00:00Have you ever heard the story of a great king who had to run away from his own son?
00:04It sounds like a crazy tale, but it really happened to King David, one of the most famous kings in history.
00:11Today, we're going to dive into the super sad and dramatic story of David and his son, Absalom.
00:18So, King David was a powerful and beloved king, but his own family had some big, big problems.
00:25It all started with David's children.
00:27One of David's sons, named Amnon, did something terrible to his half-sister, Tamar.
00:33It was a very hurtful and wrong thing to do, and everyone was upset, especially Tamar's full brother, Absalom.
00:41Absalom was furious that his father, King David, didn't do much to punish Amnon.
00:47This anger grew and grew inside Absalom's heart for a long, long time.
00:52After two whole years of holding on to this anger, Absalom decided to take matters into his own hands.
00:58He threw a big party for all the king's sons.
01:01And then, during the celebration, he did something terrible to get revenge for his sister.
01:07Ho! This was a huge deal!
01:09After this, Absalom knew he was in big trouble.
01:12So, he ran away and hid in another kingdom for three years.
01:16Eventually, King David missed his son so much that he allowed Absalom to come back to Jerusalem.
01:22But even though he was back, David wouldn't see him for two more years.
01:27Absalom lived in the city, but wasn't allowed to see his father's face.
01:31Imagine how that must have.
01:33Felt, Absalom became more and more bitter.
01:36He felt ignored and forgotten.
01:39This is where Absalom started his sneaky plan.
01:41He would stand at the city gate where people came to get help from the king.
01:46Absalom was very handsome, with long, beautiful hair, and he was very charming.
01:51He would tell the people,
01:52Oh, your problems are important, but the king is too busy for you.
01:56If only I were the judge, I would give you justice.
02:00He would hug them and kiss them.
02:02And slowly, over for years, he stole the hearts of the people of Israel away from his own father, King David.
02:09Then, Absalom made his big move.
02:12He went to a city called Hebron and declared himself the new king.
02:16He had a huge following of people who thought he would be a better leader than David.
02:20When King David heard the news that his own son had turned the kingdom against him and was marching toward Jerusalem, he was heartbroken.
02:28But David was also a wise leader.
02:31He knew that if they fought a battle inside the city, many innocent people would get hurt.
02:35So, David made a very tough decision.
02:38He decided to flee Jerusalem.
02:41He gathered his most loyal followers, his family, and his best soldiers.
02:45And they quickly packed up and left the city they loved.
02:49He was not just a king losing his kingdom.
02:52He was a father whose heart was broken by his own son.
02:55As he and his followers crossed the Kidron Valley and headed into the wilderness, it was a long, sad parade.
03:02David knew that Absalom had a very clever advisor named Ahithophel.
03:07Ahithophel's advice was so good.
03:09It was like hearing from God himself.
03:11David was worried.
03:12So, he prayed a simple but powerful prayer.
03:15Oh, Lord, please turn Ahithophel's wise advice into foolishness.
03:20This shows us something amazing about David.
03:22Even in his darkest moment, when everything was falling apart, he still trusted in God.
03:27He didn't rely only on his own strength or his army.
03:31He turned to God for help.
03:32Now, David wasn't just running away without a plan.
03:36He was a brilliant strategist.
03:38He sent a loyal friend, Hashai, back into Jerusalem to pretend to join Absalom.
03:44Hashai's secret mission was to be a spy and to give Absalom bad advice.
03:48To counter the good advice from Ahithophel, it was a risky plan.
03:52A real spy movie moment.
03:54David also organized his loyal followers.
03:57Getting them ready for the battle that he knew was coming.
04:00Meanwhile, Absalom marched into Jerusalem and took over the palace.
04:05Ahithophel gave him some advice.
04:07He said, let me take 12,000 men and chase after David tonight.
04:12He's tired and weak, and we can capture him easily.
04:15This was actually very smart advice and would have probably worked.
04:20But then, Hashai, David's secret spy, stepped in.
