CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
His Sonłs Death
(Continued)
2 Samuel 18
In our last we left Absalom caught in an oak, suspended in the air, unable to
free himself. His predicament was indeed a desperate one, for all his followers
had forsaken him. What was to be the sequel? David had given express
instructions to his generals, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even
with Absalom" (2 Sam. 18:5). In that charge we see expressed the weakness of a
doting father, rather than the uncompromising faithfulness of a monarch. It was
not for the interests of his kingdom that such an insurrectionist should be
spared, for none could tell how soon he would occasion further trouble.
Sentiment ought never to override the requirements of righteousness, yet often
it is far from easy to perform the latter when they come into conflict with the
yearnings of the former. By yielding to his paternal feelings and giving such
counsel to his men, David created a difficulty which should never have been
raised.
"And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom
hanged in an oak" (2 Sam. 18:10). The commentators differ considerably in their
estimations of what is recorded in this verse and those which immediately
follow. Some criticize this man for his timidity in refusing to take matters
into his own hands and rid the earth of such a wretch; others go to an opposite
extreme and blame him as a sneak for revealing the situation to Joab, knowing
that he would have no scruples against killing Absalom. Personally, we consider
he did the right thing in taking this middle course. It was not for him, as a
private person, to fly in the face of the kingłs charge, and act as public
executioner; nor was it the thing for him to conceal from the general-in-charge
the helpless position in which the archenemy of David was now placed: all of
which illustrates what was said at the close of the preceding paragraph.
"And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and
why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee
ten shekels of silver, and a girdle" (v. 11). Those words were evidently
uttered rashly on the spur of the moment, for when Joab had listened to the
manłs reply, he did not further upbraid him. Joab failed to realize the
quandary in which Davidłs command had placed this man, or perhaps he was
constitutionally incapable of appreciating the conscientious scruples which
regulated otherswhich seems the more likely in the light of what follows. What
a coarse and mercenary spirit his words betrayed! As though a monetary reward
should have been sufficient inducement for anyone to have slain Absalom in cold
blood. One cannot expect such a gross materialist to value the finer
sensibilities of others.
"And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of
silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the kingłs
son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying,
Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise I should have wrought
falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and
thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me" (vv. 12, 13). This unnamed
man was not to be intimidated by the fierce Joab, but boldly stood his ground
and frankly avowed the principles which had regulated his conduct. Though it
was not a lawful command which the king had imposed upon his subjects, yet this
one respected the authority of his royal master. Moreover, as he shrewdly
pointed out, what advantage would he receive from the largest reward if the
penalty for his action were the forfeiting of his own life? That was an
argument which admitted no answer, acknowledged by Joabłs abruptly terminating
the conversation under the plea of haste.
"Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his
hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in
the midst of the oak" (v. 14). Joab will come before us again in the chapters
that follow, but this seems as good a place as any to offer some remarks upon
his character, it has been rightly said that "Among the followers and closest
adherents of David, Joab was one. He was early found with David in the cave.
Whilst Jonathan tarried in the court of Saul, Joab was sharing the hardships
and dangers of David in the wilderness. Throughout all his subsequent dangers,
he stood like a lion at his side, and if extent of outward service were
regarded, David perhaps had no such servant as he. Yet in order to serve David
aright, it was necessary to have respect not to his office merely, but also to
appreciate the character of him who bore that office; to love him for his own
as well as for his office sake, and above all, to remember that no real service
could be rendered to David, except God were reverently regarded and reverently
obeyed" (B. W. Newton).
It is possible for one to serve, because of the dignity of his office, one
whose excellency as an individual we have no regard for. In such an event, our
service, no matter however energetic, will probably have its springs in
self-interest, and its course will be marked by self-will and pride. Such
indeed was the case with Joab: he was zealous in maintaining the support of
Davidłs throne, yet he was ever alive to the maintenance of his own personal
interests. He deemed it best that the crown should rest on Davidłs brow,
because by so doing his own fortunes were furthered. No matter how definitely
or plaintively David might express his desires, Joab never hesitated, when the
opportunity arose, to outrage the kingłs feelings or defy his will if he could
thereby gain his own ends without at the same time compromising the stability
of the throne. In such a course, Joab regarded neither David nor God.
