity (ch. 11.) was clean gone. The temporal chastisement was in process, but the wandering child was a wanderer no more. Enviable beyond expression is this surrender of all interests to the wise and gracious hands of the covenant keeping God. Here comes out the essence of the true submission in the season of adversity. “He will,” if he “delight” in me! “Let him do as seemeth him good!” No self-will, no boast of claim, no thought of shame; God is over all and can do all; all is in his care, and what he does shall be deemed the best and kindest and most just. Who does not see the purifying power of the grace of God? Holy David once fallen!

APPENDIX. The sorrowing king, passing over the ridge of the Mount of Olives, on bare feet and weeping, bearing on his heart a terrible woe, and full of pity for the people rejecting his authority, and at the same time entirely submissive to the sovereign will that so ordains, reminds us of the other King, greater, wiser, more holy, and bearing on his heart the woes of many sins not his own, pacing the slopes of that same mount, weeping bitter tears, lamenting for the rebellious people, bearing all for others’ good, and submitting with unparalleled gentleness and trust to the sovereign will that ordained that so he must suffer.

Fidelity in misfortune.

It is believed by many that more remarkable virtues are developed in seasons of adversity than in those of prosperity. Their precise form will depend on the individuals concerned and the stress of the time. The conduct of the Gittites, and Ittai, and Zadok, and Abiathar is in pleasing contrast with that of Ahithophel and his coconspirators. In these men we may trace the characteristics of fidelity in misfortune.

I. IT IS ROOTED IN INTELLIGENT SYMPATHY. The six hundred had probably been with David and shared in his trials prior to his departure from Gath (1Sa 27:2). They knew him better than any others; they had formed a sympathy for him based on true knowledge, and they stood the test of the evil time. Of Ittai we do not know so much, but the words of the man prove that he appreciated the real character of David in spite of the slanders which such men as Ahithophel may have insinuated. The priestly functions of Zadok and Abiathar account for their interest in so devout a man as David. Their fidelity was not based on personal beauty, vague promises, and outward splendour (verses 1-6), but on intelligence and the feeling which accompanies it in a pure heart. So Ruth was true to Naomi (Rth 1:16, Rth 1:17). Any promise of attachment not resting on this foundation is worth nothing.

II. IT IS NOURISHED BY REFLECTION ON THE PAST. There were probably hours when the voice of temptation would come to allure them from a course So perilous in appearance, to a course promising reputation, wealth, and honour; for these men were of like passions with us all, and had no love for poverty and exile in themselves. But they knew David’s history, and when temptation to prefer the winning side came they would nourish their vow by thinking of what he had been, how God had befriended him before, and how he had risen from the fall which once was his shame. It is something to be attached to a man with a good history. When we have pledged ourselves to a just though suffering cause, we may ward off many a temptation by allowing the reflective powers to work on the antecedents of the cause to which we are pledged. Thus the early Christians, by reflecting on Christ, his words and work, and all he had been to them, could endorse the dying words of the aged Polycarp.

III. IT IS RESPONSIVE TO FRANKNESS AND MAGNANIMITY. The frank and magnanimous way in which David offered to release them from all risks only drew out into stronger and more pronounced form the attachment already cherished (verses 19-21). Zadok could not but feel a profounder regard for the king aider hearing his words concerning the ark (verse 25). There is something so noble in this frankness and magnanimity in misfortune that a faithful heart recruits its strength by the very sight and sound of the nobleness. Holy sentiments grow in exchange. There is no sure bond between the wicked. Sin is morally a weakness. Holiness is a strength.

IV. IT IS CAPABLE OF RISKS. Whatever might befall the king in his trouble, these faithful ones were prepared to share in it. True affection is not blind, as some would say; it sees, but it fears not. The faithful mind is intent on being on the side of right and weakness, not on securing anything for self. There are risks in adherence to a righteous cause in the day of adversity. Christ points this out to his followers, and it is the sign of true as distinguished from professional fidelity that it can bear and is determined to bear whatever may come. The real clue to the determination is the conviction that right is supreme in its claims, and that present suffering is only an incident of a well-directed human existence (Mat 10:16-18, Mat 10:38; Mat 20:22; Php 3:7-9).

2Sa 15:31-37

Prayer for Divine intervention.

The facts are:

1. David, hearing that Ahithophel was among the conspirators, prays that God would turn his counsel into foolishness.

2. On reaching the top of the Mount of Olives, the aged Hushai expresses his desire to go with David into exile, but David declines his offer on account of his infirmities.

3. On the other hand, David suggests that he can render him good service by returning to the city and living as a servant of Absalom, and he advises him to act in concert with Zadok and Abiathar.

4. Acting on this suggestion, Hushai returns to the city, and, some time after, Absalom also enters. There passed a pang through the heart of David as he beard of the treachery of his trusty counsellor Ahithophel, bitter because he had relied so much on this wise man’s honesty and sagacity, and more bitter still as he remembered the cruel conspiracy which he once entered into with Joab against the life of Uriah. Yet the forgiven and renewed king, in the fulness of his anguish, was true to his revived religious instincts in at once raising his heart to God with the prayer that he would bring his own wisdom to bear so as to defeat the wisdom of this man. We see here

I. THAT THERE IS IN THIS WORLD A CONFLICT BETWEEN HUMAN AND DIVINE WISDOM. David was well acquainted with two great facts:

(1) that the wisdom of God had designed him to be king over Israel to the end of his days (2Sa 7:11-16, 2Sa 7:28, 2Sa 7:29);

(2) that the wisest man in the land was devising means to frustrate this purpose, not perhaps consciously, yet practically. This is an epitome of the history of mankind. God has a purpose to carry out, and employs good men as his instruments,all is arranged according to his infinite wisdom; but, on the other hand, there are men who bring their powers to bear so as to frustrate thin purpose. They may not know that they are setting their wisdom against the wisdom of God, but the facts are to that effect. Adam and Eve went against wisdom in the exercise of their wisdom. Pharaoh contrived to prevent what wisdom had ordained. The wisdom of scribes and Pharisees was arrayed against him who was the “Wisdom of God.” In the antagonism of men to the gospel the apostle saw a case of the “wisdom of the world” striving against the wisdom which was so far above theirs that their wisdom was more properly folly (1Co 1:18-25). Men who live in sin, who try to dispense with Christ, really set their wisdom against the great and blessed order which is founded on eternal wisdom. The attitude of the world to the Church may be expressed in the terms just stated. Oh that men were wise!

II. THAT A GOOD MAN BELIEVES IN GOD‘S POWER TO COUNTERACT THE WISDOM OF MEN. This was the intellectual basis of David’s prayer for intervention against the devices of Ahithophel. Faith in God’s appointment of prayer is associated with a perception of the fact that God can and does so control human action as to restrain it within definite lines, and to secure in spite of it certain issues that are for the good of the world. A theism that renders God inactive, or bound in the unbreakable chains of a physical necessity, had better be frank and renounce the sacred name, and say once for all, “Force is in eternal motion along lines eternally fixed.” God is a Spirit, and as such has free access to the spirits of men. His unseen and unconscious contact may paralyze or divert thought, and render possible ideas which, when carried out, will prove to be subversive of the very ends which the wicked thinker once had set his heart upon. We don’t know how much we owe to this silent action of God on evil men. He also, as a free Spirit, is in contact with the ultimate elements of things, and can act on them without dislocation of the order of nature, more perfectly than we can in the effort of our will. Many Christian people do not, it is feared, half believe in this great truth, and do not sufficiently see its ample bearing on the great stress of life. God not only looks into men and sees them through and through; he is an Actor, and brings his wisdom to put to nought the wisdom of the wise.

III. THAT A GOOD MAN IN EXTREMITY NATURALLY PUTS THIS BELIEF INTO PRACTICE. David felt that he could not cope with the combination against him. His heart fainted at the thought of the sagacity of the counsellor uniting with the daring and dash of the ambitious usurper. His prayer was true to nature. We do not in ordinary circumstances allow our faith to have sufficient influence over our lives. Trouble brings us straight to God. Our vast resources are drawn upon when heart and flesh begin to fail. All prayer is a cry for God’s help, or it is nothing; hut the earnestness and intensity of the cry are proportioned to the perception of peril.

IV. THAT PRAYER FOR HELP, IN THE CASE OF A GOOD MAN, IS ATTENDED WITH A DISCREET USE OF MEANS TO SECURE THE END IN VIEW. The practical character of David’s religion is seen in thisthat, as soon as he had committed his desperate case to God, he took steps, through Hushai, to counteract the wisdom of Ahithophel. He knew that God worked on the minds of men partly by the agency of other men, to whom he secretly imparts wisdom and discretion. Not only would secret unconscious influences operate within Ahithophel to cause him to blunder in advice, hut thoughts would be directed in the minds of Hushai and Zadok so that they would act at the right season and in the right way. This combination of trust in God and action among men is characteristic of all true religious life. “The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much,” and his labour also “is not in vain in the Lord.”

GENERAL LESSONS.

1. In all our dealings with men, and efforts to get them to act, we should remember that we can get at them through God.

2. The Church, in its conflict with the world, should rest in the consolation that the wisdom of God can never fail.

3. Much of our success in Christian work depends on our assigning men to duties suited to their character, age, and position.

4. Good men who are compelled by force of circumstances to live among men of evil purpose may use their knowledge of the world and its ways so as to promote the best interests of the kingdom of God.

HOMILIES BY B. DALE

2Sa 15:1-12

(JERUSALEM, HEBRON.)

The rebellion of Absalom.

About twelve years had elapsed since David’s fall into sin. One of its effects was the rebellion of Absalom. The history of this eventmost critical for the theocratic monarchy, and “revealing the thoughts of many hearts”sheds a clear light upon the condition of Israel. “We seem to know all the people; the natural manners and vivid outbursts of feeling make the scene stand out with a kind of homely poetry.” In it we discern the presence and influence of:

1. Divine chastisement, announced by the prophet (2Sa 12:10), “The sword shall never depart from thine house,” etc. Forgiveness of sin does not annul its natural consequences. Such consequences are sure, however they may appear to be delayed; and, though inflicted by the hand of man, they do not less really proceed from the hand of God. Already David had experienced the effects of his transgression in his family; he must now experience them, on a larger scale, in his kingdom.

2. Defective administration of judgment by the king (2Sa 15:3); due, not so much to advancing age (over sixty), as to timidity, irresolution, and want of energy, consequent on what had taken place; and “a tendency to shrink into private life, with a preference for such duties as preparing materials for the future temple rather than those of active government;” perhaps also to serious illness, brought on by trouble of heart, and partially incapacitating him from performing the increasing duties of his office (Psa 38:1-22, Psa 39:1-13, Psa 41:1-13, Psa 55:1-23).

3. Prevalent dissatisfaction among the people. His sin “broke the powerful spell which had hitherto bound the whole nation to the name of David” (Ewald). “The imperfections and defects of his internal administration of the kingdom, when the time of his brilliant victories was past, became more and more perceptible to the people, and furnished occasion for dissatisfaction with his government” (Keil). “His pious actions, his attention to the public ordinances of worship, perhaps even his psalms, had for the time lost their credit and their sacredness. Not every one was capable of estimating aright the repentance of the fallen man, and his humiliation before the Almighty. It was almost forgotten that he was king by the grace of God” (Krummacher). “The infirm condition of the king, his eminent godliness and opposition to popular feelings, and the distance of age that now separated him from the sympathies of the younger portion of the people” (Blaikie); some discontent in his own tribe of Judah (2Sa 15:10); “the still lingering hopes of the house of Saul and of the tribe of Benjamin (2Sa 16:3, 2Sa 16:8); and the deep-rooted feeling of Ephraim and the northern tribes (2Sa 19:41) against Judah” (Stanley);all combined to make the people ripe for insurrection.

4. Private animosity on the part of its leaders: Absalom, on account of his long banishment in Geshur and exclusion from court; Ahithophel, the grandfather of Bathsheba (2Sa 15:12; 2 Samuel:3), on account of the dishonour done to his house; Amasa, son of Abigal, David’s half-sister (2Sa 17:25), possibly on account of some neglect or discourtesy shown toward him. “These four years (2Sa 15:7) were for David a time of increasing care and anxiety, for that which was planned cannot have remained altogether concealed from him; but he had neither the courage nor the strength to smother the evil undertaking in the germ” (Delitzsch, in Psa 41:1-13.). The course of Absalom (now twenty-seven years of age) was marked by

I. AMBITION CRIMINALLY INDULGED. Sinful perversion of the natural desire of preeminence; unhallowed love of power and glory (as in the case of Adonijah, his brother, 1Ki 1:5), the bait by which Satan seeks to allure men to a false worship (Mat 4:9; 1Sa 15:1-9).

“He showed him in a jewell’d wreath

All crowns the earth bestows;

But not the rankling thorns beneath,

That pierce the wearer’s brows.”

Absalom’s ambition was peculiarly culpable; because of his:

1. Self-conceit; his selfish, proud, and false estimate of his own worth. He was “the representative of vain glory and self-conceit (Wordsworth). Those are commonly most ambitious of preferment that are least fit for it” (Matthew Henry).

2. Covetousness; the object of his desire belonging to another, and unattainable save by injustice. It is not likely that he wished simply to share the sovereignty of Israel.

3. Disaffection and unnatural envy toward his father.

4. Disloyalty toward the king.

5. Rebellion against God, the supreme King of Israel, by whose ordinance David had been appointed. He had, apparently, “no spark of religious principle in his breast.”

6. Self-will; indisposition to submit to the will of Jehovah, to defer to the nomination of the king, or to wait for his decease. He resolved to anticipate all, and have his own way. “He that destroys self-will, destroys hell.”

7. Suspicion and jealousy of his brother. “It is our impression that David already knew that Solomon was, by the Lord’s appointment, to be his successor to the throne. In the promise made to David through Nathan, it was clearly indicated that a son not yet born was to sit upon his throne, and when Solomon was burn he could not but understand that this applied to him. If he had any doubt of this, it must have been removed by his knowledge that the ‘Lord loved him,’ and had, through Nathan, bestowed upon him the new name of Jedidiah (2Sa 12:24, 2Sa 12:25). It is even probable that he had, tong before the present time, if not from the first, received those more distinct intimations of the Lord’s will in this matter, which he mentions in 1Ch 28:5-7 . As the intimations we have traced were long before afforded, it is likely that the pledge (1Ki 1:17) which was founded on them had not been so long delayed” (Kitto, ‘Daily Bible Illust.’). “Absalom was a bold, valiant, revengeful, haughty, enterprising, magnificent, eloquent, and popular prince; he was also rich, ambitious, and vain of his personal accomplishments; and, after the death of Amnon and his reconciliation with his father, he saw no hindrance in his way to the throne. He despised Solomon because of the meanness of his birth and his tender years. He was himself of the blood royal, not only by his father, but also by his mother; and doubtless in his own apprehension of sufficient age, authority, and wisdom to sustain the weight of government. He seemed to stand nearest to the throne; but his sin was that he sought it during his father’s lifetime, and endeavoured to dethrone him in order to sit in his stead” (Calmer).

“O sacred hunger of ambitious minds,

And impotent desire of men to reign!

Whom neither dread of God, that devils binds,

Nor laws of men, that common weals contain,
Nor bands of nature, that wild beasts restrain,

Can keep from outrage and from doing wrong,

Where they may hope a kingdom to obtain:

No faith so firm, no trust can be so strong,
No love so lasting then, that may endure long.”

(‘The Faerie Queene,’ canto 12.)

II. POPULARITY FRAUDULENTLY ACQUIRED. “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (1Ch 28:6); by methods which many a demagogue has since adopted. “David won their hearts by noble deeds of generosity, as well as by deeds of prowess;” but Absalom stole them by:

1. Subtlety and guile.

2. Ostentation; affecting royal state. “Absalom prepared him chariots,” etc. (1Ch 28:1; 2Sa 13:23, 2Sa 13:27; 1Sa 8:4-22):

3. Assiduity, in attending to public affairs. “Absalom rose up early,” etc. (1Ch 28:2). “Those who least understand the duties and could least endure the burdens of authority are commonly most desirous of it; but when ambition prompts, the most self-indulgent assume the appearance of diligence, and the most haughty that of affability and condescension; and while men aspire to the pinnacle of earthly grandeur, they, for the time, pay the most abject court to the meanest of the mob!” (Scott).

4. Courtesy and pretended sympathy. “Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou?” etc.; “He put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him” (1Ch 28:6).

“And then I stole all courtesy from heaven,
And dressed myself in such humility,
That I did pluck allegiance from men’s hearts,
Loud shouts and salutations from their mouths,
Even in. the presence of the crowned king.”

(‘King Henry IV.,’ Part 1. act 3. sc. 2.)

5. Flattery. “Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right” (1Ch 28:3).

6. Disparagement of the existing, adminstration, and insinuation of the king’s incapability and neglect. “But there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.”

7. Fair and lavish promises, and holding out the prospect of a golden age under his reign. “And Absalom said, Oh that I were made judge in the land!” etc. (1Ch 28:4). It is not to be wondered at that, by such arts as these, aided by his ready speech and attractive person and manners, he turned the hearts of the people, already prepared for change, from their rightful monarch. “After thus flattering the people, and ingratiating himself into their favour during four years, he decides upon the execution of his cunningly devised project” (Ewald). “The success of this godless rebel shows a lack of true theocratic feeling in the mass of the people, who, in abandoning the king’s government, were guilty of opposition to the government of God” (Erdmann).

III. CONSPIRACY CRAFTILY CARRIED OUT (1Ch 28:7-12); apparent in:

1. The selection of the place, Hebron (his birthplace), notable on many accounts, especially as the chief city of Judah, where sympathy could be calculated upon. “There may have been many persons there who had been displeased by the removal of the court to Jerusalem” (Keil). “Accustomed from the earliest times to independence and pre-eminence, Judah stood proudly apart under David even after Saul’s death, and now probably offered some opposition to the growing unity of the kingdom” (Ewald).

2. The profession of a religious purposethe fulfilment of a vow (1Ch 28:7, 1Ch 28:8; 1Sa 1:11). “With a subtle refinement of hypocrisy, he pretended that his thank offering was for his return to Jerusalem” (Plumptre). “No villainy can be termed complete which is not disguised under the mask of religion, especially at those times when the profession of godliness is treated with general respect.”

3. The obtaining of the king’s sanction: “Go in peace” (1Ch 28:9); thereby disarming suspicion and winning confidence.

4. The despatch of emissaries through all the tribes, to prepare for the simultaneous proclamation, “Absalom reigneth in Hebron!” (1Ch 28:10).

5. The securing of the presence of numerous persons from Jerusalem; depriving the king of their aid, and making them unwittingly adherents of Absalom (1Ch 28:11).

6. The gaining of the open support of Ahithophel, whose secret counsel had doubtless been long before afforded (1Ch 28:12, 31). He was “the sinews of Absalom’s cause” (Blunt). “While the sacrifices were proceeding, Absalom sent for him from Giloh, and the presence of this influential personage appears to have caused the final outbreak of a conspiracy which had been carefully prepared, and which immediately spread with amazing rapidity, and pouring like a wild mountain torrent from the ancient capital of Judah, soon threatened to flood the whole country” (Ewald).

IV. INSURRECTION SUCCESSFULLY INCITED, only to be disastrously defeated. “And the conspiracy was strong,” etc. Its success was:

1. Great, swift, surprising. A few hours later, Jerusalem was in the hands of Absalom.

2. Temporary. The prosperity of the wicked is but for a moment.

3. Followed by signal retribution, whilst itself employed as an instrument thereof, by Divine providence, whose ways, though mysterious, are always just and right. The death of Absalom (2Sa 18:14) was “the end of a bitter family history, whose every sorrow was linked to the father’s blame.” The people who shared his crime shared his punishment. The fatal spark of tribal enmity kindled under his influence, though quenched for the moment, soon burst forth again, and ultimately destroyed the unity, independence, and strength of the nation.D.

2Sa 15:13-18

David’s flight from Jerusalem.

“Arise! and let us flee” (2Sa 15:14). References:

1. Leaving the palace, on receiving news from Hebron (after the harvest and vintage, 2Sa 16:1; 2Sa 17:28; Psa 4:7).

2. At “the Far House” (Beth-hammerhak), on the outskirts of the city (2Sa 15:17); and at “the olive tree in (on the road to) the wilderness of Judah” (LXX.); the procession formed; Ittai the Gittite.

3. Passing over the Kidron; the signal of flight; loud and general wailing (2Sa 15:23).

4. Commencement of the ascent of Mount Olivet; Zadok and Abiathar (2Sa 15:24-29).

5. Ascending the mountain amidst loud wailing (2Sa 15:30); tidings concerning Ahithophel (2Sa 15:31).

6. At the top (about noonday), “where God was worshipped” (2Sa 15:32); Hushai the Archite (2Sa 15:32-37).

7. Descending, on the other side; Ziba, with refreshments (2Sa 16:1-4).

8. At Bahurim; Shimei (2Sa 16:5-13).

9. Coming “weary” (or, to “Ayephim”) (2Sa 16:14); to the fords (Authorized Version, “plains”) of the wilderness, or passages of the wilderness leading to the Jordan; and resting there for the night.

10. Crossing the river (after midnight), on the arrival of Ahimaaz and Jonathan with news from Jerusalem (2Sa 17:21, 2Sa 17:22); and marching onward “by the morning light” toward Mahanaim (2Sa 17:24, 2Sa 17:27-29). “There is no single day in the Jewish history of which so elaborate an account remains as of this memorable flight” (Stanley). It was probably the morning after Absalom’s revolt when news came from Hebron. Of all the “evil tidings” that David ever received (2Sa 13:21, 2Sa 13:30), none were more unexpected or alarming. He must determine at once whether to face the gathering storm or flee before it. With something of his former decision he chose the latter course; his servants (state officers, attendants, soldiers) declared themselves ready to do his bidding; and “he went forth and all his household” (wives, sons, daughters), “all the people” (“servants,” LXX.) “after him,” etc. At first, no doubt, struck with consternation, he yet speedily regained his composure (Psa 112:1-10 :12); and came to his decision not from abject fear, or personal cowardice (2Sa 18:2), but (as others should do in similar critical and perilous positions) from motives of

I. PIETY; or humble submission to the chastisement of God. Lest he “bring evil upon us;” or “drive over us the evil” or calamity which now threatens, and in which David sees the fulfilment of predicted judgment (2Sa 12:10, 2Sa 12:11).

1. He discerns therein the operation of Divine justice on account of his sin (2Sa 16:11). Trouble and danger bring sin to remembrance; and those who remember their sin are quick to perceive the chastening hand of God where others see only the wrathful hand of man. In the view of faith, wicked men are instruments employed by the supreme and righteous Judge. Resentment toward them is thereby moderated, the sense of sin deepened, and suffering borne in a different manner. “Wherefore doth a living man complain?” etc. (Lam 3:39; Mic 7:9).

2. He is persuaded of the folly of resistance to the Divine power. Such resistance can be of no avail against the Almighty; it ought not to be attempted; and it can only result in defeat and ruin (as in the case of Saul). If he should remain and defend the city, David had no inward assurance, as in former conflicts, that God would be with him. He rather felt that in resisting Absalom at this moment he would be resisting God. He did not even deem it needful to consult the oracle (2Sa 15:24).

3. He acquiesces without murmuring in the Divine will (2Sa 15:26), “accepts the punishment of his iniquity” (Le 26:41), and patiently endures the wrath of man, knowing that it is subject to Divine control. When a hurricane sweeps over the land, the things that cannot bend are broken; but those that bow beneath it are preserved, and rise up again when it has passed by. “Humble yourselves,” etc. (Jas 4:10).

4. He hopes for deliverance in the Divine mercy (2Sa 15:25; 2Sa 16:12). “But as for me, I trust in thee” (Psa 55:23). Herein lay the secret of David’s passivity, tranquillity, and forbearance during his flight.

II. POLICY; or prudent counsel against the assaults of the wicked. Piety without policy is too simple to be safe.

1. He does not presume upon the protection of God, without, on his part, exercising proper caution and energy. A good man’s submission to Divine chastisement does not require that he should always remain in the way of danger or voluntarily invite human hostility and cruelty. “When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another” (Mat 10:23).

2. He does not undertake an enterprise rashly, or without adequate means of success. David probably deemed the number of his “servants” present with him in Jerusalem insufficient for the defence of the city. If, indeed, he had the assurance of Divine help, he might have thought otherwise (2Sa 5:19). “His departure was an admirable means of testing the real strength of both parties” (Ewald).

3. He does not place an undue confidence in man. “David was perhaps afraid that Jerusalem might fall into Absalom’s power through treachery” (Keil). “Beware of men” (Mat 10:17; Joh 2:24; Psa 118:8, Psa 118:9).

4. He makes use of the means which are most likely to ensure safety and success. “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself” (Pro 22:3). If there must be conflict, delay appeared to him desirable; it would afford time for his faithful adherents to assemble; and, in the open field, the tried valour and discipline of his veterans would give them an advantage. Pious men are not unfrequently deficient in prudence (Luk 16:8); since, however, they are sometimes beset by ravening wolves, it is necessary that they should be “wise as serpents” (Mat 10:16), taking care nevertheless to avoid guile, and to be “harmless as doves.” “When he was reviled,” etc. (1Pe 2:23).

III. PITY; or generous concern for the preservation of the imperilled. Foreseeing the misery and bloodshed likely to ensue from awaiting the attack of Absalom, he sought by flight not merely to save his own life, but chiefly:

1. To secure the safety of his helpless household, and aid the escape of his faithful followers (2Sa 15:19, 2Sa 15:20).

2. To spare the city the horrors of a siege. “He preferred the safety of the people to his own; and was thus also a figure of him who said, in the garden of Gethsemane, ‘If ye seek me, let these go their way ‘” (Wordsworth).

3. To save the life of his rebellious son (2Sa 18:12); for which he would have given his own (2Sa 18:33).

4. To prevent the miseries of civil war (2Sa 2:26; 2Sa 3:1), and promote the welfare of the divided and misguided people. If collision could be now avoided, it might perchance be altogether averted (2Sa 15:25), or at least occur with less injurious consequences. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the “sheep” (2Sa 5:2; 2Sa 24:17). “Let thy blessing be upon thy people” (Psa 3:8). His piety was honoured, his policy justified, his pity succeeded by renewed attachment (2Sa 19:14), and, in all, the overruling providence of God was displayed. He left Jerusalem in humiliation and grief; he returned (three months afterwards) in triumph (2Sa 19:39, 2Sa 19:40). Having practically resigned his sceptre to God, from whom he received it, God gave it back into his hands. “As David falls away from Jehovah to be more firmly bound to him, so Israel turns away from David to be (as the close of the history shows) more devoutly attached to him. The prelude to this first clearing up of the relations between king and people is given in the conduct of the faithful band who stand firmly by David in the general defection” (Baumgarten).D.

2Sa 15:19-22

(BETH–HAMMERHAK.)

The devotedness of Ittai.

“As Jehovah liveth,” etc. (2Sa 15:21). In his flight from Jerusalem:

1. David experienced much alleviation of his trouble; as in his flight from the court of Saul (nearly forty years before). He was not left alone (1Sa 22:1, 1Sa 22:2). His “servants” gathered round him, and professed their readiness to follow him (2Sa 15:15). Halting with his household at “the Far House,” he found himself accompanied by his bodyguard, the Cretans and Philistines (under Benaiah, 2Sa 8:18); his six hundred veterans (under Abishai, 2Sa 23:17-39) who had been with him in his early wanderings and followed him from Gath onward (Gittites, equivalent to “Gibborim,” 1Sa 23:13; 1Sa 27:2; 1Sa 30:9; 2Sa 2:3; 2Sa 5:6); and a part at least of the regular soldierythe host (under Joab, 2Sa 8:16; 2Sa 18:1, 2Sa 18:2). His attention was arrested by the presence of Ittai the Gittite (who, from some unknown cause, had recently come from Garb) with his brethren (kinsfolk) and children. “The Lord has the hearts of all men in his hands, and if he be our friend, we shall not want friends” (Guild). “Our foremost friends are sometimes raised up among persons from whom we had the least expectations” (Scott).

2. He exhibited noble generosity in his conduct. “Wherefore goest thou with us?” etc. (2Sa 15:19-21). “This unexpected meeting with Ittai appeared to the royal fugitive almost like a friendly greeting of his God, and dropped the first soothing balsam drops into the painful wounds of his deeply lacerated heart” (Krummacher). But David, now himself a wanderer, had no desire to make the condition of this “stranger and exile” more homeless and distressing by dragging him into his own misfortunes; released him from whatever obligations of service he may have incurred; advised him to offer his services to the new king; and expressed the wish, “Mercy and truth [from God] be with thee” (2Sa 2:6).

