Rebellion & Faith
Notes
Transcript
Grab your Bible and turn to 2 Samuel 15. You will be well-served by having your Bible open in front of you. In fact, I hope you wouldn’t listen to any sermon (mine or anyone else’s) without your Bible.
Let’s be Bereans, shall we? Let’s test everything against God’s Word. Let’s examine God’s Word to make sure what we hear is true.
Here in 2 Samuel 15, Absalom begins to conspire against his father, David. David really should have seen this coming, and maybe he did, but he didn’t do anything about it that we know of.
Absalom as been a mess for a while. Absalom, rightly mad about what Amnon did to his sister, Tamar, responds wrongly. Sinfully. Absalom’s anger and hatred for his half-brother Amnon led him to murder. Unchecked and unrepentant, anger will take you to some bad places.
After Absalom murdered his brother, he fled. He stayed away for three years. Last week, in 2 Samuel 14, we read about how David was swayed/coerced to bring Absalom back even though nothing had been done by way of justification. There was no payment for his sin. No redemption. No reconciliation or repentance.
Absalom was back in Jerusalem, but his was a false restoration. For another two years, Absalom was kept from his father, the king. Finally, at long last, Absalom is brought before his father, the king, and David kisses him.
He’s back, now. He’s apparently in the king’s good graces, but nothing was actually done to mend the relationship. Absalom either thinks very highly of himself or very little of his father. Maybe both, because this is what we read about him in 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.
Now that things have been quasi-restored with the king, and with his older brother Amnon out of the way, Prince Absalom is feeling his oats. He’s got himself all the outward trappings of one of the king’s sons. He’s showing off a little. And he’s working the crowd.
He’d fit well in a presidential primary, and lots of people would vote for him.
With his chariot and men along with him, Absalom made a point to get up early and stand outside the gate of the city.
The gate functioned like a courthouse would today. Absalom would strike up conversation with people who came to have their cases decided; he’d ask where they were from, listen well to his new pals, cross his arms and furrow his brow, throw in a few, “Mmhmms” for good measure and tell them with an empathetic hand on their shoulder (v. 3), “Look, your claims are valid and proper...”
There was never a person there at the gate Absalom disagreed with. He told everyone exactly what they wanted to hear. He has “presidential” written all over him, or, in this case, he’s making himself out to be a “king for the people.”
“Look, your claims are valid and proper…but there is no representative of the king to hear you…if only I were appointed judge in the land.”
Boy, he’s clever. Slick. Political. Absalom didn’t have to make any hard decisions, he just had to promise he would.
The prince positioned himself as an run-of-the-mill common man: Joe Sixpack. (Verse 5) Whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him as one would do, Absalom interrupted all their attempts at pomp and circumstance and greeted each person with affection and friendliness, as equals.
In our day, this would be akin to a politician loosening his tie, putting on a hat from a local seed company, leaning on the fence post and have a conversation with the good ol’ boys about the good ol’ days. And there’s no need for lunch at a fancy restaurant; Absalom’s just fine to eat at the sale barn—open-face roast beef sandwich, sweet tea, and a slice of pie.
“He was down where the people are.” -DRD
Verse 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.
Absalom duped all of them. Part of his conspiracy was to deceive. And it worked. He suckered 'em. Worked the crowd. Told them what they wanted to hear. Made them feel heard and seen.
Absalom is clever, smooth. A really good “schmoozer.” He could schmooze with the best of ‘em.
Your Bible might say (verse 7) at the end of forty years, but that would be as long as David’s entire kingship. It’s at the end of four years that Absalom coats his conspiracy with a little religious dressing. He says he’s going “to worship” in Hebron.
That’s not what he’s conspiring to do. He’s seeking the kingship. He’s waiting to announce (verse 10), “Absalom is king in Hebron.”
The summary statement at the end of verse 12 tells us all we need to know: And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.
Again, I’m not sure this is surprising to anyone of us, let alone David. Absalom seems capable of anything. Beyond that, the word of the LORD came to David and told him that calamity was on its way. The proverbial chickens would be coming home to roost.
Do you remember what the LORD said to David, through the prophet Nathan?
10 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.’
11 “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. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”
God’s Word is confirmed in this rebellion.
The fulfillment of God’s Word to David is near, partially fulfilled already. The calamity that was announced is well on its way.
In the next couple of chapters, we’ll see further fulfillment of this.
What Absalom does here is wrong, clearly. It’s a despicable act of rebellion against the LORD’s Kingdom and against the LORD’s anointed.
Absalom has no qualms whatsoever about going against the LORD’s anointed (something David didn’t dare do; even when given multiple chances, David would not lay a hand on King Saul).
But here calamity comes from David’s house upon David’s house. Absalom doesn’t care what the LORD says, who the LORD’s appointed and anointed king is, or who the kingdom belongs to. He wants it; he’s going to take it.
