Good News/Bad News
Notes
Transcript
“Well, I have some good news and some bad news.” When presented with that scenario, which do you want to hear first?
Bad news first? Good news first? Sometimes, no matter the order, the bad news seems to outweigh the good news.
There’s some good news in our passage today, finally! We’re actually going to keep track of the good news as we see it. I’ll say “that’s good news” throughout the sermon. You can say “good news” too, or just sit there. Whichever you prefer.
There is some good news in the saga of David and Absalom, but it doesn’t always feel like good news. For David especially, the bad news spoils any good news.
And that’s a problem.
>We’re going to pick up where we left off last week. 2 Samuel 17, the last few verses.
Remember, David’s friend/confidant, Hushai has given advice to Absalom. In the LORD’s sovereign guidance, Absalom followed Hushai’s advice, to his detriment (as we’ll see).
The fact that Absalom followed Hushai’s advice gave David time to get to safety and regroup while Absalom waited for the men of Israel to rally behind him.
This, we read, at the end of 2 Samuel 17.
24 David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. 25 Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite who had married Abigal, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. 26 The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim 28 brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, 29 honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.”
[MAP]
David goes to Mahanaim, across the Jordan and north of the River Jabbok. Absalom and his men, after some amount of time, also cross the Jordan and camp in the land of Gilead.
As the author of 2 Samuel records this moment for us, we see the rich and varied providence of God on display for us again. The LORD is looking out for David and for David’s men (that’s good news!).
Shobi and Makir and Barzillai make sure David & Company have what they need, everything from bedding and barley to curds and cheese.
Shobi is a pagan. Makir was once loyal to Saul. Barzillai is an old man (not John Hough old, but old). A few random fellas who represent a wide swath of people who are supportive of David.
No matter who they are, we know that they are the LORD’s servants (used by the LORD to provide for David and David’s men). And they’re standing beside the LORD’s appointed king—David, not Absalom.
These men, and many others, stand by David. They choose the one the LORD has chosen. And each with plenty to lose. But Israel has a covenant king (David), and they have no right to abandon him.
The Christian disciple stands in the same relation to our Lord and King, Jesus Christ—the Son of David and the LORD’s appointed King.
No matter what, no matter who despises Him, no matter if the whole world demeans Him and mocks His rule or His way, God’s people know they must go on confessing Him and Him alone. God’s people know He and He alone deserves our allegiance and affection. We must never give any part of us to another.
It’s as Jesus said in Matthew 10:32–33, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
David has some loyal supporters. This is good to see; this is a good sign for David’s sake (good news).
Of course we know that God’s Kingdom plan cannot be stopped or thwarted by anyone or anything (good news). But this tangible, flesh-and-blood support has to encourage David when he needs it the most.
As David prepares for the arrival of Absalom and all the men of Israel who are with him, he finds some more encouragement:
1 David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 David sent out his troops, 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.”
4 The king answered, “I will do whatever seems best to you.”
So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands.
Here, David’s troops wouldn’t allow David to risk himself on the field of battle. Such was their care and concern for him.
David's men say that he’s worth ten thousand of them. As king, that’s certainly true. Capture the king and it’s game over (true in Chess and true in battle).
David was Absalom’s main target, to be sure. David’s men know this and they urge him to stay behind in the city as his men go to battle.
It’s not much of a battle. I’ll go ahead and ruin it for you, in case you haven’t read this chapter already. One would think the battle would be a bigger deal than it is, but it’s just briefly summed-up in a couple verses.
The battle here is not the main focus, as we’ll see. The focus is on Absalom (and to a lesser degree, on David).
Before his men go to battle, David gives his men an order:
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.
This is understandable…yet confusing.
It’s understandable because David is Absalom’s father and he loves him, regardless of what he’s done.
But it’s also confusing—especially confusing to David’s men—because Absalom has done so much worthy of death; he’s murdered and cheated and betrayed.
Absalom is after David to kill David. And all David has to say is “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.”
David’s command shows that even before the battle, David was willing to abandon military and moral considerations for his personal feelings (bad news).
David is sending out his army to risk their lives for him and for his throne. And he’s prepared to ask that his son, who is the issue and cause of present trouble, not be killed.
In verses 6-8, we have the account of the battle:
6 David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 There Israel’s troops were routed 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 swallowed up more men that day than the sword.
