Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: Game of Thrones
Post Topic: Absalom Conspires to Take Down the King
Post in Thread: #20
Previous: Daring Spies Trigger Late-Night Escape Across the Jordan
Next: Mourning a Lost Black Sheep
Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:1-18
Key Verses (but read entire passage):
2 Samuel 18:14-15
14 Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.
Observations
Context
David had fled Jerusalem to the outer reaches of the kingdom (the region of Gilead). His rebellious son Absalom took the City of David without a fight, and gathered the forces of Israel (the northern half of the kingdom) against David’s men.
Battle Lines
- David divided his forces into thirds, and set three men in command over them:
- His long-time commander and loyal fix-it man, Joab.
- Joab’s brother and renowned fighter Abishai.
- Ittai the Gittite, a Philistine general who followed the true God and had brought his forces with him to defend David.
- David resolved to march to battle with his troops, but they convinced him to stay behind.
- These loyal men told their king that his life was more important than 10,000 of their own.
- David commanded his leaders to be gentle with Absalom. In other words, to take him alive.
- They met Absalom’s forces in the forest of Ephraim, away from the city of Mahanaim, where David holed up.
Absalom’s Demise
- David’s men routed the rebels, and over 20,000 men died.
- Absalom, known for his great looks, physique, and hair, got his weave caught in the low-hanging branches of an oak tree while riding his mule.
- The mule kept on going, leaving Absalom hanging, and helpless.
- One of Joab’s men reported this Joab, who berated the man for not killing Absalom.
- The man said that all the money in the world wouldn’t convince him to defy King David’s orders.
- Joab wasn’t so compliant. He’d defied the king before, and he did it again. Joab and ten of his shield-bearers speared Absalom’s in the heart.
- Joab and his men tossed Absalom into a pit and piled rocks over him. The rebellion had been quashed.
This map illustrates the falling out between David and Absalom and the subsequent insurrection.
- The battle took place near Mahanaim, on the east side of the Jordan River.
- The map shows approximately where the forest of Ephraim sat within the region of Gilead.
Interpretation
Setting
The battle took place in a mountainous, forested area to the east of the Jordan River. The nearest city was Mahanaim, which served as a base of operations for David and his forces.
Genre
Narrative description.
Author
The author is unknown, but they had access to the records of the kings and possessed a thorough knowledge of the life and times of Samuel and the events surrounding the first kings of Israel.
Takeaways
- David’s battle-tested warriors outclassed the militias that Absalom put together.
- David’s men had more to fight for. They were defending their revered leader. Absalom was the new kid on the block, without military experience.
- Joab was loyal to David, but not obedient.
- In his mind, the rebellion wasn’t completely put down until Absalom was gone.
- Joab took matters into his own hands and made an example of the wanna-be-king.
- Absalom’s hubris and vain ambition led to his demise.
- Even the way Absalom died is a thing of legends. His gorgeous head of hair, his source of pride, his symbol of royalty to the fickle people, is what ultimately left him hanging.
- Absalom possessed two fatal flaws, which fed each other: Bitterness and pride.
Imagine
Another group of Joab’s men! Did I get turned around in the forest again?
Absalom urged his mule off the path into the dark woods. It stumbled down the slick hillside. He struggled stay aboard. The thick beast was a far cry from the gleaming chariot he loved to parade around in.
Did they spot me? Where did all my men go?
A massive oak tree loomed directly ahead. Absalom tugged mightily on the mule’s neck, but frightened by the shouts behind, it refused to alter course. Absalom ducked under the low branches. Just when he thought they’d cleared it, his head wrenched backward violently.
“Stop!” he screamed at the mule, but it kept plunging forward, taking bushes, branches, and cones with it. Everything but Absalom.
Absalom screamed in pain as the roots of his thick hair threatened to rip off his scalp. His body twisted wildly, like a swirling leaf in a windstorm. Desperately, he clawed above his head, trying to shake loose from the branch. He tried to bounce, but his toes only grazed the ground, and the bough held firm.
If Joab finds me like this… What have I done?
Correlation – Don’t Skip!
Sometimes you might brush through the correlation section. This time, give these a closer look, as they get to the heart of Absalom’s problems.
- Hebrews 12:15 – See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
- Bitterness is described as a bitter root.
- It grows, causes trouble, and defiles many.
- It’s like a living organism that needs to be fed and nurtured.
- The antidote?
- Grace. The verse tells us we need to receive the grace of God, and we need to extend that same grace to others.
- What’s the opposite of grace? Pride. Pride is what keeps the bitterness festering inside of us. Bitterness grows in the greenhouse of pride.
- Ephesians 4:31-32 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
- This passage describes how to starve bitterness.
- Earlier, verse 26 says not to let the sun go down while you are still angry.
- Avoid slander.
- Avoid all forms of malice.
- Be kind and compassionate.
- Forgive, as God forgives us through Christ.
Application
Generic Applications
- We’ve seen in previous posts about Absalom how he allowed the bitterness inside toward his father to continue to fester and grow.
- His own pride wouldn’t allow him to release it. To seek restitution and become a better man.
- In the end, this pride and bitterness led to his destruction.
- We can starve bitterness. See Ephesians 4:26-32.
Personalize it
- Am I harboring bitterness toward anyone? What is preventing me from stepping past it?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.