>> Jen: Hello there, faithful listener. You've tuned in to season seven of the Bible explained podcast. So make sure to grab your cup of coffee, because today we are going to be discussing the book of second Samuel. Good morning, friends and faithful listeners. Welcome to the Bible explained podcast on Hump day. Hope you all have had a great start to your week so
far. We're going to finish out the story of Absalom today, and this is actually a very, very sad story, quite honestly, because Absalom has just died, and Absalom was David's son, and David did not want his son to die, obviously. In fact, he told his people, do not kill Absalom. But Joab disobeyed and he decided to kill Absalom in spite of David's
command. So now Absalom is dead, and there's some confusion that's about to happen with the messengers that run to tell David the news about Absalom's death and also David's, uh, great victory in battle as well. So let's get into this. We'll be reading two Samuel 1819 through 33. I'll be reading from the web. Then. Ahemez, the son of Zodak, said, let me now run and carry the king news how Yahweh has avenged him of
his enemies. Joab said to him, you must not be the bearer of news today, but you must carry news another day. But today you must carry no news, because the king's son is dead. Then Joab said to the Cushite, go tell the king what you have seen. The Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran. Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zodak, said yet again to Joab, but come what may, please let me also run after the Cushite. Joab said, why do you want to run, my son, since you will have no reward for the news?
But come what may, he said, I will run. He said to him, run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and out ran the Cushite. Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a man running alone. The watchman cried and told the king. The king said, if he is alone, there is news in his mouth. He came
closer and closer. The watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, behold a man running alone. The king said, he also brings news. The watchman said, I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zodak. The king said, he is a good man and comes with good news. Ahimaaz called and said to the king, all is
well. He bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth and said, blessed is Yahweh, your God, who has delivered up the men who live, lifted up their hand against my lord the king. The king said, is it well with the young man Absalom? Ahimaaz? Ah answered, when Joab sent the king's servant, even me, your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I don't know what it was. The king said, come and stand here. He came and stood still.
Behold, the Cushite came. The Cushite said, news for my lord the king, for Yahweh has avenged you today. Of all those who rose up against you. The king said to the Cushite, is it well with the young man, Absalom? The cushite answered, may the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to do you harm be as that young man is. The king was much moved and he went up to the room over the gate and he wept. And as he went, he said, my son, absalom, my son. My son, Absalom. I wish
I had died for you. Absalom, my son, my son. I was today years old when I found out that the word tumult is pronounced tumult and not tumult. I initially read it as tumult when I first recorded this podcast. And I was like, that doesn't seem right. And so I looked it up and, yeah, it is tumult. So the more, you know, now Absalom has just died. And David was very specific with all of his commanders and basically everybody in his army that he did not want Absalom
dead. David was very, very clear with that. But Joab just ignored King David's words and he went and killed Absalom. When Absalom was hanging there defenseless against a tree, Joab decided to kill the king's son. And they took Absalom down off the tree after he died, and they basically threw him in a ditch and then poured stones over top of him. And that was how they buried Absalom. Now, news traveled very slowly back in these
days. They didn't have the mail system or cell phones or email, so they had to get all of their news by foot. So in comes Ahimaaz, the son of Zodak. And I've talked about this guy before. Ahimaaz was one of the sons of the priests. So Zodak was one of the priests, and then Abiathar was the other priest. And Abiathar also had a son who was named Jonathan. So these two sons actually aided David quite a lot during this time. They would
bring all of the news to David. They were kind of like spies, and, they would tell David just everything that was going on. So in verse 19, Ahimaaz wants to bring the news to David, everything that has just happened. He says, let me now run and carry the king news how Yahweh has avenged him of his enemies. And he's talking to Joab here. He says, joab, please let me go and do my job and tell the king everything that just happened here on the battlefield. And Joab says to him, you must
not be the bearer of news today. You must carry the news another day. But today you must carry no news, because the king's son is dead. So Joab is trying to persuade Ahimaaz not to tell the news to the king. And it's very possible the reason he did this was because Joab just really liked Ahemus. Uh, he had affection for him. In fact, in verse 22, Joab actually calls Ahima his son. He says, why do you want to run, my son? So Joab likely had affection for Ahimaaz and just cared about him or
liked him just as a human being. So he didn't want Ahemus to be the one to bring bad news to the king, because King David, back in his former years, he was kind of ruthless sometimes towards people who brought bad news. In fact, there's one specific instance where David actually killed a messenger, but that is because the messenger claimed to have killed Saul. And so David, uh, killed that
messenger for killing God's anointed. And I'm sure Joab is remembering that, you know, Joab has been around David since, like, the very beginning, even possibly grew up together. They were cousins. So Joab knows how David is. And maybe Joab just liked Ahemez and didn't want Ahimaaz to bring David the news because he wasn't sure how David was going to respond to hearing that his son was dead, especially since Joab knew that David did not want Absalom dead.
