After Absalom's banishment, it was disappointing to see him welcomed back to Jerusalem only to immediately turn around and begin plotting against his father. Absalom is a figure of ambition, and he pursues the crown through manipulation and deceit. Meanwhile, David, who is a complex figure representing holiness as well as redemption after sin, reacts to the news of Absalom's rebellion in an unexpected way. A king learning that his son was plotting to overthrow him might react with rage and wrathful vengeance. But David, perhaps seeing that this was all a result of his great sin, doesn't lash out at Absalom, instead he takes on the burden of his own self-inflicted suffering. 2 Samuel 15:30 reads, "David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, going up and weeping, walking barefoot, and with his head covered." David epitomizes humility here. He humbly leaves Jerusalem and allows Absalom to enter the city as a usurper. This accentuates the evil of Absalom's actions -- it solidifies Absalom as an antagonistic, ambitious demagogue -- and it causes us to see David as a pitiful victim. I've come to see the complexity of David in these chapters. He's a poet-king and almost priest-like. He practices humility and appeals to the religious leaders when he has transgressed. It's those transgressions that humanize him. In all other respects David is saint-like, a Christ figure. But he falls like we all do. And it's his great sin with Bathsheba that really brings him low and causes him to humiliate himself and seek atonement as an example for all of us. It's also his great sin that has caused so much turmoil within his royal household. The older David is a figure of suffering. Through his sin evil has entered his house and his family experiences untold strife. Absalom's revolt is only the latest example of this.
Addendum: I now write from Idaho. It's been unfortunately a long lapse of time since I've written here, but last year we made a big move and relocated to a new state. As things begin to settle down hopefully I can get back on track with my reading of the Bible. It's two days before Christmas and there's snow on the ground. A welcomed change from the heat and aridity of Southern California. And hopefully good conditions for writing.
