← Back to sermon library

Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel 15. 2 Samuel chapter 15. It's a long chapter, but it does all 
hold together, so we'll try and cover it all this evening. 2 Samuel 15, beginning in verse 
1. After this, it happened that 
Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses and 50 men 
to run before him. Now, Absalom would rise early 
and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone 
who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom 
would call to him and say, what city are you from? And he would 
say, your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel. Then 
Absalom would say to him, look, your case is good and right, 
but there is no deputy of the king to hear you. Moreover, Absalom 
would say, oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone 
who has any suit or cause would come to me, then I would give 
him justice. And so it was, whenever anyone 
came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand 
and take him and kiss him. In this manner, Absalom acted 
toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom 
stole the hearts of the men of Israel. Now it came to pass after 
40 years that Absalom said to the king, that reading should 
be four, and the margin in many of the ancient versions indicate 
that it's four. Now it came to pass after four 
years that Absalom said to the king, please let me go to Hebron 
and pay the vow which I made to the Lord. For your servant 
took a vow while I dwelt at Gesher in Syria, saying, if the Lord 
indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord. And 
the king said to him, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron. 
Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, 
As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall 
say, Absalom reigns in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred 
men invited from Jerusalem. And they went along innocently 
and did not know anything. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel, 
the Gileadite, David's counselor from his city, from Gilo, while 
he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong 
for the people with Absalom continually increased in number. Now a messenger 
came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are with 
Absalom. So David said to all his servants 
who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise and let us flee, or we 
shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he 
overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike 
the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's servants 
said to the king, We are your servants, ready to do whatever 
my lord the king commands. Then the king went out with all 
his household after him. But the king left ten women, 
concubines, to keep the house. And the king went out with all 
the people after him and stopped at the outskirts. Then all his 
servants passed before him, and all the Carathites, all the Pelathites, 
and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from 
Gath, passed before the king. Then the king said to the Gittite, 
why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king, 
for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. 
In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and 
down with us today? Since I go, I know not where. Return and take your brethren 
back. Mercy and truth be with you. But Ittai answered the king 
and said, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, 
surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in 
death or life, even there also your servant will be. So David 
said to Ittai, Go and cross over. Then Ittai, the Gittite, and 
all his men, and all the little ones who were with him, crossed 
over. And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the 
people crossed over. The king himself also crossed 
over the brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward 
the way of the wilderness. There was Zadok also, and all 
the Levites with him, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God. 
And they set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar went up until 
all the people had finished crossing over from the city. Then the 
king said to Zadok, Carry the ark of God back into the city. 
If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back 
and show me both it and His dwelling place. But if He says thus, I 
have no delight in you, here I am. Let Him do to me as seems 
good to Him. The king also said to Zadok the 
priest, are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and 
your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan the son 
of Abiathar. See, I will wait in the plains 
of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me. 
Therefore, Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to 
Jerusalem and they remained there. So David went up by the ascent 
of the Mount of Olives and wept as he went up. And he had his 
head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with 
him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up. 
Then someone told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators 
with Absalom. And David said, O Lord, I pray, 
turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Now it happened 
when David had come to the top of the mountain where he worshipped 
God, there was Hushai the archite coming to meet him with his robe 
torn and dust on his head. David said to him, if you go 
on with me, then you will become a burden to me. But if you return 
to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king, 
as I was your father's servant previously, so I will now also 
be your servant. Then you may defeat the council 
of Ahithophel for me. And do you not have Zadok and 
Abiathar, the priests, with you there? Therefore, it will be 
that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall tell 
to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Indeed, they have with them their 
two sons, Ahimaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. 
And by them you shall send me everything you hear. So Hushai, 
David's friend, went into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem. Amen. Well, the larger context 
is the last section of David's reign, or David's kingship. Specifically, we're in the section 
in chapters 9 to 20, which deal with the consequence of David's 
sin. In chapter 11, he commits adultery with Bathsheba, and 
he covers that adultery by committing murder of her husband Uriah. At chapter 12, Nathan the prophet 
comes to deal with David, and one of the things that the Lord 
God says through Nathan is found in chapter 12 at verse 10. God 
says, Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your 
house. because you have despised me and have taken the wife of 
Uriah, the Hittite, to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, 
I will raise up adversity against you from your own house, and 
I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your 
neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this 
son. So God would forgive David for having committed those sins. 
In fact, it says later on, the Lord also has put away your sin, 
verse 13. But nevertheless, there were 
consequences as a result of David's sin. And I think we could all 
testify, sin casts a long shadow over the lives of God's people. 
And the three things specifically that Yahweh says is that the 
sword will not depart, adversity will rise up against David from 
his own house, and that David's wives would be publicly violated 
and humiliated before all Israel. So we get to chapter 13 and we 
see that begin to be fleshed out. Amnon, the brother of Tamar, 
engages in incestual rape. He rapes Tamar, and then David 
does nothing about it. David's angry, he's upset, he 
doesn't like the fact that this occurred, but David is inactive 
with reference to this particular crime. So what Absalom does, 
their other brother, is wait for two long years. He bides 
his time, he harbors this anger and this vengeance, and ultimately 
he kills Amnon. At that point, Absalom, a lot 
of names to try and keep in our heads tonight, Absalom flees, 
he goes to Geshur, and then in chapter 14, Joab cooks up a particular 
scheme in order to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, which Absalom 
does. According to chapter 14, he returns, 
but David doesn't want to see him. David neglects to see him 
for two years. And then after that, Absalom, 
or we're introduced to Absalom at the end of chapter 14. You 
can review that because we are still sort of connected to this 
particular context. We notice Absalom is described 
in terms of his appearance. He's a stunningly handsome man. 