“I am a poor fallen man, unworthy now
To be thy lord and master; seek the king
Neglect him not; make use now, and provide
For thine own future safety.”

(‘King Henry VIII.’)

3. He exerted a powerful attraction on his followers; as aforetime. His language was really a pathetic appeal; not unlike that of Jesus, “Will ye also go away?” etc. (Joh 6:66-69). “Ittai declared his resolution (with a fervour which almost inevitably recalls a like profession made almost on the same spot to the great Descendant of David, Mat 26:35, centuries afterwards) to follow him in life and death” (Stanley). It was “a beautiful instance of loyal constancy and faithful devotion in a Philistine soldier at a time of apostasy and defection. His truth and fidelity are brought out in a stronger and clearer light by the contrast with the treachery of Absalom, Ahithophel, and eventually of Joab and Abiathar” (Wordsworth). He may be regarded, in his devotion to David, as a pattern of devotion to Christ. It was

I. SEVERELY TESTED. Like him, the follower of.Christ is often tried and proved, by:

1. The prospect of difficulties, privations, and perils in his service. These are all known to the Lord, for he has himself endured them; and he forewarns his disciples of them (Luk 9:57, Luk 9:58; Luk 14:25-33). He would not have them follow him from mere impulse.

2. The promise of ease, safety, and advantage in other service; worldly pleasure, treasure, power, honour, in devotion to the prince and “god of this world.”

3. The example and influence of many persons; bound by stronger ties to serve their rightful king; but forsaking their allegiance to him, joining in revolt against his authority, seeking his life, and heaping reproaches on his head (2Sa 16:11). “From that time many of his disciples went back,” etc..

4. The peculiar circumstances in which he is placed, the special inducements suggested thereby, and the favourable opportunities afforded for the exercise of his freedom. There are times in which the Lord (however much he values and desires his aid) does not urge him to continue, but seems to do the opposite, and give him liberty, if he be disposed, to depart. So he tests his disciples, sifts the false from the true, and, though it cause the former to fall away, it makes the latter cling to him more closely than ever. The decision between Christ and antichrist has to be made, not only at first, but also often afterwards.

II. WORTHILY DISPLAYED, as it should be by every follower of “the Son of David,” in:

1. The deliberate preference of his service to any other. “Just as in the great French Revolution, the famous Swiss Guard showed a brave, though mercenary fidelity, so Ittai, having eaten of the king’s salt, determines that where his lord the king is, in life or death, he will be.”

2. The disinterested motives by which he is actuated (Rth 1:16). Ittai was not a mere mercenary, serving David for advantage (Job 1:9). He was influenced possibly by gratitude for the kind reception he met with on coming from Gath as “a stranger and an exile,” by a sense of obligation imposed by friendship and previous engagements, by a conviction of the rectitude of the king’s cause; certainly by admiration and affection for his person. Hence he wished to be with him, to share his sufferings and to aid in his defence. He was ready “to lay down his life for his sake.” An intelligent, sincere, passionate love to the Person of Christ is essential to his service. “Lovest thou me?”

3. The open and solemn pledge of loyalty and fidelity. “As Jehovah liveth,” etc. (1Sa 29:6; 2Sa 4:9). Ittai was doubtless a convert to the faith of Israel. “Whosoever shall confess me before men,” etc. (Mat 10:32; Rom 10:10).

4. The practical, unconditional, whole hearted consecration of himself and all he possessed to the king’s service. “And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.” “Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day unto the Lord?” (1Ch 29:5).

III. GRACIOUSLY APPROVED. “And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over” (2Sa 15:22), “with me” (LXX.). If he said no more, his look and manner would give peculiar significance to his words. The Lord testifies his reception and approval of every devoted servant by:

1. Giving him the assurance thereof in his heart.

2. Fulfilling his desire to be with him. “If any man serve me,” etc. (Joh 12:26).

3. Appointing him to his post of duty, and making his way plain (Joh 11:9, Joh 11:10).

4. Exalting him to a position of responsibility and honour (2Sa 18:2), in which he aids the king in gaining a great victory, and shares the joy of a great triumph. The latter, like the former life of this Philistine, is wrapped in obscurity. But his devotion to “the Lord’s anointed” shines like a star among the heathen, and condemns the lukewarmness, selfishness, and unfaithfulness of many “who profess and call themselves Christians.”

“Lo: of those
Who call, ‘Christ! Christ!’ there shall be many found,
In judgment, further off from him by far
Than such to whom his Name was never known.
Christians like these the Ethiop shall condemn;
When that the two assemblages shall part
One rich eternally, the other poor.”

(Dante, ‘Purg.,’ 19.)

D.

2Sa 15:23-29

(ACROSS THE KIDRON.)

The ark restored to its place.

“Carry back the ark of God to the city” (2Sa 15:25). Having crossed the Kidron ravine amidst the loud wailing of the people, and halted for a moment in the ascent of Olivet, David was met by Zadok (of the elder branch of the Aaronic family), with the Levites, carrying the ark (2Sa 6:1-23.), and by Abiathar (a descendant of Eli, of the younger branch). The former had come to him at Hebron (about thirty years before), “a young man mighty of valour” (1Ch 12:28); the latter was a still older friend of David (1Sa 22:23), occupying the highest official position (Zadok being his vicar only, or sagan, 1Ki 2:27, 1Ki 2:35; 1Ch 16:39), but not taking the most prominent part in active service, and perhaps entertaining “jealousy of his rival” (Blunt). They doubtless intended to render valuable service to the king by bringing the ark. Why, then, did he send it back? Not from want of proper regard for it (2Sa 15:25, latter part). He did not, indeed, put a superstitious confidence in it, like Hophni and Phinehas. He esteemed and reverenced it as an appointed symbol of the Divine presence and “favour,” and a valuable means of Divine worship and service (1Sa 4:11), just as highly as when he conducted it in triumph to its resting place (2Sa 6:16). But “he would not use the ark as a charm; he had too much reverence for it to risk it in his personal peril” (Stanley). He locked upon it as belonging to God and to his people, not to himself; considered, not only that it would be of no advantage to him in present circumstances, but also that he was not justified in removing it from the city and depriving the people of its presence; that rather it was the will of God that he should himself be deprived of it, at least for a season; and thus he honoured God in adversity as he had formerly done in prosperity. “David is always great in affliction. His conduct throughout, his goodness, resignation, and patience, are clearly evinced in all these trying scenes” (Kitto). Consider him as an example of:

1. Spiritual insight. He perceived the true nature and worth of the ark; that the symbol was distinct from the reality of the Divine favour, did not necessarily ensure its possession, was not an essential condition of it; that its value depended upon the relation of men to God (1Sa 6:1-9). Affliction often teaches us how to regard the outward privileges and ordinances of religion. “He was contented at this time to forbear the presence of the ark, having his confidence in God, and not relying altogether upon the external sacrament” (Willet).

2. Deep humility. Having acted unworthily of the ark of the “testimony,” and disobeyed the commandments of God, he deemed himself unworthy of the honour of its presence. His deprivation of it was a just chastisement for his misuse and abuse of it. “I am not worthy,” etc. (Gen 32:10; Luk 5:8; Mat 8:8).

3. Holy affection toward the “habitation” of God (Psa 26:8); toward God himself; and toward his people. Hence, although banished from the ark of God, he desired that the God of the ark should still be honoured by others, and do them good. “Observe his disinteresed self-sacrifice for the good of the people. He would not punish his subjects for his son’s sins” (Wordsworth). “It argues a good principle to be more concerned for the Church’s prosperity than for our own, to prefer Jerusalem before our chief joy, the success of the gospel and the flourishing of the Church above our own wealth, credit, ease, safety, even when they are most at hazard” (Matthew Henry). “Let thy Name be magnified forever” (2Sa 7:26).

4. Lofty faith in the presence of God in all places, his superintendence of all events, his acquaintance with all hearts, his righteousness and goodness, favour, guidance, mercy, and truth (2Sa 15:20). It is “an instance of David’s clear faith in the omnipresence of God and of his spiritual elevation from the outward symbols of the sanctuary to the Divine essence that was symbolized by them.” “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord,” etc. (Psa 3:8; Psa 4:3; Psa 5:7).

5. Unquenchable hope. “If I find favour,” etc. (2Sa 15:26). So far from despairing of God’s favour, he cherished the expectation of being delivered “out of all his troubles,” brought back to Jerusalem, seeing the ark again, and worshipping in his tabernacle with joy. “My hope is in thee” (Psa 39:7; Psa 42:5; Psa 71:14).

6. Entire resignation, “And if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him” (2Sa 15:26; 1Sa 3:18; 2Sa 12:15-23). “He besought God, as Alexander Severus told his soldiers a generous and a wise man should; praying for the. best things and bearing whatever should befall” (Delany). “This marks strongly his subdued and right spirit, partly induced, we doubt not, by the humility of his own conscious transgressions. He fell; but it was the fall of the upright, and he rose again; submitting himself meekly in the mean time to the will of God” (Chalmers).

7. Practical wisdom. “Art thou a seer? return to the city,” etc. (2Sa 15:27-29); “Behold! return,” etc. (LXX.). “The peculiar exercises of religion ought to precede, but not to exclude, the use of every prudent means of securing success in lawful undertakings” (Scott). When, in time of adversity, we decline the aid of our friends in one form, because it seems to us injudicious and improper, we should gladly avail ourselves of it in another; knowing that by such instrumentality the help for which we look to God is most commonly vouchsafed. “Among the few faithful amidst the faithless, the first place belongs to the priests, whom loyalty and interest alike bound to the throne. So they were ready if they had been permitted to have carried even the ark to share the exile of the king. They will have their loyalty crowned by seeing the ark, the tent of a once nomad worship, signifying by its flame a spiritual life, set up in Jerusalem; the younger amongst them may see a temple rise, the scene of as noble a worship as the world has yet known” (R. Williams).D.

2Sa 15:30

David’s tears or Olivet.

1. What a scene of fallen greatness and bitter grief is here depicted! He who yesterday reigned in Jerusalem, as the anointed (Messiah) of Jehovah, is today a homeless fugitive (2Sa 15:20), toiling up the ascent of Olivet, in deep humiliation and undisguised sorrow, with head covered (2Sa 3:31, 2Sa 3:32; 2Sa 19:4) and feet bare; accompanied by stern warriors and tender women and children, all, like himself, with covered heads “going and weeping.” It is “as one long funeral procession of men wailing over the fall of all their hopes” (Plumptre).

2. What an instance of moral excellence and overcoming faith is here afforded! “The greatness of David did not depend on his royal state; it was within his lofty soul and inseparable from his commanding character” (Milman). He is considerate, generous (2Sa 15:19), submissive (2Sa 15:26), prayerful (2Sa 15:31), grateful (2Sa 16:4), forbearing (2Sa 16:10), and hopeful (2Sa 16:12). His suffering manifests his sincerity, his outward shame his inward worth; and “out of the depths” of his trouble he rises to the loftiest elevation (Psa 130:1; Psa 84:6; 2Sa 23:13, 2Sa 23:14; Hos 2:15).

3. What an outline is here furnished of the ideal representation, given by psalmist and prophet, of the suffering Servant of Jehovah (Psa 22:1-31.; Isa 53:1-12.), and fully realized in him who, on the same spot, a thousand years afterwards, wept over the sinning and perishing city! “And when he was come near,” etc. (Luk 19:41-44; Luk 23:27-31). Consider

I. THE SORROWS OF DAVID. Why did he weep? Not so much on account of his exile, privation, etc; as on account of:

1. The grievous transgressions which he had formerly committed (Psa 39:12; Psa 6:6), and which were now brought afresh to remembrance. “My sin is ever before me.”

2. The ungrateful treatment which he received, from his son whom he tenderly loved (2Sa 16:11), from his subjects whom he faithfully served, from his adversaries who hated him “wrongfully” and “without a cause” (Psa 69:3-5). Neither his former transgressions nor his recent defects justified rebellion against his authority as king. Indeed, his personal piety and theocratic policy made him to many an object of hatred and reproach; and in him the Divine King of Israel himself was despised.(Psa 5:10; Psa 22:8; Psa 42:3; Psa 69:7, Psa 69:9, Psa 69:20). “Though David suffered for his many sins, he had yet through penitence already obtained forgiveness of sins. Thus he was the righteous sufferer, who could appeal to God for the purity of his heart and the holiness of his cause” (Erdmann).

3. The national calamity which he beheldthe distress of “all the people that was with him” (2Sa 15:23), the distracted condition of the country, the ruin which thousands would, bring upon themselves: filling him with commiseration (1Sa 15:35 : Psa 119:136):

4. The Divine displeasure which he experienced against his sin and the sins of the people; regarding this calamity as a sign thereof, enduring it in common with them, and bearing it, as far as possible, in his own person (2Sa 24:17). “Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow,” etc. (Lam 1:12; Jer 9:1). “When I fall I shall arise,” etc. (Mic 7:8, Mic 7:9; Psa 31:5).

II. THE SORROWS OF CHRIST; arising from:

1. His relation to a sinful race, whose nature he assumed and among whom he dwelt, “yet without sin;” the suffering “which a pure and holy nature must feel from the mere contiguity of evil; and the reflected and borrowed shame and pain which noble natures feel for the sins of those with whom they are closely connected” (Caird).

2. His rejection by the world, which he came to save; being reproached, persecuted, betrayed, deserted, condemned, and crucified; and thus made the victim of human wickedness. His righteousness and love, his Divine dignity, as the Son of God, the King Messiah (2Sa 7:16), rendered his treatment peculiarly sinful, and reveals the sin of men in its true light.

3. His compassion for human miseryloss, suffering, bondage, death, in the present and the future; the necessary fruit of human sin (Mat 8:17; Joh 11:35; Luk 13:34, Luk 13:35).

4. His endurance of Divine abandonment to the power of darkness and death.; wherein (without the sense of personal guilt and remorse) he gathered into his experience all the griefs endured by the servants of God in all ages from and for transgressors, and all the woes of humanity arising from alienation from God; and whereby, in unfaltering trust and entire self devotion, he fulfilled the Father’s will, overcame sin, death, and hell, and “became unto all them that obey him the Author of eternal salvation.” “The chastisement was laid upon him for our peace; and through his stripes we were healed” (Isa 53:5, Isa 53:10; Psa 22:8, Psa 22:16, Psa 22:18, Psa 22:24-31).

III. THE SORROWS OF THE CHRISTIAN. For everyone who follows Christ must tread the path of sorrows (not only such as are natural, bat such as are spiritual and Divine), on account of:

1. The manifold sins of which he has been guilty against the Lord (Mat 5:4).

“We have not time to mourn. The worse for us.
He that lacks time to mourn lacks time to mend;
Eternity mourns that.”

(‘Philip van Artevelde.’)

2. The evil effects wrought thereby in himself and others.

“Weep not for broad lands lost;
Weep not for fair hopes crost;
Weep not when limbs wax old;
Weep not when friends grow cold;
Weep not that death must part
Thine and the best loved heart;

Yet weep, weep all thou can

Weep, weep, because thou art

A sin-defiled man.”
(Trench.)

3. The sinful opposition of men to Christ, his kingdom, and his people; unbelief, enmity, and persecution; the effects of which he shares with his Lord and for his sake (Joh 16:33; 1Pe 4:13; Php 1:29; Col 1:24). “For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping,” etc. (Php 3:18).

4. The miserable condition and gloomy prospects of the impenitent. He mourns over them “with many tears” (Act 20:19, Act 20:31) “in the tender mercies of Jesus Christ” (Php 1:8), and is willing to undergo the greatest sacrifice and suffering for their salvation (Rom 9:2, Rom 9:3). “If we suffer we shall also reign with him” (2 Timothy 5:12).D.

2Sa 15:31

(MOUNT OLIVET.)

The counsel of Ahithophel.

“Turn, I pray thee, the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness, O Jehovah.” (References: 2Sa 15:12, 2Sa 15:34; 2Sa 16:15, 2Sa 16:20-23; 2Sa 17:1-7, 2Sa 17:15, 2Sa 17:23; 1Ch 27:33.) While ascending the Mount of Olives, David received intelligence that his counsellor, Ahithophel the Gilonite, had gone over to Absalom. He was the wisest statesman in Israel, and nothing was more adapted than his counsel to ensure the success of the revolt. The effect which his defection produced upon David is evident from the prayer (suggested probably by his name, “brother of a fool”) that forthwith broke from his lips. As he continued his, journey, he, perhaps, reflected on the former course of Ahithophel (the Old Testament Judas) in the light of present knowledge, and indulged some such sentiments as are expressed in Psa 41:1-13; ‘The comfort of the afflicted and betrayed;’ Psa 55:1-23, ‘Prayer against a treacherous friend;’ Psa 69:1-36; Psa 109:1-31. Observe that

I. A FAMILIAR FRIEND MAY BECOME A DEADLY FOE.

“Also my friend [literally, ‘man of my peace’], whom I trusted,
Who did eat of my bread,
Hath lifted up his heel against me.”

(Psa 41:10; Joh 13:18.)

“For it is not an enemy, etc.
But thou wast a man on an equality with me,
My companion and familiar friend,” etc.

(Psa 55:13-15.)

The motives of Ahithophel are not expressly stated; but they were probably:

1. Dislike of the religious earnestness and theocratic policy of David.

2. Ambition to be the sole adviser and prime minister of Absalom. “There may have been jealousy of Joab, or the natural tendency to worship the rising instead of the setting sun, or the impatience of a hypocrite at the round of religious services in which he was compelled to bear a part, affecting a devotion he did not feel, Psa 55:13, Psa 55:14” (Plumptre).

3. Revenge “for the dishonour done to his family in the person of Bathsheba, which no subsequent marriage could repair or efface” (Delany). “He was urged by the desire of punishing David’s greatest crime, if he were not at the bottom of the movement. It is but reasonable to trace in the conspiring Ahithophel one of the intricate methods by which the judicial providence of God works out its own ends; suffering a great offender, notwithstanding his penitence, to eat the fruit of his deeds; yet reserving for treachery in time its reward” (R. Williams). “This text is a glass wherein God’s justice is plainly to be seen. David had formerly forsaken Uriah, and now God suffers Ahithophel to forsake David.

(1) Let us learn, when our friends forsake us, to enter into a serious scrutiny with our own souls.

(2) The most politic heads have not always the faithfullest hearts.

(3) False friends will forsake thee in times of adversity” (T. Fuller). “My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook,” etc. (Job 6:15; Jacox, ‘Stray Side-Lights on Scripture Texts’).

II. GREAT GIFTS ARE SOMETIMES PERVERTED TO UNGODLY USES. “That oracular wisdom which made his house a kind of shrine (2Sa 16:23) seems to move the spirit of the sacred writer with an involuntary admiration” (Stanley). “His great crimes were enhanced by his immense talents, of which God gave him the use and the devil the application.” His criminality appears not only in

(1) his sanctioning and promoting rebellion against the authority of the king; but also in

(2) his lawless and shameless advice against his honour (2Sa 16:21, 2Sa 16:22), whereby he sought to make reconciliation and compromise impossible in the view of all, and to gratify his revenge in the most effective and significant manner (2Sa 11:2, 2Sa 11:4, 2Sa 11:11); becoming, consciously or unconsciously, an instrument of retribution. “This cursed policy showed him rather an oracle of the devil than of God” (Matthew Henry).

(3) His malicious and cruel proposal to take away his life (2Sa 17:2). None but a man devoid of all moral and religious principle could have given such counsel. A powerful intellect is, alas! too often united with a depraved heart. “It is often found true by experience that persons of superior penetration and wisdom are of bad intentions; they see further than other men, and are under a temptation to turn their minds to the overreaching of others, and effecting mischief; their ability in accomplishing wickedness is a snare and a temptation to them; they find they can do it, and therefore are ready and willing to do it” (W. Jones, of Nayland). “This man, while he was one of David’s deep counsellors, was one of David’s fools, that said in their hearts, ‘There is no God;’ else he could not have hoped to make good an evil with worse, to build the success of treason upon incest.” “Oh the policy of this Machiavelli of Israel, no less deep than hell itself! Oh the wisdom of the Almighty, that can use the worst evils well, and most justly make the sins of man his executioners!” (Hall).

III. GOD IS ABLE TO FRUSTRATE THE CRAFTIEST COUNSELS. “Turn,” etc; “either infatuate him, that he may give foolish counsel; or, let his counsel be rejected as foolish, or spoiled by the foolish execution of it” (Poole). “He taketh the wise in their own craftiness,” etc. (Job 5:13; 1Co 3:19). Of this David was persuaded from:

1. His supreme and infinite wisdom, in comparison with which the highest human wisdom is foolishness.

2. His abundant and varied resources for the direction and control of men’s purposes and actions, so that they are made of none effect, or turn out contrary to what was intended and expected.

3. His frequent and extraordinary interpositions for that end. History is full of such instances (Act 4:28). So are individual lives (1Sa 23:24-28). “Though Ahithophel spoke as an oracle of God (as we often see statesmen wiser than priests), yet as he turned to treachery his counsel turned to foolishness.”

IV. A GOOD MAN HAS AN UNFAILING RESOURCE IN EVERY TROUBLE, viz. sincere, believing, fervent prayer. “Call upon me,” etc. (Psa 1:1-6 :15).

1. However beset by the craft and power of his adversaries, he cannot be deprived of this privilege, but has access to God in all circumstances, at all times, and in all places (verse 32). “A Christian cannot always hear, or always read, or always communicate, but he may pray continually. If he be on the top of a house with Peter, he may pray; if he he in the bottom of the ocean with Jonah, he may pray; if he be walking in the field with Isaac, he may pray when no eye seeth him; if he be waiting at table with Nehemiah, he may pray when no ear heareth him; if he be in the mountains with our Saviour, he may pray; if he be in the prison with Paul, he may pray; wherever he is, prayer will help him to find God out. Every saint is God’s temple; and he that carrieth his temple about him, saith Austin, may go to prayer when he pleaseth. Indeed, to a Christian every house is a house of prayer; every closet a chamber of presence; and every place he comes to an altar whereon he may offer the sacrifice of prayer” (Swinnock, ‘The Christian Man’s Calling’).

2. The depth of his helplessness and peril is an incentive to higher earnestness and an argument for the fulfilment of Divine promises. “Ejaculations are short prayers darted up to God on emergent occasions. When we are time bound, place bound, or person bound, so that we cannot compose ourselves to make a large solemn prayer, this is the right instant for ejaculations, whether orally uttered or only poured forth inwardly in the heart” (T. Fuller).

3. And his prayer is not offered in vain. Sometimes while he is “yet speaking” (Isa 65:24) the answer comes (verse 32). “In answer to a single emphatical ejaculation the counsel of the prudent is carried headlong” (Scott).

“As for meunto God will I cry,
And Jehovah will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon will I complain and groan,
And he will hear my voice.
Cast thy burden upon Jehovah,
Hehe will sustain thee.”

(Psa 55:16, Psa 55:17, Psa 55:22.)

D.

2Sa 15:32-37

(THE TOP OF MOUNT OLIVET.)

The friendship of Hushai.

(References: Jos 16:2; 2Sa 16:16-19; 2Sa 17:5-15; 1Ch 27:33; 1Ki 4:16.) Like Uriah and Ittai, he may have been of Gentile origin and a proselyte; was far advanced in life (2Sa 15:33), “the king’s friend” or confidential adviser, and doubtless, in disposition, more congenial with David than the cool and calculating Ahithophel. “In him David saw the first gleam of hope. For warlike purposes he was useless; but of political stratagem he was master. The moment before the tidings had come of the treason of Ahithophel. To frustrate his designs, he was sent back just in time to meet Absalom arriving from Hebron” (Stanley). Notice:

1. His opportune presence; in answer to prayer (2Sa 15:31); at a time of need, when others were unfaithful, trouble oppressed, and danger threatened. A faithful friend is one of Heaven’s best gifts. “When friends come to us just at the moment when we want them, and for a purpose which no one else could accomplish as well as they, and for a time which is precisely conterminous with our necessity, it is hard not to look on them as much sent from God as the angels who met Jacob at Mahanaim, or who stood by the open tomb to tell Mary of Christ” (Thorold, ‘On the Use of Friends’).

“When true friends meet in adverse hour,
‘Tis like a sunbeam through a shower;
The watery ray an instant seen,
The darkly closing clouds between.”

(Sir W. Scott.)

“A faithful friend is the medicine of life” (Ecclesiasticus 6:16, 14). “The Lord has the hearts of all men in his hands, and if he be our Friend he will not let us want friends; yea, will make our most cruel enemies to be our friends” (Guild).

2. His genuine sympathy; voluntarily and appropriately expressed; and adapted to cheer and strengthen. “There are eight chief uses in the gift of friendshipviz. counsel, defence, appreciation, correction, society, intercession, aid, sympathy” (2Sa 7:1, 2Sa 7:2; 1Sa 18:1-4).

3. His tested loyalty. Would he prove his fidelity, not by going into exile (2Sa 15:21), but by returning to Jerusalem, professing allegiance to Absalom, endeavouring to frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel, and communicating secretly with David? “The boldness and originality of this step revealed the remarkable genius which, on former occasions, as in the contest with Goliath, had devised methods so original yet simple for the attainment of its object” (Blaikie). This deceptive policy is recorded, but not commended; it was not contrary to the ideas which prevailed among Eastern nations at the time on the subject of veracity; it has been since practised by Christian monarchs, statesmen, and warriors, toward their enemies, in perilous emergencies, as a justifiable stratagem; and often approved, like a skilful choice of weapons in conflict with an enemy, or like a clever move in a game of chess. It ought not, therefore, to be censured in David with undue severity; and “we must not think that the king’s religion was a hypocrisy because it did not bear at once the fruit of the spotless honour and unswerving truth that mark the highest forms of Christian goodness” (Plumptre). But such duplicity cannot be justified on the ground of necessity; or that those against whom it is practised may have (like Absalom) “forfeited all the rights of society” (Delany); or that the end which is aimed at is good. In the light of revelation it must be condemned (Le 2Sa 19:11). “And in this respect we have (in David) a contrast with the Divine Antitype, the Son of David, who in all his sorrows and sufferings retained his holiness, purity, and truth unsullied and undefiled” (Wordsworth).

4. His ready service. (2Sa 15:37.) He at once complied with the wishes of the king, and evidently without any conception that what he was about to do was morally wrong. “We can hardly excuse his thrusting himself even upon a traitor’s confidence in order to play the traitor; though the picture is characteristic of the East; and this is one of many drawbacks which remind us that the Bible embodies an experience and a tone of sentiment which are not always perfect models for the franker races of the West. At least let us remember, though a friend may ask many things of us, he should not ask us to sacrifice the truth and the right; for these are not ours to give him” (R. Williams).

5. His daring courage. Should his treachery be discovered, he might have to pay the penalty with his head.

6. His skilful and prompt activity. (2Sa 16:16; 2Sa 17:7, 2Sa 17:15.)

7. His complete success. (2Sa 17:14.) “In justifying the ways of God to men, and admiring the issues of his will, we are in no case obliged to approve actions which have nothing but their success to commend them” (Kitto, ‘Cyc.’).D.

HOMILIES BY G. WOOD

2Sa 15:7-9

Absalom’s pious vow.

David and his ministers must have been singularly blind and negligent to have allowed Absalom so far to have prepared the way for the revolution he contemplated as he must have done before asking permission to go to Hebron. Nor does the permission itself show less blindness. David should have known his son better than to have so readily believed that he was likely to have made a pious vow, and to be burdened in conscience by its long non-fulfilment, especially as he had allowed four years (2Sa 15:7, not “forty”) to elapse before taking steps for its fulfilment. But David’s foolish fondness prepared him to be easily imposed upon by favourite children. The purport of the pretended vow appears from what follows. It was to hold solemn sacrificial services at Hebron in thanksgiving for his return to his home and reconciliation with his father. Hebron was chosen because it was the place of his birth and early life, where he would have many friends; and the first capital of the kingdom, where many may have been still disaffected to David on account of his transfer of the court to Jerusalem. Sacrificial services were chosen as furnishing a plausible pretext for a large gathering of leading men who either were already disaffected, or, if going to the festival (like the two hundred from Jerusalem, 2Sa 15:11) “in their simplicity,” knowing nothing, might be won over by Absalom’s representations. In his representations to his father we have a glaring instance of

I. HYPOCRITICAL PRETENCES IN RELIGION.

1. Their nature. They are imitations of real piety; and the closer the imitation the more likely are they to deceive and be successful in their object. Hypocrites are actors of a part, and the more skilful the actor the stronger the impression of reality. What more natural than the vow Absalom said he had made, and the language in which he describes it? A good Hebrew prince, banished from home and kingdom, and with his prospects for the future darkened thereby, might well have longed to return, prayed to God to restore him, and vowed that, if his prayer were answered, he would make some singular demonstration of his gratitude. Absalom most likely lied when he said he had so vowed, as well as offered the sacrifices only as a cloak of wickedness. The counterfeit, however, illustrates the genuine; and in this case suggests that in great trouble we should seek relief and deliverance from God; that earnest prayer may be accompanied by promises of special acts of thanksgiving, and that, when deliverance comes, we should scrupulously perform the vows we have uttered (see Psa 66:13, et seq.).

