seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Samuel 15:1 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 they receive 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 toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.
7 At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill 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 counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing.
Here's the link to the commentary I read.Whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision: Ancient kings were more than the heads of government, they were also the “supreme court” of their kingdom. If someone believed that a local court did not give them justice, they then appealed to the court of the king, where the king or a representative of the king heard their case.
Your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you: Absalom stirred up dissatisfaction with David’s government and campaigned against David by promising to provide justice that David (supposedly) denied the people.
Oh, that I were made judge in the land... I would give him justice: Absalom had reason to be disillusioned with David’s administration of justice. When Amnon raped Tamar, David did nothing. When Absalom did something about it, David banished Absalom and kept him at a distance even when he came back.
Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel: Absalom’s cunning campaign worked. He became more popular and more trusted than David.
After forty years: This perhaps was Absalom’s age at the time, but some believe that this is a minor corruption of the text and that it should read four years based on the readings in Syriac and Arabic translations, Josephus, and some Hebrew manuscripts.
Let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the LORD: Absalom committed treason under the guise of worship. He knew that the appearance of spirituality could work in his favor.
Absalom reigns in Hebron: Absalom counted on the hope that most of Israel would see this as succession and not treason.
OK... time for a short review. David is king. His son Amnon raped his daughter, Tamar. His other son, Absalom, murdered Amnon for raping Tamar. David didn't lift a finger. He sent Absalom away... but then he let Absalom come home. Now Absalom is after David's throne. He's using Justice to get David back for letting Amnon rape Tamar and get away with it.
Absalom has been undermining David right under David's nose. He's been working on this plan for 40 years. He's good looking, comes from a great home, and he "gets us". His campaign is "I understand you".
He's the kind who would say... "If I were king, I would make things fabulous".
David himself was a murderer. When he went out on the roof one night, he saw a woman taking a bath. He had a tryst with the woman and she got pregnant. When her husband, a soldier, wouldn't sleep with her so David wouldn't have to take the blame, David sent the man out on the front lines and had him snuffed by the enemy. David murdered Urriah over Bathsheba. The baby only lived a week.
How could David pass judgement on Absalom when he, himself, was a murderer as well. He had not paid for his crime. How could he sentence his own son for something he, himself, is guilty of?
This is from "got questions".
“‘Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel. . . . The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die’” (2 Samuel 12:10–14).
David must have thought God had changed his mind. It's been 40 years. God hadn't done anything horrible to David or his throne. It's been 40 years. Maybe all the drama over Tamar and Amnon was payment enough for Uriah's death. I bet David was just starting to get over it enough to live with it. God does things in His own time. Now Absalom is going to get his revenge on his dad for "not lifting a finger".
TREASON not Succession!
Please say an instant prayer for Hubby and me. We are ok... just something annoying is going on and it's causing anxiety big-time. Please ask God to handle it.... Thank you.