Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): Coming up today on Sound Doctrine.

Jeff Johnson: If they would have known what Absalom was up to, they would have never gone with him. And I think what is seen here is that a troubled individual who seeks to draw away disciples after himself and then causes a rift or a division in a body and leaves with those individuals and says, "These are my friends. They're going with me."

And they go away and as soon as he begins to reveal his heart and what he was really doing and his true motivation, all of a sudden his friends look at him and say, "Well, I don't want to be your friend anymore." And so those "friends" are gone. It happens all the time.

Guest (Male): The case could be made that the raising of children is the hardest thing in the world to do. Perhaps that's why it's the most rewarding venture in the world when there's success. Thanks for joining us today for Sound Doctrine. We've been spotlighting the life of David, learning from his strengths and also his weaknesses.

Speaking of which, 2 Samuel chapters 15 through 18 records the rebellion of David's son Absalom. It underscores the difficulty of raising children and the strength needed when there's failure. Here's Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: We're in 2 Samuel chapter 15 this morning in the Old Testament. 2 Samuel 15. We're going to be talking about Absalom's rebellion because here we find ourselves right in the midst of David's woodshed experience. He is reaping what he has sown right in his own home. And I think that's where it hurts the most is when we see our own home suffering for some of the mistakes, some of the sins that we have done ourselves.

Absalom, his son, has been in exile for three years for avenging his sister's rape, remember, by killing his brother Amnon. And then for two years, actually, David told his son, "I want you to come home now." But when he brought him home, he wouldn't see his face and he wouldn't talk to him for two years. He just didn't see his father.

And so Absalom's bitterness and anger began to grow, and really, it had a lot to do with his father's pride. He was stubborn. He didn't want to totally embrace his son. He didn't want to speak to him to resolve the situation. He had a lot of pride. So Absalom's bitterness, his anger got worse, and Absalom finally said, "I want to see my dad."

And remember, we know what he tried to do to get the attention of everybody. He took and sent his servants out to burn Joab's fields. Joab came running up to him and said, "Why'd you do that?" He said, "I've asked you twice to come and to make an audience for me to see my dad and you never did it. So now I got your attention."

It's a shame and it's really sad when a child has to do something tragic to get his parent's attention. But children all over the nation, all over the world, are seeking to get their parent's attention because there's many children that are hurting. They're hurting deep down inside and they do radical things just to get the parent's attention.

"Well, dad thinks I'm a jerk anyhow, I might as well be a jerk. I might as well just blow it and go for it all the way." It's just the way kids are feeling today as they desperately need parents that care, that take time with them, to give them approval, to communicate with them, and to share their love with them. And that takes time.

And today everything is working against us giving time to our children. But we need to work against what is happening out there and say, "As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord." And I'm going to love my kids and I'm going to spend time with them. We're going to spend time in prayer and in the Word. We're going to seek the Lord together as a family.

Well, this didn't happen with David and his home. Absalom finally got to see his dad and it says that David kissed Absalom. "So everything's all better now, dad?" "Yes, son, I love you." But wait a minute. There's been five years here that David's dropped the ball. And I think what is happening here is we're seeing it's just a little bit too late, David.

After five years of failing in disciplining his child, in correcting him, and in forgiving him... and in actually not forgiving him... because of his stubborn pride, Absalom now is going to turn upon his dad. Do you remember over in 2 Samuel chapter 14, verse 25? It says, "And in all of Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him."

This guy was good-looking. I found a little quote by Matthew Henry where he says, "In his body there was no blemish, but in his mind nothing but wounds and bruises." He was a scarred kid and he was hurting inside. Yet the people looked to Absalom because he was so good-looking and he was young, energetic. He had new ideas and he wasn't so religious as his dad was.

And they said, "Maybe this is the guy for us. Maybe this can be our king now." And we can see now that Absalom and David were never truly reconciled. Oh, there was a kiss, but there was really not the interaction and the communication and the repentance that was needed to truly reconcile father and son.

So in chapter 15, verse one: "And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses and 50 men to run before him." Absalom's heart here is being revealed as he seeks to exalt himself and he starts this insurrection by his first ploy, which was to elevate himself with pomp and circumstance.