2. The motives frets which they proceed. These are as various as the objects which men pursue, and the attainment of which they think may be furthered by the appearance of piety. In Absalom the ultimate aim was the throne; the intermediate were the concealment from David of his purposes, the obtaining of leave of absence from Jerusalem, and opportunity for assembling his partisans and others around him, and maturing his plans with them, before striking the decisive blow. Hypocrites sometimes pretend to piety in order to conceal their wickedness and practise it without suspicion; sometimes with a view to gain (Mat 23:14); sometimes to obtain credit for virtues they do not possess (Act 5:1-8), and secure praise from men (Mat 6:2). In times of persecution the object may be to avoid penalties; and any measure of favour shown to the professors of a particular creed, or of disability imposed on others, is a direct incentive to hypocrisy. How much do they promote hypocrisy amongst the poor who administer their charity in the form of “doles” given away after public worship, or carefully limited to those who attend particular religious services! Again, the hypocrite may pretend to a religion he does not possess, in order to obtain customers in his business from religious people, or to ingratiate himself with his piously disposed fellow citizens, in order to obtain a seat in the town council, or in parliament, or other position in public life. How many large girls to churches and chapels might be thus accounted for! Or the motive may be to secure the favour of parents, uncles, or aunts, with a view to a good place in their wills. Or, again, the forms of religion may be kept up because it is the habit of respectable society, without any real attachment to religion. Nor must we omit another motive. Piety may be seen to be necessary to secure deliverance from hell and admission to heaven; and, in total ignorance of the nature of piety, its forms may be adopted with that view. But this is rather formalism than deliberate hypocrisy. The two run into each other. It follows that hypocrisy is a sin most likely to be committed where real religion is prevalent and honoured. Absalom would not have pretended to piety if his father had not been religious; and when and where religion is disregarded, no one would think of professing it from unworthy motives. Though, to be sure, the general prevalence of formal religion may present the same temptation as that of real godliness. When, however, ungodliness and vice prevail in the neighbourhood or the circle in which a man moves, he may pretend to be worse than he is from motives similar to those which induce others to pretend to be better than they are.

II. THEIR ENORMOUS WICKEDNESS AND SURE DOOM.

1. They evince such knowledge of the nature, grounds, and obligations of piety as enhances the guilt of their impiety.

2. They insult God. By offering him what is worthless as if it were precious; and treating him as if he were unable to distinguish between the real and the unreal, or did not care, so long as his creatures pay homage to him, whether it be with the heart or not.

3. They deceive and defraud men. Imposing upon them with a mere appearance of goodness; inducing them to honour what is detestable and reward the unworthy; and diverting from genuine goodness its due notice and reward.

4. They seriously injure those who are guilty of them. They eat like a canker into the moral nature. A single act of hypocrisy affects injuriously the whole character, and throws suspicion on all that looks good. Habitual hypocrisy tends to destroy the possibility of sincere goodness, and to render salvation impossible.

5. They deserve and ensure “the greater damnation” (Mat 23:14). It is impossible that the imposition can last or ultimately be successful. It will be exploded, exposed, and punished in the great day of revelation and judgment (1Co 4:5).G.W.

2Sa 15:20

A farewell blessing.

“Mercy and truth be with thee.” Times of adversity are testing times. They try and make manifest the character both of the sufferer and of his friends. The base and the noble in men, their selfishness and their disinterestedness, their faithlessness and their fidelity, are revealed and heightened. David never appeared in better light (in all but, perhaps, courage) than at the fearful crisis when his son was usurping his throne and ready to take his life, and he himself became for a time an exile from home and metropolis and sanctuary; and while some of his servants made manifest their inherent baseness, the virtues of others shone forth in new lustre. The conversation between David and Ittai illustrates these remarks. It is a contest of nobleness, in which both appear to great advantage. The words of the text were intended by David as a farewell Ittai would not, however, accept them as such, but persisted in accompanying him whithersoever he might go. They contain a prayer suitable for all in addressing their friends in parting, or indeed at any time. “Mercy and truth” are, of course, those of God. “May God exercise towards thee his mercy and truth.”

I. “MERCY:” HERE EQUIVALENT TO GRACE, KINDNESS, LOVE. Man is entirely dependent on the kindness of God both as a creature and as a sinner. All in some degree are its objects; but in desiring that it may be with any, we wish that they may enjoy it to the fullest extent, both in body and soul, in time and in eternity. It thus includes all manifestations and exercises of Divine grace.

1. Providential.

2. Pardoning.

3. Sanctifying.

4. Defending and preserving.

5. Comforting and gladdening.

6. Eternally saving.

II. “TRUTH:” EQUIVALENT TO TRUTHFULNESS, FAITHFULNESS. That perfection of the Divine nature which assures us that God will ever act in a manner true to himself as be reveals himself in his Word, and to the promises he has given us. In desiring that the truth of God may be with any, We pray that they may to the fullest extent experience how trustworthy are the revelations he has made of himself, how faithfully his promises are fulfilled, how happy they are who confide in him.

III. THE “MERCY AND TRUTH” OF GOD ARE OFTEN PRESENTED TOGETHER IN THE HOLY WRITINGS, ESPECIALLY IN THE BOOK OF PSALMS. They exhibit the two aspects of the nature of God with which we are chiefly concerned; and, taken comprehensively, include his whole moral character. To desire, therefore, that they may be with any one is to pray that God may be with him in the fulness of his Being, as his God; that he may experience for himself all that he can be to one of his creatureshis kindness in the utmost meaning of his faithful representations; his truth, not in the accomplishment of his threatenings, but in the amplest fulfilment of his gracious promises.

IV. THESE DIVINE PERFECTIONS ARE “WITH US” WHEN THEY ARE EXERCISED FOR OUR GOOD. This often takes place when they are not present to our consciousness. But the highest blessedness is to enjoy their exercise in the full consciousness that it is the “mercy and truth” of God that are blessing our lives. The crowning bliss is to enjoy their uninterrupted exercise towards us, and that forever.

V. FOR TO HAVE GOD‘S “MERCY AND TRUTH” WITH US IS TO ENJOY ALL REAL GOOD, AND TO BE SURE OF ITS ENJOYMENT FOREVER. Hence these words express all that the wisest, kindest, and best can address to their friends in parting with them, or on birthdays, new year’s days, etc. We cannot be so certain, that we are pronouncing a blessing on them when we wish them health, wealth, long life, abundance of friends, etc.

VI. ONE OF THE BEST EFFECTS OF GOD‘S “MERCY AND TRUTH” is to produce their own likeness in those with whom they dwell, making them kind and loving, true and faithful. The possession and cultivation of these qualities are a necessary part of the evidence that we have savingly experienced the Divine grace and faithfulness, and a necessary condition of our continuing to enjoy them (see Pro 3:3, Pro 3:4).G.W.

2Sa 15:21

Ittai an example to Christians.

It is interesting to find a Gentile, and he a Gittite, so attached to David, so devoted in duty to him, and so honoured as to have (2Sa 18:2) been entrusted with the command of one-third of the army in the battle with Absalom and his forces. The proposal of David (2Sa 15:19, 2Sa 15:20) was generous and reasonable; but to Ittai’s loyal spirit was quite inadmissible. He expresses his determination to cleave to David whether for life or for death; and swears to do so by the life of God and the life of the king. His devotedness presents an example to subjects and soldiers, to servants and friends. His language is worthy of adoption by us in addressing our glorious King, the Divine Son of David. It reminds us of the words of Peter, when speaking for all the twelve (Joh 6:68) and when speaking only for himself (Joh 13:17), and which expressed his genuine determination, notwithstanding his subsequent fall. It reminds us also of the exhortation of Barnabas to the new converts at Antioch, “that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord” (Act 11:23)an exhortation which meets with a cordial response in every Christian’s heart. His resolve, his vow, is to cleave unto Christ for life and death; to follow him whithersoever he may lead.

I. WHENCE THIS DETERMINATION ARISES. Primarily from the marvellous power of Christ to attract and attach to himself the hearts of men. David had a similar power, of an inferior kind and on a smaller scale. Christ draws and influences, not only by his character and works, but by his Spirit working directly in the heart. But regarded as springing from the Christian’s heart, the resolve and vow are the result of:

1. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Saviour and King of men. Who has, therefore, a right to supreme homage and service (Joh 6:69).

2. Ardent love to him. In return for his love (2Co 5:14, 2Co 5:15); and as the result of knowledge and experience, perception of his Divine and human excellences, delight in his society and service.

3. Desire and hope to make him some suitable return for his love and self-sacrifice, and the invaluable blessings he has secured and conferred. The ardent Christian will pant for, and delight in, opportunities for serving Christ at the cost of peril, loss, suffering, disgrace with the world, or even sacrifice of life; and for showing his fidelity when others forsake him.

4. Conviction that safety, happiness, and life everlasting are to be found only with Christ.

“Whither, ah! whither should I go,
A wretched wanderer from my Lord?
Can this dark world of sin and woe
One glimpse of happiness afford?
Depart from thee! ‘Tis death; ’tis more
‘Tis endless ruin, deep despair!”

5. Memory of past vows. “I have sworn, and I will perform it” (Psa 119:106).

II. HOW IT IS TO BE FULFILLED. Not merely by warm feelings at times of special devotion, or by words of endearment, or promise, or lavish praise; but by:

1. Bold confession of Christ before men. Wearing his uniform, marching under his banner, acknowledging him openly as King and Captain.

2. Union and communion with his people. In profession of his Name, in worship, at the Lord’s table, in social life, etc. Christ is in his Church; they are his visible representatives; openly with them all should be who wish to be “in what place their Lord the King may be.”

3. Visiting constantly the places where Christ is specially to be found, and avoiding those which he avoids. Frequenting the closet, the sanctuary, the houses of poor, sick, and dying brethren. Avoiding the haunts of dissipation and iniquity. Going nowhere where we cannot think with satisfaction that Christ is near and approving.

4. Active and zealous cooperation with Aim. Doing, daring, enduring, in promoting his kingdom and the welfare of mankind. “Always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1Co 15:58). “Enduring hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2Ti 2:3). Pressing eagerly to the front with Christ where his battles are to be fought, as Ittai with David, regardless of difficulties, danger, or death.

5. Perseverance in all. Which is the crowning proof of the deep sincerity of the determination.

III. THE REWARDS OF SUCH DEVOTEDNESS.

1. Now. Further opportunities of, calls to, and fitness for, service, suffering, and honour.

“What his guerdon here?
Many a sorrow, many a labour,

Many a tear.”

But with these, the manifested presence of Christ, and his smile and words of approval; the pleasures which accompany the exercise of the powers in the noblest possible employment, and those which arise from association with the noblest of God’s creatures in earth and heaven.

2. Hereafter. To be with Christ and share his glory and bliss evermore. “Enter into the joy of thy Lord” (Mat 25:21). “If we endure, we shall also reign with him” (2Ti 2:12, Revised Version).G.W.

2Sa 15:25, 2Sa 15:26

David’s resignation to the will of God.

David’s character shone most brightly amid the darkness of adversityin the early struggles and perils, and in these later ones. In these verses we see his superiority to a superstitious dependence on the presence of the ark as ensuring the presence and aid of God. He was thus much in advance of the Israelites, elders and people alike, in the days of Eli (1Sa 4:3-5). We take the verses, however, as evidencing David’s profound submission to the will of God, and illustrating the nature and excellence of godly resignation.

I. TO WHAT HE WAS RESIGNED. To whatever might be the will of God. To the enjoyment of the Divine favour, or the experience of the Divine displeasure. In particular:

1. To defeat or victory in the contest with his unnatural son; and, as results of one or the other:

2. To the permanent loss or the regaining of his throne.

3. To exile from Jerusalem or return to it.

4. To banishment from the ark and house of God or restoration to them. This is specially referred to in 2Sa 15:25 :5. To death or life.

II. THE NATURE OF HIS RESIGNATION.

1. It was not insensibility or indifference. How much he felt the position in which he was placed is evident from his language here, and his tears and other signs of mourning referred to in 2Sa 15:30. Those who do not feel their troubles cannot cherish resignation to them. Troubles which do not trouble require no exercise of submission. Resignation may be most eminently displayed by those who are most susceptible of suffering.

2. It was not a stoical submission to the inevitable. This is better than vain struggles and useless murmurs, but is not godly resignation.

3. Nor did it involve abandonment of all prayer and effort to secure what was felt to be desirable. David, while surrendering himself to the disposal of the Most High, carefully planned and laboured, and was prepared to fight, that he might obtain the victory. Christian resignation is not fatalism.

4. It was trustful, loving submission to whatever might prove to be the will of God. David recognized the hand of God in his adversities, saw that the issue of events would be according to the Divine appointment, and on this account was prepared to acquiesce in it. “Let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.”

III. MOTIVES TO SUCH RESIGNATION.

1. The rightful sovereignty of God. He does rule over all, whether we will or no; and the recognition of his right to rule will much aid in producing willing submission to his will. “You know, my dear,” said a poor man to his wife, when they were mourning the loss of a peculiarly interesting and affectionate child, “this family is God’s garden, and he has a right to come into it and pluck any flower that pleases him best.”

2. His omnipotence. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God” (1Pe 5:6). Because he is almighty, his will must be accomplished; resistance is futile. At the same time, he is almighty to support, to bring good out of evil, and to “exalt in due time” (1Pe 5:6).

3. His wisdom and goodness. Which assure us that he does not act according to arbitrary choice, but that what “seemeth good unto him” is really good; so that in submitting to him we are acquiescing in our own ultimate well being.

4. Our sinfulness and unworthiness. David was doubtless aided in resigning himself to the will of God by the memory of his heinous sins (comp. Jdg 10:15; Neh 9:33; Lam 1:18; Lam 3:39; Dan 9:14; Mic 7:9). We deserve more suffering than is inflicted upon us; we merit no good. thing; the more readily, therefore, should we resign ourselves to whatever may be appointed for us.

5. The blessings enjoyed by us or assured to us. The memory of past enjoyments, which tends to embitter present griefs, should nevertheless awaken a gratitude which tends to reconcile us to them. “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10). The mercies still remaining to us, duly appreciated and acknowledged, will have a similar beneficial effect. The way in which God has led us through past difficulties should strengthen confidence in him, and render us willing to trust him with our future. Specially, if we are Christians indeed, let us keep in mind:

(1) The relation in which we stand towards God, as his children, redeemed, reconciled, renewed; and the childlike spirit which becomes us.

(2) The unspeakable blessings which as Christians we enjoy. Pardon, peace with God, access to him, assurance of his fatherly pity and love, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, with his special guidance, support, and consolation.

(3) The promises made to us of all needful good (Psa 84:11; Mat 6:33); the cooperation of all things for our good (Rom 8:28); the Divine care, sympathy, and support (Psa 55:22; Heb 13:5, Heb 13:6); and final deliverance from all affliction, and enjoyment of eternal gloryglory far outweighing all present trouble, and prepared for and increased through its right endurance (Rev 21:4; Rom 8:18; 2Co 4:17, 2Co 4:18).

6. The cross of Christ illustrates and enhances all other motives. The love of God in Christ assures us in the darkest hours that he is love, and his ways are love. The sufferings of Jesus as our atoning Saviour make sure to us all spiritual and eternal blessings. His greater sufferings are adapted to reconcile us to our so much lesser ones. In his resignation we have the brightest and most powerful example, and reasons for imitation of it. As our fellow Sufferer we know that he can, and are assured that he does, sympathize with us; and that he is the better able to succour us.

7. The benefits which flow from resignation.

(1) “The peace of God” (Php 4:7), and with it strength to endure: power also to do whatever may be possible towards deliverance.

(2) Evidence to our own consciousness that we are the children of God.

(3) Good influence over others. Proof to them of the worth of religion.

In conclusion, let us lay to heart that in any case we must suffer affliction. The only question is how and with what results? Shall we suffer in faith and hope and. submission, and thus secure Divine approval, support, and blessing? or shall we suffer impatiently and rebelliously, thus adding to our sufferings, and gaining no blessing from them? “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isa 45:9).G.W.

2Sa 15:32

The place of worship.

“The top of the mount where God was worshipped” (Revised Version). This “top of the mount” is one of the most sacred spots in the worldthe universe. For here the Son of God wept over Jerusalem, which lay full in view at his feet, as he thought of its coming destruction, and declared the cause of it (Luk 19:41). In David’s time there appears to have been a “high place” there, where men were accustomed to worship God. It seems strange that so near to the tabernacle such a place should have been tolerated, however difficult it was to abolish such set rate worship elsewhere. Perhaps, however, this was simply “a place of prayer” (Act 16:13), not of sacrifice or incense-butting, in which case it would not come under the con, demnation of the Mosaic Law. One can hardly doubt that such places of worship must have been scattered over the land long before the known existence of synagogues. How otherwise could social religion, or religion at all, have been maintained? Three visits a year to the tabernacle or temple, and those of the men only, could not have been sufficient. How also could the sabbaths have been kept as days holy to the Lord? But without attempting to settle such questions, this Scripture may be used as suggesting some thoughts on places of worship.

I. THEIR SANCTITY.

1. Because specially set apart and used for the worship of God. Consecrated in the purpose of men, and by their devotions; by the prayers by which they are dedicated, and the worship constantly offered afterwards.

2. Because they are scenes of Divine manifestation and gracious operation. (Exo 20:24; Psa 63:2; Mat 18:20.) They are meeting places, not only between men and men, but between God and men, heaven and earth, consecrated by the presence and blessing of God.

II. THEIR VALVE.

1. As witnesses.

(1) For God; reminding men of him, and calling on them to worship and serve him.

(2) Of the nature of men; as spiritual, fitted and designed for worship, and immortal.

2. As inviting to rest from ordinary occupations and employment in spiritual exercises.

3. As furnishing valuable opportunities for the exercise of gifts for the good of others. Gifts of teaching, singing, organization, etc.

4. In uniting men to each other in sacred bonds, and fostering mutual love and service.

5. In promoting piety, holiness, and happiness. The moral virtues, as well as the godliness, of a people depend to a large extent on their places of worship.

III. THEIR BLESSED ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMORIES. There “our fathers praised” God (Isa 64:11); thither “we walked in company” with our own parents and best friends (Psa 55:14); there many of our most happy and profitable hours have been spent. There, it may be, we were first led to Christ; there we have often met with God, and consciously received his blessing; there we have received instructions and influences which have moulded our character and elevated our lives. There we have been relieved of anxieties, calmed when agitated, comforted when sorrowful, revived when languid, recalled to duty when we have wandered, strengthened in faith and courage when we have become enfeebled. There many a glimpse of heaven has been gained, and many a foretaste of its bliss enjoyed. Many have attended their place of worship from childhood to old age; and esteem it one of the chief blessings of their life. “Planted in the house of the Lord,” they “flourish in the courts of our God,” and still “bring forth fruit in old age” (Psa 92:13, Psa 92:14), waiting to be transplanted to “the paradise of God” (Rev 2:7).

IV. OUR CONSEQUENT DUTY IN RESPECT TO THEM,

1. To be thankful for them.

2. To take our part in establishing and maintaining them.

3. To attend them. Frequently, regularly, punctually. To be negligent in these respects is to dishonour God, and to rob ourselves of blessing.

4. To induce others to do so. Happy the city, happy the land, in which places where men worship God abound, and are attended by crowds of true worshippers!G.W.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

2Sa 15:6. Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel Dr. Delaney is of opinion, that Absalom took this occasion to increase his popularity, during the time that his father David lay confined with a very grievous sickness. See the 38th, 39th, and 40th Psalms.

REFLECTIONS on 2Sa 15:1-6.No sooner is Absalom restored to favour, than we find him plotting to dethrone his father, and seeking, for that purpose, to alienate from him the love of his subjects, and attach them to himself. For this purpose,

1. He prepares a grand equipage and retinue. His chariots, his horsemen, and fifty footmen to clear the way, afforded a degree of magnificence which Israel had not seen before, and which dazzled vain minds, as some great thing. Probably David himself was proud of the figure his son made, and, by connivance, encouraged his ambitious views. Note; (1.) Parents who indulge their children in pomp and pride, know not the injury they do them and themselves. (2.) The vanity of making a figure in the world, is the rock on which more young persons split than on any other.

2. He pretends great zeal for Israel’s good, is seen constant and early at the gate, as if longing to have business dispatched; and kindly enquires into every man’s cause, as if solicitous to do them justice. On a slight hearing, when one party only represented his case, he flattered him with certain success in his cause, if there were but any one deputed to hear him, but insinuates the negligent administration of justice, and how much the land suffered for want of an active and upright magistrate; intimating how happy it would be for the people, if he were judge, when every man might expect speedy redress, and equitable decisions. Such pretensions easily sunk down into unthinking minds, and flattered them with halcyon days under his administration: and his familiarity and condescension to the lowest of the people soon won their hearts; for he shook them by the hand, embraced them as if a friend or a brother, and scrupled not to stoop, however low, in order to climb into the throne. Note; (1.) Zeal for the public good, and redress of grievances, is often the dust thrown into the eyes of the populace to conceal the projects of ambition. (2.) The best of kings, and the most upright administration, must never expect to escape the malignant aspersions of a discontented faction. (3.) They who are most eager to get into the seat of judgment, are often least qualified for the trust: the deserving know the difficulty, and modestly decline it. (4.) They who court popularity by low condescensions are no sooner in power, than they throw off the mask and play the tyrant over a deluded people.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

II. External Shattering of the Royal Authority till its Loss

2 Samuel 15-18

1. Absaloms revolt and Davids flight. 2Sa 15:1 to 2Sa 16:14

1And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared him chariots [a chariot] and horses, and fifty men to run before him. 2And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate; and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment [and it came to pass that, every man that had a cause to come to the king for judgment], then [om. then] Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel [or, of such and such a tribe of Israel]. 3And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. 4Absalom said moreover [And Absalom said], Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which [who] hath any suit or cause [cause or controversy] might come unto me, and I would do him justice! 5And it was so [And it came to pass] that when any man came nigh to him [om. to him] to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him,1 and kissed him. 6And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so [and] Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

7And it came to pass after forty [four2] years, that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord [Jehovah], in Hebron. 8For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord [Jehovah] shall bring me again indeed3 to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord [Jehovah]. 9And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So 10[And] he arose and went to Hebron. But [And] Absalom sent spies [or, emissaries] throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear4 the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. 11And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not anything. 12And Absalom sent for5 Ahithophel the Gilonite, Davids counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

13And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. 14And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom; make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge6 of the sword. 15And the kings servants said unto the king. Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint 16[choose]. And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women which were [om. women which were] concubines to keep the 17house. And7 the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried [halted] in a place that was far off [in Beth-hammarhak, or, at the far house]. 18And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men, which [who] came after him from Gath passed on before the king.

19Then said the king [And the king said] to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? Return to thy place,8 and abide with the king; for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. 20Whereas thou camest but yesterday [Yesterday thou camest], should I this day [and to-day shall I] make thee go up and down with us? [om.?], seeing I go whither I may [ins.?] Return thou, and take back thy brethren; mercy and truth be with thee. 21And Ittai answered the king and said, As the Lord [Jehovah] liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in [for] death or [ins. for] life, even there also will [there will] thy servant be. 22And David said to Ittai, Go, and pass over.9 And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him.

23And all the country [land] wept with a loud voice,10 and all the people passed over; the king also himself [and the king] passed over the brook Kedron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness. 24And lo Zadok also and all the Levites were [om. were] with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God;11 and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. 25And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into [to] the city. If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord [Jehovah], he will 26bring me again, and show me both it and his habitation. But [And] if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. 27The king said also [And the king said] unto Zadok the priest, Art not [om. not] thou a seer?12 return into [to] the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28See, I will tarry in the plain [by the fords13] of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify 29me. Zadok therefore [And Zadok] and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem; and they tarried14 there.

30And 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.

31And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord [om. O Lord], I pray thee, turn [Turn, I pray thee] the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness [ins. O Jehovah]. 32And it came to pass that, when David was come to the top of the mount, where he worshipped God [where God was worshipped15], behold Hushai the Archite [Arkite] came to meet him with his coat [garment] rent, and earth upon his head. 33Unto whom David said [And David said to him], If thou passest on with me, then shalt thou be a 34burden unto me; But16 if thou return to the city, and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as [om. as] I have been thy fathers servant hitherto, so will I now also [and now I will] be thy servant; then mayest thou for me defeat the 35counsel of Ahithophel. And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore [and] it shall be that [om. it shall be that] what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the kings house, thou shalt tell it [om. it] to Zadok and 36Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadoks son, and Jonathan Abiathars son; and by them ye shall send unto me 37everything that ye can [om. can] hear. So [And] Hushai Davids friend came into [to] the city, and Absalom came17 into [to] Jerusalem.

2Sa 16:1 And when [om. when] David was a little past the top of the hill, [ins. and] behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches [cakes] of raisins, and an hundred of summer-fruits [cakes of figs], and a bottle 2[skin] of wine. And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be [are] for the kings household to ride on, and the bread and summer-fruit [figs] for the young men to eat, and the wine that [for] such as be [are] faint in the wilderness may [to] drink. And the king said, And where Isaiah 3 thy masters son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father. 4Then said the king [And the king said] to Ziba, Behold, thine are all that pertained unto [is all that belonged to] Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee [I bow down] that [om. that]; I may [may I] find grace in thy sight, my lord O king.

5And when [om. when] king David came to Bahurim, [ins. and] behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose [and his] name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth, and cursed still as he came. 6And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David; and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial 8[wicked man]. The Lord [Jehovah] hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, and the Lord [Jehovah] hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and behold, thou art taken in thy mischief [thou art in thy calamity18], because thou art a bloody man. 9Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah [And Abishai, etc., said] unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head. 10And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so19 let him curse, because [for] the Lord [Jehovah] hath said unto him, Curse David; [,] who shall then say [and who shall say], Wherefore hast thou done [doest thou] so? 11And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which [who] came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life, [ins. and] how much more now may this Benjamite do it [how much more now the Benjaminite]? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord [Jehovah] hath bidden him. 12It may be that the Lord [Jehovah] will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord [Jehovah] will requite 13me good for his cursing this day. And as [om. as] David and his men went by [on] the way, [ins. and] Shimei went along on the hills side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust. 14And the king and all the people that were with him came weary [or, came to Ajephim] and refreshed themselves there.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

2Sa 15:1-12. Absaloms insurrection.

2Sa 15:1. After this. The word here used ( comp. 3:28) shows that what is here related follows immediately20 on the event narrated in 14:2833. Absalom provides himself a state-chariot with its appurtenances [fifty runners or footmen] in order thus to assume a royal appearance and to attract the wondering attention of the people to himself. Comp. the similar procedure of Adonijah, 1Ki 1:5.

2Sa 15:2 sq. Vivid description of his condescending behaviour (in contrast with his pompous appearance) to gain the favor of the people in connection with their law-matters. [He rose up early in order to show his zeal and get opportunities; and such legal business is usually attended to very early in the East; Malcolm (quoted by Philippson) says that Oriental ministers hold their levees at an hour when Western people of quality are not yet up.Tr.]. The gate here referred to is the gate of the royal palace, whither those came that sought the decision of the king in law-matters. For judgment, that is, for legal decision. The hearer is the judicial officer whose duty it was first to hear and understand the peoples matters, and then lay them before the king, an auscultator. For just decision everything depends on careful hearing and understanding. But there is no hearer for thee on the part of the king.Absalom guards indeed against accusing the king himself of injustice; but he excites in the minds of the people distrust of the kings whole judicial practice by saying that there was no regular judicial process for a good and just cause. Perhaps neglect and partiality had crept in, so that Absalom could find some handle for his charges, and avail himself of an already existing dissatisfaction. In the words: See, thy matters are good and right, he gives (in order to win favor) a judicial decision before thorough investigation has been made. Thy just cause, says he, is not investigated; else thou wouldst not lack a favorable decision. [Absalom shows himself master of the art of political intriguinghe flatters the people and brings charges against the rulers. Perhaps his insinuations were directed in part against the princes his brothers, possibly against Solomon (Patrick), whose age, however, at this time we do not know, or whether it had been intimated that he was heir to the throne.Tr.].

