In our last session, David was fleeing for his life from his rebel son Absalom. David set up camp in Mahanaim on the east of Jordan just south of the Jabbok River (2 Samuel 17:24). See Map. This is where Ishbosheth, Saul’s son had made his headquarters when he tried to become king. Friends and allies now brought needed supplies to David and his family (2 Samuel 17:28-29).

I have entitled our message this evening, “The Unnecessary Civil War”. This sad war, that cost the lives of thousands of soldiers, could have been avoided if David had dealt with Absalom’s rebellion years earlier. David failed to reach the heart of his son and lead him to the Lord when he was young. Now, years later, he was reaping the fruit of his son’s rebellion.

Transition

This evening as we look at the details of this civil war, we will find several principles that we must apply to our lives.

The Preparations for the Civil War (2Sa 18:1-5)

1. David numbered the people.
   1. The word translated “numbered” literally refers to mustering or gathering together, visiting, or numbering. Thousands of loyal soldiers came to David from all over the east side of Jordan. Though Absalom drew a great crowd after him, there were still many who were wise, discerning, and loyal to the king.
      ☆ The BIG crowd is not always right. Wisdom comes from the Lord. (Prov 2:6) For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Therefore, we must know the Bible very well so that we can be wise and discerning. Be careful who you follow. Be cautious what you read and to what you listen. Remember God’s command in (1Thess 5:21-22) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
   2. David set captains over them by thousands and hundreds.
   3. David divided the troops into three divisions led by Joab, Abishai, and Ittai (18:2).
   4. David wanted to lead the battle, but the people objected and he wisely listened to them (18:3-4).
2. David gave a command to his captains.
   1. He commanded them to be gentle with Absalom.
   2. All the people heard him give this command.
   3. David was acting like a father but not like a king. It is sad that his failure to deal with Absalom’s rebellion earlier in life now forced him to defend himself against Absalom’s attempt to kill his father.
      ☆ The Bible clearly states, (Proverbs 19:18) Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. The will come a day that a rebellious child will no longer listen to parental counsel.

The Fierceness of the Civil War (2Sa 18:6-17)

1. God Fought for David (2Sa 18:6-8)
   1. Though David had failed in many ways, he got right with God and now God helped his soldiers in the battle.
   2. The battle was in the wood or forest of Ephraim (18:6).
   3. Twenty thousand of Absalom’s troops were killed. How sad! Thousand of wives lost dear husbands; thousands of children lost their fathers; thousands of mothers lost their sons; just because one rebel was allowed to have his own way as a child.
      ☆ Let’s make it a priority to work, train, discipline, and pray that our children and grandchildren will not become rebels.
   4. The wood devoured more people than the sword. Charles Spurgeon gives a good explanation to this. “Perishing not only by the sword, but among the thick oaks and tangled briers of the wood, which concealed fearful precipices and great caverns, into which the rebels plunged in their wild fright when the rout set in.”
      ☆ It is a blessing that when we confess our sin God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Because David had confessed his sins and was right with God, God helped him in the battle. He was still struggling from the consequences of sin and parental failure, but God had forgiven him.
      ☆ If we will confess our sin to God, we can have the peace and confidence that God has forgiven us and will help us in time of trouble.
2. God worked against Absalom (2Sa 18:9-17)
   1. Absalom suddenly came upon David’s soldiers and as he fled from them his head caught in an oak tree (18:9). The Bible does not specify what part of his head got caught, but because he was a proud rebel and grew his hair long (14:26), it is likely that he was hung by his mop of hair.
   2. Captain Joab was told of Absalom’s situation. He quickly took three darts and used them to kill Absalom (18:14).
   3. Joab blew the trumpet to stop the war (18:16)
   4. They buried Absalom in a great pit in the forest (18:17).
   5. God was with David because David was right with God. The opposite is also true. God was against Absalom because he was not right with his dad or with God. Absalom’s rebellion led him into many sins and eventually led to his death.
      ☆ Learning to obey immediately and cheerfully submit to authority when we are young is very important. Young people, are you right with your parents or are you rebellious toward them? If you are not right with your parents, you cannot be right with God. If you will not humble yourself to get right with Dad and Mum, God will work against you. “… God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6) No one in his right mind wants God resisting him.

The Reaction to the Civil War (2Sa 18:18-19:8)

1. Joab sent news back to David (18:19-32)
   1. They had no cell phones, no email, no texting, and no express mail. News had to be carried by a runner.
   2. Ahimaaz requested to be the news runner. He was one of the two boys that took Hushai’s message to David when David first fled. Joab did not want him to carry the message because he had not seen all that took place (18:20). He was not properly informed.
      ☆ This reminded me that if I am not part of the problem or part of the solution, I must not get involved or I will be meddling. Solomon tells us that if we meddle in other people’s business we are in danger of getting bit. (Prov 26:17) He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, is like one that taketh a dog by the ears.
   3. Joab sent Cushi with the message. Ahimaaz begged to also run and was allowed. He outran Cushi, but he did not know what to tell the king (18:28-29).
   4. Cushi told the king the news (18:31-32).
2. David cried for his son Absalom (18:33-19:8)
   1. As a father, David grieved that his rebellious son was dead (18:33).
   2. As the king, David shamed the people by loving his enemy and hating his friends (19:1-4)
   3. Joab rebuked David for his lack of appreciation for his loyal soldiers (19:5-7).
   4. David got up and sat in the gate where he could address the people and this solved the problem (19:8).
   5. It was not wrong for David to mourn for his son. That was natural, but it was wrong for him to ignore the feelings and needs of others around him. Many of his friends had risked their lives to protect his and his actions shamed them.
      ☆ This is a helpful reminder to us that during times of emotional stress it is easy to make wrong decisions. We tend to think only of ourselves and we fail to consider the needs of others. We tend to over react. Never make any important decisions when you are emotionally upset.

Conclusion

In this section, we were reminded of principles about wisdom, child training, confession and forgiveness, obedience, being right with God, meddling, and making decisions during times of emotional stress.

All that was written aforetime in the Bible was written for our learning (Rom 15:4). If the Lord has placed His finger of conviction on an area of your life that needs work, the best thing to do is to humble yourself before Him and do what He wants you to do.

Song: Have Thine Own Way – 388
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The Unnecessary Civil War
15 November 2015 PM – 2 Samuel 17:24-19:8 – Life of David – Scott Childs