2 Samuel 17

The Civil War is one of the most fascinating wars to study. The idea is incredibly sad, one nation against its own nation. There were a lot of things that led up to the Civil War. We did not randomly decide to war against ourselves. There were men who believed in things, and those beliefs were met with adversity, and hence we have the war.

Israel was on the verge of their first civil war. There was a chunk of them who had grown faithful to Absalom and there was another side that was still faithful to David. In this chapter, we read of those very tense moments before the war and how they affected the war.

In our last chapter we read of Ahithophel’s advice to the king. It was rather perverse advice, but the basic understanding was to send a message that Absalom was king of Israel. This would encourage others to be faithful to Israel, so that when David attacked, they would come to Absalom’s aid. Now Hushai was a good friend of David. He realized that the only way David would beat so great an army is if they came to him and they all came in one big chunk. Hushai’s advice proposed just that. He said (Paraphrased), “We all know David can battle. Therefore just get everyone you can and overpower David.” Absalom’s ended up going with his advice and in the next chapter the pursuit begins. Keep in mind, Absalom is going to have a very large army who is going to have to travel. Because Hushai sent spies out to tell David to go beyond the Jordan, Absalom’s army is not going to be fully prepared for such a long hike. In fact, in our closing verses we read that David’s men were not ready for such a long hike. Fortunately for them, a few guys came brought loads of food. So while Absalom’s men are hiking and growing weary, David’s men are chilling and eating.

In civil war you have two sides. Either way, you are going to fight a battle. The difference is, one way is the right way and one is not. I like what Switchfoot says, “There are just two ways to lose yourself in this life, and neither way is safe…” Choose God, and the Bible says that you are going to run a race and fight a fight. Choose the world and the Bible tells us that you will be following the foolishness of this world and grow a slave to it. Eventually you will learn that you were fighting God. In civil war, you are going to fight a battle. In this life, you are going to fight a battle. There is no easy way. Neither way is safe. The only difference is, one you are fighting for what you believe in, and the other, you are fighting to be made a slave. If you have felt like it has been one of those weeks where you are fighting all the time, find rest in Jesus. You will have to battle, but we find rest in Him. Read Hebrews 4. Find out where our rest comes from!