2Sa 15:4. O that I were made judge, literally: who will make me judge! (Ges. 136, 1). That to me [lit. on me], might come every man. The to me is put first for the sake of emphasis; Absalom contrasts himself as just judge with the state of things under his father. (on me) stands for (to me), or, the sentence is to be explained with Thenius from the collective idea all men (): In imagination Absalom sees the litigants assembled around him; comp. Exo 18:13; Jdg 3:19; 1Sa 22:6. The phrase on me is not to be explained from the sitting of the judge and the people standing around above him. [The phrase come on me is like English press on, lean on, and implies probably that Absalom would bear their burdens, or else, the proposition here = at, near, with (apud).Tr.].I would do him justice.Absalom here presumes on the peoples litigiousness and their confidence in the justice each man of his own cause, and, having brought his fathers judicial procedure into discredit with them, promises to do every man justice. Vulg.: I should judge justly.

2Sa 15:5 sq. [Absaloms affability]. He magnanimously puts aside the honor gained by these arts, and attaches the people to him by a pretended fraternization with every man. The result of these preparations for the purposed insurrection: Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.The phrase ( ) may also mean to deceive the heart, as in Gen 31:20; but the connection shows that the meaning here is to steal the heart. [Sept. very well: made his own the heart, ; Vulg.: solicitabat corda.Tr.]. He turned the hearts of the people by guile from his father to himself. [Patrick: a most vile piece of flattery (2Sa 15:5), yet acceptable to the people. So Plato (Rep. Lib. viii.), describes those as doing that would get possession of the government; and see Aristotle Pol. V. 4. Absaloms beautiful person no doubt attracted the people, as well as his condescending familiarity of manner.Tr.]

2Sa 15:7-12. The conspiracy set on foot.

2Sa 15:7. The statement of time: At the end of forty years, is certainly wrong according to the connection. An immediate sequence of events being indicated in 2Sa 15:1 [see on 2Sa 15:1 and translators note], the phrase at the end of can only point to a previous occurrence in Absaloms lifenot, however, to his return from Geshur, which is not important enough in the narrative to serve as reckoning-point (terminus a quo) for a new series of events, but rather to his reconciliation with David (14:33). But Absaloms procedure here described (2Sa 15:1-6) up to his insurrection cannot have lasted forty years; and further, such a space of time cannot be fitted into the history of David and Absalom, though this would be allowable only in case there were here indicated some chronological-historical point of support, as it has been attempted to find, for example, in Absaloms age at this time or in the duration of Davids reign. According to these conjectures Absaloms conspiracy must have occurred in the last days of Davids reign, and this would be wholly unhistorical. The reading of Codd. 70 and 90 (Kennicott) forty days is a violent attempt to remove the difficulty, and only introduces another difficulty, since forty days is too short a time after Absaloms reconciliation with his father for all his preparations here described. We must read four years with Syr., Arab., Vulg. [but Codex Amiatinus has fortyTr.], Josephus, Theodoret (Capellus, Grotius, Ewald, Thenius, Keil and others [Bib.-Com.]).21 [Others, (as Ussher, Patrick, Cahen, Philippson) retain the number forty, and reckon it in various ways, some from the beginning of Davids reign (Abarbanel), some from Davids anointment by Samuel (Ussher and others), some from the peoples demand for a king (Seder Olam); but the objection to all these is (as Erdmann above suggests) that there is no hint in the text of so remote a terminus a quo as any of them; the time is evidently reckoned from some near event. Though the number four is more probable than forty, it is after all only a conjecture, though a well-supported one; the chronology must here be regarded as uncertain.Tr.].

2Sa 15:8. Absaloms vow and serving the Lord is to be understood of the offering of a sacrifice. He wished to sacrifice in Hebron, ostensibly, no doubt, because it was his birth-place, but really because (his father having there assumed the crown) he considered it a peculiarly suitable place for his being proclaimed king. He chose this place, not because there was dissatisfaction at the removal of the royal residence to Jerusalem (Thenius and Keil, following the Exegetical Manual), but because he could there count on a numerous following from the tribe of Judah.22 [We have here an example of sacrificial feasting not in connection with the Tabernacle (as in Davids history 1Sa 20:6), an indication that the strict law of Leviticus (Lev 17:3-4; comp. Deu 12:13-14) was not in practical operation; else David would have objected to sacrificing in Hebron.Tr.].

2Sa 15:9. David permits himself to be deceived by the pretence of a thank-offering in Hebron, which Absalom might have offered as well, or better, in Jerusalem. Ewald remarks: that David observed nothing of all this till the startling news reached him that the heart of Israel was turned to Absalom, cannot be reckoned to his disadvantage, since so ancient and simple a kingdom had nothing like our modern state-police; it is rather a mark of the noble-minded security that we elsewhere see in him, that he gives so free scope to his beloved son, who might be regarded as first-born and heir-apparent, and whose quiet nature certainly even greatly pleased him.

2Sa 15:10. Absalom sent. The verb is not Pluperfect but Imperfect, since the sending out of emissaries might be synchronous with the journey to Hebron, where Absaloms accomplices had gotten everything in readiness for proclaiming him king, else he could not have said: As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet,23 say, Absalom is become king in Hebron. Absalom sent emissaries into all the tribes of Israel, to find out public opinion and prepare for his attempt throughout the whole kingdom at the same time, he having already gotten the favor of the people by the arts above-related, and thrown his net over them. The emissaries had only to spread the net wider and deeper, and then at the signal to draw it in and catch the people.

2Sa 15:11. The two hundred men that accompanied him were not poor, dependent people, which would certainly have excited surprise, but courtiers such as ususually accompanied kings and kings sons on their journeys without causing remark. That these men might be perfectly at their ease, under the impression that they were going to a sacrificial feast at Hebron, and that the real purpose might the better be concealed from David, nothing was said to them of Absaloms design; they knew nothing at all of the matter. Taken by surprise in Hebron by the sudden proclamation of Absalom as king, they must have appeared to the people at Jerusalem and elsewhere as part of the royal retinue. [Bib.-Com. points out the extreme secrecy of the affair as explaining Davids ignorance of it, and also Absaloms taste for large entertainments.Tr.]. 2Sa 15:12. Ahithophel appears as Absaloms secret counsellor in the contriving of the conspiracy, and so as traitor to David, whose counsellor he was. His native city Giloh was near and south of Hebron (Jos 15:51; Jos 15:54). The text reads literally: He sent Ahithophel from his city, that is, he caused him to come. Either this expression is to be regarded as a pregnant one=he sent and brought (Keil), or we must change the vowel-points.24 Why Ahithophel abandoned David is not said; probably from dissatisfaction and ambition. [Patrick: And it is supposed by the Jews that Ahithophel was incensed against David for abusing Bathsheba, whom they take to have been his grand-daughter, she being the daughter of Eliam (11:3), and Eliam being the son of Ahithophel (23:34).So Blunt, Coincidences, Part II. (ix.)Tr.]No doubt he had been slyly working at Giloh, and had prepared everything for proclaiming Absalom. The conspiracy grew rapidly, and the people came to Absalom in constantly increasing numbers. It is noticeable that it is in the tribe of Judah that this defection from David is consummated. The elements of this so astonishingly successful insurrection of Absalom were Davids grievous sins, his weakness towards Amnon and Joab, the lacks of the royal government and the consequent dissatisfaction among the people. [The expression: while he offered bloody offerings is difficult. If the subject be Ahithophel, it does not appear why his offering should be mentioned; or if, as is more probable, the subject is Absalom, the reason for his sending for Ahithophel while he was offering is not clear; we should rather have expected the latter to be present at the beginning of the solemn sacrifice that was to pledge the conspirators. As the text stands, it cannot be rendered: he sent for Ahithophel to be present when he offered, nor: and while he sacrificed, the conspiracy grew strong, though something like one of these renderings seems to be the meaning. The text is discussed in Text, and Gram.Grotius refers to the similar procedure of Civilis (pledging conspirators at a feast), Tacit., Hist. IV. 14.Tr.]

2Sa 15:13 to 2Sa 16:14. Davids flight before Absalom.25

2Sa 15:13. Literally: the messenger; according to our usage: a messenger, the Heb. employing the Def. Art, to express the class individualized in the person in question. Comp. Ges. 109, 3, Rem. 1 b, c.The heart of the men of Israel is after Absalomto be after one means to attach ones self to him, embrace his cause. Comp. 2:10; 1Sa 12:14.

2Sa 15:14. Up! let us flee. Davids immediate flight is to be explained (according to the reason that he himself here gives) by the fact that seized not with momentary fear (Thenius), but doubtless with sudden terror at the unexpected revolution, he yet sees that the fulfilment of Nathans prophecy of approaching misfortune (12:10, 11) is now beginning, that the punishment cannot be warded off, and that to stay in Jerusalem will only occasion a storming of the city with much bloodshed, which he wishes to avoid. Against an insurrection so vigorous, and yet so thoroughly groundless and unintelligible, the best defence was to withdraw quietly and try to gain time; the first fright happily gotten over, sober thought would soon return in many places (Ewald). [How far Jerusalem was now in condition to stand a siege (Zion was probably fortified), or whether David had a well-organized standing army, and how much of the army Absalom carried off, we do not know; Davids forces seem not to have received any important addition after he left the city. Two reasons for leaving Jerusalem would be: to spare the city the horrors of a siege, and to gain the advantage of his military skill and of the discipline of his tried warriors in the open country.Tr.][2Sa 15:15. Davids servants (soldiers) declare themselves ready to obey his commandsa comfortable faithfulness in the midst of general defection.Tr.]

2Sa 15:16. The kings household went after him (), comp. Jdg 4:10; Jdg 4:15, not: on foot (Michaelis). The king left ten concubines to keep the house. It appears from 19:6 [Eng. A. V. 5] that other concubines went along with him.

2Sa 15:17. All the people, all persons attached to the court, including the numerous body of servants = the whole household (2Sa 15:16). They halted at the farthest (or far) house [Eng. A. V.: a place that was far off] on the road to Mount Olivet, but this side the Kidron. So the German phrase the last cent (der letzte Heller) used as a proper name to designate a farm lying at the extremity of a region. Probably this designation had already become a proper name among the people. [Bib. Com.: very likely a fort guarding the passage of the Kidron. Others write: Beth-merhak.Tr.]

2Sa 15:18. David having halted here with his immediate retinue (of his household), caused first all his servants to pass by at his side (), then his body guard and six hundred Gittites (who had followed him from Gath) to pass before him, so that the latter formed the vanguard. On the Cherethites and Pelethites comp. 8:18. As the six hundred men that followed him from Gath are called all the Gittites, they must be those six hundred faithful companions-in-arms that gathered about David during Sauls persecution (1Sa 22:2; 1Sa 23:13; 1Sa 25:13), went with him to Gath (1Sa 27:2 sq.) and settled with him in Ziklag (1Sa 27:8; 1Sa 29:2; 1Sa 30:1; 1Sa 30:9). Thence they marched with him to Hebron (2:3) and Jerusalem (5:6). They are the same that are called Gibborim [heroes, mighty men] in 16:6, and appear as his military escort. Comp. 20:7; 23:8 sqq., where the Gibborim seem to be identical with these. They very probably formed, from the time that David went to reside at Jerusalem, a special body, known as the Gibborim, kept always in full number (hence here also, six hundred), living in barracks at Jerusalem (see Appendix to the Books of Kings, 7), employed only in the most important undertakings (10:7; 20:7, 9) the Old Guard, as it were, who here also will protect the retreat of their lord with their stout, faithful bodies (Thenius). They are here called the Gittites because they were so called by the people, as having followed David from Gath on (Keil). There is no necessity for read- Gibborim instead of Gittites (Thenius), especially as all the versions have the latter. [This reading is discussed in Text. and Gram. Some hold these Gittites to be foreigners (Philistines) that had entered Davids service, as we know many foreigners did; and this is probable, if we retain the present text. But that the Gibborim were called Gittites (Keil) is not probable, and as there is no account of such a body of Philistines having followed David from Gath (that is, when he lived there), there is strong reason for reading Gibborim instead of Gittites.Tr.]

2Sa 15:19. Ittai was a Philistine of Gath, who had lately with other bold Philistine warriors come over to David, and, having probably had a good position in his native city, was also assigned a high place by David (Ewald). According to 2Sa 15:22 his wife and children were with him. He was given command of one-third of the army (18:2), and stood along with Joab and Abishai as an able general. It need not surprise us that a foreigner should occupy such a military position; comp. 11:3, Uriah the Hittite. David advises this faithful follower not to go with him, but to remain with the king at Jerusalem. This phrase cannot mean: with him that is or will be king, according to Gods will, whether it be David or Absalom (Keil, and so Seb. Schmidt: it is not your business to decide this contest: wait quietly, see whom God chooses and serve him), but it must be referred definitely to Absalom, who in Davids eyes is now king de facto. Ewald: David gave him the friendly advice to stay in Jerusalem with the new king. David thus neither recognizes Absalom as rightful king (Bttch.), nor ironically so calls him = with him who is acting as if he were king (Clericus). In this usurpation of the throne David recognizes and submits to a divine dispensation, and so calls Absalom king.The reason for his counsel to Ittai: For thou art a stranger and moreover an emigrant (exile) in thy place. Stranger = not an Israelite; emigrant or exile () = one not in his native land. The last phrase may be rendered: for26 thy place, or in respect to thy place, or may be taken to express a state of quiet (comp. Ges. 154, 3 e). The meaning is: as a foreigner, thou needst not care who is king, or join either side; stay where thou art. The reading of Sept., Vulg., Syr., Arab.: thou hast come from thy place, does not warrant us in changing the preposition to of the Heb. into from; for, if the latter were the original text, it is hard to see how the present difficult reading came. [The passage reads literally: Return, and abide with the king, for thou art a stranger and also an exile to thy place. Eng. A. V. transposes the last phrase, or supposes a parenthesis: return to thy place and abide, etc. (and so Kimchi), and Bib.-Com.: Return and dwell with the king (for thou art a foreigner and thou art an exile) at thy place (i. e. Jerusalem). Erdmann in his translation of the chapter (prefixed to the Exposition) gives: for thou art a stranger and moreover a man that has been carried away from his place, but here renders it quite differently: for thou art a stranger and an exile in thy place, that is, remaining quietly in thy place (Jerusalem, thy adopted home). Philippson: thou art a stranger, etc., in respect to thy place (Gath, thy native place). The parenthesis of Eng. A. V. is improbable, and Erdmanns rendering in the Exposition is impossible; we must adopt Philippsons, or change the Prep. and read from, as Erdmann in his translation. See the discussion in Text. and Gram.Tr.]Whether Ittai came with his family (2Sa 15:22) and his kinsfolk (2Sa 15:20) to Jerusalem as hostage (Thenius), or went over to David with other warriors (Ewald), cannot be determined, as nothing is said thereon. But as he was a man in high position and a distinguished military leader, and as David broke the Philistines supremacy in the last war with them (8:1), it is probable (2Sa 15:20 : thou camest yesterday) that this victory of Davids was the occasion of his coming to Jerusalem.

2Sa 15:20. The sense is: Shall 1 drag27 thee, a stranger lately come, and an exile, into my unquiet and precarious life? Since I go whither I go, without certain aim, whither the way leads me (Maurer). Comp. 1Sa 23:13.David wishes Ittai the favor and the faithfulness of God. From this and from Ittais saying: as the Lord lives, it is probable that Ittai with his whole house had already become a believer in the God of Israel. [From this expression we cannot infer anything as to Ittais religious position, much less as to that of his family. Any foreigner might believe in Jehovah as a deity and swear by His name (so Achish, 1Sa 29:6) without giving up his own gods. On general grounds it is not improbable that Ittai accepted the God of Israel; but we have no information as to any special religious depth or conversion in his history.Tr.] It is doubtful whether we should render: carry thy brethren back with thee in grace and truth. (Maurer), or take the latter part separately: with thee be grace and truth, that is, Gods (Keil); the accents favor the first, the connection of thought the second. Sept. and Vulg. have: and the Lord will do with thee grace and truth, to which Vulg. adds: because thou hast shown grace and faithfulness, whence Thenius (with Ew. and Bttch. for the Sept. reading) will correspondingly change the Heb. text.28 But the words of Sept. and Vulg. seem to be an interpreting paraphrase, with the similar words in 2:5, 6, in mind. The text without this addition gives a good sense: lead thy brethren back; with thee be grace and faithfulness.

2Sa 15:21. Ittais answer expresses unconditional devotion and fidelity for life and death.29

2Sa 15:22. David accepts Ittais vow of fidelity. The latter with his whole family (wife and children, , comp. Exo 12:37) remains in the line of march.

2Sa 15:23. Description of the deep and loud lamentation of all the faithful people over the misfortune of their king. All the land = all the inhabitants who poured out with the procession; all the people = Davids courtiers and servants, were passing by, namely, in front of these crowds of people standing on the way-side. The procession marched eastward over the brook Kedron, it being Davids aim to reach the wilderness of Judah [that is, between Jerusalem and Jericho]. The Kedron, filled with water only in the winter or rainy season, was in the valley of Jehoshaphat, east of Jerusalem, between the city and Mount Olivet. David passed in the direction of the way30 to the wilderness, the northern part of the wilderness of Judah.

2Sa 15:24-29. The priests sent back with the ark to Jerusalem.

2Sa 15:24. Zadok (of the branch of Eleazar) with the priests took the ark from its place (2 Samuel 6), brought it out to David, and set it down where he halted (after passing the Kidron) on the declivity of the mount of Olives, to give the people that were yet coming on time to join the procession (Keil). On the other hand Abiathar (of the line of Eli [branch of Ithamar]) had remained in the city till the people had all passed over from the city. He went up, that is, of course, to the summit of Mount Olivet, where the ark was set down; the rendering: he sacrificed (Schultz, Bttcher), is impossible, since the verb () never has this meaning except in connection with the substantive burnt-offering () [or some other offering, Isa 57:6.Tr.], or without reference to it in the connection; in the passages cited by Bttcher, 1Sa 2:28; 2Sa 24:22; 1Ki 3:15, the context points to offering. Thenius proposes to read: and Abiathar waited,31 for which there is no necessity, as the text in the connection (in respect to the locality) gives a good sense.[Bttcher: And Zadok, etc., bearing the ark, etc., of God, and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech at the head of all the Levites, and they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until, etc., an improbable reading, in which the inserted clause is suggested by the Sept. = Abiathar. Wellhausen acutely suggests that the words: and Abiathar went up (or, offered sacrifices), are in the wrong place; the text reads: they set down the ark till all the people, etc. It is hard to get any good sense from the present text, or to explain what part Abiathar took in the proceedings. Some think he staid in the city till the ark was set down; others (contrary to the text) that he preceded the ark, which was not set down till he stopped. Probably Abiathar ought to be somehow connected with Zadok in the bearing of the ark (see the plural your in 2Sa 15:27), and perhaps in sacrificing; but we have not the means of satisfactorily restoring the text.Tr.]

2Sa 15:25 sqq. The ark sent back. David declares that he does not need this sign of Gods gracious presence and protection. His reason for this is expressed in the words [2Sa 15:26]: if I find favor, etc., wherein in contrast with the visible sign of Gods presence he emphasizes His spiritual nearness, on which everything depends, and gives himself unconditionally up to the will of the Lord, whom he knows to be present, whose hand he sees in these events, according to the announcement made him by Nathan. He resigns himself to God in the proper sense of the word for favor or disfavor. David speaks only to Zadok, who here (as in in 2Sa 15:24) appears as the officiating high-priest at the head of the Levites. [But from 1Ki 2:35 it seems that Abiathar was the superior (Bib.-Com., Bhr on Kings (Langes Bible-work), Patrick). It is not improbable that some mention of Abiathar has here fallen out of the text (see 2Sa 15:29); though it may be that in the distribution of duties the care of the ark fell to Zadok. The two priests are throughout this narrative represented as equally faithful to David.Tr.]

2Sa 15:27 sqq. [The king says to Zadok: Return to the city, and I will await word from you at the fords.] The word [Eng. A. V. seer] presents great difficulties if we adopt the interrogative pointing, and render: Seest thou not? (Grot.), where the insertion of the negative is unwarranted, or: Seest thou? (De Wette), or: Understandest thou? namely, what I have just said (Bttcher), which renderings are partly too heavy, partly superfluous. [These translations take the word as Participle. Eng. A. V. takes it as a substantive, and unwarrantably inserts a negative, leaving out which, the rendering: art thou a seer? is grammatically possible, but not suitable to the circumstances.Tr.] Instead of the Interrogative particle () we must read the Article (), and render: Thou seer, that is, thou prophet, since a high-priest might certainly bear this higher, yet archaic name (Ewald). The high-priest might well be called a seer, because he received divine revelations through the Urim and Thummim. Davids reason for so naming him here is found in his words in 2Sa 15:25 sqq. Zadok is to return to Jerusalem and learn Gods will through events, and through him David is to learn whether the Lord will again take him into favor and restore him to Jerusalem; that is, Zadok was to act as seer for him.[This interpretation is hardly conveyed by the words. Zadok was to act as observer, as reporter or intermediary between Hushai and David, and in fact does so act. But he performs none of the functions of the official Roeh or Seer, and it is not easy to see why he should be so called. Usage forbids us to take the word in its literal sense: seeer = observer. Wellhausens reading: high-priest () belongs to a later time, and that of the Sept. see! () seems to offer fewer difficulties than any other.Tr.]Ahimaaz and Jonathan the sons of the two high-priests are to be the messengers to bring news from Jerusalem; comp. 2Sa 15:28 and 2Sa 15:36.In 2Sa 15:28 we retain (from 17:6 comp. with 19:19) the Kethib or text: the fords of the wilderness (instead of the Qeri plains32 [so Eng. A. V.], 2Ki 25:5), the point where one passed from the wilderness over the Jordan. Thither (to the west side of the Jordan) David had to repair in order to escape any threatening danger by crossing the river at one of the several fords in the vicinity; and there he would await information from Jerusalem. Comp. the Jordan-fords, Jos 2:7; Jdg 3:28.

2Sa 15:29. The ark is carried back to Jerusalem, and the two high-priests remain there.

2Sa 15:30-37. Continuation of the flight on the road to the wilderness of Judah over the Mount of Olives.

2Sa 15:30. David went up the height of the olive trees, that is, Mount Olivet [Eng. A. V.: the ascent (or acclivity) of Mount Olivet]. Deep and loud mourning of David and all the faithful people that accompanied him. Covering the head is the symbol of the mind sorrowfully sunk in itself, wholly withdrawn from the outer world. Comp. Est 6:12; Eze 24:17. Of David it is said besides that he went barefoot, as a penitent (Ewald), or: to manifest his humiliation in the sight of God (Thenius).

2Sa 15:31. It was told David,33 he learned from Jerusalem, that the crafty Ahithophel (see on 2Sa 15:12) was among the conspirators with Absalom. He replies only by a brief ejaculation, praying the Lord to make foolish the counsel of Ahithophel, that is, to bring it to naught.

2Sa 15:32. The fulfilment of this prayer is straightway prepared by the arrival of Hushai, the old, faithful friend of David, see 17:1 sq.David came to the top, that is, of Mount Olivet, its highest point, whither David had come after ascending from the height below on the declivity (comp. 2Sa 15:24 with 2Sa 15:30); for there only can have been the place where men were wont to worship. By some (Sept., Vulg., Ew.) [Eng. A. V.]) David is taken as the subject of the verb worshipped; but then an Infin. with Prep. to () must have been employed, or a Pers. Pron. () inserted before the verb (Bttch.). This place on the top of Mount Olivet, therefore, was one of the Bamoth or high places, which still existed in various places in Palestine.Hushai was a trusted, proved counsellor of the king, as appears from the duties assigned him (2Sa 15:33 sq.). That he was in close friendship with the king is shown by his repeated designation as Davids friend, 2Sa 15:37; 2Sa 16:16; 1Ch 27:33.The Arkite, from the city Erek in Ephraim, on its south border near Atharoth (Jos 16:2). Hushai came to meet David, had consequently preceded him in the flight [or else, had been out of the city]. The torn garment and the earth on the head betoken his grief, comp. 1Sa 4:12. [According to Braun this garment was like a surplice, with sleeves, worn commonly by men of rank and position (Patrick).Tr.]

2Sa 15:33 sq.David, however, suggests to Hushai to return to Jerusalem. If thou pass on with me, thou wilt be a burden to mewhy, it is not said. Ewald thinks it was because he was not used to war; but the matter in hand now was not war, but flight. Clericus supposes that he was a talented and prudent man, but not a warrior, and so Keil. Thenius: thou wouldst thus increase my cares. Probably David thinks that Hushai would impede his flight, either because he was old, or because, as the kings intimate friend and confidential counsellor he would require special care. By entering Absaloms service, he thinks, Hushai may foil Ahithophels plans (2Sa 15:34), and through the priests sons keep him informed of the state of affairs in Jerusalem. Hushai is to say to Absalom: Thy servant, O king, I will be; thy fathers servant was I formerly; but nowwell,34 I am thy servant. [This was not honest, but it was according to the policy practiced in those days, and indeed in all ages. Which Procopius Gazus approves so far as to say that a lie told for a good end is equivalent to truth. But I dare not justify such doctrine (Patrick).Tr.][2Sa 15:35-36. Zadok and Abiathar and their sons are to participate in the stratagem of Hushai, and their moral position in the matter is perhaps the same as his and Davids. Bp. Patricks judgment above cited is hardly too severe. This was not an ordinary stratagem; these men, Zadok and the rest, were not simply spies, but we can avoid calling them traitors only by supposing that the priests were not recognized as adherents of Absalom, but as indifferent non-combatants, or as friends of David.Tr.]

2Sa 15:37. Hushai returned to Jerusalem at the same time35 that Absalom entered the city. The addition of the Vulg.: and Ahithophel with him was occasioned, no doubt, by 16:15 (Thenius).

1sa 16:114. Two disturbing experiences in Davids flight continued from the summit of the Mount of Olives.1) 2Sa 16:1-4. Meeting with Ziba, and the latters calumny against Mephibosheth.

2Sa 16:1. When David was a little past the top [of Olivet], the point where he met Hushai (15:32). On Ziba, Mephibosheths servant, see 9:2 sq. He came to meet David, had therefore gone on in advance of the army (as Hushai did) in order more easily to secure Davids attention after the first disorder was over. On two saddled asses he brings a quantity of food, two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred cakes of raisins or dried grapes, one hundred cakes of fruit [probably fig-cakes] (, comp. the Sept. in Jer 40:10; Jer 40:12) and a skin of wine.

2Sa 16:2. Ziba states his purpose in bringing this food.40 [His gift was particularly thoughtful and seasonable.Tr.]His real wish was to gain the kings favor and gratitude, he being shrewd enough to see that David would come out victor over his son.

2Sa 16:3. David asks: where is the son (Mephibosheth) of thy lord (Jonathan)?; to which he replies with the calumny, that Mephibosheth had stayed in Jerusalem, hoping to regain the kingdom of his father (Jonathan), who, if he had outlived Saul, would have been king. That the helpless cripple had designs on the throne, was an evident lie. But David might now believe it, partly because the present excitement prevented quiet consideration and opened his mind to such an insinuation, partly because he feared the Sauline party, dissatisfied with his government, might use the confusion produced by Absaloms insurrection to restore Sauls dynasty under the name of the last scion of his house. The aim of Ziba in this calumny (19:25 sqq. proves it undoubtedly to have been such) was to get possession of the estate committed to him for Mephibosheths benefit (9:7 sq.), comp. 19:2729. The manner of Zibas trick was this (19:26): Mephibosheth, learning of Davids flight, had ordered asses saddled for himself and his servants, in order to repair to the king in token of his faithful attachment; Ziba had taken the asses together with the presents intended by Mephibosheth for the king, come to the latter, and left the helpless Mephibosheth in the lurch. He was therefore not only an arrant liar and calumniator, but also an impudent thief and traitor.41

2Sa 16:4. Another example of Davids credulity and haste. He believes Ziba without investigation, and bestows on him all his masters property. The impudent swindler replies to this grace with two words: 1) I bow myself, that is, I manifest my most humble and devoted thanks; 2) may I find favor in the eyes of my lord, the king. I commend myself to your further good-will, comp. 1Sa 1:18. David, in the excitement of momentary misfortune, is here guilty of a double wrong, first in treating the faithful Mephibosheth as a traitor, and then in royally rewarding the false and slanderous Ziba.

