2S15-4: The Fall Of A Legend—Why Israel Turned On David

“Some time later, Avshalom prepared himself a chariot and horses, with fifty men to run ahead of him.”-2 Samuel 15:1

Verse 1 reveals Avshalom’s intentions right off the bat.

Some time after returning to Jerusalem, he began executing his plan to overthrow the government.

But don’t think things started after his father hesitantly accepted him back into the fold.

His devious schemes were put into play way before that.

Absalom had been planting seeds by building up his inner circle of supporters and promising them benefits if they sided with him.

Now, one question comes to mind.

Why would the majority population turn against David, Israel’s greatest king?

Starting with Goliath, David was the Lion of Judah who had delivered Israel from Philistine oppression and broken their dominance.

This continued through repeated military victories.

So why were the people so quick to betray David?

That’s a good question, and it leads to today’s takeaway.

The answer is as simple as it is sad.

People are fickle.

They’re about as loyal as a Bangkok bar girl is to a lonely western man who flies off to Asia in the hopes of finding companionship.

History has proven this.

But it wasn’t just the people who were at fault.

David also had his weaknesses.

He had let his guard down and stopped paying attention to the people’s needs.

That’s when trouble starts sneaking in.

After 20 years as king, David had distanced himself from the common man.

He handed off important jobs to others and started acting like he was above everyone else.

And let’s face it—that whole Bathsheba affair.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

It shook the nation and caused a lot of people to lose trust in him.

The takeaway for today is two-fold.

First, don’t forget how fickle people are.

If they ain’t happy, it doesn’t matter how much they liked you in the past.

They’ll turn on you in a second.

Second, David’s story is a lesson on the importance of persistence in good leadership

David may have behaved as a hands-on and empathetic leader in the past.

But he didn’t continue in his good works.

The result was that he lost the trust of the people.

It’s the same with our walk of faith.

New believers are always enthusiastic in the beginning.

They attend worship and read their Bibles regularly

A month later.

They’re back to bingeing porn on Sunday mornings.

Ya feel me?

Persistence is the secret to success in most endeavors in life.

Our faith walk is no different.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“Let us not become
weary in doing good,
for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.”
-Galatians 6:9