BIG IDEA:
GODLY LEADERSHIP FOCUSES ON KINGDOM PRIORITIES AT THE EXPENSE OF ANY PERSONAL AGENDA –
THE DEFEAT OF THE REBELS COMES WITH THE HEARTACHE OF THE MALICIOUS SLAYING OF ABSALOM BY JOAB IN DEFIANCE OF THE KING’S COMMAND
INTRODUCTION:
David’s concern for Absalom overshadows the impressive military kingdom victory over the rebellious troops of Israel. His command to take it easy on his son is flagrantly disobeyed by Joab who personally finishes off the helpless Absalom. The messengers relay the news to King David whose heartache and grief intensifies in abject longing.
5 LEADERSHIP LESSONS FOR US:
I. (:1-5) GODLY LEADERS MUST BOLDLY PURSUE KINGDOM PRIORITIES BY FAITH
LAME LEADERSHIP — DAVID STAYS HOME — DEPLOYING HIS TROOPS WITH CAVEAT TO SPARE ABSALOM’S LIFE
A. (:1-2) Faith Slipping
What did David’s faith look like when it was active and vibrant?
We have almost forgotten how that figure looked and acted.
Faith eroded and undermined by a number of factors:
– Multiplying of wives and concubines
– Rash decisions without seeking the counsel of the Lord
– Sexual sin with Bathsheba compounded by Deceit of Cover-up and the murder of Uriah
– Allowed Joab to gain a foothold over him
– Failure to discipline his family
– Loss of support of the people of Israel creating a confidence crisis
– Removed from the capital of Jerusalem with its focus on temple worship
1. (:1) Organizing the Troops
“Then David numbered the people who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.”
Is anything wrong here?? Certainly an issue in Chap. 24:1-3
Looks like the expedient and wise course of action
2. (:2) Ordaining Chief Commanders
a. (:2a) Three Main Generals
“And David sent the people out, one third under the command of
Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite.”
b. (:2b) David Less Than Aggressive
“And the king said to the people, ‘I myself will surely go out with you also.’
Very different than boldly taking the leadership position
B. (:3-4) Following the Counsel of the People
“But the people said, ‘You should not go out; for if we indeed flee, they will not care about us, even if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that you be ready to help us from the city.’ Then the king said to them, ‘Whatever seems best to you I will do.’ So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands.”
C. (:5) Favoring Natural Affection Over Kingdom Responsibility – Key Verse —
Ordering Leniency for Absalom = Spare His Life
“And the king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.’ And all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom.”
Very discouraging thing for these troops to hear as they prepared to risk their lives in battle
Must understand the position that Absalom was in = a rebel against the kingdom of God; deserving many times over of judgment and the death penalty; this instruction would greatly compromise their ability to defeat the enemy; at best it would raise the level of difficulty and increase the number of their casualties
Natural affection is a good thing – Rom. 1:31 – but not the only thing to consider
What did Christ teach about the relationship between natural affection and kingdom priorities??
Matt. 10:34-39
II. (:6-8) GOD’S PROVIDENCE PRODUCES REMARKABLE KINGDOM VICTORIES
LIGHTNING STRIKE — BATTLE RESULTS IN THE GREAT SLAUGHTER OF THE REBELLIOUS ISRAELITE TROOPS
A. (:6) Forest Fighting
“Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.”
B. (:7) Decisive Defeat
“And the people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men.”
C. (:8) Tough Terrain
“For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.”
Pink: Most evident was it on which side the Lord was. All was confusion and destruction in the ranks of the apostate. The anointed eye may discern the hand of God as manifest here as, on a former occasion, it has been at Gideon: as there the “hailstones,” so here the “wood” devoured more than the sword. No details are given so it is useless to conjecture whether it was pits and bogs or the wild beasts that infested those forests: sufficient that it was God Himself who fought against them—conquering them by a much smaller force than their own, and then, their being pursued by His destructive providences when they sought to escape the sword.
III. (:9-15) SUBMISSION TO GOD-ORDAINED AUTHORITY PROTECTS AGAINST IMPURE MOTIVES AND SELFISH AMBITION
LAME DUCK – ABSALOM’S VULNERABILITY HIGHLIGHTS THE KING’S COMMAND – TWO CONTRASTING REACTIONS
Talk about lame duck politicians – here we have the ultimate lame duck politician
A. (:9) Hanging High – Watershed Decision Time
“Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going.”
Blaikie: Dreadful miseries must have overwhelmed him. He does not appear to have made any attempt to rally his troops. Riding on a mule, in his haste to escape, he probably plunged into some thick part of the wood, where his head came in contact with a mass of prickly oak . . . when the hour of calamity came to Absalom, it found him alone. . .