He's a gorgeous man. He's got long flowing hair. He's a beautiful specimen of 
a human being. He's got the wonderful family. It's as if the author is saying, 
behold your future king, and that will carry through chapter 
15. And then we see that he still has an anger problem. He burns 
down Joab's field in order to get a hearing with Joab. And 
then he and David meet in chapter 14 at verse 33. And as we saw 
last week, there's a bit of uneasiness in their meeting. If you notice 
in verse 33 of chapter 14, so Joab went to the king and told 
him, and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king 
and bowed himself on his face, to the ground before the king, 
then the king kissed Absalom. So there's two things here that 
give us that uneasy feeling. In the first place, Absalom bows 
himself on his face to the ground before the king. But if we know 
anything about the rest of the narrative, we'll know that he 
then becomes a usurper. He engages in a conspiracy to 
try and steal the crown away from David. So that is a disingenuous 
bow that Absalom renders to his father. But even from David's 
side, it says, then the king kissed Absalom. Not David, not 
his father, but the king. It was probably just a formal 
kiss that was done by the monarch to the subject. So that uneasiness 
that we feel in verse 33 is confirmed for us in chapter 15 when we 
see the rebellion of Absalom, who jockeys to try and steal, 
and successfully does steal the throne and the crown away from 
David, his father. So there are two broad points 
tonight in terms of chapter 15. First, the rebellion of Absalom, 
and secondly, the departure of David. So verses 1 to 12 lists 
or records for us the rebellion of Absalom, and it indicates 
first his strategy. Notice in verses 1 to 6. I mean, 
I think, again, we noticed this a bit last week when it described 
Absalom in terms of his appearance and his hair and of his family. akin to the political climate 
today. You see the man who's got the 
appearance. You see the man who's showcased by his beautiful family. 
And he's the one that's running for the high office. He's a piece 
of merchandise. He's showcasing his abilities. 
And the same thing happens here in verses 1 to 6 in terms of 
his strategy. Note first his royal image. Verse 
1, after this it happened that Absalom provided himself with 
chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him. So we see 
his appearance, we see his hair, we see his family, now we see 
his royal image. This is the language of royalty. 
First Kings 1.5, when Adonijah is trying to get to the throne, 
Adonijah does the very same thing. He multiplies horses, he multiplies 
runners, he multiplies chariots to go before him. What is the 
suggestion when persons in Israel see this sort of pomp and circumstance? They'll believe the king is coming. 
So you see what Absalom is doing. He not only has the appearance, 
the hair and the family, but he also has the image, he has 
the labeling, he has the goods in place to serve as the king. 
One man, Robert Alter, says all the vehicular pomp and circumstance, 
as other biblical references to chariots, horses and runners 
in conjunction with kings suggest, is a claim to royal status. The 
gestures of usurpation are undertaken in Jerusalem under David's nose. Yet the king, who has been described 
by the Techoite woman as knowing everything in the land, does 
nothing. It really is grieving to see 
what happens here on the part of Absalom to be sure but as 
well on the part of David as this king or rather this throne 
is taken from him. Now note as well his demagoguery. If you watch the news today you've 
probably heard that word. They're a demagogue and the word 
demagogue means a political leader who seeks support by appealing 
to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational 
argument. Well, that's Absalom. He's a 
demagogue and that's a whole host of other political figures 
as well that are in the climate today. I understand that, but 
we're dealing with Absalom. I think Absalom is prototypical 
of many that run for political office today. I'd like to recommend 
all of them to do a nice reading of 2 Samuel 14 and 15 and see 
if they can find themselves in these passages. But note the 
demagoguery employed by Absalom. Notice his presence at the gate 
to hear legal controversies, 2A. Now Absalom would rise early 
and stand beside the way to the gate. Now the gate of the city 
was where the business was conducted. The gate of the city was where 
the political leaders hung out. And so Absalom strategizes, he 
goes to the gate, he's there, he's an early riser in order 
to function as this demagogue. Notice his schmoozing of the 
people that he deals with. Notice in 2B. So it was, whenever 
anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that 
Absalom would call to him and say, what city are you from? 
And he would say, your servant is from such and such a tribe 
of Israel. I think this is Absalom trying 
to connect with every man in Israel. It would be akin to the 
prime minister saying, oh, you're from Chilliwack. I had a third 
cousin who once passed through Chilliwack. It's really near 
and dear to my heart. He doesn't really care one whit 
about Chilliwack, but he's schmoozing with the constituency. He wants to win them into his 
way of thinking. He wants to govern over them, 
and that is precisely what Absalom is doing here. Notice his promise 
of giving the people what they wanted, a promise he certainly 
could not make. 3A. that Absalom would say to 
him, look, your case is good and right. Oh, he doesn't know 
that. He hasn't heard the other side. 
He hasn't called for witnesses. He hasn't heard all the parties 
involved. He's telling the people what 
they want to hear. Make no mistake about it. Absalom 
is diabolical, but he's not dumb. Absalom is wicked, but he's not 
foolish. Absalom is laying the groundwork 
for the conspiracy that will follow. and he is doing it in 
a brilliant manner. I mean, diabolical brilliance, 
but brilliance nonetheless. He promises the people that they 
will indeed get what they want. As well, he criticizes the present 
regime. Notice in verse 3b. Well, 3 again. Then Absalom would 
say to him, look, your case is good and right, but There is 
no deputy of the king to hear you. You would certainly have 
victory in this particular verdict, but there's no deputy. The king's 
too busy. The king's too negligent. The 
king doesn't care about the people, which in some sense seems patently 
false, because in chapter 14, David hears the case of the woman 
from Tekoa. David hears that particular case 
and renders judgment regarding her particular situation. So 
Absalom is lying, and one of the ways that he does that is 
to undercut and criticize the present regime to create in the 
people dissension and disapproval of David. This is, again, brilliant, 
though diabolical. Note then, he desires to be a 
judge. You would have won the case for 
sure, but the king has no deputy to hear it. Oh, that I would 
be a judge. Doesn't this sound familiar? 
