Ambition to be King (Absalom)

Introduction

Good Morning Church...

So next week in anticipation of Easter we will begin a series called “The Cross in Four Words” where we will look at what this symbol that the Christian Church has plastered all over it’s walls and lifted high on it’s steeple really symbolizes and why it is not just a part of the Christian faith, but essential to it. Then after Easter we will come back to our Kings & Kingdoms series that we are in today.

Orientation

Last week we saw from later in King David’s life a recurring theme for the books of Samuel and that is trouble with the children of the leaders of the Kingdom of Israel. Early on we saw this in the sons of Eli the priest, then the sons of Samuel the prophet and now also the sons of David the king.

And last week we saw how David’s sins against Uriah and his family were re-visited on him through the sinful decisions of his sons. One of David’s sons took a woman who was out of bounds for him and then another one killed him for it.

And the final scene of last weeks chapter in this sordid drama has King David answering an ultimatum of his murderous son Absalom. Absalom demands that David either fully welcome him back as a son of the King, or kill him for his sin. It was “accept me or execute me” but don’t leave me to live out my days without rank or status. And we left chapter 14 with these words:

2 Samuel 14:33b (ESV)

33 ... So he (Absalom) came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

And this appears to show the reconciliation of David and Absalom, but appearances can be deceiving as Chapter 15 bears out. Absalom was not fully reconciled to his father the King, but instead he works to set himself up as a rival King in the same Kingdom.

Which highlights the biggest theme that we have uncovered in this series and that is: Wherever you find 2 Kings in the same kingdom… it always means war.

Tension

And for most of us, a land of “Kings and Kingdoms” seems like only a distant reality. It provides a colorful backdrop to stories of ancient history or to whimsical fairy tales about the handsome prince who rescues the beautiful princes… so we can sometimes struggle to see a lot of direct application to our lives today.

But as Christians, there are very important applications to be found here. While we may not often use the label “King” to describe our relationship with Jesus, we certainly could. And in fact, many of us do it without realizing it because every time we say “Jesus is Lord” or open our prayers with “Lord Jesus...” we are like Absalom bowing before Jesus as our King.

These are not empty words. These are titles meant to define our relationship with Jesus, claiming that we have given Him authority over our lives as our King… but sometimes we are more like Absalom than we care to think about.

Because there are many ways in which Absalom’s rebellion against his Father the King resembles ways in which we have treated our heavenly Father. There are times when we, like Absalom, have set ourselves up as a rival king over our heavenly Father even after we bowed before him and recieved his loving embrace.

We may not be wearing the crowns, but still there is a lot for us to learn from Absalom’s story today. We we see how we are most like him when even after we have declared Jesus the LORD of our lives, we conspire against him in our own selfish ambition.

So with that, open you Bibles with me to 2 Samuel Chapter 15, I will stop and pray and we will dive into this text together.

Truth

The title for the message for today is “Ambition to be King” because Absalom was driven by his ambition to become King.

The English form of this word came from the Latin word “ambitio” literally meaning to “go around, especially to solicit votes”. We are going to see how fitting this is for our text today, not to mention how fitting it is for our current season of political action in our nation.

But it is interesting to note that even though we often use the word “ambition” in neutral or even positive ways today, originally is was primarily used in a derogatory way as more of an insult. As though you were the kind of person whose character, accomplishments and reputation would not stand on it’s own so you had to go convince people to follow you. You have to talk them into it.

And this is a two step process, a “one-two punch” if you will… done by first of all demeaning the character, accomplishments and reputation of the one that they naturally trusted and then talking up your own character, accomplishments and reputation. Again, the political process in our nation comes to mind… with the onslaught of advertisements beginning to fill our mailboxes and commercial breaks.

And we can see how this is exactly what Absalom does in his selfish ambition. Verse 6 summarizes his actions well with these words:

2 Samuel 15:6 (ESV)

6 So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Because to steal someone’s heart is very different from having it given to you. To do that you have to “win” the hearts of the people through your good character, accomplishments and reputation. But since Absalom didn’t have any of that, he went this other way. The way of SELFISH AMBITION and this is how he did it.

2 Samuel 15:1 (ESV)

1 After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

The first thing you have to do if you are going to steal the hearts of a group of people is to...

1. Make yourself look good, not be good (2 Samuel 15:1)

We know already that Absalom has a reputation as a pretty boy, he is one handsome looking dude, but now he wants to add something more to his reputation so he “got himself” this chariot.

