DAVID AND HIS SON ABSALOM
After Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle David became king. He did many brave and wise things and some foolish and evil things. For the wrong deeds he was punished by great sorrows.
He had a favorite son named Absalom. Absalom grew up to be a very bad boy. No doubt David was foolish in his affection and did not train the boy as he should.
He grew so bad at last that he gathered an army and rebelled against the king. At first he was successful and actually drove his father out of Jerusalem.
But David's army rallied and defeated Absalom and his bad friends in a great battle.
When Absalom knew that his army was defeated he tried to escape by riding away on the back of a swift mule. But as he passed under a great oak in the dark forest where the battle was fought, his long hair was caught in the low hanging branches: Here he hung helplessly [{168}] until the soldiers of David came up and killed him.
David was very sorrowful while the battle was being fought, because he loved the boy so much. He sat at the gate of the city and watched and waited. Suddenly the watchman on the tower called out that he saw a man running, and in a few moments he said that he saw another.
In the lands of the Bible, messengers, swift of foot and trained in running, always brought the news to the city as quickly as they could run.
When the first messenger came the king said quickly, "Is the young man Absalom safe?"
"I saw a great tumult when I left the battle field," said the runner, "but I knew not what it meant."
"Stand aside here," said the king.
Then came the second man and he called out, "Tidings, my lord the king!"
"Is my boy Absalom safe?" again cried the king.
Then the messenger replied, "The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is."
The king knew that this meant that the boy he loved so much was dead.
And the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept, and as he went there he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee. O Absalom, my son, my son!"