And so he got this small army around himself and they were all looking to him and he was parading around with them all looking to him, and he was just seeking to win the people over slowly, slowly. Verse two: "And Absalom rose up early and he stood beside the way of the gate. And it was so that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him and said, 'Of what city art thou?'"

"And he said, 'Thy servant is from the tribes of Israel.' And Absalom said to him, 'See, thy matters are so good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.'" Absalom said, moreover, "Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which has any suit or cause might come unto me and I would do him justice."

And it was so that when any man came near to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and he took him and he kissed him. And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. So Absalom, it says, stole the hearts of the men of Israel. Absalom, if you remember, was David's oldest living son. He was heir to the throne.

But he couldn't wait to be that heir as we see him begin to criticize, as we see him begin to undermine his dad's administration. You see, as David had put things the way they were, and he started to come against them, started to disagree, and he started to draw the people to himself through lies and deception, through promises that he couldn't fulfill. This was Absalom's what I call his kitchen rebellion.

Do you know what a kitchen rebellion is? It's when a bunch of people go in the kitchen to eat, but then they start to rebel and plan their little plot, their little plan against whatever is going on. They call them kitchen rebellions. He would wait before the gates, notice. The gates were, if you know anything about the Old Testament times, gates of the city were the place to negotiate.

They were the place where you did all your business, all your legal matters, your counsel was given there. Everything was accomplished in the city gates by the city fathers. And so he would go before the people would get to the gates and head them off at the pass. And my whole question here as I was reading this, I thought, "Well, where's David in this? Didn't he know what his son was doing?"

"Was he that busy that he wasn't involved enough to see what was coming or what was going on outside, what he was doing?" And I think that is one problem that David had is that he did get too busy to have feelers out to know what was going on in his kingdom. Well, Absalom sought to win the people through politics. He did a lot of smooth talking and he kissed a lot of babies.

And he was very personable. He'd come up to a person and say, "Where are you from?" like "I care for you." Ever seen those commercials? "We care for you." It's really they ought to say, "We want your money." Be honest, guy, you know? But he was very personable, he'd come on and say, "Oh man, I sympathize with you and I know the business that you have is very important. It's very crucial to you and it's good stuff."

"And you know what? It's too bad that the king is so busy that he cannot see you or take care of this problem." He says, "You know what? If I was king," he says, "I would be different. I'd bring change." We've heard that before, haven't we? So through undermining his father and being very personable, he sought to steal away the people's hearts to himself.

But it was all deception and lies. There was no change really coming, nothing that he could do in himself. Everything... and as I looked at this, I thought, "My gosh, it's happening to David right in his own home." And it was all because of his affair with Bathsheba. That one point when he was weak, the enemy caught him up in the flesh.

And because of that, all these things are falling down upon him. I found a scripture in 2 Samuel chapter 12, verse 10. Interesting as the Lord's saying to David through the prophet, "Now therefore," he says... this is 2 Samuel 12:10... "Therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, David, because thou hast despised me, you have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife."

And out of that one time, we now see all of these things coming down upon David. And within David's reign, within his own home, his reign was crumbling around him. There was a scripture that Paul went to those in Ephesus to warn them. He was leaving the elders and the pastors. And in Acts chapter 20, he says to them as he's getting ready to leave, warning them in verse 29.

He says, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." So Paul, knowing that it would happen, knowing that rebellion was coming, knowing that division was coming, he warned them ahead of time.

Now, this is not an unusual story all the way through the Old Testament, New Testament, we see it taking place. We're reminded of Moses who... his own brother and sister came against him, began to rebel and began to murmur against Moses, who was leading the children of Israel. We're reminded of Korah, who began to murmur and rebel against Moses' leadership.

And we're also reminded how God took care of both of those situations. And really how Moses said, "Lord, behold what they're saying." I mean, he just went to the Lord and said, "Lord, you know what's going on here. These are your people, and you know the rebellion that's going on here. You deal with it. You take care of it."

