Lesson 15:
A Friend in Need
or
The Trail of Tears
(2 Samuel 15:13 --16:23) Introduction
When I was growing up, my parents bought an old fishing resort which the original owners had homesteaded, and my father named the resort, “Pioneer Park.” My folks had a great number of friends over the years, but once they owned a place on the lake, the number of “friends” seemed to increase. Normally, a nominal fee was charged for a family to come to our resort to swim, picnic, use our restroom facilities (outhouses), and build a fire in our outdoor stoves (using firewood I helped cut, haul, and stack). Every once in a while a car would drive in, and rather than pay the 50 cents admission we charged, they would say: “We really just wanted to get to know you better. . . .” The kids all had their swim suits on, picnic supplies were in the car, and sometimes they had already launched their boat at the state access next door (to avoid the small fee for launching it at our place).
We all have “friends,” as well as true friends. The one thing which always seems to separate the first from the last is adversity. When things get tough, “friends” get going. In our text, we see some of David's “friends,” and some of his true friends. The adversity he faces makes the distinction between these two kinds of friends very clear.
You may remember that David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, led to the added sin of the murder of Uriah. After God prepared David's heart for rebuke (see Psalm 32:3-4), Nathan approached David with a heart-rending story, one which stirred David's emotions and prompted him to condemn the guilty party. Nathan then indicted David for his sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah, assuring him he would not die for his sin had been taken away, but telling him some of the painful consequences his sin would bring about:
10 '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.' 11 “Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.”' 13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14 “However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:10-14).
David son has already died, his daughter Tamar has been raped by her brother, Amnon, and Amnon has been murdered by Absalom. Absalom fled for asylum with his grandfather, the king of Geshur. Absalom remained in Geshur for about two years, until Joab deceptively compelled David to bring his son back to Jerusalem. David seems to have kept his son under house arrest until Absalom would have no more of it, and he finally was given freedom to go about Jerusalem. During this period of relative freedom, Absalom turned the hearts of the Israelites away from David and toward himself. Having done so, he obtained permission from David to go to Hebron, ostensibly to fulfill a vow, but in truth to initiate his rebellion against David and claim the kingdom as his own.
When we come to our text, word comes to David that the people's allegiance has turned to Absalom, and that a full-scale rebellion is about to occur. It is at this point that David decides to flee from Jerusalem, along with many of his followers. Just who will be numbered among his followers who accompany him (and who will remain behind in Jerusalem) will be determined by whether or not they are true friends of David.
Our Approach in this Lesson
I believe the author has indicated his organizational structure in this portion of Scripture, and that it is both chronological and geographical. When David flees from Jerusalem, he will head to the north and west. He will go as far as the wilderness, on the western side of the Jordan River, and there he will await word concerning Absalom's plans. When he learns that Absalom will pursue and attack, David crosses the Jordan and heads farther north. The structure of our text is arranged according to stops David makes on his way from Jerusalem to the wilderness. The first scene is in Jerusalem, where David gets the report from Hebron and makes the decision to flee. Likewise, the last scene is in Jerusalem, where Absalom has arrived, and where he possesses David's ten concubines who have been left behind. The second scene is at “the last house,” as David is leaving Jerusalem. The third is at the brook Kidron, and the fourth is on the ascent of the Mount of Olives. The fifth scene takes place just over the summit of the Mount of Olives, and the sixth at Bahurim. At each place, there will be an encounter with a “friend” or a true friend of David.
13 Then a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” 14 David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 Then the king's servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” 16 So the king went out and all his household with him. But the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
A messenger comes to David with a report he is not eager to hear: “The hearts of the people are with Absalom.” I suspect it is a message David dreaded would come sooner or later. He cannot be ignorant of the way Absalom is undermining his reign as king and setting himself up as David's replacement. David does not doubt or dispute the report. In fact, David even admits that if they do not flee immediately, Absalom will not only attack the city of Jerusalem, but will kill the king and any of his followers.
Notice that the messenger's report, as conveyed to the reader, does not indicate that Absalom has already “blown the trumpet,” declaring himself king (see 15:10). Neither is it said that Absalom is actually marching on the city. But it is apparent that this is assumed. If it has not already happened, it will happen very soon. This is the time to act.
David reluctantly accepts the report and acts on it. His servants tell him they are ready to do whatever he commands. I take it this would include defending David and Jerusalem from Absalom's attack. But instead of giving the order to prepare for battle, David gives the order to prepare to flee from Jerusalem. Here is the man who did not hesitate to stand up to Goliath when no one else was willing to do so, including Saul himself. Here is the man who, when insulted by Nabal (1 Samuel 25), was provoked to anger, and set out to kill this man and every male member of his household. Why is David so eager to flee rather than to fight?
The first thing we should understand is that in fleeing from Jerusalem, David has not indicated his intention to abdicate the throne. This is why he leaves ten concubines behind, to “keep the house” (15:16). He is leaving town, but he is not leaving his throne. Absalom may seize it, but this will not be because David has handed in his resignation. The concubines are a symbol of David's continuing reign over Israel.
There are a number of reasons David makes the decision to flee, even though he will not abdicate. First, David knows that God will bring about troubles in his kingdom, from within his own family. If the rebellion of Absalom is a part of the divine discipline he has brought upon himself, David is not sure whether he should resist it. If this is of God, will David be fighting against God to fight against this rebellion? David clearly indicates his intention to wait until he has a sense of certainty about what he should do:
25 The king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the LORD, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. 26 “But if He should say thus, 'I have no delight in you,' behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” 27 The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 “See, I am going to wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me” (2 Samuel 15:25-28).
Furthermore, David may be concerned about the welfare of those who dwell in Jerusalem. Will he be placing them in danger by staying behind and fighting to defend the city? From Psalm 51:18, one might conclude that the walls of Jerusalem were not completed, thus making it more difficult to defend at this point in time. Finally, we know that David loves Absalom. He does not want to precipitate a fight with him because he does not wish to kill him (see 2 Samuel 18). Why start a fight you are not willing to win? Absalom is ready and willing to kill David, and others if necessary; David is not willing to kill Absalom. And so it is that David chooses flight over a fight.
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