2Samuel 14:25-26
The Prides of Absalom
You might think that we are no longer studying the life of David, but we are.
We are at the point where David received his returns from his sin with Bathsheba.
The conflicts he had with Absalom are the fourth installment and lasted all of
Absalom’s adult life, so the Scriptures give us more details of this sorrow in
than any other.
Although God had determined and degreed to give David sorrow, it is my belief
that the people who suffered still made their own choices. I do not know for
sure how to reconcile those two things but I believe God has given us a free will
and allows us to use it. At the same time, I understand that God is sovereign and
His will shall be accomplished.
I say that so that you will understand that it is my belief that Absalom picked
his own path. Perhaps God took away the mercy that would have brought conviction,
perhaps He removed that mercy that would have kept his conscious tender, maybe God
took away the mercy that kept jis judgment clear, but Absalom still made up his
own mind and is responsible for his own actions.
I also think there was one characteristic in Absalom’s nature that dictated his
choice more than any other-HIS PRIDE. Tonight, let’s consider the pride of
Absalom.
I. \\#2Sam 14:25-26\\ The pride from Absalom’s beauty and intelligence.
A. Beauty and intelligence are not a bad things, but pride about them is.
1. \\#25\\ The Bible does not make a statement like this about any
other person in the pages of Scripture.
a. Adam and Eve, the perfect and sinless parents of all the human
race, are not described in such terms.
b. Angels, who have been known to take on the form of humans, are
not described like this.
c. Jesus, the God-man, perfect and sinless in every aspect, is
not described like this.
2. Why do you suppose it is made about Absalom?
a. Because Absalom was the most beautiful human to ever walk the
earth? NO.
b. I believe it is because God wanted us to understand something
about what made this young man tick.
c. He was a handsome man. He knew it and relished in it.
d. His beauty tainted his opinion about himself and his worth.
e. It probably made him think he was somehow superior to others.
3. Consider the depth of Absalom’s pride.
a. \\#26\\ The Bible says that when Absalom cut his hair, he
weighted it.
(1) Who does that?
(2) Here is a man who weighed his hair and then published the
results!
(3) Only someone who wanted to prove his hair was the thickest
hair in the kingdom!
b. Absalom built his own memorial.
2Samuel 18:18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a
pillar, which is in the king’s dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name
in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called
unto this day, Absalom’s place.
(1) It says here that he did this because he had no sons to
carry on his name; yet our text tells us differently.
2Samuel 14:27 And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter,
whose name was Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.
(2) This leaves us to guess at what happened.
(a) Either all of Absalom’s sons had died (and that is
possible).
(b) Or, he reared the monument before they were born.
(The verse just says that Absalom did it "in his
lifetime.)
(3) It is not out of the realm of possibility that Absalom
built the memorial BEFORE his children were born.
(a) That probably would have made him very young.
(b) Yet, it might have thought that he was just too
important of a person to risk leaving this earth
without someone to remember him.
(c) By the way, there is a place called Absalom’s Tomb
not too far outside of Jerusalem. Whether this is
the same place as Absalom’s, I do not know.
(4) It is possible that this man was in love with himself and
built this memorial as a shine to himself.
B. Those who suffer with this kind of pride seem to be most self-absorbed
and arrogant than most.
1. There are other kinds of pride.
a. Absalom seems to have ALL of them.
b. Each kind of pride tells us a bit about the person who suffers
from it.
2. People who have a pride of beauty or intelligence are usually very
smug people with some things in common.
a. They often consider everyone else less than themselves.
(1) They consider others less important and less valuable.
(2) Absalom no doubt figured his own father was of less
importance and worth than he was.
b. This pride births an attitude out of which meanness and
violence comes.
(1) Not the violence of rage or revenge, but one where
everything is a challenge or a game!
(a) These are the beauty queens and cheer leader captains
who will resort to trickery and violence to
eliminate their competition.
(b) These are the serial murders who like to leave clues
taunting their hunters.
(2) This is the kind of pride that movies are made of.
(a) These are the divas, the prima donnas, the
pretentious, and the pompous who like attention and
do everything on a grand scale.
(b) Even the secular world notes the bizarre character
of those afflicted with this kind of pride.
c. It is possible that Absalom considered the revolt he lead a
big chess game which had the highest stakes.
d. Such is the meaningless vanity that is produced by a sense of
beauty.
C. I find it strange that Absalom was filled with pride of his external
beauty and yet had absolutely no internal beauty at all.
II. \\#2Sam 14:28-33\\ The pride from Absalom’s self righteousness.
A. Notice \\#32\\-"IF there be any iniquity in me…."
1. Absalom believed he was right in killing Amnon, and that never
changed.
2. The question is, "Was he?"
3. Amnon raped his sister and then put her away.
a. For this type of sin, it appears the law might allow his death.
Deuteronomy 22:25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man
force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:
26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy
of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even
so is this matter:
27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was
none to save her.
b. I do notice that the text is speaking of an engaged woman.
(1) In actuality, if she were not engaged, if the father
would allow it, the raped woman could be married to the
man who raped her. \\#Deut 22:28-29\\
(2) If this was done, the attacker was required to keep her
as his wife all the days of his life.
(3) This was probably allowed as an act of mercy for both
the man and the woman.
(a) This allowed the man, in some degree, to rebuilt
his reputation.
(b) This allowed the woman an opportunity to marry and
have children, which probably would not happen
after a rape.
(4) This was probably allowed for cases where the man was
generally known to be a good man but who, for whatever
the reason, surrendered to his lusts.
(a) I can’t imagine a father giving his daughter to a
stranger who raped her.
(b) I can’t imagine a father giving his daughter to a
evil-hearted man.
