Civil War – Family War

The weather today was cooler, but still nice. My afternoon workout at the fitness center went well. I walked six minutes on the treadmill, thirty-two minutes riding the bike and ten minutes on the row machine. That was a first for me, to be on a row machine. My friend John Clinard will be happy to hear about that. He encouraged me to consider that as part of my exercise routine several months ago.

 BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…Absalom provided a chariot and horses for himself ….Absalom would say, “Look, the law is on your side, but there is no representative of the king to hear your case.” And he would add, “How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me, and I would give him  justice.” Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, and so he won their loyalty.       (2 Samuel 15:1-6)

David’s Camelot kingdom was disrupted by a nasty civil war that threatened to take over the kingdom by force. But the opponent was not an “outsider,” it was not the general of the army, which was often the case. David’s opposition and the threat to his reign came from his own son.

Absalom was good looking and charming. He defended the honor of his sister when she was raped by their half brother Amnon. King David did not take decisive action and so at the opportune time Absalom did. He killed his brother and then sought refuge in the home country of his maternal grandmother, until finally being brought back to Jerusalem. But while he was physically in Jerusalem, he was still estranged from his father.

Absalom seems to be a man motivated by revenge. It was one thing to kill his brother for the rape of his sister. But when Joab did not come to see Absalom when he called for him, he had his men burn Joab’s barley fields. Now that his father was ignoring him, he took revenge on his father by rebelling against his father’s reign. Absalom has an “I’ll show you” approach to life.

Absalom goes to Hebron where he devises a plan to be declared King in the city where his father first established his throne. David with those loyal to him flees from Jerusalem, as Absalom and his armies move into the city. After David flees the city, Absalom leading his armies in battle against David’s men is killed when his long hair gets stuck in the low lying branches of a tree and he is left hanging in the air.

When David hears the news of his death, he mourns for his son. This reaction creates such confusion that Joab has to get David’s attention and tells him to “straighten up and get out there and express his gratitude to those who risk their life to save his kingdom.” David then faces another rebellion from Sheba of Benjamin that has to be put down, before his kingdom is once again secure.

There are many intriguing aspects and points of drama in these chapters that describe these events. But a key is David’s role as a leader and a father.

David’s lack of action as a father and attention as a leader brought trouble to his house and kingdom. I’m not sure of the family dynamics with multiple wives and children, but David was still very much aware of what was going on in his family with the rape of Tamar, but he did nothing. When Absalom was in exile, it took a plot by Joab to get David to allow his son to return to Jerusalem. But after an initial meeting David continued to ignore Absalom and his activities. Absalom was sowing seeds of rebellion for four years under David’s nose! He undoubtedly had to be aware of this but….did nothing. In all of these situations we see that ignoring problems, don’t make them go away.

David brings confusion to his armies when being chased by Absalom. When David left the city, it was like a funeral procession. Then, his instruction to the fighting men were “be gentle with the young man for my sake.” That is why there was hesitation to kill Absalom when the opportunity presented itself. This demonstrated a sudden attention and devotion to his son that David had not demonstrated in years.

David brings discouragement instead of celebration when Absalom’s rebellion is put down. The response of David in his grief to the news of Absalom’s death is as though he were killed in battle for an honorable cause. Perhaps this was David’s own response of guilt for his failure to “let things get out of hand.” David’s response did not allow there to be the call to unity and refortifying of his kingdom and this lead to the revolt of Sheba from the tribe of Benjamin, King Saul’s tribe.

At the root of all that took place we see David’s failure to lead consistently in obedience to the Lord and paying attention to what was happening in his own family. The result is that he, his family and the kingdom suffered. In the end God was faithful to David and maintained his reign. But David would face a challenging transition of power as he was about to die.

What problems or issues are you facing that need your attention and action? Remember, they will not “just go away.” Ask the Lord for wisdom and courage and pay attention to what is happening in your family and in those you lead.