Bible scholars point out that this wording is significant. In other words, he didn’t just grab something out of Dad’s garage, he got himself a sweet ride that will turn heads and get people talking. But since it only had something like 2 horsepower, he had 50 men running out in front of this chariot in attempt to show the world that he was strong, commanding and ready for action.

But that is all it is… a show. He wasn’t actually heading to any real battle, but he was trying really hard to look the part. And he took his performing skills into other areas of the Kingdom as well…

2 Samuel 15:2–4 (ESV)

2 And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”

3 Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” 4 Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”

The next step we see Absalom take to steal the hearts of the people was to…

2. Make empty promises, no hard decisions (2 Samuel 15:2-4)

This too has modern day politics written all over it! Because it is pretty easy to “solicit people’s votes” when you can agree with them on everything they say because you have never been in the position to have to make any difficult decisions. So you get out on the “campaign trail” and promise everyone you will do what they want.

Understand what is happening here. These people had traveled to Jerusalem from all over the kingdom with these difficult disputes that required a great deal of wisdom. But before they could even request an audience with the king, Absalom met them at the gate in his royal attire, with a royal greeting and a royal air of wisdom… but it all a royal load of crap.

Absalom wasn’t winning their hearts by applying good and godly wisdom toward settling their disputes, he just affirmed anything they said as good and right and then sent them home with the thought that if he were King then he would finally have the King that “they deserve”. Sounds all too familiar doesn’t it?

To steal the hearts of the people you have to

Make yourself look good on the outside

Make lots of empty promises but no hard decisions

3. Make a lot of fans, no real friendships

2 Samuel 15:5–6 (ESV)

5 And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment.And verse 6 ends again with this description... So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absalom was out shaking hands and kissing babies, but it was not to win anything… he was out to “steal” the hearts of the people.

The goal was to become well known, but not truly known! A celebrity with no integrity on your way to tyranny...

Finally the day came when Absalom saw his opportunity to make his move. He went to his Father the King and asked to go to Hebron to fulfill a vow he had made to the Lord... on that he made while he was hiding in Geshur after he had killed his brother.

And at this point we have to wonder if David didn’t suspect something as Hebron was were David was first anointed King. But still…

2 Samuel 15:9–12 (ESV)

9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10 But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’ ” 11 With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.

This was not a loyal band of followers but a “stolen” group of victims who eventually may have realized that they had been tricked, but by then it was too late. When a conspiracy like this grows to a particular size, it becomes a literal “do or die” situation for anyone close to it. That is why god-given discernment is such an important part of leadership.

12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.

At this point the storyline leaves Absalom’s ambition and takes us back to the leadership of David. Remember, David has been humbled by God’s forgiveness of his horrible sins and God has restored him to his position as His anointed King, albeit not without serious consequences.

And so in contrast to Absalom’s “Selfish Ambition” we see God’s anointed King David lead through “Humble Influence”. David demonstrates this in three ways. First we see him...

1. Makes the hard decisions wisely (2 Samuel 15:13-17)

Absalom told people whatever they wanted to hear in order to steal their hearts, but David told people what they needed to do in order to save the kingdom.

2 Samuel 15:13–17 (ESV)

13 And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

David understood that two kings in the same kingdom always brings war…so he had a choice to make: fight or flight.

David is no coward. He is a seasoned warrior compared to Absalom who as far as we know can only look the part. On top of this, David specifically chose Jerusalem for his capital city because it is one of the most defensible cities in their world. So even if Absalom showed up with a large army, they probably could have taken them… but at what cost?

David realized to stay and fight meant to kill his own people.

We saw David’s predecessor, the failed King Saul, make this choice to kill his own people and certainly Absalom’s selfish ambition sees no problem with the collateral damage of civil war… but a wise leader knows to consider both the costs of losing or winning the war.

There will be a time and a place for this war, but David knows that today is not that time and Jerusalem is not that place. And listen to the response of David’s people when he makes this hard decision to leave Jerusalem…

15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. 17 And the king went out, and all the people after him.

David doesn’t have to “solicit their votes”. He doesn’t have to buy their loyalty by affirming all their viewpoints or greet them with a royal kiss. The people follow his humble influence because of who he has already shown himself to be.

2 Samuel 15:18–23 (ESV)

And they halted at the last house.18 And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.

This gives us a fuller picture of the scene we are reading… as this wasn’t just David’s family and a few household staff escaping out of the city, this was a mass exodus of people who continue to be loyal to David despite Absalom’s false claim on the throne.