David specifically told Joab not to kill Absalom. On top of this, it could also be that Joab was scared for himself because he directly went against the king's wishes. And Joab himself was the one who basically killed Absalom. Joab and all of his servants did. So it could also be that Joab was nervous that Ahimaaz knew that Joab had killed Absalom, and he didn't want King
David to know about that. So there could be many reasons why Joabda specifically didn't want Ahimaaz to go tell King David the news. So he says, today, carry no news because the king's son is dead. So then Joab, in spite of what he just said in front of Ahimaaz he tells this Cushite, who is a part of the army, to be the messenger to the king. He calls to the Cushite, he says, go tell the king what you have seen. So the Cushite bowed himself to Joabda and
ran. And so Ahimus is like, why did you just tell the Kushite that he could go and I can't go? So he tells job, he's like, please let me run after the Kushite also. And so Job says, why do you want to run, my son, since you'll have no reward for the news? So Job is really trying to dissuade Ahimaaz from going to King David. And we don't know exactly why Joab was doing this, but most people think it was because Joab just liked Ahima and didn't want Ahimaaz to get in trouble.
But Ahimaaz was not being dissuaded. He really wanted to go and run and tell the king. And this is something Ahemez had been doing for a while already for King David. And so this was, like, his purpose. And so he really wanted to be the one to be the messenger to the king. And he was also known for being a good runner as well, which is something that's mentioned here towards the end of this chapter. But Ahima, uh, is like, no, please, Joab, let me just go and tell the king. So Joab
gives in, and he's like, run. And that is exactly what Ahimaaz does. Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plane and outran the Cushite. So even though Ahemus started later than the Cushite did and even took a longer way, according to some of the commentaries that I read, he still was able to outrun the Kushite. That is how good Ahimaaz was at running. So meanwhile, David, he is sitting in between the gates of Mahanaim, which
is where we last left him. David was planning on going out to battle with his people, but his people actually told him no, we need you here in Mahanaim so that when we win this battle, you know, you can take us back to Jerusalem. We need you here. We don't need you dead. So David actually agrees, and he sits in the gates waiting for news. Now, this does not mean that David was, like, sitting outside in
between the gates. Back in these days, you know, cities had walls, and a lot of times there were rooms within those walls. Uh, sometimes there were even living quarters in those walls. Jericho, for example, had actual, like, homes inside the walls. But Mahanaime also had rooms, it looked like, in these walls. So it's likely that David was in one of those rooms waiting for news to get back to him. So he was in between the gates. And it says that a watchman went up to the roof of the
gates and lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, he saw a man running alone in verse 24. So the watchman cried, and he told the king, the king said, if he is alone, there is news in his mouth. And that's obviously true. Messengers often would run alone because they had something very, very important to say. So David knew that there was a messenger coming to tell him the outcome of the battle. So the watchman is still up on the roof of the watchtower, and he sees another man,
the Cushite, also running. And he tells David there's another man running in this other direction. And the king says he also brings news. So King David's probably just waiting and so anxious to hear the outcome of this battle, right? The watchman says, I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahima is the son of Zodak. So this means, like I said, Ahimaaz was actually known for how well he could run and how he was a
messenger. So much so that the watchman could tell that it was AHIMUS from a far way off. They didn't have binoculars back in these days. The watchman was just looking with his eyes, and so he could see just by the form, the way Ahima was running, that it was probably ahimus. So he tells David that. He says, the first guy looks like Ahimaaz And so David says, oh, ahima is such a good man, he's gonna come with good news. So David's trying to hype himself up. He's trying to be hopeful.
