Absalom: God’s First Choice As King?
by Cliff Pash

"But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him."
(2 Samuel 14:14)

King David discerned the character of God in a way that very few others seem to have done. While Scripture identifies David as a man after God's own heart, he was not able to teach or impart that understanding to his children. David's children do not demonstrate the same hunger and thirst for the Lord that is evident in Psalms and through David's recorded life in the book of Samuel. As a Living Epistle to his children, King David did not appear to portray the same Godliness that he portrayed to the rest of the nation, resulting in tragedy among the first three sons born to the King.

Every ruler of every nation, whether big or small, has had to confront the problem of succession to the throne. Tradition has dictated that the eldest son of the reigning king was to be the crown prince, and as such, was next in line to the throne. Each of David's sons in line for the throne believed in the God of their father, but did not develop that personal relationship with God so necessary to being able to walk with God.
Many times it is the very person who has the closest relationship with the Almighty who, by their interactions with their children, actually are the cause of the next generation not seeking God with the the same intensity of heart, becoming called by God in name only and resulting in a diminished relationship with the Creator leading to the establishment of Religion. Through the actions and attitudes of those who are called by His name, the next generation sees hypocrisy and concludes that a relationship with the King of the Universe is something not to be sought after.

After Amnon raped his sister Tamar, King David did not follow the Law of Moses. David did not have the sensitivity necessary to bring healing to his raped daughter, Tamar. Absalom decided to become the administrator of God's justice by killing Amnon The combination of "ministering" to his raped sister for two years and observing the Crown Prince Amnon go on with life as if he had done no wrong created a situation needing a remedy. Later, when King David commanded an end to his self-imposed exile and put him under house arrest, the injustice burning inside of Absalom grew. David still could not bring about closure to the rape, nor could he "devise ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him" and in this situation, was not a man after God's own heart. In the end, the root of bitterness and injustice led to a rebellion against David resulting in Absalom's death.

With Amnon and Absalom out of the line of succession. the man chosen to be the next king, Solomon, took every resource of the kingdom for his own. The riches, the people, the energy, the spirit were all used for Solomon and for Solomon only. The reign of Solomon led directly to the partition of the Kingdom after his death and God was not able to put it back together again, even though it had been prophesied that the Kingdom would one day be one.

Because Almighty God works through His Chosen People, He must work through those people who present themselves as available to do the will of God. In the absence of a person who has been transformed by the power of the Living God, there are times that God must choose the best He can find. The majority of the great heroes of the Bible were not able to impart the insight and the dependence upon the Living God into their sons, and therefore, the sons are often portrayed as very flawed individuals. Whatever the plans of God might have been, there are times the individuals selected by God do not fulfill their destiny, or they do things that bring dishonor to the name of their King and also to their God.
As such, Amnon was the Crown Prince, the next in line to the throne. Amnon developed uncontrollable sexual lusts which were manifested in the rape of his half-sister, Tamar. As many leading families have experienced, the rape of his daughter thrust King David into a situation that had no satisfactory conclusion. The Crown Prince had committed a terrible atrocity before God and man.

"Cursed be he who lies with his sister, whether daughter of his father or of his mother - And all the people shall say, Amen" (Deut 27:22)

"If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible." (Lev 20:17)

"Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere." (Lev 18:9)

"for these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you." (Lev 18:27)

"But anyone who sins defiantly, (whether native-born or alien), blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the Lord's word and broken his commands, that person must be surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him." (Num 15:30-31)

"When King David heard all this, he was furious." (2 Sam 13:21)

There should be no surprise that David's reaction was one of anger at the situation. The Torah is very clear, yet, David could not bring himself to cut his firstborn son "off before the eyes of their people" and hold him responsible. Not only was this to be done to the Crown Prince, but also David's firstborn son. The fury of David brought no solution to the problem.

Absalom cared deeply for his sister and brought her into his household to help her overcome the shame she was carrying. For two years, Tamar lived in Absalom's house and she was a "desolate woman". There is no record of David ever showing any sensitivity to his daughter, nor does he do anything to bring about a resolution of the wrong. The rape of a woman brings about deep shame and lifelong consequences in her life. Healing is all too often a life long quest with no normality ever returning. Rape often brings about great extremes of sexual behavior. Absalom saw the consequences continuing month after month. He finally resolved that he must do something to restore the honor of his sister and bring about justice.

There is no information that would indicate that Amnon suffered any form of punishment for his actions. The lack of information might indicate that life went on very normally for him. As the Crown Prince, he should have been being trained for the day when he would assume the throne. Because the rape was hushed up both by Absalom and others, nobody would ever know that the Crown Prince had done such a terrible deed. He was not fit to assume the throne and the royal court was continuing on as if no disgrace had ever occurred.

