In our last study we looked at David’s sin with Bathsheba. Then, after Nathan the prophet had been to David with God’s message, David wrote Psalm 51
In his psalm David acknowledged that he had been away from God and needed restoration.
God had already told David through his prophet Nathan that his sin was forgiven, but Nathan had also pointed out that there were ongoing consequences which David would still have to face.
Also don’t forget that his country is currently at war with the Ammonites.
Another thing to remember is that Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, and there were many Benjamites who strongly felt that David had wrongly taken the throne from the Lord’s anointed. This too was a source of unrest right next to Jerusalem.
Read 1 Chronicles 27:1. Here it explains the way that the army was organised.
1 This is the list of the Israelites—heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.
So 24,000 men each served in the army for one month of the year, and they were then free to resume their normal occupations – unless of course more soldiers were needed quickly. The whole army thus numbered 288,000 men.
Remember that while David was in Jerusalem with Bathsheba, there was a war going on. The army was attacking the Ammonites at their capital city Rabbah, present day Amman.
2 Samuel 12:27-31
27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. 28 Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I shall take the city, and it will be named after me.”
For all his failings, Joab never himself looked for glory. He was first and foremost servant of the King, and he would do anything to ensure David’s position was secure.
29 So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it. 30 He took the crown from the head of their king—its weight was a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city 31 and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labour with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking. He did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
We need to realise that all these surrounding nations that David has subdued still retained their own identity. Remember when the Philistines had killed Saul and his sons, they had assumed that the land of Israel was now theirs – they were the occupying power. But Israel was waiting until they could shake off their oppressors and take control again. And it wasn’t long before the Philistines in their turn were subdued by David.
In the same way, the larger defeated nations around Israel may have been under David’s authority, but they were all the time waiting for the opportunity to regroup and reclaim their lands. However some of the smaller nations were little more than city-states, and they may well have actually been very happy for the greater protection offered by being under Israel’s wing.
One of these was Geshur, a small state to the East and North-East of Galillee. This king was pleased to join forces with David, and gave him his daughter Maacah as a wife to seal the agreement.
There are 19 sons of David listed, but we are never told what happened to David’s daughters (other than Tamar). Were they in turn offered to foreign kings to cement relations?
During David’s reign all the lands promised to Moses in Numbers 34 came under his control. The boundaries were not exact, but the western boundary was the Mediterranean, and the eastern border was the Syrian desert.
When David brought the Ark to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 13:5) we are told that he assembled all the Israelites from the Shihor river in Egypt (a tributary of the Nile where the Suez canal is now) to Lebo Hamath (show on map) The northern border of the land of Hamath was the Euphrates.
(Israel proper wasn’t as big as that though, it was recognised to stretch from ‘Dan to Beersheba’ and included Gilead to Gad on the east of the Jordan)
So David and his sons now entered a period of relative peace and prosperity. David could turn his thoughts towards the design of the Temple, and his sons, the Princes could do what young bored princes do.
(I have only included the salient points from the following narrative, but you can read the whole section (verses 1-23) if you have time.)
2 Samuel 13:1-2
1 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. (Find them on the family tree)
2 Amnon became frustrated to the point of illness on account of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.
2 Samuel 13:14-15
14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”
2 Samuel 13:20-22
20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.
21 When King David heard all this, he was furious. 22 Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.
David may have been furious, but what can he do? He was hardly in a position to lecture his son on illegal sexual misconduct. Amnon had simply followed his father’s example. We can only imagine David’s condition before the Lord.
Also the prophet Nathan had given David this warning (2 Samuel 12:10-12) ‘Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
11 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”
We will now watch this prophecy unfold.
2 Samuel 13:23-27
23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheep-shearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his officials please join me?”
25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go, but gave him his blessing.
26 Then Absalom said, ‘If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.’
The king asked him, ‘Why should he go with you?’ 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.
So, the rest of the family went, and there was great feasting
2 Samuel 13:28-29
28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Have not I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.
2 Samuel 13:37-39
37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned for his son every day.
38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there for three years. 39 And the spirit of the king longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.
Where did Absalom choose to run? Why Geshur?
Now read 2 Samuel 3:3 where we hear about David’s sons
3 his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel;
the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
After 3 years Joab contrived to have him brought back to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 14:1-22)
2 Samuel 14:23-24
23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 24 But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king.
2 Samuel 14:28
28 Absalom lived for two years in Jerusalem without seeing the king’s face.
Absalom couldn’t stand that and tried to speak to Joab. Joab wouldn’t see him and so he eventually set fire to Joab’s field (verses 29-32) . Joab went to see him and finally
2 Samuel 14:33
33 So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.
There was a reconciliation of sorts. But Absalom actually didn’t believe he had done anything wrong. In fact he rather felt that his ageing father should have dealt with Amnon and was perhaps beginning to show weakness. Maybe as eldest son it was now time for him to take over as king.
2 Samuel 15:1-6
1 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 he receives 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 towards all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
Absalom now lied to David
2 Samuel 15:7-9
7 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.
Not only did he lie, but by dressing it up as a religious act he guessed David would agree. Absalom turned this into a major state occasion. Look at verse 11:
11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter.
But, look at verse 10
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.’
Absalom could do with some more senior people to lend credence to his claim. Look at verse 12:
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.
Remember Ahithophel? David’s senior counsellor – and Bathsheba’s grandfather. Perhaps Ahithophel recognised in Absalom someone who was not afraid of punishing someone for a sexual sin, and it would be sweet revenge on David if Absalom were to take his throne.
Read 2 Samuel 15:13-14
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.’
David realised that Absalom was about to attack, knew that it was he himself who Absalom was after, and that he could only save his new city and its inhabitants, by fleeing.