2) 2Sa 16:5-14. Shimei curses David. The flight reaches Bahurim, on the position of which place see on 3:16, Thenius in loco and Kuffers bibl. Stud. II. 154.[It was between Mount Olivet and the Jordan, but the exact site is unknown.Tr.]Shimei was of the race of Sauls house.[See the lists in Gen 46:21; 1Ch 8:1 sqq. Some identify him (but doubtfully) with the Cush of the title of Psalms 7.Tr.] This explains his rage against David, which he here vents in curses and revilings and in throwing stones at him and his followers. [Such virulence is to this day exhibited in the East towards fallen greatness. Josephus states (Ant. 7, 9, 7) that Bahurim lay off the main road, which agrees very well with the account of Shimeis behaviour (Smiths Bib.-Dict., Art. Bahurim).Tr.]

2Sa 16:7 sqq. Out, out, namely, out of the kingdom and the land. He calls David thou bloody man probably because he ascribed to him the murder of Ishbosheth and Abner (3:27 sqq.; 4:6 sqq.), of which he was wholly guiltless. [Others, less probably, think also of Saul and Jonathan, and even of Uriah.Tr.] The misfortune [Eng. A. V. not so well mischief] that Absaloms insurrection had brought on him he regards as a punishment from God, because he had become king in Sauls stead. This shows how embittered Sauls kindred were over Davids elevation to the throne, and how, therefore, Zibas slander against Mephibosheth found readier acceptance with David. [Shimei is here so far devout and religious that he ascribes the present state of things wholly to Jehovah, the God of Israel; but he ignores Samuels sentence of rejection (1 Samuel 15.), and otherwise shows a bad spirit.Tr.]

2Sa 16:9. [Abishai wishes to kill Shimei.] On Abishai compare 2:23 sq.; 3:30. The dead dog is the expression of the extremest vileness and badness, comp. 9:8. Abishai appears here as in chaps, 2., 3. [and 1Sa 26:8] violent and revengeful. He wishes to make Shimei atone for his reviling with his head.

2Sa 16:10. [David restrains Abishai.]Ye sons of Zeruiah. Joab is here joined with his brother (as in 2:23), being probably of the same opinion with him. What is there to me and to you? (comp. Joh 2:4, ; Jos 22:24; 1Ki 17:18; for the thought comp. Luk 9:52-56), that is, what have I in common with you? [Eng. A. V.: what have I to do with you?]. David decidedly repels Abishais suggestion, saying: I have here no feeling in common with you; we are different persons; I will have nothing to do with you in such self-help and revenge. He bases this strict prohibition on the admonition that Shimeis cursing is by dispensation of God. The marginal reading: so let him curse, for the Lord [so Eng. A. V.], and the insertion of Sept. and Vulg.: and let him alone (following the let him alone of 2Sa 16:11) after sons of Zeruiah, are explanations owing their origin to the difficulty that the text presented when the first particle () was taken as causal (= for or because), the second () being then very harsh. Render both particles by when, and begin the apodosis with and who (). Maurer: when he curses and when Jehovah has said to him, Curse David, who then shall say, etc.42

2Sa 16:11 sq. David here combines Shimeis cursing and Absaloms revolt under the point of view of the divine permission and causation; and the fresh reference to this divine cause shows how deeply in his pious heart David feels in this misfortune also the blows of Gods chastening hand. The repetition of the: And he said, is not superfluous, for the discourse is addressed to more persons than before (Thenius). How much more the Benjamite, that is, the member of Sauls tribe, who hate me. It is not surprising that such a one reviles me, when my own son seeks my life. David thus shows that from a purely human point of view there was no ground for the course proposed by Abishai.

2Sa 16:12. Perhaps the Lord will look on my iniquity. Instead of this () the Qeri or margin has my eye (), that is, the Lord will perhaps look on my tears, the Masorites [ancient Jewish editors of the Heb. text] not being able to comprehend how David, guiltless in respect to this reviling, could acknowledge himself guilty. We are not, however, to change the text to my affliction (, Then., Ew. [Eng. A. V.]), but to retain the idea of guilt, since David deeply feels that he has offended, not, indeed, in the matter mentioned by Shimei, but against the Lord. Gods looking on His iniquity can then be only a gracious and merciful looking. Perhaps the Lord will requite me good for the curse that has come on me this day, since I patiently bear it as a chastisement of His hand. Retain the text my curse = the curse that has befallen me, against the Qeri his curse [Eng. A. V.], that is, Shimeis. [It seems more in accordance with the thought here to read my affliction instead of my iniquity; see Text. and Gram. Davids humility is seen in his perhaps; he will not be sure of the divine blessing (Patrick). His feeling towards Shimei here seems to be controlled by an overpowering sense of Gods chastising providence. He does not exonerate his reviler, but feels that at this moment it is not his business to asssert his right, but only to bow under Gods hand. The misfortune that has befallen him is so terrible that he thinks Shimeis addition to it only natural. Afterwards (19:23) under the generous impulses of victory, he pardons him, but finally (1Ki 2:8-9) hands him over to Solomons vengeance. Whatever his feeling in this last act, it is clear that now his humble sense of Gods chastisement has driven all self-assertion and revenge from his heart.Tr.].

2Sa 16:13. Shimeis rage is increased, it would seem, by Davids quiet behaviour; he runs along the side of the acclivity (by which the road passed) opposite him, cursing and throwing stones at David and his followers.

2Sa 16:14. Davids arrival in Ajephim [Eng. A. V.: weary]. A place of this name, indeed, is not known; but that is no ground against its existence. If the word be rendered weary, no place is named to which they came, as the word there indicates. This place was certainly not Bahurim [2Sa 16:5], for 17. 18 shows that Davids rest-place was beyond Bahurim towards the Jordan, the priests sons having hidden at Bahurim, and then gone on farther towards David. [Bib. Com. suggests that Ajephim was a caravansary, for which the meaning of the word (weary) would be appropriate.Tr.].The exact statement of the localities of Davids flight [and, indeed, of the whole history of the day of flightTr.] is remarkable; comp. 15:17, 23, 30, 32; 16:1, 5, 13, 14.

HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL

1. The starting-point of the shattering of the theocratic kingdom till its very existence was threatened is found in the disruption of Davids house and family by the crimes of his two oldest sons. From the royal household itself comes the seducer of the people to conspiracy and insurrection against the divinely ordained government of David. From the morally corrupt soil of the royal court, whose highest officials break faith and rise against the kingly government, springs the evil spirit (the confederate of that seducer) that drags the people into revolution. But the success of Absalom and his accomplice shows that in the nation itself there was already dissension with the Davidic government and a process of disintegration that co-operated with Absaloms act of insurrection; if there had not been widespread dissatisfaction at defects and wrongs in administration of justice, Absaloms treacherous conduct could not have had so great and immediate results. If the bonds of fidelity and obedience, which before held the people to David, had not been sorely loosened, Absalom could not have straightway turned the heart of the men of Israel from him. And it is Davids own tribe, Judah, whence the rebellion proceeds and is carried on. Absaloms general-in-chief is Amasa, a near kinsman of Joab and David; his counsellor is Ahithophel of Giloh in Judah; and the insurrection begins at Hebron, the old capital of the tribe. There must, therefore, have been dissatisfaction in Davids own tribe. Indeed this tribe murmurs and holds back after Absalom is slain, and the other tribes submit. The hereditary tribe jealousy and the old opposition between Judah and the others, are not extinct (Ew. Hist. III., p. 239). The first impulse to the insurrection was given in Judah, and in Judah its effects are longest to be seen.

If we inquire, indeed, concerning the innermost grounds and causes of the insurrection and the national disintegration, we must first and chiefly note the treachery of Absalom and his accomplice, which was combined with hypocrisy and with kindness offered as a bribe, and, on the other hand, the fickleness and unfaithfulness of the people. The ambition of Absalom and his associates used all means to befool the people and win their favor. And during time of peace the God-fearing sense that saw in David the Anointed of the Lord, the God-chosen king, had been lost by a great part of the people. Perhaps, also, David had erred in the government of the nation and State as of his house, and was partly to blame for the popular dissatisfaction. All these ethical factors combined to produce the present disintegration.But, over against this manifold human guilt, David, looking at his present misfortune from the highest point of view, the theocratic, recognizes in it a divine punishment (comp. 12:10, 11), beneath which he humbly bows. Such a recognition is contained in his flight without attempt to withstand the insurrection. He goes his way a fugitive in tears, bowing humbly and quietly beneath Gods hand. The Lord hath commanded himthis is the expression of his submission to God. This is the source of his humble tranquillity, as he pursues his fugitive way, of his childlike submission to Gods will (let Him do to me as seemeth Him good) and of the gentle patience with which he takes mens wickedness without return in word or deed, and bears it as a dispensation of God. But in all this there shows itself at the same time the fruit of this sorrowful experience: it proves to him a real visitation; he turns anew to his God with humble obedience and childlike trust; having obtained forgiveness of sins, he makes these sufferings as a paternal chastisement minister to the purification and sanctification of his heart and mind. Only through new wrestling with the divine grace, only through humble submission to Jehovahs righteous chastisement can he succeed in passing safely through this valley of death-shade.

2. Penitent humility shows itself in the truly pious in patient endurance of ills that they must recognize as the consequence of their own guilt and accept as a chastisement and means of purification, as well as in the rejection of the self-willed efforts of others to ward off the evil or take vengeance on its originators.

3. To this period is to be referred (with most expositors) the origin of Psalm 41. and 55. Both Psalms have, as Delitzsch rightly observes, the most marked historical, individual physiognomy; they are mourning Psalms, picturing the hostility and falseness of numerous adversaries of the singer, and especially lamenting the faithlessness of a trusted friend and counsellor, with whom his numerous enemies are combined. The statement in 2Sa 16:23 shows how near Ahithophel stood to David as friend and counsellor, and how much importance the latter attached to his counsel. According to Psalms 41. a long sickness of the Psalmist is the occasion for his enemies to employ all their false and treacherous arts against him. In the midst of this suffering he implores the divine mercy and help, recognizing and bearing the suffering as chastisement for sin, yet affirms his conviction of Gods favor towards him as His servant, the uprightness of his heart, his firm confidence in the saving grace of the Lord, who will not let his enemies triumph over him, and (without expressing any revengeful desires, Hupfeld), holds in view the just requital that will overtake his enemies, to which he, as a just king, was pledged (Moll). In Psalms 55. the abruptness of the words, the excited haste of the discourse and the anguished tone of the Psalmist indicate a worsened situation, the extreme danger from the insurrection, which had now flamed openly out. By the hostility of his opponents he is brought to uttermost distress (Psa 55:2-6 [Eng. A. V. 15]). He wishes for the wings of a dove, to find a refuge in the wilderness (Psa 55:7-9 [68]), while in the city and on its walls are violence and deceit (Psa 55:10-12 [911]), and a formerly trusted friend and companion joins his enemies (1315 [1214]), who are united with the hypocritical and faithless man (Psa 55:21-22 [20, 21]). On these enemies he invokes destruction as divine punishment for their insurrection against the Lords Anointed, and for their wickedness from which they do not turn (Psa 55:16-20 [1519]). In this extreme need (corresponding exactly to the situation at the beginning of Absaloms rebellion) the Psalmist exhorts his own soul to bear patiently the burden of suffering sent by the Lord, or rather, to cast it on Him, and expresses the firm hope and confidence, that the Lord will deliver the righteous by punishing evil-doers, concluding with the energetic exclamation of unconditional trust in God:But I, I trust in Thee!These traits of humble submission to Gods will and confident hope in His help answer precisely to Davids frame of mind as given in history. [The correctness of the foregoing historical explanation of these two Psalms is very doubtful. Psalms 41. was written while the author was still on a bed of sickness (Psa 55:11 [10]), as David certainly was not when he heard of Ahithophels treachery. The alleged connection between the two Psalms as portraying the rise and full bursting-forth of the rebellion is impossible; for David did not hear of it till it was consummated. As to Psalms 55., its writer seems to be in the city (Psa 55:9-12 [811]), nor does the history say anything of such intimate relations between David and Ahithophel as are indicated in Psa 55:15 [14]; it was Hushai that was Davids friend.Of course the religious value of these Psalms is not affected by our ignorance of their date and authorship.Tr.]

4. This event of Davids history is of typical significance for the sufferings of Jesus in connection with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, of which Jesus (Joh 13:18) says, referring to Psa 41:10 [9] (he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me) that it happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled. The Old Testament prediction of the betrayal, assumed in Joh 17:12 and Act 1:16 must be found (according to our Lords reference to Psa 41:10 [9]) in the treachery of Ahithophel, and the fate of Judas in his fate. [This view of typical significance falls of course with the failure to establish the connection of Psalms 41. with this history. Our Lords reference in Joh 13:18 is not necessarily more than a very general one. Act 1:16 refers (see Psa 55:20) to Psa 109:8; Psa 69:26 [25]. Since David suffered for his own sins, and had probably grievously wronged Ahithophel (see note on 2Sa 15:12) it is hardly allowable to make him herein typify Christ, and to regard Ahithophel as the forerunner of Judas.Tr.]Further, the separate incidents of Davids flight are strikingly parallel to the Lords way over the same path when He was betrayed by Judas. Though David suffered for his many sins, he had yet through penitence already obtained forgiveness of sins. Thus he was the righteous sufferer, who could appeal to God for the purity of his heart and the holiness of his cause. And for this reason he may be regarded as a type of Christ, as indeed Christ Himself by His reference to the passage in Psalms 41. establishes this typical connection.

5. It is noteworthy, how this break-down in Davids theocratic government by his own fault, through family-insurrection and popular defection, led to its restoration and confirmation. We may say: just as David falls away from Jehovah, to be more firmly bound to him, so Israel turns away from David, to be (as the close of the history shows) more devotedly attached to him. The prelude to this first clearing-up of the relations between king and people is given in the conduct of the faithful band who stand firmly by David in the general defection (Baumgarten). Gods instruments for building up His kingdom often sorely injure it by their sins, but receive therefor the deepest humiliations through Gods righteous chastisements, and must to their shame admit that He does not for their sin give His cause over to ruin, but raises it the more gloriously up from the fall occasioned by this sinyea, uses them again as instruments to this end, in so far as they go not their own way in impenitent self-will (as Saul did), but (like David) with broken and grace-filled hearts go the Lords way and give themselves up wholly to His will.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Proof of the complete resignation to the painful leadings of the Lord occasioned by ones own fall, 1) In humbly holding still under the strokes of Gods hand, 2) In patiently enduring the sufferings inflicted by bad men, 3) In quietly awaiting the Lords decision, whether He will exercise His grace or His justice towards us, and 4) In wisely using the means which please God for overcoming the evil, while decidedly rejecting tempting counsels that are against Gods will.

[Taylor: Civil war is always a terrible calamity; but when the standard of rebellion is raised by a son against his father, we have about the most painful form of strife of which this earth can be the scene.. That he whom we have fondled in our arms and nestled in our bosom, and whose first lisping utterances have been in the attempt to call us father, should live to be at deadly feud with us, and to attempt our destructionthis is misery indeed. How sharper than a serpents tooth it is to have a thankless child.Tr.]

Fr. Arndt: In the manner in which David bears this deserved suffering, he appears to us again as the man after Gods own heart, in whom faith purified and strengthened by repentance had brought forth quite extraordinary steadfastness, fidelity and virtue-power, and revealed itself in a glory and elevation which throughout shines before us a picture worthy of imitation. This faith developed itself namely: 1) as obedience, 2) as resignation, 3) as prayer.

2Sa 15:1-6. Starke: When one winks at gross evil-doers too much, they become all the worse. That is the way with rude and wanton sinners; the more God attracts them by His goodness to repentance, the more they misuse it to greater and more numerous sins (Rom 2:4-5).Berl. B.: Even the proofs of grace which so greatly humble the souls that draw near to God with simplicity and uprightness, make hypocrites to be full of pride.Schlier: Ambition plunges from one sin into another; by ambition no one comes to anything right.[Henry: Those are good indeed that are good in their own place, not that pretend how good they will be in other peoples places. Those are commonly most ambitious of preferment, that are least fit for it; the best-qualified are the most modest and self-diffident.Hall: No music can be so sweet, to the ears of the unstable multitude, as to hear well of themselves, ill of their governors.Scott: For such is human nature, that these arts and attainments go much further in gaining the favor of the multitude, than wisdom and justice, truth and piety, or the most important and long-continued services. This is the old hackneyed way for men, destitute of conscience or honor, to wind themselves into important stations; and yet it is as much practiced, and as little suspected, as if it were quite a new discovery.Tr.]

2Sa 15:7-12. Schlier: How often it happens that piety is for us an outward thing, just as we put on a garment, and inwardly we are strangers to the matter.Absaloms rebellion was the Lords chastening.. Even when we have found forgiveness, we must yet always feel the Lords mighty hand; and this hand often lies quite heavily upon us.[2Sa 15:11. Hall: How many thousands are thus ignorantly misled into the train of error; their simplicity is as worthy of pity, as their misguidance of indignation. Those that will suffer themselves to be carried with semblances of truth and faithfulness, must needs be as far from safety as innocence.Tr.]

2Sa 15:13 sqq. Starke: The dear name of God and religion must always be to ungodly men a cloak for their wickedness.S. Schmid: How unfaithful the human heart is towards God, appears also from the unfaithful behaviour of men towards their greatest benefactors.Berl. B.: David would rather be regarded as a timid man, than resist God. He regarded Absalom as an executor of Gods righteousness; accordingly he yields only to God, not to Absalom.One can scarcely imagine the manifold inventions of which Gods strict love makes use, to crucify the converted souls that have once given themselves up thereto. It leaves nothing in them that is not overturned and annihilated. Before Thee, O Lord, all mountains must be made low and all valleys exalted.Starke: God makes even severe temptations endurable for His people (1Co 10:13).F. W. Krummacher: This unexpected meeting (with Ittai) immediately before the gates of the city appeared to the royal fugitive almost like a friendly greeting of his God, and dropped the first soothing balsam-drops into the painful wounds of his deeply lacerated heart.Schlier: Here we have an example of what true fidelity is, and how beautiful it is to remain faithful to ones king and lord. Fidelity becomes a man, and doubly becomes a Christian.

2Sa 15:25 sq. Cramer: Everything that opposes thee, endure it, and be patient in every sort of trouble (Sir 2:4). For patience is the best way to win.J. Lange: Well for him who has so believing and open an eye that he can see through everything to God.

2Sa 15:30. Schlier: How instructive is this picture of David; how humble and yet at the same time how spiritual is Israels king! Who can fail to see that David on the Mount of Olives goes up truly bowed and contrite, with an humbled and thoroughly softened heart? But David knew that the Lord cannot reject an humbled and broken heart. Therefore in all his humiliation he is not hopeless.Osiander: The more patiently and humbly we submit ourselves to the cross, the sooner we are released from it.Berl. B.: The too great strength which one supposes himself to possess, causes self-conceit; weakness, on the contrary, makes a man very little and lowly.Schlier: Whence comes all despair, whence all little-faith? Is it not because we still hold ourselves too good? And a thoroughly softened heart learns also more and more to take courage and be comforted, and believes ever more firmly that the Lord is kind to the humble.

2Sa 15:31. Osiander: The cunning and secret assaults of our enemies and those of the Gospel we can best bear up against and destroy through fervent prayer to God.Even short prayers are mighty, if they only proceed from faith.Starke: God can take the wise in their craftiness (Job 5:13; 1Co 3:19). When wickedness is armed with cunning and power, none but God can overcome it.Even when the need is greatest, God causes His grace to be seen, and creates means whereby the misfortune is a little softened.Schlier: Here we see what David, who bad before put all in the Lords hand, did in order really to obtain the Lords help. First of all David prayed. But after he has prayed he does not lay is hands in his bosom, but he does what he can to get help.It is wrong to think we might manage the thing without prayer; but it is not less wrong if we think that prayer alone does it, and are disposed then not to do our duty also.

2Sa 16:1-4. [Scott: Selfish men often affect to appear generous in giving away the property of others for their own advantage, and are great adepts in address and insinuation. Flatterers are generally backbiters; for it is as easy to them to forge slanders of the absent, as to pretend affection and respect for the present.Tr.].Berl. B.: Shameful as was this slander to David against the innocent Mephibosheth by the false earner of thanks and eye-servant, in like manner inexcusable is the credulity and forgetfulness of David towards his faithful friend, Jonathan, in that he is here so swift to give a decree against his son, and does not once investigate the accusation against him, but condemns him unheard, contrary to his own practical knowledge.Cramer: It is wrong to give a decision at once upon the allegations of one side, and to believe one partys account. Persons in authority should guard against this (Pro 14:15). [Audi alteram partem.Tr.]

2Sa 16:5-14. Starke: Judgment begins at the house of God (1Pe 4:17). Who need wonder then if Christ and all holy men of God have been the worlds execration and off-scourings?Schlier: It is always wrong to scorn and revile an enemy; and doubly wrong when it is done to an unfortunate, whose sorrow without this might almost break his heart.Starke: Pious men should not murmur when they are chastened by the Lord, but should rather remember their sins, and recognize that after Gods strict judgment they would well have deserved something more (Mic 7:9).Even in righteous zeal one must take good account of the time; for an untimely zeal, although righteous, amounts to nothing.Schlier: The Lord controls even the sin of men, and where something evil has been devised in ones heart, God takes even the evil into His service, and does not suffer it to do what the man wishes, but God does with it what He wishes. Therefore David bows, not indeed to that insolent man, but he bows to the Lord. He thinks of his sin; he confesses himself guilty and accepts even the injustice that is done him as a wholesome medicine. [Hall: Every word of Shimei was a slander. He that took Sauls spear from his head, and repented to have but cut the lap of his garment, is reproached as a man of blood. The man after Gods own heart is branded for a man of Belial. He that was sent for out of the fields to be anointed, is taxed for an usurper; if Davids hands were stained with blood, yet not of Sauls house. It is not possible that eminent persons should be free from imputations; innocence can no more protect them than power.Tr.]

2Sa 16:9. Berl. B.: It is a strong sign of pride to take offence at everything.Cramer: Without Gods permission nothing evil can befall the pious (Act 18:10).Berl. B.: Almost all men commit the fault of looking to those who persecute them, instead of fixing their eyes only on God and His holy command. And this causes all the great sufferings that are experienced in such a case, the bitterness and the aversion that are felt for persecutors. David also did indeed commit precisely this fault, when Nabal refused him bread, on which account he also repented afterwards. But as he has now gone further, everything comes to him as a command of God, and his eye discerns Gods direction in everything. Therefore he suffered patiently, without growing indignant.David is here above measure edifying in his behaviour, and beautifully teaches us in what way we should bear every sort of cross, and in all oppression, injustice and distress should bow and humble ourselves, not before man but before God from whom everything comes. There is nothing that amid all injustice and sufferings from men more quiets our mind and gives it peace than this consideration, that nothing befalls us through the wickedness of men without Gods holy and wise government.[Maurice: To have his peoples heart stolen from him, to have his child for his enemy, to be deserted by his counsellors, to lose his kingdom, to be mocked and cursed,this was rough discipline surely. But he had desired it; he had said deliberately, Make me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. And that blessing,if it was granted him in part at once, if he rose up from that very prayer a freed man with a free spirit,yet was to be realized through his whole life and to be secured by methods which he certainly would not have devised or chosen for himself.

2Sa 16:11. Hall: Even while David laments the rebellion of his son, he gains by it, and makes that the argument of his patience, which was the exercise of it. The wickedness of an Absalom may rob his father of comfort, but shall help to add to his fathers goodness. It is the advantage of great crosses, that they swallow up the less.Tr.]

2Sa 16:12. Cramer: It is a great consolation in suffering, to have a good conscience (Psa 7:4; 1Pe 3:16).Osiander: If we patiently leave vengeance to God, we move Him to cover us with blessings in place of the evil we have suffered.Starke: Even in the midst of the cross we should not allow our hope and trust in God to sink (Heb 10:35; Rom 5:3-5).Berl. B.: David suffers the evil with a gentle, quiet and humble spirit, and hopes that for this evil God will send him good. And this hope did not deceive him.

2Sa 16:13. David acted like one who does not turn at the barking of a dog, and thereby gives you this lesson: If you know well what you have inwardly within yourself, you will not care what men say outwardly about you.Schlier: We should receive as from the Lords hand the wrongs that assail us, and if men insult and revile us we should not look at men but at the Lord, who rules and guides every thing.[Wordsworth: S. Gregory observes that David was thus brought to a deeper sense of his own sins, and was exercised in true repentance, and so found cause to be thankful for these indignities, which made him nearer and dearer to God. It was a wise saying of S. Chrysostom that no man is ever really hurt by any one but himself. And even the heathen poet could bless heaven for injuries, and say, It is a most wretched fortune to have no enemy.Hall: In good dispositions, injury unanswered grows wearied of itself, and dies in a voluntary remorse; but evil natures grow presumptuous upon forbearance.Tr.]

[15:6. Stealing the peoples hearts. 1) The kinghis weak negligence in not preventing, nor even perceiving all this. Men in responsible positions should be always on their guard. 2) The demagogue; a) his ostentation (2Sa 15:1), b) his painstaking (2Sa 15:2; 2Sa 15:6), c) his flatteries (2Sa 15:3; 2Sa 15:5), d) his lavish promises (2Sa 15:4). 3) The peopletheir folly in being duped by transparent artsthe net spread in their very sight, and they go in (Pro 1:17).Tr.]

[2Sa 15:7-8. To make pretended devoutness a cloak for wicked designs, is one of the most heinous sins a man can possibly commit.

2Sa 15:19-21. David and Ittaiunselfish generosity, and unselfish fidelity.

2Sa 15:25-26. Sending back the ark. a) David does not suppose the presence of the ark to be a necessary condition of Gods presence. Contrast 1Sa 4:4-5. b) He does not despair of Gods favor, c) He is resigned to Gods will. Comp. 1Sa 3:18.Tr.]

[14:513. David and Shimei: 1) The baseness of seizing a time of calamity to revile. And encouraged by finding it unpunished (14:13). Comp. 19:19, 20. 2) The false accusations. As to the house of Saul, David had been neither a) bloody, nor b) wicked in general. He was indeed in his calamity because of his sins, but they were not what Shimei charged. Revilers of the unfortunate often accuse falsely. 3) Davids devout patience under gross insult. Represses the resentment of his nephew, a) This insult is a trifle compared with Absaloms course. b) David accepts the reviling as a punishment from Jehovah. c) He has hope that Jehovah may yet requite him for it (comp. 15:25).Tr.]

Footnotes:

[1][2Sa 15:5. This is the only place in the O. T. where the verb is followed by with the object taken hold of (though it is sometimes followed by and by the simple noun), and here 29 MSS. and 2 printed EDD. have . Perhaps this was imitated from, or by error of copyist arose from the following .Tr.]

[2][2Sa 15:7. Though the true reading is here unknown, the reading four instead of forty has been adopted in the revised translation because it seems at any rate much more nearly correct than the Heb. text. The reading forty is found in Sept. and other Greek VSS., Chald., Vulg., Cod. A. (Amiatinus); four in Syr., Arab., Vulg., Cod., B. C. D. E. F. K. Veronensis, Josephus.Tr.]

[3][2Sa 15:8. The Kethib or text is Hiph. Impf. (), the Qeri or marginal reading () is Qal Impf. () or Qal Inf. Absolute (). The text is maintained by Bttcher and Erdmann as a repetition of the finite verb for emphasis; but this, if possible here, is certainly less probable than the Inf. Absol. construction (favored by Sept., Syr., Chald.): write Hiph. Inf. (Thenius, Wellhausen, Bib.-Com.).Tr.]

[4][2Sa 15:10. A few MSS. and EDD. have as prefix instead of ; here impossible.Tr.]

