The Death of the Wicked
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
1 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.”
3 But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.”
4 The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.
Pray
There was skill and order in David’s division of His troops (David had time to assemble and regroup)
David divided his troops among his three trusted leaders who were all skilled generals in their own right.
There was a clear command to deal gently with Absalom. Perhaps David was still feeling guilty for how he had delt with Absalom, but the point here is that there is a foreshadowing of what is going to happen.
David was certain of the success of his army.
1. The Downfall of the Rebellious (vv. 6-18)
1. The Downfall of the Rebellious (vv. 6-18)
6 So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
7 And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.
8 The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.
The troops of Absalom were not skilled to fight in the thick, dense forest of Ephraim.
The Bible says more men were devoured by the forest than the sword. This is a euphamism for the fact that the men could not fight in the forest. They still got the blade of the sword, but not in open combat.
9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
11 Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’
13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.”
14 Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak.
15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
The Bible says that Absalom just happened to be passing under the oak, when his hair caught fast. There are no accidents. This was ordained by the Lord.
Absalom’s vanity ended up being his downfall.
His hair was his pride.
26 And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.
His hair was caught fast in a tree and he was left suspended in midair.
Joab could have spared Absalom, but he thought that it would be better to end his life, despite David’s wishes. He did not want Absalom to have another shot at rebellion.
Sticking three javelins in his heart and then 10 armor-bearers striking him as well will certainly get the job done!
This was the ultimate destruction of Absalom.
Also we see the foolish ending of the traitor.
16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them.
17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home.
18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.
Absalom had no son so he sought to memorialize himself with a nice pillar with carved stones. In the end, he was buried under a heap of stones that were not organized or in any impressive structure.
The Lessons:
The traitor will fall mightily at the hand of the king.
Our pride and vanity will be the end of us if we do not repent
We will not be remembered by this sinful world. Only God cares about us.
2. The Displeasure of the King (vv.19-19:8)
2. The Displeasure of the King (vv.19-19:8)
Ahimaaz wants to run to tell David the news, but Joab knows it will not be good news to David.
He send a Cushite runner, but relents and lets Ahimaaz run.
A group of men would be a retreat, but single runners would signal a messenger.
David is grieved so much over the death of Absalom that the troops came in sullenly to the city.
Joab had to scold David to get him to go sit in the gate in victory.
The point here is not that David is a perfect type of Christ. There will be no sadness with the final victory of Christ over the wicked.
However, we must keep in mind what the Scripture says in Ezekiel
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.”
God repeats the message in Ezekiel 33:11.
The point is that God will punish the wicked just like David did, but God does not delight in destroying them.
God is not waiting to zap us when we do wrong.
Conclusion
God has made a way possible for us to not have to be destroyed. He can show us mercy if we will come to Him and be saved.
God is patient with the undeserving and shows kindness, even though we are traitorous.
