2 Samuel 15-16 "Curse David" It is a little frustrating reading sermons about David. There are all sorts of good moral applications out there, such as: David should have been devoted to God's kingdom so should you! David should have been a good father so should you! But there is so little understanding of how the narrative of David is all about the gospel! Our story tonight is all about the cross. Certainly David has created the mess that he is in. But he is the LORD's anointed. And God has ordained that he will prefigure the sufferings of his great son, Jesus. David reminds us that even though much of our suffering happens because of our own foolishness, God uses even that suffering to conform us to the image of his Son. 1. The Rebellion of Absalom (15:1-12) Having killed his brother, Amnon, because Amnon had raped his sister, Tamar, Absalom now sets his sight on overthrowing his father. He starts like a good politician by trying to improve his poll numbers! He gets a chariot and 50 men to run before him in order to improve publicity. Then he goes around pressing the flesh in order to get better name recognition. He accuses the incumbent of being soft on crime. "Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice." Absalom is setting up a rebellion. And David does nothing. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. The LORD's anointed is losing the hearts of his people. Absalom is the classic false teacher. He tells people what they want to hear regardless of whether he can produce. But people will follow a man who tells them what they want to hear, because the people have itching ears. But it would be difficult to pull off a coup from inside of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, like all capital cities in those days, is packed with loyalists. Absalom must get outside of Jerusalem, but in order to do this without raising suspicion he needs a plausible reason. So he tells David, Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, "If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD" (Literally, "I will serve the LORD.") This is the echo of Jacob's language in Genesis 28. Absalom is claiming to be the faithful Jacob returning from Haran. It's a good ruse. It works. And David went to Hebron in the heart of Judah. And he summoned his supporters from all over Israel. Ahithophel, Bathsheba's grandfather, came to him in Hebron. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing. Absalom, in effect, curses his father by seeking to overthrow him. 2. The Exile of David (15:13-16:14) David Flees from Jerusalem (15:13-17) When word comes to David that the hearts of Israel have gone after Absalom, David decides to run away. Why? Why doesn't David stay in the stronghold of Jerusalem and fight? Whether rightly or wrongly, David is convinced that all Israel is against him. His intelligence reports tell him that Israel will follow Absalom. So David decides to flee. He leaves 10 concubines behind to keep the house, but the rest of the people of Jerusalem go with him. (Remember, capital cities were stocked with loyalists.) David, however, stops at the last house of Jerusalem and allows his servants to pass by first. The Gittites Follow David (15:18-23) The Cherethites and Pelethites (his bodyguard) go first, followed by 600 Gittites, led by Ittai the Gittite. The Gittites are "Gathites" they are from Gath the hometown of Goliath. Gath was the Philistine city where David had taken refuge from Saul. Apparently David had made quite an impression upon the Gittites, because 600 Gittite followed him when he left. 600 Philistine families had left their homes and their gods to follow David. But David says to Ittai, you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Ittai, however, understands that his only hope is in the LORD's anointed he has a Christ-centered focus in life: As Yahweh lives, and as my lord the king lives (notice that he swears by Yahweh and Yahweh's Messiah) Wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be. If the Messiah is going into exile, then Ittai will follow Christ. Peter will say the same thing to Jesus but Peter, the Jew, will not have the courage of his convictions. Ittai the Gittite will. He will lead one-third of the armies of David into battle against Absalom. Ittai the Gentile will understand that whether in life or death I belong to the LORD's anointed. And so David crossed the brook Kidron with his disciples and went up the Mount of Olives. Whoa! Does that sound familiar? John 18:1 tells us that after Judas had gone out to betray Jesus, Jesus left Jerusalem and crossed the Kidron valley and went up the Mount of Olives. Jesus recapitulates the exile of David, revealing to us that David's exile was all about him. David is going forth, leading a mixed multitude into exile. The real application from this passage is not that you need to be a good father, or that you need to succeed where David failed after all, that's absurd. The real application is that you need to be like Ittai the