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Mercy in the Midst of Betrayal: David's Flight from Absalom
June 10, 2026 · 16 min
2 Samuel 16–17: deceit and treachery meet David's humble trust that the Lord will judge and restore.
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David's Flight: Deception and Curses 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining this morning. As today, we find a real cast of characters in chapters 16 and 17 of 2nd Samuel. This rivals0:21 anything that Hollywood could produce. Verse 12 chapter 16, it may be that the lord will look on my affliction, and the lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day. So king David, who was a0:33 fugitive during the reign of his predecessor, Saul, finds himself once again back on the run. But this time, he's running from his own son, Absalom. And rather than stay in the city of Jerusalem0:45 that he had built up, he heads into the wilderness, I think, as we talked about last time, to prevent the city from being destroyed. So Absalom was willing to kill his own0:57 father to gain the throne. I mean, what in the world could motivate a man to wanna kill his own father? Clearly clearly, Absalom was a man with some1:08 issues, but, you know, we have to address this again. David's sin with Bathsheba, as Nathan told David, opened the door to the destructive force of the enemy in1:20 David's family. So Absalom may have also been driven, by anger at Solomon's selection to be David's successor, especially given that Solomon was the son of Bathsheba, the1:32 very relationship that triggered the royal family's Kardashianism. Right? These 2 chapters are filled with, deception, intrigue, and treachery. But toward the end, we'll also1:44 find courage, loyalty, care, and compassion. So it's a great, great passage of scripture. Alright. Let's get into it because we got a lot of ground to cover. The 1st character we encounter is the crafty and1:56 deceptive Ziba. Verse 1, chapter 16. When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys and on them, 2002:08 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of rage, and 100 summer fruits and a skin of wine. And the king said to Ziba, what do you mean to do with these? So Ziba said, the donkeys are for the king's household to ride on and the2:19 bread and the summer fruit for the young men to eat and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink. Then the king said, and where is your master's son? That is Mephibosheth, who was the son of2:32 Jonathan that David had restored. And Ziba said to the king, indeed, 'Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of2:44 my father to me.' Now we will see later that Ziba is deceptively seizing upon this moment of chaos and confusion. He is lying to gain possession of what David had2:55 given to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth back in chapter 9. And David responds as Ziba had hoped. Verse 4: So the king said to Ziba, Here, all that belongs3:07 to Mephibosheth is yours. And Ziba said, I humbly bow before you that I may find favor in your sight, my lord the king. Next, David encounters another man with ties to Saul, a member of3:19 Saul's family. Verse 5. Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of a house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gura, coming3:31 from there. He came out cursing continuously as he came. Alright? He was talking like a sailor. Verse 6, and he threw stones at David and at all the servants of3:43 King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. So David is surrounded by his guards, his military, and this guy's cursing,3:55 throwing rocks at him. And Shimei said, thus when he cursed, Come out. Come out. You bloodthirsty man. You rogue. The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the4:06 house of Saul in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil because you are a bloodthirsty man.4:18 Now I'm just going to say this man must have been watching the fake news. David did not bring blood upon the house of Saul. In fact, we saw this a number of times. David refused to lift his hand against4:30 Saul. Alright. Next enters a calloused avenger, verse 9. And Abishai, the son of Zuruai, Zuruaira,4:44 alright, got it there, said to the king, why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head. Nice guy. But the king said,4:56 what am I to do with you, you sons of Zuaira? So let him curse because the Lord has said to him, curse David, who then shall5:08 say, why have you done so? And David said to Abishai and all his servants, see how my son, who came from my own body, seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite, let5:20 him alone, and let him curse, for so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day. In in5:31 David here, we find a contrite and a broken spirit, which David wrote about in Psalm 51. God would not despise that. He does not despise it. See, David, after his5:43 sin with Bathsheba, he was confronted. He repented, but we see a whole different David really in the 2nd half of his life. More willing to extend grace5:56 because he was a recipient of god's grace, but also understanding that, you know, Nathan said these things were gonna happen. And so, you know, who is he to challenge what god6:08 is bringing about through these other individuals? Inner stage left, the conceited usurper set a set on commandeering the kingdom at all cost. Verse 15.6:19 Meanwhile, stage left, Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahaiophel was with him. Now in the our next 2 characters, we6:31 have a corrupt adviser who defected from David to Absalom, Ahaiophel. Then another of David's advisers, Hushai, who remained loyal to David, of David's advisers, Hushai, who remained loyal to David but risked6:43 his life as a spy in the court of Absalom. Very intriguing couple of passages, a couple of chapters here. Verse 16. And so it was, was when Hushai the Archite,6:54 David's friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, long live the king, long live the king. So Absalom said to Hushai, is your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend? Referring to his dad. And7:06 Hushai said to Absalom, no, but whom the Lord and this people and all his all the men of Israel choose, I will be, and I will be, and I will with him I will remain. Back in chapter 15, which we7:18 read before, David told Hushai, verse 34 of chapter 15, but if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, oh king, as I was your father's servant previously, so I will now be7:30 I will now also be your servant, then you may defeat the council of Ahaiophel for me. So David commissioned him as a spy to go back. Look now at the treachery of Ahaiophel.7:43 After telling him he tells Absalom to have sexual relations with David's harem, which in ancient times was seen as a claim to the throne. In the next chapter, he7:55 advises Absalom to actually kill his father. Verse 1, chapter 17. Moreover, Ahaiophel said to Absalom, now let me choose 12000 men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.8:07 I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid, and all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king. Then I will bring back all the people to you when all8:19 return except the man whom you seek, and all the people will be at peace. And listen to this. Verse 4. And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. Can you imagine?8:31 Verse 5. Then Absalom said, now call Hushai the archite also, and let us hear what he has to say too. So Hushai countered Ahaiaphale's advice,8:43 saying David David's in his element. He was a warrior. Absalom was not, not as good as David. Don't pursue him. Build an overwhelming force, then go after8:55 him. Hushai was giving advice actually that benefited David by buying him time to get away. Verse 11. Therefore, I advise that all Israel be gathered to you, fully gathered to you,9:07 from Dan to Beersheba. That's a reference to the entire country. Like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that they go to battle in person. So we will come upon9:19 him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground and of him and all the men who are with him, and there shall not be left so much as 1. Now9:31 Hushai is is, he's articulate, and he's persuasive. Verse 14. So Absalom and all the men Israel said the advice of Hushai, the archite, is better than the advice9:43 of Ahaiaphale. For the Lord had purpose to defeat the good buy advice of Ahaiaphale to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.9:55 Now we meet the courageous members of the resistance here. Verse 15. Then Hushai said to Zadok and Baathar10:07 the priest, thus and so Ahaiophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised. Now therefore, sin quickly and tell David, saying, do not spend this night in the plains ofZiba's Lie and Shimei's Curse 10:19 the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up. Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed in Enrogel, for10:31 they dared not be seen coming into the city. So a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell king David. So there's this network of communication. It's very a lot of intrigue10:43 here. Nevertheless, a lad saw them and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man's house in Baharim, who had a well in his court, and they went10:55 down into it. Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and spread ground grain on it, and the thing was not known. So, again, there's hiding out there, these spies. Verse 20. So when11:07 Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? So the woman said to them, they have gone over the water brook. And when they had searched and could not find him, they11:16 returned to Jerusalem. So in So in verse 23, Ohio fell, while, morally compromised, he's still an intelligent man. Alright? He11:27 knows what's going on. He he knew, he knew David. Alright? He he I mean, he had been his adviser, so he knew. And he knew this story was not gonna end well now that11:39 Absalom had taken Hushai's advice. David would most likely return, and Ahaiaphale's treasonous actions would be addressed. So look at verse 23.11:51 Now when Ahaiaphale saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey and rose and went to went home to his house, to his city, then he put his household in order and hanged12:03 himself and died and was buried in his father's tomb. Alright. The final characters in this chapter are caring and compassionate men. Verse 27. Now it happened when David had12:15 come to Mahanaim that Shobi, the son of Nahash from Rabbah and the people of Ammon, Makir,12:26 the son of Amiel from Lodibar, and Barzellai, the Gileadite from Roglam. Rogelgim12:39 brought beds and basins, earth vessels and wheat, barley, flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds,Counselors' Intrigue: Ahithophel vs Hushai 12:50 honey and curds, sheep and cheese of of the herd for David and the people who were with him to eat, for they said the people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the13:02 wilderness. So here are these these folks that if you remember, Lo Debar was the place that Mephibosheth was living. They had seen David's13:13 kindness and his grace, and now they were a part of extending that grace and kindness to David. It's wonderful to have friends who you've built that relationship with, who whom13:25 you have helped in their time of need, and they have seen, your mercy difficult times. It's really what the church is. The church is a13:37 community, and that's why we need to be connected to that community and the family. You know, oftentimes, the church replaces our family when we don't have that strong family. But we need that community.13:49 We're we're we're in we we were created for that type of, of community because we're all gonna find those difficult times, and we need others that will reach out and be help us, strengthen us,14:01 and we need to do the same for others. Father, we thank you for your word today, and, lord, just amazing, how real and relevant your word is. And I pray, father, that we would notPrayer and Program Close 14:13 look at it dispassionately stepping back and just thinking, oh, it's a great story. But, lord, may we learn from the principles of the scripture and and understand better the the nature of man and how14:24 we we, by nature, do not move towards you but away from you. And that's why you sent your son to reach out to us that we might have a relationship with you. But in order to be14:36 in that relationship, we we have to abide. It it is not something we could do 1 time and walk away from. Lord, may we abide in your word and in the presence of your holy spirit as your spirit was within14:48 us. Lord, may may we, may we be tethered to the truth of your word. Keep us from straying, lord. We thank you, and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.15:00 Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. Again, let me just remind you, coming up at the end of the month, beginning, the 30th, very last day into the month of July and August, we're gonna be in the book of Psalms.15:12 It's gonna be a great relief. It's gonna be like an oasis as we move into the book of Psalms. And so I encourage you, be thinking about who you can invite to join us on this journey. Great, great entrance,15:25 to stand on the word coming up in the book of Psalms. Alright. Until next time, keep standing on the word.15:32 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan, available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you15:44 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 David's Flight: Deception and Curses10:10 Ziba's Lie and Shimei's Curse12:40 Counselors' Intrigue: Ahithophel vs Hushai14:03 Prayer and Program Close
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