Today we will see from the life of Absalom what the outcome of breaking God’s fifth command is. It reads, “ Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Absalom, who was King David’s third son, had his life cut short because of the way he dishonored his father; he tried to kill him.
The book of Proverbs often addresses sons with wisdom they need to hear. I remember when we had a teenage son in our home and I remember as parents praying that he would not go astray. There were times when our son did things that we didn’t approve of and on occasion I’d say, “Mark listen to this verse from Proverbs, “My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.” At that time he wasn’t always very happy to hear those words, but now I imagine he’s quoting them to his own son.
The writer of Proverbs was Solomon, the younger brother of Absalom. I want you to read with me a portion of Proverbs 3 that illuminates the meaning of the fifth commandment, words that Absalom should have had taken heed of as a young man.
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you. . . Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
When Solomon wrote those words he was God’s mouth piece. More than likely, Solomon pondered the undisciplined life of his brother, Absalom as he penned the words, “do not rely on your own insight,…be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” And Solomon probably shed tears as he wrote “let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you.”
Solomon may have grieved as much as his father did, crying out, “O Absalom, if only you wouldn’t have let your pride and your lust for power ruin you.”
The story of Absalom begins in chapter 13 when he murders his brother Amnon for raping their sister, It is not a good beginning. And his story ends in chapter19 when David, Absalom’s father, grieves about his son’s untimely death in the battle Absalom waged against his own father. There are seven chapters about Absalom and they contain lots of teaching material to help us avoid his mistakes.
This morning I can only chose pieces of Absalom’s story for our Scripture reading so I’ve divided it into three sections.
First, we will read the description of the young man Absalom – II Samuel 14:25, 26. “Now in all Israel there was no one to be praised so much for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 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, 200 shekels by the king’s weight.”
Next we find out how clever Absalom used his charm and father’s resources to gain power for himself. Chapter 15:1-6 “After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road into the gate; and when anyone brought a suit before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out and say, “From what city are you?”
When the person said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” Absalom would say, “See, your claims are good and right; but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you.” Absalom said moreover, “If only I were judge in the land! Then all who had a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give them justice.”
Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of them, and kiss them. Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.”
Absalom’s next step was to go for the throne and that meant he had to overthrow his own father. So he schemed to get his father killed. The lust for power was overpowering. In chapter 15 we read that he put together a major army to capture his father. Then 15:13, 14 reads, “A messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the Israelites have gone after Absalom. Then David said to all his officials who were with him at Jerusalem, “Get up! Let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry, or he will soon overtake us, and bring disaster down upon us and attack the city with the edge of the sword.” David in self-defense prepared an army to fight against his own son. What an ugly family struggle they were in when Absalom deployed his army with the intention of killing his father.
The last section we will read reveals the outcome of the battle and makes clear the truth of Solomon’s words in Proverbs that, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
The final passage is from chapter 18: 6-10 and 17, 18. “So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, 20,000 men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.
Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. A man saw it, and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
They took Absalom threw him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes.”
What a strange way to die. Only God could have arranged the defeat Absalom and his army experienced that day! I want you to read with me James 1:13-15 that gives us an understanding of what contributed to Absalom’s failure. “No one, when tempted, should say, “I am being tempted by God” for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin when it is fully grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, by beloved.”
Young people, I want to speak to you this morning. I know you are filled with life and you have ambition and my guess is each one of you has big dreams for your future. I heard one of you say, “I want to make lots of money,” another of you said recently, “I want to be a Doctor,” and I’m sure each one of you hopes to be a successful person and have a good life. Isn’t that right?
Today I want you to think about the question, “How can I keep from ruining your life like Absalom did?” God’s word will instruct you and all of us today.
Let’s go back to chapter 14 and look again at the way Prince Absalom was described. It is a rave review of the man! 14:25, “Now in all Israel there was no one to be praised so much for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.”
Absalom must have been an absolutely stunning. He didn’t have any blemishes. He didn’t have to complain that his nose was too long, or feet too big, or skin too white or too black or that he had too many zits! He was the perfect poster boy and would have qualified for any modeling opportunity offered him.
Is there anything wrong with being handsome as a young man or beautiful as a young woman? No of course not. Your looks are given to us by God and when I look at you young people, I think God has really done a great job in what he’s given you. Wouldn’t you agree parents?
I’m especially aware of the beauty of youth because we who are older realize that beauty fades with age as you can see if you look around at those of us over 50! Absalom was a handsome man Scripture says, but his downfall was that instead of “offering his body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” for his glory, as his father David had done when he was a young man, Absalom used his handsome body and his charm as bait to attract admirers. Then pride and the enticements that came with his popularity led him down the wrong road all the way to his death as James describes in the New Testament.
In the height of his popularity, I can hear Absalom chanting to himself as he looked at that handsome image in the mirror, “I am a Somebody, and I can go places. Just watch me climb the ladder of success all the way to the top.
Young people, I know you are bombarded with temptations to call attention to your body so that others will take notice of you and want to hang out with you. Clothes designers for teens right now try to tempt you to reveal as much skin as possible so that you have sex appeal. Every one knows sex sells so the appeal is to be daring, go to the edge in your dress then you’ll really stand out!! And MTV is always pushing the limits aimed at you young people in your dress and your conduct. But I want you to beware that such temptations are from Satan who wants you to misuse and abuse God’s beautiful gift of your body that he’s given you. He wants to see you fall into sin and destroy your life and your future. God’s exquisite master design of the human body is so that you in turn have something beautiful to offer back to him, that means your good looks, your intelligence, your wit and your talent. They were given to you so that you would offer them to him—MIND, BODY and SOUL which is your “spiritual worship” or your “reasonable service” as KJV says. That is God’s design that will save all of us from ruin!
So young people, God wants you to know that you will never be a loser when you give him your whole selves and resist the strong temptations all around you to put yourself on exhibition for personal gain. It is a lie Satan will try his best to plant in your heart but reject it in the name and the power of Jesus. Solomon, Absalom’s brother, also wrote in his book, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman [and a man] who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Absalom may have been the most handsome man in Israel but his sin was he allowed his good looks to go to his head. Pride crept in. And once we start feeding pride it will grow and grow and make our heads swell so that our minds will be squeezed. We’ve all seen people with big heads and little spirits. You see once we entertain one enticement it will only lead us further and further away from being in the center of God’s will.
Let’s look again as Absalom’s tactics—15:5,6 “Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of them, and kiss them. Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.” It doesn’t say he picked up the babies and held them but clearly he was trying to gain popularity and popularity for Absalom led to the desire for power and the desire for power led to the need to get rid of the one in power in order to be TOP DOG. And that’s where Absalom went too far. God put his commandments in place for our good and we can’t just write them off without suffering the consequences he spells out. Absalom’s pride and lust for power clouded his reasoning so badly that he saw no problem with hacking down his own father in order to gain the ultimate seat of power for himself. But God intervened and stopped Absalom’s grand scheme. I’m sure Absalom reasoned, “there’s no way we can fail; we’ve got the military might so the victory is certain. We cannot fail!” But fail he did because God was fighting the battle against him.
The text says 18:8 “the battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.” That was God’s work, then the ultimate Act of God Scripture describes was (v9) “Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak and he was left hanging between heaven and earth.” Absalom was left suspended between heaven and earth without any help from either. God was not there to deliver him and neither was anyone from his mighty army there to rescue him! What a tragic way to die and what an awful humiliating way to be buried.
Jesus says “I tell you all who exalt themselves will be humbled but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” May God help each one of us to see that when we allow enticements and tainted desires to grow within us, just as Absalom did, they will “give birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown gives birth to death.” May God’s truth come clear and plain to us today.
God, on the other hand, makes a strong appeal to us, “Brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship.” That’s how the Lord will keep us from going down the path of ruin. We cannot fail when we give him our total lives. May God help us respond wholeheartedly to his appeal.