Isn’t that great? Chapters and chapters of buildup leading to a battle between David and Absalom and their respective forces…and it’s only a 15-second description.
But it’s all we need to know (God’s Word tells us what we need to know, not all we’d like to know).
I mean, I really want to know how the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.
It’s probably just that warfare in the uneven terrain of a forest accounts for the loss.
But part of me wants to believe that Ents joined the battle, a la Tolkien in “The Lord of the Rings” series. The trees of the forest fighting against Absalom’s men would be so cool.
I’m a little nerdy.
I really want to know what that sentence means, and one day I will. But God’s Word doesn’t tell us, because it’s not the point.
The bottom line is that David’s men routed Absalom’s troops (good news).
Just a pure beat down, kind of like the football game we watched last Sunday (Super Bowl 59…woof).
The focus isn’t on the battle; it’s on Absalom and David. And that’s where the story turns:
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 hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
10 When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw 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 lay a hand on 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’m 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 armor-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.
18 During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
In the land of low-hanging oak trees, the bald man would reign supreme. My hair is never getting caught in the branch of a tree.
Poor Absalom’s hair is his comeuppance.
This was foreshadowed for us in 2 Samuel 14:25-26 when the author records this about Absalom:
25 In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26 Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard.
See what a head full of hair gets you—Absalom’s just hanging in a tree, surrounded by David’s men. It’s a dangerous game, kids. Don’t wish for a thick head of hair; it might be your undoing.
Also, never make fun of the bald guy (2 Kings 2:23-24).
Joab, commander of David’s army and ever the opportunist, fatally wounds Absalom (three javelins to the heart). Then ten of Joab’s men strike Absalom and kill him.
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
This is the end of Absalom (good news/bad news).
Absalom meets the same end as other accursed men.
Achan was stoned to death and buried under a large pile of stones (Josh 8:29). The king of Ai was also thrown into a pit and covered with a large pile of stones (Josh 10:27), as were five enemy kings in Joshua’s time.
Absalom was a treasonous rebel and he dies the death of a cursed man. This is the end of one who was out to destroy the LORD’s chosen king (which is good news).
His death is instructive in its own way: all who, at any time, set themselves against God’s Kingdom, God’s chosen King Jesus, or God’s people—their lot will be the same as Absalom’s.
The pile of rocks over Absalom’s body is a monument to the futility of fighting against God’s Kingdom. Those who set themselves against God will find a similar fate.
News of Absalom’s death will make its way back to David. This is a true good-news/bad-news situation.
Who’s gonna tell David what happened? Joab, or someone else? How’s David going to respond? David’s hoping for good news, but what will David consider good news?
19 Now Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.”
20 “You are not the one to take the news today,” Joab told him. “You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”
21 Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off.
22 Ahimaaz son of Zadok again said to Joab, “Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.”
But Joab replied, “My son, why do you want to go? You don’t have any news that will bring you a reward.”
23 He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”
So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.
24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out to the king and reported it.
The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer.
26 Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”
The king said, “He must be bringing good news, too.”
27 The watchman said, “It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”
“He’s a good man,” the king said. “He comes with good news.”
28 Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.”
29 The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”
30 The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.
31 Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”
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!”
Ahimaaz offers to deliver the news to David. He’s been in this position before. He’s eager to take the good news to David that the LORD has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.
Good news, right?! That part is good news, but it’s not all good news.
Joab sends a Cushite instead of Ahimaaz.
But Ahimaaz really wants to go, and so Joab tells him to run. And run he does!
Ahimaaz, much like myself, runs like the wind. He reaches David before the Cushite. David’s just sure the coming message is good news.
One messenger means victory; a lot of men running back to camp would be evidence of battle gone wrong. But one messenger or two is a good sign. Good News!
Ahimaaz doesn’t tell the whole story. He says (v. 28), “All is well.”
Really? All is well?
Ahimaaz then praises the LORD and highlights the LORD’s deliverance. But Ahimaaz denies what he knows is true about Absalom.
David, we see, cares far more about his son than about his army. David’s concern is Absalom, and nothing else. The good news of victory doesn’t matter to David.
When the Cushite finally comes jogging up, he gives a similar report. It’s good news from his perspective (v. 31),
“My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”
Again, all David cares about is his son. He asks if Absalom is safe.
The Cushite is rather blunt, stating plainly that it’d be best if all who rose up against David met Absalom’s fate.
Absalom’s death is good news, even if David doesn’t see it like it.
