Family Issues Pt 2
Broken Crown, Unshakable Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king’s mind was on Absalom. 2 So Joab sent someone to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don’t put on any oil. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3 Go to the king and speak these words to him.” Then Joab told her exactly what to say.
Joab, David’s nephew and commanding general of the Israelite forces, has been with David through thick and thin - he could read David.
Seeing that David was consumed thinking about Absalom he devised a plan to fix the situation…
He sent someone to the town of Tekoa (a town about 6 miles south of Jerusalem) - he was looking for a “wise” woman - the word used for wise would better be translated skillful - he was looking for a woman who could skillfully accomplish the plan he devised.
The plan, a little devious, is not without precedence.
Nathan basically did the same thing - get an audience with the king, seek judgment in a fictitious situation, let the king pronounce judgment, then compel the king to apply the judgement to himself.
This is again proof that we often do not see our own issues - even though we know what to do we fail to apply it to our life.
Joab takes the woman and has her dress in the clothes of mourning then he gave her the words to say…
The hope was that David would recognize the implications of his decree and apply them to himself - the danger, the king could become angered by the medaling of others and punished them for the intrusion.
4 When the woman from Tekoa came to the king, she fell facedown to the ground, paid homage, and said, “Help me, Your Majesty!” 5 “What’s the matter?” the king asked her. “Sadly, I am a widow; my husband died,” she said. 6 “Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir!’ They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on earth.”
One of the responsibilities of the king is to administer justice - he would sit as people who had disputes would come, seek advice, and look for a ruling from the king - the king was the biblical version of the Supreme Court.
When the day came for him to sit and judge this unnamed woman came to the king.
She displayed the appropriate humility and it worked - David responded favorably and let her present her case.
Does the story she told sound familiar? It is remarkably similar to the Torah’s account of the first murder in human history - Cain and Abel.
2 brothers, in a field, one brother killed the other, afterwards concerns were expressed that the killer might die and the hand of others. In both cases an appeal was made to an authority figure to save the killer’s life, the authority figure intervenes to save the murderer’s life, there is a threat of retaliation for anyone not heading the authorities decision.
8 The king told the woman, “Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf.” 9 Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and my father’s family, and may the king and his throne be innocent.” 10 “Whoever speaks to you,” the king said, “bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!” 11 She replied, “Please, may the king invoke the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!” “As the Lord lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.”
Just as Joab hoped, David gave the ruling that the son’s life was to be spared.
Understand that David did not rule based on the law because the Law actually demands that the murderer be put to death - David made his decision based on what he has observed God do in similar situation.
In Genesis the Lord spared Cain - He showed him mercy in spite of legal guidelines to the contrary set forth by the Lord Himself.
This provides and enlightening insight into the Lord’s own application of covenantal law - Yahweh is merciful - God had spared both Cain and David from Torah mandated death sentences - the precedent was set.
In verse 9 voices her concern that the king’s decision might bring guilt to the throne because of the king’s disregard for the letter of the Law (a little foreshadowing of the many encounters Jesus had with the religious leaders concerning the law).
David assured her it would be okay even saying that is anyone bothered her bring them to the king and “He will not trouble you again.” - sounds like a serious warning.
She even appealed to the king’s priestly duties by asking David to invoke the Lord in the decree…
He does and proclaims that not even a hair on the sons head will fall to the ground.
12 Then the woman said, “Please, may your servant speak a word to my lord the king?” “Speak,” he replied. 13 The woman asked, “Why have you devised something similar against the people of God? When the king spoke as he did about this matter, he has pronounced his own guilt. The king has not brought back his own banished one. 14 We will certainly die and be like water poured out on the ground, which can’t be recovered. But God would not take away a life; he would devise plans so that the one banished from him does not remain banished. 15 “Now therefore, I’ve come to present this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. Your servant thought: I must speak to the king. Perhaps the king will grant his servant’s request. 16 The king will surely listen in order to keep his servant from the grasp of this man who would eliminate both me and my son from God’s inheritance. 17 Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the angel of God. May the Lord your God be with you.”
David had decided and the legal issue has been settled - the woman was supposed to accept the answer and leave - instead she broke protocol and asked to speak again.
In spite of her disregard for the norms - David graciously permitted her to speak…
It is here she lays out the full weight of the situation.
The first thing pointed out is that David is acting against the interests of the “people of God” - the passage reads as though Absalom is now the heir-apparent to the throne and keeping Absalom in exile threatened the fledgling dynasty.
She presents a duality of life - first, death is a hallmark of the human condition (we will certainly die) and second, she noted that although God requires every person’s death, He does not try to “take away life”.
Instead God devises a way so one that is banished should not remain banished.
