It is an extremely dangerous, unholy act by humans, filled with the intentions to do harm, to conspire against God-led, Spirit filled leaders of church groups, leaders and small business owners who serve, leaders of local communities dedicated to peace and good will, and countries in which we all reside, love, and serve. But it is beyond dangerous to rise up and revolt against God and His People for unholy, purely selfish reasons of revenge and greed that has festered into unrighteous hate with a desire for death for all who oppose them.   

Hate shakes its fists at a loving, merciful, gracious God and declares; “You’re out; I’m in.” Satan had a heyday as Jesus stood in judgement before evil religious leaders and officials of the Roman government who didn’t really know what to do with God’s Son who did not wrong.  Satan, above all, knew Jesus as God’s Son!  But that didn’t stop him from confusing the minds of the populace to shout, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!”

Satan smirked with an evil grin on his face as his plan of conspiracy and deceit turned hearts and minds to his way of thinking. His evil plan was coming together. The demons danced at the cross while others mourned. Satan and his demons celebrated in what they thought was victory once and for all.  For the humans who participated in this act of rebellion against God, Jesus offered these words of mercy; “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” 

However, three days later…Everything changed!  Our Overcomer overcame evil in victory.  God’s Plan from the beginning was to bring salvation to all who would believe in Jesus, His Son.  Jesus did what His Father, our Father, told Him to do.  This act of sacrificial, willing obedience removed sin once and for all.  Only Jesus could provide this rescue and reconciliation.  Only Jesus could restore our relationship with God.  Jesus is our Savior.  God honored Jesus as the King of kings, and Lord of lords.  Jesus in the Victor forever. Truth. 

Absalom’s charisma and charm won over many followers. His rebellion became so strong and widespread that David fled rather than engage in a long, bloody opposition.   God had forgiven David, but David’s sins brought painful consequences. In this passage, David was forced to flee Jerusalem because of opposition from his own son.

Imagine the pain and rejection David must have felt.

Jesus could have associated with those emotions as his own family and followers fled from him in fear.

Hold these thoughts in mind as we read Absalom’s rebellion against his father, David.

2 Samuel 15

Absalom’s Conspiracy

In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. ² He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” ³ Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” ⁴ And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.”

⁵ Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. ⁶ Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

⁷ 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. ⁸ 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.’”

⁹ The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went to Hebron.

¹⁰ 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.’” ¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter. ¹² 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.

David Flees

¹³ A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”

¹⁴ Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”

¹⁵ The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

¹⁶ The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace. ¹⁷ So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. ¹⁸ All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

¹⁹ The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. ²⁰ You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”

²¹ But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”

²² David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

²³ The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴ Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. ²⁶ But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”

²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons. ²⁸ I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.

³⁰ But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up. ³¹ Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

³² When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head. ³³ David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’ then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel’s advice. ³⁵ Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace. ³⁶ Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”

³⁷ So Hushai, David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In just four years Absalom’s calculated charisma drew a large number of devoted followers throughout the whole land. His rapid success at influencing the minds and hearts of a nation warns us that one day a leader will arise who will control the minds of people around the world (2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 13:3). Jesus told the Jewish leaders of His day, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive” (John 5:43).

The life of David is often compared to the life of Christ but we must remember; only Jesus was perfect and without sin. David was not perfect, we with sin, but forgiven by God’s mercy. David was once known as “a man after the heart of God” as a young shepherd boy but as king he fell into sin because of following his own deceitful heart.

Jesus was God in the flesh and was the heart of God.

David now responds to trouble with a renewed heart for God. Notice his actions:

• David, the once warrior king, chose to flee instead of going to war to shed more blood within his family and court.
• David listens to his advisors but seeks the will of God. “I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”
• David weeps for his rebellious son and for Israel. “David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went” …and so did others with him. 
• David bowed to God in prayer for help. “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

There are reasons for Jesus’ compassionate warning to guard our hearts. (See Matthew 15:18-19) Jesus teaches that what defiles a person comes from within, specifically from the heart. He gives examples like evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, and more as originating from the heart. This emphasizes that the heart is the source of both good and evil actions. Our free will given to us by God gives us a choice to make.  Who will we choose?  It’s a matter of the heart.

Proverbs 4:23 states; “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. This verse underscores that the heart is the wellspring of our actions and choices. What we do reflects the true belief and intentions of our hearts!

David is betrayed by his own son, Absalom who is filled with hate and still holds grudges against his father. Absalom as allowed all the traits of hate to enter his heart. Guided by an unguarded heart; Absalom rebels against his father, David.  Rebellion and betrayal by our beloved is the greatest hurt of all.  Jesus knows that hurt and heartache.

Matthew is admirably honest when he confesses, “all the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56).  Judas was not the only betrayer.  Not just Peter denied him.  All fled the scene.  Jesus handled his hurt by thinking more of his mission to save us.

Do we really want to know Jesus and be more like Him, “and share in his suffering” like Paul preaches? (See Philippians 3) We live in a world with choices to respond to evil and good.  How will we personally respond?  We too have been betrayed and we at times rebel. What can we do about it?  How will we respond to Jesus who keeps knocking on the door of our hearts?  Will we let him in and allow him to create a new heart within us?  Or not? How will we respond to troubles? Two choices: Seek God and his wisdom or conspire to get even? Choose this day who will have your heart and mind.

Let’s pause and take the time needed to reflect on how Jesus dealt with his own pain and rejection. Then let’s ask God to help us overcome the brokenness and evil thinking in our lives and replace our worry and scheming with a more holy, like Jesus, response. And if we want to really get serious; ask God for His power to renew our thinking, asking Him to help us see the purpose in this present, temporary pain.

In Jesus Name, For His glory, and our good, Amen