PART 1
2 Samuel, chapters 15:16,17
He wanted to be king himself, although he must have known that the Lord had given that place to his father.
This young man’s name was Absalom. He was a very handsome person, and much praised by all the people. He went to the city gate, where people in those times talked over any business, and he told the men how much better their affairs would be settled if only he were ruler. You see he was proud and boastful.
One day he told his father he wanted to go to Hebron to keep a promise to the Lord. But this was not true, for he went there to make himself the king. And he sent word over all the land of Israel that lie was king, and many went to him.
When David heard what his son had done, he feared Absalom would come to kill him. We are not told if David asked the Lord what to do in this trouble, but anyway he took his family and left Jerusalem.
Many people wanted David for king, and they followed him, but it was a sad time and all went weeping. They crossed the brook and went up the hill toward the wilderness beyond. As they went, one man, who did not like David, walked along the hillside and threw stones and dust at David and his men, calling out evil against him. But there were others who showed David kindness and brought food for him and mules to ride on.
At first the priests came after David with the ark of God, but David told them to return to the city, and said if God blessed him He would bring him back again, and he told them to send word by their sons of all he needed to know.
Soon Absalom came to Jerusalem and made a plan to take an army to go after his father to kill him—a dreadful plan for a son to make!
The two sons of the priests started to go to warn David of this plan, but a boy saw them going and he told Absalom, who sent men to take them.
But the two young men had hidden down in a man’s well, and a woman there spread a cover over the well and put ground corn on it as though it were drying, and no one could see there was a well. The men came but could not find them any place, so they returned to the city. Then the young men got out of the well and ran to David and told him to go quickly across the river Jordan. So those two young men risked their lives to help David.
David and all with him crossed the river Jordan that same night and camped on the other side in what seems to have been a wild land. Many came there to be with him and brought much food that they should not suffer from hunger, and also brought beds and dishes.
Later Absalom with a great army, came across the river, but God did not let him kill David, because God knew who should be the king.
Read the list of things brought to David (2 Sam. 17:28,2928Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, 29And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness. (2 Samuel 17:28‑29)).
ML 12/11/1938