And it is possible also that Ahima has never really brought David bad news before. So maybe David is just looking at Ahemus's track record in bringing better news rather than bad news, if that makes sense. Ahimaaz uh, gets to king David, and he calls to the king, and he says, all is well. And he bows himself before the king with his face to the earth. And to Ahimaaz all really is well, because David just had a massive success out, uh, on the battlefield. So he says, all is well.
He bows himself before the king with his face to the earth. He says, blessed is Yahweh, your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted their hand against my lord the king. So he says, look, you know, you had a success today, King David. You had a great success. You have won this battle. And David, uncaring about anything other than his son, says to Ahimus, is it well with the young man Absalom? And here's what's kind of interesting about Ahemus's response.
He says, when Joab sent the king's servant, even me, your servant, I saw a great tumult, or tumult, I'm sorry, but I don't know what it was. So either Ahimaaz just didn't get the story right, or he was lying to King David to make David feel a little bit better or so that he wouldn't be the bearer of the bad news, knowing that the Cushite was going to tell David in just a few more moments, and he was going to let the Cushite who was
right behind him tell the bad news. And so Jimez didn't tell David the full story. He says to David, I saw something happen. There is a great tumult. There is a issue arising, but I don't know what it was. So I don't know. It's very possible that Ahimaaz just didn't get the story right and didn't understand the story. But I have a hard time believing that, because it says here in verse 20 that Joab specifically tells Ahimaaz that
Absalom is dead. Going back to verse 20, Joab says to Ahimaaz you must not be the bearer of news today, but you must carry the news another day. But today, you must carry no news, because the king's son is dead. So that's why Joab did not want Ahemez to be the messenger that day, because Absalom was dead. Just by reading this, it really sounds like Ahimaaz heard Joab say that. So I wonder if Ahimaaz on his way down to the king because he had some time to think while he was
running. Maybe he decided not to tell the full story and not to tell the full truth and let the Kushite do it. That's what I think, anyway. I don't know, though. I don't know what Ahimaaz was thinking, but that is what is implied here, at least. So the king says to Ahemez, come and stand here. So Ahimus came and stood still and let the Cushite tell the whole story. Behold, the Cushite came. The Cushite said, news for my lord, the king, for
Yahweh has avenged you today. Of all of those who rose up against you, I kind of like, um, the Cushites greeting to David a little bit more than Ahimaaz is, because Ahima is called Yahweh, David's God. But the kushai doesn't do that. He says, yahweh has avenged you today of all of those who rose up against you. Which sounds like to me that the Kushite also worshipped Yahweh. But moving forward, though, the king says to the Kushite, is it well with the young man Absalom?
