allowed such free reign to disrespect his father. Acting as if he owned the place, the son brazenly anticipated the time when he would be king, since his father was getting along in years. David, unable to deny his son any wish, granted him his request to go to the city of Hebron to fulfill a vow and worship. Instead, Absalom had other intentions that were less pious; for in truth, he was conspiring to take over the throne. He sent messengers throughout the land with the message, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, shout ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’”
Messengers rushed to David and told him, “The hearts of the people of Israel are with Absalom.” David was crushed with the hurt that his son, whom he loved, betrayed him.
“Come!” David told his officials that were with him, “We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword.”
Absalom declared himself the legitimate ruler of Israel and announced his intention to take over the country. With the sound of the shofar he moved into the palace.
The servant girl remembered verses from the psalms, which were claimed to be written by David. They were repeated at times of sacred service and became a prayer in times like this. It is time for You to act, O Lord, For they have regarded Your law as void (Ps 119:126).
“What will this day bring?” The servant girl thought as she woke that morning. She was filled with a sense of foreboding. King David was leaving the city without a fight to avoid more bloodshed. He was horrified with the thought of fighting his own son in battle.
A rumor spread like wildfire through the palace. “They are removing the Ark of the Covenant from the Holy of the Holies.” The servant girl did not know what to make of this news.
“For several years, no one has even seen the Ark of the Covenant except the priests on the Day of Atonement,” other servants informed her. “It is housed in a tent on the highest mound of the city, on Mount Moriah, the ancient location where Abraham almost sacrificed his son, until an angel intervened.”
Older servants added, “Some of us saw the ark when it was brought into Jerusalem. That was early in the reign of King David. It was a huge celebration, but with a dark side.”
“A man died when he touched it,” an elderly servant reminisced. “Yes, he only intended to stabilize it when it tipped from the ox cart. He innocently wanted to keep it from falling on the ground, and he was struck dead.”
“Struck dead?” The servant girl could not believe it.
“Yes, the Ark of the Covenant has a long history. Moses built this same ark in the wilderness when the Children of Israel escaped from Egypt. In it are the most holy items of the people, the tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments and a sample of manna.”
“Oh, and David was seen frantically dancing, which upset his first wife, Micah,” the elderly servant added. “She was banned from his presence forever after that incident. And to think, she was a daughter of Saul.” Palace intrigue and gossip had kept tongues wagging for the many years of David’s reign. It was impossible to believe there would no longer be a King David.
“We are going to go out to get just a peek of the ark as it is removed from the Tent of the Tabernacle,” the servants were determined.
“But, I am not going to get too close,” the servant girl thought, somewhat nervously. She recalled the words of Moses written on ancient scrolls. They called upon the Lord, and He answered them. He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them (Ps 99:6–7).
The remaining household staff sadly watched the assembly move down into the valley, and then climb up the Mount of Olives.
“Who could have imagined? The great King David is weeping,” the servant girls whispered to each other. The event was too solemn to speak about aloud. The most curious of the servants climbed the eastern wall of the city to observe the momentous event.
“He has covered his head and is walking barefoot down the trail followed by two priests, the Ark of the Covenant, and many soldiers,” the servants said while straining their eyes to see the events.
“Why is he is pausing?” they asked.
Unexpectedly, when the procession reached the summit of the Mount of Olives opposite the valley from Jerusalem, David came to a halt and let everyone pass him.
“The priests have put down the Ark of the Covenant and are gathering stones to build an altar. We see flames and a wisp of smoke rising into the sky. David seems to be having a heated discussion with the priests,” the servants reported to each other.
The servant girl, along with the other servants, guessed at the purpose of the discussion. Finally, David and the priests on the Mount of Olives seemed to come to an understanding.
“Carry the ark of God back to the city. If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back, but if he say thus: ‘I have no delight in thee,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me as seems good unto him.” Then the two high priests, Zadok and Abiathar, who were carrying the ark, reversed direction and returned to the city.
“Why is he not carrying the Ark of the Covenant for Jehovah’s protection in battle?” The servants asked, dismayed. “Is he really entrusting it to Absalom?”
Two young sons of the priests, Jonathan and Ahimaaz, with David and his army, continued east until out of sight on the road toward the Jordan River.
Now neighbor was pitted against neighbor. Families and friends were divided over the issue. Who was the real king? Father or son? No one knew for sure.
The servant girl was bewildered and feared for her future. No one thought to tell the servants where they should go or what they should do. When the priests came back, she quickly made herself useful as a servant with one of them, Zadok. The girl was not certain if her new master was supporting Absalom or David. She could not imagine that he would change allegiance. Everything was very hush-hush in the large household of the priest. She really needed her acting skills, which were improving, and she observed everything.
Gossip was running wild, and abominable deeds were committed during the takeover. Eyes were averted from the atrocities committed on the rooftop of the palace. No one knew who was for Absalom and who was still loyal to David. Not that she paid much attention to rumors, for the steady stream of intrigue and gossip from the palace was rising to a shrill pitch.
Before all the recent events, for the first time, peace had seemed possible. David had united the twelve tribes of Israel, stretching from north to south, after years of war. Enemies were banished and the surrounding countryside subdued. It was the time to reap the benefits of all the building and conquest. Instead, it had come to this.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces (Ps 122:6).
A Mission for a Girl
Unexpectedly, one morning the servant girl was called to her master. This was always occasion for apprehension. Had she done something wrong? Only a few days had passed since she started working for the high priest. He did not yet know her tendency to dawdle in the market too long, and she certainly did not have vacation time coming to visit her family in the country. Surely she could not have already done something questionable to get her in trouble.
“Come into my chamber as soon as your duties and errands are finished,” her master’s message had instructed. She swept, polished, dusted, and tried to remember all her duties, but Zadok’s beckoning was a major distraction. Finally, close to noon, she approached the servant who guarded his door.
“She is all right, let her in,” she heard her master call from inside. The room was heaped with tablets and scrolls. Zadok dismissed the scribes who were working with him and glanced around to be sure the walls had no ears.
“What do you think of King David?” he asked her in a low voice. “How do you like it that his son, Absalom, has