rather like in a prince, what might almost be called errors on the side of virtue. And now Absalom was

coming forward like a real prince! His state-carriage and fifty outrunners would always attract the admiration

of the populace. Yet he was not proud - quite the contrary. In fact, never had a prince taken such cordial

interest in the people, nor more ardently wished to see their wrongs redressed; nor yet was there one more

condescending. Day by day he might be seen at the entering of the royal palace, where the crowd of

suppliants for redress were gathered. Would that he had the power, as he had the will, to see them righted!

It might not be the king's blame; but there was a lack of proper officials to take cognizance of such appeal-

cases - in short, the government was wrong, and the people must suffer in consequence. As we realize the

circumstances, we can scarcely wonder that thus "Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel."  12

How long this intrigue was carried on we cannot accurately determine,13 and only once more wonder at the

weakness of the king who left it so entirely unnoticed. That the conspiracy which Absalom had so carefully

prepared, though kept very secret, was widely ramified, appears from the circumstance, that, immediately on

its outbreak, he could send "spies throughout all the tribes," to ascertain and influence the feelings of the

people generally, and to bid his adherents, on a preconcerted signal, gather around him.

More than that, it seems likely that Ahithophel, one of David's privy councilors, and deemed the ablest of

his advisers, had, from the first, been in the secret, and, if so, probably directed the conspiracy. This would

explain the strange coincidence of Ahithophel's absence from Jerusalem at the time of the outbreak, and his

presence at his native Giloh, not far from Hebron (Joshua 15:51). Nor is it likely that a man like Ahithophel

would so readily have obeyed the summons of Absalom if he had been until then a stranger to his plans,

and had not had good reason to expect success. And, indeed, if his advice had been followed, the result

would have answered his anticipations.

The place chosen for the rising was Hebron, both on account of the facilities it offered for retreat in case of

failure, and as the city where formerly (in the case of David) a new royalty had been instituted; perhaps also

as the birthplace of Absalom, and, as has been suggested, because the transference of the royal residence

to Jerusalem may have left dissatisfaction in Hebron. Absalom obtained the king's permission to go thither,

on pretense of paying a vow made at Geshur. It was a clever device for entrapping two hundred influential

persons from Jerusalem to invite them to accompany him, on pretext of taking part in the sacrificial feast.

Arrived at Hebron, the mask was thrown off, and the conspiracy rapidly assumed most formidable

proportions. Tidings of what had passed speedily reached Jerusalem. It was a wise measure on the part of

the king to resolve on immediate flight from Jerusalem, not only to avoid being shut up in the city, and to

prevent a massacre in its streets, but to give his adherents the opportunity of gathering around him. Indeed,

in the hour of danger, the king seemed, for a brief space, his old self again. We can quite understand how, in

David's peculiar state of mind, trials in which he recognized the dealings of God would rouse him to energy,

while the even tenor of affairs left him listless. No weakness now - outward or inward! Prudence,

determination, and courage in action; but, above all, a constant acknowledgment of God, self-humiliation,

and a continuous reference of all to Him, marked his every step. In regard to this, we may here notice the

progress of David's spiritual experience, marking how every act in this drama finds expression in the Book of

Psalms. As Abraham perpetuated his progress through the land by rearing an altar unto Jehovah in every

place where he sojourned, so David has chronicled every phase in his inner and outer life by a Psalm - a

waymark and an altar for lone pilgrims in all ages. First, we turn to Psalms 41 and 45 -the former in which the

designation Jehovah, the latter in which that of Elohim, prevails,14 - which become more full of meaning if

(with Professor Delitzsch) we infer from them, that during the four years Absalom's plot was ripening, the

king was partially incapacitated by some illness. These two Psalms, then, mark the period before the

conspiracy actually broke out, and find their typical counterpart in the treachery of Judas Iscariot.15 Read in

this light, these Psalms afford an insight into the whole history of this risings political as well as religious.

Other two Psalms, 3 and 63, refer to David's flight; while the later events in, and the overthrow of the

conspiracy, form the historical background of Psalms 61, 39, and 62.