2 Samuel 18
Notes
Transcript
1-5 6-18 19-27 28-33
1-5 6-18 19-27 28-33
1-5
1-5
Ittai the Gittite was the same who refused to go back to Jerusalem when David was fleeing, here David rewards his loyalty with making him general over 1/3 of the army
David wanted to go out and lead the men, as apposed to when the men were out fighting the Ammonites and Syrians and he stayed in Jerusalem, he should have been with the men instead of spying on Bathsheba. David wanted to go out but the generals, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai knew that if David went out there was a chance that he may fall in battle and then Absalom would gain the kingdom so they persuaded him to stay in the city.
David has gone from banishing Absalom, to letting him back but not wanting to see him, to giving him back his full status and now does not want Absalom harmed even though he is openly rebelling and attacking him. David may still think of him as a youth or young man and can be forgiven for his actions. This attitude was also there for Amnon when he raped Tamar.
All of the men hear his orders not to harm Absalom not just the generals making it an order from the king.
6-18
6-18
David’s men prevail as was the plan from God and there was a great loss of life from the army of Absalom, 20,000 men.
of the 20,000 men more than half died in the escape and fleeing of the battle, either from the rugged terrain, wild animals, or because of the dense forest that was near the battle.
Absalom seeing that the battle was not his flees also and in his flight he passes by men from David’s army but they let him pass because of David’s command not to harm him.
In Absalom’s haste his mule runs into the dense forest and Absalom unable to control the beast get caught up in an oak tree. Either his luscious heavy hare gets tangled up in the branches of the tree or his head get jammed into a fork of the branches and he ends up suspended in the air dangling from the tree.
An unnamed man of David sees what happens to Absalom but because of David’s order does nothing but goes and tells Joab.
Joab is annoyed with the man for not killing Absalom and tells him he would have rewarded him for killing Absalom. The man tells Joab that he would not have disobeyed David’s order for 100x what Joab offered as the reward. 10 silver coins would have been about 4 ounces, 1000 coins would have been around 25 pounds. Silver today is $18.72 per ounce: $75 - $7,488
Being thoroughly annoyed, Joab takes the matter into his own hands and impales Absalom through the heart with three javelins while he was still suspended in the air thus willfully disobeying David’s command to be gentle with Absalom. To further make sure that Absalom is dead Joab’s men struck him again for good measure.
Joab calls off the attack and pursuit of Absalom’s remaining men and buried Absalom in a pit. They filled the pit in with stones as if they were posthumously giving Absalom the punishment of stoning which would have been his rightful fate if he was taken alive, also a grave covered in stones often showed that the one buried was a criminal or enemy.
According to 2 Samuel 14:27 “There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.” Absalom had three unnamed sons but they all had died before him, so he memorialized himself by erecting a monument in his own honor.
There is a monument around still today in the area of Absalom’s burial called Absalom’s tomb that orthodox Jews spit on when passing by.
19-27
19-27
Ahimaaz, one of the two that ran from Jerusalem to inform David on Absalom’s plan, wanted to be the one to tell David what has transpired but Joab says no. He might be remembering how David did not treat well the bearer of the news of Saul’s death, although he boasted of killing Saul himself, Joab instead sends a Cushite man to tell David of the victory and Absalom’s death.
Ahimaaz still wants to go and tell David or be there when he is told so Joab relents and tells him he can go. Ahimaaz is faster that the Cushite man and overtakes him even though the Cushite left first.
28-33
28-33
When Ahimaaz arrives first to David and informs him of the victory in battle but when he is asked about Absalom he conceals his knowledge from David, because of Joab’s command that he was not to carry the news.
The man from Cush arrives and tells David again of the victory in the battle and once again David asks about Absalom but this time he gets an answer. The Cushite man tells David of Absalom’s death.
David is completely distraught at the news of his son’s death and wishes that it was he who died and Absalom lived.
Quote from MacArthur: “David lamented the death of Absalom, his son. In spite of all the harm that Absalom had caused, David was preoccupied with his person 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”