SERIES K --- ISRAEL’S GOLDEN AGE --- LESSON 12

ABSALOM HESITATES

ABSALOM’S DEFEAT

From 2 Samuel 17:15-18:18

Hushai immediately reported the matter to Abiathar and Zadok the priests. ‘Ahithophel gave his advice and then I gave mine,’ he said, describing the advice each gave. ‘Hurry and warn David not to spend the night at the fords of the Jordan River. Tell him to move into the desert so that he and his men will not be overtaken and killed.’ Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel, for they did not want to be seen going in or out of the city. A servant girl carried the message to them from their fathers, Zadok and Abiathar. But a boy was watching when they left En-rogel and he reported their movement to Absalom. When Jonathan and Ahimaaz reached Bahurim a man hid them in a well in his courtyard. Then the man’s wife covered the well and spread grain over it to hide the two. When Absalom’s men arrived, they asked the woman about Jonathan and Ahimaaz. ‘Where are they?’ they demanded. ‘They went over the brook,’ she answered. ‘But when they could not find what they were looking for, they went back to Jerusalem.’ After Absalom’s men left, Jonathan and Ahimaaz climbed out of the well and hurried to King David. ‘You must rise up and cross the Jordan River tonight!’ they urged. Then they told David about Ahithophel’s advice. David and his men rose up and crossed the Jordan River that night. By daybreak, not one of them was left on the west side. Back in Jerusalem, Ahithophel felt disgraced because Absalom had refused to accept his advice. He saddled his donkey and returned to his home town and after putting his business in order, he hanged himself. His body was buried in his father’s tomb. By this time David had reached Mahanaim and Absalom had gathered an army and had crossed the Jordan River and set up camp in the land of Gilead. Absalom chose as his general a man named Amasa, son of Ithra the Ishmaelite. Amasa’s mother was Abigail’s daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. Thus, Amasa was Joab’s cousin. David received a warm welcome when he arrived at Mahanaim. Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought supplies for him and his men. These included bedding, basins, cooking pots and bowls, wheat, barley, flour, parched lentils, honey, curds of milk, sheep and cheese. ‘You must need all these things,’ they said, ‘for you must be tired and hungry after your trip through the wilderness.’ David organized his warriors, putting commanders over hundreds and over thousands. Joab commanded a third of them, Abishai the son of Zeruiah a third and Ittai of Gath a third. ‘I will go along with you to the battle,’ David said to his warriors. ‘No, you must not go with us,’ they replied. ‘If we have to flee, the enemy will not care about us. They will be after you, for you are worth ten thousand of us. Stay here in the city and send us help if we need it.’ ‘I will do whatever you think is best,’ David answered. As the troops marched out to battle, David stood at the gate of the city to watch them. ‘For my sake,’ David told Joab, Abishai and Ittai, ‘have mercy on Absalom.’ When David said this, all the men around them heard the order. The followers of David and the followers of Absalom joined battle in the woods of Ephraim. It soon became obvious that Absalom’s warriors were losing the battle, for about twenty thousand of them were killed. Actually, more of Absalom’s men died in the woods than were killed in the fighting. In the heat of the battle, Absalom came face to face with some of David’s men and tried to flee on his mule. As he did so, his thick hair got caught in the branches of an oak tree and his mule ran away, leaving him hanging there by his hair. One of David’s warriors saw Absalom caught in the tree and reported what he saw to Joab. ‘Why didn’t you kill him?’ Joab demanded. ‘I would have given you ten pieces of silver and promoted you to an officer who wears the belt.’ ‘I wouldn’t have killed the king’s son for a thousand pieces of silver,’ the man answered. ‘All of us heard the king tell you and Abishai and Ittai not to harm Absalom. If I had killed him, the king would surely have found out who did it and you would have done nothing to protect me.’ ‘I can’t waste time talking with you here,’ said Joab. He raced to the oak where Absalom was hanging alive and plunged three daggers into his heart. Then ten of Joab’s young armour bearers gathered around Absalom and stabbed him. Joab then sounded the trumpet and his men stopped chasing Absalom’s men. They threw Absalom’s body into a great pit in the woods and heaped a huge pile of stones over it. Meanwhile, Absalom’s men headed for home as fast as they could go. During his lifetime, Absalom had made a monument to himself in the King’s Valley, for he said, ‘I have no son to keep my name alive.’ He called the monument ‘Absalom’s Monument’ and it is still known as that today.”

COMMENTARY

THE KING’S FRIEND

In Bible times the [King’s Friend] was an office held by the man who was chief adviser to the king. Some people believe that the office had its origin among the native Canaanites and was taken over by the Israelites. Such an office did seem to exist in Gerar during Isaac’s time, for King Abimelech had a Friend, Ahuzzath. Even earlier, Judah the son of Jacob, had a Friend named Hirah and Samson’s Friend later married his wife [even though Judah and Samson were not kings, they were leaders; Judah was head of his clan and Samson was Judge of Israel]. David’s Friend was Hushai the Archite. He came from the Archite clan of Benjamin, which lived southwest of Bethel. Hushai was extremely loyal to David. When Absalom rebelled, Hushai turned spy and offered his services to Absalom. Unknown to David’s rebel son, he was the key man in a Jerusalem communications network that got news back to the fleeing king. The fact that Absalom accepted Hushai’s advice rather than Ahithophel’s indicates how persuasive he could be. In fact, the success of the war can be credited to Hushai. David’s oldest son, Amnon, also had a Friend, his cousin Jonadab. Solomon’s Friend was Zabud, the son of Nathan the prophet. If he had responsibility for arranging the king’s many marriages, he must have been a very busy man.