In Chapter 14 we found David and his son Absalom reunited. We did not, however, find Absalom reconciled to his father in his heart. Perhaps if David had called him back from Geshur sooner, his son's heart might not have grown so hard. Or perhaps if David had seen Absalom immediately upon his return from Geshur, instead of shunning him for two years, Absalom might have forgiven him. Absalom does have reasons to feel hurt where his father is concerned.
The first time Absalom was hurt deeply by his father was when David did nothing upon learning that his eldest son Amnon had raped Tamar---the half-sister of Amnon and the full sister of Absalom. Because David did nothing as either a father or as a king to secure justice and restore Tamar's honor, Absalom's anger toward Amnon festered for two years until he could no longer stand the thought of Amnon living on the earth, so he killed him. After killing him, he fled to his maternal grandfather in Geshur where David left him for three years with no contact. Although Absalom's murder of Amnon was not justified (rape is a despicable crime but it was not a capital crime), there were some extenuating circumstances for which David was responsible: his failure to raise his children properly, his failure to reign in any sinful behavior he saw in them as adults, his failure to deal with Amnon's crime according to the law, his failure to restore honor to Absalom's sister and Absalom's household. Then, when he finally allowed Absalom to come home after three years, he refused to see him or speak to him for an additional two years. When Absalom and his father finally meet face to face, Absalom is either unable or unwilling to make peace in his heart with David and serve as his second-in-command and heir-apparent for the rest of David's life. Instead he wants to replace David as king. As we learned yesterday, he begins setting the stage for a coup.
We were told in Chapter 14 that there was no man in Israel more handsome than Absalom and that everyone in Israel agreed they knew of no one whose looks were more impressive. We were told in the first several verses of Chapter 15 that, after he was restored to his position in David's court, he ostentatiously provided himself with a fine chariot and fifty hired men to run ahead of him wherever he went to announce his approach. This ensured that everyone stopped what they were doing to watch him ride by. As he rode by I think he was waving and shouting greetings to everyone. He was making a name for himself. Though he looked very kingly in this chariot, he also wanted to look like he related to the "little people". While David was at the palace hearing legal cases and taking care of administrative duties, Absalom was out and about every day where people could see him. He was actively seeking contact with his fellow citizens, which David could not realistically do on a daily basis, for David had to maintain regular hours at the seat of judgment in the palace so people could come to him with legal cases and military matters and administrative matters. I believe David was very busy all day long and perhaps late into the evening but he wasn't visible to the public in the way Absalom was. In the days before radio, television, and internet there weren't constant news updates regarding what the nation's leader was doing with his time and it might have been easy for Absalom to give the impression that he was more interested in the concerns of his fellow citizens than David was. The average citizen could not possibly know everything David was doing each day on their behalf and that helped Absalom to convince many of them that David either wasn't doing a great deal on their behalf or that David wasn't doing as much as he would do in his place.
In addition, David is getting older, though he is by no means "old" by today's standards. He will die at age seventy but in ancient times it was not uncommon to look and feel and act much older at seventy than it is today. Most of the people I know in their seventies are still very active and excited about life and many of them look younger to me than they actually are. But a man of seventy in David's time probably looked older than the average person of seventy today. People typically spent more time outdoors than we do now and they didn't have sunscreen to protect their skin from premature aging. In addition, David spent a number of his years as a fierce warrior on the battlefield and endured a lot of wear and tear on his spine and joints. He may have had a lot of aches and pains. If his walking posture didn't appear as youthful as it once did, when he went out in public he may have given the impression of a man far past his prime. In contrast, his young and handsome son is driving a chariot up and down the streets and roadways every day, looking strong and vital, smiling with youthful white teeth and waving with an unwrinkled hand at everyone he sees. He wants to make people think it's time to be "out with the old and in with the new".