Doesn't this sound like the campaigns of today, promising to do everything 
for everybody without knowing all of the moving parts involved, 
and saying, well, if you'd only elect me, well then, everything 
would be absolutely fantastic again. We would indeed bring 
heaven down and glory would fill the soul. That's just not the 
case, but that is what he's doing. Moreover, Absalom would say, 
Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has 
any suit or cause would come to me, then I would give him 
justice. John Gill says, By which it appears 
that he had no office under the king, partly either because of 
his crime and so not thought fit, and partly because he appeared 
to be an ambitious, aspiring man, and so it was thought not 
safe to put him into any office. He's the actual last guy that 
you want to put into this kind of a position. It's the people 
that jockey for it, that have this craven desire for it, that 
most likely are not the best candidates. David, this reluctant 
or this shepherd boy that went out to deliver cheeses to his 
brothers on the battlefield, he is then called into service 
as the king of Israel. Remember, that's a theme throughout 
1 and 2 Samuel. God does not look the way that 
man looks. We look at the appearance, we 
look at the hair, we look at the family, we look at his political 
schmoozing. That's not what impresses God. 
God looks on the heart, according to 1 Samuel chapter 16. And then notice, his appearance 
as one of them, verse 5. And so it was, whenever anyone 
came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand 
and take him and kiss him. You get the idea of the, you 
know, again, the political figure visiting the farm and, you know, 
putting a piece of straw in his mouth and, you know, doing the 
cow thing there and just identifying with the constituency because 
he's your guy. You see the brilliance involved? 
It ought not to surprise us when we get later on in the chapter 
and he is engaged in a full-blown conspiracy to engage in dethroning 
the very king of Israel himself. Absalom is a wretch, but he's 
a very smart wretch in this instance. And then notice his success in 
stealing the hearts of the people, verse 6. In this manner, Absalom 
acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of 
the men of Israel. And I don't think he won them 
in the sense that they all agreed. It was by deception. It was through 
schmoozing. It was through working the crowd. It was through lying. It was 
through undercutting the present regime, his own father who had 
faithfully exercised justice and judgment in Israel. He gained 
their hearts, or he stole their hearts by subterfuge, and that 
lays the foundation for what follows. Van Hoy says, not only 
did Absalom challenge the royal military tradition with which 
his father David was linked, but he also sought to undermine 
the confidence of the people in David's competence as the 
chief legal officer in the land. He did this by working the crowds 
at the city gate of Jerusalem, schmoozing with everyone who 
came across his path. So that's his strategy, verses 
1 to 6. Notice his intention, still under the heading of the 
rebellion of Absalom. His intention in verses 7 to 
12. Note his vow in verses 7 to 8. He needs to get David on board 
with what he is doing, at least going to Hebron. And Hebron is 
a very key place for Absalom to launch this revolt. But notice 
in verse 7. It comes to pass after four years. I mentioned that the marginal 
reading here is accurate. Now, when I say that, I don't 
want you to think that the Bible contains mistakes. There are 
many, many, many, many manuscripts involved in what's called the 
textual tradition of the Scriptures. And in the margins, sometimes 
we have readings from other versions, and that doesn't mean that what 
we have printed or anywhere in the scripture is wrong. There's 
what's called textual variance, because when there's all these 
manuscripts, when the scribes went to copy, sometimes 4 turned 
into a 40. And that's probably what happened 
here, because 40 does not fit the context in terms of the numbers 
or in terms of the particular situation. So 4 is the better 
reading in this instance. So it comes to pass after four 
years that Absalom said to the king, please let me go to Hebron 
and pay the vow which I made to the Lord. Now this is just 
increased diabolicalness. I mean, this guy is on his way 
to commit conspiracy. This guy is on his way to usurp 
the very throne in Israel, and he has the gall to be talking 
about vows that he made to the Lord? He needs to get David to 
approve him to go to Hebron. That's the point. Verse 8, For 
your servant took a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, 
If the Lord indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will 
serve the Lord. Absalom's use of an act of religious 
worship to camouflage the skillful manipulation of his father speaks 
volumes about his devious and irreverent character. It's Vanoy 
again. I think he's absolutely right. 
To engage in evil is bad. But to do so in the name of God 
is absolute atrocity, and that's what he's doing here. He is telling 
David, I made a vow to Yahweh, and since he brought me back, 
I need to go and I need to serve the Lord. Now note the complicity 
of David here in verse 9. The king said to him, go in peace, 
so he arose and went to Hebron. Now, again, David's not being 
the sharpest tack in the drawer at this particular point, but 
I think as parents we sort of get the feeling, don't we? What 
melts a parent more than a child saying, but I just want to serve 
God? I mean, we're willing to believe 
that, aren't we? We're willing to go out on a 
limb for that. We're willing to cut them slack 
and the benefit of the doubt because there's no greater sound 
in the ears of a parent than to hear their son say, please 
let me go and fulfill the vow that I made to the Lord so that 
I may serve Him. You can put yourself in David's 
sandals at this particular point and realize that Yeah, that's 
probably what's driving him. He should have been more savvy, 
probably should have detected what was going on at the city 
gate, probably should have known more things at this particular 
time, but I can get it, I understand. I mean, this is a man that he 
loves. Even after Absalom meets his demise, what does David do? 