(5) The only alternative would be that the woman would
remain husbandless and childless.
c. Amnon did not do this, but rather forced Tamar out and barred
the door behind her.
(1) Perhaps you remember that Tamar told Amnon that putting
her out was worse than forcing himself on her
\\#2Sam 13:16\\.
(2) She said that because she expected, after what her brother
had done to her, to be married to Amnon and be his wife.
(3) His refusal to take her meant that she would be
husbandless and shamed all her life.
d. I would think that in that case, a father would seek the death
of the rapist.
4. Absalom, being filled with the pride of self-righteousness, might
have had some reason to think he was right in killing his brother.
B. Here is where you and I need to understand something.
1. Even when the law requires a penalty, you and I are not the
executors of that punishment.
2. I believe that Amnon was worthy of death.
a. I believe that Absalom had the right to petition the king
for the execution of his brother, Amnon.
b. I also believe that David would not have allowed Absalom
to kill another of his sons.
c. Absalom believed that and so went around his father.
3. As much as we might be wronged, as much as we or other innocents
might be hurt, as much as justice might be corrupt, you and I
never have the right to take matters into our hands.
C. Absalom’s self-righteousness kept him from seeing that what he did was
wrong.
1. He was proud and arrogant and could not see his own faults.
2. Because this pride was never broken, Absalom will continue to
seek his own way and eventually seek to kill his own father,
believing all the time that he was right and everyone else was
wrong.
D. \\#2Sam 14:29-33\\ We see that in a miniature in these verses.
1. By now, Absalom had come up with his plan to take the kingdom.
a. That plan required the kingdom to look on him favorably.
b. For that to happen, Absalom needed his father’s blessings.
c. But King David will not even see Absalom.
2. So Absalom turns to Joab.
a. Joab had worked to get Absalom back to Israel and now Absalom
wanted his help to get in to see his father.
b. However, Joab refuses to see Absalom.
c. So Absalom has his men burn Joab’s fields. That would get
Joab over to see him—maybe to kill him—but Absalom was
willing to take that risk to seek revenge on his own father.
d. He is filled with pride and, to him, nothing he does is wrong.
III. The pride from Absalom’s abilities.
A. While we may find many faults in Absalom, one thing cannot be faulted,
namely, his personal and political talents.
1. This man understood people and could charm the legs off a centipede.
a. \\#2Sam 13:28-29\\ He talked his own servants into killing his
brother.
b. \\#2Sam 14:33\\ He manipulated Joab into getting him in to see
King David.
c. Before he left, Absalom had David kissing him; and he did this
while conspiring to betray David and take the kingdom from him!
d. \\#2Sam 15:1-12\\ He won the hearts of David’s kingdom right
under David’s nose.
e. He even stole some of David’s most loyal counselors and helpers.
2. Absalom did this with his charisma, that is, his likeable charm.
a. We are all attracted to likeable personalities and repelled by
less favorable ones.
b. That is not good on our part.
(1) Bad people can have charisma and good people can be very
introverted.
(2) We need to be trained to look deeper.
1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the
height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man
seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the
heart.
B. While it may be OUR fault if we are easily lead by those with out-going
personalities, it is the fault of THAT PERSON if they let their gifts
and talents be used corruptly.
1. This was Absalom’s sin.
a. He had gifts and talents and used them to deceitfully promote
himself.
b. We will see more about Absalom’s pride in this as we continue
to study this situation.
2. Absalom had a sinful attitude that says, "I can, therefore I will."
3. It is the root of many of our everyday sinful actions.
a. Why do we take a lie or trick someone into doing what we want?
"I can, therefore I will."
b. Why do we take a job for money without even considering the
spiritual implications? "I can, therefore I will."
c. Why do we purchase what we want and never see what God has for
us? "I can, therefore I will."
d. Why do we make decisions without praying first. "I can,
therefore I will."
e. This is a pride that afflicts most all of us.
(1) Perhaps we have some education or knowledge in a matter.
(2) We have some successful past experiences.
(3) We calculate that the costs are within reason.
(4) We go for it.
(5) We can, therefore we will.
4. The root of this attitude is a misplaced confidence in ourselves,
in our talents, in our personality, in our abilities.
a. It is good to have knowledge and education.
b. It is good that we have good experiences in completing tasks.
c. However, knowledge and experience does not guarantee success
and success does not mean it was right.
d. We are to live our lives in obedience to the will of God and in
dependence upon God.
IV. Before we end, let’s consider some truths about Absalom and his pride.
A. The things that Absalom was proud of all things that Absalom had
nothing to do with.
1. So it is with all of our prideful collectibles.
a. We have nothing to do with our looks.
b. If we have any righteousness, it certainly is not self-earned.
c. Any abilities that we have are gifts from God and should be used
when and how He leads.
2. How can we take pride is something that we had nothing to do with?
B. None of these things did Absalom any good when he stood before God.
1. We are eternal beings who will stand before an eternal God and be
judged on eternal merit.
2. God will not be impressed with your beauty, your self-righteousness,
or your abilities.
3. He will be looking at what you did with those things because that
will reveal your character.
C. These thing only made Absalom susceptible to being used as a instrument
of evil.
1. Anything that is earthly is a target for the flesh and Satan to use
against us.
2. Our desires are to have as much of this world as possible; yet, the
more we have the more likely we are to be corrupted.
3. Kings Saul and David found that out. Amnon and Absalom found that
out. If you and I are not very careful, we will find it out too.
Pride is an evil with no redeeming qualities. Humans have nothing to be proud
of; yet we are usually filled with it. A proud person does not see himself as
God sees him. We must ask God to show us our pride and to vanquish it.
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