04:24He said, no, no, that's not a good idea.
04:28You know my lord David and his men are mighty warriors, like a bear robbed of her cubs.
04:33They are angry and fierce.
04:35If you attack now and lose even a few men, everyone will get scared.
04:40Instead, you should gather the entire army of Israel, a huge force, and you, King Absalom, should lead them yourself into a massive battle.
04:49We will crush them.
04:51Absalom and his men love this idea.
04:53It sounded grand and heroic.
04:55They thought Hashai's advice was better than Ahithophel's, not realizing it was a trap.
05:01God had answered David's prayer.
05:03This bad advice gave David the extra time he desperately needed to escape, cross the Jordan River, and prepare his army for the fight.
05:12Finally, the two armies met for a big battle in a forest.
05:15David's experienced soldiers, led by his loyal general Joab, were much better at fighting in the woods than Absalom's huge but less organized army.
05:24The battle was a disaster for Absalom's side.
05:28And then came the most tragic moment of all.
05:30As Absalom was riding his mule through the forest, his long thick hair got caught in the branches of a big oak tree.
05:37The mule kept running, leaving Absalom just hanging there, trapped in the tree.
05:42One of David's soldiers saw him and told Joab.
05:46Now, King David had given a very specific order to all his commanders before the battle.
05:51He said, Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.
05:55David still loved his son, even after everything he had done.
05:59He didn't want him to be hurt.
06:01But Joab, David's tough-as-nails general, didn't listen.
06:06He thought Absalom was a traitor who had caused too much pain and deserved to be punished.
06:11So Joab took three javelins and went to the tree where Absalom was hanging.
06:16And he ended Absalom's life.
06:17When the news of the victory reached King David, he didn't ask, Did we win?
06:22The only question on his mind was, Is the young man Absalom safe?
06:26When the messenger told him that Absalom was gone, David was completely crushed.
06:31He went up to his room and wept, crying out over and over,
06:35Oh, my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom.
06:39If only I had died instead of you, oh Absalom, my son, my son.
06:44His personal grief was so deep that it overshadowed the entire military victory.
06:49His soldiers, who had just risked their lives for him, came back to the city not as heroes,
06:55but quietly, as if they were ashamed.
06:57David's sadness was so great that it was affecting his leadership and the morale of his entire kingdom.
07:03It took his general, Joab, to shake him out of it and remind him that he was still a king with a duty to his people.
07:10So, what can we learn from this super sad story?
07:14First, we see how unresolved anger and hurt can lead to terrible choices.
07:19Absalom led his anger over what happened to his sister Tamerfester until it turned into hatred and rebellion.
07:26It's a powerful reminder to talk about our problems and seek forgiveness instead of letting bitterness grow.
07:32We also see the tragic consequences of ambition and pride.
07:37Absalom wanted to be king so badly that he was willing to betray his own father and terrorists.
07:42Country apart, his pride led to his downfall, quite literally leaving him hanging from a tree.
07:48But we also learn incredible lessons from David.
07:51In the face of betrayal from his own son, David showed humility.
07:55Instead of fighting in Jerusalem, he retreated to protect his people.
07:59That's true leadership, caring more about others than about your own position.
08:04And most importantly, through it all, David's faith in God never wavered.
08:08In his deepest pain and fear, he prayed.
08:12He wrote many of his psalms, those beautiful song prayers in the Bible.
08:16During times like these, he trusted that God was still in control, even when everything seemed to be going wrong.
08:23The story of David and Absalom is a heartbreaking tale of family conflict, betrayal, and sadness.
08:30But it's also a story of faith, humility, and the difficult lessons of leadership.
08:36It reminds us that even the greatest heroes have problems, and that turning to God in our darkest hours can give us the strength to carry on.
08:43Thanks so much for watching and exploring this incredible story with me.
08:47I hope it gave you something to think about.
08:50Don't forget to like this video and subscribe for more amazing stories from history.
08:55See you next time, and God bless.
