When Someone You Trust Turns Against You (2 Samuel 15-17)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Have you ever been undercut by someone?

You thought someone was nice, but secretly, they were working against you. David certainly experienced this hardship. In 2 Samuel 15-17, his son Absalom conspires to overthrow his kingdom and take control of Israel. Absalom gains the support of the Israelites through deceit and declares himself king in Hebron, forcing David to flee Jerusalem to escape Absalom's uprising. Looking at this passage a little closer, we see several points to highlight. For starters, as V. Philips Long notes, “Seemingly small sins of omission can spawn rather large sins of commission.”^[1] David’s failure to act after the rape of Tamar spurs Absalom to rebellion.

It’s also clear Absalom had natural leadership charisma. 2 Samuel 14:25 says, “No man in all Israel was as handsome and highly praised as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he did not have a single flaw.” D.F. Payne notes, “There is no doubt that Absalom was a natural leader, with many skills and abilities. If his character had been different, he might have been an excellent king after David.”^[2]

Instead, Absalom is a master manipulator. After killing his brother Amnon, it takes a few years before Absalom and David make amends. Mary Evans notes, “For David, this meant that the past was now put behind him, and his acceptance of and love for Absalom was unstinting. But for Absalom, the wounds could not be so quickly healed.”^[3]

As Evans notes, “Absalom had a three-pronged strategy.

·      First the people were going to notice that Absalom was back and be made to think that Absalom was significant. He imitated the custom of surrounding nations with his display of pomp, exploiting his own good looks. The bodyguard of fifty men and the showy chariot were different from anything known in Israel so far.

·      Second, Absalom looked for any vulnerability in David’s government, and the weakness he found was in the legal system used for dealing with public and private complaints.

·      Third, Absalom, having set himself apart from the people as a great prince, proceeded to treat all who came to pay their respects to him as if they were social equals. In an ironic parallel to 14:33 (where Absalom bowed down before David as king and then received his father’s kiss), when the supplicants bowed down, Absalom would reach out and kiss them.”^[4]

2 Samuel 15:6 says, “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” The verb used here for "stole" conveys a sense of deceit and cunning. Absalom knows what he’s doing, and unlike his father, who refused to touch the Lord’s anointed, he seeks to gain power through underhanded means.