What does Absalom's act reveal about his character and respect for God's law? Setting the Scene • Absalom has stolen “the hearts of the men of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6) and forced his father David to flee Jerusalem. • Ahithophel, once David’s counselor, urges Absalom to make a public, irreversible break with the former king. • The strategy: commit an act so brazen that reconciliation will seem impossible and Absalom will appear unquestionably in charge. The Act Itself — 2 Samuel 16:22 “So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.” Clear Violations of God’s Law • Leviticus 18:8 — “You must not have relations with your father’s wife…” • Deuteronomy 22:30 — “A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonor his father’s bed.” • Deuteronomy 27:20 pronounces a curse on anyone who lies with his father’s wife, “for he has uncovered his father’s garment.” Absalom knowingly crosses boundaries God plainly set, treating them as obstacles to power rather than immutable commands. Windows into Absalom’s Heart 1. Rebellion Against Authority – Defies his own father’s dignity and kingship. – Romans 13:1 reminds us earthly authority is established by God; Absalom tramples that order. 2. Arrogant Self-Promotion – A rooftop tent in full view broadcasts, “I’m now the king.” – Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction.” 3. Contempt for Holiness – Sexual immorality is leveraged as a political tool. – 1 Corinthians 6:18 warns that sexual sin is uniquely against one’s own body, yet Absalom uses it as spectacle. 4. Callousness Toward People – David’s concubines become pawns. – James 3:16: “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice.” 5. Blindness to Covenant Consequences – Galatians 6:7: “God is not mocked.” Absalom behaves as though divine retribution will never reach him. Echoes of Prophecy • Nathan to David after the Bathsheba incident: “Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household… your neighbor will lie with your wives in broad daylight.” (2 Samuel 12:11–12) • Absalom becomes the very rod of discipline God foretold, yet he does so by his own sinful choice, revealing human responsibility even within divine sovereignty. Outcome: Absalom Reaps What He Sows • His brief reign ends under a tangle of branches and Joab’s spears (2 Samuel 18:9-15). • Psalm 7:15-16: “He who digs a hole and hollows it out falls into the pit he has made.” Take-Home Reflections • Sin done “in the sight of all Israel” does not intimidate God’s justice. • Public rebellion often begins with private disregard for God’s word; guard the heart early (Proverbs 4:23). • Human schemes that ignore God’s law may look clever for a season, yet they collapse under the weight of divine truth. |
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