[5][2Sa 15:12. The present Heb. text (), whether it be pointed as Qal or as Piel, cannot be so rendered, but means and he sent, which gives no sense. Only Chald. renders the Heb. literally; the other versions insert or (to) after the verb, Vulg. accersivit (so Eng. A. V.). Others (as Bttcher, Thenius) insert : and he sent and brought Ahithophel; Wellhausen suggests: and he sent to Ahithophel and he came (), Some such change seems necessary in order to make sense of the passage.The following phrase also: as he was sacrificing is obscure, as it does not appear what his sacrificing has to do with the matter. Cod. Amiatinus of the Vulg. reads: and when he sacrificed (was sacrificing), the conspiracy became strong, thus connecting the growth of the conspiracy with the sacrifice, and so Bttcher: when the man was come to Absalom to Hebron, as he was sacrificing, etc., while Wellhausen would omit the phrase. But there is no sufficient ground for changing the text here, not even for adopting the slight change of the Vulg., which Thenius prefers, rendering: and by his sacrificing the confederation () was made firm, that is, under the solemn excitement of the offering the conspirators were brought to swear fidelity to Absalom. But the meaning of the Heb. rather is that the conspiracy grew strong by accession of numbers. If we retain the text, we shall have to understand that Ahithophel was brought away as he was discharging a solemn duty, that is, summoned in haste to join the conspiracy, where success depended on rapid movement, or that he was summoned to join Absalom as the latter was sacrificing (so Chandler, Bib.-Com.). Patrick says: after he had sacrificed, but the words do not permit thisTr.]

[6][2Sa 15:14. = to (according to) the mouth, or at the mouth.Tr.]

[7][2Sa 15:17. The Sept. here varies somewhat from the Heb., and various changes of the latter have been suggested. The Sept. translation, however, in its present form contains a duplet; two different renderings of 17 b and 18 are combined, and these two in general confirm the Heb. text. The first Sept. rendering (2Sa 15:17-18) is: and the king went forth and all his servants (Heb. all the people, but some MSS. agree with the Greek, and Chald. has all his household) on foot (properly at his feet, after him), and stood in the far house. And all his servants passed by at his hand and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites the six hundred men that came after him from Gath and going before the face of the king, which varies from the Heb. in one word only, putting servants (i. e., body-guard) instead of people. The second Sept. rendering (beginning with 17 b and inserted in the above after the word Pelethites) is: and stood at the olive-tree in the wilderness ( instead of far house), and all the people (Heb. servants) went by at his side (hand) and all those about him (this is possibly a general rendering of Cherethites and Pelethites, who formed a body-guard) and all the stout men and all the warriors (perhaps a double rendering of heroes, which they read instead of Gittites) six hundred men, and were at his hand, after which the phrase Cherethites and Pelethites is repeated by error of copyist. From a comparison of the Heb. and Greek texts Bttcher proposes to read at the olive-tree in the wilderness (2Sa 15:17) instead of at the far house; to which Thenius replies that this is impossible, since David had not then passed over the Kidron. Thenius himself would adopt the mighty men () suggested by the Sept. instead of the Gittites of the Hebrew; this emendation is a very natural one, but the fact of Davids having a band of foreign warriors is not so strange and improbable as to call for correction; the other versions here support the Heb. In 2Sa 15:17 Wellhausen prefers the servants of the Sept. to the people of the Heb. as indicating that Davids body-guard stood with him while the army passed on: and this reading, which is supported by some MSS. and EDD., and by the Chald. (see above) is probable; so in 2Sa 15:18 Sept. has people instead of servants. Wellhausen thinks also that some phrase introducing Ittai is necessary at the end of 2Sa 15:18, and that there are traces in the Heb. text of some such original passage; as, the statement that the six hundred men came after him from Gath, which was not true of this march. 2Sa 15:18 might then read: and all the people passed on by him, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the heroes (Gibborim), six hundred men, and Ittai also the Gittite, who not long before had come from Gath to Jerusalem, passed on before the king. While this would ease the text and explain the circumstances, it seems too violent a change to make without more external support, especially as abrupt introduction of personages well-known at the time is not contrary to the usage of our narrative.Tr.]

[8][2Sa 15:19. Eng. A. V. here gives the only possible translation (which is also that of Pagninus) of the Heb. text in its present form. Pagninus: Return (and abide with the king, for thou art a stranger and an exile) to thy place. Bib.-Com.: Return and abide with the king (for thou art, etc.) at thy place. But this parenthesis is very hard, and it would seem better either to remove the to thy place and put it after return (in the Heb.), a change that is without external support, or to read from () instead of to (), and render: and an exile art thou from thy place (so one MS., several printed EDD., and Sept., Syr., Arab., Vulg.). Cahen follows the Chald.: for thou art a stranger, and also if thou wilt migrate, go to thy place, which differs from Eng. A. V. only in inserting the word go instead of transposing the phrase to thy place. Philippson: thou art an exile for thy place, which gives no good sense.Bttcher and Thenius object to the supposed satirical tone of the remark: abide with the king; the former would read in the city () of the king, which is an improbable phrase, the latter simply in the city. The Syr. and Arab. also seem to have felt a difficulty here; Syr.: desist from the king, Arab.: go not forth with the king. The Heb. text is preferable.Tr.]

[9][2Sa 15:22. Sept.: Come and pass over with me. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and the king and all his men, etc., which Thenius adopts, but Bttcher and Wellhausen remark that it entirely misrepresents the scene, where the troops are passing in review before the king, and it is impossible to suppose that his little ones were with him; the king himself does not pass over the brook till 2Sa 15:23.Tr.]

[10][2Sa 15:23 Instead of voice some Heb. MSS., Syr., Arab., have weeping, an unnecessary change. Some MSS. and EDD. omit the difficult at the end of the verse, but Bttcher changes it to olive in accordance with his untenable correction in 2Sa 15:17 (and so Thenius and some anonymous Greek versions).Wellhausen omits the first , changes into and into , and renders: and all the land wept with a loud voice and passed over; and the king stood in the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over in his presence the way of the wilderness. The first correction is unnecessary, since the Heb. text (omitting ) gives a good sense; the second correction, which represents the king as standing in the brook while the people passed, is not probable; the third gets rid of the superfluous repetition of the statement that the people passed over, but has the disadvantage of representing the bystanders (all the land) as passing over, which there is no reason to suppose they did.Tr.]

[11][2Sa 15:24. The Sept. insertion here, , a corruption apparently of , has suggested various changes of the text. Probably our text is here defective, and Abiathar was perhaps more prominent in the original; but there is no ground for Wellhausens remark that we have here a post-exilian attempt to eliminate Abiathar from the narrative in the interests of the Zadokites.Tr.]

[12][2Sa 15:27. The present Heb., with the masoretic pointing can only be rendered: art thou a seer? Erdmann, changing the pointing ( into ): Thou seer! To this Thenius objects that prophet and seer are two different things, and that there is no propriety in here calling Zadok by the latter name; he himself writes: turn back, which, however, does not account for the text-reading. The simplest emendation is that of Wellhausen, who writes: to Zadok the high-priest. To this the objection is that the phrase occurs only in late books, Kings, Jer., Ezra, Chron., and this is not satisfactorily removed by Wellhausens remark that the expression comes from the redactor, since this would be the only instance in which a late (postexilian?) redactor has used the expression. The reading or would be supported by the same word at the beginning of 2Sa 15:28, as well as by Sept. The Syr. omits the word.Tr.]

[13][2Sa 15:28. So (with Kethib) Erdmann, Bttcher, Thenius, Wellhausen, Keil. Cahen and Wordsworth: passages of the wilderness (leading to the river).Tr.]

[14][2Sa 15:29. Sept.: It abode there, preferred by Wellh., but unsupported by other versions, and not decidedly better than the Heb.Tr.]

[15][2Sa 15:32. Or, where it was the custom to worship God, an indication that public worship of God was maintained also elsewhere than at the Tabernacle.Hushai is here called simply the Arkite, but in the Septuagint the Arkite, the friend of David ( = ), see 2Sa 15:37. This is probably an addition of the Sept., as Bttcher remarks.The word rendered coat in Eng. A. V. is the Kuttoneth or tunic (), but we do not know its exact shape and size; it seems to have been shorter than the meil, which was the outer garment or robe.Tr.]

[16][2Sa 15:34. The present form of the Sept. reads: and if thou return to the city and say to Absalom, Thy brethren are passed over, and the king behind me has passed over, thy father; and now I am thy servant, O king, suffer me to live; thy fathers servant was I then and lately, and now I am thy servant; and thou shalt disconcert for me the counsel of Ahithophel. Ewald would adopt the words thy brethren, etc., as a statement that David and his other sons had gone on while Hushai went to Jerusalem. But Thenius and Wellhausen properly remark that the Sept. text here contains a duplet; the sentence thy brethren, etc., is simply a misreading of the Heb. words thy servant am I, etc. The phrase suffer me to live (which Wellh. calls too spaniel-like) is the rendering of (instead of the text ); and Bttcher remarks that the and lately () is an addition of the Sept. without support in the Heb.The frequency of the (and) in this verse is remarkable, and is imitated only by the Chald.: I indeed was thy fathers servant, and now I indeed am thy servant, a form of address intended to convey the eagerness of the speaker.Tr.]

[17][2Sa 15:37. The Impf. . Ewald (Gr. 346 b): the Impf. in simple narrations, where we should perhaps expect the Perf., indicates something synchronous or continuous. Here, when Absalom was on the point of entering Jerusalem.Tr.]

[18][2 Samuel 16. 2Sa 15:8. Margin of Eng. A. V.: behold thee in thy evil. Vulg,: thy evils press thee. Anonymous Greek: and he showed me thy evil (misreading, for ). The context shows that is here calamity rather than mischief.Tr.]

[19][2Sa 16:10. Eng. A. V. here follows the Qeri. Erdmann, Maurer, Wellhausen, Thenius, Philippson and others retain the Kethib and render the variously; Maurer: when; De Rossi: for; Philippson: yea; Cahen: if. The apodosis may be begun with or with ; in the first case render: when he curses, Jahveh has bidden him, etc.; in the second case: when he curses, and when Jahveh has bidden him, who will say? Sept. and Vulg. (from 2Sa 15:11): let him alone.;Bttcher renders: if (), he curses the mouth of Jahveh ( , that is, Jahveh Himself) has ordered it. This reading was suggested to him, he says, by the fact, that, reading in the twilight, he mistook the for ; but it has little in its favor.Tr.]

[20][This remark is made also by Thenius and Keil, but it is doubtful whether the idea of immediateness is contained in the adverb itself, that is, especially in the prefix . This prefix (= from) cannot in itself convey the idea, and the meaning of the adverb must be determined by usage; but it occurs too seldom in the O. T. (only three times 2Sa 3:28; 2Sa 15:1; 2Ch 32:23) to permit us to draw the conclusion stated by Thenius.Tr.]

[21]According to Ewald and Bttcher our text arose from the fact that [arbaim shanah, forty years] occurs much more frequently than [arba shanim, four years], and the terminations a and im were confounded by the careless hearing of the scribe. The numbers from 2 to 10 usually take the plural after them; but there are exceptions, as 2Ki 22:1. Comp. Ges. 120.2.

[22] is not Infin., but Impf. Hiph., used for emphasis instead of the Infin.; if he really bring me back. Comp. Bttcher. [On this see Text. and Gram.Tr.]

[23][Cahen: As it was impossible to hear one trumpet all over the land, we must suppose that there were various stations where the signal was repeated.Tr.]

[24]So as to read [Piel] for [Qal]. [But this does not help. See Text, and Gram.Tr.]

[25][Ewald remarks that a completer history is given of this day than of any other day in the Bible-narrativea day crowded with events.Tr.]

[26] , the as Dat. commod.

[27]Instead of the Kethib [Qal] read the Qeri , Hiph. of , to waver, wander. [Bttcher thinks the Qeri an old Qal with the force of Hiphil.Tr.]

[28] , so Then., Bttcher and Ew. after Sept.; , so Thenius [to which latter Bttcher objects, and calls it a medieval gloss. Martianus explains that Jerome in this addition gives what he thought was contained in Davids wish.Tr.]

[29]The Kethib = surely, is to be retained against the Qeri . Comp. Gen 40:1; Job 42:8; Ew., 356 b. The second = yea! or is a simple particle of introduction = [that].

[30] .[On the text see Text. and Gram.Tr.]

[31] [from ; Bttcher rejects the form as unsupported (in Gen 8:10 Qeri he reads Piel).Tr.].

[32] instead of .

[33]Instead of read (after Sept., Vulg., Chald., Cod. Kenn. 254) with Thenius , or with Ewald ( 131 d) (an unusual Hophal-form). with Accus. of the person informed (instead of the usual ) occurs, indeed, in some passages (Job 31:37; Job 26:4; Eze 43:10); but the rendering: David announced (Mich., Schulz, Gesen.), as if David had known it before, and had only kept silence out of consideration for his friends, gives no sense appropriate to the connection, since the next sentence: And David said, etc., necessarily presupposes that information has just been received. Nor do other constructions, such as the supplying a [informant] (Maurer), or the change of to taking the verb impersonally: one told David (Keil [Eng. A. V.]), or the change of to with impersonal construction of the verb: and on the way one announced (Bttch.), commend themselves, because of their arbitrariness and violent character.

[34]The apodosis is both times introduced by , comp. Ew. 348 a.

[35]On synchronousness expressed by with following Impf. (here ) see Ew. 346 b.

[40]For Kethib (an obvious clerical error) read . [Some MSS. and edd. have this Qeri in the textTr.]

[41][It is impossible to say whether Mephibosheth was quite guiltless or not. If Psalms 116. was composed after the quelling of Absaloms rebellion, 2Sa 14:11 may contain Davids confession of a hasty judgment in the matter (Bib. Com.)Tr.]

[42][On the text see Text, and Gram.Tr.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

CONTENTS

This chapter opens with the subject of what may be considered as the foundation forming for Absalom’s unnatural rebellion against his father. We are here informed of his courting popularity, – his open avowal of his seeking the crown – the party he formed – and his several operations in prosecution of his design. We read also, in this chapter, David’s distress upon the occasion, and the sad state to which this rebellion of his son reduced him.

2Sa 15:1

(1) And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

The whole life of Absalom seems to have been sinful. He multiplies his train of horses and his chariots, with running footmen to grace his equipage; whereas the Lord had strictly forbidden this to his people Israel. Deu 17:15 . Moreover, the Lord had told Israel by his servant Samuel, that the king they would choose, but not of the Lord’s approbation, would be of this very character, to take pride in what the Lord had forbidden; and that he would oppress his subjects in the number of his chariots, horsemen, and servants. So that these things ought to have been enough to have made the people look shy upon Absalom; whereas it appears that so far from it, these tended to win their affections. See 1Sa 8:11 , etc.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Absalom

2 Samuel 14-16

THESE chapters are full of men who reveal human nature in its best and its worst aspects. What plots and counterplots are here! What hypocrisy, and what unfeigned sorrow! The whole world is in these few chapters in miniature. What action, what colour, what passion, what cunning! But where the crowd is so great, discrimination is the more necessary. Let us, then, discriminate between those who serve God and those who serve him not.

In chapter 14 we have a picture of Absalom:

“But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year’s end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king’s weight” ( 2Sa 14:25-26 ).

Absalom having been for a long time voluntarily or involuntarily exiled from the capital, came back again as the result of a very cunning intrigue on the part of Joab. But Joab would not come to see him. For two whole years Absalom was left to do what he could with his own society he “saw not the king’s face” ( 2Sa 14:28 ). He sent for Joab, but Joab would not come. Then what did he do? Here he showed that if he was without wisdom, he was not without craft and sagacity of a certain narrow and penetrating kind:

“Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?” ( 2Sa 14:30-31 ).

Thus we get a taste of the quality of men. For two whole years Joab paid no attention to the returned son of David, but the moment his barley-field was set on fire he paid Absalom a visit of inquiry. It was crafty on the part of Absalom. Perhaps he looked upon it as a last resort and thought the end would justify the means. But there is a spiritual use of this incident which is well worth considering. We do not strain the text when we get out of it such spiritual uses. Is it not so that when we will not go to God lovingly, voluntarily, he sets our barley-fields on fire, saying, Now they will pray? We desert his church, we abandon his book, we release ourselves from all religious responsibilities; God calls, and we will not hear; then he sets all the harvest in a blaze, and we become religious instantaneously. Or he sends the cold east wind to blow upon the earth day and night, week after week; then we begin to consider whether we had not better appeal to his mercy and beseech the exercise of his clemency. Though Absalom had no such gracious intent in view, yet it is lawful to learn a lesson even from an enemy and from a man who turns the events of life to practical purpose. We are the richer if we have lost a barley-field, and found the God of the harvest. He will make up the barley-field to us, if so be we accept the providence aright, and say, This is God’s thought concerning us severe outwardly, a temporary loss, but concealing wondrous solicitude, expressing a purpose of love in a flame of fire; let us arise, and go to our father, and say to him across the blazing field, “Father, we have sinned.” Those who will not come at the voice of love may be constrained to come at the bidding of terror.

We wonder how a man so beautiful as Absalom will deport himself in the practical affairs of life; and we are not permitted to wonder long, for in chapter 2Sa 15:1-6 the answer is given.

“And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him ” ( 2Sa 15:1 ).

Where is personal beauty now? Mark the insidious progress. “Absalom prepared him chariots and horses,” but we have seen that they were forbidden in Israel. Egyptians and Assyrians and the heathen nations might boast themselves of their iron chariots and their strong horses, but Israel was to have neither the one nor the other. This is the first time we read of chariots and horses in connection with Israel. This man is determined to make a very showy appeal to the public imagination. He will take that imagination captive. When the children of Israel see this innovation they will think it justified, because it was originated by the king’s son; and there is something in men, including the children of Israel, that responds to great chariots, to rushing horses whose necks are clothed with thunder; and Absalom knows enough of human nature to know that this appeal will not be lost upon people who asked for a king that they might be like the other nations of the earth. They would have a king, and God says, You shall have enough of them! God sometimes over-answers the prayers of people. He says in effect: You want kings or one king? The answer is: We want a king one king. God says: You shall have a hundred kings; you shall have kings until you are surfeited with them; I will keep up the supply of kings, and ply you at every point. Verily, he gives men their desire and sends leanness into their souls.

“And Absalom rose up early” ( 2Sa 15:2 ). Ambition is not a long sleeper. A man who has made up his mind to conquer the world can easily conquer himself so far as to get up quite early in the morning. This was a bid for popularity, as well as an expression of energy. We admire this. He means it. He is no sluggard. He does not begin his day at twelve o’clock: he looks out for the sun, and almost chides that rising light, saying, I have been watching for thee: how long thou hast tarried! If men can get up early in the morning to do that which is traitorous, unholy, and unworthy, are the servants of the living God to be sleeping away their opportunities? “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.” Saith the sluggard, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.” Thus his poverty comes as one that travelleth, and his want as an armed man. We should be more energetic, more passionate; we should recall enthusiasm; for religion dead, is irreligion. Let the cunning and crafty man for a time have his way; his policy is worthy of him, and is a thing to be admired for its astuteness and adaptation of means to ends.

“And it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!” ( 2Sa 15:2-4 ).

The eternal speech of the mere demagogue! Bad men have no originality; they are like their father, the devil, who has only one lie and keeps repeating it through all the ages: it is the same lame story; the same poor, earthly selfish appeal; the same base, narrow villainy; the same rag that is held out as if it were a purse that contained all earth’s gold. And men run after it. Who has not misled the people by making them great promises which could never be redeemed? Have we not known man after man stand up as upon a pedestal and say, “Friends, what you want is——” and then came a glowing programme authorised only by the signature of the unknown speaker. He would divide the land, and apportion the gold, and settle the hours of labour, and create an earthly paradise, and open a public road to heaven. Falsehood is not scrupulous: it abounds in flattering promises, all of which are to be realised without any toil or labour on our part! That circumstance should at once doom such promises to contempt. There is no position upon earth worth having, except as the result of labour, the prize of training, the crown of honest capability or industry. Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to any kingdom that is everlasting and blissful; wide the gate, broad the road, leading to destruction an infinite turnpike down to hell! Believe not those who come with paper programmes only: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God,” and the test is this: self-denial, payment for all you have, an honest quid pro quo , a fair commerce and barter, honest wages for honest toil. But people who have grievances or grudges or controversies are in a temper of mind which prepares them to hear the speeches of the Absaloms of the ages: they are in immediate necessity, and on the ground of the proverb “Any port in a storm,” they may be glad to avail themselves of any promise that is large enough and reckless enough.

Then how he flattered his suitors and invested his affections:

“And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him” ( 2Sa 15:5 ).

Now came the open revolt; now the king left his palace and became a wanderer. David saw the day was darkening, and he hastened away, saying,

“Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom; make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword…. And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off” ( 2Sa 15:14-17 ).

See how David is beginning to suffer. He was told that the sword should never depart from his house because of the murdered man. The man was buried, but his grave reeked as a hidden furnace. We cannot bury murdered men, so that the soil shall lie quietly on their dead breasts and make no sign. It is well that the king should be thus punished. Banish him, strip him, smite him with rods of iron, O ye holy angels: for this is just. See what sin comes to:

“And all the country wept with a loud voice; and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness…. 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” ( 2Sa 15:23-30 ).

This comes of murdering Uriah! “The way of transgressors is hard.” When we have wept our sympathetic tears over banished king David, let us go down to the grave of the valiant Uriah the honest and ill-used soldier and cry still more copiously over his dishonoured body. It is right that David’s harp should be broken, that David’s throat should be choked, and that for songs he should have groaning and distress. God takes care of his law; man cannot sin against it without being made to feel the penalty of justice.

And David weeps as he goes up by mount Olivet. We cannot but pity David now and again. He was a noble soul he was a poet When the devil gave him breathing space he said beautiful things, and purposed charitable actions. Perhaps we may never pity David more than when his punishment took the form of humiliation ( 2Sa 16:5-14 ).

“And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came” ( 2Sa 16:5 ).

There may be dignity in some cursing. There we do not pity king David. But in the sixth verse a new phase is revealed of the bitterness of his humiliation: “And he [Shimei] cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: … and thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: the Lord hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned” ( 2Sa 16:7-8 ). This was right. Humble him still more; throw stones at him, spit upon him, mock him! It is right that society should thus take up the cause of dead men. David knew this. The people asked if they might not go over and take off the head of Shimei; but David said, “No; ‘let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David;’ wait: this is right: by-and-by ‘it may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day.'” A man knows his punishment is just. So “Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust;” and the object of all this violent derision was the darling of Israel! “The way of transgressors is hard.” Do not tempt the living God; do not come within the sweep of his sword or within the rush of his thunder. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” This would be the end of sin upon the earth but for the great evangelical provision but for the cross of Christ, the Saviour of the world. It is well to see what sin really comes to to watch the black harvest grow, and to be made to go into the field with the sickle and begin to cut it down. But there is still mercy with God, but it is mercy through righteousness; there is compassion in heaven, but it is compassion that expresses law. God can now be just, yet the justifier of the ungodly. He can now forgive thieves, murderers, and the worst of men of every phase and type, but he can only do this because of the priesthood of his own Son. A mystery we cannot explain; but we feel our need of it when we feel the agony of sin and the justness of our punishment. This cross is not to be taken to pieces, and explained in literal words, and made easy to the common understanding: “Great is the mystery of godliness.” Our intellectual eyes cannot see it, our vain imagination cannot bear the glory, but when we are stricken down because of sin, and penitent because we have felt its distress and abominableness in the sight of God, then something within us yea, the very soul catches a glimpse of the cross the beginning of heaven, because beginning of pardon.

Whilst we must be severe upon David, and therefore upon ourselves for David was bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, only exceptionally sinful in the accident, not in the essence and reality of things it is right also to turn in the other direction, and ask, Is there any pity in heaven? Is there any compassion in God? Is there any way of escaping the results of iniquity? And whilst we ask the question, a great voice, a voice as of many waters, sounds, and resounds, saying, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon;” so, though there is terrible law, there also is a gracious gospel.

Prayer

Almighty God, we rejoice that thou hast promised to slay the prince of this world. We cannot understand his existence, but we can attest it. He is a murderer from the beginning, and a liar; but he is under thy control: for there is but one living and true God. We know nothing of time; we cannot tell what happened in the world’s Yesterday; we dimly remember what happened in our own. We cannot tell what the world’s To-morrow will be, except through thy gracious revelation: it is to be a Sabbath day, a day of the Son of man, a period cut out of the glory of heaven. This is enough to know. We are glad to know it, for the night is heavy upon us; there is no message from the darkness; our sight leads us but to despair. But through our faith thou dost send us gospels, pure as dew, radiant as light, glad as music The whole earth shall be filled with the glory of God. We wonder at the time it takes long, long time; but then we cannot tell what time is: we go only by our mechanism and our own consciousness: we have yet to learn that there is neither thousand years nor one day to the Lord, that all such misleading definitions are unknown in the economy of heaven. Help us to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him, knowing that he will give us our heart’s desire, if that desire be that his kingdom should come, and his will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. For all religious comfort we bless thee. Other comfort fades and perishes in the using, but this tender solace reaches the whole life, subdues and delights the whole spirit: it is the very comfort of God the very grace of the cross of Christ. We would open our hearts to receive it; we would be no longer disquieted and tossed to and fro as if living in an uncontrollable tumult: we would rest in the living God; we would say, The Lord reigneth: the Lord doeth all things well: all things work together for good to them that love God; and repeating these great assurances, our joy will return, and the peace of God will make us calm. Let thy mercies be daily multiplied towards us according to our need. May every heart feel the nearness of God and know the preciousness of Jesus Christ, and witness to the sanctifying energy of the Holy Spirit. Then, come what may high hills, or deep, long, weary valleys the road will all lead to one place the city whose walls are jasper and whose streets are gold. Amen.

Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker

XXII

THE SIN OF NUMBERING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL,

ITS PENALTY, AND THE HISTORY OF ABSALOM

2Sa 13:1-39 ; 2Sa 14:1-33 ; 2Sa 15:1-6 ; 2Sa 21:1-11 ; 2Sa 24:1-25 ; 1Ch 21:1-30

On page 138 of the Harmony preserved in both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, is an account of another great affliction from God, and this affliction took the form of a pestilence in which 70,000 people perished. In one account it is said that the Lord moved David to number Israel, in the other that Satan instigated it. God is sometimes said to do things that he permits. There was a spirit of sinfulness in both the nation and king, on account of the great prosperity of the nation. Some preachers holding protracted meetings, and some pastors in giving their church roll, manifest a great desire to put stress upon numbers. So David ordered a census taken of the people. We search both these accounts in vain to find the law of the census carried out, that whenever a census was taken a certain sum of money from each one whose census was taken was to be put into the sanctuary. It was not wrong to take a census, because God himself ordered a census in Numbers. The sin was in the motive which prompted David to number Israel on this occasion. Satan was at his old trick of trying to turn the people against God, that God might smite the people. Oftentimes when we do things, the devil is back of the motive which prompts us to do them. It is a strange thing that the spirit of man can receive direct impact from another spirit.

It is also a strange thing that a man so secular-minded as Joab, understood the evil of this thing better than David. Joab worked at taking this census for nearly ten months, but did not complete it; be did not take the census of Levi or Benjamin. 1 Chronicles gives the result in round numbers, which does not exactly harmonize with 2 Samuel, one attempting to give only round numbers. Both show a great increase in population. After the thing was done, David’s conscience smote him, he felt that here were both error and sin; and he prayed about it, and when he prayed, God sent him a message, making this proposition: “I offer thee three things” [try and put yourself in David’s place and see which of these three things you would have accepted.] (1) “Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land?” He had just passed through three years of famine, and did not want to see another, especially one twice as long as the other. (2) “Or wilt thou flee three months before thy foes, while they pursue thee?” He rejected that because it put him at the mercy of man. (3) The last alternative was, “Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in thy land?” And David made a remarkable answer: “Let us fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hands of man.” I would myself always prefer that God be the one to smite me rather than man. “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless millions mourn.” It is astonishing how cruel man can be to man and woman to woman, especially woman to woman. Always prefer God’s punishment; he loves you better than anyone else, and will not put on you more than is just; but when the human gets into the judgment seat, there is no telling what may happen. Before this three days’ pestilence had ended 70,000 people had died. The pestilence was now moving upon the capital, and David was going to offer a sacrifice to God and implore his mercy. When he saw the angel of death with his drawn sword, about to swoop down upon Jerusalem, then comes out the magnanimity of David: “Lo, I have sinned and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done?” Who greater than David used similar language in order to protect his flock? Our Lord in Gethsemane. Thereupon God ordered a sacrifice to be made, its object being to placate God, to stay the plague, a glorious type of the ultimate atonement.

When I was a student at Independence, the convention met there, and Dr. Bayless, then pastor of the First Baptist Church at Waco, took this text: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” He commenced: “When the flaming sword of divine justice was flashing in the sunbeams of heaven, and whistling in its fiery wrath, Jesus interposed and bared his breast, saying, ‘Smite me instead.’ ” Bayless was a very eloquent preacher. But though our Lord interposed, yet on him, crushed with imputed sin, that sword was about to fall. His shrinking humanity prayed, “Save me from the sword!” But the Father answered, “Awake, O Sword, smite the shepherd and let the flock be scattered.” And here we find the type.