The truthfulness of God’s Word and the wickedness of Absalom’s behavior exist side-by-side.
That’s Absalom’s rebellion, or at least the beginning of it. God’s Word warned David disaster was looming, and here it is.
For David, it’s time to run.
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.”
15 The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”
16 The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace. 17 So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at the edge of the city. 18 All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.
David receives word of Absalom’s success and his growing number of followers, including David’s counselor, Ahithophel. So David orders a retreat.
David is hereby exiled from Jerusalem and he won’t return to Jerusalem until Chapter 19 of 2 Samuel.
The writer of 2 Samuel seems to use the story of David fleeing from Absalom as a way to highlight David’s faith.
We’ll see evidence of his faith throughout the rest of the chapter, and more importantly, how God meets that faith with encouragement and comfort and strength.
David pauses at the edge of the city and all his men marched past him. His supporters are filing past him--Israelites, Kerethites and Pelethites (David’s bodyguards), and some Gittites (men from Gath in Philistia).
David has an interaction with one of the Gittites:
19 The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. 20 You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your people with you. May the Lord show you kindness and faithfulness.”
21 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”
22 David said to Ittai, “Go ahead, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.
23 The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.
This guy, Ittai, had only been in David’s service for a very brief time. Talk about bad timing! He showed up the day before they had to flee.
So David graciously releases Ittai and his people (v. 20).
But the good Gittite, Ittai, refuses. He states his dedication and service with a double-oath—As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives. This underscores and highlights how seriously he means what he says.
He could have gone back and served in Absalom’s kingdom, but Ittai declares twice that David is king. He holds nothing back from David—all his men and the families that were with him marched on.
Faith is Encouraged by God’s Kindness
Faith is Encouraged by God’s Kindness
Ittai is a taste of faithfulness in a mess of rebellion and betrayal. Imagine what this would have done for David’s faith. God’s kindness to David provides him with plenty of support, and some incredibly faithful followers like Ittai.
David’s own son conspired against him, was going to steal David’s throne, and try to take David’s life (what’s another murder for a guy like Absalom?).
W.G. Blaikie: “David’s own son, whom he had loaded with undeserved kindness was conspiring against him, while this stranger (Ittai), who owed him nothing in comparison, was risking everything in David’s cause.”
Beyond that, David’s trusted counselor, Ahithophel, dropped David like a bad habit and put on Absalom’s team jersey (like Juan Soto abandoning the greatest baseball team in history and moving to the stinking NY Mets).
It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world. We have Ittai the faithful Philistine and two treacherous Israelites. It’s quite the contrast.
Ittai, the foreigner, is the one who sticks closer than a brother. Ittai marches with David, for better or worse, while David’s own son and good friend plot against him.
This is strange and sad, but God’s people can always count on God’s kindness, even an unexpected kindness like this.
Ittai is to David in the OT, what Onesiphorus is to Paul in the NT. Not well-known, but a faithful friend who helps and serves at the lowest point.
“One of God’s kindnesses toward us, one of God’s ways of supporting you is to give you a friend who stands with you in the darkest moments of your life.” -D.R. Davis
Think about what this did for David’s faith. You can, I hope, name a faithful friend like Ittai or Onesiphorus—a friend you know the LORD gave you to encourage you and your faith.
Those people are evidences of God’s kindness to you and me—His kindness to encourage us along the way.
24 Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.
25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar’s son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons. 28 I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
This is a big deal. The priests—Zadok and Abiathar—are going to head out with David and support him in this family feud. They’ve even brought the ark of the covenant along with them.
Absalom may get David’s throne and David’s city, but he won’t have the priests or the ark.
But notice what David does here. He immediately tells them to take the ark of God back into the city.
David’s not about to use the ark of God as a prop or try to manipulate God into action with the ark?
Remember that mistake at the beginning of 1 Samuel? The Israelites march the ark of the covenant out onto the battlefield with the Philistines like it was a mascot or fan-favorite walk-on player (like Rudy or something).
The LORD wasn’t about to be played like a wild card. The people were defeated and the ark was taken by the Philistines.
David refuses to repeat that disastrous move. He submits to the LORD’s sovereign way.
Faith is Strengthened by God’s Sovereignty
Faith is Strengthened by God’s Sovereignty
There’s strength to be had here by trusting God. Faith is strengthened in knowing that the LORD God is sovereign--He reigns and has absolute control over all creation. David’s trust is right where it should be.
Verse 26 says it all: Let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.
That’s faith—faith that is strengthened and at ease in God’s Sovereignty.
“No gimmicks, no superstitions, no rabbit foot religion, no conning God by pilfering the ark. This is not weak resignation, but robust submission.”
David knows, and he is strengthened by the fact that it all depends on God. If I find favor in the LORD’s eyes…but if He says, ‘I am not pleased with you.’
