Absalom had set himself up as king.
He then amassed the entire Israelite army, and crossed the Jordan in pursuit of his father David – and they were now less than 20 miles away.
David's army - led by Joab - was much smaller.
Read 2 Samuel 17:25-26
25 Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Jether, an Israelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. 26 The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
Was Amasa a good choice? Was there already rivalry between the two cousins?
David had found that fortunately he still had friends on the East side of the Jordan:
Read 2 Samuel 18:1-3
1 David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 David sent the troops out—a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, “I myself will surely march out with you.”
3 But the men said, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won’t care about us. Even if half of us die, they won’t care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.”
(David was now 60; I wonder if they thought he might slow them down?)
Read 2 Samuel 18:4-5
4 The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”
So the king stood beside the gate while all the men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. 5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
David was confident of victory. But he was also concerned for his son. It’s quite possible that Absalom had never actually had to fight. He had occupied the position of next-in-line to the throne ever since he had had Amnon killed and would have led a very privileged and protected life.
Absalom rode a mule as befitted his status as a royal prince. It made him appear higher than the rest of the men. The mule was a hybrid cross between a male donkey and a female horse and as such had characteristics of both, and came in all shapes and sizes. It was tough, sure-footed but with a mind of its own!
Mules were also rare and expensive. Assyrian writings from this time suggest that they cost four times the price of a horse and road tolls were proportionally greater. They were only owned by people of status. But was it a fighting animal? There is no other mention in the Bible of someone riding a mule to battle. (Almost like going to war in a Rolls Royce – someone might kill you just to steal the car!)
The armies met in the Forest of Ephraim – just about the worst place to have a battle.
Read 2 Samuel 18:7-9
7 There the army of Israel was defeated by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword.
9 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 head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in mid-air, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
I’ve often wondered about this, but a little while ago I saw how it would have happened. My wife and I were going for a walk. We’d left our gate and were walking round beside our front garden. We heard a horse on the pavement behind us and stepped quickly into our next-door neighbour’s drive to get out of the way.
We were surprised that the rider had chosen to come along the pavement rather than in the road so we simply stood watching. There are trees growing in the verge between the path and the road and they have branches overhanging the path. Just high enough to walk under but as the horse continued up the path the rider was suddenly confronted with several small branches coming towards her head.
Immediately she put her hands up to protect her face – but the horse was totally unaware of the problem. She managed to lean sideways and push the branches over her head, but the horse kept going forward at the same pace.
The lady’s instinct was to protect her face, rather than to stop her horse.
Now we’ve all seen some dense undergrowth, and I’ve been caught in brambles many times. A mule knows how much headroom it needs to get along a forest path, but it can’t work out the combined height of mule and rider.
Faced with a sudden branch in the face Absalom’s reaction would have been the same – put his hands up to protect himself but in this case the branch wiped him off his mule. But worse than that, his luxuriant flowing locks (that he was probably proud of) also got entangled in the branches. He could hold onto the branch or he could try to untangle his hair. But he couldn’t do both at the same time. So there he was hanging in the tree.
One of David’s men saw him, but wouldn’t kill him – he’d heard the orders!
Read 2 Samuel 18:10-17
10 When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I have just seen Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”
11 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.”
12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ 13 And if I had put my life in jeopardy—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have kept your distance from me.”
14 Joab said, “I am 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. 15 And ten of Joab’s armour-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.
16 Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.
That last phrase is telling. They realised that with the death of Absalom, David was king again and that they had been committing treason by fighting against him. Best they pretend it wasn’t them and leave their officers to take the blame.
David was told the news
Read 2 Samuel 18:33 2 Samuel 19:1-4
33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”
1 Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2 And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” 3 The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. 4 The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Joab was quite politically aware, so he went to see David
Read 2 Samuel 19:5-8
5 Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. 6 You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. 7 Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now.”
8 So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,” they all came before him.
David had made it right with his own men, now he had to consider the rest of the country who were against him. He also had a problem with Joab who seemed to be getting out of control – killing David’s own son against his express orders.
The soldiers who had been called out to fight for Absalom were quick to protect their own backs and suggest that David should be encouraged to return.
Read 2 Samuel 19:9-10
9 Throughout the tribes of Israel, the people were all arguing with each other, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country because of Absalom; 10 and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”
David got to hear these rumours so:
Read 2 Samuel 19:11-15a
11 King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? 12 You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king? ’ 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab.’ ”
14 He won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.” 15 Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan.
Look for a minute at verse 13. Did David tell Joab he was to be demoted in favour of the leader of the army he had just fought against? David was obviously upset with Joab, but how upset? And what would have been going through Amasa’s mind now? A moment ago he was in fear for his life for leading an army against David which had resulted in the death of his beloved son. Did Amasa believe David? We’ll leave Amasa to think about this for a while.
Meanwhile David had to act quickly in order to capitalise on the victory, but he was still uncertain of the reception he would get when he returned
There are also a couple of people who had publicly turned against David and who needed to be dealt with. Remember Shimei, cursing and throwing stones? And Ziba who had possibly lied about Mephibosheth in order to steal his lands? And the Benjamites?
Read 2 Samuel 19:15-21
15 Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan.
Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. 16 Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul’s household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. 18 They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished.
When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king 19 and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. 20 For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”
21 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed.”
Notice Joab was keeping his head down, but his brother Abishai was quick to speak.
Read 2 Samuel 19:22-29
22 David replied, “What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? This day you have become my adversaries! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.
24 Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his moustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. 25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”
26 He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so that I can go with the king.’ But Ziba my servant betrayed me. 27 And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. 28 All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”
29 The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields.”
David couldn’t choose between Mephibosheth or Ziba. Either or both might be lying or telling the truth. He certainly couldn’t be bothered to waste time now to get to the truth so he simply split the land equally. Neither were ever mentioned again.
Read 2 Samuel 20:1-2
1 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,
“We have no share in David,
no part in Jesse’s son!
Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
Not everyone was happy to have David as king.
Read 2 Samuel 20:3-4
3 When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
David needed an army to chase after Sheba and deal with the uprising. But as Amasa had previously led the rebel armies David had doubts about his loyalties. They seem to have been well founded.
Read 2 Samuel 20:5
5 But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.
So David sent out what army he still had under Abishai. Joab went too, although David was obviously still upset that he had disobeyed his order concerning his son. During the battles that followed, Sheba and Amasa were both killed and eventually Joab was reinstated as Commander-in chief.
The kingdom settled again, and the author of 1 & 2 Samuel had done his job. There is however starting at chapter 21 an appendix. It contains some items, not in any particular chronological order, but items which complete the record of David’s reign (so far).
We won’t study them all in detail; they are:
The avenging of the Gibeonites.
Four battles against the Philistines.
Two Psalms.
A list of David’s Mighty Men.
The sad narrative in chapter 24.
We will look at some of these next time – when 1 Chronicles takes over before we move into 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles and the start of Solomon's reign.
