Sarah
So, back in those days, King David counted all the people who were with him. Then he appointed commanders over thousands and commanders over hundreds, getting everyone ready to fight against Absalom’s forces.
David divided his army into three groups.
The first group was led by Joab.
The second group was led by Abishai.
And the third group was led by Ittai the Gittite.
David said to everyone:
“I’m going out with you this time. I’ll fight right alongside you!”
But when the people heard that, they quickly tried to talk him out of it.
“King, you really shouldn’t go!
If something happens to you out there, we’re all in trouble.
You alone are worth ten thousand of us!
If something happens to you, that would be a disaster.
You’d better stay here in the city and command the battle from here. That’s the safest thing to do.”
David didn’t argue with them.
“All right. We’ll do it your way.”
So David stood beside the city gate and watched as his army marched out, group by group.
But before they left, David gave Joab, Abishai, and Ittai one very important instruction:
“I only ask you one thing.
Please go easy on that young man, Absalom.
No matter what happens, remember—he is my son.”
Everyone heard the king give that order.
Then the army went out into the field and fought against the Israelites.
Eventually, the battle moved into the forest of Ephraim.
And let me tell you, that battle was brutal.
Absalom’s army was completely defeated.
That day, twenty thousand men were killed by David’s army.
And even more people died in the forest than were killed by the sword.
That place was something else.
Now, what happened to Absalom?
He was riding a mule through the forest.
As he passed underneath a large oak tree, somehow his hair got caught in the branches.
The mule kept going.
And just like that, Absalom was hanging there in midair.
By this point, the mule had disappeared.
Absalom was just hanging there, unable to move.
Then one of the soldiers saw him and hurried to tell Joab:
“Commander Joab! I just saw Absalom!”
Joab asked:
“Where is he?”
The soldier said:
“He’s hanging from an oak tree!”
Joab was furious.
“You saw him hanging there, and you didn’t just kill him?
If you had killed him, I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt!”
The soldier quickly shook his head.
“No way!
Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I still wouldn’t touch him.
The king himself ordered us:
‘Do not hurt Absalom!’
If I had killed the king’s son, do you think I’d still have a head tomorrow?
And besides, the king finds out about everything.
You would have turned against me too.
I’m not stupid enough to do that!”
Joab said:
“All right, all right. Quit arguing with me.”
Then Joab took three spears and went straight toward Absalom, who was still hanging from the tree.
While Absalom was still alive, Joab drove the spears into his heart.
Then ten of Joab’s young soldiers surrounded Absalom and finished him off.
Joab blew the trumpet and shouted:
“All right, everyone, come back!
Stop chasing them!”
So the soldiers stopped pursuing the enemy.
They threw Absalom’s body into a large pit in the forest and piled a huge amount of stones over him.
When the Israelites who had followed Absalom saw that everything was lost, they scattered and went back home.
Now, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said:
“Commander Joab, I need to run and tell the king!
I need to tell him that the Lord has delivered him from his enemies!”
Joab replied:
“Don’t go today.
The king’s son is dead.
This isn’t the kind of news you want to be the one delivering.”
Then Joab called a Cushite and said:
“You go!
Tell the king everything you saw.”
The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.
But Ahimaaz still wouldn’t give up.
“Joab, please! No matter what, let me run with him!”
Joab said:
“Why are you so determined to go?
There’s not even a reward for delivering this news. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
Ahimaaz said:
“I don’t care!
I’m going anyway!”
Joab finally said:
“All right, all right. If you really want to go, then go.”
So Ahimaaz took off running.
And that guy was fast.
He actually passed the Cushite.
Meanwhile, King David was sitting by the city gate, waiting for news.
The watchman on top of the city gate looked into the distance.
“Hey, King! Someone is running this way!”
David asked:
“Just one person?”
The watchman said:
“Yes, just one.”
David said:
“Then he must be bringing a message.”
A little while later, the watchman looked again.
“Wait! There’s another man coming!”
David said:
“He’s bringing a message too.”
The watchman looked carefully.
“King, judging by the way that first man runs, he looks a lot like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.”
David said:
“That’s a good man.
If he’s coming, he probably has good news.”
Ahimaaz got closer and shouted:
“King! Peace!”
Then he came before David, bowed down with his face to the ground, and said:
“Blessed be the Lord your God!
He has delivered the men who raised their hands against my lord the king into your hands!”
But David wasn’t thinking about the victory.
He immediately asked:
“What about the young man?
What happened to Absalom?
Is he safe?”
Ahimaaz hesitated.
He said:
“When Joab sent me, I heard a lot of shouting and confusion, but I didn’t know exactly what had happened.”
David said:
“All right. Go stand over there.”
So Ahimaaz stepped aside.
A little while later, the Cushite arrived.
He shouted:
“My lord the king! I have news!”
David immediately asked:
“What about Absalom?
My son Absalom—what happened to him?
Is he safe?”
The Cushite didn’t answer directly.
Instead, he said:
“May all the enemies of my lord the king, and everyone who rises up against you to harm you, end up like that young man.”
The moment David heard those words, he knew.
Absalom was dead.
And just like that, David completely broke down.
He went up to the city gate.
He walked back and forth, crying.
And he kept crying out:
“My son Absalom!
My son!
Absalom, my son!
I wish I could have died instead of you!
Absalom, my son!
My son!”
A father can be hurt by his own son.
His son can betray him, fight against him, and even come close to taking his kingdom away from him.
But when that son finally dies…
the first thing David thinks about is still his son.
The battle was won.
The kingdom was saved.
The enemy was defeated.
But David couldn’t celebrate at all.
1. If someone has made many mistakes, should we still love them? Why or why not?
2. Does loving someone mean we have to support everything they do? Why or why not?