Oh, Absalom, Absalom, you got to remember the fact, David loves 
his children. Absalom is his son, and he has 
a love for him. And so this benefit of the doubt 
is granted, and he gives Absalom permission to go to Hebron. Now, 
Hebron was a great city for him to launch his political career. Remember, it was there that David 
began his reign over the entirety of both the northern and the 
southern tribes. As well, Absalom had been born 
there. Now, Hebron was about the middle 
of Judah. Judah would be very sympathetic 
or very pro-David. Sympathetic to or pro-David. So if Absalom is successful in 
Hebron and he gets those people on board, his biggest obstacle 
in terms of the tribes has already been won. In many respects, this 
is a brilliant move for Absalom. It was a risky move. He could 
have very well gone to Hebron and then say, no, you're not 
the king. King David is the king, but that's not how it worked 
because he continued to grease the wheels so that this political 
machine would move forward and he would secure the throne. So 
Hebron is the place that he goes. Now note the conspiracy in verses 
10 to 12. It says in verse 10, Absalom sent spies throughout 
all the tribes of Israel saying, as soon as you hear the sound 
of the trumpet, then you shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron. Brilliant, isn't it? Sent a bunch 
of people in before Absalom, and as soon as the trumpet sound, 
then everybody that he sent forward said, Absalom should reign. People 
get caught up in the furor of it all. They say, yeah, you're 
right, Absalom. He's the one that shows up early at the gate. 
He's the one that promises good verdicts. He's the one that has 
criticized this present regime. Yeah, let's see Absalom on the 
throne. Notice in verse 11, "...and with 
Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem. And they 
went along innocently and did not know anything." So at this 
point, they weren't involved in the conspiracy. Now Absalom's 
banking on the fact that when he reveals his hand, They are 
going to support him and serve him in this venture. And then 
this was a key part of it, verse 12. Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel, 
the Gilanite, David's counselor, from his city, from Delo, while 
he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, 
for the people with Absalom continually increased in number. This was 
a good win or a good get for Absalom to get Ahithophel because 
he was a wise man, he was one of David's counselors, and for 
him to come now on the side of Absalom would be very helpful 
in terms of his goals. Now note what the author says 
there specifically at the end of verse 12, the conspiracy grew 
strong. He doesn't acknowledge for a 
moment that this is righteous conduct. Remember, just because 
a biblical author records something, he's not necessarily recommending 
it. He recorded David's adultery 
with Bathsheba. That does not mean, go thou and 
do likewise. He recorded David's murder of 
Uriah. That does not mean, go thou and 
do likewise. He recorded incestual rape concerning 
Tamar. That does not mean go thou and 
do likewise. He recorded Absalom's murder 
of Amnon as a result of that. That does not mean go thou and 
do likewise. You need to understand that just 
because a biblical author records something, he's not recommending 
that action, or he's not commending that action, and here he's specifically 
signifying his disapproval by calling it a conspiracy. Van 
Hoy again says, the narrator's use of the term conspiracy indicates 
that he did not view Absalom's revolution as a popular uprising 
growing out of widespread dissatisfaction with David's rule. It wasn't 
the case that everybody said, yeah, David's terrible, Absalom, 
we really want you to lead us. That's not it. It was a conspiracy. 
It was a strategy that began very early on with his horses, 
his chariots and his runners, with him showing up at the city 
gate each and every day, with him working the crowd and making 
promises and criticizing the present regime. That's the conspiracy 
that he orchestrated, and it was indeed successful at this 
particular point. Now before we move on, we ought 
to notice that this is indeed a direct fulfillment of Nathan's 
promise, isn't it? In 2 Samuel 12, God said, the 
sword will never depart from your house, and I will raise 
up adversity against you from your own household. Absalom. So it's the sovereignty of God, 
but as well, Absalom is responsible for his wickedness. You need 
to keep in mind that particular situation that exists in biblical 
text. God is absolutely sovereign. 
Absalom is absolutely responsible. God is fulfilling his word, Absalom 
is engaged in abject wickedness. The engagement in abject wickedness 
is the means by which God's word is fulfilled. That happens in 
the scripture. Joseph was sold into slavery 
by his brothers. Joseph understood the sovereignty 
of God. He said, you meant this for evil, 
but God overruled it for good. Peter, preaching on the day of 
Pentecost in Acts 2.23, says that the people, the Jews, nailed 
Jesus to the cross. This happened according to the 
predetermined plan of God. But he calls theirs lawless hands. So the sovereignty of God does 
not erase the responsibility of man. Hyper-Calvinism is not 
taught in scripture. God is absolutely sovereign. 
Man is always a responsible agent. We need to recognize that. We 
need to see it here because ultimately Absalom will be cut off in his 
sin for having rebelled against the living God. You see such 
a thing in Isaiah 10. God uses Assyria as the means 
by which he chastens the northern tribes. Then they get proud and 
arrogant, so God brings judgment to bear upon Assyria. That is 
God. He is sovereign. He is exalted. 
He is most high. And this chapter, my brothers 
and sisters, demonstrates that sovereign God in a pretty powerful 
way, and we ought not to miss it. Now let's notice the departure 
of David. several things here. First, the 
plan to depart from Jerusalem, verses 13 to 18. They report 
back to David, verse 13, a messenger came to David saying, the hearts 
of the men of Israel are with Absalom. As a father, I wonder 
how he responded. Oh, that should be devastating. 
