2Sa 18:9 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.
Our verse today shows us the horrible end of David's rebellious son, Absalom. Not only him but in type the end of all such men. What sort of man was Absalom? First of all, he was a son, but not the beloved son. His born into a family of privilege, he had for a father the King of Israel and while His father loved him, he did not have much love for his father at all. So it is with all of mankind, if we are born into this world It is because God gave us life, He has right over us as his creatures but most men have no love in their hearts for the one who gave them life. All the things Absalom gloried in ended up being the very things that killed him. He has this mule that he was always on, it was that very mule that took him to his makeshift gallows, He had his hair that would be allowed to grow out and only cut once a year, this very well could have been what entangled his head in that Oak. Then there were all those people that he had deceived into following him, only one we will mention, Ahithophel. God had overturned his counsel and Ahithophel went and hung himself. We see that the platform Absalom has built for himself begins to be torn down piece by piece until even the mule under him goes away.
So it is with all those who exalt themselves against God. There may be a period of ascension when it seems that all your trickery and cunning is working. Rest assured that these sorts of men and women are raised up for one reason, to be cast down. Their glory is allowed to grow to unimaginable lengths, like Absalom's hair, so that when the day comes it will make a perfect noose. God can take the wisest counsel and confound it, the wisest counselors, and hang them by their own hands. Beware Absalom, your day is coming, The day when you will give an account for all the usurping and self-exaltation.
His being hung from a tree was no accident, but it was a status, "for he that is hanged is accursed of God." [Dueteronomy 21:23] So must it have been, the law also says that he that makes light of his father is cursed, Absalom had lived a cursed life and now he would die in the same manner. Not only this Absalom but all Absaloms will find their end to be far worse than their beginning. They live cursed lives now but their lives will be no comparison to their death. Cursed forever, eternally dead in hell they will spend eternity, still conscious of the cursed life they wasted, and the King they spurned.
Before we leave we need to see the King's heart for such people, "And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" [2 Sam 18:33] King David was not thrilled at this news, he was devastated. He would a million times more prefer that there be some terms of peace made, that Absalom would have repented and lived, then we see a phrase that takes us deeper than David's love for Absalom but foreshadows God's love for all his rebellious sons, "Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" We see herein the love of God for sinners, rebels, fools. He loved us despite all our rebellion against him, all our backbiting and self Glorying. He loved us so much that he did die for us. To every absalom that is out there, Jesus loved you and died for you, will you spurn this love? Will you ride on in your rebellion? God will forgive, and God will restore you if you will repent and believe on Christ. If we are being honest, all of us were Absalom's at one point, thank God he saved us before it was too late.
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