The Anointed: Welcome Back, David!

Previously:

David has Sinned with Bathsheba and Murdered Uriah the Hittite

He was Told that Violence Would Plague His Household Because of His Sin

David’s Firstborn Son, Amnon, Raped His Daughter Tamar

His Son Absalom then Murders Amnon for What He had Done to Their Sister

Absalom Fled to Live with His Maternal Grandfather, King of Geshur

Joab Gets a Woman to Pretend that She is a Grieving Widow in Order to Trick David into Allowing Absalom to Come Back to Jerusalem

The Plan Works, but David will Not Fully Forgive Absalom Nor Does He Allow Absalom to See Him

Then Absalom Tells King David to Either Forgive Him or Put Him to Death

David then Forgives Absalom

2 Samuel 15

2 Samuel 15:1 NASB95

Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him.

Now that Absalom is Back in Favor with the King, He Doesn’t Even Try to Hide His Desire for Power

Samuel Warned the People of What a King Would Do

1 Samuel 8:10–11 NASB95

So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.

This Kind of Behavior was Prideful and Arrogant, but this is Typical of What People Want to See in Their Beloved Leaders

2 Samuel 15:2–6 NIV

He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you.” And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.” Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

Absalom was a Clever and Flattering Politician

He Would Get Up Early and Stand Outside an Entrance of the City so that When People Came Walking in, He Could Talk to Them

He would Stop Those Looking for Justice from the King

He’d Flatter Them by Asking Where They were From and by Telling Them that They Deserve Justice

Then He’d Tell Them that the King has No One Appointed to Judge These Types of Matters

This was a Lie to Distance People from David - Just Look at Chapter 14

He was Insinuating that the Kingdom would be in Better Shape Under Him

Then He’d Say, “I sure wish the King would appoint me as a judge over the land because I would give justice to all!”

Then Whenever a Person Would Begin to Bow in Homage to Him, He would Stop Them and Hug and Kiss Them as an Equal

It’s Easy to See How He Stole the Hearts of the People Away from David

After 4 Years of Playing Politician and Stealing the People’s Hearts, Absalom is Now Ready to Move on to Phase 2 of His Plan

He Asks David if He can Go Worship God at Hebron (Where He was Born and Where David was Anointed King Over Judah)

He Tells David that He Made a Vow that He would Worship God in Hebron if God Brought Him Back to Jerusalem

David Should have Found it Fishy that it Took Him 4 Years to Fulfill a Vow to God, but He Allowed Absalom to Go

2 Samuel 15:10–12 NASB95

But 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 is king in Hebron.’ ” Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

Absalom’s Plan was Brilliant

All the Tribes would be Hearing of Absalom Taking the Throne at the Same Time

200 of David’s Men (Likely Important Advisors) Went Innocently with Absalom and were Either Forced to Join Absalom’s Side or be Hostages

And then One of David’s Most Wise and Trusted Advisors Willingly Joins Absalom’s Side, which Made His Conspiracy to Usurp the Throne Even More Powerful

Then a Messenger Told David What was Going On

David Told All His Servants that it was Time to Flee Jerusalem

He Knew Absalom would Come and Kill Them All with the Military Power He had Now

His Servants Were Willing to Do Whatever King David Said

The Only People David Told to Stay Behind were 10 Concubines, so that They Could Take Care of the Palace

While Making Their Way Out of the City, David Stops to See Who All is with Him

He had All the Cherethites, Pelethites, and Gittites

As Well as the 600 Men Who had Come with Him from Gath

These are David’s 600 Mighty Men Who Stuck with Him When He was on the Run from Saul

They were Outcasts and Those Who had Nowhere Else to Turn

Then David Singled Out a Gittite Man Named Ittai (it-tay)

2 Samuel 15:19–22 NASB95

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. “You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, while I go where I will? Return and take back your brothers; 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 wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” Therefore David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.

He and Those with Him were Philistine Exiles Who had Only Recently Come to Jerusalem to Stay with David

David Told Them to Stay in Jerusalem and Not to Join Him in Exile Since They had Recently been Exiles Themselves

Ittai Made a Beautiful Vow to David that He Would be with David No Matter Where David Went Even if that Meant His Own Death

So All the People Passed Over the Brook Kidron Toward the Wilderness

Then the Priests Zadok and Abiathar Came to David with All the Levites Carrying the Ark of the Covenant

Zadok is a Faithful Priest to God and a Faithful Friend to David

Abiathar was the Priest that Escaped from Saul’s having All the Priests Killed

They were Bringing the Ark to David so that God’s Presence Would be with David and Protect Him while in the Wilderness

2 Samuel 15:25–26 NASB95

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. “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.”