But he said he was going to Hebron to fulfill a vow to serve the 
Lord. He didn't say he was going to Hebron to commit conspiracy 
and to dethrone the reigning king of Israel. This was high 
treason. This was not just an affront 
to David as the king, but it was an affront to David as a 
dad. You just don't do that, son. You don't engage in that 
sort of usurpation. You don't do that in Israel, 
because the kingdom of God is visibly represented by the nation 
of Israel, and to do that is to commit treason against the 
living and true God. So notice David's response in 
verses 14 to 18. He makes a decision to flee from 
Jerusalem. This was kindness on David's 
part. David did love Jerusalem. It was central in Israel. It 
was the location where the Ark of the Covenant was. Later he'll 
send the Ark of the Covenant back there, but notice specifically 
what he says at the end of verse 14. make haste to depart, lest 
he overtake us suddenly, and bring disaster upon us, and strike 
the city with the edge of the sword." David didn't want Jerusalem 
to become the site of a battle against Absalom. David didn't 
want to see countless persons get put to death as a result 
of this particular situation. So David makes the decision to 
flee. And Gil makes this observation, he says, it is much that a man 
of such courage and valor as David should be so intimidated 
at once as to make a flight as soon as he heard of a conspiracy 
forming against him. That is interesting because the 
David in his youth. Well, David did flee into the 
wilderness from Saul, but this is a bit of a different circumstance. 
I think Gil is right there. It is an interesting situation 
to see a man of such courage and valor to flee as soon as 
he hears this conspiracy. Note the palace guard attends 
with him, verse 15. They are identified in verse 
18. The Karathites, the Palathites, and all the Gittites. We have 
met them previously. Palace guard, bodyguards, personal 
security for David, king of Israel. So they flee with him. And then 
notice in verse 16. Again, you've got to recall the 
promise in 2 Samuel 12, 10 and 11. Remember what God said. There 
were three aspects in terms of consequence. I'd love to not 
be taped right now so I could ask everybody if you're paying 
attention. One, the sword will not depart from your house. Two, 
adversity will come against you from your own house. And three, 
your wives will be violated. They will be humiliated publicly 
before Israel. What does David do here? He leaves 
ten concubines back at his house. Guess who's going to violate 
them publicly? It's going to be Absalom. David 
doesn't know it in this particular instance, but God's sovereignty 
is over all things, and David is indeed doing something here. Verse 16, the king went out with 
all his household after him, but the king left 10 women, concubines, 
to keep the house. gill notes, not to defend it, 
which they were unable to do, but to look after the household 
goods and furniture, that they were not damaged by the conspirators, 
though one would think they could be of little service and may 
wonder what he should leave them behind for. But this seems to 
be ordered by the overruling providence of God, to bring about 
what was threatened him. And it is much he had not thought 
of it, and it is much he had not thought of it, but it was 
hid from his eyes that it might be fulfilled." You see, sovereignty 
works in and through providence, and so David leaves these ten 
concubines behind. And as Gil says, it's hid from 
his eyes that the word of God may be fulfilled. So verses 17 
and 18 begin to indicate their movement out of the city. And 
then we see the plan to depart from Jerusalem. Notice under 
the departure of David, secondly, the encouragement of Ittai the 
Gittite. I know that's kind of an interesting 
name, Ittai the Gittite. It has just a flow from the tongue. Ittai the Gittite's a champ. 
If you didn't get that during the reading, you should have 
gotten that. Why does God send us Ittites to Gittites in these 
kinds of situations? Because God loves us. This is 
a difficult time for David. He just found out that his son 
Absalom has committed treason against Yahweh, king of Israel. 
He has found out that a subject in his kingdom, Absalom, has 
committed treason against his own position. He has found out 
that there is a multitude of persons that have willingly complied 
with and joined this conspiracy and are hailing Absalom, the 
new king of Israel. He's got great hair after all, 
he's got a beautiful family, he's gorgeous in appearance, 
and he has those chariots and those horses and these runners, 
and he makes promises to us, and he's going to make Israel 
great again. He's a wonderful specimen of 
a human being. So David has found all this out. 
David is now departing from Jerusalem. David is probably down in the 
dumps, wouldn't you say? I mean, we go through trials 
that are, you know, a hairbreadth compared to what David is going 
through in this passage. And so what does God do? He uses 
an Ittai the Gittite, a Philistine no less, a man from a country 
that is a sworn enemy against Israel, but a man who had defected 
to the service of David, and even more importantly, the service 
of Yahweh. What kind of a boon and what 
kind of a help to David's faith do you imagine that this would 
have been at this very difficult time? He hears on the one hand 
that Ahithophel, a trusted counselor, is now serving Absalom. Everybody 
that he knows and loves has basically left him and now this This foreigner, 
this pagan, this heathen, this Philistine shows utter devotion 
to him. Notice in verse 19, the king 
said to Ittai the Gittai, why are you also going with us? Note 
the next phrase, return and remain with the king. David, you are the king. Not 
this point. Absalom, David acknowledges, 
not because he sees him as the rightful and lawful king, not 
because he says, well, we owe him homage, but he is deferring 
to Ittai. What David is doing is consistent 
with the Levitical law. You're supposed to be kind to 
the sojourner. You're supposed to be kind to 
the pilgrim. You're supposed to be kind to the stranger in 
Israel. And David is demonstrating that in manifold kindness. No, don't follow me, Ittai. Go 
back and return to the king. Again, not acknowledging that 
Absalom is the rightful king, but using that language. I'll 
read a quote from Alter. He says, excuse me, specifically 
with reference to the statement. He says, this designation, referring 
to him as the king, of the usurping son would be especially painful 
for David to pronounce, to say return or remain with the king. 
