And Absalom rose early, and stood beside the way of the gate; and it was so, that when any man who had a controversy had to come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.
Absalom's rebellion does not begin with an army, and its first target is not the throne. It begins at a city gate at dawn, with a friendly question put to people who had come to the king for justice.
The gate was not simply the way in and out of a city. People settled public business there. Absalom placed himself at the door of the nation's justice.
Gates protected a city, but "in the gate" was also the place where people settled many important matters. To "sit in the gate" was a place of honour: "I am the talk of those who sit in the gate." Psalm 69:12. It should have been the place of true judgement and justice, but was not always so.
The men Absalom stopped were not bringing small complaints. They were bringing appeals from the tribal judges.
Once the kingdom was set up, it is unlikely that every case was tried at Jerusalem. Only appeals from the tribal judges came there. That is the kind of case Absalom refers to in 2 Samuel 15:2-3.
The opening line — asking a man which city he is from — sounds like warm personal interest. Commentators read it as the first move in a plan with two ends.
Two main aims are clear: to undermine the king, and by that to glorify himself. So he takes the quickest way and flatters the people. He never loved them as David did; he despised them, and none more than those caught in his net of fair words and fine speeches. It hardly needs arguing that there was neither righteousness nor love in any of this. There was no love that sought the good of others instead of its own — only unbridled will and the highest ambition. His object was himself, and himself for the vilest purposes: his own exaltation by the overthrow of his father, whom God had anointed king of Israel.
Absalom never proposes a remedy to the king. That silence exposes his true aim.
He got away with stopping people who came early in the morning to the city gate, looking for judgment in personal disputes. He would be most friendly, beginning by asking where their home was. Then whatever grievance they had, he told them their case was right. He added that the king had appointed no one to handle these matters. If this was true, Absalom should have suggested that the king appoint someone to this work. But his object was to plant seeds of discontent and distrust toward David, and to worm his way into the affections of the people.
Notice the order of the work. Before Absalom offered himself, he made people feel the lack of something.
The enemy's way is first to create a want, to produce a blank. Then he fills it up with something, or someone, of his own providing. Those whose hearts were fully satisfied with David had no room for Absalom.
The same writer turns this straight onto the reader as a test of what fills the heart.
This is a fine principle when applied to our hearts in reference to Christ. If we are filled with Him we have no room for anything else. It is only when Satan succeeds in creating a want in our hearts that he introduces something of his own.
Everything Absalom displays at the gate is an imitation of something real, and the pretence runs on through the rest of the story.
He uses flattery. He puts on an appearance of righteousness, of having no interest of his own (vv. 3-4), and of love (v. 5), so as to steal the hearts of the men of Israel (v. 6). He deceives the simple (v. 11). He pretends to worship and serve the Lord (vv. 7-8), so as to seize the kingdom and take the place of the Lord's anointed — yes, of his own father — on the throne.
Commentators see more here than one man's ambition. They see a pattern that appears again in prophecy.
His history may justly be viewed as a type of that great prophetic character who, as Daniel tells us, "shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries."
- Gate. He set himself where Israel came looking for justice. That place should have been one of true judgement, but it was not always so.
- Want. His method was to hollow out a space first: create a blank, then offer himself to fill it.
- Flattery. The friendly question and the verdict given before any evidence put on a show of righteousness and love. Neither was present.
- Theft. What he stole first was not the throne but the hearts of Israel. Seizing the kingdom was the next step.
- Guard. A full heart is the safeguard. Those satisfied with David had no room for Absalom. Hearts filled with Christ have no room for anything else.
And Absalom said to him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man to hear thee [appointed] by the king.
Absalom waits at the city gate. He stops every man on his way to David with a legal dispute, and tells each one the same two things: your case is sound, and nobody here will hear it. The words are kind. The effect is ruin. So what did he want, and why did the people believe him?
Absalom's friendly words at the gate serve another purpose. One writer names the two aims behind them, and what they lacked:
Two main objects stand out: the undermining of the king, and this to glorify himself. So he flatters the people, as the quickest way. He never loved them as David did. He despised them, and none more so than those caught in his nets of fair words and fine speeches. There was neither righteousness nor love in all this, but unbridled will and the highest ambition.
Absalom tells each man that the king has appointed no one to hear his case. If that were the real problem, there was an obvious fix. Absalom never suggested it:
He would be most friendly, beginning by asking where their home was. Then, whatever grievance they had, he told them their case was right. But he added that there was no one appointed by the king to handle these matters. If this was true, Absalom should have suggested to the king that he appoint someone to this work. Instead his object was to plant in the people seeds of discontent and distrust toward David, and to worm his way into their affections. He succeeded in this without David apparently suspecting anything.
Notice the order. Absalom does not start with himself. He starts with the gap he makes:
The enemy's way is first to create a want, to produce a blank. Then he fills it up with something, or someone, of his own providing. Those whose hearts were fully satisfied with David had no room for Absalom.
The same principle applies to us. The guard against a rival is not watching the rival. It is a heart already full of Christ:
This is a fine principle when applied to our hearts in reference to Christ. If we are filled with Him we have no room for anything else. It is only when Satan succeeds in creating a want in our hearts that he introduces something of his own. When we are able in truth to say, "The Lord is my portion," we are safe from the influence of Satan's attractive baits.
Absalom's goodness was a costume. One writer lists the virtues he put on, and what he wanted them for:
He uses flattery. He puts on an appearance of righteousness, unselfishness (vv. 3-4), and love (v. 5), to steal the hearts of the men of Israel (v. 6). He deceives the simple (v. 11). He makes a pretence of worshipping and serving the Lord (vv. 7-8). His aim is to seize the kingdom and to take the place of the Lord's anointed — yes, of his own father — on the throne. For he hates his father. He hates everyone but himself.
Now set his complaint beside what he is preparing to do. A writer weighs the two:
He complains of injustice when he is about to commit the greatest injustice a son and a subject could be guilty of. He spends years doing nothing. Then he is full of restless energy when the day comes to carry out his long-cherished plans.
The conspiracy did not begin at the gate. It began when David embraced a murderer instead of letting the law run its course:
"And the king kissed Absalom." Yes, the king kissed the murderer, instead of allowing the law of the God of Israel to take its course. What then? "After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him." This was the next step. David's excessive tenderness only paved the way for Absalom's open rebellion. Terrible warning! Deal tenderly with evil, and it will certainly rise to a head and crush you in the end. On the other hand, meet evil in the name of the Lord, and your victory is sure. Plain, unflinching decision is, after all, the safest and happiest path.
- Unjudged evil — David spared a murderer instead of letting justice run its course. That gave Absalom his chariots and his gate.
- Manufactured grievance — Absalom never asked David to appoint judges. He wanted the discontent, not the cure.
- Borrowed virtues — righteousness, unselfishness and love were all an act. He wore them to reach a throne that was not his.
- Stolen hearts — the enemy first creates an empty place. Then he fills it with someone of his own.
- Full hearts — hearts full of David had no room for Absalom. A heart full of Christ is safe from every attractive bait.