We've had our little kitchen rebellions right here at Calvary Downey. We've had a number of them take place over the years, where individuals would gather together and they would seek to... you know, there's this one group that gathered together quite a while ago who were actually plotting to take over the church. And when I found that out, I could not believe that.

But God knew, God heard, and he said, "Hey, listen, the Lord said, 'This is my church. The gates of hell won't prevail against it.'" And God has done some awesome things over the years. I've seen him do some incredible things of removing those that were trouble, that started trouble, sought to bring trouble, sought to bring division.

You've heard of churches having divisions in them? Thanks be to the Lord, we have never had division here, a major division. We've had a few people stomp away, but that's about it. And God just kind of removed them. And God's been so good. And so he goes before us and he has been our protector all this time.

He said, "The gates of hell won't prevail against my church." And so he hears and he deals with these rebellions that go on. Verse seven: "And it came to pass after 40 years that Absalom said unto the king, 'I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron.'" Now, the 40 years is in question.

Many believe that it's referring to David's anointing and up to the end of his reign, that there's a period of 40 years there. Some others also suggest that maybe it might be a scribal error and it's not supposed to be 40 years, it's supposed to be four years. Whichever. It's not a big deal, all right? Whichever it is, it's Absalom who is here now seeking to excuse himself to go to Hebron for a spiritual mission.

He's saying, "Dad, I'm on this spiritual quest, this mission that I want you to let me go to Hebron on." Verse eight: "And thy servant vowed a vow," and he's explaining it to his dad, "When I bode at Geshur in Syria, saying, 'If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.'" And the king said, David said to his son, "Go in peace."

So he arose and he went to Hebron. Kind of Absalom's putting on a spiritual mask in front of his dad. He's saying, "Dad, I'm going to go serve God because I promised him I was going to make a vow and serve God." In reality, he only sought to serve himself through rebellion. See, Absalom had a hidden agenda. You know people like this?

They have hidden agendas. They'll say one thing, but they're planning and plotting to do another. Well, this is Absalom. And he wanted to go to Hebron. First of all, the reason is to get away from Jerusalem, out of the oversight of the king and all of the people there. He wanted to do his dirty deed away in Hebron. Why Hebron?

Number one, this was the place where his father, remember, began to reign in Hebron. So he went back to this place. Why? Because he knew that those in Hebron were very angry about David moving the capital and moving the ark and everything from Hebron into Jerusalem. Still upset, still discontent. And so Absalom's a very wise guy.

He goes to those that are already murmuring and already upset and he says, "Now I know you guys aren't pleased totally," and he begins to work on this weakness that they have, this discontentment. And he uses it for his benefit. Knowing that he there at Hebron because this was his hometown, remember? This is where he's from.

So he goes back as a homeboy. And he goes back and he says, "I'm home, guys. And I'm here to just share with you some stuff." And everybody was joy... "Look at this! Man, he's better looking than I heard. Look at this guy! Boy, he's such a kingly guy." And they all bowed their hearts to him. So he had their sympathy.

Now, David evidently didn't have the discernment to see what was going on. Evidently he had gotten away from the Lord through his pride and his hardness and his anger to the point of he's not receiving real well. His receptors aren't up. He's not getting it from the Lord that there's something weird going on, that something strange is happening and beware of this individual, beware of this situation.

That gift of discerning of spirits, he's not getting it. Because he just says, "Son, that sounds so good for you. Go and serve the Lord. Go in peace. Have a great time. See you when you get back." Had no idea what his son was about ready to do. I feel sorry for David at this point because this gift of discerning of spirits is so needed for the church today.

You know that person that gets it? Very few others get it, but you just think there's something wrong here. You get that Holy Spirit alarm goes off and you just go, "Hmm, this individual, just be careful." My wife, she's real good with it. She always warns me, "Be careful of this individual." And I go, "What are you talking about?"

"No, no, I just... I don't know what it is." And she just is kind of keyed in. So we just kind of wait and all of a sudden boom, it happens just like she said. I go, "I can't believe it." It's a gift. And the church has it. And as we're getting tuned in, the Lord gives it to us to protect us from wolves from within and those that would seek to undermine the work of God.

