#7: Absalom: Dying For A Haircut

 Dad won’t let son use car until he cuts his long hair.

 Lust  Deception  Hatred  Vengeance  Murder  Betrayal  Coup  Death

 2 Samuel 11  Army in the field  David stays at home  Bathsheba bathes on the roof  David takes her  David tries to deceive and then betrays her husband.

 2 Samuel 12:10-11 – “Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.

 2 Samuel 3:2-3  “Sons were born to David at Hebron…”  Amnon – eldest born to Ahinoam the Jezreelitess  Absalom – third born, son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur.  Tamar – sister to Absalom – very beautiful

 Lust, violation and hatred  2 Samuel 13:1-19  Amnon loves his half-sister Tamar to the point he is making himself sick.  A friend counsels him to feign illness and ask for Tamar to come prepare him a meal.  Tamar does so.  Amnon violates her and then hates her.  Tamar leaves wailing and in mourning.

 2 Samuel 13:20ff  Absalom keeps Tamar quiet.  Waits two years.  Vs – “Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “See now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine…then put him to death….The servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded.

 2 Samuel 13:37 – “Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.  Absalom gone three years.

 Absalom forgiven as Joab intervenes  2 Sam. 14:33 – “So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

 2 Samuel 15:1-13  Sets himself up with chariots and footmen.  Makes himself a judge at the city gates.  Turns the hearts of the people against David.  Absalom organizes a coup.  Four years? Forty years?

 Evidence for four years  Josephus/ Some Septuagint Mss.  Syriac versions/Arabic versions  2 Samuel 5:4 – “David… reigned forty years.  Evidence for forty years  Some Septuagint Mss.  Masoretic Text/ Textus Receptus  A couple of manuscripts 40 days

 2 Samuel 15:14 – David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will over- take us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

 Help from the Cherethites, Pelethites and Gittites (foreigners)  Zadok and the Levites with the ark of the covenant (sent back)  Ahithophel – betrayal  Ziba – servant of Mephibosheth – deception  Shemei from the house of Saul -- cursing

 Ahithophel – 2 Sam. 17:1 – “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted….”  Hushai – 2 Sam. 17:7-13  Gather all Israel.  Wait awhile  Then attack

 2 Samuel 18:1-15  David orders all his men to deal gently with Absalom  20,000 men die in the ensuing battle  Absalom flees on his mule.  Catches his long hair in an oak tree.  Killed by Joab and his men.

 Out of control passions lead to misery and even death  Galatians 5:19-21 – Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these….”

 Matthew 5:22 – “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

 David would never kill Saul because he was God’s anointed.  Absalom should have honored David as God’s anointed.  Do we honor God’s anointed?