An Attitude of Ingratitude

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27 The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33  And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” – 2 Samuel 18:19-33 ESV

While David’s army had marched off to do battle with the superior forces of his son, Absalom, he had remained behind. As the day wore on and the battle raged, he could do nothing but wonder about the outcome of the conflict. This was a winner-takes-all battle that would determine whether David would regain his throne, spend his life in exile, or lose his life to his own son. So, when Joab and his troops had won a great victory and done away with Absalom, they sent word to David. But Joab knew David well and anticipated how the king would respond to the news of his son’s death. Joab had been fully aware of David’s command to spare the life of Absalom but had disobeyed. When he discovered David’s rebellious son hanging helplessly from a tree, his hair long hair caught in its branches, Joab drove three spears into Absalom’s body, effectively ending the coup and saving David’s kingdom.

Before the battle, David had chosen Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok the priest, to serve as a courier, keeping the king informed about everything taking place within the walls of Jerusalem. So, when Ahimaaz heard of the victory, he jumped at the chance to let David know what had happened. But Joab denied him the opportunity, knowing that David would not receive the news well. He recalled how David treated the Amalakite who claimed to have taken the life of King Saul (2 Samuel 1:1-16). Rather than rewarding the man for eliminating his arch-enemy, David had him killed.

So, on this occasion, Joab refused to risk the lives of one of his own men, choosing instead to send a Cushite mercenary to break the news to David. Yet, Ahimaaz, likely driven by pride and the thought of earning David’s favor, begged Joab to allow him to accompany the Cushite. In his eagerness to tell the king about the great victory, Ahimaaz outran the Cushite and was the first to arrive at David’s camp. Still breathless from his long run, Ahimaaz fell before the king and declared, “Everything is all right! Praise to the Lord your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king” (2 Samuel 18:28 NLT).

But Ahimaaz’s news failed to bring a smile to David’s face. Instead, the anxious king asked, “What about young Absalom? Is he all right?” (2 Samuel 18:29 NLT). This response must have confused Ahimaaz. Why was the king more concerned about the well-being of his rebellious son than he was about the news of the failed coup attempt? Wisely, Ahimaaz pleaded ignorance, stating, “When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn’t know what was happening” (2 Samuel 18:29 NLT). It is unclear whether Ahimaaz was lying or was simply unaware that Joab had killed Absalom. But before David could press for more details, the Cushite arrived on the scene and reiterated the words of Ahimaaz. Once again, David brushed aside the news of the victory and demanded to know what had happened to his son. Breathlessly, the Cushite delivered what he believed would be the good news of Absalom’s death.

“May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!” – 2 Samuel 18:32 NLT

But both Ahimaaz and the Cushite must have been shocked by David’s reaction. Rather than rejoicing at the news of the great victory and the deliverance of his kingdom, David walked away in sorrow.

The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.” – 2 Samuel 18:33 NLT

David didn’t utter a word of thanks to the two men or display any excitement over the news that the rebellion had been put down. Both Ahimaaz and the Cushite had recognized the impact of the day’s events. Ahimaaz had eagerly declared, “Praise to the Lord your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king” (2 Samuel 18:28 NLT). The Cushite had echoed that sentiment, stating, “I have good news for my lord the king. Today the Lord has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you” (2 Samuel 18:31 NLT). But David didn’t share their enthusiasm.

There is a passage in the book of Isaiah that reflects the perspective David should have had when he received the news of God’s miraculous deliverance of his kingdom.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! – Isaiah 52:7 NLT

But rather than celebrate God’s miraculous deliverance of his kingdom, David mourned the loss of his son. He even wished that he had died in Absalom’s place. While we can certainly understand a grieving father’s response to the loss of his son’s life, it must not be overlooked that David was the God-appointed shepherd of Israel. As king, he was responsible for the well-being of the entire nation, not just his own household. David’s reaction to his son’s death not only displayed a disregard for God’s divine involvement in the victory, but it dismissed the devastating reality that 20,000 Israelites had died that day – all as a result of his son’s selfish and sinful actions.

But more importantly, David’s response displayed an ingratitude toward God that was evident to all those around him. His actions shocked and surprised them. Rather than rejoicing at what God had done, he took the divine deliverance of God and treated it with disdain. As the God-anointed king of Israel, David was to lead his people by example. This was to be a day of celebration, not mourning. The kingdom needed to be unified and that required David to put aside his personal issues and begin the process of restoring the faith of his people by leading well. Absalom undermined David’s integrity and caused the people to reject him as king. Now that he had his throne back, he needed to win back the hearts of the people. But David was too busy mourning.

