Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. David sent the troops out—a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told the troops, "I myself will surely march out with you."
But the men said, "You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city."
The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best to you."
So the king stood beside the gate while all the men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake." And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
The army marched into the field to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. There the army of Israel was defeated by David's men, and the casualties that day were great—twenty thousand men. The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword.
Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.
When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree."
Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt."
But the man replied, "Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king's son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' And if I had put my life in jeopardy — and nothing is hidden from the king — you would have kept your distance from me."
Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you." So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him.
Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.
During his lifetime, Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.
2 Samuel 18:1-18
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
The battle had been brewing for some time now.
Absalom had been conspiring against his father ever since he had been allowed back in Jerusalem after he killed his brother Amnon. As his following among the Israelites grew so did his power…a power that brought alert to David in Jerusalem and caused him to flee with his people in advance of Absalom’s coming.
Now, the time had come when war was imminent with Absalom and his Israelite forces in close proximity to David and his people. And so we read where “David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds”. He then “sent the troops out — a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite” and said to his troops, “I myself will surely march out with you”.
But the men rejected David’s proposal saying, “You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city." Their words had an impact on their leader and he deferred to their judgment saying, “I will do whatever seems best to you."
And so David “stood beside the gate” as his men “marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands” and gave specific orders to his commanders: Joab, Abishai and Ittai. He told them to “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake" and said it in a way that “all the troops heard” the orders as well. So with these orders, the “army marched into the field to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim” where “the army of Israel was defeated by David's men”. Scripture tells us that “the casualties that day were great” with 20,000 men dying on the battlefield. And as the “battle spread out over the whole countryside”, we read where “the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword”.
But what about Absalom? Where was he as his Israelite army was being defeated at the hands of David’s men?
Well, he was in the vicinity of the battle because we see where he “happened to meet David's men” and as he fled from them on his mule, his hair got caught in the “thick branches of a large oak” and was left “hanging in midair”…helplessly dangling…”while the mule he was riding kept on going”.
Word quickly traveled to Joab, one of David’s three commanders, through one of David’s fighting men. And as he told Joab what had happened, we read where Joab reacts in anger toward the man saying, “What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt." It was obvious that Joab had a real short memory and forgot David’s order as he sent his army into battle. For you’ll remember that they were told by the king to “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake"
Well, the man Joab confronted hadn’t forgotten David’s words because he told Joab, “Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king's son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' And if I had put my life in jeopardy — and nothing is hidden from the king — you would have kept your distance from me."
The man had seen right through Joab and his flawed personality. For Joab had chastised the man for not killing Absalom but would have done anything but chastise him if he had killed David’s son. No…he would keep his distance from the man and ensure he wasn’t seen as associated with him in any way. For Joab, as we will see, was only concerned about himself.
For immediately after his conversation with the man, Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you" before taking “three javelins in his hand” and plunging them “into Absalom's heart” while he was “still alive in the oak tree”. And Joab’s act of execution was followed up by ten of his armor-bearers who “surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him” before throwing him into a “big pit in the forest” and piling a “large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, “Joab sounded the trumpet” halting the troops’ pursuit of the Israelites who “fled to their homes”.
And so Absalom was dead, trapped by his own hair and an easy target for Joab. But in Joab’s actions, we see a very disturbing disregard for the man who he worked for…a disregard that was based on the foundation of abusing power granted by an higher authority.
For Joab was only a commander because David had appointed him as such…and that appointment carried with it the obligation to follow the king’s orders and carry out his commands. David, the king, had delegated a certain amount of power and authority to Joab by merit of appointing him commander but this power never was to exceed the king’s. Instead, Joab was to make judgments and decisions on the battlefield based on what was in the king’s best interest…and there was little doubt that David did not wish for his son to be dead.
And so as Joab plunged his three javelins into Absalom’s heart, he clearly abused the power and trust granted him by David.
Scripture also shows us that Absalom abused his power as well. For “during his lifetime”, he “had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself” because he felt he deserved it without a “son to carry on the memory of my name”. We’re even told he named the "the pillar after himself”…a pillar that is called “Absalom's Monument to this day”.
And this further reminded me of Saul who had gotten himself in trouble for much the same reasons as Absalom…abusing the power that God had granted by ignoring God’s commands and seeking to glorify himself over God, also erecting a monument in honor of himself at Carmel. (1 Samuel 15:12)
So given the actions of Joab…Absalom…and Saul, how well do we do with the authority granted to us?
How does God feel when parents abuse the authority granted them when they abuse or neglect their children…children who were entrusted to their care by God?
How does God feel when rulers abuse their power and mistreat or misrepresent the very people they were granted the authority to rule?
How does God feel where pastors or priests abuse the sacred power and trust given to them and either teach falsely or abuse the members of the flock God placed in their care?
How does God feel when any person curses profanely and uses His name in vain…abusing the authority of that very Name?
And how does God feel when we abuse the power He sends upon us by way of the Holy Spirit or when we ignore the power and authority He sends to us by deciding that our way is better than His?
Friends, God’s word is sending an important message to us today. He and only He grants us authority, expecting us to respect it, use it for the good of those He wants us to use it for and gladly receiving it when He attempts to give it to us.
For in the end translation of our lives, we will do nothing worth noting unless we do it under the power and authority of God the Father and His Son Jesus…seeking to never glorify ourselves but instead to fully glorify Them in all things we do…now and forever more. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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