Receiving a small group of men from David, Absalom purchased a chariot and horses and had his men run ahead of him wherever he went. Then he started rising early and positioning himself by the road beside the main gate leading into Jerusalem. He would then call out to everyone who passed by, asking them if they had business with the king. When the answer was in the affirmative, he would proclaim, 'See, your claims are good and right; but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you. If only there were a king in the land to hear you and bring you justice.' He would then shake their hands, pull them close for a hug, and kissed them. Thus after four years of this strategy Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel." (2 Samuel 15:1 - 6)
This is one of most interesting stories in the Old Testament in regard to family, leadership, politics and betrayal. After being restored in his relationship with his father, the king, Absalom reveals his true motives in regard to his renewed standing as a prince. But he does this in a very public way, with what appears to be little fear of being caught or even confronted. And this public betrayal is not a one-time thing, Absalom executes his plan right in plain sight of the King and his advisors for over four years!
So where were David's advisors during this time? Where were those charge with gathering and evaluating the intelligence and pulse of the city and its people? Was Absalom ever summoned to the king to answer for how and where he was spending his time? The answer to these questions appear to be "No."
This is one of most interesting stories in the Old Testament in regard to family, leadership, politics and betrayal. After being restored in his relationship with his father, the king, Absalom reveals his true motives in regard to his renewed standing as a prince. But he does this in a very public way, with what appears to be little fear of being caught or even confronted. And this public betrayal is not a one-time thing, Absalom executes his plan right in plain sight of the King and his advisors for over four years!
So where were David's advisors during this time? Where were those charge with gathering and evaluating the intelligence and pulse of the city and its people? Was Absalom ever summoned to the king to answer for how and where he was spending his time? The answer to these questions appear to be "No."
The reason we can assume that David was blind to his son's deliberate plan to betray his father is that at the end of the four years Absalom requested a favor that would give him the freedom to expand his influence and David didn't even bat an eye. In fact, it was only after the rebellion had grown to a overwhelming movement that David finally saw the truth about his son's character. Check out David's words after hearing about his son's deception. "Get up! Lets get out of here for there will be no escape from Absalom, he will bring disaster down upon us and attack the city with the edge of the sword."
After years of inactivity, blatant disregard for his son's motives, an extreme lack of intelligence in public revolt going on right outside the city gates, it is evident from scripture that David wasn't totally surprised by the actions of his son. So once again that begs the question, why was there zero effort put into investigating the evil at the gate? Why was there not an accounting of his son's actions? Was David more concerned with keeping the peace then confronting the problem? Was this maybe a pride issue? Well, what we do know is that ultimately the actions of the king (or lack of) jeopardized his people and his country. A civil war was born out of David's lack of leadership and over twenty thousand men lost their lives in the battles to come.
When confronted with evil, the response of hoping that it will pass is never the right choice. Evil grows in the absence of the actions of good men and many more people will be impacted by our lack of courage and action when faced with these choices. Can you think of a time when you should have confronted injustice, wickedness, or just plain evil in your life? This is one of the many reasons that I love the stories that God chose to put in His Word, or as Timothy put it, "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
After years of inactivity, blatant disregard for his son's motives, an extreme lack of intelligence in public revolt going on right outside the city gates, it is evident from scripture that David wasn't totally surprised by the actions of his son. So once again that begs the question, why was there zero effort put into investigating the evil at the gate? Why was there not an accounting of his son's actions? Was David more concerned with keeping the peace then confronting the problem? Was this maybe a pride issue? Well, what we do know is that ultimately the actions of the king (or lack of) jeopardized his people and his country. A civil war was born out of David's lack of leadership and over twenty thousand men lost their lives in the battles to come.
When confronted with evil, the response of hoping that it will pass is never the right choice. Evil grows in the absence of the actions of good men and many more people will be impacted by our lack of courage and action when faced with these choices. Can you think of a time when you should have confronted injustice, wickedness, or just plain evil in your life? This is one of the many reasons that I love the stories that God chose to put in His Word, or as Timothy put it, "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