Sadly, this was not a short-term response on David’s part. His melancholy and mournful state would become a lingering problem that infected the entire nation. The opening lines of the next chapter reveal the devastating consequences of David’s self-absorbed pity party.

Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom. As all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son, the joy of that day’s victory was turned into deep sadness. They crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted in battle. The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” – 2 Samuel 19:1-4 NLT

David’s demeanor cast a pall over the entire nation. Rather than a joyful spirit of celebration, the people were overcome with somberness and sadness. They were afraid to express joy because their king was despondent and depressed. And David’s lingering languidness would not have elicited confidence in his troops. They would have resented how the king had turned their great victory into a national day of mourning. These men had risked their lives and watched as their comrades fell by their sides, just so David might be restored to his throne. Now, all he could do was weep over the death of his rebellious son.

The prophet Isaiah describes how the king and the nation should have responded to the news of the victory over their enemy.

The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
    for before their very eyes
    they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
    for the Lord has comforted his people.
    He has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
    before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
    the victory of our God. – Isaiah 52:8-10 NLT

How easy it is for us to view life from our limited perspective and to selfishly place our desires over those of God. David had wanted to spare Absalom and believed that he could somehow return things back to the way they had been before. But God, in His justice, had determined to punish Absalom for what he had done. The king’s son deserved death for his murder of Amnon and God saw that justice was done. Had David gotten his wish and been able to spare Absalom, the kingdom would have remained in a state of flux. His unrepentant and ambitious son would have proven to be a constant threat, so God intervened and graciously restored David’s kingdom. But rather than responding with gratitude and joy, David returned God’s undeserved favor with self-pity and an infectious spirit of sorrow.

David, who would go on to write his fair share of Psalms, could have benefited from the advice of another unnamed psalmist.

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
    Let the whole world know what he has done.
Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
    Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
Exult in his holy name;
    rejoice, you who worship the Lord. – Psalm 105:1-3 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

If You Won’t, I Will

1 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 3 But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” 4 The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

6 So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7 And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’ 13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14 Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day. – 2 Samuel 18:1-18 ESV

Like a modern-day soap opera, there are so many plots and sub-plots going on in this passage that it is difficult to discern the main point of the story. First, there is the climactic battle between the forces of David and Absalom. Then there is the lopsided outcome to the confrontation with David’s troops easily routing their more numerous adversaries. As the battle raged and the momentum shifted in favor of David’s forces, Absalom attempted to escape the battlefield, only to find himself hanging from a tree with his long, luxurious hair caught in its branches. In a sense, the ego-driven mastermind of the entire coup attempt was ensnared by his own vanity and pride.

Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot. He cut his hair only once a year, and then only because it was so heavy. When he weighed it out, it came to five pounds! – 2 Samuel 14:25-26 NLT

The handsome son of the king had paved his path to the throne by flaunting his good looks, power, and influence.

Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him. He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. – 2 Samuel 15:1-2 NLT

This young man proved to be a crafty politician who used his father’s immense wealth to underwrite his carefully crafted PR campaign. Blessed with good looks, a sharp mind, and a long-pent-up disdain for his father, Absalom “stole the hearts of all the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6 NLT).

But now, as he hung helplessly in a tree, Absalom would meet his fate. In a strange and rather serendipitous sequence of events, Joab, David’s chief military commander, happens upon the hapless Absalom. In direct violation of David’s orders, Joab violently executes Absalom, providing what would appear to be a well-justified punishment for his rebellion. If this was a scene from an action movie, the audience would cheer at the sight of the bad guy getting exactly what he deserved.

But this brings up another intriguing subplot and raises a host of questions. Why was David, yet again, unwilling to enact justice against a rebellious son? What possessed him to order his troops to protect the life of the man who had slandered his name and stolen his throne? When David gave the order, “For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:5 NLT), he left his men confused and conflicted. His command reflects his long-held unwillingness to deal with problems decisively and effectively. This is the same man who had failed to punish Amnon for his rape of Tamar. He also refused to avenge Amnon’s murder by bringing Absalom to justice. David’s ongoing pattern of passivity and indecisiveness eventually caused Absalom to lose respect for him, resulting in the overthrow of his kingdom.

But in the end, Absalom got what he deserved. Joab did what needed to be done but, to do so, he had to violate the orders of his commander-in-chief. Joab seemed to have known that if he obeyed David’s command, Absalom would be spared and the threat to the kingdom would remain undeterred. So, he took matters into his own hands, which would result in a major rift between him and David.

