Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: Absolom goes to war against David and is killed, and David mourns for his son.
When David is past the top of the mountain, Mephibosheth's servant meets him with donkeys and food and wine. The king asks him what it is for, and he answers that the donkeys are for the king's household, and the food and wine are for the men. David inquires where his master's son is, and the man says he is in Jerusalem because he believes Israel will restore the kingdom of his father to him, and David says all that is Mephibosheth's is his (the man's.) Then, a man from the house of Saul comes to David, cursing as he comes, and he throws stones at David and his servants, with people and mighty men by his side. He tells David the Lord has brought on David the blood of the house of Saul and that He has given his son his kingdom. He calls him a bloodthirsty man. David is asked by one of his men why such a "dead dog" is allowed to curse the king; he asks if he can cut off his head. David replies to let the man curse him because he believes the Lord has said it (told the man to curse him.) He says if even his own son seeks his life, how much more should "this Benjamite." He tells him to leave the man alone and let him curse because the Lord has ordered it. He says maybe the Lord will look upon his affliction and repay him with good for the cursing. So the man follows David from afar, cursing, throwing stones, and kicking up dust. David and his men rest and refresh themselves. Meanwhile, Absolom goes to Jerusalem. David's friend goes to him there and says, "Long live the king!" Absolom asks why he is not loyal to David, but he replies he is loyal to whomever God and the people choose. And he says he will serve him as he served his father. Absolom asks him what he should do, and David's friend tells him that he should go in to his father's concubines, and then Israel will hear he is hated by his father, and so "the hands of all who are with [him] will be strong." It says that his advice is "as if one had inquired at the oracle of God," both to David and to Absolom at that time.
He also says to Absolom to let him choose 12,000 men to pursue David when he is tired and weak, and that he will kill only the king, bringing back the people to him so that there will be peace among the people. This pleases Absolom and the elders, but he calls the seer and asks for his advice concerning the matter. The seer, however, says the advice is not good, because David and his men are angry and mighty and that David is probably hiding. He says if Absolom loses the battle, it will cause fear in the people, because Israel knows David is mighty and his men valiant. He says instead that all Israel should be gathered with him, and that Absolom and all of them should fight together and defeat all of them. If he goes to a city, they should besiege it. Absolom and the men of Israel say this advice is better than the first, because it says the Lord "had purpose to defeat the good advice of [David's friend] so that He might bring disaster on Absolom." So David's friend tells the priest and his family to tell David to leave the wilderness. A lad sees them sending a messenger, and he tells Absolom, but the men flee and hide in a well. The woman servant who acted as a messenger covered the well, and when Absolom's servants come to her inquiring where the men are, she says they have gone over the water brook, so Absolom's men return to Jerusalem. After they leave, the men get out of the well and warn David, so he and all his men cross over the Jordan all night. When David's friend sees that his advice is not followed by Absolom, he returns to his city, puts his household in order, and hangs himself. Absolom crosses the Jordan with all Israel and replaces Joab as captain of the army, and Israel and Abolom camp at Gilead. Provisions are brought to David, and he sets captains over his people. He insists he will go with the people, but they say Absolom is only after him and that he should not go, that he is more help to them in the city. So David stands by the gate, and all the people go out. He orders his commanders to deal gently with Absolom, and all the people hear it. The battle takes place in the woods, and Israel is defeated before the servants of David, and "a great slaughter [takes] place." It says "the woods devoured more people that day than the servants devoured." Absolom goes to meet David's servants, and his mule rides under thick branches of a terebinth tree, and his head catches on them, and he is left hanging there. This is told to Joab, and he asks the man who told him why he didn't strike him to the ground. The man says he would not raise his hand against the king's son because David commanded all the captains not to touch him. Joab takes three spears and thrusts them through Absolom's heart while he is still hanging in the tree. Also, ten young men surround him and strike him. Joab blows the trumpet, and the people return from pursuing Israel, but Joab holds back the people, and they put Absolom in a large pit in the woods and put stones over it, and Israel flees back to their tents. It says that Absolom had set up a pillar named after himself, saying he had no son to carry on his name. Joab warns a messenger not to tell David but to wait, but he tells a Cushite to tell David what he has seen. The first messenger begs Joab to let him go, so he does, arriving before the second. A watchman sees him coming and tells the king. He sees the second messenger coming and tells David also. The man who arrives first tells David all is well and that God has avenged him. David asks about Absolom, and he answers that he does not know. The other messenger comes with "good" news, and when David asks about Absolom, he says, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise against you to do harm be like that young man." And David goes to the gate and weeps. He laments and says that he wishes he could have died in the place of his son.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
What a sad passage on the far-reaching consequences of sin! If David had only known that his sin of adultery and passivity would lead to the death of two of his sons, he would never have done it. I once heard it said that actions are like sticks. You cannot choose to pick up just one side. When you pick up one side of the "stick" (an action), you take the other also (the consequence.) You may choose the action, but you cannot choose the consequence.