But he does it in order to try to persuade Ittai that he should 
cast his fate with the person exercising the power of king. Note what David goes on to say 
in verse 19, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own 
place. In fact, you came only yesterday. I mean, think about this, Ittai, 
you know, makes the decision to move his family and to bring 
them to Israel subject to King David and ultimately to King 
Yahweh. He comes on one day and the very 
next day there's a conspiracy to take the throne away from 
David. You can understand David's heart. I mean, he says to Ittai, 
just go, remain with the present king, because you shouldn't go 
through all of this. You shouldn't be upset by all 
of this. You shouldn't be put out like 
this. You've done a noble thing in 
coming here, but you don't need to follow me out into the wilderness. 
So you can see the heart of David. But notice the response of Ittai. 
Verse 20, well actually back in verse 20, in fact, you came 
only yesterday, should I make you wander up and down with us 
today, since I know not where, return and take your brethren 
back, mercy and truth be with you. Literally, Chesed, may God's 
steadfast love be with you. Now note what Ittai says, he 
answers the king and said, as the Lord lives and as my lord 
the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall 
be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant 
will be. I have to believe that David 
had a smile at this particular point. Absalom, his own son, 
has stolen the throne from him. Ahithophel, his own counselor, 
has gone to join the conspiracy. Everybody around him has left. He is departing with his faithful, 
the palace guard, but he's on his way into the wilderness, 
and this man sounds like Ruth to Naomi, doesn't he? It's the 
same language. I will follow to death. I will 
be with you, David. You see, brethren, God does that 
for us. He gives us ittis in the midst 
of our suffering. I don't wanna psychologize and 
get all Joel Osteen on you, but this is an observation that you 
need to appreciate. There are ittis in your life 
that the Lord will give you when you need an itti in your life. 
Ittai the Gittite was there for David, and this statement showed 
his allegiance to the king, and this was a boost and a boon to 
King David of Israel. Now notice, David then says, 
go ahead, you can come with us. When he hears that kind of devotion, 
you're not going to be happy anywhere else. You come with 
us. And then verse 23, the concern of the people for David. These 
were the ones obviously sympathetic toward him. And all the country 
wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The 
king himself also crossed over the brook Kidron, and all the 
people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness. The Lord 
Jesus would cross that brook as well. Now notice, the conference 
with Zadok the priest, verses 24 to 29. We'll move a little 
bit quicker in this particular section because many verses speak 
to one particular thing. Essentially, what David does 
in this particular instance is to call the priests to take the 
ark back to Jerusalem. Notice, verse 24, there was Zadok 
also and all the Levites with him. So the Levites are there, 
they're bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God. Remember, the 
Ark of the Covenant of God was that box that God describes as 
his footstool, and inside that box were certain things. Now, 
this was not the actual presence of God, but it was a visible 
representation of the presence of God. And so where that box 
was in terms of the temple or the tabernacle of the temple, 
that's where Israel went to worship. It was kept in the Holy of Holies. 
The high priest went in there one day on the Day of Atonement 
to sprinkle blood of atonement on that particular Ark of the 
Covenant. It symbolized Yahweh's presence 
with his people. And so David sees the Ark, and 
he tells them specifically in verse 25, he says to Zadok, carry 
the Ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the 
eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and show me both it and 
his dwelling place. So David, concerned about the 
Ark of the Covenant, David, concerned about the centrality of Jerusalem 
as the place of worship, tells Zadok and the Levites to take 
the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. Now we need to 
remember something. I'm asking those of you who have 
been here through 1 Samuel to think back to 1 Samuel chapter 
4. There was an instance, I'll just 
give you the gist of it. There was a time when the Philistines 
battled against Israel and Israel lost. And Israel had this brainy 
idea, why don't we just take the Ark of the Covenant with 
us and then we'll win the battle. So they thought if they trotted 
the Ark of the Covenant out, then they would most certainly 
win the battle. They treated the Ark of the Covenant as if 
it was a holy horseshoe. They treated the Ark of the Covenant 
as if it was a holy four-leaf clover. They treated the Ark 
of the Covenant as if it were a lucky charm, and that if we 
bring it into battle, then most certainly we will win the Philistines. 
You know what happens? The Philistines win and take 
the Ark away from them. God will not be mocked. He is 
not going to let you try and manipulate him and think that 
if you take this box into battle, you're going to win. David's 
attitude here is markedly different. He does not have that superstition. 
He is not treating the ark as a holy horseshoe. He does not 
think that its presence with him will secure his return. Notice 
in verses 25 and 26, he casts himself upon the sovereignty 
of God Most High. He says, carry the ark of God 
back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of 
the Lord, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling 
place. But if He says thus, I have no 
delight in you, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to 
Him. You see, that's beautiful faith, 
isn't it? That's trust in the sovereignty 
of God. That's putting our money where 
our mouth is. That's putting up. That's doing 
what we're supposed to do. Casting ourselves into the lap 
of divine sovereignty is where God's people ought to be. Davis comments here. He says, 
David says his restoration, should there be such, does not depend 
on whether he has Yahweh's furniture, but on whether he has Yahweh's 
favor. all rests on grace. He submits 
to Yahweh's sovereign sway. Yahweh will show grace or He 
will not delight in me. Should it be the latter, here 
I am. Let Him do to me as seems good 
to Him. No gimmicks, no superstitions, no rabbit foot religion, no conning 
God by pilfering the ark. This is not weak resignation 
but robust submission. I think that's beautiful. It's 
not weak resignation, but robust submission. Take the ark back 
to Jerusalem. I'm not going to treat it as 
if it's some lucky charm. I'm going to cast myself into 
the lap of divine sovereignty, and wherever this shakes out, 
it is His will that is to be done. That's beautiful. Matthew 
Henry says this, this is something you ought to put in your mind 
and heart. That we may not complain of what is, let us see God's 
hand in all events. And that we may not be afraid 
of what shall be, let us see all events in God's hands. Man, that's great. We need to 
think that way. We need to get that in our minds. 
