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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTs FOR NOVEMBER 4
Subject: Absalom Rebels Against
David, 2 Sam. 15-Golden Text,
lex. 2O:12-Commit Verses B, O
! Read Sam. Chs. 13, 10.
TINIE.-1O26-1O22 B. c. PLACE.
--Jerusalem.
EXPOSlTION.-I. Absalom's In.
triguiDg, 1-G. An appropriate Golden
Text for this lesson would be Gal.
ST. David was simply reaping what
! he had sown. Though God had fully
| forgiven David's sin, David did not
| on that account escape the natural
! consequences Of his sin. God had told
him at the time that the sword should
never depart from his house, and that
He would raise up evil for him out of
his own house e Sam. 12:9-12).
Seven years had elapsed since David's
| sin. David's daughter had been dis
honored, one son had been murdered,
, and another was the murderer. Alb
| SALON. had only been embttered by
| his banishment from the kings pres
! snce. and his restoration to favor had
not helped matters in the least. He
was one Of those incorrigibles that Is
! helped by neither severity nor by
kindness. a thoroughly self-centered
man. Brilliant but without charac-
ter, far more dangerous and des-
picable man than the ordinary des-
perado. Absalom's first step in an
nouncing himself as a candidate to
the throne was by riding in state
, that David himself did not affect (cf
X, 1888 and LED. 1t as expressly
| forbidden by God fDe 17:1S; i Sam
SID. Many would he pleased by
Absalom's depariure from the sim
, plicity OF his father. Absalom dis
played diligence in seeking to steal
his fathers throne. So did Christ's
enemies in their plots acainst Him
| (Matt. 27:D. Thera Is 70 Cne moro
| diligent than the devil. The Hebrew
, of v. 2 indicates that Absal0m was
/ in the habit OF rising early" it
would be well If Christians were as
diligent in seeking two tlrona shat
God offers to them Absalon sought
| the favor Of the discontented. the
usual practice Of politicians Indeed,
| all the methods of Ahsnior are much
in vogue to-day. lie utterly micrCp-
resented the facts about his fathers
administration (cf. ch. S:fil. He
was guilty of three sins. nf ~ Not
honoring his father (Ey. 2O:l2N. Co
Speaking evil of tho rulor of his pee
pie (Acts 23:5: Ex 22:2S}. (3t
Bearing false witness tFv. 2O:1Gl.
These are all common sins to-day.
Absalom deftly suggested that IL onlv
he were in power everything would
be all right. In earlier DAYS David
had been man of genial spirit, but
in later days he seems to have drawn
into his shell. Perhaps the memory
of his sin and its consequences was
responsible for this. Absalom prac-
ticed his art on "all that came to the
king for Judgment" lie succeeded
for the time. he "stole the hearts OF
the men Of Israel But it was David
himself who had undermined the
power of law and loyalty in the king.
dom He had opened the way for
the people to transfer their Elections
to another by himself stealing the
man that commits the sin that David
did Is sure to lose mems esteem.
ii. Absalom's Conspiracy, 7.12.
1t may be that the forty years of v.
refers to the years of Dayid's reign,
but 1t is more likely that 1t should
read -four" (see II. V. Marg.D and re-
fers to the years OF Absalom's in
triguing. IL Absalom had made such
N 1,1 IDl r.
had been at least six years Indifferent
to 1t. Quite strange that he should
wake up to 1t so suddenly. Many men
wake up to their religious obligations
when they have some end to gain by
doing 3d. David seems to have lost
his grip, or he would have suspected
| something in the light of what was
going on. Nothing so soon robs
man Of his grasp of practical affairs
as the entrance of sin into his life. 1t
Is not likely that Absalom had ever
made such vow. If he had he had
not kept it, and he was not keeping it
now. Absalom next hired some
shouters and trumpeters. This, too,
Is favorite method of modern poll
ticians. The mass of men are quite
easily carried by a hurrah. Even
Biblical critics sometimes adopt the
same methods. He chose Hebron as
the centre of operations because of its
sacred memories (ch. 2:1, II: 3:2,
8; 5:5). Absalom tried to make 1t
appear that all the best men were on
his side, by taking with him 200 who
had no knowledge of what was going
on. 1t Is always wise when one gets
invitations from such men as Absalom
to look into them before accepting
them. Many foolish one is caught
in this way Ahithophel was Absa-
Ions chief adviser. The woman
whom David had wronged was his
granddaughter (ch. 11:3; CT. ch.
23:34). David felt no other defec-
tion SO keenly as his Cps. 41:9;
55:12-14. But again he was reap
ing only what he had sowed. Absa-
lom. like many another unmitigated
scoundrel, observed carefully outward
religious rites ". /; CT. Nu. 23:1, IA,
E30, X. 21:9, 12). "The conspiracy
was strong" Absalom's followers were
continually increasing. The people
| were saying of David, There is no
help for him in God" FPS. 81, p.
But David was not forsaken Of God
even in this darkest hour Cps. $3.50.
Absalom had left God out in all his
calculations; so utter failure came of
all his matchless cunning and SEEM
ing promise Absalom himself was
to blame for his own ruin. But was
not David to blame, too?
SMALL, CHANGE,