19-22. David generously advises Ittai not to mix himself up in a civil war. He, as a stranger, may without disloyalty ' abide with the king'; that is, with Absalom, who has usurped the throne. But Ittai declares his faithful allegiance to his 'lord the king'; that is, David. His expression of devotion has been compared to that of Ruth (Ruth i. 16, 17)". 23. The procession having left the city by the Eastern gate, soon reaches the valley or gorge between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, through which flowed the brook Kidron. In John xviii. I it is called 'Cedron.' 24-26. David refuses to let the ark be exposed to the dangers of his exile, or to use it as a charm. He will have it taken back to Jerusalem. Perhaps too he did not wish 'to punish his subjects for his son's sins,' by taking from them the sign of God's presence and favour 8. 27-29. These two sons were afterwards most useful in bringing tidings (ch. xvii. 17-21) h. 30. Covering the head was a sign of deep mourning. So David covered his face after Absalom's death (2 Sam. xix. 4. Cp. Esther vi. 12; Jer. xiv. 3, 4; Ezek. xxiv. 17) i. f Also to the too bold profession of St. Peter (Matt. xxvi. 35). 'Ittai declares his resolution, (with a fervour which almost inevitably recalls a like profession made almost on the same spot to the great Descendant of David centuries afterwards), to follow him in life and in death' (Stanley, J. C. ii. 118). The psalms supposed to have been written in David's exile show how earnestly he desired at this time communion with God. Ps. xlii begins, 'Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks, so longeth my soul after Thee, O God.' In Ps. xliii. 3 he cries, 'O send out Thy light and Thy truth, that they may lead me.' But he realizes that God is present everywhere, and puts his whole trust in His mercy. · h The words 'Art not thou a seer?' imply that Zadok might be of use, through his power to observe and report all that went on in the city. Others explain them as a reproach, O thou seer!' or 'Thou a seer!' meaning that his prophetic insight ought to have shown him the wiser course. 1 Some have explained the word used of St. Peter in Mark xiv. 72, of such outward sign of sorrow; mißaλàv being supposed to imply an ellipse of rò iμáriov. Our translation, and when he thought thereon, he wept,' implies an ellipse of Tòv voûv. 220 Ahithophel--Hushai-Ziba Shimei. among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. 23. HISTORY OF ABSALOM'S REBELLION (continued). 2 SAMUEL XV. 32--xviii. 5. David's prayer that God would frustrate the designs of Ahithophel is quickly answered. On reaching the top of the mount, where was one of the 'high places' or local sanctuaries1, the king is joined by his 'friend,' Hushai the Archite2. David feels that he is the man to counteract Ahithophel's influence, and sends him to Jerusalem for this purpose, telling him how he had arranged with Zadok and Abiathar for reporting events in the capital. A little further on the road Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, meets the fugitives, bringing with him a gift of provisions. He invents a story of his master having joined the rebels, in the hope of gaining possession of the throne. David believes his tale, and tells him that all that pertained to Mephibosheth shall be his 3. At Bahurim, Shimei, also of the house of Saul, appears. Keeping pace with the procession on the other side of the ravine, he curses David as a 'man of blood,' and throws stones and dust at him. Abishai asks permission to cross over and kill him; but David accepts these insults as part of the punishment sent from God *. Meanwhile Absalom has reached Jerusalem, where Hushai hypocritically welcomes him. By the advice of Ahithophel, Absalom at once takes the desperate step of seizing David's concubines, which was a decisive assumption of royal rights. Ahithophel next offers to go with 12,000 men, and, overtaking David's weeping, as he ascended Olivet, has been regarded as a type or forecast of our Lord's weeping over Jerusalem, while crossing the same mountain (Luke xix. 41). 23. HISTORY OF ABSALOM'S REBELLION (continued). 2 SAMUEL XV. 32-xviii. 5. Where he worshipped' should probably be 'where men worshipped' (R. V. 'where God was worshipped'). 2 Archi was a town on the borders of Ephraim and Benjamin (Joshua xvi. 2). 