We need to be a David. David, for all his faults, in 
this section, 9 to 20, nevertheless, he is a man after God's own heart, 
he is a man of faith. Notice the use of informants. 
This is beautiful. The sovereignty of God does not 
mean you act like an idiot. I find this sometimes. I'm trusting 
in the sovereignty of God, so who's going to lay here? No, 
that's not what David does. Cromwell was right, pray and 
keep your powder dry. Where did he get that? He got 
it from men like David. David trusts in the sovereignty 
of God, take the ark back to Jerusalem, I'm in the hands of 
the living God, however it shakes out, may his will be done. But 
Zadok and Abiathar, your two sons are going to be out there 
with you. You can keep me apprised of what's going on. David's not 
gonna let this rebellion stand. David is the rightful king of 
Israel. And when a usurper takes the 
throne, David will put it down. David is a man after God's own 
heart. David, in this instance, is a 
man after God's own throne. And so he tells Zadok and Abiathar, 
use your sons. I will wait in the plains, verse 
28, of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." 
Therefore, Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to 
Jerusalem and they remained there. Now, sovereignty does not diminish 
David's intelligence. Sovereignty is not to diminish 
your intelligence. Sovereignty is the ground upon 
which we use our noggin. Davis says, this activity is 
not a bit inconsistent with the statement of verses 25 and 26. 
It only demonstrates that complete submission to God's sovereignty 
still permits you to use your head, to work actively, but without 
the idolatry. You do it without the feverish 
anxiety of having to play God. Now, in this latter section, 
we see another display of this. It's again, just beautiful. Verses 
30 and 31. David laments, the people lament, 
and David prays. Look it. David went up by the 
ascent of the Mount of Olives. Who else does that? David's greater 
son, doesn't he? And what does David, the first, 
do when he goes up to this Mount of Olives? He weeps. so will 
David's greater son. Now David weeps over the fact 
that he has been rejected. David's greater son is going 
to weep over the ones who ultimately reject him. So there is consistency, 
there is typical significance, but remember, in a type, it's 
not an exact correspondence. The type and the anti-type don't 
always exactly correspond. At any rate, notice specifically. 
David goes up, he wept as he went up, and he had his head 
covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with 
him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up. Now, notice. Gil says, thinking 
perhaps, why is he weeping? Thinking perhaps of the wickedness 
and rebellion of his son, of his own hard case, to be obliged 
to quit his metropolis and palace and to make his flight afoot, 
and perhaps also of his own sins, which were the cause of his calamities. 
I suspect that was part of the tears as well. But notice this 
prayer in verse 31. Then someone told David, saying, 
Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And now David prays 
or says, O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into 
foolishness. David penned Psalm 3 on this 
very occasion. The subscription in Psalm 3 reads, 
A psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son. Now, most 
likely, as David prayed this, and as David penned this psalm, 
knowing David, he probably sang it as well. I mean, that's what 
the psalms were all about. It's God's songbook. We're supposed 
to sing psalms. David is praying. David is singing 
psalms of praise to God. And the specific emphasis here 
is, O Lord, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Again, he doesn't want to see 
the conspiracy of Absalom succeed. He doesn't want to see the usurpation 
of the rightful king of Israel. Now, notice in verses 32 to 37, 
God's answer to prayer. David prays, and then Hushai 
the Archite shows up. This is an answer to prayer. 
Guess who God's going to use to defeat the council of Ahithophel? It's Hushai the Archite. So note 
the connection here. We pray to God, Lord God Almighty, 
defeat the council of Ahithophel. Then we don't go lay on the couch. 
We don't go lay on the backyard. We take action, right? When we pray, we ought to then 
act as we pray. Owen says it this way, he who 
prays as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays. So Hushai 
the archite shows up and he wants to join along with David. And 
David says to him in verse 33, if you go on with me, then you 
will become a burden to me. Probably because Hushai was old 
or because Hushai would be another mouth to feed. I mean, you're 
running out into the wilderness. Every mouth eats food. So, you 
know, Hushai, you'd do me better service by going to Absalom and 
telling him that you were my former friend and counselor. 
The friend here probably signifies that friend of a king in terms 
of a counselor. So David says, Hushai, go to 
Absalom and commit yourself to him and then in time you will 
have opportunity to thwart the council of Ahithophel. So he 
prays defeat the council of Ahithophel and then he acts consistently 
with that. You see sovereignty or rather 
prayer and action go hand in hand. It's not prayer and inaction, 
it's not prayer and then cease and desist, it's not prayer and 
then go lay down, it's prayer and then labor by the grace of 
God to carry out those things that are supposed to be carried 
out. That's the emphasis in this particular instance. God answers 
David's prayer by sending Hushai the Archite in response to this 
specific petition. The action is consistent with 
David's prayer. He has this plan to defeat the 
council of Ahithophel, verses 33 and 34. Notice as well there's 
already an intelligent structure in place because of what he said 
to Zadok previously. Look at how the chapter gels 
together Look at how it all flows together. He's got the two sons 
of the priests already, according to verses 27 and 28, to feed 
him information. So here, specifically in verses 
35 and 36, he says, And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar, 
the priests, with you there? Therefore, it will be that whatever 
you hear from the king's house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar 
the priests. Indeed, they have there with 
them their two sons, Ahimaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's 
son, and by them you shall send me everything you hear. You see 
the wisdom of David to put down this rebellion. He uses Hushai, 
who was an answer to prayer by God Himself, to go and thwart 
the counsel of Ahithophel. We will see that that comes to 
pass absolutely as it has been purposed and prayed for in this 
particular chapter. So Hushai complies, essentially 
arrives in Jerusalem at the same time as Absalom and that sets 
the stage for later chapters. So just a couple of thoughts 
before we close. First, the political savvy of 
Absalom. We mentioned this last week. 
