Rebellion of Absalom, David’s Son
465
Lord, how are they increased that trouble me!
Many are they that rise up against me.
Many there be which say of my soul,
There is no help for him in God.
But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me;
My glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
I cried unto the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me out of His holy hill.
I laid me down and slept;
I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people,
That have set themselves against me round about.
Psalm 3:1-6
David and all his company, in the darkness of night, crossed the
deep, swift-flowing river. “By the morning light there lacked not one
of them that was not gone over Jordan.”
David and his forces fell back to Mahanaim, which had been the
royal seat of Ishbosheth, a strongly fortified city surrounded by a
mountainous district favorable for retreat in case of war. The country
[539]
was well-provisioned and the people were friendly to David.
Absalom, the rash and impetuous prince, soon set out in pursuit
of his father. His army was large, but it was undisciplined and poorly
prepared to cope with the tried soldiers of his father.
David divided his forces into three battalions under the command
of Joab, Abishai, and Ittai.
The Battle That Defeated the Rebellion
From the walls of Mahanaim, the long lines of the rebel army
were in full view. The usurper was accompanied by a vast host, in
comparison with which David’s force seemed but a handful. As the
army filed out from the city gates, David encouraged his faithful
soldiers, bidding them go forth trusting that the God of Israel would
give them victory. But as Joab, leading the column, passed his king, the
conqueror of a hundred battlefields stooped his proud head to hear the
monarch’s last message, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man,
even with Absalom.” And Abishai and Ittai received the same charge.