Theological Commentary: Click Here
Today we get
to see the double-sided brilliance of David the king. I say double-sided brilliance because David
leads in this chapter out of his faith in God and his political cunning. As usual, we note that so long as we aren’t
talking about David’s personal life, we’re back into the land of David the good
decision-maker.
How does
David trust in God? Notice that when
David gets the news of Absalom’s rebellion he leaves. He simply walks away from Jerusalem. He puts his full trust in God that if he is
in God’s favor, then God can bring hi back.
In David’s mind, it is really that simple. There is not point hanging on if God wants Him
to leave. But if God wants David in
Jerusalem, God can bring him back. David
gives God space to work His hand.
How is David
a brilliant politician? First of all,
let’s return to the last point. David
doesn’t force a fight. David doesn’t
take on Absalom in the midst of his proverbial honeymoon period with his
supporters. Absalom’s supporters will be
the most fervent as Absalom is coming into power and setting things up. David walks away and let’s Absalom exhaust
the energy derived from the newness of his campaign. That’s brilliant.
Another way
that David is brilliant is that although he leaves, he leaves with spies in
place. David sends the Ark back to
Jerusalem. He knows that is a sure thing, because surely Absalom won’t send the
Ark away. Surely Absalom won’t kill God’s
priests, either. With the Ark and its
priests in Jerusalem, David has spies.
Furthermore, David sends a prophet back into the city as well. The prophet he sends in has the support of
the priests with the Ark. Together, they
will be able to support one another and bring David much needed intel. David’s political prowess matches his
religious faith in God.
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