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The Defeat and Death of Absalom

Scripture Passage: 
2 Samuel 18:1-33

INTRODUCTION: 2 Samuel 17:14 stated that the Lord intended to bring evil upon Absalom and it comes to pass in this chapter. The proud one is caught by his head in an oak tree and is killed by Joab’s young armour bearers. May the Lord help us all to work according to His will and not our own.

  1. THE DEFEAT OF ISRAEL (2 Samuel 18:1-8)
    1. David Organizes His Army (2 Samuel 18:1-2a).
      1. He numbers the people that are with him (2 Samuel 18:1).
      2. He sets captains of thousands and hundreds (2 Samuel 18:1).
      3. He divides the army into three parts (2 Samuel 18:2).
        1. One third under Joab
        2. One third under Abishai
        3. One third under Ittai the Gittite (2 Samuel 15:19-22)
    2. David Remains in Safety (2 Samuel 18:2b-4).
      1. David plans to go out into battle (2 Samuel 18:2).
      2. The people refuse to let him go (2 Samuel 18:3).
        1. He is worth ten thousand of them.
        2. He needs to help them from the inside of the city.
      3. David concedes and stands by the city gate (2 Samuel 18:4).
      4. The people come out by their armies (2 Samuel 18:4).
    3. David Instructs Concerning Absalom (2 Samuel 18:5).
      1. He instructs his three captains.
        1. Deal gently with Absalom.
        2. Do it for my sake.
      2. All the people hear him.
    4. David’s Servants Win the Battle (2 Samuel 18:6-8).
      1. They battle in the wood of Ephraim (2 Samuel 18:6).
      2. The men of Israel are slain before David’s servants (2 Samuel 18:7-8).
        1. Twenty thousand men are killed (2 Samuel 18:7).
        2. The battle is scattered over all the country (2 Samuel 18:8).
        3. The wood devours more than the sword (2 Samuel 18:8).
  2. THE DEATH OF ABSALOM (2 Samuel 18:9-18)
    1. Absalom Gets Caught in an Oak Tree (2 Samuel 18:9).
      1. Absalom rides upon a mule.
        1. This is the accepted form of transportation for a king or a king’s son (2 Samuel 13:29; 1 Kings 1:33, 38).
        2. This is not wise transportation in a wooded area.
      2. Absalom gets his head caught in the branches of an oak tree.
      3. The mule leaves him hanging in the air.
    2. A Man Reports to Joab (2 Samuel 18:10-13).
      1. A man sees it and reports to Joab (2 Samuel 18:10).
      2. Joab asks why he did not kill Absalom (2 Samuel 18:11); he says that he would have rewarded him.
      3. The man replies to Joab (2 Samuel 18:12-13).
        1. No reward would be great enough to kill the king’s son (2 Samuel 18:12).
        2. The king charged that no one touch Absalom (2 Samuel 18:12).
        3. I would have committed this deed against my own life (2 Samuel 18:13).
        4. You yourself would have set yourself against me (2 Samuel 18:13).
    3. Joab and His Men Kill Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14-15).
      1. Joab thrust three darts into the heart of Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14).
      2. Joab’s ten armour bearers finish killing Absalom (2 Samuel 18:15).
    4. Joab Halts the Battle against Israel (2 Samuel 18:16-18).
      1. Joab stops the battle (2 Samuel 18:16).
        1. He blows the trumpet for the people to return.
        2. He holds the people back from continuing the battle.
      2. Absalom is quickly buried (2 Samuel 18:17).
        1. His body is cast into a great pit.
        2. A great heap of stones are placed over it.
        3. All Israel flees to their tents.
      3. Absalom had already erected a monument to himself (2 Samuel 18:18).
        1. He put up a pillar in the king’s dale.
        2. He did it because he had no son; see 2 Samuel 14:27 – something must have happened to his sons.
        3. He called the pillar after his own name (Psalm 49:11).
  3. THE DELIVERY OF MESSAGES (2 Samuel 18:19-33)
    1. Joab Sends Cushi to David (2 Samuel 18:19-21).
      1. Ahimaaz requests to bear the news (2 Samuel 18:19).
        1. He is the son of Zadok the priest.
        2. He wishes to bear the news of victory.
      2. Joab refuses to allow Ahimaaz to go (2 Samuel 18:20).
        1. He is a bearer of good news.
        2. This is a day of bad news.
      3. Joab sends Cushi with the news (2 Samuel 18:21).
    2. Joab Sends Ahimaaz to David (2 Samuel 18:22-23).
      1. Ahimaaz insists to be allowed to run (2 Samuel 18:22).
      2. Joab relents and lets Ahimaaz run (2 Samuel 18:23).
    3. The Watchman Reports the Coming of Runners (2 Samuel 18:24-26).
      1. David sat between the two gates of the city (2 Samuel 18:24).
      2. The watchman sees a man running alone (2 Samuel 18:24).
      3. The king knows to expect tidings (2 Samuel 18:25).
      4. The watchman sees and reports of a second runner (2 Samuel 18:26).
    4. Ahimaaz Gives His Report (2 Samuel 18:27-30).
      1. The watchman identifies the foremost runner (2 Samuel 18:27).
        1. He is identified by the way he runs.
        2. David knows to expect good tidings.
      2. Ahimaaz gives his report (2 Samuel 18:28).
        1. He falls down before the king.
        2. He reports victory for the king’s armies.
      3. David asks about Absalom (2 Samuel 18:29).
        1. Ahimaaz claims ignorance.
        2. He only reports a great tumult when he departed.
    5. Cushi Gives His Report (2 Samuel 18:31-33).
      1. He reports victory for the king’s armies (2 Samuel 18:31).
      2. He reports the death of the king’s son (2 Samuel 18:32).
      3. The king goes to his chamber weeping (2 Samuel 18:33).

CONCLUSION: Another enemy of David is removed, but the sorrow that David knows is not. The visible effects of sin may go away from time to time, but it will always leave its mark.

David Reagan and Andrew Ray
Daily Proverb

Proverbs 23:12

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
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