Tuesday 12th November
Read 2 Samuel 15:7-12
“At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, ‘Let me go to Hebron and fulfil 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 counsellor, to come from Giloh, his home town. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.” (NIVUK)
Absalom has not changed his methods. He leaves Jerusalem and conducts his deception out of David’s sight. He even uses innocent people as cover for his actions, just as he did when murdering Amnon. David was unsure of Absalom’s motives at Beth-Hazor but does not know what is about to unfold at Hebron, the place where he himself was first crowned king.
The deception gains strength because he gathers the disaffected and bitter. They are either disaffected because they believe they have been wronged by David (through Absalom’s words and actions at the gate) or because they actually were wronged (Ahithophel was likely Bathsheba’s grandfather).
Foolish decisions follow from actions arising through disaffection and bitterness. The saddest passage in this short tale of usurpation are the final words David ever spoke to his son – ‘Go in peace’ (v9) – an echo of his name ‘Absalom’. We will do well to remember the final words from Hebrews…
“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:14-15) (NIVUK)
