Route 66: 2 Samuel - The Fallen Son: David's Lament for Absalom

Good evening, family.

We are continuing our Route 66 series where we are going book by book through the book of books and essentially what we are doing, we are just looking at each book of the Bible in very big strokes, and last Sunday we looked at 1 Samuel and this Sunday we will be looking at 2 Samuel.

But before we begin, please join me in a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, you are the most high over the whole earth.

Splendor and majesty are before you.

Strength and beauty are in your sanctuary.

We ask, o Lord, that you would bless this time as we look at your word, and we ask that you would be firmly seated on the throne of our hearts this evening.

Amen.

As I just mentioned, last week we looked at 1 Samuel and for this evening we'll be looking at 2 Samuel.

But remember that 1 and 2 Samuel was originally written as one unit.

So as we look at 2 Samuel this evening, keep in mind that it's not another book altogether, but it is actually a continuation of where 1 Samuel ended.

When you consider the book of Samuel as a whole, the book can be seen as a tale of two kings.

Last week we looked at the life and rule of the first king, king Saul, and this week we're going to be looking at the life and rule of the second king, king David.

This overview will be a little different in its approach, but I promise that we will get to what is at the heart of 2 Samuel.

So if you have your Bible, please turn with me to 2 Samuel, chapter 18.

2 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

We're going to be looking at a specific moment that took place in the middle of King David's life, and this moment will be our anchor point for the evening.

But as we look at this moment, we will be bouncing to other points in David's life that will inform how we are to understand David and his role in the biblical storyline.

So 2 Samuel, chapter 18.

2 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

So 2 Samuel, chapter 18.

2 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

I'm going to read verses 24 to 33.

David was sitting between the city gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the city gate and over the wall, and the watchman looked out and saw a man running alone.

He called out and told the king.

The king said if he's alone, he bears good news.

As the first runner came closer, the watchman saw another man running.

He called out to the gatekeeper Look, another man is running alone.

This one is also bringing good news, said the king.

The watchman said the way the first man runs looks to me like the way Ahamas, the son of Zadok, runs.

This is a good man.

He comes with good news.

The king commented.

Ahamas called out to the king all is well.

And paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.

He continued Blessed be the Lord, your God.

He delivered up the men who rebelled against my lord the king.

The king asked Is the young man Absalom all right?

Ahimaz replied when Joab sent the king's servant and your servant, I saw a big disturbance, but I didn't know what it was.

The king said Move aside and stand here.

So he stood to one side.

Just then the Cushite came and said may the Lord the king hear the good news.

The Lord has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you.

The king asked the Cushite is the young man Absalom all right?

The Cushite replied I wish that the enemies of my lord the king, along with all who rise up against you with evil intent, would become like that young man, and this is the moment that we're going to be concentrating on.

The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept as he walked.

He cried my son Absalom, my son, my son, if only I had died instead.

Now, as we look at this verse, we're going to bounce to other parts of David's life.

We will be considering four things.

We'll be looking at David's start, david's sympathy, david's son and David's significance.

These points will not necessarily address David's life in chronological order, but the goal is to give us a clear picture of who David is.

So let's have a few moments with the first sentence of verse 33.

The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept Quite a vivid picture right, a picture of someone crying.

But this isn't just anyone, this is a king and this is King David.

So let's consider David's start.

Unlike King Saul, david's entrance into the biblical narrative proved to be very promising.

Let's look at 1 Samuel, chapter 17,.

1 Samuel 17 · chapter mention

Verses 31 through 37.

1 Samuel, chapter 17, verses 31 through 37.

1 Samuel 17:31–37

What David said was overheard and reported to Saul.

So he had David brought to him.

David said to Saul don't let anyone be discouraged by him.

Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.

But Saul replied you can't go fight this Philistine, you're just a youth and he's been a warrior since he was young.

David answered Saul, your servant has been tending his father's sheep.

Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down and rescued the lamb from its mouth.

If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down and kill it.

Your servant has killed lions and bears.

This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.

Then David said the Lord, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.

Saul said to David go, and may the Lord be with you.

If you recall Saul's beginning from last week, saul's journey started in the context of the people of Israel longing for a king, and this longing wasn't bad.

But the question that arose when Saul came into the picture was what kind of king would he be?

Was he going to be the kind of king that the people of Israel wanted, or was he going to be the king that the Lord wanted?

Saul was simply a man from the tribe of Benjamin.