Well, he didn't have it. Verse 10: "But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, 'As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say Absalom reigns in Hebron.'" So the Absalom supporters spread the rebellion throughout the country and they were all told when you hear the trumpets to start screaming out and saying, "Absalom is reigning in Hebron."

And so he would do his takeover there in this city of Hebron. This is the coup that's taking place. Verse 11: "And with Absalom went 200 men out of Jerusalem that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not anything." It is sad, but it is true, many innocent people get hurt if they're not aware of a certain situation that they're getting involved in.

And these are some of those people. If they would have known what Absalom was up to, they would have never gone with him. And I think what is seen here is that a troubled individual who seeks to draw away disciples after himself and then causes a rift or a division in a body and leaves with those individuals and say, "These are my friends. They're going with me."

And they go away and as soon as he begins to reveal his heart and what he was really doing and his true motivation, all of a sudden his friends look at him and say, "Well, I don't want to be your friend anymore." And so those "friends" are gone. It happens all the time. We... listen, and listen to me carefully.

We are children of God, so what does that mean? We are to be led by the Spirit of God, not by a man. Somebody gets upset, somebody says this, somebody says that, and say, "You come follow me." No, we don't follow any man. We follow the Lord Jesus Christ. And we need to keep our eyes upon his Word and in his Word and be attentive.

Because men are always seeking to lead other men after themselves, and you can get very hurt if you get caught up in one of these little rebellions. Very hurt. And the enemy is right there to really mess things up. So be careful. Verse 12: "And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even Gilo, while he offered sacrifices."

And notice, the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. One of David's counselors turned against him. One of his wise men. But you say, why Ahithophel? Why would he turn against David and why would Absalom go towards Ahithophel? Would you follow with me? I cheated a little bit and read ahead in 2 Samuel chapter 23, verse 34.

And let's find out a little bit about Ahithophel's background. Then we'll understand why he went to him. Look at 2 Samuel 23, verse 34. And in the middle of the verse it talks about Eliam, the son of Ahithophel. Eliam was his son. Then go down to verse 39. It says Uriah the Hittite. Remember him? Uriah was married to Bathsheba.

So these guys are a part of David's mighty men. This is a list of all of his mighty men. These guys were war buddies together, if you will. They knew each other. Eliam and Uriah. Now turn with me back now to 2 Samuel chapter 11, verse two. 2 Samuel 11:2. "And it came to pass in the eveningtide that David arose from his bed, walked upon the roof in the king's house."

"And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And it says in verse three that David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, 'Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah?'" Hmm. So evidently Eliam introduced his daughter to Uriah and they got married.

And so Ahithophel, being Eliam's father, became the grandfather of Bathsheba. So he is tied into this web of deception and this weird stuff that David was doing with Bathsheba and Uriah. In fact, I believe that he knew what David had done with his granddaughter's husband, had him killed. And so there was a real anger and rage in his own heart.

And you know what? Absalom also knew it, because he went right to Ahithophel. And Ahithophel had a weak point. What was that weak point? It was anger and bitterness towards David and the kingdom. You see what people will do? They rally, they go to the weak ones, they go to the discontented ones and say, "You're mad about this too, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, I'm pretty upset." "Well, that's great. Now come here." And they just seek to get everybody that's discontented and surround them with them to build up their defense and to get the rallying going on. "Let's sign a petition!" and everybody's in a frenzy, a feeding frenzy after a while. And that's exactly what Absalom was doing.

Guest (Male): We'll stop here for today. Pastor Jeff Johnson will bring us more from 2 Samuel chapter 15 next time here on Sound Doctrine. Pastor Jeff's messages are archived for you at sounddoctrineradio.org. That includes all of 2 Samuel. Our programs are also accessible at oneplace.com and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

If you enjoy the teaching you receive through Sound Doctrine, you can show your support through a financial gift, and thank you for whatever the Lord lays on your heart. There's a place to give at sounddoctrineradio.org, sounddoctrineradio.org. Join us for another study in 2 Samuel next time we meet for Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff. May God richly bless you as you live by the sound doctrine contained in God's Word.