Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine.
The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?”
Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”
The king then asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?”
Ziba said to him, “He is staying in Jerusalem, because he thinks, ‘Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather’s kingdom.’”
Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.”
“I humbly bow,” Ziba said. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king.”
As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”
But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”
David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. Then Hushai the Arkite, David’s confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?”
Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him. Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.”
Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”
Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.

• 2 Samuel 16:1-23

To read 2 Samuel 17, click the link HERE.

To read 2 Samuel 18, click the link HERE.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Samuel 16:5-8 ‘Shimei’: ”Shimei was a distant relative of Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, who cursed David as ‘a man of bloodshed’ (vv. 7, 8) and ‘a man of Belial’ (see … 1 Sam. 2:12). He could possibly be the Cush of Ps. 7. Shimei declared that the loss of David’s throne was God’s retribution on his past sins (v. 8), and David accepted his curse as from the Lord (v. 11). It could be that Shimei was accusing David of the murders of Abner (3:27–39), Ishbosheth (4:1–12), and Uriah (11:15–27).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 16:11-12 ‘David graciously accepts Shimei’s rebuke’: “David is in the time of his trouble, and. Shimei’s attack is cowardly, brutal, false, and bitter. Yet David is here so admirable, and his conduct is so commendable that I hold him up as an example to all. Four things in this transaction we all ought to copy. The first was the absence of resentment from the heart of David. The second was his entire resignation to the divine will. The third was his expectancy from God alone. And the fourth was his looking to the bright side and still having hope. David could easily have put an end to Shimei and was urged by others to do so. But he did not. It was beautiful for David to make excuses for Shimei: ‘Well, there is Absalom, my son-he is seeking my life. No wonder this man should. He is no relation of mine. I could not expect love from him. And then, moreover,’ he said, ‘he is a Benjaminite. Now God has been pleased to put me, David, into the place of Saul that was a Benjaminite, and of course this man sympathizes with the tribe that has lost the royal crown.’ Also, David felt keenly the wicked act of his enemy, but he felt it was sent for his further chastisement; and, therefore, he accepted it willingly. It is the Lord-that is enough for David. Is that enough for us? The Lord has done it. Should I open my mouth again when I know my Father did it? Did he take my child? Well, blessed be his name that he loved my little one so well. Did he take my gold? Well, he only lent it to me, and a thing borrowed ought to go laughing back to its owner. Let him take back what he lent. He gives and, blessed be his name, he takes but what he gave. Therefore let him still be praised! David seems to me, as it were, to have lain down before God under a sense of having done wrong in days gone past and said to him, ‘My Father, chasten me just as you will. My rebellious spirit is humbled before you. If it is necessary for my good that I suffer from your hand, this affliction and a thousand others, go on. Your child may weep, but he will not complain. Your child may suffer, but he will bring no charge against you. What you please to do, it will be my pleasure to bear.’”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Samuel 16:21-22 ‘your father’s concubines’: “David had left behind in Jerusalem 10 concubines to take care of the palace (15:16). In the Near East, possession of the harem came with the throne. Ahithophel advised Absalom to have sexual relations with David’s concubines and thereby assert his right to his father’s throne. On the roof of the palace in the most public place (cf. 11:2), a tent was set up for this scandalous event, thereby fulfilling the judgment announced by Nathan in 12:11, 12.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 17:4 ‘all the elders of Israel’: “The same prominent tribal leaders who had accepted David’s kingship in 5:3 had been won over as participants in Absalom’s rebellion.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 17:13 ‘ropes’: “In besieging the town, hooks attached to ropes were cast over the protective wall and, with a large number of men pulling, the walls were pulled down.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 17:14 ‘the Lord has purposed.’: “The text notes that Ahithophel’s advice was rejected by Absalom because the Lord had determined to defeat the rebellion of Absalom, as prayed for by David (15:31). God’s providence was controlling all the intrigues among the usurper’s counselors.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 17:23 ‘Ahithophel – wise until…’: “Ahithophel was a man of keen perception, and those who consulted him followed his advice with as much confidence as if he had been an oracle from heaven. He was a great master of diplomacy, versed in the arts of cunning­ farseeing, cautious, deep. He was for years David’s friend and counselor. But thinking it judicious to be on the popular side, he left his old master to hold an eminent position under Absalom. This, to use diplomatic language, was not only a crime but also a mistake. At last finding himself supplanted by another counselor, he was so incensed that he left Absalom, hurried home, arranged his personal affairs, and hanged himself in sheer vexation. His case teaches us that the greatest worldly wisdom will not preserve someone from the utmost folly. Here was a man noted as excelling in wisdom, who yet had not wit enough to keep his neck from the fatal noose. Many people, supremely wise for a time, fail in the long run. The renowned monarch, shrewd for the hour, has before long proved his whole system to be a fatal mistake. There are instances near to hand where a brilliant career has ended in shame, a life of wealth closed in poverty, an empire collapsed in ruin. The wisdom that contemplates only this life fails even in its own sphere. Its tricks are too shallow, its devices too temporary; and the whole comes down with a crash when least expected to fall. What sad cases have we seen of people who have been wise in policy who have utterly failed from lack of principle. For lack of the spirit of honor and truth to establish them, they have built palaces of ice that have melted before they were complete. ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline’ (Pr. 17). The wisdom that comes from above is the only wisdom; the secular is folly until the sacred blends its golden stream with it. “

