II Samuel 15:4 Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!
I’m continually amazed at the depth of the stories in the Bible. It can be a little bit deceiving because sometimes you read Bible stories and the storyline is pretty flat. There are a lot of things you may wonder about that are not given in the details, yet at the same time there are so many little details and layers as far as characters, irony, poetic justice, and so on, that you find in any story. It can be easy to gloss right over these details.
Now if this were just literature, the author would have said, “Now take note of this. This is very ironic.” But so many times things like this in the Bible are not even highlighted. You just have to notice them or not. So I have noticed some things in the story in II Samuel 15 of David fleeing from his son Absalom, who was basically causing a rebellion in the kingdom so he could take over the kingship of David.
A lot had happened, and there are a lot of layers to this story. Let me give you a couple of examples. In verse 4, Absalom, David’s son, is winning over the hearts of the people from his father David. He says to those who come to bring some problem to the king, “Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!” He was concerned about justice because he hadn’t gotten any when his sister Tamar had been violated by Amnon. David had done little to nothing. So here is David with a daughter named Tamar and here is Absalom, his rebellious son, who named his daughter Tamar. So interesting!
The second thing I noticed is the fact that David had once hid from Saul, and now David was hiding from his own son, Absalom. Saul’s son Jonathan was a friend to David, and David’s son Absalom was an enemy to David.
Another layer is in verse 19 where it says, “Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile.” Three times there were friends who offered to join David and his company as they fled from Absalom and the rebellion back in Jerusalem, and three times David sent these friends back saying, “You will do more good for me back in Jerusalem than you will running off and hiding with me.”
One such instance is a man named Ittai the Gittite. When you look up who this is, he is a Philistine. He was from Gath, the birthplace of David’s foe, Goliath. In fact, some people think that this man, Ittai, was the son of Achish, the king of Gath. There was a time when David and his mighty men fled to Philistia and became the king of Gath’s personal bodyguard. Now years later, David is fleeing again, not from Saul, but from his own son, and Ittai, the son of the king of Gath is bringing a group of men to David’s country. That is interesting!
Another note of interest is in verse 12 where Absalom sent for Ahithophel, David’s counselor, who was part of the conspiracy. Many people believe that Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather.
There is a lot going on here. This is not a flat story. As straight ahead as the narrative is, there are so many things going on that it is hard to grasp them all, especially when they are not highlighted as something special. They are just part of the story.
The same thing is happening in your life every day. There are so many layers to your life, most of which you are probably not aware. There may be poetic justice, irony, or repetition of history in play right now. There is so much water passing under the bridge every day that there is no way you can keep up with it all, certainly not when you are busy with life.
The takeaway is that it is not your grasp of events that gives you safety; it is God’s. How can you possibly grasp all that is going on in your life? That is where faith comes in. God knows things that I could not even possibly notice. I have a hard time noticing the complexities as I somewhat objectively read another man’s story thousands of years later, so how can I possibly see mine when I am right in the middle of my life?
It reminds me of something I told a group of men the other day here on the Ranch. I’m not saved because of my memory. I am saved because of God’s. Now, if you have trusted Christ as Savior, it is important to help yourself remember that important event. At the end of the day, assurance may come because I remember some decision I have made, but I am not saved because of my memory that may fade. I am saved because of God’s memory.
Likewise, it is not your grasp of events in your life that gives you safety; it is God’s. You can trust Him.