He stood ahead taller than everyone and he was quite handsome in his appearance and he was just someone looking for his father's donkeys.

But interesting enough, he stumbled across a man named Samuel and got anointed as king.

But funny enough, when it was time for him to be acknowledged as king before the people of Israel, he hid himself.

Before the people of Israel, he hid himself.

And even though Saul was chosen by God, his success as a king was very short because he had no regard for the Lord or his commands.

Now let's compare Saul's beginning with David's entrance into Israel's storyline.

Based off of what we just read.

Here we have this young teen who was putting thousands of trained Israelite men to shame just with his boldness alone.

When King Saul doubts David's ability to fight against the Philistine champion Goliath, david gives Saul his resume and makes it abundantly clear that Saul has nothing to worry about.

David knew that the Lord had delivered him in the past and that he would do it again in the future.

Now if someone like Josiah Morrison were to tell me that he's going up against a 350-pound guy who's eight feet tall, I would be very concerned.

But if he told me his training involved killing lions and killing bears, I wouldn't be worried about him at all, I'd be more scared of the guy he was facing.

What's wonderful and different about David's entry into the story of Israel is not just his courage, but his awareness and concern for the living God from such a young age.

This demonstrated the godly leadership that was needed in Israel, and what separates David's entry into Israel's story versus Saul's is the tribe in which David.

This is a subtle but very important detail.

David was the son of Jesse, who was from the tribe of Judah, whereas Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.

In Genesis 49.10, where the patriarch Jacob is blessing his 12 sons, the tribe of Judah was promised this the scepter will not depart from him, that is, judah or the staff from between his feet, until whose, whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belong to him.

This promise to Judah was essentially saying that a king or ruler would come from this family, and this promise was made to the tribe that David was from and not the tribe that Saul was from.

So, when compared with Saul, david's entry seems to suggest that he would be the fulfillment of the promises previously made to Israel in regards to their need for a king.

Now let's go back to our moment in 2 Samuel 18, verse 33.

2 Samuel 18:33

The king was deeply moved and he went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept as he walked.

He cried my son Absalom, my son, my son, absalom.

If only I had died instead of you, absalom, my son, my son.

As we've just considered a bit of the background of this king King David, his start let's see from this verse that he was also deeply moved, and this brings us into David's sympathy Now, based on his beginnings.

We saw that David indeed was a brave man.

He was strong as well.

But we also get a hint from this verse that David was a man of great and deep affections.

In addition to being a giant slayer and a warrior, david was a musician and a songwriter.

Slayer and a warrior, david was a musician and a songwriter.

Out of the 150 psalms, david is responsible for writing 75 of them.

Listen to a comment by John Calvin on the psalms.

Calvin says I have been accustomed to call this book I think not inappropriately an anatomy of the soul, for there is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented, as in Out of the 150 psalms, 59 of them are laments, and a lament is simply an expression of grief, sorrow or regret.

Now listen to some of these laments that are penned by David.

Psalm 22, verses 1 through 2.

Psalms 22:1–2

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Why are you so far from me, my deliverance, and from my words of groaning?

My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer.

By night, yet I have no rest.

Psalm 6, 6.

I am weary from my groaning.

With my tears I dampen my bed and I drench my couch every night.

Psalm 66.

Psalm 40, verse 17.

Psalms 40:17

Now, I don't want to give the impression that David was always sad or despondent.

There are plenty of other Psalms and experiences in the life of David where there was great joy and gratitude before the Lord.

But the reason why I chose to read some of the laments is because they reveal an emotional depth to who he is as a person and, more specifically, as a man.

It's quite amazing how you have this man who is, on one hand, clearly capable of intense violence and aggression Mind you that as a young boy he chopped off Goliath's head and, on the other hand, he is one who expresses need and is not afraid to cry.

This picture is quite contrary to how men are sometimes portrayed in today's culture, men are either too strong and insensitive or too weak and overly emotional.

Rarely ever do we see a healthy picture of a man who demonstrates the full range of the human experience.

However, we do see this with other great men in the Bible, like Joseph and Job and the Apostle Paul, and we see this here with David, and we see this in our verse that we're looking at this evening, where David is grieving over the loss of his son.

The king was deeply moved and he went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept.

As he walked he cried my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom.

If only I had died instead of you.

Absalom, my son, son Absalom, if only I had died instead of you.

Absalom, my son, my son.

Now we're moving on to David's son.