3 David's faith in man has been rudely shaken. This alone can account for his conceiving that the crippled son of his beloved Jonathan, after having been treated with such kindness, should be plotting for the sovereignty. + Shimei says that 'the Lord hath returned upon David all the blood of the house of Saul'; holding the king responsible for the murder of Ish-bosheth and Abner; and possibly referring also to the death of Saul and his sons, since David had just before that disaster been in league with the Philistines. If the events of ch. xxiv ought to come before this, Shimei may have been thinking also of the slaughter of seven of the descendants of Saul, to satisfy the Gibeonites. Abishai's words show the offensive language bandied to and fro among the political rivals of that age' (Stanley, J. C. ii. 121). He calls Shimei 'a dead dog'; an expression of utter contempt (1 Sam. xxiv. 14; 2 Sam. ix. 8). Though David does not suffer vengeance to be taken now, Solomon is afterwards charged to punish Shimei (1 Kings ii. 8, 46). 5 By the neglect of this politic advice, the cause of Absalom is ruined. Ahithophel, in giving it, had shown that his high reputation for wisdom was well deserved. The people commonly believed that he spoke like an oracle of God' (2 Sam. xvi. 23. 222 Ahithophel's Suicide-David at Mahanaim. David while 'weary and weak-handed,' to smite him only, and spare the people, who would then flee. This advice would have been at once adopted, but for Hushai; who impresses upon Absalom the danger of driving David and his followers to desperation, and flatters the usurper's vanity by a description of his bursting in person upon his opponents with an overwhelming force, and utterly routing them, or destroying any fortress in which David has entrenched himself. Ahithophel, finding his counsel rejected, retires in chagrin and despair to Giloh, and hangs himself 7. News of all this is at once sent to David by the two spies, the sons of Zadok and Abiathar. They are pursued, but concealed by a woman in a well at Bahurim; and, on overtaking the king, they urge him to cross the river at once. Before daybreak he and all his forces are in safety on the east of Jordan 8. David then retires to Mahanaim 9. There he is joined by powerful allies: Shobi, the son of Nahash, king of Ammon; Machir, a powerful chief of Eastern Manasseh 10; and Barzillai, a wealthy man of Gilead. It is probably about three months before the decisive encounter takes place. Meanwhile Absalom has been anointed king (2 Sam. xix. 10). He has appointed his cousin, Amasa, commander of his troops, and these have encamped in the land of Gilead. A large force has also gathered round David. The king proposes to take the command in person, but the people will not let him imperil his life. The army is divided into three parts, placed respectively under Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, who are enjoined to 'deal gently' with Absalom. He saw at once, when Hushai's counsel prevailed, that the cause of the usurper was lost. 6 • Hushai urges his proposal with all the force of Eastern poetry.' He compares David and his mighty men, if thus rendered desperate, to 'a bear robbed of her whelps.' He draws a picture of the king as hiding in some safe retreat, and bursting suddenly on his adversaries; the sudden panic which will follow, and the first reverse, reported as a crushing defeat. David's heart, he says, is as the heart of a lion.' Absalom must gather a force, ‘as the sand that is by the sea for multitude,' which shall descend upon the king's followers 'as the dew falleth on the ground'; or shall drag any fortified town, in which David may have sheltered, stone by stone, into the valley below. 6 7 Thus in his end, as in his treachery, Ahithophel is a type of the traitor Judas (see p. 215). Besides the psalms already referred to, Ps. Ixix and cix have been commonly supposed to refer to him. In the famous political satire of Dryden, called Absalom and Achitophel, the Earl of Shaftesbury is introduced in the character of the latter; while the Duke of Monmouth,' the Protestant Duke,' is represented as Absalom. The poem, published in A. D. 1681, was a successful rejoinder to the attack headed by these nobles against the Roman Catholics. 9 Ps. iii and iv probably tell of this eventful night, and are the expression of David's trust in, and thankfulness to God. Ps. cxliii has also been assigned to this crisis. The strong position of Mahanaim had led to its selection by Abner as Ish-bosheth's capital; and this doubtless now suggests it to David as a retreat. 10 Machir was the man by whom Mephibosheth had been sheltered. He thus shows his gratitude for David's kindness to his former ward. |