Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
The only references to 'desert' in 2 Samuel are clustered up in chapters 15 - 17, which, to my thinking, is one of the great tragedies of the Old Testament. There is quite a bit of back story to explain Absalom's animosity towards his dad, which I'm not going into here (recorded in chapters 13- 14, if you're interested in reading it). Of course, the root of all of this is David's sin regarding Bathesheba and Uriah; we don't really have a time frame for that but it's likely that Absalom was old enough to remember it when it happened. It's quite possible that David's actions there also influenced Absalom's opinion of his father...Nathan had told David that sword would never leave his house because of his actions. God forgave the sin...but the consequences remained.
Chapter 15 opens up with Absalom moving about the people, offering them sympathy and generally being a good-looking friend to all. He did this for four years, so that all the people loved him. Then he moved...asking David for permission to go to Hebron and worship. David, no doubt pleased that his son was seeking God, gave his blessing for him to go.
But treachery was afoot. Absalom had conspired to get himself proclaimed king in Hebron. (v.10)
David finally got word of what was going on in verse 13...although how he deduced the matter from the message that 'The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." is beyond me. But he at once realized the significance of it and told his officials with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword." (v. 14)
I honestly think it was the prompting of the Spirit for him to see the situation as it was...but it may also have been an echo of all the years he spent as a fugitive from the court of Saul. They packed up the court, leaving ten concubines behind to keep house, and headed out, in company of Ittai the Gittite and all his men.
The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the desert. (15:23). They paused for sacrifices, then David told Zadok and Abiathar the priests, who had brought the Ark of the Covenant with them, to take the Ark back to the city but to send word via their sons Ahimeaaz and Jonathan if they could discover Absalom's plans.
"I will wait at the fords in the desert until word comes from you to inform me." David told them in verse 28. They traveled up the road that climbed the Mount of Olives (aside...do you suppose that is the same road Jesus traveled when he came into Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey?) and he met his friend Hushai at the summit. David had learned that his counselor Ahithophel had conspired w/ Absalom, so he sent Hushai to Absalom's court to counsel against whatever Ahithophel advised...and also to be his eyes and ears there, communicating with Zadok and Abiathar.
So David's counterespionage plan was set, and Hushai met up with Absalom's entourage just as they entered the city from Hebron.
David met up with Ziba, the servant of Jonathan's crippled son Mephibosheth (see 2 Sam. 9 for his story) on the far side of the Mount of Olives; Ziba had a string of donkeys saddled for use, as well as loads of provisions.
The king asked Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to rode on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the desert." (16: 2) Furthermore, Ziba stated that Mephibosheth was hanging back in Jerusalem, hoping to reinstate the household of Saul... himself... as king in the aftermath of a battle in the household of David. Was that true? Mephibosheth claimed otherwise later (2 Sam 19:26), saying that Ziba betrayed him. Whichever was the case...the food and the donkeys were there for the use of the king and his companions, which no doubt served to encourage them to some degree.
David endured curses and rock throwing from a guy named Shemei as they finished their journey to the 'fords of the desert'...the Jordan river a bit north of the Dead Sea. Exhausted, they set up a temporary camp to await word from Jerusalem as to what they should do next.
Meanwhile, back in Absalom's camp, Ahithophel counseled Absalom to set out after David at once, with a relatively small force to catch the fugitives while they were weary and unprepared, to kill only David, and bring all the rest of the people back unharmed. But Absalom chose to listen to the counsel of Hushai, who suggested they gather all the soldiers they could from around the country, since David was likely hidden somewhere and they would have to fight his battle-experienced guards, who would likely decimate a small tactical force. Hushai relayed the message to the priests, explaining what had happened and instructing them
"Now send a message immediately and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up." (17:16)
The priests sent a servant girl to tell the messengers at En Rogel. But the young men were spotted and a report went to Absalom, who sent troops after them. After a dramatic moment reminiscent of the rooftop of Rahab, the troops went off in the wrong direction and the young men got their message through to David. By daybreak, none of David's people were left on the west side of the Jordan.
Ahithopel returned to his house in his hometown and hung himself since his advice had not been followed.
David's party made it to Mahanaim, where a trio of wealthy friends (Shobi, Makir, and Barzillai)
brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become hungry and thirsty in the desert." (17:28-29)
And that, my friends, is the last mention of the word 'desert' in 2 Samuel.
The desert was David's sanctuary in 1 Samuel; he went through the desert to sanctuary in 2 Samuel. This time, he went across the Jordan, and he had allies who helped him...which was the difference between being someone the king sought to kill and the king whom someone wanted to kill.
But it takes the next three chapters to bring all the details in this sad story to closure...David's son Absalom was killed; there was a big fuss among the tribes over bringing the king back to Jerusalem; tempers flared and offense was taken, resulting in Sheba, son of Bicri, leading a second rebellion. The seeds of the future division of the country may well have been sown in that episode. David and Joab were at odds; Joab murdered the man David planned to set in his place over the armies of Israel.
At the fords of the desert David's life was in danger, waiting for word from Jerusalem. By the Lord's doing, the counsel of the enemy was thwarted and David made it to safety...but the ripple effect kept spreading.
The ripple that began when David saw something he shouldn't have seen, coveted something that wasn't his, took what he wanted despite the transgression of it, and then murdered men to try and hide it. His sin was forgiven, but the consequences kept multiplying.
A sobering lesson.
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