The threshing floor of Araunah became the site of Solomon’s Temple. It was the place where Abraham brought his son, and bound him on an altar, and lifted up the knife when the voice of God called: “Abraham, stay thy hand, God himself hath provided a sacrifice.” There Abraham started to offer Isaac; there the Temple was afterward built, and the brazen altar erected on which these sacrificial types were slain. I ask you not only to notice David’s vicarious expiation, but also the spirit of David as set forth in 2Sa 24:24 , page 141; “Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God, which cost me nothing.” That old Canaanite man was a generous fellow, and offered to give him that place for such a purpose and to furnish the oxen for the sacrifice, but David refused to make an offering that cost him nothing. Brother Truett preaches a great sermon on that subject: “God forbid that I should offer an offering unto the Lord that costs me nothing.” When he wants to get a really sacrificial collection; wants people to give until it hurts, he takes that text and preaches his sermon. We must not select for God that which costs us nothing. I will not say tens or hundreds, but I wills ay thousands of times in my life I have made such offerings where it cost me something where it really hurt.

History of Absalom. In the last discussion it was shown that there had been a number of antecedent sins in connection with Absalom: (1) It was a sin that the Geshurites had been left in the land. (2) It was a sin that David had married & Geshurite. (3) That he had married for State reasons. (4) That he had multiplied wives. (5) That he did not instruct and discipline Absalom. Absalom stands among the most remarkable characters of the Old Testament. He was the handsomest man in his day, according to the record. He was perfect in physical symmetry and body. That counts a good deal with many people, but here it is not a case of “pretty is that pretty does.” He had outside beauties to a marvelous degree. In that poem of N. P. Willis, he assumes that Absalom’s body is before David in the shroud, and says that as the shroud settled upon the body it revealed in outline the matchless symmetry of Absalom. Absalom had remarkable courage; there is nothing in the history to indicate that he was ever afraid of anything or anybody. Again, he had great decision of character; he knew exactly what he wanted; he was utterly unscrupulous as to the means to secure it. However, he was a man of most remarkable patience; he had passions and hate, and yet he could hold his peace and wait years to strike. That shows that he was not impulsive; that he could keep his passions under the most rigid control. The idea of a young man like Absalom under such an indignity waiting two years and then carefully planning and bringing his victims under his hand and smiting them without mercy! That is malice aforethought. He alone could make Joab bend to him; he sent for Joab, but Joab did not come; then he sent to his servant saying, “Set fire to Joab’s barley field.” That brought him! Spurgeon has a sermon on that. You know that a terrapin will not crawl when you are looking at him unless you put a coal of fire on his back. Absalom put a coal of fire on Joab’s back. Then, to show the character of the man, he could get up early in the morning and go to the gate of the city and listen to every grievance in the nation, pat each fellow on the back and whisper in his ear, “Oh, if I were judge in Israel your wrong would be righted!” There is your politician. Now for a man to keep that up for years indicates a fixedness of purpose, absolute control over his manner. Whoever supposes Absalom to have been a weak-minded man is mistaken. Whoever supposes him to have been a religious man is mistaken. He had not a spark of religion.

David’s oldest son, Amnon, commits the awful offense set forth in the first paragraph of this section. Words cannot describe the villainy of it, and if Absalom under the hot indignation of the moment had smitten Amnon, he would have been acquitted by any jury. But that was not Absalom’s method. He intended to hit and hit to kill, but he was going to take his time, and let it be as sudden as death itself when it came. David refrains from punishing Amnon. Under the Jewish law he could have been put to death at once, and he ought to have been, but David could not administer the law; seeing his own guilt in a similar case, stripped him of the moral power to execute the law.

You will find that whenever you do wrong, it will make you more silent in your condemnation of wrong in others.

We now come to a subject that has been the theme of my own preaching a good deal: “Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom,” but he also perceived that that affection was taking no steps to bring about a reconciliation, so he falls upon a plan. He sent a wise woman of Tekoa to find David, feigning a grievance as set forth here, who among other things said, “We must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again,” i.e., from one against whom our anger is extended, but in behalf of whom we are interceding. The fact that God had not killed him was proof that he was soaring him that he might repent. “But God deviseth means whereby his banished shall not be perpetually expelled.” The application intended is this: “Now David, you are doing just the other way. You have only a short time to live, and when you die your opportunities of reconciliation are gone forever. Imitate God; devise means to bring your banished one home.” David acted on this advice and sent Joab after Absalom, but he did not imitate God fully; he had Absalom brought to Jerusalem, but would not see him. Absalom waited there under a cloud for three years, and when he could stand it no longer, by burning Joab’s barley field he forced him to bring about a reconciliation. Absalom’s object in bringing about this reconciliation was to put him in position to rebel. He knew that the tenth son, Solomon, wag announced as the successor to David, and he was the older son, and under the ordinary laws of primogeniture entitled to the kingdom. So he determines to be king.

David at this time, as we learn from Psa 41 , was laboring under an awful and loathsome sickness a sickness that separated him from his family, from his children, and from his friends. This caused him to be forgotten to a great extent. It was a case of “when you drop out of sight, you drop out of mind.” While the people saw nothing of David, they were seeing much of Absalom; he had his chariot and followers, and paraded the streets every day, and his admirers would say, “There is a king for you! We want a king that is somebody!” David in retirement, Absalom conspicuous, making promises, and being the oldest son, captured the hearts of the people. Among these was Ahithophel. Then Absalom sent spies out all over the country and said, “When you hear the trumpet blow, you may know that Absalom is reigning.” He went down to Hebron and announced himself as king. When the word is brought to David that the people have gone from him, there seems to be no thought in his mind of resistance; he prepares to leave the city, leave the ark of God and the house of God. Leaving his concubines and taking his wives and children with him) he sets out, and upon reaching Mount Olivet, looks back upon the abandoned city, and weeps. A great number of the psalms were composed to commemorate his feelings during this flight. Both priests, Abiathar and Zadok, wanted to take the ark with them, but David sent them back, saying he wanted some there to watch for him and send him word. Never in the annals of time do we find a more lively historic portraiture of men and events than here. Each lives before us as we read: “Ittai, Abiathar, Zadok, Hushai, Ziba, Shirnei, and Abishai.”

QUESTIONS

1. How do you harmonize 2Sa 24:1 and 1Ch 21:1 ?

2. What was the sin of this numbering of Israel?

3. What was the lessons to preachers?

4. What was David’s course?

5. What was God’s proposition to David?

6. What was David’s answer, and reason for his choice?

7. How was the plague finally stayed?

8. What type here, and the New Testament fulfilment?

9. What was the site of Solomon’s Temple?

10. What historic events connected are with this place?

11. What great text for a sermon here, and who has preached a noted sermon from it?

12. Rehearse here the antecedent sins in connection with Absalom?

13. What was his physical appearance?

14. Analyze his character.

15. What was the lesson to preachers from the sin of Amnon and David’s attitude toward it?

16. What was the lesson for David from the woman of Tekoa?

17. How did David receive it?

18. To what expedient did Absalom resort, and why?

19. What was David’s disadvantage and Absalom’s advantage here?

20. What was David’s course when he saw that the hearts of the people had turned toward Absalom?

21. What was the nature of this part of the history?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

2Sa 15:1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

Ver. 1. And it came to pass after this. ] Two years after, saith Josephus: all which while, Absalom had been hammering and hatching this following insurrection; God raising up evil against David out of his own house, as he had threatened, 2Sa 12:11 .

That Absalom prepared him chariots and horses. ] Pride buddeth, Eze 7:10 and ambition rideth without reins. Absalom will needs have a train and port like a prince and successor to the kingdom, so to dazzel the eyes of the common people, who are apt to judge of inward worth by outward gaiety, and to dote upon glittering shows, as they did upon Herod in his cloth of silver, Act 12:21-22 and upon Agrippa with his Bernice, when they came to the tribunal with a great deal of pomp. Act 25:23

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

2 Samuel

PARDONED SIN PUNISHED

2Sa 15:1 – 2Sa 15:12 .

There was little brightness in David’s life after his great sin. Nathan had told him, even while announcing his forgiveness, that the sword should never depart from his house; and this revolt of Absalom’s may be directly traced to his father’s disgraceful crime. The solemn lesson that pardoned sin works out its consequences, so that ‘whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,’ is taught by it. The portion of the story with which we are concerned has two stages,-the slow hatching of the plot, and its final outburst.

I. 2Sa 15:1 – 2Sa 15:6 give us the preparation of the mine. It takes four years, during which Absalom plays all the tricks usual to aspirants for the most sweet voices of the multitude. He seems to have been but a poor creature; but it does not take much brain to do a great deal of mischief. He was vain, headstrong, with a dash of craft and a large amount of ambition. He had no love for his father, and no ballast of high principle, to say nothing of religion. He was a spoiled child grown to be a man, with a child’s petulance and unreason, but a man’s passions. He loved his unfortunate sister, but it was as much wounded honour as love which led him to the murder of his elder brother Amnon. That crime cleared his way to the throne; and David’s half-and-half treatment of him after it, neither sternly punishing nor freely pardoning, set the son against the father, and left a sense of injury. So he became a rebel.

The story tells very vividly how he adopted the familiar tactics of pretenders. How old, and yet how modern, it reads! We who live in a country where everybody is an ‘elector’ of some sort, and candidates are plentiful, see the same things going on, in a little different dress, before our eyes. Absalom begins operations by dazzling people with ostentatious splendour. In better days Samuel had trudged on foot, driving a heifer before him, to anoint his father; and royalty had retained a noble simplicity in the hands of Saul and David. But ‘plain living and high thinking’ did not suit Absalom; and he had gauged the popular taste accurately enough in setting up his chariot with its fifty runners. That was a show something like a king, and, no doubt, much more approved than David’s simplicity. But it was an evil omen to any one who looked below the surface. When luxury grows, devotion languishes. The senseless ostentation which creeps into the families of good men, and is sustained by their weak compliance with their spoiled children’s wishes, does a world of harm. We in Lancashire have a proverb, ‘Clogs, carriage, clogs,’ which puts into three words the history of three generations, and is verified over and over again.

How well Absalom has learned the arts of the office-seeker! Along with his handsome equipage he shows admirable devotion to the interests of his ‘constituents.’ He is early at the gate, so great is his appetite for work; he is accessible to everybody; he flatters each with the assurance that his case is clear; he gently drops hints of sad negligence in high quarters, which he could so soon set right, if only he were in power; and he will not have the respectful salutation of inferiors, but grasps every hard hand, and kisses each tanned cheek, with an affectation of equality very soothing to the dupes. ‘Electioneering’ is much the same all the world over; and Absalom has a good many imitators nearer home.

There was, no doubt, truth in the charge he made against David of negligence in his judicial and other duties. Ever since his great sin, the king seems to have been stunned into inaction. The heavy sense of demerit had taken the buoyancy out of him, and, though forgiven, he could never regain the elastic energy of purer days. The psalms which possibly belong to this period show a singular passivity. If we suppose that he was much in the seclusion of his palace, a heavily-burdened and spirit-broken man, we can understand how his condition tempted his heartless, dashing son to grasp at the reins which seemed to be dropping from his slack hands, and how his passivity gave opportunity for Absalom’s carrying on his schemes undisturbed, and a colour of reasonableness to his charges. For four years this went on unchecked, and apparently unsuspected by the king, who must have been much withdrawn from public life not to have taken alarm. Nothing takes the spring out of a man like the humiliating sense of sin. The whole tone of David’s conduct throughout the revolt is, ‘I deserve it all. Let them smite, for God hath bidden them.’ To this resourceless, unresisting submission to his enemies, sin had brought the daring soldier. It is not old age that has broken his courage and spirit, but the consciousness of his foul guilt, which weighs on him all the more heavily because he knows that it is pardoned.

II. The second part of our subject tells of the explosion of the long-prepared mine. It was necessary to hoist the flag of revolt elsewhere than in Jerusalem, and some skill is shown in choosing Hebron, which had been the capital before the capture of the Jebusite city, and in which there would be natural jealousy of the new metropolis. The pretext of the sacrifice at Hebron, in pursuance of a vow made by Absalom in his exile, was meant to touch David’s heart in two ways,-by appealing to his devotional feelings, and by presenting a pathetic picture of his suffering and devout son vowing in the land where his father’s wrath had driven him. It is not the first time that religion has been made the stalking-horse for criminal ambition, nor is it the last. Politicians are but too apt to use it as a cloak for their personal ends. Absalom talking about his vow is a spectacle that might have made the most unsuspecting sure that there was something in the wind. Such a use of religious observances shows more than anything else could do, the utter irreligion of the man who can make it. A son rebelling against his father is an ugly sight, but rebellion disguised as religion adds to the ugliness. David suspects nothing; or, if he does, is too broken to resist, and, perhaps glad at any sign of grace in his son, or pleased to gratify any of his wishes, sends him away with a benediction. What a parting,-the last, though neither knew it!

The plot had spread widely in four years, and messengers had been sent through all Israel to summon its adherents to Hebron. If David had been as popular as in his early days, it would have been impossible for such a widely spread conspiracy to have come so near a head without some faithful soul having been found to tell him of it. But obviously there was much smouldering discontent, arising, no doubt, from such causes as the pressure of taxation, the gloom that hung over the king, the partial paralysis of justice, the transference of the capital, the weight of wars, and, at lowest, the craving for something new. Few reigns or lives set in unclouded brightness. The western horizon is often filled with a bank of blackness. Strangely enough, Absalom invited two hundred men to accompany him, who were ignorant of the plot. That looks as if its strength was outside Jerusalem, as was natural. These innocents were sufficiently associated with Absalom to be asked to accompany him, and, no doubt, he expected to secure their complicity when he got them away. Unsuspecting people are the best tools of knaves. It is better not to be on friendly terms with Absalom, if we would be true to David. The last piece of preparation recorded is the summoning of Abithophel to come and be the brain of the plot. He had been David’s wisest counsellor, and is probably the ‘familiar friend, in whom I trusted,’ whose defection the Psalmist mourns so bitterly, and whose treachery was a marvellous foreshadowing of the traitor who dipped in the dish with David’s Lord. Note that he had already withdrawn from Jerusalem to his own city, from which he came at once to Hebron. Absalom could flatter and play the well-worn tricks of a pretender, but a subtler, cooler head was wanted now, and the treacherous son was backed up by the traitor friend. ‘And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.’ What a tragical issue to the joyous loyalty of early days! What a strange madness must have laid hold on the nation to have led them to prefer such a piece of petulance and vanity to their hero-poet-king! What did it mean?

The answer is not far to seek, and it is the great lesson of this story. David’s sin was truly repented and freely forgiven, but not left unpunished. God is too loving to shield men from the natural consequences, in the physical and social world, of their sins. The penitent drunkard’s hand shakes, and his constitution is not renewed, though his spirit is. Only, punishment is changed into discipline, when the heart rests in the assurance of pardon, and is accepted as a token of a Father’s love. In every way God made of the vice the whip to scourge the sinner, and David, like us all, had to drink as he had brewed, though he was forgiven the sin.

Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren

it came to pass. Compare Psa 3 and chapters 15-18. David was now fifty-six, Absalom twenty-four, Solomon six.

horses. A sign of his pride (Deu 17:16, Deu 17:20).

men. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.

run before. To clear the way. Mark of royalty or dignity. (Still done in Cairo.) Compare 1Sa 8:11, 1Sa 8:15. 1Ki 1:5; 1Ki 18:46.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Chapter 15

And Absalom went out from the gate of the city, and when people would come from Israel to bring a matter for judgment, he would say, Oh what a shame that my father wouldn’t appoint me as judge in Israel, because I could judge in these matters. You come to see my dad, he’s so busy, he hasn’t got time to see anybody. But bring the matter to me, let me judge it for you. And the people would start to bow to him, and he’d take them by the hand, and he’d kiss their hands ( 2Sa 15:2-6 ).

He was a shrewd politician, kissing the babies, and just saying the things that the people wanted to hear. “Oh, what a shame that I wasn’t placed in a position that I could really help you? Oh, I could do so much for you if I were just in this position. It’s a shame my dad is so busy, he really doesn’t have time for people, you know busy running things. Oh, what we could do for you!” All of this you know.

And he began to steal the hearts of the people, those that would come to Jerusalem, he would steal their hearts. And when he felt that he was in a strong enough position, he headed for Hebron with some of the key leaders and he announced his kingdom there in Hebron. And when the kingdom was announced, then Israel began to gather unto Absalom. And some of David’s counselors, one especially Ahithophel went with Absalom against David ( 2Sa 15:7-12 ).

This dissertation of his friend Ahithophel is expressed by David in the fifty-fifth psalm. Let’s turn to Psalm fifty-five, and read of David’s feelings over the desertion of Ahithophel who went with Absalom.

“Give ear to my prayer O God, and hide not Thyself from my supplications. Attend unto me, and hear me, I mourn in my complaint and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, for they have cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, O that I had wings like a dove then I would fly away and be at rest! Lo then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Destroy O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about upon the walls thereof. Mischief also and sorrow in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof, deceit, and guile depart not from her streets; For it was not (Here is his lament about Ahithophel), for it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could’ve borne it. Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me, then I would’ve hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in company.”

Then David’s prayer of vengeance upon them for their deceit and treachery. So the desertion from David of some of his chief men. Yet there were those who remained true, but if word came that Absalom was coming from Hebron with an army.

Now David as I told you, his spirit is gone. Rather than defending himself, rather than setting up his troops to defend him from Absalom, and from the army that’s coming with Absalom, David’s spirit is gone. He makes no attempt to defend the city, to defend himself. But David begins an exodus from the city with his faithful followers and they start up over the Mount of Olives toward the wilderness. As they start up, David is weeping as he walks through the Kidron stream, and up the Mount of Olives. He has his head covered, and he’s weeping and all of those that are going with him, their heads are covered, they too are weeping. What a sad and pitiful sight. David not even making a fight; David not standing up. This great valiant man not standing up, but fleeing. Absalom his son will arrive at Jerusalem, and find out there are no defenses at all against him.

And they told David, Ahithophel is among them. And David said, Lord, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. And when David came to the top of the mount of Olives, he worshipped God, and behold, Hushai ( 2Sa 15:31-32 ),

Who was also one of David’s counselors, an older man, came to meet him, and David said, “Hey, go on home, go back to Jerusalem, and maybe you can sort of subvert the counsel of Ahithophel.” So David began to set up his men also to destroy the purposes of Absalom.

And the priests had come with the ark of the covenant, and David sent them back, Zadok and Abiathar, he sent them back with the ark of the covenant ( 2Sa 15:35 ).

Committing it really, and it is interesting to me David at this point was committing his case totally to God. “If God wants me to come back, you know the Lord will bring me back. If the Lord is pleased to help me, then the Lord will help me.” But he’s not gonna defend himself. He’s not fighting for himself anymore. He is a broken man, and he is committing his case totally into the hands of God because this is really the fulfillment of this prophecy, really, because of his sin. Nathan said, “your sons are gonna rebel against you”. He sees this just as a God’s judgment and he’s accepting it. He’s committing himself totally into God’s hands, and into this judgment that God has brought upon him. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

That Absalom’s attitude of obeisance before David was feigned is proved by his conspiracy. That Joab cared nothing personally for Absalom is evident from his refusal to see him any further. Absalom’s cunning is manifested in that he waited and plotted four years, ever attempting to turn the heart of the people toward himself. His unscrupulousness, moreover, was shown in that when everything was ripe for action, he proceeded to the overt act of rebellion under cover of religious observance.

Perhaps there is nothing more pathetic in the story of David than his flight from the city. Almost all the essential characteristics of the man were exhibited. Nevertheless, throughout we discover the note of the chastened and humbled spirit, which recognized the righteousness of the suffering following on his sin. His magnanimity was manifested in his suggestion to Itai, the Philistine, that there was no need that he should share the misfortune of his sorrow. Above all, his submission to God was supreme; he said, “If He say thus, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him.” He left the city weeping, with covered head and barefoot, these things being the symbols of his penitence. Yet even here he was the astute and far-seeing man, as is evidenced by his leaving behind Abiathar and Zadok, the priests, and Hushai, his friend.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

the Plot of the Ambitious Son

2Sa 15:1-12

Davids government had become lax. Many causes were awaiting trial. Cases demanding his royal decision had accumulated. Suitors could get nothing done. Discontent was rife. The king had forfeited the former love and respect of his people. Perhaps the story of his sin had leaked out. It is thought, also, that at this time he was smitten by disease and that Psa 41:1-13; Psa 55:1-23 record the sufferings of those withered years. Meanwhile, Absalom was undermining the throne and dividing the heart of the people.

How soon the heart may become alienated from its rightful king! The Absaloms ingratiate themselves, and wean away our loyalty, and love from Jesus. Is there a favorite that fawns on you, and entices you to a lower level than you occupied in earlier, happier days? If so, your King may be driven from the citadel of your soul, and you may be left to mourn over the tragedy caused by the transference of your hearts affections. Be warned ere it be too late. Deal sternly with Absalom!

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

2Sa 15:19-21

I. We have in this passage a remarkable instance of the spirit of true patriotism, all the more remarkable because, in one sense, patriotism is not quite the word to apply to Ittai, for he was a stranger and an alien, though a naturalised Israelite. In him we have a singular instance of that devotion to a person which will always be the leading characteristic of the Christian life. The legalist may be devoted to a system; the moralist may be devoted to an idea; the real Christian will be devoted to a Person, to the person of a living Christ.

II. Ittai was the kind of man that David wanted, and he is the kind of man that Christ wants now. There are many people ready enough to make the Lord Jesus Christ a kind of stepping-stone to help them into heaven. If they can make a convenience of Him and He can serve their purpose in a dying hour, it is all very well. It is not such as these the Lord wants. The “citizens of heaven” are men who are partakers of their Master’s nobility.

III. It was the fact that David had received him as an exile that first bound Ittai’s heart to him. We also are strangers and exiles. Christ gives us a home. Our adoption into His family should be a motive power which will bear us through all the shocks of the battle of life and make us “more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

W. Hay Aitken, Mission Sermons, 1st series, p. 168.

2Sa 15:21

Foremost among the little band who followed David from Jerusalem came six hundred men from Gath-Philistines from Goliath’s city. These men, singularly enough, the king had chosen as his bodyguard; perhaps he was not altogether sure of the loyalty of his own subjects, and possibly felt safer with foreign mercenaries who could have no secret leanings to the deposed house of Saul. At all events, here they are, “faithful among the faithless,” as foreign soldiers surrounding a king often are, notably the Swiss guard in the French Revolution. David’s generous nature shrinks from dragging down Ittai with himself. Generosity breeds generosity, and the Philistine captain breaks out into a burst of passionate devotion, garnished, in soldier fashion, with an unnecessary oath or two, but ringing very sincere and meaning a great deal. As for him and his men, they have chosen their side.

I. Look at the picture of this Philistine captain, as teaching us what grand, passionate self-sacrifice may be evolved out of the roughest natures. Ringing in his words we hear three things which are the seed of all nobility and splendour in human character: (1) a passionate personal attachment, (2) love issuing in willing sacrifice that recks not for a moment of personal consequences, and (3) a supreme, restful delight in the presence of him whom the heart loves. This capacity, which lies dormant in all of us, will make a man blessed and dignified” as nothing else will. The joy of unselfish love is the purest joy that man can taste.

II. These possibilities of love and sacrifice point plainly to God in Christ as their true object. We are made with hearts that need to rest upon an absolute love, with understandings that need to grasp a pure, a perfect, and a personal truth.

III. Observe the terrible misdirection of these capacities in the sin and the misery of the world. There is nothing more tragic than the misdirection of man’s capacity for love and sacrifice. We must lay ourselves on Christ’s altar, and that altar will sanctify both the giver and the gift

A. Maclaren, Christ in the Heart, p. 145.

References: 2Sa 15:21.-J. M. Neale, Sermons in Sackville College, vol. iii., p. 420; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvi., No. 1512. 2Sa 15:23.-Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 152. 2Sa 15:30.-J. Van Oosterzee, Year of Salvation, vol. ii., p. 463. 2Sa 16:10.-Expositor, 2nd series, vol. i., p. 244. 2Sa 16:12.-Parker, vol. vii., p. 239. 2Sa 16:13.-Ibid., p. 240. 2Sa 16:15.-W. M. Taylor, David King of Israel, p. 238. 2Sa 16:16.-R. Lee, Penny Pulpit, No. 491.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

5. Absaloms Conspiracy and Davids Flight

CHAPTER 15

1. Absalom steals the hearts of the men of Israel (2Sa 15:1-6)

2. His conspiracy (2Sa 15:7-12)

3. The flight of the king (2Sa 15:13-37)

The beautiful prince gradually prepared for the great conspiracy of which we read now and which made of his own father the Lords anointed, an exile. Chariots and horses with fifty men to run before him won no doubt the admiration of the people. His evident interest in their welfare, kissing those who sought his presence and advice, endeared him still more to the men of Israel. To this must be added his open words, which must have quickly circulated among the people, Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice.

This continued for about four years. (Forty is incorrect. Ancient versions have four years which we take is the correct number. Others have suggested that the 40 years should be reckoned from Davids anointing (1Sa 16:13). This, however, is unlikely.) During this time he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. All is now ripe for the great rebellion. He lies to his father about an alleged vow he had made at Geshur. The unsuspecting King said, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. The signal is given at which all the tribes of Israel were to say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. Then he sent for Davids counsellor, Ahitophel. He was away from Jerusalem at Giloh, a short distance from Hebron, which would seem that he also was in league with Absalom. Ahitophel (the brother of folly) was the grandfather of Bath-sheba. As his name so was his deed in joining the revolution, through which he may have thought of avenging the shame which had been put upon his family by Davids sin.

When David hears the news he said to his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, Arise and let us flee. Fear now takes hold on him. He feared for himself and for his city. Yet he passed through the deepest soul-exercise and clung to the Lord in all the chastisement which followed, stroke after stroke, upon him. The third Psalm gives the culmination of this. It bears the inscription, A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son. In spite of his fears he trusted the Lord. But Thou, Oh LORD, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of mine head (Psa 3:3). It is claimed that Psalm 49 also refers to this period of his life. If that is correct then David was sick at the time of Absaloms rebellion. Verse 9 in that Psalm would have a meaning in connection with Ahitophel, the traitor. Joh 13:18 makes it clear that Judas Iscariot is predicted; but Ahitophel is a type of Judas, like him he was a suicide. Another Psalm which was probably written during the rebellion of Absalom and which speaks of Ahitophels treachery is Psalm 55. The king and his household left the city and all the people after him. All the Cherethites and Pelethites (executioners and runners) and six hundred which came after him from Gath accompanied the King. And not all was bitterness. Ittai (with Jehovah) the Gittite, and his devotion to the King, must have greatly comforted Davids heart. He was a stranger and an exile, who had come but yesterday to David. He told him to return to abide with the king (that is, Absalom). Beautiful is his answer, which strongly reminds us of the blessed words of Ruth, the Moabitess (Rth 1:16). What noble purpose he expresses! He wants to be with the king in life or in death. Grace has linked us even closer with our Lord. Ittai in his devotion and attachment to the king is a blessed type of those who are true to the Lord in the days of His rejection.

And there was much weeping as David passed over Kidron. Our Lord passed over that brook also to enter the garden (Joh 18:1) where He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears. The ark had been carried along, but now the king directed Zadok to carry it back to the city. if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me again, and show me both it and his habitation. Beautiful it is to see that in all his great sorrow, conscious that it was the hand of the Lord which chastised him, in all his affliction he does not forget the Lord. He trusts in His mercy. Deep submission breathes in these words.

What a sight the weeping king, barefooted, his head covered, ascending Olivet! A type of Him who also ascended Olivet and wept (Luk 19:41). Then Hushai (hasty) met David. Alas! for the evidence of unbelief in the king, in planning to have Hushai return to the city and feign friendship for Absalom so as to defeat the counsel of Ahitophel.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

am 2980, bc 1024

Absalom: 2Sa 12:11, Deu 17:16, 1Sa 8:11, 1Ki 1:5, 1Ki 1:33, 1Ki 10:26-29, Psa 20:7, Pro 11:2, Pro 16:18, Pro 17:19, Jer 22:14-16

Reciprocal: 1Sa 22:17 – footmen 2Sa 3:3 – Absalom 2Sa 16:2 – What meanest 1Ki 14:27 – guard Psa 3:1 – when Psa 86:14 – O God Psa 132:1 – all his afflictions Pro 15:5 – fool Joh 12:15 – sitting

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2Sa 15:1. Absalom prepared him chariots, &c. When he thought he had established himself in his fathers good affection, he began to take great state upon him, set up, as we now speak, a splendid equipage, and was royally attended, as being the kings eldest son, (now Amnon was dead,) and next heir to the crown. For it seems Chileab, who was elder than he, 2Sa 3:3, was either dead also, or, through some cause, was incapable of the government. Absalom undoubtedly designed, by taking this course, to draw the eyes of the people to himself, who, as they were much in love with his beauty, so were doubtless mightily taken with this fine sight of chariots and horses, especially as it was unusual, not being allowed by the law. David was, however, so indulgent that, it seems, he took no notice of it. And fifty men to run before him An honour this such as his royal father had neither had, nor thought of. These, though attendants in appearance, were, in effect, guards.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2Sa 15:7. After forty years. Some contend that this refers to the time when David was secretly anointed; but as no other record is dated from that time, Josephus seems right in saying four years instead of forty. Most critics are agreed that four has been mis-written forty.

