The Absalom Conspiracy
The Marketing of Absalom (1-6)
Absalom, in contrast to his father (who rode a donkey in 2 Samuel 13:29), purchased a chariot and hired men to run before him to create a sort of media blitz, pimping up his image before his own staged arrival (1).
Absalom also used other strategies to undermine King David:
He rose early, stood at the gate, and appeared concerned for the welfare of Israel (2).
He showed a more complete interest in those bringing disputes to be settled.
He flattered the people to win their favor (3).
He agreed with the litigants to win their favor.
He hinted that King David was derelict in his duties, not being present nor appointing a person to hear their cases more expediently (4).
He made those with disputes his equals by greeting them with a kiss on the cheek. He presented himself as one of them, non-aloof, dispensing with the formalized bowing (5).
All of this was foundational for Absalom to steal the heart of Israel and launch his rebellion (6).
The Pretense of Absalom (7-12)
Knowing David to be a man of piety and one who encouraged worship, Absalom sought permission to go to Hebron, feigning worship as his purpose. In Hebron, his birthplace and the former capital, Absalom launched the conspiracy. Absalom took 200 unsuspecting guests with him to Hebron to give himself a show of support, and then he sent messengers throughout Israel, making them aware of his rebellion and encouraging them to rally to him at the sound of the trumpet. He also sent for Ahithophel, David’s close counselor, who supported the rebellion. The conspiracy grew stronger (7-12).
The Flight of David (13-18)
David, knowing he had lost the heart of Israel and not wanting the city under siege, vacated (save some concubines) in panic and fear of death. He came to the last house of the city and there watched the committed and loyal pass by him (13-18).
The Loyal to David (19-37)
First came Ittai the Gittite, the commander of the king’s guard who had recently arrived. David encouraged him to stay in Jerusalem and serve Absalom, but Ittai refused and linked his very life to David's life. David crossed the brook of Kidron with loud weeping (19-23).
Second, the priests Zadok and Abiathar were at the edge of the city with the Ark of the Covenant, waiting for the last person to pass. David ordered the Ark and the priests back into the city. David reasoned that if God favored him, he would again see God’s habitation. He also sent Zadok and Abiathar back as spies and informants, then stationed men at the fords of the Jordan to receive any direction Zadok might have for David. Zadok was a prophet (seer), so David depended upon his civil observations and prophetic insights (24-29).
Third came Hushai the Archite. As David was coming to the summit of Mt. Olive, he was told that Ahithophel, his trusted counselor, had joined the conspiracy. David prayed that God would make Ahithophel’s counsel foolish. In a short time, Hushai met David in full mourning apparel. Hushai, likely an old man, would require special care and be a burden for David, now a fugitive. He had Hushai go back into the city to fulfill two roles:
To frustrate and thus defeat the counsel of Ahithophel
To report to the priests or their sons any information they heard from Absalom’s palace (30-37)
Yahweh's Excellent Word
Psalm 119 is a “Wisdom Psalm” whose author is unknown, and yet there is reason to believe it was written by Ezra in the post-exilic times. It is an acrostic Psalm, constructed into twenty-two eight-verse stanzas corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
The Psalm is self outlined in the sense of the acrostic, so let me fill in the literary background of the Psalm to give it meaning in relationship to the time of its writing. Because the evidence of Ezra's authorship is most likely, I will assume throughout my review that Ezra is the author.
Ezra's main theme in the Psalm is Yahweh (appearing twenty-four times in the text). Ezra's main subject of the Psalm is the “word” which appears 175 times in 176 verses in some form, and it appears in every verse except verses 3, 37, 84, 90, 121, 122, and 132.
The basic words used for “word”:
“Law” 25 times,
“Testimonies” 23 times
“Precepts” 21 times
“Statutes” 22 times
“Commandments” 22 times
“Judgments”/“ordinances” 33 times
“Word” (Hebrew davar, ordevarim) 23 times
“Word” (imrah) 30 times
Ezra uses afflictions as the circumstantial backdrop for his Psalm, the word appearing in verses 8, 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 39, 42, 50, 51, 53, 61, 67, 69, 71, 75, 78, 81–87, 92, 94, 95, 107, 110, 115, 121– 23, 134, 136, 141, 143, 145–47, 149, 150, 153, 154, 157, 161, 170, and 176.
The aim of Ezra is clear: he is calling upon Yahweh to deliver him, thus Judah, according to His word and for the sake of His lovingkindness, so that those who consider the act of honoring Yahweh and His word fruitless will have their insults buried beneath Yahweh's faithfulness. He further commits to bearing faithful witness to the world concerning Yahweh's promise-keeping nature, and further he is ready to surrender to wholehearted obedience to Yahweh's command.
Place this Psalm against the background of Judah’s returning from Babylon to rebuild the Wall of the City of Jerusalem on the basis of God's word. You can see Ezra writing this Psalm to imprint on the heart and minds of Yahweh's people the great faith they should have in Yahweh to fulfill what He had started, according to His promise.
Observation: This Psalm serves as a motivating song, reviving faith in Yahweh's word against the adversaries wishing to stop Judah's resettlement and rebuilding. After Judah had rebuilt the wall, the nation asked the scribe Ezra to come and read the law. He did so at the Water Gate (Nehemiah 8). A revival of God's word was sweeping the nation at this time. It is hard to imagine this Psalm not being written by Ezra at this time.
Purpose: To show us how to pray when we are partway through God’s completing and fulfilling a word Yahweh has spoken into our lives, restoring and renewing our faith in His promises.