How does David's journey in 2 Samuel 15:17 connect to Jesus' path to Calvary? Setting the Scene in 2 Samuel 15:17 “So the king set out, and all the people followed him. They stopped at the last house.” David, driven from his own city by Absalom’s rebellion, steps away from Jerusalem with a small band of faithful followers. The king’s back is to the throne, his face set toward a painful exile. Key Parallels Between David and Jesus • Betrayal by One Close to Them – David: betrayed by Absalom, his own son (2 Samuel 15:10–14). – Jesus: betrayed by Judas, one of His twelve (Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50). • Leaving the City in Suffering – David departs Jerusalem, “stopped at the last house” before crossing the Kidron (2 Samuel 15:17, 23). – Jesus is led “outside the city gate” to suffer (Hebrews 13:12–13; John 19:17). • Crossing the Kidron Valley – David and his men cross the brook Kidron on their way out (2 Samuel 15:23). – “After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley” (John 18:1). • Ascending the Mount of Olives – “David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went” (2 Samuel 15:30). – Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane before His arrest (Luke 22:39; Mark 14:26–32). • Faithful Companions Amid Desertion – Zadok, Abiathar, Ittai the Gittite, and others stay loyal to David (2 Samuel 15:18–21, 24–29). – A remnant of disciples follow Jesus to the garden and, though faltering, remain near (John 18:15; Luke 23:49). • Sorrow Mixed with Submission – David surrenders to God’s will: “Let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him” (2 Samuel 15:26). – Jesus in Gethsemane: “Yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The Last House and the Last Supper David pauses at “the last house,” a moment of transition from kingly comfort to humble exile. Jesus, after the Last Supper in an upper room, rises and heads toward Gethsemane—another deliberate step from intimate fellowship into redemptive suffering (John 13:1, 31; 14:31). Suffering King, Exalted King David eventually returns in triumph (2 Samuel 19:14–15). Jesus, the greater Son of David, rises and ascends to the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:29–36; Philippians 2:8–11). David’s journey foreshadows the fuller, climactic victory achieved at Calvary and confirmed at the empty tomb. Takeaway for Our Walk Today The echoes between 2 Samuel 15 and the Gospel narratives remind us that the Lord we serve fully understands betrayal, grief, and the cost of obedience. As David trusted God on the road out of Jerusalem, so Jesus embraced the Father’s will on the road to Calvary—securing salvation for all who follow Him. |
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