2Sa 15:25. Carry back the ark of God. Here is a noble mind, a mind great in adversity, and prudent in all his measures. This sorest stroke that ever befel David called all his powers into action, and enkindled his piety to the purest flame: I will not fear though ten thousand rise up against me.

Psa 3:6. God could not fail to save his servant.

2Sa 15:27. Art not thou a seer? Seeing the mind of God by the Urim and the Thummim. He sent back the aged priest, as able to do more by counsel and by prayer than he could do in the field.

2Sa 15:31. Turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Prayers of grief and anguish, like those of Hannah, are surely heard in heaven.

2Sa 15:33. Thou shalt be a burden to me. Hushai was now an aged man, and unfit for the campaign; yet his intellectual powers were strong, and his knowledge profound in counsel.

REFLECTIONS.

Absalom, on his restoration to the royal favour, as the heir apparent, surrounded his palace with guards, and began to think his father lived too long.

The methods to which he had recourse to seize the throne, were wicked beyond example. He canvassed for the throne under the mask of a wish to be the chancellor. He degraded himself by unsuitable condescensions, for meanness is mostly an attendant on pride. He insulted truth and justice by affirming every cause to be good; and he abused religion by masking treason under the sanctity of paying a vow which had been delayed for six, if not for nine years. When men have attained a certain stage of wickedness, they resemble a carriage in the descent of a hill which has broken the rope, or overpowered the horses: it moves with encreasing velocity, till making a vast leap it is dashed to pieces by its own weight. When God prospers the wicked, it is often with an ultimate view to their greater destruction. Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel, and drew from the court all Davids false or lukewarm friends. He brought many troubles on the best of kings; but he relieved him of a lurking faction, which might have been productive of more fatal mischiefs. It is most to be lamented that he should draw after him so many honest men, who had not the least suspicion of his designs.

In David we have an example of great presence of mind on a terrific occasion. Hearing that the nation in general adhered to his son, he sought safety in flight, and rested his cause with the Lord. When a calamity cannot for the present be avoided, it is no small consolation that providence affords us a retreat till the indignation be overpast.

When the people at large forsook him, the people of God and strangers adhered to his cause. He saw himself surrounded by the priests and the levites, for true religion embraces futurity and has a single eye to the glory of God, and affords therefore the best bonds of friendship in the day of tribulation, and under reverses of providence. The Gittites also who had followed him from Gath, followed him still, because they believed that God had not forsaken his anointed. So when Israel at large set the Saviour at nought, the gentiles adhered to his cause.

But David, on leaving Jerusalem, had a thousand piercing reflections. He knew not whether God would cast him off, but he rested his cause with the disposer of all events, and would not therefore take away the ark. He now recalled all his sins; he walked barefoot, and wept as he went. Nathans words returned in all their force: I will stir up evil against thee in thine own house. His grievous cruelty to Uriah, and the excess of lenity to both his wicked sons, most afflicted his mind; and therefore, though he adopted prudent measures for the safety of his friends, he seemed almost indifferent what the Lord should do with him. Here piety shone forth as the gold melted and refined in the furnace; for affliction makes manifest the thoughts of the heart.

David had scarcely thus commended his cause to God, before a new wound was inflicted, and a wound in the tenderest part. Ahithophel, his friend and counsellor, he was told, had joined the conspirators; and more is often to be feared from wisdom than from might. But Hushai, another counsellor, presenting himself, David thought proper to employ counsel against counsel. The case being altogether out of the common way, we must be slow to blame the conduct of the king; for God availed himself of Hushai to gain time for David, and undo the rebels. Let us therefore learn to trust in Davids God. If he brings us into straits and difficulties, he will also, in one way or other, bring us out again: and if he shorten our lives by a series of calamities, it shall be for our greater sanctification and eternal glory.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2Sa 15:1 to 2Sa 16:14. Revolt of Absalom. Flight of David (J).

2Sa 15:1-6. Absalom makes himself popular by professing an interest in the litigation of the people.

2Sa 15:7-12. After four years (so read with Syr. and some texts of LXX), having obtained the kings permission on a false pretext, Absalom goes to Hebron and organises revolt.

2Sa 15:12. Giloh: Jos 15:51.

2Sa 15:13-29. 2Sa 15:17 f. should be emended on the basis of LXX (so Driver and others), giving the following: David leaves Jerusalem with his ministers and officers, servants; they take their stand by the last house E. of the city, that the rest of Davids partisans may pass before them. The general body come first, then the bodyguard of foreign mercenaries, the rear of the latter being brought up by a recent reinforcement under Ittai of Gath. David offers Ittai the opportunity of leaving him; he refuses. The fugitives pass on amidst the lamentation of the people; David stands by the brook Kidron and watches them pass on toward the olive-tree in the wilderness; 2Sa 15:23 should be read thus, with SBOT, etc. 2Sa 15:24 must be emended to read, And behold, also Zadok and Abiathar carrying the ark of God, and they set down the ark until all the people had done passing out of the city. David bids them take the Ark back to the city. Yahweh could give him victory without this talisman, just as well as with it. This act shows that David had reached a more spiritual view of religion than that which had been generally held; his example would tell on others. At any rate, we hear nothing more of the Ark being carried to war; little importance need be attached to the obscure passage, 2Ch 35:3. David arranges with the priests for their two sons to act as spies.

2Sa 15:27. Art thou not a seer: read, Behold do thou.

2Sa 15:30-37. David arranges for Hushai the Archite (Jos 16:2), Davids friend (so LXX), his confidential adviser, an official title, to remain in Jerusalem as his secret agent and to attach himself to Absalombecome Absaloms Friend.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

Absalom knew how to take full advantage of his outward acceptance by his father Now there was no difficulty in beginning to exalt himself in the eyes of Israel. His chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him (v.1) were all intended as a show of his importance. If David was troubled by this, we read nothing of it.

More than this, Absalom was adept in influencing the people personally. Others ought to have seen through his activities, and to have warned David, but he got away with his intercepting of people who came early in the morning to the gate of the city to look for judgment in cases of personal problems. He would be most friendly, beginning by asking where their home was. Then whatever grievance they had, he told them their case was right, but added that there was no-one appointed by the king to handle these matters. If this was true, Absalom should have suggested to the king that he should appoint someone to this work, but his object was to plant in the people seeds of discontent and distrust toward David and to worm his way into the affections of the people. He succeeded in this without David apparently suspecting anything (v.6).

In verse 7 it is said that after 40 years Absalom approached the king. It is considered that this may be an error in copying from the earliest manuscripts, and that four years seems more likely. Though he had only treachery in his heart, Absalom was able to speak in such a pious way as to deceive David. He said he had vowed a vow to the Lord in Geshur to the effect that he would serve the Lord if the Lord brought him back to Jerusalem. Now he wanted to go to Hebron to fulfil the vow. David still does not suspect his hypocrisy, and does not even question as to why he was choosing Hebron as a place to serve the Lord.

But Absalom was making the most solid plans he knew how to. Hebron was the first place in which David reigned, and Absalom was making an appearance of returning to the original principles of the kingdom. Also, the place would be enshrined in people’s affections because of its close association with Abraham’s history. He went to Hebron and sent spies throughout all Israel to inform them that, when the trumpet sounded, Absalom would be reigning in Hebron. When he left Jerusalem he also brought 200 men with him who had no idea what he had in mind, but followed him apparently because they like him (v.11).

How great are the multitudes today who are merely followers of men! They have no serious exercise as to the principles of the truth of God, but are influenced by what appeals to their own comfort or convenience. In many cases their choice is not only unwise but links them with what is absolute wickedness in opposition to God, as was true of these followers of Absalom.

Absalom then sent for Ahithophel, who was David’s counsellor, and who willingly came. No doubt he had strong feelings against David that had been suppressed until now, for his later advice to Absalom was to brazenly use David’s concubines, then to concentrate only on killing David (ch.16:21-22; 17:1-3). The reason for this strong enmity was likely that Ahithophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba (cf.ch.13:3 and 23:34). In this God was again making David feel the results of his great sin. Absalom’s conspiracy was well planned, and it grew strong with many people carried by the current.

Having been unaware of all this, David was finally awakened by a messenger who told him that the hearts of the men of Israel had been led to follow Absalom in revolt. Of course David realized that an attack on the city of Jerusalem was imminent. But he was not prepared to defend the city, nor to send an army to meet an attacking company. His only recourse was to flee the city. David did have servants who were not so easily moved by Absalom’s popularity, and the king left with his household, though leaving ten concubines to take care of the house (v.16). On the outskirts of the city David took time to review all the people who were with him. His servants who had remained loyal to him are mentioned as passing before him, then the Cherethites and the Pelethites who had been chosen as David’s bodyguard. After these came 600 men from Gath, led by Ittai (v.18).

Of course Gath was a prominent Philistine city, and it would be an unusual thing for Philistines to stand true to Israel at a time like this. Not many Palestinians today would be devoted to Israel! David therefore questions Ittai as to why he was going with him, since he was a foreigner and had only recently identified himself with David. David gave him fullest opportunity to return with his brethren and be identified with whatever king reigned in Jerusalem (which appeared to be Absalom at this time.).

However, Ittai shows convincing evidence that the Lord had worked within his heart to give him a genuine love for David (v.21). He speaks with firm decision that, as the Lord lives and David lives, he chooses to be in the place where David is, whether this should mean life or death.

In this present day of grace it is sometimes refreshing to witness cases similar to that of Ittai. Some who have had an outwardly near position in the testimony of God for some years, have, when troubles came, given up any such testimony, while others who have newly come in fresh, vital affection toward the Lord, are not moved by difficulties, but prove their stedfast devotion by whole heartedly continuing with the Lord. David therefore welcomes the help of lttai and his men (v.22).

There was deep distress and weeping as the people and the king himself crossed over the brook Kidron. Zadok and Abiathar the priests and all the Levites with them had also come, bearing the ark of God. but David realized that he had no right to have the ark accompany him. He knew he was under the chastening hand of God and should bow to this rather than giving the people the impression that the ark should leave its proper place in Jerusalem just because David was in exile. He tells Zadok and Abiathar to return with the ark, and that God could simply restore David to Jerusalem if it was His will, while if He did not do so, His will was still to be accepted He also told them to keep their two sons with them and use them to send David any useful information (vs.27-28)

In all of this David was no doubt showing a proper spirit of submission and faith, and in verse 30 we are told that he showed signs of penitence, having his head covered in humiliation and his feet bare, an admission of weakness and dependence before God, not preparing for battle. When he heard that Ahithophel had joined Absalom’s conspiracy he was no doubt alarmed, for he knew Ahithophel to be a shrewd and capable counsellor. He prayed immediately that God would turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness (v.31).

However, instead of leaving this matter entirely with God, David saw an opportunity, when Hushai came to him, of planting his own secret agent in Absalom’s court. Hushai was also a counsellor, and though he was willing to suffer rejection along with David, David told him he has no need of him, but that if he returns to the city and professes allegiance to Absalom, he might defeat the counsel of Ahithophel (v.34). This was not faith on David’s part, for he told Hushai to lie to Absalom in declaring that he would be Absalom’s servant just as he had been David’s servant. Actually, the matter did work out as David hoped, but he might have seen God work in a more miraculous way if he had simply trusted Him.

David had already arranged that Ahimaaz and Jonathan could bring secret intelligence from the priests, so he tells Hushai to use them in order to give David information. Naturally speaking, David was able to make well grounded plans in the very short time he had. Hushai then returned to Jerusalem, and in a short time Absalom with all his retinue walked in to take possession of the city without any resistance.

Fuente: Grant’s Commentary on the Bible

15:1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to {a} run before him.

(a) Which were as a guard to set forth his estate.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Absalom’s conspiracy 15:1-12

Two sub-sections each begin with a reference to time (2Sa 15:1; 2Sa 15:7) and form a literary "diptych" (i.e., two complementary panels). [Note: Fokkelman, p. 165.] The first six verses explain how Absalom undermined popular confidence in the Lord’s anointed for four years. The last six relate his final preparations to lead a military revolution against David.

"Whatever the reason, he exhibited the same patient scheming and relentless determination which he had already shown when he set out to avenge the rape of his sister (chapter 13); the leopard had not changed his spots. His hatred for Amnon at least had had some excuse, but now it became clear that he had no affection for his father either. Apart from his love for his sister Tamar, he appears to have been a cold, ruthless and above all ambitious man." [Note: Payne, p. 227.]

Absalom spent four years (2Sa 15:7, probably 980-976 B.C.) quietly planning a coup. That "four" is the correct number rather than "40" seems clear from other chronological references. [Note: See the Septuagint, and Josephus, 7:9:1.] He did this by securing military weapons and supporters (2Sa 15:1; cf. 1Ki 1:5), criticizing his father’s administration (2Sa 15:2-3), promising to rule better than David (2Sa 15:4), and exercising personal charm and flattery (2Sa 15:5-6). David was at this time (980-976 B.C.) building his palace in Jerusalem, then constructing a new dwelling place for the ark, and finally making preparations for the temple (2Sa 5:9-12). This may be the reason David was not meeting the needs of his people as well as he might have done. It probably accounts for David’s surprise when Absalom’s coup began as well.

Perhaps Absalom chose Hebron as the place to announce his rebellion because that was his birthplace, and his support was probably strongest there. Some in Hebron may have resented David’s moving his capital from there to Jerusalem. [Note: Laney, p. 113.] Ahithophel (2Sa 15:12) was probably Bathsheba’s grandfather (2Sa 11:3; 2Sa 23:34). Ahithophel’s support of Absalom may suggest that the general public did not know about God’s choice of David’s successor. Ahithophel came from a town in Judah (Jos 15:51).

Absalom’s rebellion against God’s anointed king is similar to the reaction of the Jews to Jesus, the Lord’s Messiah. They did not want Him to reign over them. Consequently Jesus departed from them and returned to heaven, from which he will return to reign over them eventually.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

CHAPTER XIX.

ABSALOM’S REVOLT

2Sa 15:1-12.

WHEN Absalom obtained from his father the position he had so eagerly desired at Jerusalem, he did not allow the grass to grow under his feet. The terms on which he was now with the king evidently gave him a command of money to a very ample degree. By this means he was able to set up an equipage such as had not previously been seen at Jerusalem. “He prepared him a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.” To multiply horses to himself was one of the things forbidden by the law of Moses to the king that should be chosen (Deu 15:16), mainly, we suppose, because it was a prominent feature of the royal state of the kings of Egypt, and because it would have indicated a tendency to place the glory of the kingdom in magnificent surroundings rather than in the protection and blessing of the heavenly King. The style of David’s living appears to have been quiet and unpretending, notwithstanding the vast treasures he had amassed; for the love of pomp or display was none of his failings. Anything in the shape of elaborate arrangement that he devised seems to have been in connection with the public service of God – for instance, his choir of singers and players (1Ch 23:5); his own personal tastes appear to have been simple and inexpensive. And this style undoubtedly befitted a royalty which rested on a basis so peculiar as that of the nation of Israel, when the king, though he used that title, was only the viceroy of the true King of the nation, an i where it was the will of God that a different spirit should prevail from that prevalent among the surrounding nations. A modest establishment was evidently suited to one who recognized his true position as a subordinate lieutenant, not an absolute ruler.

But Absalom’s tastes were widely different, and he was not the man to be restrained from gratifying them by any considerations of that sort. The moment he had the power, though he was not even king, he set up his imposing equipage, and became the observed of all observers in Jerusalem. And no doubt there were many of the people who sympathized with him, and regarded it as right and proper that, now that Israel was so renowned and prosperous a kingdom, its court should shine forth in corresponding splendour. The plain equipage of David would seem to them paltry and unimposing, in no way fitted to gratify the pride or elevate the dignity of the kingdom. Absalom’s, on the other hand, would seem to supply all that David’s wanted. The prancing steeds, with their gay caparisons, the troop of out-runners in glittering uniform, the handsome face and figure of the prince, would create a sensation wherever he went; There, men would say emphatically, is the proper state and bearing of a king; had we such a monarch as that, surrounding nations would everywhere acknowledge our superiority, and feel that we were entitled to the first place among the kingdoms of the East.

But Absalom was far too shrewd a man to base his popularity merely on outward show. For the daring game which he was about to play it was necessary to have much firmer support than that. He understood the remarkable power of personal interest and sympathy in winning the hearts of men, and drawing them to one’s side. He rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate, where in Eastern cities judgment was usually administered, but where, for some unknown reason, little seems to have been done by the king or the king’s servants at that time. To all who came to the gate he addressed himself with winsome affability, and to those who had “a suit that should come to the king for judgment” (R.V.) he was especially encouraging. Well did he know that when a man has a lawsuit it usually engrosses his whole attention, and that he is very impatient of delays and hindrances in the way of his case. Very adroitly did he take advantage of this feeling, – sympathizing with the litigant, agreeing with him of course that he had right on his side, but much concerned that there was no one appointed of the king to attend to his business, and devoutly and fervently wishing that he were made judge in the land, that every one that had any suit or cause might come to him, and he would do him justice. And with regard to others, when they came to do him homage he seemed unwilling to recognize this token of superiority, but, as if they were just brothers, he put forth his hand, took hold of them, and kissed them. If it were not for what we know now of the hollowness of it, this would be a pretty picture – an ear so ready to listen to the tale of wrong, a heart so full of sympathy, an active temperament that in the early hours of the morning sent him forth to meet the people and exchange kindly greetings with them; a form and figure that graced the finest procession; a manner that could be alike dignified when dignity was becoming, and humility itself when it was right to be humble. But alas for the hollow-heartedness of the picture! It is like the fabled apples of Sodom, outside all fair and attractive, but dust within.

But hollow though it was, the policy succeeded – he became exceedingly popular; he secured the affections of the people. It is a remarkable expression that is used to denote this result – ”He stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” It was not an honest transaction. It was swindling in high life. He was appropriating valuable property on false pretences. To constitute a man a thief or a swindler it is not necessary that he forge a rich man’s name, or that he put his hand into the pocket of his neighbour. To gain a heart by hypocritical means, to secure the confidence of another by lying promises, is equally low and wicked; nay, in God’s sight is a greater crime. It may be that man’s law has difficulty in reaching it, and in many cases cannot reach it at all. But it cannot be supposed that those who are guilty of it will in the end escape God’s righteous judgment. And if the punishments of the future life are fitted to indicate the due character of the sins for which they are sent, we can think of nothing more appropriate than that those who have stolen hearts in this way, high in this world’s rank though they have often been, should be made to rank with the thieves and thimble-riggers and other knaves who are the habitus of our prisons, and are scorned universally as the meanest of mankind. With all his fine face and figure and manner, his chariot and horses, his out-runners and other attendants, Absalom after all was but a black-hearted thief.

All this crooked and cunning policy of his Absalom carried on with, unwearied vigour till his plot was ripe. There is reason to apprehend an error of some kind in the text when it is said (2Sa 15:7) that it was “at the end of forty years” that Absalom struck the final blow. The reading of some manuscripts is more likely to be correct, – “at the end of four years,” that is, four years after he was allowed to assume the position of prince. During that space of time much might be quietly done by one who had such an advantage of manner, and was so resolutely devoted to his work. For he seems to have laboured at his task without interruption all that time. The dissembling which he had to practice, to impress the people with the idea of his kindly interest in them, must have required a very considerable strain. But he was sustained in it by the belief that in the end he would succeed, and success was worth an infinity of labour. What a power of persistence is often shown by the children of this world, and how much wiser are they in their generation than the children of light as to the means that will achieve their ends! With what wonderful application and perseverance do many men labour to build up a business, to accumulate a fortune, to gain a distinction! I have heard of a young man who, being informed that an advertisement had appeared in a newspaper to the effect that if his family would apply to someone they would hear of something to their advantage, set himself to discover that advertisement, went over the advertisements for several years, column by column, first of one paper, then of another and another, till he became so absorbed in the task that he lost first his reason and then his life. Thank God, there are instances not a few of very noble application and perseverance in the spiritual field; but is it not true that the mass even of good men are sadly remiss in the efforts they make for spiritual ends? Does not the energy of the racer who ran for the corruptible crown often put to shame the languor of those who seek for an incorruptible? And does not the manifold secular activity of which we see so much in the world around us sound a loud summons in the ears of all who are at ease in Zion – ”Now it is high time to awake out of sleep”?

The copestone which Absalom put on his plot when all was ripe for execution was of a piece with the whole undertaking. It was an act of religious hypocrisy amounting to profanity. It shows how well he must have succeeded in deceiving his father when he could venture on such a finishing stroke. Hypocrite though he was himself, he well knew the depth and sincerity of his father’s religion. He knew too that nothing could gratify him more than to find in his son the evidence of a similar state of heart. It is difficult to comprehend the villainy that could frame such a statement as this: – “I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the Lord, in Hebron. For thy servant vowed a vow, while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying. If the Lord shall indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve” (marg. R.V., worship) “the Lord.” We have already remarked that it is not very clear from this whether up to this time Absalom had been a worshipper of the God of Israel. The purport of his pretended vow (that is, what he wished his father to believe) must have been either that, renouncing the idolatry of Geshur, he would now become a worshipper of Israel’s God, or (what seems more likely) that in token of his purpose for the future he would present a special offering to the God of Israel. This vow he now wished to redeem by making his offerings to the Lord, and for this purpose he desired to go to Hebron. But why go to Hebron? Might he not have redeemed it at Jerusalem? It was the custom, however, when a vow was taken, to specify the place where it was to be fulfilled, and in this instance Hebron was alleged to be the place. But what are we to think of the effrontery and wickedness of this pretence? To drag sacred things into a scheme of villainy, to pretend to have a desire to do honour to God simply for the purpose of carrying out deception and gaining a worldly end, is a frightful prostitution of all that ought to be held most sacred. It seems to indicate one who had no belief in God or in anything holy, to whom truth and falsehood, right and wrong, honour and shame, were all essentially alike, although, when it suited him, he might pretend to have a profound regard to the honour of God and a cordial purpose to render that honour. We are reminded of Charles II. taking the Covenant to please the Scots, and get their help towards obtaining the crown. But indeed the same great sin is involved in every act of religious hypocrisy, in every instance in which pretended reverence is paid to God in order to secure a selfish end.

The place was cunningly selected. It enjoyed a sanctity which had been gathering round it for centuries; whereas Jerusalem, as the capital of the nation, was but of yesterday. Hebron was the place where David himself had begun his reign, and while it was far enough from Jerusalem to allow Absalom to work unobserved by David, it was near enough to allow him to carry out the schemes which had been set on foot there. So little suspicion had the old king of what was brewing that, when Absalom asked leave to go to Hebron, he dismissed him with a blessing – “Go in peace.”

What Joab was thinking of all this we have no means of knowing. That a man who looked after his own interests so well as Joab did, should have stuck to David when his fortunes appeared to be desperate, is somewhat surprising. But the truth seems to be that Absalom never felt very cordial towards Joab after his refusal to meet him on his return from Geshur. It does not appear that Joab was much impressed by regard to God’s will in the matter of the succession; his being engaged afterwards in the insurrection in favour of Adonijah when Solomon was divinely marked out for the succession shows that he was not. His adherence to David on this occasion was probably the result of necessity rather than choice. But what are we to say of his want of vigilance in allowing Absalom’s conspiracy to advance as it did either without suspecting its existence, or at least without making provision for defending the king’s cause? Either he was very blind or he was very careless. As for the king himself, we have seen what cause he had, after his great trespass, for courting solitude and avoiding contact with the people. That he should be ignorant of all that was going on need not surprise us. And moreover, from allusions in some of the Psalms (38, 39, 41) to a loathsome and all but fatal illness of David’s, and to treachery practiced on him when ill, some have supposed that this was the time chosen by Absalom for consummating his plot. When Absalom said to the men applying for justice, whom he met at the gate of the city, “There is no man deputed of the king to hear thee,” his words implied that there was something hindering the king from being there in person, and for some reason he had not appointed a deputy. A protracted illness, unfitting David for his personal duties and for super- intending the machinery of government, might have furnished Absalom with the pretext for his lamentation over this want. It gives us a harder impression of his villainy and hardness of heart if he chose a time when his father was enfeebled by disease to inflict a crushing blow on his government and a crowning humiliation on himself.

Three other steps were taken by Absalom before bringing the revolt to a crisis. First, he sent spies or secret emissaries to all the tribes, calling them, on hearing the sound of a trumpet, to acknowledge him as king at Hebron. Evidently he had all the talent for administration that was so conspicuous in his nation and in his house, – if only it had been put to a better use. Secondly, he took with him to Hebron a band of two hundred men, of whom it is said “they went in their simplicity, and they knew not anything” – so admirably was the secret kept. Thirdly, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, having reason to believe that Ahithophel was on his side, and knowing that his counsel would be valuable to him in the present emergency. And every arrangement seemed to succeed admirably. The tide ran strongly in his favour – “the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.” Everything seemed to fall out precisely as he wished; it looked as if the revolt would not only succeed, but that it would succeed without serious opposition. Absalom must have been full of expectation that in a few days or weeks he would be reigning unopposed at Jerusalem.

This extraordinary success is difficult to understand. For what could have made David so unpopular? In his earliest years he had been singularly popular; his victories brought him unbounded clat; and when Ishbosheth died it was the remembrance of these early services that disposed the people to call him to the throne. Since that time he had increased his services in an eminent degree. He had freed his country from all the surrounding tribes that were constantly attacking it; he had conquered those distant but powerful enemies the Syrians; and he had brought to the country a great accumulation of wealth. Add to this that he was fond of music and a poet, and had written many of the very finest of their sacred songs. Why should not such a king be popular? The answer to this question will embrace a variety of reasons. In the first place, a generation was growing up who had not been alive at the time of his early services, and on whom therefore they would make a very slender impression. For service done to the public is very soon forgotten unless it be constantly repeated in other forms, unless, in fact, there be a perpetual round of it. So it is found by many a minister of the gospel. Though he may have built up his congregation from the very beginning, ministered among them with unceasing assiduity, and taken the lead in many important and permanent undertakings, yet in a few years after he goes away all is forgotten, and his very name comes to be unknown to many. In the second place, David was turning old, and old men are prone to adhere to their old ways; his government had become old-fashioned, and he showed no longer the life and vigour of former days. A new, fresh, lively administration was eagerly desired by the younger spirits of the nation. Further, there can be no doubt that David’s fervent piety was disliked by many, and his puritan methods of governing the kingdom. The spirit of the world is sure to be found in every community, and it is always offended by the government of holy men. Finally, his fall in the matter of Uriah had greatly impaired the respect and affection even of the better part of the community. If to all this there was added a period of feeble health, during which many departments of government were neglected, we shall have, beyond doubt, the principal grounds of the king’s unpopularity. The ardent lovers of godliness were no doubt a minority, and thus even David, who had done so much for Israel, was ready to be sacrificed in the time of old age.

But had he not something better to fall back on? Was he not promised the protection and the aid of the Most High? Might he not cast himself on Him who had been his refuge and his strength in every time of need, and of whom he had sung so serenely that He is near to them that call on Him in sincerity and in truth? Undoubtedly he might, and undoubtedly he did. And the final result of Absalom’s rebellion, the wonderful way in which its back was broken and David rescued and restored, showed that though cast down he was not forsaken. But now, we must remember, the second element of the chastisement of which Nathan testified, had come upon him. “Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house.” That chastisement was now falling, and while it lasted the joy and comfort of God’s gracious presence must have been interrupted. But all the same God was Still with him, even though He was carrying him through the valley of the shadow of death. Like the Apostle Peter, he was brought to the very verge of destruction; but at the critical moment an unseen hand was stretched out to save him, and in after-years he was able to sing, “He brought me up also out of a fearful pit, and out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock and established my goings; and He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it and shall fear, and shall trust in the Lord.”

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary