The end of Absalom 18:1-18

"In the overall structure of 15:1-20:22, the story of Absalom's death (18:1-18) provides a counterpoise to that of Shimei's curse (16:5-14 . . .). Just as in the earlier narrative an adversary of David (Shimei) curses him (vv. 16:5, 7-8, 13), so also here an adversary of David (Absalom) opposes him in battle (vv. 6-8); just as in the earlier account David demands that Shimei be spared (16:11), so also here David demands that Absalom be spared (vv. 5, 12); and just as in the earlier episode a son of Zeruiah (Abishai) is ready to kill Shimei (16:9), so also here a son of Zeruiah (Joab, v. 2) is ready to kill Absalom--and indeed wounds him, perhaps mortally (vv. 14-15)."²⁵⁴

 The mustering of David's troops 18:1-5

The writer referred to David no less than five time in this section as "the king"leaving no doubt as to who was the legitimate ruler and who was really in charge. Perhaps David instructed his three commanders to deal gently with Absalom not only because he was his son, but because God had dealt gently with David for his sins.

"The truth was that David acted as a father but not as a king--as if he and Absalom had had some minor domestic quarrel which could be put right by an apology and a handshake. He failed to see Absalom as a traitor and a rebel, whose actions had caused a great deal of harm to the stability and welfare of the kingdom, to say nothing of the great loss of life in the civil war (verse 7). Yet every parent will feel a good deal of sympathy with David's viewpoint."²⁵⁵

 The battle between David and Absalom's armies 18:6-8

The location of the forest of Ephraim is unknown, but it was probably in Gilead (cf. Judg. 12:1-5).²⁵⁶As early as the judges period so many Ephraimites had settled in Gilead that the western Ephraimites called the Gileadites "fugitives of Ephraim"(Judg. 12:4).²⁵⁷How the forest devoured more of Absalom's men than David's soldiers did (v. 8) is not clear, but that it did suggests that Yahweh assisted David's men by using the forest somehow to give him the victory.

 Absalom's death 18:9-18

"The mule was a royal mount; losing his mule [v. 9] Absalom has lost his kingdom."²⁵⁸

The text says Absalom's head caught in an overhanging oak branch (v. 9). Josephus interpreted this, perhaps in view of 14:26, as his hair got caught in the tree.²⁵⁹

"The great tree, inanimate though it is, has proved more than a match for the pride of Absalom."²⁶⁰

"The reader who recalls 14, 26 will almost certainly visualize Absalom's hair in connection with the entanglement . . . and will easily draw a contrast between promise and pride on the one hand and humiliation and doom on the other."²⁶¹

The soldier who found Absalom wisely obeyed the orders of David. There are many evidences throughout the David saga that David had an excellent communications network. The soldier's parenthetic comment, "There is nothing hidden from the king,"(v. 13) is just one evidence of this (cf. 14:20). Likewise there is nothing hidden from David's greatest son, Jesus Christ, who knows all that happens under His authority.

Despite David's instructions Joab wounded Absalom, probably mortally, on the spot (v. 14). Perhaps Joab feared David would have pardoned Absalom's sin thus giving him another opportunity to revolt.

We must be careful to conduct our spiritual warfare according to our King's instructions rather than taking matters into our own hands, as Joab did.

Absalom's burial was in keeping with what the Mosaic Law prescribed for a rebellious son (Deut. 21:20-21). God cut Absalom off because he rebelled against the Lord's anointed rather than blessing him because he was David's eldest son. This was the third son that David had lost because of his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah.²⁶²

Instead of having a line of kings succeed him all Absalom left behind was a stone monument (stele) that he had erected to himself (v. 18). His three sons (14:27) must have died prematurely (v. 18).

"It is possible, however, that one or more of his sons were unwilling (for whatever reason) to perpetuate their father's memory."²⁶³

In the ancient world a son normally erected a memorial to his father when his father died if he was famous. Moreover people also expected him to imitate his father and thus become a living memorial to his name.²⁶⁴Absalom failed to receive either form of honor. Absalom lived like Eli's sons and Saul, and he died as they did.²⁶⁵The King's Valley (v. 18) is the Kidron Valley. The 52 foot high tomb or pillar of Absalom that marks the spot today, just east of the temple area, is an early first century A.D. Hellenistic or Roman sepulcher.²⁶⁶

Absalom's attempt to usurp David's throne proves again that disobedience to God's covenant (i.e., the Mosaic Law) resulted in lack of fertility (blessing) in Israel. The enemies of the Lord's Anointed will never succeed. Because of his sin David had to flee Jerusalem, and he experienced much heartache. Because of his sins Absalom died without honor. Nevertheless in spite of his sin God restored David to power because of God's elective choice of him as His anointed and because of David's heart for God.

God had promised to punish David for his disregard of the Mosaic Covenant and the Lord. Still he did not say He would cut him off as He had cut Saul off (12:10-12). The following chapters (18:19-19:43) record Yahweh's restoration of His anointed after discipline.