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Samuel 17:25 ‘Amasa’: “Absalom appointed Amasa as commander of the army of Israel, replacing Joab who had accompanied David on his flight from Jerusalem. Amasa was the son of Abigail, either David’s sister or his half-sister (1 Chr. 2:17), making him David’s nephew. His mother was also the sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. Therefore, Amasa was a cousin of Absalom, Joab, and Abishai. Under his lead, the armies crossed the Jordan (v. 24) into Gilead, the high-eastern area. Sufficient time had passed for building the large army Hushai suggested, and so David had readied himself for the war (see note on 17:7–13).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 18:3 ‘you shall not go out’: ”David desired to lead his men into the battle; however, the people recognized that the death of David would mean sure defeat and Absalom would then be secure in the kingship. The people’s words echo what Ahithophel had earlier pointed out to Absalom (17:2, 3). So David was persuaded to remain at Mahanaim.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 18:5 ‘deal gently’: “David ordered his 3 commanders not to harm Absalom. The 4 uses of ‘the young man Absalom’ (vv. 5, 12, 29, 32) imply that David sentimentally viewed Absalom as a youthful rebel who could be forgiven.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 18:9 ‘mule’: “See … 13:29. his head caught in the terebinth. Either Absalom’s neck was caught in a fork formed by two of the branches growing out from a large oak tree or his hair was caught in a tangle of thick branches. The terminology and context (cf. 14:26) favor the latter view.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 18:18 ‘pillar for himself’: “Absalom had memorialized himself by erecting a monument in his own honor (cf. Saul’s action in 1 Sam. 15:12). There is today a monument, a tomb in that area, called Absalom’s tomb (perhaps on the same site) on which orthodox Jews spit when passing by. King’s Valley. Traditionally, the Kidron Valley immediately E of the city of Jerusalem. no son. According to 14:27, Absalom had 3 sons, unnamed in the text, all of whom had died before him.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 18:29 ‘Is Absalom all right?’: “Why should David be concerned about Absalom? Was he not up in arms against David? Did he not thirst for his father’s blood? Was he not at the head of a vast army seeking anxiously to slay his father that he might wear his crown, which he had already usurped? David might have said, ‘Is the young man Absalom dead? For if he is out of the way, there will be peace to my realm and rest to my troubled life.’ But no, he is a father, and he must love his own offspring. It is a father that speaks, and a father’s love can survive the enmity of a son. He can live on and love on even when his son seeks his heart’s blood. What a noble passion is a mother’s love or a father’s love! It is an image in miniature of the love of God. How reverently ought we to treat it! How marvelously has God been pleased to endow, especially godly people, with the sacred instinct of affection toward their children. Our children may plunge into the worst of sins, but they are still our children. They may scoff at our God. They may tear our heart to pieces with their wickedness. We cannot take complacency in them, but at the same time we cannot ‘unchild’ them or erase their image from our hearts. We do earnestly remember them still and will do so as long as these hearts of ours beat in our chests. I have now and then met with professing Christians who have said, ‘That girl will never darken my door again.’ I do not believe in their Christianity. Whenever I have met with fathers who are irreconcilable to their children, I am convinced they are not reconciled to God. It cannot be possible that there should exist in us a feeling of enmity to our own offspring after our hearts have been renewed, for if the Lord has forgiven us and received us into his family, surely we can forgive the chief of those who have offended us. And when they are our own flesh and blood, we are doubly bound to do so. To cast off our own children is unnatural, and that which is unnatural cannot be gracious. If even tax collectors and sinners forgive their children, much more must we. Let them go, even to extremities of unheard-of sin; yet as the mercy of God endures forever, so must the love of a Christian parent endure. If David says, ‘Is the young man Absalom all right?’ we have none of us had a son that has acted one-half so badly as Absalom, and we must, therefore, still forgive and feel a loving interest in those who grieve us.“

