Absalom’s End

15. February 2010 by Bernice Davis.

Hello Everyone: 

In our story today, Absalom is killed.  If you remember in our last study, David gave clear instructions to all his men that Absalom was to be handled with care and not killed.  The text says that all of David’s men heard this command.   It is interesting to note how Absalom will come to his death and by whose hand.  Let’s look at the story.

II Samuel 1: 8 The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword. 9 Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going. 10 When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.” 11 Joab said to the man who had told him this, “What! You saw him? Why didn’t you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt.” 12 But the man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake. ‘ 13 And if I had put my life in jeopardy–and nothing is hidden from the king–you would have kept your distance from me.” 14 Joab said, “I’m not going to wait like this for you.” So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom’s heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. 15 And ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him. 16 Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. 17 They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes. 18 During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

As you can see in our text, even though Absalom got his head caught in a tree while riding on his mule and was hanging in mid-air, he was not yet dead.  One of David’s men told Joab (David’s commander of the army) and Joab immediately went to finish the job even though the man reminded Joab that he was commanded by David to protect Absalom.  

Joab went to the oak tree and found Absalom still alive.  He could have easily helped him get his head released from the thicket and brought him to his father alive but he choose to kill David’s enemy yet his son.   Not only did Joab assist in his death but ten of Joab’s armor-bearers surrounded Absalom and struck and killed him. 

Tomorrow, we will find out what happens when David discovers that his son is dead.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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