Absalom had done great damage to the kingdom, had done horrible things to many people including his own family, and he would have gladly killed David given the chance.
Absalom’s death is a great deliverance for David and the people. It’s good news: deliverance and vindication is from the LORD—Ahimaaz and the Cushite can see it.
But David can’t see it. There’s nothing good about Absalom’s death if you ask David. This is, for David, bad, bad news.
David’s army had succeeded and the kingdom was saved, but David is overwhelmed by grief and misses the good news of it all. He misses, entirely, the work of God, the deliverance the LORD provided. Grief has eclipsed grace.
All David sees is bad news.
David mourns deeply for his son. In his grief, David admits he would rather have died himself than Absalom die.
We’re meant to hear David’s wailing. To feel it with him. And to consider what has brought David to this place.
David’s own sinfulness brought some of this on him. In response to David’s own sin, the LORD told him, “The sword shall never depart from your house…”
No doubt, David is feeling some regret for his own sin and failure.
“David cries the cry of a man who wishes that he could go back and change the clock. If only he had not taken more than one wife. If only he had repented of that and sought to bring peace to his family. If only he hadn’t plotted the murder of Uriah. If only he had intervened and dealt with the horrible situation with Tamar and Amnon and quieted the heart of Absalom. If only, if only, if only…the saddest words in the English language.” -Michael Milton
Regret isn’t enough. Repentance is required. What’s needed is a turning from sin and turning to the LORD.
Absalom died in outright rebellion, rebelling against his own father and, even worse, rebelling against the LORD.
Nowhere do we once see even a word of regret from Absalom, not one request for forgiveness. Absalom dies without one act or word that would be pleasant to recall in time to come. No one is naming their son ‘Absalom’ (at least, I hope not).
If he could, David would sub his life for his sons. David could do nothing to fix the tragedy of his son’s life or death, even by offering his own death. But David had no power to redeem Absalom.
That belongs to the LORD God alone. Jesus took our place, subbed His life for ours, and fixed what separated us from God.
None of us are saviors; we can’t save ourselves or anyone else. That’s not our job, not even as fathers or mothers, husbands or wives, children or friends. We all must turn to Jesus.
David grieves. And his grief leads to despair. He’s so overcome with sadness and overwhelmed, he disappears to his house, wallowing in the bad news.
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!”
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 on 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.
Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.
At this point “everyone was discouraged. The man for whom they had risked their lives had not a word of thanks to any of them, and could think of no one but that vile son of his who was now dead.”
The scene and the soundtrack don’t match up here. An ENORMOUS victory had been won, and the music playing is a funeral dirge: O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!
There’s no good news here, only bad news.
Joab hits the nail on the head: David cares more about his wicked son than his faithful servants. David loved those who hated him and hated those who loved him. If Absalom was alive and everyone else was dead, David would be pleased.
David was quarreling with the LORD’s providence and the LORD’s justice.
It was right for Absalom to die. That was the just end to a wicked man. And the LORD is, by Absalom’s death, preserving the LORD’s Kingdom and the LORD’s King.
This is good news, but David disagrees.
David is ungrateful for the LORD’s mercy in His deliverance. David should have praised the LORD for the good news of deliverance (v.28) and vindication (vv. 19, 31).
But David seems to neglect that altogether.
Joab gets through to the king. David is moved, and takes his seat in the gateway.
This is an important step to David to take. Sitting there at the gateway symbolized that David had returned to his royal office, enthroned in a place of judgment.
David is once again in power.
The true king restored to his throne.
The people of God could rejoice in the restoration of God’s appointed king and rest in God’s blessing.
This is good news, even if David doesn’t feel it.
>Sometimes the bad news outweighs the good news. In fact, a good portion of time, the bad news is overwhelming. And not just the bad news of the world, but the bad news of our spiritual condition.
We are, on our own, in a big ol’ mess; it’s really bad news. We are utterly sinful, deserving of wrath, dead in our trespasses and sins. For all of us, it’s bad, bad news (to put it mildly).
But the Good News is better far than all of our bad news: Jesus, the Son of God, dying in our place—
8 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
No bad news can outweigh or overwhelm, exhaust or extinguish the Good News about Jesus Christ.
God’s grace in Jesus is greater far than all our sins. When we repent and believe in Him, the Good News conquers the bad news. Once and for all.
“I’ve got some good news and some bad news…and the Good News is far better than the bad news is bad.”