So once again, David does not care about the outcome of this battle. He's laser focused on one thing. How is his son doing? And should David have been like this? No, he shouldn't have. He should have also been concerned about the lives of the Israelites. I mean, a civil war basically had just broken out. Yet David wasn't really focused on that. He was only focused on how his son was doing. And I don't think
that that was right for David to do that. But also, at the same time, I can't exactly fault David for this because he was very concerned about Absalom. I mean, Absalom was his son. What father doesn't care about their son? And since David knew that Absalom was in battle, he knew that Absalom was in great danger being in that battle. So he asks
the Cushite how Absalom is. And so, without answering, but answering at the same time, the Kushite says, may the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you to do you harm be as that young man is. And David knows now that Absalom is dead. The king was much moved. He went up into the room over the gate, and he wept. And as he went, he said, my son, absalom, my son. My son, Absalom. I wish I had died for you. Absalom. My son. My son. And so the people heard
David doing this. David, like, ran away crying, basically that Absalom was dead. What parent wouldn't be heartbroken over this outcome. Every single parent would be horrified and shocked if they found out that this happened to their son. No parent would want this, even if that son was as bad as Absalom was. I mean, David had affection and love for
Absalom. But also it's possible that David felt some guilt because back in two Samuel twelve, God had told David that because of David's sin with Bathsheba, that the sword would never depart from David's house. And now David might actually be remembering that and feeling that guilt in his heart, knowing that his sin of cheating with Bathsheba was the start of all of this. And also David's refusal to discipline was another part of all of this.
But what's interesting, we saw another son of David's die, and that was also in two Samuel twelve. And that little boy died because he was the product of infidelity between David and Bathsheba. That was God's first punishment to David due to that sin. But when that little boy died, David was not nearly as heartbroken as he is here in two Samuel 18. In fact, if you go back to two Samuel twelve, you can see David's response to when his first son died. David said, while the child
was yet alive. This is verse 22 of two Samuel twelve. While the child was still alive, I fasted and I wept, for I said, who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me that the child may live, but now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me. Now, the reason David had a very different response here is because I think David knew that he really was going to see
his son again. And so he was not as discouraged when the little boy died, because David knew that that son was up in heaven and David would go to him. In fact, that is exactly what David says here. He says, I will go to him, but he will not return to me. Is it possible that the reason DAVID is so distressed over AbsAlOM's death is because he knows that he will never see ABSALOm again, that AbsaLOm has died and has not gone to heaven? On Monday, we chatted about how
Absalom was hanging from a tree. And there's a verse in the Old TestAmENt that we discussed where it says, cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree. Jewish tradition actually says that AbsalOm is one of the few jews that did not make it into heaven because he hung on a tree. Scripture is indicating that Absalom was not saved. He was not going to heaven, both due to him
hanging on a tree. And also DaVID's response to Absalom's death here, because with David's other sons, he did not have nearly as much sadness as he does here with Absalom. In fact, he had so much distress that he wanted to die in the place of Absalom. So this EntirE story is a warning to parents. I keep saying that over and over, but it's not just a warning to discipline your kids, but it's a warning to parents that they need to teach their kids about the Bible from a
young age. The soul is the most important part of a person. The soul is what matters most. So parents need to work first and foremost at, saving their child's soul by teaching them the gospel and teaching them about the Bible, because ultimately it is goddess who saves souls. I think this story is very sad, personally. I think that it's a story of a very disrespectful son who does not care about the ways of God and also a father who loves his son very deeply but didn't learn that it was
important to discipline his children. And this is pretty much the end of the story of David and Absalom. But we will get into on Friday, um, the outcome of this battle, other than Absalom dying and how David is actually able to make it back into Jerusalem, there's also kind of a funny part coming up pretty soon here that we'll also get into as well. Faithful listeners, I really hope you have a great rest of your day. Make sure to check out everything going on in the links listed
below. I do have an announcement, though. I am doing part three with my sister and brother in law with their story of how they escaped the IFB denomination. The first two YouTube videos that they did with me, they were interview style and, uh, people really seem to connect with it. There's a lot more people out there that have gone through church, uh, hurt in the same way that my sister and brother in law
have, than I even realized. So we are doing a part three that I'll be editing and putting up on YouTube soon. But of course, anybody who is a ko fi member gets first access to that video. Faithful listeners, I hope to see you guys tomorrow as we discuss the book of Romans. Until then, happy listening and God blessed.