Finally, this story contains an interesting side note that tells of Absalom having erected a monument to himself. That disclosure is unsurprising because there is ample evidence of Absalom’s pride throughout the narrative. But what is significant is Absalom’s stated reason for this act of seeming self-aggrandizement.

“I have no son to carry on my name.” – 2 Samuel 18:18 NLT

How could that be? According to 2 Samuel 14:27, Absalom had three sons and a daughter. What would possess him to declare that he had no son to carry on his name? Perhaps his sons had refused to follow in their father’s footsteps. There is the possibility that they had all died, or it could be that Absalom had erected the monument before his sons had been born. Whatever the case, Absalom left a lasting memorial to himself by erecting a monument that bore his own name.

When it comes to the life of David, nothing ever seems to be tidy and neat. He has a unique capacity to complicate even the most simple of scenarios. This scene is reminiscent of so many others in David’s life. It is so rife with complications and conflicts that is difficult to keep up with what is going on. The battle between David’s forces and those of Absalom, as significant as it was, is nothing compared to all the mini-conflicts taking place behind the scenes. David had specifically commanded that Absalom be spared. Yet Joab, the commander of his army and the one who had convinced David to allow Absalom to return to Jerusalem in the first place (2 Samuel 14) would disobey those orders.

Easily overlooked in all of this is the fact that more than 20,000 Israelites lost their lives that day. This had been a civil war, an internecine conflict between brothers. David lost a son, but as a result of his failure to deal with Absalom’s original sin against Amnon, David caused many Israelites to lose their fathers, sons, and brothers. There would be 20,000 other graves dug that day. There would be countless mothers, fathers, wives, brothers, and sisters, mourning the loss of a loved one. And all of this can be traced back to David’s sin with Bathsheba. Absalom would be the third son that David lost as a result of his moral indiscretion.

In Psalm 63, written while David was hiding in the wilderness, he penned the following words:

But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
    They will go down into the depths of the earth.
They will die by the sword
    and become the food of jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God.
    All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,
    while liars will be silenced. – Psalm 63:9-11 NLT

David believed in the vengeance of God, but it seems he had a hard time seeing it apply to his own son. His command to spare the life of Absalom does not reflect well on his leadership. But it does speak of his regret and recognition that all of this was his own fault. He remained reticent to punish Absalom. But his unwillingness to deal with the rebellion of Absalom would have set a dangerous precedence. He needed to reestablish his authority by demonstrating his willingness to punish all those who had dared to oppose him, including his own son.

But it took Joab’s disobedience to bring Absalom to justice. He did what David had refused to do. Joab was forced to go against the king’s wishes and risk the consequences, but he did the right thing. The rebellion was put to an end and its leader was eliminated. As a result, David’s reign over Israel was restored. But it should not be overlooked that David played no part in any of it. On Joab’s advice, David remained out of the conflict, safe and sound and free from any danger. Perhaps Joab had known that had David gone into battle, he would have spared the life of Absalom. So he recommended that David stay behind and David had readily agreed.

With all the twists and turns of this story, it would be easy to miss the sovereign hand of God in all that takes place. The events recorded in these verses are an expression of His divine will concerning Absalom and David. From God’s perspective, Absalom was a usurper of the throne; he had no right to claim the kingship of Israel. David was still the Lord’s anointed. Every phase of this convoluted story was part of God’s plan to deal with Absalom’s sin against Amnon. David may have been willing to overlook and forget what Absalom had done, but God was not. The rebellion of Absalom should have served as a wake-up call to David, demonstrating the danger of turning a blind eye toward sin. Absalom’s rebellion, while apparently successful, was destined to be short-lived, because it did not have God’s backing. It was simply a means by which God would repay Absalom while teaching David yet another vital lesson in justice.

As the story continues to unfold in the following chapters, we will see David weeping over the loss of Absalom. But we will not see him shed a single tear for the unnecessary loss of life that came as a result of Absalom’s rebellion. There will be no mention of the 10 concubines violated by Absalom on the palace rooftop. David will return to power but he will find himself ruling over a fractured and divided nation. His continual mourning over the loss of his son will send a confusing message to all those who fought on his behalf and helped restore him to power.

Absalom was dead, but the difficulties were far from over. David had his work cut out for him and, once again, it would take Joab to help David do the right thing. God would use this faithful friend to speak truth into David’s life, convicting and convincing him to do what God would have him do.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.