After getting his name and his face widely known, he begins rising even earlier than David does every day so he can sit at the city gates and greet everyone who is coming to the palace to have a case heard, according to our text from yesterday. He makes people feel like he identifies with their struggles by sighing heavily and saying, "If only there was someone on the throne who was willing to hear your case and act on your behalf." He makes people think he cares about them personally by shaking hands and kissing babies, so to speak, according to what we read yesterday. In this manner he "stole the hearts of the people" as 2 Samuel 15:6 phrased it. What was David doing while all this politicking was going on? Did he not realize the threat against the crown? I think David was very busy all the time, as I stated earlier, but I don't think he could have been completely unaware of Absalom's movements. But I believe he did not suspect any ulterior motives. David was getting up in years for a man of his time and he probably assumed that since Absalom had been restored to the family, to the court at the palace, and to his position of heir-apparent, he was just preparing for a future in which he will reign over the nation. We know David has always been indulgent with his children, but had he understood what was really in Absalom's heart I don't think he would have ignored a situation this serious. I think he would have had no choice but to demand that Absalom explain himself. It's my opinion that he didn't recognize the threat until it was too late to take the situation in hand. On the contrary, I believe he was probably proud of the way Absalom was going out every day and meeting people and talking to them and getting to know them. David interpreted this behavior to mean his son loves the people and cares about their concerns and will make a good king when he inherits the throne.
But Absalom isn't interested in inheriting the throne. He wants to take the throne. Now that so many people have transferred their affections from David to him, he feels it's time to move ahead with the coup. He tells a lie to his father in order to go up to Hebron---his own birthplace and the place where David was first declared king over the tribe of Judah---so he can be declared king there himself. "At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, 'Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord. While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: 'If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the Lord in Hebron.' The king said to him, 'Go in peace.' So he went to Hebron." (2 Samuel 15:7-9) Absalom has managed to convince his father that he too is a man after the Lord's heart. He makes this pious excuse for going to Hebron, knowing his father will be pleased to hear he made a vow to honor the Lord and that he intends to fulfill the vow. Telling a lie is bad enough but invoking the name of the Lord and pretending to have a relationship with Him is utterly reprehensible.
Why does Absalom choose Hebron? Some scholars feel the citizens of Hebron felt some resentment toward David for having moved his capital from there to Jerusalem. They might have felt somewhat abandoned by him, as if he considered Hebron a hick town unworthy of placing his seat of government there. Also Absalom was born there and the people might naturally be expected to feel affectionate toward him when he puts on an attitude of being one of them, of coming home to them, and of choosing their city as his capital over the city of Jerusalem.
But it's not only the people of Hebron who will welcome the idea of Absalom as king. A large number of people throughout Israel will place their support behind him as well. "Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, 'As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.' Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom's following kept on increasing." (2 Samuel 15:10-12)
Absalom invites two hundred men from Jerusalem to go with him to Hebron and these men go, thinking they are only accompanying him on his quest to fulfill a vow to the Lord. He does this to create the impression that he has a large following among the men of his father's capital city; it's probable that these men hold high positions in the city or that they are wealthy and influential men of the city or that they are respected elders of the city. Their presence with him causes the people of Hebron and throughout Israel to think they have put their support behind Absalom, which is not so. These men are shocked when the trumpets begin to blow and the people begin to shout, "Absalom is king in Hebron!"
To add further legitimacy to his claim, Absalom invites one of David's top aides to Hebron. I don't know whether Ahithophel knew ahead of time what was afoot but he will have no objection to declaring Absalom king and will throw all his support behind him. He is believed to be the grandfather of David's wife Bathsheba. When we were first introduced to her we were told that her father's name was Eliam and later in 2 Samuel we'll be told that Ahithophel's son was named Eliam. If Ahithophel really is Bathsheba's grandfather, it could be that Ahithophel has harbored resentment toward David for some time, feeling as if the king of Israel had undue influence over Bathsheba when he enticed her into adultery. Ahithophel may feel as if David dishonored the family name and, since he has no idea the Lord will choose David and Bathsheba's son Solomon to be the next king (since he is so far from the crown according to birth order), he sides with Absalom against David.
In tomorrow's study we will find David being informed of these events at Hebron. He will find himself in a position he never expected to find himself again: running for his life.
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