2 Samuel 18:10 And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. I. ABSALOM WAS THE BELOVED CHILD OF HIS PARENTS. Exactly why he was the favourite son cannot, perhaps, be decided. All David's children were beautiful in person, though Absalom seems to have excelled them all in personal grace. It has been suggested that his mother was a queen, and so he seemed more royal than the rest of the princes. II. ABSALOM WAS THE HOPE OF A PARTY IN THE NATION. The country, in his day, was unsettled. Judah had lost the supremacy it had gained during David's reign in Hebron, and was restless and jealous. David's neglects were telling on the country, producing discontent. And one great party was looking to Absalom, the affable and kingly son. By his blandishment he stole the hearts of the people, and, on the first favourable opportunity, the people bore him, with a sudden impulse, to the royal throne. III. ABSALOM BORE SOME OF THE PENALTY OF HIS FATHER'S SINS. For the Divine penalties on transgressions come in part by consequences, which are sure to reach beyond the transgressor, and he is punished and wounded in the sufferings of others, often of those nearest and dearest to him. Absalom bore some of the penalty of David's sin by his wrong-doing. IV. AND ABSALOM MET WITH A TRAGIC END, A hasty ride through the woods; an overhanging bough; three smitings of the darts; rude hackings of the young men's swords; and a grave in a pit. (R;. Tuck, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.WEB: A certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, "Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak." |
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