Gittite! You need to follow Christ even if that means suffering, exile and death. Absalom wants you to follow him and his political platform looks a lot more attractive than the Messiah's. In order to follow the Messiah you need to have the single-minded attitude of Ittai: "Wherever my lord the king shall be . . . there also will your servant be." The Priests Are Faithful to David (15:24-29) The priests, Abiathar and Zadok also followed David, bringing the ark of the covenant of God with them. Once all the people have left, David says to Zadok, Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, 'I have no pleasure in you,' behold, here I am, let him do what seems good to him. David's attitude is reflected in his greater son: Not my will, but thine be done. David does not view this situation simply as judgment for his failure. He sees it as a challenge to God's promises. God has promised to bless him and to establish his throne. But David will yield to his Father's will. Jesus had much greater understanding of what was happening, yet he has the same reaction. He will yield to his Father's will. David also sees the benefits of having the priests remain in Jerusalem: The king also said to Zadok the priest, 'Are you not a seer? David urges Zadok to be his eyes and ears in Absalom's camp. So the ark will remain in Jerusalem. David understands that his exile involves being separated from God's presence. It is only if God has mercy and shows favor to him that he will be restored to the vision of God. This is where Jesus will be forsaken by God and alone. David at the Mount of Olives (15:30-37) But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. His son would weep in agony in this very place 1000 years later... And it was there, as he climbed the Mount of Olives that word came to him of the betrayal of Ahithophel, Bathsheba's grandfather, and his most trusted advisor. It was there within sight of what would one day be the Garden of Gethsemane, that David prayed, O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. (Ahithophel's counsel, by the way, will be the counsel of Judas move immediately and take him! Take him tonight. (17:1)) (For that matter, if you are looking for parallels, Absalom's rebellion begins with a kiss in 2 Sam 14:33; Absalom is the kissing bandit who steals the hearts of the people) While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped... In those days the temple had not yet been built. Even as Samuel had led worship in numerous places around Israel, so also the "high places" remained as the places where Yahweh was worshiped until well after the temple was built. So having heard the news of his betrayal, David now comes to the place of worship and there he hears the answer to his prayer. Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head mourning for David's exile. Hushai will be the means God uses to turn the counsel of Ahithophel to foolishness. David counsels Hushai to return with Zadok and Abiathar the priests and join them in frustrating the plans of Absalom. Some have said that David erred by sending Hushai. They say that he should have "trusted God" to frustrate Ahithophel. That would be like saying that when Fouad asks us to pray that God would give him a job, then Fouad shouldn't send out any applications, but should just wait for God's answer! Prayer and action are not opposed to each other! Indeed, I would argue that Hushai's arrival just after David has learned of Ahithophel's betrayal is God's answer: "Here, David, Hushai will be my instrument of thwarting Ahithophel's counsel." David and the House of Saul (16:1-14) The first part of chapter 16 then tells us about David's relations with the house of Saul at this juncture. David has been faithful to his covenant with Jonathan, and he has given Mephibosheth all the inheritance of Saul. Ziba is Mephibosheth's servant (probably his steward the one who managed his estate). But Ziba sees his opportunity to seize Mephisbosheth's land. (Betrayal follows betrayal!) And so he brings provisions to David, claiming that Mephobosheth is dreaming of gaining the throne. In those days it was highly improbable that a cripple would ever have a chance of becoming king, but David believes Ziba and accepts his gift. Ziba's claims are all the more believable when Shimei starts yelling. Shimei was of the house of Saul. And his curse reflects his anger at David's rise to power: Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! (lit, you "man of beliar" "Beliar" will one day become a name of Satan, but at this time it only means "worthlessness") The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is upon you, for you are a man of blood. Shimei is sort of right. David's evil is upon him he is a man of blood but he was guiltless of the blood of Saul. It is the blood of Uriah the Hittite which is being visited upon David. Abishai, David's nephew (the brother of Joab), urges David to let him execute Shimei for cursing the king the LORD's anointed. But David's response