2 Samuel 14--Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

2 Samuel 14
English Standard Version

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem
14 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart went out to Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. 3 Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.” 5 And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”

8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” 9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father's house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” 10 The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” 11 Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

12 Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” 13 And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. 14 We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. 15 Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. 16 For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.’ 17 And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The LORD your God be with you!”

18 Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” 19 The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant. 20 In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”

21 Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 22 And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.” 23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king's presence.

25 Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 26 And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king's weight. 27 There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.

28 So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king's presence. 29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come. 30 Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 31 Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” 32 Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.’” 33 Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

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Joab is shrewd and knows that David has not forgiven himself for what happened with his sons, but also takes a lesson from Nathan the prophet and engages in a little role-playing.  He asks a woman from Tekoa to act as a mourner who has been mourning for many days and to not put any oil on her face before going in to meet the king.  She follows the script well and gives a similar but different enough scenario to the king's (the main difference being that in her story she only had two sons, and losing the life of the one who killed the other in capital punishment would be the end of her family line), but in most of the details it was very similar to what happened between Absalom and Amnon.

The king uses his position that the LORD has given to him to extend mercy (just as it was extended to him after his adultery with Bathsheba when he deserved to die) and said that her living son should fear nothing and that if anyone said anything to her about seeking revenge, then they were to come and talk to him directly and he would let them know that not one hair on the head of the living son was to be touched.  The woman made him swear by the name of the LORD that this would be done.

The woman then turns the tables on David and reveals that he has made a different decision for her than he has made for himself and his family.  He has refused to offer amnesty to Absalom though he would be willing to offer it to this complete stranger.  She says that what is done cannot be undone, but God has devised a way that even those who are outcasts should be brought near to Him again (the gospel).  She then makes clear that her plea that she made to him as king should be the same plea that David should be making to the LORD, the true King and that He also is a good King and would extend mercy, just like David had.

David quickly figures out that Joab is behind all this, and tells the woman to tell him the truth and asks her directly if Joab had anything to do with her coming to him and what she has said and done.  She does not lie to the king and says that Joab indeed had come to her and asked her to do this thing and she has said and done everything that Joab asked her to say and do.  David then calls Joab in and tells him to go get Absalom.  However, the king said that Absalom was to dwell in his own house and was forbidden from coming into his presence.

Absalom had three sons and a daughter of his own, and he named his daughter after his sister, Tamar.  Absalom was a man without any blemish who was handsome and apparently had long flowing locks of hair (he only cut his hair once a year).  His long hair is going to be what will partially lead to his death later.  We'll also see that while Joab right now desires for Absalom to return home, Joab and Absalom will not remain friends forever.  That will actually change in the beginning of the next chapter (what we will discuss next time).

It was a full two years that Absalom lived in Jerusalem without seeing his father.  Finally, Absalom tried to use Joab as a go-between to ask Absalom to come and meet him so that he could convince Joab to bring him before David.  However, Joab knew the king's command and knew what Absalom wanted, and he would not appear before Absalom.  Absalom tried again and Joab still refused Absalom's invitation, even though it appears that they were practically next-door neighbors.

Absalom got angry and ordered his servants to set Joab's barley fields on fire (they were right next to Absalom's fields).  After this, Joab got up and went to Absalom to confront him about what his servants had done to his barley fields.  Absalom answers that he had sent to Joab twice that he might ask why it is that the king had sent for Absalom to come back to Jerusalem if he was never going to be allowed to see his father (or the rest of his family).  He said things were better for him back in Geshur where at least he was free to see his family there (his mother's family).  Absalom insists that he either be treated as innocent or guilty and if he is guilty that he be put to death, but if the king refuses to put him to death, then he should not treat him as someone who has been excommunicated (and the implication is there that if David wants Absalom to stay in Jerusalem, then David had better treat Absalom like family and David needs to start acting like a father to Absalom).

Joab goes to David with Absalom's message, and Absalom was summoned to come before the king.  Absalom humbles himself and bows in the presence of David to show his submission to him (and whatever judgment he would make, even if that meant losing his life).  Probably to Absalom's surprise, King David kissed Absalom (a sign that David had chosen restoration and real forgiveness).  However, Absalom will break this fellowship once more very soon when he rebels against David, and that's where we will pick up the story next time.