![\"7.png\"](\"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/7.png\")
<\/a> <\/p>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\u2019s forces.<\/p>\n
David divided his army into three groups.<\/p>\n
The first group was led by Joab.<\/p>\n
The second group was led by Abishai.<\/p>\n
And the third group was led by Ittai the Gittite.<\/p>\n
David said to everyone:<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m going out with you this time. I\u2019ll fight right alongside you!\u201d<\/p>\n
But when the people heard that, they quickly tried to talk him out of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cKing, you really shouldn\u2019t go!<\/p>\n
If something happens to you out there, we’re all in trouble.<\/p>\n
You alone are worth ten thousand of us!<\/p>\n
If something happens to you, that would be a disaster.<\/p>\n
You’d better stay here in the city and command the battle from here. That\u2019s the safest thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
David didn’t argue with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right. We’ll do it your way.\u201d<\/p>\n
So David stood beside the city gate and watched as his army marched out, group by group.<\/p>\n
But before they left, David gave Joab, Abishai, and Ittai one very important instruction:<\/p>\n
\u201cI only ask you one thing.<\/p>\n
Please go easy on that young man, Absalom.<\/p>\n
No matter what happens, remember\u2014he is my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone heard the king give that order.<\/p>\n
Then the army went out into the field and fought against the Israelites.<\/p>\n
Eventually, the battle moved into the forest of Ephraim.<\/p>\n
And let me tell you, that battle was brutal.<\/p>\n
Absalom\u2019s army was completely defeated.<\/p>\n
That day, twenty thousand men were killed by David\u2019s army.<\/p>\n
And even more people died in the forest than were killed by the sword.<\/p>\n
That place was something else.<\/p>\n
Now, what happened to Absalom?<\/p>\n
He was riding a mule through the forest.<\/p>\n
As he passed underneath a large oak tree, somehow his hair got caught in the branches.<\/p>\n
The mule kept going.<\/p>\n
And just like that, Absalom was hanging there in midair.<\/p>\n
By this point, the mule had disappeared.<\/p>\n
Absalom was just hanging there, unable to move.<\/p>\n
Then one of the soldiers saw him and hurried to tell Joab:<\/p>\n
\u201cCommander Joab! I just saw Absalom!\u201d<\/p>\n
Joab asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n
The soldier said:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s hanging from an oak tree!\u201d<\/p>\n
Joab was furious.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw him hanging there, and you didn\u2019t just kill him?<\/p>\n
If you had killed him, I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt!\u201d<\/p>\n
The soldier quickly shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way!<\/p>\n
Even if you gave me a thousand shekels of silver, I still wouldn\u2019t touch him.<\/p>\n
The king himself ordered us:<\/p>\n
\u2018Do not hurt Absalom!\u2019<\/p>\n
If I had killed the king\u2019s son, do you think I\u2019d still have a head tomorrow?<\/p>\n
And besides, the king finds out about everything.<\/p>\n
You would have turned against me too.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not stupid enough to do that!\u201d<\/p>\n
Joab said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, all right. Quit arguing with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Joab took three spears and went straight toward Absalom, who was still hanging from the tree.<\/p>\n
While Absalom was still alive, Joab drove the spears into his heart.<\/p>\n
Then ten of Joab\u2019s young soldiers surrounded Absalom and finished him off.<\/p>\n
Joab blew the trumpet and shouted:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, everyone, come back!<\/p>\n
Stop chasing them!\u201d<\/p>\n
So the soldiers stopped pursuing the enemy.<\/p>\n
They threw Absalom\u2019s body into a large pit in the forest and piled a huge amount of stones over him.<\/p>\n
When the Israelites who had followed Absalom saw that everything was lost, they scattered and went back home.<\/p>\n
Now, Zadok\u2019s son Ahimaaz said:<\/p>\n
\u201cCommander Joab, I need to run and tell the king!<\/p>\n
I need to tell him that the Lord has delivered him from his enemies!\u201d<\/p>\n
Joab replied:<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t go today.<\/p>\n
The king\u2019s son is dead.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the kind of news you want to be the one delivering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Joab called a Cushite and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go!<\/p>\n
Tell the king everything you saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.<\/p>\n
But Ahimaaz still wouldn’t give up.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoab, please! No matter what, let me run with him!\u201d<\/p>\n
Joab said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you so determined to go?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s not even a reward for delivering this news. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahimaaz said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t care!<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going anyway!\u201d<\/p>\n
Joab finally said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, all right. If you really want to go, then go.\u201d<\/p>\n
So Ahimaaz took off running.<\/p>\n
And that guy was fast.<\/p>\n
He actually passed the Cushite.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, King David was sitting by the city gate, waiting for news.<\/p>\n
The watchman on top of the city gate looked into the distance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, King! Someone is running this way!\u201d<\/p>\n
David asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cJust one person?\u201d<\/p>\n
The watchman said:<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, just one.\u201d<\/p>\n
David said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he must be bringing a message.\u201d<\/p>\n
A little while later, the watchman looked again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait! There\u2019s another man coming!\u201d<\/p>\n
David said:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s bringing a message too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The watchman looked carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cKing, judging by the way that first man runs, he looks a lot like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok.\u201d<\/p>\n
David said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a good man.<\/p>\n
If he\u2019s coming, he probably has good news.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahimaaz got closer and shouted:<\/p>\n
\u201cKing! Peace!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he came before David, bowed down with his face to the ground, and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cBlessed be the Lord your God!<\/p>\n
He has delivered the men who raised their hands against my lord the king into your hands!\u201d<\/p>\n
But David wasn\u2019t thinking about the victory.<\/p>\n
He immediately asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the young man?<\/p>\n
What happened to Absalom?<\/p>\n
Is he safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahimaaz hesitated.<\/p>\n
He said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Joab sent me, I heard a lot of shouting and confusion, but I didn’t know exactly what had happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
David said:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right. Go stand over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
So Ahimaaz stepped aside.<\/p>\n
A little while later, the Cushite arrived.<\/p>\n
He shouted:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy lord the king! I have news!\u201d<\/p>\n
David immediately asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Absalom?<\/p>\n
My son Absalom\u2014what happened to him?<\/p>\n
Is he safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cushite didn’t answer directly.<\/p>\n
Instead, he said:<\/p>\n
\u201cMay all the enemies of my lord the king, and everyone who rises up against you to harm you, end up like that young man.\u201d<\/p>\n
The moment David heard those words, he knew.<\/p>\n
Absalom was dead.<\/p>\n
And just like that, David completely broke down.<\/p>\n
He went up to the city gate.<\/p>\n
He walked back and forth, crying.<\/p>\n
And he kept crying out:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son Absalom!<\/p>\n
My son!<\/p>\n
Absalom, my son!<\/p>\n
I wish I could have died instead of you!<\/p>\n
Absalom, my son!<\/p>\n
My son!\u201d<\/p>\n
A father can be hurt by his own son.<\/p>\n
His son can betray him, fight against him, and even come close to taking his kingdom away from him.<\/p>\n
But when that son finally dies…<\/p>\n
the first thing David thinks about is still his son.<\/p>\n
The battle was won.<\/p>\n
The kingdom was saved.<\/p>\n
The enemy was defeated.<\/p>\n
But David couldn’t celebrate at all.<\/p>\n
1. If someone has made many mistakes, should we still love them? Why or why not?
\n2. Does loving someone mean we have to support everything they do? Why or why not?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s forces. David divided his army into three groups. The first group was led by Joab. The second group was led by Abishai. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-reflection"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10444,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10443\/revisions\/10444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faithloop.org\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}