What is 2 Samuel 15 about?

Answer 1

There are actually four questions asked by Samuel to Saul during the course of their conversation. These, in context, are contained within verses 14, 17, 19 and 22.

14And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?15And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Answer 2

This is a strange tale, with a complex plot and cryptic clues that defy a simple explanation. Absalom was the son of David, and his only likely competitor as successor to the throne was Amnon, who had died at Absalom's hand after the rape of Tamar. So Absalom served David forty years, then decided to launch a coup against his father (2 Samuel 15:7), perhaps not quite an accurate claim as David's entire reign only lasted forty years and 7 months. Even if this was an exaggeration, why would the probable heir to the kingdom plan for so long and then launch a civil war when David was near the end of his reign and Absalom's inheritance would come soon anyway?

The narrative of 2 Samuel chapters 13-19 tells the story of David's love for Absalom. David was unwilling to fight Absalom, choosing instead to flee the city (2 Samuel 15:13-14). This was the great king who had never before backed away from a fight. Later, when a battle was unavoidable, David commanded his officers to 'deal gently' with Absalom (2 Samuel 18:5). When the messengers came to tell David of their victory over Absalom, his first concern was whether Absalom was safe.David mourned for Absalom much more than his firstborn son Amnon, who was killed by Absalom's men and at Absalom's command.

2 Samuel 14:27 reports Absalom as having three sons and one daughter, Tamar. In total contradiction, 2 Samuel 18:18 says that Absalom raised an obelisk in the king's dale, or valley of the kings, saying that he had no sons. If the Hebrew legend of Absalom is as old as the time of the United Kingdom, the obelisk in the king's dale points to its origins in other nations, since David was only the second king of Israel and there could not yet have been a 'valley of the kings' in the land. Based on chapter 13, a credible possibility is that the legend of Absalom is based, at least in part, on Egypt's Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled in her own right, wearing male clothing and a false beard.

Answer 3

2 Samuel 15 recounts the story of Absalom's rebellion against his father, King David. Absalom cunningly gained the people's favor and support before openly rebelling against David, leading to a conflict between father and son. This chapter highlights themes of betrayal, power struggles, and the consequences of sin within the royal family.