2 Samuel 15:13-37 - Fleeing the Wrath to Come

2 Samuel 15:13-37

David Escapes from Jerusalem

13 Now a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands.” 16 Then the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house. 17 And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts. 18 Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. 20 In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you.”

21 But Ittai answered the king and said, ”As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be.”

22 So David said to Ittai, “Go, and cross over.” Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over. 23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.

24 There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city. 25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place. 26 But if He says thus: ‘I have no delight in you,’ here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” 27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28 See, I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29 Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.

30 So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up. 31 Then someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

32 Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God—there was Hushai the Archite coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, then you will become a burden to me. 34 But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,’ then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me. 35 And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36 Indeed they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear.”

37 So Hushai, David’s friend, went into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem.

When king David received word that Absalom had the people on his side and were coming after him, he decided to flee the wrath of his son to come and left Jerusalem in a hurry, both to protect himself and his close followers (household and servants) and to keep violence from coming on the city and harming others.  He only left ten of his concubines behind to keep the house until his return.  Others joined them as they crossed over the Brook Kidron and many mourned his leaving despite the influence of Absalom to promise gain to those following him.  The Levites tried carrying the Ark of God’s covenant with them, but David directed them to return it to where it belonged in the temple of the LORD who dwelt there and met men on the mercy seat above it in the holy of holies.  They left in a trail of tears and prayed that those supporting Absalom would thwart his plans, especially those of the advisor Ahithophel who turned against him, one of David’s counsellors and Bathsheba’s grandfather (2 Samuel 11:3, 23:34).  When Hushai the Archite wanted to join the band leaving the city, David asked him to stay to be an inside voice and agent of the king to help defeat the counsel of Ahithophel against Absalom.  This inside man would prove to be a great help to pass messages via messengers through Zadok and Abiathar the priests to the deposed king.  The long exile had begun for David as his house suffered the consequences of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.  Just as the king fled the wrath of Absalom, we who heed the gospel flee the wrath to come (Matthew 3:7, Romans 5:9, 10, 1 Thessalonians 1:10) on the world on judgment day when the King of kings returns to sit on the throne in the New Jerusalem come to earth and set justice flowing down as a river (Amos 5:24, Isaiah 66:12-13, Revelation 22:1) on all people at last as He sits on the eternal mercy seat (Romans 3:24-25, ἱλαστήριον hilastērion, “propitiation” and “mercy seat”) of His everlasting covenant (Isaiah 55:3, Ezekiel 37:26, Hebrews 13:20) in our midst.  Have you fled the wrath of God to come on your sin (Romans 6:23) to find eternal refuge in Him until we enter into glory in the New Jerusalem?  Are tou running in the right direction?