David doesn’t fall into the trap of trying to use God (as if He can be used). Rather, David submits to Him and will do as the LORD pleases.
That’s something special. An admirable faith. A faith that trusts fully in God’s sovereign will.
But please notice: As soon as David places himself wholly into God’s hands, he keeps plodding along. He doesn’t just sit there, twiddling his thumbs, doing nothing.
He submits to God’s sovereignty and he keeps actively working.
David’s working, but he’s staying in his lane. He doesn’t have to try to play God or do more than he can do.
God’s Sovereign power and control strengthens faith. That’s true for David, and for you and me, too.
31 Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”
32 When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go with me, you will be a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘Your Majesty, I will be your servant; I was your father’s servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,’ then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel’s advice. 35 Won’t the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king’s palace. 36 Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear.”
37 So Hushai, David’s confidant, arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.
David receives the bad news about Ahithophel. We heard about it earlier at the end of the summary of Absalom’s rebellion.
It’s bad news that Ahithophel is with Absalom.
Having Ahithophel as your counselor was like having Michael Jordan on your basketball team or Tom Altenburg in your group for an art project.
Ahithophel was sharp. There was no one that came close to him. There was no foolish person saying something ridiculous like, “Yeah, well, Lebron’s just as good.” No, Ahithophel was it. His advice was the best there was.
What does David do when he hears the news?
2 Samuel 15:31 “Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.”
And the next words we read: So David prayed…
David responds to the report with prayer. It’s his immediate response. Why? It’s not that prayer is some magic trick, because it’s not. It’s that David knows the LORD hears the prayers of His people.
It’s not about the prayer; it’s about the One to whom your prayer is directed.
Prayer doesn’t do anything on its own. It’s that God hears our prayers and, in His providence, answers them.
Faith is Comforted by God’s Providence
Faith is Comforted by God’s Providence
As the story reads, we no sooner hear David pray than we see the answer to his prayer: here’s Hushai the Arkite who was there to meet him.
That doesn’t seem to us like the answer to David’s prayer, but we’ll see in the next few chapters that it is the LORD’s answer.
Hushai will help David by frustrating Ahithophel’s advice. Hushai will be a spy for David; He’s David’s friend / confidant—a special kindness from God, and proof of God’s providence.
“Providence: The unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill, He upholds His creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory.” J.I. Packer
The LORD is always at work. It’s no coincidence that David’s trusted friend Hushai shows up when David needs him and arrives at Jerusalem as Absalom enters the city. It’s just as God ordained.
God is guiding and governing all this to its appointed goal. This, no doubt, is of great comfort to David.
This is the LORD’s delightful providence. David prays. And the LORD begins to answer his prayer, and He will keep answering his prayer.
“Our prayers deal with the ‘what’. God’s answers deal with the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ and the ‘when’.”
When we reach 2 Samuel 17, we’ll see that the LORD doesn’t turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness per David’s prayer.
But the LORD does one better. He turns Absalom into a fool who rejects Ahithophel’s advice, and the LORD does that through Hushai.
David prays. The LORD sends Hushai.
The LORD could have, at that moment, struck Ahithophel dead. He could have made Ahithophel explode or melt or evaporate.
The LORD’s providence is often unguessable. We wouldn’t have written it the way the LORD does, but that’s because we’re not Him.
Our faith should be comforted by knowing He’s always at work.
It’s especially encouraging when we’re able to look back and see how His hand was at work in the events of our lives.
>For David, his faith during this incredibly dark and difficult moment in his life is strengthened by knowing and seeing the kindness, the sovereignty, and the providence of God.
For us on this side of the cross of Christ, we can and should see His kindness, His sovereignty, His providence in the daily events of our our lives.
Our faith should be strengthened and bolstered by the knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.
It’s God’s kindness toward us that is meant to lead us to repentance, God’s kindness fully expressed in Jesus—there’s no greater kindness, no greater love than Jesus laying down His life for us.
Jesus took our place, died our death, and exchanged our sins with His perfect righteousness. That’s God’s kindness toward us.
We may have no idea what’s going on or why certain things happen to us, but, like David, we must rest in Him and be strengthened by His sovereignty.
When we trust the LORD, we can say, like David, “Let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.”
Our faith is strengthened by a firm belief in His sovereignty. “He will do what seems good to Him, and that’s good with me.”
Whatever we’re facing, we put our faith in the providence of God, trusting that He’s at work—unceasingly at work—to bring everything to the end for which He purposes, for our good and ultimately for His glory.
There’s great comfort in His providence: God’s gracious outworking of His purpose in Christ.
I’m not sure where your faith is at.
You might be coasting along.
Your faith could be in the gutter.
Maybe everything is going great and your faith is strong.
Wherever your faith, I pray you find:
Encouragement in God’s Kindness
Strength in His Sovereignty, and
Comfort in His Providence.