Now, david had quite a few sons, but for now we're just going to be looking at the son that is being spoken about in this verse.

David had many wives, and the wives that gave birth to Absalom was Micah.

Absalom was one of the two children that David had with Micah, and the other child of David was a daughter of his named Tamar.

Now, according to 2 Samuel, chapter 14, verse 25,.

2 Samuel 14:25

Absalom was the most handsome man in all of Israel.

From the top of his head to the sole of his foot, there was no blemish in him.

And in 1 Samuel 16, verse 12, david is described as one with beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance.

1 Samuel 16:12

So I think it's safe to assume that Absalom got his good looks from his father.

Whenever David looked at his son, he probably saw a little bit of his likeness in him.

So at first glance of the verse that we are looking at in chapter 18 of 2 Samuel, it seems very appropriate for David to be weeping over the death of his son.

However, I'd like us to consider this flashback on Absalom's life.

So let's look at 2 Samuel, chapter 16.

2 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

2 Samuel, chapter 16, just a few pages behind, verses 20 through 22.

2 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

Then Absalom said to Ahithophel give me your advice.

What should we do?

Ahithophel replied to Absalom sleep with your father's concubines, whom he left to take care of the palace, your father's concubines, whom he left to take care of the palace.

When all Israel hears that you have become repulsive to your father, everyone will be encouraged.

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof and he slept with his father's concubines in the sight of all of Israel.

Pretty awful right, and you must be wondering what is going on here.

Why would David's son do such a thing?

There was a point in Absalom's life where he thought that he could be a better king than his father.

So Absalom took it upon himself to curry favor with the people of Israel and made a big name for himself.

David caught word of Absalom's growing popularity and he knew that at some point his son would try to overtake him.

Now, due to Absalom's success in winning the hearts of people, david and his household would flee from him, and this is where David penned Psalm 3.

But when David left, he did leave 10 concubines behind so that they could take care of the palace while he was away.

Since David was on the run, absalom wanted to solidify his position, so he sought advice from a former advisor of David, and his advice was what we just read.

This advice is obviously wicked, and you can spend a lot of time wondering why would David's former advisor suggest such a thing?

But at the end of the day, absalom made the deliberate decision to follow through with this horrific deed.

This son of David was not a great son, and the question that still lingers is why would David's own son do something like that?

Wasn't David a great king and a good father and a man after God's own heart?

And this moves us on to David's significance.

So here's the thing.

Yes, david was the chosen successor by God to King Saul, and in many ways he was more righteous than Saul as a king.

But when we read the entirety of David's life, we are reminded that, though he was indeed a good king, he was still indeed not a perfect one.

It's almost impossible to think about David and not think about his awful sin committed with Bathsheba.

The terrible situation with Absalom was actually a judgment from God because of David's sin of adultery with Absalom.

That judgment was pronounced in 2 Samuel, chapter 12, verses 11 and 12.

2 Samuel 12:11

Listen to these words.

This is what the Lord says.

I'm going to bring disaster on you from your own family.

I will take your wives and give them to another before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight.

You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.

If David is guilty of committing awful sin, what then is his significance in the biblical storyline?

So, though he was sinful, david was actually the partial fulfillment of some of the promises.

Sinful David was actually the partial fulfillment of some of the promises that God made to the people of Israel in regards to a king.

Here are a few examples.

I mentioned earlier that David's entry into Israel's storyline was promising because of the tribe in which he came from.

Remember, it was the tribe of Judah that was promised back in Genesis 49.10 that the scepter would not depart from him or the staff from between his feet until he, whose right it comes and the obedience of the peoples belong to him.

This promise was essentially saying that the authority of rule and kingship would be given to one from this family and in one sense, david had the scepter.

He was one that had authority and rule and kingship over the people of Israel.

Another way David is significant and fulfills some of these promises is that last week, as we were looking at God's idea ideal for a king, we looked at Deuteronomy, chapter 17, verses 18 through 20.

Deuteronomy 17:18–20

And God's ideal of a king is this when he is seated on his royal throne, he is to write a copy of this instruction for himself on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priest.

It is to remain with him and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord, his God, to observe all the commands of this instruction and to do these statutes.

Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, he will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen.

He will not turn from this command to the right or the left, and he and his sons will continue reigning many years in Israel.

Now compare that description to the words of David found in Psalm 119, verses 97 through 104.

Psalms 119:97–104

David says how I love your instruction.

It is my meditation all day long.

Your command makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me.

