We continue with our review of the key events leading up to the Books of the Kings.
When we last left off, Absalom was in the midst of waging a full-scale rebellion against his father, King David, to take his throne.
And I must admit he was doing quite a good job at it.
After garnering the support of the common citizens, Absalom decided to amp up his rebellious behavior to a whole new level.
He enters Jerusalem, and in one of the most horrific examples of breaking the 5th commandment, which says to honor your parents, Absalom has an orgy with his father’s concubines in broad daylight.
This hearkens back to when Jacob’s firstborn son, Reuben, slept with his father’s concubine and was cursed for it when Jacob was on his deathbed.
“Unstable as water,
You shall not excel,
because you went up
to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—
He went up to my couch.”
— Genesis 49:4
Anyway, back to Absalom.
After this blatant display of usurping the King’s authority by sleeping with his concubines, Absalom is advised to attack David immediately while the time is ripe.
But one of David’s loyal officials, Hushai, sent by David as a spy and pretending to support Absalom, advises Absalom to do otherwise.
Hushai tells Absalom not to attack just yet but to wait until a larger army can be assembled.
This misleading advice was pivotal in giving David the time he needed to prepare a counterattack against Absalom, which he did.
David gathered up his troops and slaughtered twenty thousand of Absalom’s men in the forests of Ephraim.
Absalom, while galloping away on his horse to escape the disaster, gets his head caught in the branches of a tree.
Joab hears about it, and he can’t believe his good fortune.
He completely ignores David’s instructions to go easy on Absalom and kills him right there on the spot.
Later, upon hearing of Absalom’s death, David breaks down and begins weeping.
He cries out repeatedly, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Things get even worse when David shows mercy to Absalom’s supporters, including Absalom’s commander Amasa, when they approach David seeking forgiveness.
Alrighty, let’s stop right here and switch over to the takeaway.
It boils down to this.
When you have to choose between loyalty to your family and loyalty to God, you must choose loyalty to the Lord, no matter what the consequences.
This is something David showed he was unable to do once he got news that Absalom had been killed.
Joab was so disgusted with David that he told him…
“You have today shamed all your servants
who saved your life and the lives of your
sons and daughters, and your wives and concubines.
You love those who hate you and hate those who love you.
You have made it clear today that
commanders and servants mean nothing to you.
If Absalom were alive and all of us
were dead today, you would be pleased.
Now get up, go out, and speak kindly to your servants.
If you do not, no man will stay with you tonight…
and that will be worse for you than all the evil
that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
–2 Samuel 19:5–7
Wow!
That’s blunt and brutal!
This is one of the few times when Joab acted like the adult in the room…even if he had disobeyed the king by killing Absalom.
I reiterate my point.
When it comes to choosing between God and family, God comes first.
The prophets themselves were often misunderstood and rejected by their own families.
God even said to Jeremiah…
“Your brothers, your own family…
Even they have betrayed you.”
-Jeremiah 12:6
Or how about that whole Golden Calf fiasco?
When Moses came down from the mountain, he exploded in holy anger.
He knew that those who sinned would have to be judged.
Check out these verses:
So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him. Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, ‘You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.‘”-Exodus 32:26-29
The Levites were honored because they stood with God and against their own families.
This is the kind of allegiance the Lord requires.
I’ll close with these words from the Torah.
“If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”(gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”-Deuteronomy 13:6-10
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“If anyone comes to Me
and does not hate
his own father and mother,
wife and children,
brothers and sisters,
yes, even his own life,
he cannot be My disciple.”
— Luke 14:26
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