David was Not about to Use God’s Ark as a Talisman/Good Luck Charm

If it was God’s Will for David to be Taken Care of, then God would Take Care of Him

But if David Deserved Punishment, then David was Willing to Submit to God’s Will for Him

We See a Foreshadowing of Jesus Yet Again in David’s Life Here

He Prays for God’s Will to be Done for Him on the Mount of Olives

Jesus Prayed for God’s Will to be Done for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane

Guess Where the Garden is Located…The Mount of Olives

So David Sent the Priests and Levites Back to Jerusalem and Gave Them the Mission of Being Spies for Him

They Would Send Information to David of Everything that Absalom Did

David and Those with Him then Made Their Way Up the Mount of Olives

David Cried, Covered His Head and Walked Barefoot as a Sign of His Deep Anguish

Everyone Joined Him in Doing this

Then David was Told that His Most Trusted Advisor, Ahithophel had Joined Absalom

David then Prayed, “O Yahweh, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

David’s Prayer was Immediately Answered in the Person of Hushai (Hushay) the Archite

He Met David at the Summit of the Mount of Olives

David Tells Him to Stay in Jerusalem and be a Servant to Absalom so that He can Thwart Ahithophel’s Counsel

He can then be Another Spy for David by Telling the Priests, Zadok and Abiathar Everything He Hears in the Palace so that Their Sons can Deliver that Information to David in the Wilderness

Then David’s Friend, Hushai, Came into Jerusalem the Same Time Absalom Did

Applications

Welcome Back, David!

What Do I Mean by this Title?

David is Returning to the Wilderness to Live as an Exile Away from His Home and Enemies

But More Importantly, David is Behaving like the Man After God’s Own Heart Again!

Welcome Back, David!

Welcome Back to Trusting in God

Welcome Back to Showing Compassion for Others

Welcome Back to Humility

Welcome Back to Submission to God

Welcome Back to Devotion to Doing God’s Will

Welcome Back to Placing Your Problems in the Hands of God and Letting Him Take Care of Them

This is the David We First Met and Fell in Love with, and it’s so Good to See Him Return to the Man After God’s Own Heart

David Didn’t Let His Hardship and Sorrows Destroy His Faith but Strengthen it

We Need to Take a Lesson from David

Sometimes We Need the Hardships We Face because They can Lead Us Back on the Right Path

Don’t Let Tribulations Destroy You but Determine You

What Allegiance Looks Like

When the King’s Throne is being Pursued and the Enemy Looks More Powerful, it’s Easy to Switch Sides

That’s What Many People Chose to Do to David

They Chose to Join the Fake King and be a Part of His Kingdom

But There were Also Many Who Chose to Stay Faithful to the Real King

This Took Sacrifice, Endurance, and Great Amounts of Loving Loyalty

We See the Words of Some of Those Servants

2 Samuel 15:15 NASB95

Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.”

2 Samuel 15:21 NASB95

But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.”

This is the Allegiance that Christians Owe to Our King

Many of the Servants that Proved Their Allegiance to David in this Passage were Once Exiles in Need of a Home, Lord, and Savior

David Offered that to Them and They, in Turn, Offered Their Faith and Allegiance to David

We too Were Once Exiled and in Need of a Home, Lord, and Savior and Christ Offered All that to Us

In Turn, We are to Offer Him Our Allegiance

The Devil, the Ruler of this World, Wants to Take Our Allegiance from Christ and have it for Himself

Most People Give Him that Allegiance because He Flatters Them and Tells Them Everything They Want to Hear

But We Know Who the True King is and We Know that He is Sitting on the True Thrown

And He will Wipe Out the Devil and All Those Who Gave Their Allegiance to Him

And We will Reign with Our King in the Land of Eternal Peace, Prosperity, and Joy

Don’t Let the Deceiver Flatter You with His Empty Words and Temptations

Stay Faithful to the One Who Offers You True Safety, True Joy, and a True Home