Sermon - Lent Midweek 5, 2022 - David and Absalom - 2 Samuel 13:22-34; 14:21-28; 15:1-6, 13-16; 18:1-15, 24-33; 19:1-8

Death of Absalom, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1860

The story of David and Absalom is in some sense a distorted mirrored image of the relationship God the Father has with His Son Jesus and us. This story is also the direct fulfillment of the curse laid on David after his sin with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, where the Lord said: “The sword shall never depart from your house… I will raise up evil against you out of your own house.” The fruits of David’s sins are made immediately manifest in the life of Absalom.

At the beginning of our reading this evening we were introduced to three people: Tamar, Amnon, and Absalom. All three of them are David’s children, although Tamar and Absalom are born of a different mother than Amnon. We read that “Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.” 

Tamar was beautiful, and Amnon wanted her, but half-sibling marriage was condemned by God. So Amnon plotted a means by which to get her alone with him, forced himself upon her, raped her, and afterwards sent her away because he then hated her more than he wanted her previously. Absalom took his sister in and told her to keep the thing quiet, apparently so that he could exact revenge later. For two years Absalom let his anger fester against Amnon, until eventually he designed a trap in order to kill Amnon. After killing Amnon, Absalom fled. 

But where was David in all of this? He was both king and father to these people, yet he did nothing! When Amnon raped Tamar, he still found out about it, he was angry, but he did nothing. When David had sinned the prophet Nathan confronted him and brought him to repentance. David could’ve done the same for Amnon, bringing him to repentance, and finding some just resolution, but David just sat angrily and did nothing.

So Absalom took the matter into his own hands and murdered Amnon. But that didn’t solve anything, all that changed is that Amnon was dead and now Absalom was a murderer. And again, David sat by and did nothing. He didn’t bring Absalom to justice and call him to repentance, had he done so perhaps there could’ve been a healthy resolution. But instead he let Absalom return to the city and didn’t confront him about his sins. Thus, David was seen as a weak king who didn’t pursue justice for the oppressed and Absalom saw this as his opportunity to usurp the throne.

Absalom was a good looking guy, without blemish, and an incredible head of hair. On top of his good looks, he was apparently a smooth talker, and set himself up in the place of his father the king to listen to the people’s complaints and tell them all that they wanted to hear. After doing that for some time, Absalom captured the hearts of the people and set them against David, forcing David to flee Jerusalem. But not everyone followed Absalom, David still had some loyal subjects and friends willing to fight and die for their king. So a great civil war broke out between those who followed Absalom and those who followed David; on the day when Absalom was killed 20,000 men died.

With great irony the head and hair that Absalom took such pride in was the very thing which got stuck in a tree and resulted in his death when the donkey beneath him fled. Absalom was buried quickly that same day, given an ignoble burial: thrown into a pit beneath a pile of rocks. David responded with great sorrow over his son. “The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

David’s faithful counselor Joab, who had killed Absalom, thus rebuked David for his public weeping over his son. Absalom wasn’t the only son, husband, and father who died that day; 20,000 men died, all of Israel had reason to weep. Thousands of men died protecting David, and yet David was only found weeping for himself, without a word of thanks and encouragement to his soldiers who fought so bravely.

Like last week’s story, this one isn’t very flattering of David. But this one is a lot easier to relate to, since it’s the story of an indulgent, absent father who doesn’t raise his children well, and then his kids make mistakes because of his mistakes, and finally they die wicked deaths leaving the father heartbroken. This story is also a distorted mirrored image of the relationship between God the Father and His Son Jesus and all of us His children.

God our heavenly Father isn’t a distant, quiet, overly indulgent Father who makes mistakes. Rather He chastises His children and is perfectly just, He’s merciful and generous yet not at all indulgent, He isn’t quiet or distant since He’s always near to us and is always speaking to us through the scriptures. But like David, He isn’t pleased when His children die wicked deaths away from Him, like Jesus said: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” In fact, when David said: “Would I had died instead of you,” God doesn’t just say it, but does it, when God the Son died upon the cross instead of us.

Jesus is the perfect Son, He’s not prideful, deceptive, nor conspiring against the Father. Instead of Jesus being described as beautiful, He’s described as the suffering servant with no majesty nor beauty that we should desire Him. He doesn’t think of Himself more highly than He thinks of the Father, “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He doesn’t deceive or conspire against the Father, but willingly suffers the cross and the wrath of God against sinners. But like Absalom, Jesus rode upon a donkey to His death upon a tree, and was buried that same day in a tomb beneath a rock. Yet unlike Absalom, Jesus’ didn’t remain buried beneath a load of ruble, but miraculously rose in order to signify the resurrection which we anticipate.

So in the tragic story of David and Absalom, when we see the miserable father David, let us be reminded of our glorious and perfect Father in heaven. The Triune God doesn’t just get angry at sin and cry, wringing His hands at our situation, but He calls us to repentance in love and even suffers the pain of eternal death for us. When we see the rotten son Absalom, let us be reminded of the perfect only begotten Son of the Father, Jesus our Savior. He wasn’t only without blemish in His body, but His whole being was without blemish. He submitted to the Father’s will and was crucified upon the tree so that we poor miserable David’s and Absalom’s might live eternally and receive His gracious forgiveness.