No one can read carefully the sacred narrative without perceiving that in the
latter years of his reign David was little more than a nominal king. He seems
to have come thoroughly under the power of Joab, the captain of his armies: on
the one hand he was too suspicious to trust him, and on the other too weak to
dismiss him. It is both interesting and instructive to trace out the occasion
and cause whereby Joab established such a despotic control over his royal
master. Nor is this by any means a complicated task: "David wrote a letter to
Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set
ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that
he may be smitten, and die" (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). By making Joab the partner and
secret agent of his guilty plot concerning Uriah, David sold himself into his
hands; in that fatal letter he forfeited his liberty, surrendering it to this
unscrupulous accomplice.
By temperament Joab was a daring and energetic man: a bold fighter in lawless
times. The faction of Saulłs house was so strong that at the beginning of his
reign David could scarcely call the throne his own, or choose his servants
according to his own pleasure. Joab was an able warrior, and though he
sometimes avenged his own private quarrels at the expense of his sovereignłs
honor, thereby vexing him at heart, yet he was too strongly entrenched to be
displaced. Nevertheless, at that time David was not afraid to open his mouth
and rebuke him for his slaying of Abner. Nay, be openly asserted his authority
by compelling Joab to rend his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before this
very Abner (2 Sam. 3 :28-31)a most humiliating experience for one of his own
proud heart, and which made it unmistakably manifest that David was as yet
supreme in his own dominions.
Circumstances might still constrain David to employ this renowned warrior, and
he had notshort as had then been his reignyielded himself up to this
imperious subject. On the contrary, as his own cause waxed stronger and
stronger, and the remnant of Saulłs party dispersed, he became king of Israel
in fact as well as in name, so that his throne was established not only by law,
but by public opinion too, for we are told that "whatsoever the king did,
pleased all the people" (2 Sam. 3:36). Consequently, he was now in the
condition to rule for himself, and this he did, for a little later we find him
appointing this officer to be the commander of his army by his own decision,
and that simply because Joab was the one who won that rank, when it was
promised by David as the reward to any individual in his host who should be the
first to get up to the gutter and smite Jebusites at the storming of Zion (2
Sam. 5:8).
We have only to read carefully through 2 Samuel 8 and 10, in which are narrated
the bold achievements of David at this bright period of his life, his prowess
abroad and his strong policy at home, the energy he instilled into the national
character, and the respect he commanded for it throughout all the surrounding
countries, to perceive that he reigned without restraint and without a rival.
But then came his fearful fall, that evil sowing from which he reaped so bitter
a harvest, From that point onwards we may discern how Joab usurped by degrees
an authority which he had not before. More and more he took matters into his
own hands, executing or disregarding Davidłs orders as suited his own designs;
until finally, we shall see he dared to conspire against his very throne and
the rightful successor of his line.
An incident recorded in 2 Samuel 14 well illustrates what we have pointed out
above. There we see the hands of David tied, his efforts to free himself from
this oppressor both feeble and ineffectual, and his punishment of Absalom
successfully resisted, for it was Joab, through the widow of Tekoah, who
clamored for the recall of Absalom from his banishment. The suspicions of the
king were aroused, for he asked, "Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all
this?" (14:19), nevertheless, he yielded to his will. It seems that this move
on Joabłs part was without any other design than to embarrass the king and
force him to do that which could only lower him in the estimation of his
subjects. Certainly he had no love for Absalom as the sequel clearly shows.
During Absalomłs rebellion, Joab, as might have been expected, was loyal to the
cause of David, for he had no desire to see his government overthrown and one
of another order take its place. Joab knew full well what was in the heart of
Absalom, and therefore he was prepared to resist him with all his might. He
wished to have the present government of Israel continued, and that in Davidłs
own person, yet it was out of no love for David that he now fought against
Absalom. This is evident from his open defiance of the express charge which the
king had given his generals: "Deal gently for my sake with Absalom." But Joab
heeded not, for he had lost all respect for Davidłs commands. Nothing could he
more deliberate than his infraction of this oneprobably the most imperious
which had ever been laid upon him. It was not in the fury of the fight that he
forgot his commission of mercy, but in cold blood he deliberately went to the
place where Absalom was hanging helpless and slew him.
