Rise and Fall: The Death of Absalom
2 Samuel 19
May 5, 2024
Andrew Boone
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. —Psalms 34:15-18 NIV
But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” —2 Samuel 15:10 ESV
Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” —2 Samuel 15:14 ESV
And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness. —2 Samuel 15:23 ESV
David and the nation grieve the loss of peace and stability.
And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.” —2 Samuel 15:24-26 ESV
In your grief, remember that God provides.
When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!” —2 Samuel 16:5-7 ESV
Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. —2 Samuel 18:1 ESV
So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom. —2 Samuel 18:4b-5 ESV
And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. —2 Samuel 18:9 ESV
Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him. —2 Samuel 18:14-15 ESV
And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” —2 Samuel 18:33 ESV
David grieves the loss of his son.
“This grief has a gravity; it pulls me down” – Anna
So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. —2 Samuel 19:2-3 ESV
Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” —2 Samuel 19:5-7 ESV
If you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.
Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king. —2 Samuel 19:8 ESV
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. —Proverbs 15:32 ESV
Even in your tears, stay teachable.
And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. —2 Samuel 19:16 ESV
And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” —2 Samuel 19:18-21 ESV
But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath. —2 Samuel 19:22-23 ESV
Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?
Don’t let your grief keep you from forgiveness.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. —Psalm 34:18 NIV
Big Idea:
In your grief, keep living God’s way.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 7:22 NIV
How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.
These questions aim to foster meaningful discussion and encourage participants to reflect on God’s Word to lead to heart transformation. Feel free to modify or expand upon these questions based on the dynamics and needs of your Small Group.
Read 2 Samuel 19:1-8
Chapters 16-19 are filled with different instances of grief. Grief is more than just the pain from death. Grief is the sorrow from loss. What is something currently or in the recent past that has caused you to feel grief? How can grief manifest itself in your life? (e.g., anger, isolation, sadness)
Grief can make us think and live counter to God’s ways as it did with Absalom. Have you ever felt like grief has caused you to act in a way that wasn’t honoring to God? What do we learn from David about how we can respond to grief in such a way that draws us back to the Lord?
Think about strong emotions like grief, anger, jealousy, or depression. How can these emotions cloud our judgment and impact our ability to function normally? When you find yourself experiencing an emotion that gets you off center, how do you get back to center? How can or does your faith play a role?
David was going through grief, and Joab spoke a word of truth to him during a difficult time. Imagine yourself going through a time of intense emotion. How would you react if someone brought correction to you? Have you ever received correction or advice that you knew deep down was true, but you pushed it aside because of a difficult season in your life (e.g. feeling grief, stressed, overwhelmed, etc.)? Why is it important to be open to correction, even in difficult times?
David was likely not pleased with Joab’s actions that brought about his grief, yet he still receives correction from him. How can we discern a valid source from an overly critical voice? Do you ever find yourself dismissing correction from others simply because you don’t like them? How can we cultivate a heart that is open to listening to correction, regardless of the source?
Think about yourself from Joab’s perspective. Do you have the courage to speak truth and correction to a friend when needed? What is the harm in placating a friend by saying, “it’s fine,” instead of sharing the truth? Can you think of a time when you gave or someone offered you correction in a way that felt life-giving? What was it about the interaction that caused it to go well?
Read 2 Samuel 16:5-14; 19:16-23
Shimei was an accuser of David when David was fleeing Absalom. When is a time you have had someone purposefully be unkind to you? When this happened, how did it make you feel? Have you ever been tempted to retaliate against someone who wronged you? Why or why not?
Instead of having Shimei killed, David extends forgiveness. Do you think David’s decision was easy? Do you find forgiving others who have hurt you to be easy or difficult? How does God’s forgiveness towards us influence how we forgive others?
Sometimes, forgiveness can be a process. What are some steps we can take to move towards forgiving someone who has hurt us? Do you think forgiveness requires forgetting the offense? Why or why not?