Years and years….

We left David and his family in a pretty terrible place – family life doesn’t get much worse than that. David’s son Absalom has killed his brother Amnon for raping his sister Tamar. Absalom flees to Geshur and stays there for three years.

Joab knows that David is missing Absalom so he sends a woman to David with a story about her family situation (that reflects David’s own – a bit like when Nathan went to David with a story….) And then she has this to say…..

Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.  2 Samuel 14:13-14

Family rifts are just as common today as they were in David’s time. A parent refusing to speak to a son for years and years. Siblings falling out and never making up. See what this passage says? Life is too short. God does not want to banished son to remain banished. Reconciliation is so powerful. And possible.

It works. The king tells Joab to find Absalom and bring him back. But not into David’s presence. Not yet.

And then we are told that Absalom is a fine specimen of a man. With amazing hair. Random.

In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard.        2 Samuel 14:25-26

Absalom has three sons and a daughter. And he names his daughter Tamar. Nice touch.

Absalom waits two years to be able to see the king. Even Joab won’t see him. IN the end, he gets impatient and sets fire to Joab’s field. Classic attention-seeking behaviour.

It works. Joab speaks to Absalom. Joab then speaks to the king. Then the king agrees to see Absalom (not that I am condoning attention-seeking behaviour ).

Over time Absalom catches people from other towns and tribes before they can come to David with their issues and he tries to solve them. He makes himself very popular.

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. 2 Samuel 15:6

After four years, Absalom asks for permission to got to Hebron. He has a plan. He wants the rumour spread around that he is king in Hebron.

The king and his household and all his people leave Jerusalem. The power of Absalom has grown too strong. He then orders Zadok the priest to return to the city with the ark of the covenant – the symbol of God’s presence. And Hushai, David’s confidant, returns to Jerusalem to infiltrate Absalom’s camp (this feels more and more like an episode of ‘Atlantis’.

And then remember Mephibosheth? Saul’s grandson who was lame in both feet? He repays David’s kindness with kindness of his own – He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine. (2 Samuel 16:1)

Along the way, David is cursed by Shimei of Saul’s clan who showers him in dirt and stones….David thinks this might be from God and allows it to go unpunished –

My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.  2 Samuel 16:11-12

Meanwhile, Absalom is advised to sleep with the king’s concubines to make him obnoxious to his father – yup, that should do it! Then his advisor advises him to attack David and his men while they are weak and downcast. Thank goodness for David’s supporter Hushai in the enemy camp, who manages to persuade Absalom it’s a bad idea AND warn David that an attack is probably imminent. Absalom’s advisor does not respond well to not being listened to.

When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.  2 Samuel 17:23

David and his men are well looked after by the people of Mahanaim – with bedding and bowls and articles of pottery; wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain; beans and lentils; honey and curds; sheep and cheese from cows’ milk.

He musters men to fight who will not allow him to fight with them because losing him would be too great a loss.

The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.  2 Samuel 18:8

And as for Absalom….remember his hair? I knew that detail would be important somewhere….

Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.

When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt.”

But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ And if I had put my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have kept your distance from me.”

Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.  2 Samuel 18:9-15

As I said – just like an episode of Atlantis!

Ahimaaz son of Zadok the priest runs to the king as a bearer of good news that the battle is won (hoping for a reward maybe?). He leaves the bad news that Absalom is dead to the man running behind him.

David mourns the death of his son – which as Joab points out turns the whole battle into a bit of a mockery. He has to pull himself together for the sake of his men.

Nobody has any idea what is going to happen next. David has fled from Jerusalem and now Absalom is dead. Is it right to bring David back as king or not?

Of course it is –

He won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.” 2 Samuel 19:14

Now Shimei who did all the cursing and stone throwing and mud slinging falls at David’s feet…..and David is feeling merciful….towards Mephibosheth too who did not leave the city with David…..but all is not well between the men of Judah and the men of Israel.

A troublemaker called Sheba leads a rebel group…..and is pursued by Joab and David’s men until they return with his head!

And that is where I will stop for today! Kept waiting for a good place to pause and there wasn’t one! That’s certainly a lot of material about the life of David I have never ever heard before. We hear all the good bits and get a skewed perspective on the life of King David quite often, don’t we? His life was certainly full of ups and downs, successes and failures just like the lives of the rest of us!