The Piano Girl

“Peace, Power & Long Hair”

Intro:

Peace is something that we strive for as human beings. It is one thing that sets us apart from the animal kingdom and from complete anarchy. John Greenleaf Whittier once said, “Peace hath higher tests of manhood, than battle ever knew.” (Whittier)

However, sometimes man is selfish prideful and ambitionses cause him great stride to go far away from peace. Peace is something that we always hear about in the news but is never really accomplished in real life. Even know this world has been granted with many great gifts and abilities it still has not been able to accomplish its greatest task, which is peace. It says in Proverbs 12:20 (NIV)
²⁰ There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace.

Today we will be looking at Absalom who is known as the “father of peace” but oddly enough is an individual who did not know peace nor want it. He was a man with so many gifts and abilities, looks, wealth and persuadedtivnes to name a few. However, he only had his best interest in order without thinking about the greater good or about his own life. In the end, his gift’s was his greatest downfall.

Body:

Absalom is an example of an individual who had everything going for him. He was the third son of King David and his mother was a daughter of King Geshur. From the outside, everything looked fantastic in his life.

He also possessed gifted with a remarkable physical beauty—“ no blemish in him” in II Sam 14:25 A commanding presence, naturally dignity and its extraordinary grace of a person made him a immense figure. It was also said of the man that his extra-ordinary profusion of hair was a great site on the eyes.

As I said, he was the son of King David who was a brilliant and successful warrior. God’s chosen leader for Israel at the time. However, his family life was less than to be desired. The situation with David’s numerous wives and concubines created a highly competitive environment among all of the children.

Each one of them for sure is probably craving attention and the love from David. King David had 19 sons and 1 daughter from 7 different wives. Could you just imagine how confusing and frustrating it would have been for David’s family. Talk about a dysfunctional family. My wife and I have a problem with just the two of us trying to figure out what stations to watch. Could you just imagine what it would be like with 28 people plus David that is 29 in the David household?

The young Absalom probably would have been a very confused individual. Who for the most part probably did not get the full love and attention a young boy desperately needed. I am sure he also would have been very independent and a self-starter.

Absalom probably would have been a lady-killer. He had the looks, money, and the family. You would almost relate Absalom to being a son of the famous star today like Hoke Hogan or that guy from kiss. We hear in the news all the time about how these child stars or sons of stars gets into trouble.

The first real account of Absalom in the Bible is in second Samuel 13. What happened a little bit before this chapter was that his sister had just been brutally raped by her half brother Amnon. What happened afterwards was that King David was fiercely mad with Amnon but did not do anything about it. This must have an enraged Absalom like I said this was a highly competitive and dysfunctional family. Therefore, Absalom decided to take matters into his own hands and kill his half brother. I guess Absalom never heard of the People’s Court “don’t take justice into their own hands you taken to court”. Absalom apparently resented being ignored by his father and resented his brother Ammon going unpunished for raping Tamar, Absalom’s full sister. (Holman Bible Dictionary)

It is funny how it took Absalom two years after this incident before he had the plan to murder his brother. Sometimes are hate are the things that people have done to us in the past will boil up when we least expect it. I am sure that there were times in Absalom’s two years after the incident of the sister where he felt like forgiving his brother. But he never did so he ended up taking his aggression on him.

So Absalom invites his brothers to come to an old-fashioned sheep shearing in the mountains. As they were sitting by the campfire, Absalom ordered his servants to get his brothers drunk. As soon as Amnon was above in-toxicity, they were ordered to strike him into the ground or for lack of a better term “kill him”. After this, all his brothers and all their men fled back to the temple to see David again “see that rhymes.” And Absalom rides off into the sunset to spend some time with his Grams up in Geshur. Which was a little state that protected Israel northern border from Persia.