No, if Joab had loved David and regarded him as his friend, he had never
recklessly despised the anguish of Davidłs heart and made him cry, "Would God I
had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" Whatever may be said about his
conferring a public benefit by the removal of this reprobate ringleader, the
fact remains that Joab no longer cared anything for a king whose guilty secret
he shared. He thrust Absalom through the heart with his three darts, and then
made his way, with countenance unabashed, into the chamber of his royal master,
where David was lamenting the death of his son. As we shall see, the sequel is
a piece with what preceded: Joab imperious and heartless; David, once so
regnant, abject in spirit and tame to the lash. How had the mighty fallen! Into
what public humiliation as well as personal sorrows had his deed of lust and
blood now sunk him down?
"And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a
very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent"
(2 Sam. 18:17). What in ending is this! Hanged in a tree, abandoned by his
followers, dispatched by Joab, and now his body treated with the utmost
contempt. Instead of receiving the honorable burial of a kingłs son, he was
ignominiously dealt with as a criminal: the casting of him into a great pit
intimated their valuation of his carcass, while their laying upon him a great
heap of stones signified that he ought to have been stoned to death as a
rebellious son (Deut. 21:18, 21).
"Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar,
which is in the kingłs dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in
remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto
this day, Absalomłs place" (v. 18). What a striking and solemn contrast do
these two verses present, and what a forcible illustration do they supply of
that principle "whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased" (Luke 14:11); so it
was in the history of Haman and of Nebuchadnezzar, and such was the case here.
Absalom had three Sons (2 Sam. 14:27), but they had predeceased their father,
and therefore he sought to perpetuate his memory by setting up this pillar to
honor his name, by the side of which he doubtless intended that his body should
be interred. Alas, how vain are some men to attract the note of future
generations, who are at no pains to seek the approbation of God. But even in
death Absalom was thwarted: "a great heap of stones as a monument to his
villainy was all that marked his resting-place.
"Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings,
how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies" (v. 19). Ahimaaz was the son
of Zadok the priest (2 Sam. 15:27), who was deeply devoted to David. He was one
of the two men who had endangered their lives in the kingłs service by bringing
him tidings of Absalomłs plans (17:17-21). That he was a godly soul is
intimated by the language which he used on this occasion, for instead of
flattering Joab, by congratulating him for his bringing the conflict to a
triumphant issue, he ascribes the success to the Lord. How often God is
forgotten in the flush of victory, and instead of exclaiming "His right hand,
and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory" (Ps. 98:1), proud man attributes
the defeating of his enemies to his own strength, vigilance or skill. In such
an hour it is for the servant of God to lift up his voice and make known the
truth that the glory belongs to God alone.
"And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt
bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the
kingłs sons is dead" (v. 20). In the light of what follows it is not easy to
determine what it was that influenced Joab to refuse the request of Ahimaaz,
for immediately afterward he bids another man go and tell the king what he had
seen, and when Ahimaaz renewed his request, after a slight demur Joab granted
it. It is possible that Joab feared for the life of Ahimaaz and considered he
was too valuable a man to he thrown away, for the name of the selected
messenger ("Cushi") suggested that he was an Ethiopianprobably an African
slave. Joab knew that David was an impulsive and quick-tempered man, and
remembered the fate which overtook the one who bore to him the tidings of
Saulłs death (2 Sam. 1:15), and therefore he probably thought that a similar
vengeance might be visited upon the one who should inform him of Absalomłs
death.
"Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab. But howsoever, let me, I
pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my
son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?" (v. 22). The marginal renderings
of this verse seem to decidedly confirm what we have just said above. The words
of Ahimaaz "But howsoever" are literally "be what may": Whatever be the risk of
incurring the kingłs fury, I am quite willing to face it. Joabłs "Wherefore
wilt thou, my son," indicates that he held Ahimaaz in some esteem, and his
"thou hast no tidings ready" is really "no tidings convenient," which intimates
he sought to discourage him from being the bearer of news which would be so
unwelcomed to David. And why, it may be asked, was Ahimaaz anxious to serve as
messenger on this fateful occasion? We believe it was because he was so devoted
to the king that he wished, so far as possible, to tactfully lighten the blow.
This he did, for instead of bluntly blurting out that Absalom had been slain he
simply said, "Blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men that
lifted up their hand against my lord the King" (v. 28).
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