indicates that he takes this exile seriously: What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, "Curse David,' who then shall say, "Why have you done so?" David understands that this exile is from the LORD. That is why he has left Jerusalem. That is why he sent away the ark of God. That is why he accepts the curses of Shimei. While his first comment is somewhat tentative, (perhaps Yahweh has told him to curse me) when David repeats himself, he is more certain: Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. David sees Shimei as an agent of the LORD. David will suffer unjustly before he will insist upon his own vindication. David's mercy to those who curse him is reflected in Jesus' attitude toward the Samaritan village. His disciples want to call down fire from heaven against them, but Jesus understands that their curses are directed against him as the son of David. And you who are in Christ are also to bless those who curse you. Remember that your Lord endured such scorn from sinners. You, too, are called to share in his sufferings, and to imitate his patience with those who curse. It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today. We walk, with our Lord Jesus, down the long winding road through the valley of the shadow of death, down the three thousand foot descent from Jerusalem to the Jordan valley, with Shimei shouting curses and throwing stones and dust at us. 3. The Triumph of Absalom (16:15-23) Meanwhile the traitor triumphs. The rebel is enthroned in Jerusalem on the throne of his father, David. And Ahithophel and Hushai come to him: the plot thickens! Hushai says Long live the king! Long live the king! A double entendre if ever there was one! Absalom marvels that Hushai has abandoned David, but he is easily deceived, because everyone else in his entourage has given the same reason for following him! Ahithophel had served his father, so when Hushai says As I have served your father, so I will serve you, Absalom believes him. Is Hushai breaking the ninth commandment? He is blatantly lying to Absalom. He will not serve Absalom as he served David. He is seeking to deceive Absalom in order to give him bad counsel, and in order to protect David. But he is also keeping his word to David. He is serving the LORD's anointed by lying to the usurper. We will look more at this next week, because Hushai's deception will prove to be the LORD's means of saving David. But I would argue that Hushai is right in what he does. It is instructive to note that the Bible gives many approved examples of faithful men and women lying and deceiving the wicked (Rahab, Hushai, Jeremiah, etc.), but I can think of no example in the Bible where a faithful person intentionally tells a truth that results in the death of others. Every time a faithful person is in a position where telling the truth would result in the death of the faithful, they deceive the wicked. In other words, a faithful Christian may serve as a double agent in the CIA! (The CIA's webpage actually has a report on Hushai, describing him as one of the first secret agents in human historical writing). But Absalom is still relying on Ahithophel for counsel. And Ahithophel urges Absalom to go in to his father's concubines. So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. To lay claim to the king's concubines was to lay claim to the king's throne. Sex and power are more closely related than we like to think. Why did lynching arise in the South only after the Civil War? As long as blacks were slaves, there was no question as to where the "power" was. But when blacks became free, the claim to equality was taken as a claim to white women. The king's concubines are only "available" for the king. No one less than the king may lay claim to them. The concluding comment of the chapter turns our attention to Ahithophel: Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom. You don't get any wiser than the word of God! Ahithophel was the wisest of counselors. When Ahithophel speaks, even kings listen! Ahithophel was David's closest counselor. And yet he betrayed David and handed over David's concubines to Absalom. It is in this light that we can sing Psalm 55 David is betrayed by one of his closest friends and counselors even as our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed by one of the twelve. We sing this in Christ. And we pray that God would frustrate the counsels of traitors of apostates who have seized control of Christ's church. You don't need to name names as you sing this (David didn't)-- but we can sing this of those who are leading the mainline churches astray, of those who are leading Roman Catholic churches astray and indeed, even of teachers in the PCA, of whom Paul says, "he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing." We may have our doctrinal ducks in a row, but Paul's definition of a false teacher goes beyond doctrine! Sing Psalm 55 as a plea for God to rescue his church from all false teachers who trouble Christ's church with division and heresy!