2 Samuel 15:1-37


The soap opera of David’s family continues.  If there were ever a picture of a dysfunctional family, David’s family would be the perfect illustration.  However, it is important to remember that all of this is happening as a part of David’s discipline over his sin with Bathsheba.  It is also a great demonstration of the price of passivity as a parent.  Both Absalom and David are brilliant men and had mastered the art of winning and influencing people.  It is interesting to get a look into their methods and see their strategies play out in this chapter.  It is also interesting to see the different levels of loyalty that there were within David’s followers.  There were some people who just followed wherever they thought the power was at the moment but they had no loyalty.  Then there were those who simply said that they would follow David no matter if he were king or not.  It is important to realize that every group has both of these types of followers.  Those who follow where ever the power is are usually hungry for power of simply addicted to the pleasures and perks of power.  Those who are loyal simply believe in their leader and are committed to the direction in which he is leading them.  One is motivated by comfort while the other is motivated by character.

ABSALOM UNDERMINES THEN USURPS THE THRONE: Absalom’s plan to usurp the throne is brilliant.  He does not simply go out and declare that he is king because he did not have a following.  Instead, he starts out by undermining David’s leadership.  He makes himself available to the people and starts to alienate the people who are seeking David out for help.  Before he tried to take the throne he set out to win the hearts of the people.  He knew his father was too passive to notice what was going on and that if he did notice; he would not do much about it.  There is an important leadership principle that is modeled by Absalom in this passage.  People will follow us when they believe that we care about them.  When leaders become isolated from their followers they begin to lose their influence over them and in a short period of time, those people will begin looking for another leader to follow.

DAVID INSTIGATES THEN INFILTRATES THE REBELLION  David’s reaction to Absalom declaring himself as the new king is very surprising.  One would expect David to gather his army and then go out a chase down Absalom or at the very least stand his ground and prepare to defend his ground.  Instead David decides to run.  David is a very experienced “runner” and know that when someone is chasing someone else; they often leave themselves vulnerable as Saul had done.  It is always harder to hit a moving target.  I also believe that there was another issue at hand.  David really does not want to fight Absalom so he simply decides to leave and allow him to “take over.”  David is looking to see if Absalom will simply be happy to take over the kingdom or if he will come out and try to chase him down.  As David leaves he sets up a network of spies who will feed him valuable information.  David loves Absalom and seems willing to release the kingdom into his son’s hands seems to have been fine until it became evident that Absalom was going to try to kill his own father in the process.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more