1. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8  (NIV)
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy  and to walk humbly with your God.
David is behaving this way – Absalom really isn’t. Jesus behaved this way – do we?

2. Justice matters.
Giving up your rights (doing mercy) is better than demanding justice
God is a better judge than us (walk humbly).

3. Amnon – David’s oldest son – raped Absalom’s sister Tamar. (injustice)
Background:
Amnon – David’s oldest son – raped Absalom’s sister Tamar. (injustice)
David knew and was furious but we are not told that he did anything.
Two years later Absalom killed Amnon. (justice?)
David seems to have neglected justice – Absalom wants personal justice and he will enact it. Absalom has to flee but in his mind he may think he has done the right thing. Either way he knows he has to flee as he has killed the kings son. Later the king calls him back – how will he respond?

4. 32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent word to you and said, ‘Come here so I can send you to the king to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there!”’ Now then, I want to see the king’s face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”
33 So Joab went to the king and told him this. Then the king summoned Absalom, and he came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom Samuel 14 NIV
Absalom appeals to Justice – but he is guilty, doesn’t realise he needs mercy. The king does mercy, We must not demand one way justice – death for them who injure us, mercy for us. We must recognise how much we have been forgiven.

5. I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”
And the king kissed Absalom.
God is unjust for not punishing my enemies yet?
God has not punished me because I am innocent?
God shows you mercy because He loves you! He loves them too.
Absalom wants justice now. David was wrong not to kill Amnon but he’s not killed me because I’m innocent. He holds false views about his father – on the one hand he is a poor judge on the other a great one. What are your views of God? Is your Father capable of judging people rightly? Are you annoyed that he hasn’t dealt with someone yet? Are you a problem to someone else that God ought to deal with?

6. I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”
And the king kissed Absalom.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Absalom wants justice now. David was wrong not to kill Amnon but he’s not killed me because I’m innocent. He holds false views about his father – on the one hand he is a poor judge on the other a great one. What are your views of God? Is your Father capable of judging people rightly? Are you annoyed that he hasn’t dealt with someone yet? Are you a problem to someone else that God ought to deal with?

7. I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death.”
And the king kissed Absalom.
When they came to the place called ‘Golgotha’, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34 (Berean study bible)
At the place where we remember how David killed goliath, Golgotha, at the place where justice, getting rid of enemies is remembered, Jesus emplores God to forgive us, to pass over our sin, not because we are innocent but because we are ignorant and He is gracious. David forgives Absalom though his sin is great – he killed his first born son after all, but Absalom is David’s child too. We are God’s children by adoption. We mustn’t look too kindly on our own sins, they killed Jesus. But the son it killed looks kindly on us, doesn’t demand justice and instead seeks mercy.

8. 13 A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.”
14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin on us and put the city to the sword.”
2 Samuel 15 NIV
Absalom mistreats david forgetting the mercy he was shown. He gains trust and popularity and gains power. People may do this – you show mercy and they stab you in the back. This is evil and it happens. Remember that you follow a crucified Lord. The difference – and we must hold to it as a difference between us and the world – is that we do not pay back evil for evil. God will rescue us – but it may not be quick – it may not be visible now. We trust God and it will be painful, if we really do follow a crucified Lord. In the end, at the resurrection, we will be glad we did. If we press for justice sooner we may regret those we didn’t bless with mercy – it will pain us.

9. David, like Jesus, showed mercy
David, like Jesus, suffered for those who ill treated him
David, like Jesus, emerged victorious

10. 5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.” And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
6 David’s army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. 7 There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword.
9 Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
10 When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.”

11. 11 Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What. You saw him
11 Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels[b] of silver and a warrior’s belt.”
12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels[c] were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.[d]’ 13 And if I had put my life in jeopardy[e]—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have kept your distance from me.”
14 Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.

12. 33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”[g]

13. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
“Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.”
Be gentle with X [enemies]
David is behaving this way – Absalom really isn’t. Jesus behaved this way – do we?

14. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom
if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mk 11 (NIV)
David is behaving this way – Absalom really isn’t. Jesus behaved this way – do we?

15. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
There Israel’s troops were routed by David’s men
Jesus will not lose. God is not going to be beaten. He can afford to be merciful, He is El Shaddai! God Almighty. We can walk before God because we already have victory, people can mistreat us and we will still have victory.

16. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart
We don’t have to be like Joab taking immediate victory’s we can wait for God’s victory.

17. 33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”[g]
This is how David felt at the death of his son. Make no mistake, Christ seeing that we deserve death stepped in for us. Christ felt this way and so He dies in your place. If only I had died instead of you – so he did. Absalom hung in a tree and was struck by evil men to the heart and believe me Christ hung on a tree too and he was struck to the heart by evil deeds as well. Absalom hung in the tree after trying to usurp his Father – Christ hung on the cross to bring us closer to His Father and because God’s place was usurped in our lives. Jesus cleared the way, pleading our forgiveness. Absalom hung in the tree, caught by the pride of his hair. Jesus, naked with arms outstretched, puts aside all pride in order that we may put aside ours. He takes our shame if we will reach out to Him. Absalom was leading an uprising, Jesus was the true king but was content to be put to death as a rebel. In the short term He was killed as a would be king in order to make us royalty – to make us sons and daughters of the ling God – to give us a throne. David could have wished himself dead to save his son, Jesus the Son of David – died to save us all. What a saviour!
Simon Bisley

18. "He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow."
Some of the last words of david, 2 sam 23. read enthusiastically. Notes on translations being different – Is not my house so? 18