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Samuel 18:33 ‘my son’: “Repeated 5 times in this verse, David lamented the death of Absalom, his son (cf. 19:5). In spite of all the harm that Absalom had caused, David was preoccupied with his personal loss in a melancholy way that seems to be consistent with his weakness as a father. It was an unwarranted zeal for such a worthless son, and a warning about the pitiful results of sin.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 18 ‘Reflections’: “l have observed one significant lack among evangelical Christians which might turn out to be the real cause of most of our spiritual troubles; and of course if that were true, then the supplying of that lack would be our most critical need.
“The great deficiency to which I refer is the lack of spiritual discernment, especially among our leaders. How there can be so much Bible knowledge and so little insight, so little moral penetration, is one of the enigmas of the religious world today. I think it is altogether accurate to say that there has never before been a time in the history of the Church when so many persons were engaged in Bible study as are so engaged today. If the knowledge of Bible doctrine were any guarantee of godliness, this would without doubt be known in history as the age of sanctity. Instead, it may well be known as the age of the Church’s Babylonish captivity, or the age of worldliness, when the professed Bride of Christ allowed herself to be successfully courted by the fallen sons of men in unbelievable numbers. The body of evangelical believers, under evil influences, has during the last twenty-five years gone over to the world in complete and abject surrender, avoiding only a few of the grosser sins such as drunkenness and sexual promiscuity.
“That this disgraceful betrayal has taken place in broad daylight with full consent of our Bible teachers and evangelists is one of the most terrible affairs in the history of the world. Yet I for one cannot believe that the great surrender was negotiated by men of evil heart who set out deliberately to destroy the faith of our Fathers. Many good and clean-living persons have collaborated with the quislings who betrayed us. Why? The answer can only be from lack of spiritual vision. Something like a mist has settled over the Church as ‘the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations’ {Isaiah 25:7). Such a veil once descended upon Israel: ‘But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart’ (2 Corinthians 3:14-15). That was Israel’s tragic hour. God raised up the Church and temporarily disfranchised His ancient people. He could not trust His work to blind men.
“Surely we need a baptism of clear seeing if we would escape the fate of Israel and of every other religious body in history that forsook God. If not the greatest need, then surely one of the greatest is for the appearance of Christian leaders with prophetic vision. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist. Unless they come soon it will be, too late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy. But the cross is always the harbinger of the resurrection.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous

My Thoughts

Our historical tale of last week continues.  David fled from Jerusalem.

He is met by Ziba, the steward for Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson.  Ziba brought a long train of donkeys so that the king’s household could ride.  The food was for the king’s soldiers.  Due to the kindness that David had shown Mephibosheth, Ziba said that all of Mephibosheth’s assets were at David’s hand.

But then, another member of the tribe of Benjamin met David and his band of exiles, Shimei.  Rev. MacArthur said that Shimei told lies, but he was not far from the truth.  The rebellion of Absalom was only a portion of the curse that the prophet Nathan had made against David over the Uriah and Bathsheba incident.  Shimei called David a murderer, and when it came to Uriah, that was at least spiritually correct.  Abishai wanted to remove Shimei’s head, but David shrugged the curses off.  David was seeing the curse from Nathan unfold before him, and he felt he deserved the insults.

But David makes a comparison, calling Abishai one of the sons of Zeruiah.  Abishai was the brother of Joab.  Their third brother, Asahel had been killed by Abner when Asahel would not give up his pursuit of Saul’s former army commander.  The sons of Zeruiah had a lot of blood on their hands.

Next we look into the court of Absalom.  Hushai was an advisor that David allowed to stay behind.  He was still loyal to David, but he would pretend to give good advice.  But, Bathsheba’s grandfather was the revered advisor to the king, Ahithophel.  David and Absalom both took anything that Ahithophel said and considered it straight from the mouth of God.

It is Ahithophel that counsels Absalom that if you really want to make yourself a stench to your father, sleep with his concubines.  Absalom thought that to be a great idea.  A tent was set up on the roof of the palace and Absalom systematically slept with all of David’s concubines in full view of all the people.  That is what the text says, but few roofs could be taller than the palace roof, so not a lot of people watched, but as it was written, everyone knew what he was doing.

The question is, how much hatred do you have to have for your father to do something abominable just to make your father dislike you?  I have known people like that, and they absolutely deny they have a hateful bone in their body.  I think they are saying that all their muscles and organs hate their father, but the bones are neutral.

But in doing something so detestable, they are also thumbing their nose at God.  That returns me to those who are angry at a God that they do not believe in.  Just one more contradiction in their contradictory life.

I say this in that there are a lot of dysfunctional families out there, even many that look normal on the surface.  All it takes is one family member to turn from God, and that betrayal hurts the entire family, much like Judas Iscariot’s betrayal rocked the Eleven.