This is the gospel - while “the wages of sin is death” - God pronounced that death would enter through man because of sin - man became separated from God because of sin YET God made a way for man to be reconciled back to Him - Through Jesus, the banished are no longer banished.
Because God has made harsh judgments against sinners but then establishes mechanisms for reconciliation, the king, as the Lord’s representative in matters of justice on earth - should do the same.
She ends the speech by admitting that her ruse was so the king would hear and apply his word to his own life.
The final words are a blessing on David - this is the only example of a female pronouncing a blessing on a king in the Hebrew Bible.
18 Then the king answered the woman, “I’m going to ask you something; don’t conceal it from me!” “Let my lord the king speak,” the woman replied. 19 The king asked, “Did Joab put you up to all this?” The woman answered. “As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say. 20 Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, knowing everything on earth.” 21 Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 Joab fell with his face to the ground in homage and blessed the king. “Today,” Joab said, “your servant knows I have found favor with you, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your servant.”
The woman’s not-so-subtle linkage of her tragic story with David’s own personal tragedy convinced the king that she was acting in collaboration with a member of the royal family.
David now recognized Joab’s handiwork and ask her to reveal the truth.
I love what she says, “no one can turn to the right of the left from all my lord the king says” - How much better would out lives be if we didn’t turn to the right or left of what the Lord says? - in other words - we cannot deviate.
Joab carried out his scheme in part to help David find an adequate justification for doing what his heart had been urging him to do.
With the help of his friend, cousin and counselor, David came to realize that reconciliation with his son was both consistent with the Torah and in the nation’s best interest.
Joab risked both his position of honor in David’s court and perhaps even his own life in attempting to influence the king as he did. No doubt relieved that his gamble paid Joab fell on his face before David.
David told Joab to go and bring his son back.
23 So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 However, the king added, “He may return to his house, but he may not see my face.” So Absalom returned to his house, but he did not see the king. 25 No man in all Israel was as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw. 26 When he shaved his head—he shaved it at the end of every year because his hair got so heavy for him that he had to shave it off—he would weigh the hair from his head and it would be five pounds according to the royal standard. 27 Three sons were born to Absalom, and a daughter named Tamar, who was a beautiful woman. 28 Absalom resided in Jerusalem two years but never saw the king.
Following orders, Joab went to Geshur to retrieve Absalom.
Absalom could come home but there was a caveat - he could not see his father. Again, this is mirroring the Lord’s dealing with Cain as Cain (Genesis 4:16 “16 Then Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”).
Obviously there are a many thing that God does that are not practical for us to do - while it was right for God to send Cain away (because He is God and knows all) - David’s actions had consequences that David did nor for see.
Absalom’s expulsion from the royal court undoubtedly meant that he - notwithstanding his position as the heir-apparent - had lost any claim to Israel’s throne.
The passage let’s us know that Absalom was popular with the rest of Israel - mainly because of his looks. - the author says Absalom didn’t have a flaw and he had amazing hair.
This is a change - the author’s effort to describe Absalom’s physical attractiveness is extraordinary but serves a purpose - we have previously seen that we are not to look at the outward appearance but instead look at the heart as the Lord does.
His physical appearance assured that those untrained in godliness could be swayed but him - thus blinding themselves to the Lord’s ways and will.
Back to the hair - it was a sign of masculinity and an unflattering parallel with Esau - both were favored by their father, both sacrificed their birthright through foolish actions at a meal (ultimately causing their father much grief).
It also linked him to the tragic story of Sampson - a Jewish man cut his hair for 2 reasons, following the successful completion of a Nazirite vow and teh other was to enter into a state of ceremonial cleanness - neither of which were Absalom’s reason.
29 Then Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab was unwilling to come to him. So he sent again, a second time, but he still would not come. 30 Then Absalom said to his servants, “See, Joab has a field right next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set fire to it!” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab came to Absalom’s house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?” 32 “Look,” Absalom explained to Joab, “I sent for you and said, ‘Come here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? I’d be better off if I were still there.’ So now, let me see the king. If I am guilty, let him kill me.” 33 Joab went to the king and told him. So David summoned Absalom, who came to the king and paid homage with his face to the ground before him. Then the king kissed Absalom.
After 2 years of exile, Absalom had enough. He sent for Joab, the one who helped return him from exile but Joab would not come to him.
Absalom commanded that Joab’s field be burned - according to the Torah Absalom would have to reimburse Joab for his loss but he would have to come before Absalom to collect.
It was a cost-versus-benefits analysis - the price of the field was worth it to reconcile.
Absalom presents his case and in essence says that he is supposed to be reinstated but he hasn’t and if he is going to remain an outcast he would be better off dead.
Joab went to the king and told him - so David summoned Absalom.
Absalom honored his father, David kissed his son - reconciliation has occurred - David again has his son and Absalom again has his father.