Pink: A more melancholy and tragic spectacle can scarcely be imagined than Absalom dangling from the boughs of that tree. Deserted by his fellows, for they had one and all left him to his fate; abandoned by God, now that the cup of his iniquity was filled; a prey to remorse, for though utterly heartless and conscienceless, his thoughts now must have been of the gloomiest nature. Quite unable to free himself, he was compelled to wait, hour after hour, until someone came and put an end to his wretched life. What an unspeakably solemn object lesson is this for the young people of our day! how clearly the fearful end of Absalom demonstrates the Lord’s abhorrence of rebellion against parents! God’s Word tells us that it is the fool who “despiseth his father’s instruction” (Prov. 15:5), and that “whoso curseth his Father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness” (Prov. 20:20); and again, “The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it” (Prov. 30:17).
B. (:10-13) Finder’s Fee – Wisely Refraining from Disobeying the King’s Command
1. (:10) Intelligence Report
“When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, ‘Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.’”
2. (:11) Emotional Interrogation
“Then Joab said to the man who had told him, ‘Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.’”
3. (:12-13) Savvy Explanation
“And the man said to Joab, ‘Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Protect for me the young man Absalom! Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.’”
C. (:14-15) Butchering Brutally – Unprincipled Joab Slays the Helpless Absalom in Defiance of the King’s Command
1. (:14) Attacked Unmercifully by Joab
“Then Joab said, ‘I will not waste time here with you.’ So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.”
2. (:15) Finished off in Humiliating Fashion by Joab’s Armor Bearers
“And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.”
Everybody had a chance to get a piece of this despised rebel
Blaikie: We need not suppose that he was altogether indifferent to the feelings of David; but he may have been seized by an overwhelming conviction that Absalom’s death was the only effectual way of ending this most guilty and pernicious insurrection, and so preserving the country from ruin. Absalom living, whether banished or imprisoned, would be a constant and fearful danger.
IV. (:16-18) THE MONUMENTS TO HUMAN PRIDE AND ACHIEVEMENT MEAN NOTHING IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY
LASTING LEGACY – CONTEMPT AND HUMILIATION RATHER THAN GLORY AND HONOR – FUTILITY OF FIGHTING GOD
A. (:16) Bloodshed Minimized
“Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people.”
B. (:17) Buried With Contempt and Humiliation
“And they took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest and erected over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.”
Blaikie: The purpose of this seems to have been to show that Absalom was deemed worthy of the punishment of the rebellious son, as appointed by Moses; and a more significant expression of opinion could not have been given. The punishment for the son who remained incorrigibly rebellious was to be taken beyond the walls of the city, and stoned to death. It is said by Jewish writers that this punishment was never actually inflicted, but the mode of Absalom’s burial was fitted to show that he at least was counted as deserving of it.
C. (:18) Boasting Reduced to Shame – Absalom’s Striving for Glory and Honor Becomes Monument of Shame
“Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, ‘I have no son to preserve my name.’ So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.”
Cf. Tower of Babel incident – Gen. 11:1-9 – great study in human pride and efforts at achievement apart from submission to God
Same lesson that David’s son Solomon would learn and comment on in Eccles 2:18-23
Same lesson that Nebuchadnezzar himself would learn
V. (:19-33) GOD’S LIBERATING GOOD NEWS SHOULD TAKE PRIORITY OVER ANY PERSONAL AGENDA — EVEN NATURAL AFFECTIONS
LIBERATING GOOD NEWS RECEIVED AS LAMENTABLE TRAGEDY — THE BATTLE REPORT DEVASTATES DAVID (DESPITE THE KINGDOM VICTORY)
Cf. Lord’s Prayer: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
A. (:19-23) Ahimaaz Outraces the Cushite to Report to the King
1. (:19-20) Unwise Desire on the Part of Ahimaaz
“Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, ‘Please let me run and bring the king news that the Lord has freed him from the hand of his enemies.’ But Joab said to him, ‘You are not the man to carry news this day, but you shall carry news another day; however, you shall carry no news today because the king’s son is dead.’”
2. (:21) Joab Commissions the Cushite
“Then Joab said to the Cushite, ‘Go, tell the king what you have seen.’ So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.”
3. (:22-23) Ahimaaz Persists in His Desire
“Now Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, ‘But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite.’ And Joab said, ‘Why would you run, my son, since you will have no reward for going?’ ‘But whatever happens,’ he said, ‘I will run.’ So he said to him, ‘Run.’ Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed up the Cushite.”
B. (:24-27) Anticipation of Good News on the Part of King David
1. (:24a) David Waiting at the Gate for Good News
“Now David was sitting between the two gates”
2. (:24b-27) Interaction with the Watchman – Expecting Good News
C. (:28-33) Good News Gone Bad
1. (:28-30) Ahimaaz Ducks the Question by Lying
“And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, ‘All is well.’ And he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, ‘Blessed is the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hands against my lord the king.’ And the king said, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ And Ahimaaz answered, ‘When Joab sent the king’s servant, and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was.’ Then the king said, ‘Turn aside and stand here.’ So he turned aside and stood still.”
2. (:31-32) The Cushite Delivers the Full Report
“And behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, ‘Let my lord the king receive good news, for the Lord has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.’ Then the king said to the Cushite, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ And the Cushite answered, ‘Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!’”
3. (:33) King David is Devastated
“And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!’”