2 Sam. 16:15-23, 2 Sam. 17-18, 2 Sam. 19:1-4
Absalom's Monument - Source: Wikipedia
Ryan: I always feel terrible when I laugh, accidentally or not, at another’s misfortune. Having said that, the scene we read today where Absalom’s hair gets caught in the tree, causing him to be “left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going” has to be the absolute funniest thing we have encountered so far in the Bible. This was a story I did not remember reading before today, and so was totally taken by surprise. And to read such a tale in the Bible, which we always perceive as stoic and dry, made it all the funnier. Sadly, the humor of the situation quickly fades thanks to the viciousness of Joab and his men. As if getting humiliated by getting your enormous afro (don’t forget his hair weighed about five pounds, according to 2 Samuel 14:26) caught in the tree wasn’t enough, poor Absalom was slaughtered while he was defenseless. While his death may have been warranted, David still mourned for his lost son, even if he was his enemy in battle.
Samantha: You know how sometimes when we’re in a hurry we use phrases like “so and so said that” or “and such.” Usually the person we’re talking to can figure out what we me mean by the context, but if you’re reading those phrases in writing it can be a little ambiguous. I laughed when we read the account of the battle plans today: “Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, ‘Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so.’” Ha! Was the scribe in that much of a hurry when he recorded this? What is “so and so”? That seems, um, sort of an important piece of information to have. Then, as the men deliver these “such and such” battle plans to David they say, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you” (2 Sam. 17:15, 21). Clearly the message made it through, but we’ll never know if it was because David was clairvoyant or the messengers really did give the details.