Because there was no resolution to the problem, a root of bitterness formed in the second son, Absalom. As the root of bitterness grew, it manifested itself in ways that ultimately caused a rebellion against King David and the death of the Absalom. Each step along the path presented opportunity for the father to deal with the problem and bring Absalom (and Amnon) to repentance before the Lord. Because there was no fathering and no resolution, the root of bitterness grew. Because of the actions and the lack of actions of King David, Absalom killed Amnon, went into voluntary exile, was ordered back to the Palace and put under house arrest, was granted a partial restoration, but was given no official duties. The bitterness was never dealt with and gradually grew into rebellion. The leadership skills of Absalom were then used against his father, resulting in his death.

Additionally, if King David had done what the Torah required, Absalom would have become the new Crown Prince. The throne was to be rightfully his. The absence of any action by David in this matter must have continued to water the root of bitterness over the two years Absalom watched his sister live in the emotional pain caused by Crown Prince Amnon. Absalom resolved to take matters into his own hands and bring punishment to Amnon by killing him.

Absalom, nor any of King David's family is recorded as seeking Jehovah in any manner shape or form. King David, the father, is the Living Epistle and example of a Godly life to his children. There does not appear to be any emphasis by the family leaders on the mercies of the Living God and the need for repentance. In fact, by not fulfilling the role of father, mentor and teacher, and by his inaction and insensitivity to the emotional trauma occurring in Tamar, David actually created a situation whereby Absalom and Tamar would never "darken the door of a church" because of the example set before them by God's chosen and anointed ones -- that is -- King David himself.

After killing Amnon, Absalom went into voluntary exile for three years before David ordered him back to the palace and required him to live under house arrest. The inability of King David to deal with the situation caused by his firstborn son continued to affect the lives of the Absalom and Tamar. To place Absalom under house arrest for doing a deed that should have been ordered by the King five years earlier served only to increase the bitterness within For two more years, Absalom was not allowed to see the King. The frustration of being the Crown Prince and being punished for doing right by his sister must have been overwhelming. When he was finally brought into the presence of his father, the kiss of restoration offered by David could not have been enough for all the emotional turmoil Absalom had lived through for over seven years.
Absalom appears to have all of the natural qualities that make a successful king. He is highly praised for his handsome appearance, there is no blemish to be found "in" him. He had the ability to make each person he came into contact with believe that he had a genuine concern for them. He would take the hand of all who approached him and kiss them. He stole the hearts of the men of Israel. He seems to be a man of character, although he did not have a relationship with the Living God.

After King David "forgave" Absalom with a kiss, Absalom spent four years winning the loyalties of the people of Israel, resulting in a plot to overthrow his father and install himself as the rightful King of Israel and Judea. Amazingly, the people followed Absalom and the most trusted advisor in King David's court (Ahithophei) joined with him in the coup. The ten tribes of Israel were more than ready to follow Absalom, many continuing their revolt after Absalom's death. If it were not for the loyalty of the tribe of Judah and the personal loyalty of many Gentiles, the rebellion and coup would have been successful. If Absalom had followed the advice of Ahithophei, many believe the coup would have been successful.

Because Absalom did not seek the Lord and could not trust in anybody but himself, he waited too long to attack his father's armies and was soundly defeated. In the aftermath of battle, Absalom was killed. Ahithophei committed suicide before the battle, being wise enough to recognize the outcome before its occurrence.

The two people most qualified for leadership were now dead. Later, the royal succession fell to Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, with whom David committed adultery followed by murder in order to cover his sin. Solomon did construct the temple to the Lord, following the plans of' his father, however, very few people would conclude that he was a godly king who allowed the Living God to rule through him in the way that David did.
Solomon consolidated the rule and power begun by Saul and David and brought the Kingdom of Israel into its greatest glory. However, it was Solomon, more than anybody else, who took every resource in the Kingdom and used it for himself. Samuel portrayed a very bleak picture of the consequences of an earthly king reigning over God's Chosen People, concluding with the following:

"When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day" (1 Samuel 8:18)

The reign of Solomon brought about the fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy so many years before. The burdens upon the people were so great that they could not bear them. After Solomon's death, the Kingdom of Israel was divided and God's Chosen People were never united again. The Kingdom of Israel never followed God again. The consequence of Solomon's Reign culminated in the 10 tribes of Israel being assimilated into the Assyrian Empire many years later. The prophecies of the two nations being reunited have never been fulfilled.

This writer finds it difficult to believe that Solomon was God's first choice to succeed King David. Many of the character traits of Absalom should be admired. The root of bitterness planted on the day of the rape of Tamar brought tragedy to the Kingdom of David. David's lack of obedience to the Torah caused Absalom's bitterness to grow, resulting in the death of Amnon, Absalom and many other trusted advisors in the Kingdom. The Living Epistle of his life that King David gave to Absalom made it far more difficult for him to come to repentance and fullness of faith in Jehovah God. The natural political skills found in Absalom found no legitimate means to be utilized, consequently they were to be used in rebellion.