And the specific people groups mentioned here are the fighting men from the last time David found himself running from the selfish ambition of King Saul. These men mostly were Philistines in ethnicity but they were all David’s men in loyalty.

And we get a vivid picture of the king of loyalty that David received in the next verses where the story zooms in from this large crowd of people mournfully leaving the city into a particular exchange between David and one of these loyal foreigners...

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. 20 You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.”

David’s implication is that this does not have to be this man’s fight. Having just joined them, he would not be considered the same kind of threat as the others who had fought by his side over the years. Unlike Absalom who had to trick men into following him, David tries to keep this man from feeling obligated to follow them now.

21 But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” 22 And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.

You cannot buy or steal loyalty like that. It is earned by a life of making the hard decisions wisely.

23 And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.

The next display of David’s humble influence was in how he...

2. Submit everything to God’s sovereignty (2 Samuel 15:24-29)

2 Samuel 15:24–29 (ESV)

24 And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.

Remember the significant role that this symbol of God’s presence has played in the life of David. It was the symbol that God chose to attach his presence to so that to have it was to have both the blessing and the powerful presence of God.

If David walked out of Jerusalem with the Ark, it would have been like the presence of God leaving that place and it could have rallied all the people against his son Absalom… but David saw it play out very differently…

25 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 let me see both it and his dwelling place.

26 But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”

There is not even a hint of selfish ambition here as David instructs the priests to return the Ark to the tabernacle where it belongs and if God wants David to see it again then He will make it happen.

We rarely see this kind of humble submission to the providence of God even in Christian leaders today. This is where David is at in this moment, and I pray that we as leaders of this Church would grow to trust in God’s sovereign hand more like this. “let him do to me what seems good to him”

But having a King is not just about having someone telling you what to do. As we have seen, a King provides for his people. David does this in reflection of how God does it for him. So the third way and final way that we see David lead with Humble influence is to...

3. Pray and Trust God to provide (2 Samuel 15:30-37)

2 Samuel 15:30–37 (ESV)

30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.

It is a sad slow mournful scene

31 And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

Knowing this counselor and his abilities, David prays against him being able to give wise counsel to Absalom. And this doesn’t always happen like this, but the answer to David’s prayer happened to meet him as he continued on this very road…

32 While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. ...symbolizing that he was joining David in his mournful exit from Jerusalem... 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.

This was an answer to David’s prayer in that he knew that Hushai also had a valuable skill set so that he could establish himself as a double agent of sorts to thwart the counsel of the this other man, as well as send him back reports of what Absalom was planning to do.

Then the chapter ends with...

2 Samuel 15:37 (ESV)

37 So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

And of course this somewhat leaves us hanging as to what is going to happen next… which we will get to in a few weeks after Easter, but for today let’s go back and look at the stark differences between these two ways of relating to King and Kingdom.

Gospel Application

My hope is that in the coming week you will think back on this story of Absalom’s rebellion and ask yourself if there are any ways in which you might be relating to the Lord Jesus like Absalom did to his Father the King. Our Selfish Ambition will probably not look exactly the same but have you ever...

Prioritized looking good to others over just doing what is good... and then let that speak for itself?

Or have you ever dodged a hard decision or taking a stand on some controversial issue that comes up in conversation? It’s a lot easier to escape into empty small talk… but that doesn’t make it more loving.

And most of us wouldn’t say that we have any “fans” but in our world of constant communication and information how many people do we really know beyond the the casual hug or handshake? We will never have any real friendship without investing more than that.

And these are just a few examples of how easy it is to drift toward a life that is aimed at establishing and protecting our own little kingdom.

But if we stop to remember every breathe that we have is a gift from our King. A King who while we were rebelling against him... loved us enough to send his own Son to die for us. Then it grows in us a sense of loyalty even greater than David’s men could ever show. And in response, we can...like David... be agents of humble influence in the roles that God has given us.

We can take strong stands and wisely make hard decisions with the wisdom of God. Even though many people will disagree with us, at least they will know where we stand.

And we can leave the results of those hard decisions in the hands of our Sovereign God, knowing that he reigns over all creation and that he is working all things to His intended ends.

And when trouble comes, and it will come, we pray and trust God to provide knowing that in all things He is working for His greatest glory and our greatest good.

Landing

I will close this morning with the words of Philippians 2:3-4 which exhorts us to:

Philippians 2:3–4 (ESV)

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Invite the worship team forward as I pray.