Ahithophel then suggested that Absalom gather twelve thousand troops and chase his father, David.  Absalom was ready.  He appointed Amasa commander of the army.  Amasa was a cousin of Joab, son of David’s other sister, Abigail.  Odd how the sons of David’s sisters became army commanders.  But instead of immediately attacking, Absalom also asked Hushai.  Hushai told him to call for more men from Dan to Beersheba, meaning throughout the land and from every tribe.  When Absalom had an army so huge it “outnumbered the sands of the sea,” then attack.  For once, Absalom takes advice from someone other than Ahithophel and that buys Hushai time.

Hushai turned to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, to warn David.  They chose messengers, but someone reported that the messengers had escaped the city.  Absalom sent soldiers, but people loyal to King David hid the messengers and then lied to the soldiers pursuing the messengers.

This reminds me of the classic argument about how it is good to tell a lie under circumstances of life and death.  The argument is usually prefaced that your best friend is being pursued by the Gestapo.  Funny how we have not come up with a more modern example.

But then, David went across the river to prepare.  This is still done these days.  You go across the river and then blow up the bridges.  If nothing else, it slows down the enemy.  At one time in my career, it was a wartime mission to blow up what might be used as bridge making materials.  After all, my peacetime mission was to work with all those suppliers.  I knew where the stuff was kept.

But then, as the battle was inevitable, David pleads with Joab to not harm Absalom.  Already, David is finding excuses to forgive Absalom one more time.  I like the Spurgeon invented word.  It is impossible for a loving father, at least extremely difficult, to “unchild” someone.  They will always be your child, regardless of how many concubines they sleep with so that your stomach is turned.

But, the story is a familiar one.  Absalom retreats from Joab’s advance and his hair is caught in the limbs of a tree.  Absalom is arrogant and extremely vain.  He grew his hair and then cut it once each year to weigh it.  He was the prototypical “pretty boy.”  When found hanging from his own hair, Joab let’s his commanders use Absalom for target practice.

Second Samuel 18 ends with David learning that his son was killed and David mourns for his son.

But again, Joab is doing the politically expedient thing.  A live Absalom is going to be a continual problem and who knows how many more soldiers will die so that the brat can show his father how much more he hates his father, while the father forgives again and again.

Does this excuse Joab disobeying David’s orders?  Not at all.  In the end, Joab will pay for his bloodthirstiness.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Samuel 16:1-4 David and Ziba 1. In contrast to the loyalty of lttai to his master, we have the example of Ziba: Where might you be tempted likewise to betray your loyalties? How will you resist that temptation?
2 Samuel 16:5-14 Shimei Curses David 1. When have you, like David, been under the Lord’s discipline? What for? Could you take ‘the heat’, however it was dished out? How did you respond?
“2. When the heat on you is not ‘from the Lord’, how do you respond?
2 Samuel 16:15-17:29 The Advice of Hushai and Ahithophel 1. What risks is the Lord asking you to take for him: What ‘enemy lines’ are you willing to cross, as Hushai did? What ‘spy messages’ will you communicate for your Master in disregard for your own comfort and safety, as Zadok and Abiathar did? What ‘hiding place’ ministry will you conduct to protect innocent people, as did the man and his wife in Bahurim?
“2. On the other hand, perhaps you are like Ahithophel: Where are you looking for an ‘easy victory’ in a tough situation? How strong is your desire for the approval of others? Where have you failed to live up to unrealistic ‘God-like’ expectations placed on you (by yourself or others)? What gets you feeling depressed, even ‘suicidal’ at times? (What do you do with those feelings?)
“3. How can your small group help you overcome such tendencies of Ahithophel? And take more risks?
2 Samuel 18:1-18 Absalom’s Death 1. Why do you believe our King is worth ‘ten thousand of us’? What other measure of his worth might you use? Why? As pawns sacrifice for their king in chess, and as David’s men did for him, what will you do to tangibly demonstrate your belief in the unsurpassed worth of Christ the King?
“2. Recently, what have you tried hiding from God, but your conscience told you, ‘Nothing is hidden from the King’? What brought the hidden truth to light?
“3. When have you had done unto you what you’ve been dishing out to others? How could you reverse that cycle, so that ‘what goes around’ is good, not evil?
2 Samuel 18:19-19:8a David Mourns 1. What would you have said to David, or to your army, if you were faced with the morale problem described by Joab?
“2. From what ‘enemies’ has God recently delivered you? If delivered from your familiar enemy, what would you do without any more excuses, whipping boy or scapegoat? If that enemy is no longer a threat, with what new set of problems must you now contend?
“3. With what have you been preoccupied lately? And if the worst-case scenario comes to pass, what will happen? Then what will you do? What role does your Christian faith and your small group play in this regard?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Second Samuel 16 and 2 Samuel 17 are split into three sets of questions as noted.  Second Samuel 18 through 2 Samuel 19:8a are split into two sets of questions as noted.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.