Coming Up Sunday, August 31

Sunday we will consider the end of Absalom's revolt against his father David. Absalom leads his army against David's army (though David is convinced by his generals to stay far behind the front lines to prevent his being killed. David gives specific instructions to his generals that Absalom is not to be harmed during the battle.

The battle took place in some thick woods. During the fighting, Absalom was riding through the woods when he became stuck in the limbs. (This was implicitly a common problem, given that the Bible says the woods killed more men than the armies did.) When David's army found Absalom, the generals commanded that he be killed.

Upon hearing of Absalom's death, his army fled in terror. Couriers rushed to tell David that the rebels had been defeated. He asked, "How is my son?" When informed that Absalom was dead, David openly wept. The celebration turned somber, when the soldiers saw the king's grief. In fact, David was so overcome by his emotions that the generals explained that he had to make an appearance before his victorious troops, or they would think that the king didn't care for any of his own soldiers who had fought and died.

In many ways, this is a simple story of a father's grief over the untimely death of his son. So deep is his own love for his son that he wishes he could have died in his son's place.

But Absalom and his revolt also represent the evidence that David's kingship will be unsuccessful in uniting all of the Israelites. It is obvious that Absalom's army is filled with those who had been more loyal to Saul's son than to David after Saul's death. In the upcoming years, this group will keep fighting against David and his descendants. After Solomon's death, this group will create the northern kingdom, called Israel. David's heirs will rule the kingdom of Judah only. And the Israelites will never be united again.