King David was deeply distraught over the loss of his two sons. It took almost 3 years for him to come to grasp of what transpired but soon enough he invited Absalom back to Israel. 2 Samuel 14:21 (MSG) ²¹ The king spoke to Joab. “All right, I’ll do it. Go and bring the young man Absalom back.” The King David made one resolution to Absalom not to let him look into his father’s face. Two Samuel 14:24 (MSG)
²⁴ The king said, “He may return to his house, but he is not to see me face to face.” So Absalom returned home, but was not permitted to see the king.

Joab who was the commander of King David’s army acted as a middleman between him and Absalom. It was said in the Bible that Joab would not budge an inch to Absalom’s pressure to meet with his father. The only way that he was able to gain the privilege of meeting his father again was by bullying Joab and setting his fields on fire. Soon after doing this to Joab, he was able to meet his father almost 5 years after killing Amnon. By this time he would Absalom probably would have been considered the next heir in line to be king. But that was not enough for him he started conniving and communing to take over his father’s throne. He went off to Hebron, which was the old capital of Israel before the Kings and ended up declaring himself as ruler over Israel in Judea.

He became such a smooth talker that even people in Jerusalem started declaring and king of Israel. Moreover, many of King David staff went over to support Absalom.

Ahithophel, who had been David’s chief counselor, deserted him and joined Absalom, whose chief counselor he now became. Hushai also joined Absalom, but only for the purpose of trying to counteract the counsels of Ahithophel, and so to advantage David’s cause. He was so far successful that by his advice, which was preferred to that of Ahithophel, Absalom delayed marching an army against his father who thus gained time to prepare for the defense.( christiananswers) Absalom’s overall goal was to destroy his father and make him a ruined man. Almost kind of sounds like Star Wars but with role reversal. Absalom eventually marched out against his father, whose army, under the command of Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. Twenty thousand of Absalom’s army were killed in that fatal battle, and the rest fled to the safety of their homes. We can just imagine the carnage and blood must’ve looked like that day with 20,000 killed.

Soon after this great battle, Absalom fled up in the hills with a mule. I don’t think a meal was a very efficiently to be fleeting but he did. But soon after his long flowing hair which was a gift from God got stuck to a tree and he ended up getting captured by Joab who ended up killing him with three darts. It’s funny in the Bible how it say not one, two, but three darts. King David did something he did quite a bit after making mistakes he lamented. He felt so sorry for the mistakes he made to his family and his kingdom. It is said after this event most of his kingship was healing and reconciliation throughout the kingdom. There were numerous attempts afterwards to start separating the kingdom of Judea and Israel. You could say it was almost like a predecessor for the things to come with the kingdoms of the North and South. What can be taken from this tragic story?

Conclusion:

Firstly, much of the blame has to be placed upon King David and the way that he treated his family. It seem like Absalom was looking more for a father figure then a king. This was a boy who was craving attention from a father could did not know what attention was.

Absalom on the other hand worried more about himself than he did any other person. Being all absorbing and self-aggrandizement were the pillars of who Absalom is about. (Lockyer) It also can be said that his gifts were his downfall and the end because of his not using them for God’s means and only for self-seeking pleasure.

Dear friends I exalt you today to consider your relationship with your friends and family. Are you really being a parental figure that you should really be or do you breed of a sense a competitiveness and lack of love in your household. Do you show peace in your life?

I also urge you to look deeper inside your own heart and analyze the gifts that God has given to you. Do you use them for your own glory or for helping God’s kingdom and others? And you a peacemakers or hell-razor. It is only by taking care of our self-seeking nature are we able to be true peacemakers.

I remind you that the altar is not a place of judgment but a means of grace. Moreover, that we can all change only by looking at ourselves and becoming more like Christ.

It’s Fall

John Wesley

I want to know one thing – the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore.

God Himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from heaven.

He hath written it down in a book.

O give me that book!

At any price, give me that book of God!

I have it: here is knowledge enough for me.

Let me be homo unius libri.

Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men.

I sit down alone: only God is here.

In His presence I open, I read His book; for this end, to find the way to heaven.

… And what I thus learn, that I teach.

- John Wesley

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