Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Samuel 14-15.

Joab’s actions led to Absalom’s rebellion.  Joab thought he was acting in David’s interest when he convinced David to bring Absalom back from exile.  However, if he had not done so, Absalom would never have been able to set his rebellion in motion.  Even then, if Joab had not interceded with David to allow Absalom to come to his court, Absalom still would have been unable to gain traction for his rebellion.  So, while Joab thought he was doing what was best for David by reconciling him with Absalom, by doing so he allowed Absalom to set in motion his plot to usurp the throne.  One thing which is not clear to me is why Absalom attempted to usurp the throne.  If he had just waited for David to die, it seems likely he would have inherited the throne instead of Solomon.  Or, perhaps, he thought that David intended to choose Solomon.

In any case, Absalom’s actions in endearing himself to the people before he initiated his actual attempt to seize the throne gives us great warning against evil people who desire leadership roles.  Absalom put on a show and told people that he would have sided with them if he had the power to decide their case when they came to Jerusalem.  But, he never went to his father and offered his services to actually preside over such cases.  Rather than actually work to help people by taking on responsibilities, he told people that he would do what they wanted if he had the power.  If Absalom had asked David to give him authority to judge these cases, it seems likely that David would have done so.  This is a sign of a leader not to be trusted.  They are quick to tell everyone what is wrong with the current system, but make no effort to fix it.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.