2 Samuel 15:13-18 – Forge through crises

Absalom’s rebellion was a plot well thought through. It was so well conceived that it went undetected by David or his men for quite a fair bit of time. We saw in 2 Samuel 15:7-12 all that he did in the uprising. Great effort was required to do what he did under the radar. Yet he was able to do it without being noticed. Once the revolt had taken place, a messenger came to the palace and informed David. He was told that the hearts of the men of Israel were with Absalom. This implied that the people were on Absalom’s side. David’s reacti0n was incongruent with what we were accustomed to seeing in him. Didn’t he single-handedly, with just one small stone, kill Goliath the hero of the Philistines?  Didn’t he fight harder wars and encountered more difficult enemies than what was presented by this rebellion? What did Absalom have that this seasoned man of war seemed so afraid to confront? But we are told that he ordered all his servants to evacuate the palace immediately saying, “Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” David seemed to have panicked. Or is it?  

Perhaps there is another explanation for why he reacted this way. He saw the hand of God behind all this. The words of God’s judgment delivered by Nathan could still be ringing in his ears. So although his men would gladly fight for him, yet he would not risk their lives just to resist his rebelling son. David would rather let God’s justice take its full course. This could be the reason why he left behind ten of his concubines. David did not expect to be away too long, so he left them behind to tend to the palace. Sadly, we see in the next chapter how Absalom at the counsel of Ahithophel used those ten concubines in his bid to procure power. Meanwhile, in verse 18, we saw David and his entourage stopped at the last house of the city. We also saw how the 600 foreign men who came to join him in Gath, marched out loyally before him.  

What David was going through was in part due to the consequence of his sin. This was part of the judgment God had prescribed. David was not a coward. He could have resisted and ordered his 600 men to fight all the way and they would gladly do it for him. But by not resisting the rebellion of Absalom, he was in effect yielding to God’s will for his life. Part of God’s dealing with him for what he had done included the adversity he had to encounter. In not resisting, David was demonstrating his acceptance of the will of God for his life. Like the experience of David, God does allow hard times to come along our journey to perfect us. As we collaborate with Him in the times of our adversity, we find constancy. And with constancy, our character is developed. The character will then shape the certainty of our hope in God, a hope that never fails. So let us accept the hard times that God will allow along our way so that He can bring about the best in us.