It bears repeating that we are not to be wooed and we are not 
to be won by men who look good. Remember, God's not about men 
who look good are necessarily disqualified. David was ruddy, 
David was handsome. It's not God saying you've got 
to be horrifically ugly in order to be a good political leader. 
No, that's not legit and that's not right, but there's more to 
being a political leader than being gorgeous. having long hair, 
or having the beautiful family, or having this political savvy 
at the city gates. Men need to be men of principle. Men need to fear God. This is 
precisely what Moses is told in the book of Exodus in terms 
of leaders that he is to choose. It is the fear of God. It is 
a commitment to justice, a commitment to righteousness and to equity. Those are the sorts of men that 
we are to choose for political office, not the ones who promise 
us things that they most likely can never deliver. Again, just 
that brief survey of what Absalom is doing at the city gate. There's 
no possible way he can deliver all these promises. And there's 
no possible way he can say to a man, oh, your case is sound, 
your case is good, and you're going to win, without having 
to herd the other side. What's a primary emphasis in 
Proverbs 18, 17? He who answers a matter before he hears it, 
it is folly and shame to him. Proverbs 18 as well, it says 
that the first to plead his cause seems right until his neighbor 
comes and examines him. That's actually 18, 17. The other 
one's in 18-something. I can't remember the actual verse 
there. But it's folly and shame to answer 
a matter before we hear it, and it's a folly and shame to hear 
one person's side of a story and not get both sides. So the 
political savvy of Absalom. You can see why it worked. Sinners 
gravitate toward gorgeous men with long hair and beautiful 
families. But principled men want men like 
David, king of Israel, men who fear God, men who do what they're 
supposed to do for the glory of God. As well, in this passage 
we see two encouragements to David's faith. Two encouragements 
to David's faith, and they both come in men. Hittite, the Gittite, 
and Hushite, the Archite. Right? How does God encourage 
us? I mean, we come to our Bibles, He encourages us with Scripture, 
to be sure. He encourages us in our times 
of prayer. He encourages us in our corporate place of worship. 
But He also encourages us along the way with brothers and sisters 
who come and give us that Hittite moment or that Hushite moment. 
Hittite, the Gittite, was a shining light in this particular chapter. Davis says, Ittai is an island 
of fidelity in a sea of treachery. The irony is clear. David's own 
son, whom he had loaded with undeserved kindness, was conspiring 
against him, while this stranger who owed him nothing in comparison 
was risking everything in his cause. And one wonders if our 
writer intends to contrast Ittai, the faithful Philistine, with 
Ahithophel, the treacherous Israelite. And then as well, we see the 
encouragement in terms of Hushai the archite. David prays, oh 
Lord, turn the council of Ahithophel into foolishness. And Hushai 
shows up. It's beautiful, isn't that what 
God does? We pray and God answers our prayers. Do we ever stop 
and think, Wow, he just answered what I was praying. Now, he doesn't 
always just answer, you know, a moment later, but the answer 
is as real a year later, and we should be just as kind, or 
just as quick, rather, to thank him and to praise him and to 
glorify him. It's not the timing involved 
that necessitates praise, it's the answer that necessitates 
the praise. And then, as well, we see the 
sovereignty of God, as I've already mentioned. The events transpire 
according to God's word through Nathan, but Absalom is responsible 
for his wickedness. The events provoke David to cast 
himself upon the sovereignty of God. Verses 25 and 26 are 
the high point in this chapter. When David says, if he says thus, 
I have no delight in you, here I am, let him do to me as seems 
good to him. That's how you know a genuine 
believer, isn't it? Somebody who's content in whatever 
my God ordains and he understands that it's right. We cast ourselves 
into the hand of God, trusting that He will do what He will 
do for His glory and for our good. It's a Romans 8.28 mindset. 
Verses 25 and 26 of 2 Samuel 15 are Romans 8-28. I mean, we 
as believers feed on Romans 8-28. I think we as believers need 
to feed more on the 2 Samuel 15-26s. We need to understand 
that God's people have indeed tried and proven their God, and 
He has shown faithful every step of the way. And the events continually 
promote the worship of David to God. What's he doing when 
he's fleeing from Absalom, writing Psalm 3? I have to tell you, 
if I was chased out of my habitation and I'm fleeing in the wilderness, 
my interest is shelter, food, and clothing. I must confess. David's writing Psalms, David's 
praising God, David's praying for God's intervention, and God 
the Lord sends him Hushai the Archite. And then I mentioned 
the typical significance of David. Again, Davis nails this. He says, 
admittedly, David is suffering for his sins, chapter 12, verses 
10 to 12, but he is nevertheless the rightful king. But the rightful 
king has been rejected and plods up the Mount of Olives weeping. 
The scene will be repeated. The descendant of David, the 
rightful king, according to 2 Samuel 7, will be seen on the Mount 
of Olives, Luke 19.37. And he will be weeping, Luke 
19.41-44. Not so much, excuse me, over 
his rejection as over the doom of those who have rejected him. Well, let us close in prayer. 
Our Father, we thank You for this, Your Word. We thank You 
for the lessons that we can learn from it. Help us, God, to walk 
by faith. Help us to trust in Your absolute 
sovereignty. And help us, God, to be encouraged 
by the Ittai's and the Hushai's that You put into our lives, 
the friends that help us along in the answers to prayer that 
you give to us. God, may we have theological 
minds and eyes to see these things for what they are. Blessings 
from on high to encourage the faith of your weary pilgrims. 
Go with us now, we pray, and we ask through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen.