Oct 13, 2018
David had lost his kingdom to his own son. And he had been forced to vacate Jerusalem, depending on a handful of spies to give him updates on conditions in the capital. When the armies of David eventually did battle with those of Absalom, David left word that his son was to be spared. But Joab, David’s military commander, ignored David’s orders and executed Absalom himself. The coup came to an abrupt end, and David was restored to his throne as the king of Israel. When the good news had finally made its way to David, rather than rejoicing over his good fortune, he went into mourning over the death of his son. Once again, we see David responding in a less-than-satisfactory way to the events surrounding his life. He didn’t deal with Joab’s insubordination. He didn’t take Absalom’s death as a sign from God. He simply went into the chamber over the gate and wept. And, as usual his actions would have serious repercussions.