I have more insight than all my teachers because your decrees are my meditation.

I understand more than the elders because I obey your precepts.

I have kept my feet from every evil path to follow your word.

I have not turned from your judgments, for you yourself have instructed me.

How sweet is your word to my taste?

Sweeter than honey in my mouth.

I gain understanding from your precepts.

Therefore, I hate every false way.

It's clear from David's words that he very much resembled God's idea of a king found in Deuteronomy 17.

God's idea of a king found in Deuteronomy 17.

Last week we also saw that it was a small prophecy in Hannah's prayer found in 1 Samuel 2.

And in this prophecy, at the end of verse 10, she says he, meaning God, will give power to his king.

Last week we saw that Saul's success as a king was very short and the king quickly departed from him due to Saul's success as a king was very short and the king quickly departed from him due to Saul's disobedience.

Whereas with David, though he was not perfect, he was a man after God's own heart and his success and accomplishment for the Lord and for Israel far exceeded Saul because the Lord was with him, implying that the Lord gave power to him as king.

Now, the last thing that helps us to truly understand David's significance and role in the biblical storyline is found in 2 Samuel 7.

2 Samuel 7.

You can turn there with me if you would like.

This is a covenant that the Lord made with David.

2 Samuel 7, verses 12 through 16.

2 Samuel 7:12–16

When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant who will come from your body, and I will establish your kingdom.

He is the one who will build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

I will be his father and he will be my son.

When he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and blows from mortals, but my faithful love will never leave him, as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

Your house and your kingdom will endure before me forever and your throne will be established forever.

This covenant clearly suggests that David's time would eventually come to an end, but it also speaks to the fact that there would be one who would come after him.

In short, david's significance is not tied to himself alone, but it's more so tied to the descendant that the Lord would raise up after him.

This would be David's greater son, god's true anointed king of Israel.

And this true and greater son and true anointed king of Israel is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is why Matthew opens up with these words found in Matthew 1.1.

Jesus Christ.

That is why Matthew opens up with these words found in Matthew 1.1.

The account of the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Now let's wrap up by going back to our main verse that we've been looking at 2 Samuel 18, verse 33.

2 Samuel 18:33

The king was deeply moved and he went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept as he walked.

He cried my son Absalom, my son, my son, absalom, if only I had died instead of you.

Absalom, my son, my son.

The reason why I wanted to use this moment as an anchor for tonight's overview is because it clearly foreshadows the one who would be the greater son of David, the true king of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The significance of David is that he is a type of Christ.

There was no arguing that what Absalom did against his father David was egregious and absolutely terrible did against his father.

David was egregious and absolutely terrible, and I'm pretty sure if any of us were in David's position, we wouldn't be using the words that David used.

If only I had died instead of you.

But what we see in David's response is something of the heart of God towards sinful humanity, and I would argue that this account with Absalom has some echoes from Genesis.

In Genesis you have God, the creator and king over the universe, and you have his created son who bears his likeness, kind of like Absalom, who was handsome, like his father and the created son of God.

Adam thinks he knows better than the one who created him.

In the same way, absalom thought that he would be a better king than his father.

Adam decides to disobey the most holy God while the heavenly host bears witness to this cosmic treason.

Similarly, absalom humiliates his father by sleeping with his concubines in the sight of all of Israel.

The main difference, however, between Adam and Absalom is that Absalom had a sinful father, while Adam did not what David wished he could have done for his son.

Absalom if only I had died instead of you.

Or the New King James says if only I had died in your place.

God, the Father, does for Adam by sending God the Son to die in his place.

Romans 5, verses 6-11, reads For while we were still helpless, at the right time, christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:6–11

For rarely will someone die for a just person, though for a good person, perhaps someone might even dare to die, but God proves his own love for us in that, while we were still sinners, christ died for us.

How much more, then, since we have been now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath.

For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?

And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord, jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.

Let's pray, heavenly Father.

We thank you that, as we read through the Old Testament, it is all pointing to our amazing Lord and Savior, jesus Christ.

We thank you, heavenly Father, that he is the true fulfillment of all the promises that we have, and we thank you, lord, god, that we have a perfect king, a perfect king that took the place for us, taking on our transgression and our sin, so that we may be your righteousness in him, father.

We ask, father, that we would just continue to meditate on this glorious truth that you would condescend to us.

Take our place so that we may have a relationship with you.

I give you praise, glory and honor.

In your son's name I pray, amen.