And the king's servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”
David has learned that Israel's heart has turned to Absalom, and he chooses to leave his capital rather than fight for it. His servants promise to obey whatever he decides, and the chapter asks who else will stay with a king who has nothing left to give.
The flight the servants agreed to
The order they agreed to obey was to abandon the capital. That looked like surrender. One writer reads it as the harder road of trust, taken to spare Jerusalem rather than David himself:
H. L. RossierDavid flees in haste as soon as he learns that the hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. This is not cowardice or weakness on his part: it is faith. Faith never follows the path that the natural man would choose. At this moment, who would not fight a growing conspiracy with an army trained for the hardships of war?... David flees, not because Absalom is stronger, but because he is God's rod raised to chasten His servant. But David does not think of himself alone. He is thinking of Jerusalem, the city of the Lord. He wants to spare it from the trial or ruin that his own resistance would surely bring on it.
Loyalty that survives the loss of the throne
Absalom had drawn the crowd with looks and flattery. But that pull stopped at the men closest to David. The crisis showed where each man's heart already was:
C. H. MackintoshAbsalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. He came in by flatteries, and took David's place in their thoughts and affections... But his beauty and his flattery had no effect on those who were near the person of David. Then the messenger came and said, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." Now it was clear who were for David.
The person, not the office
There is a reason this scene moves readers more than a throne scene does. Watch what still holds these men once the rewards are gone:
C. H. MackintoshDavid's grace shines out more during this conspiracy than at any period of his life. And not only does David's grace appear in a striking light, but the genuine devotion of his dear people also. Picture a loving band of followers crowding round David as he weeps and walks barefoot. That touches our hearts far more deeply than seeing them crowd round his throne. We are more thoroughly convinced that his person, and not his office, was the centre of attraction. David had nothing to offer his followers now except fellowship in his rejection... They could weep with him, as well as conquer with him.
The test of open loyalty
The servants speak up in front of a city that is changing sides. Open loyalty is where the pressure falls, then and now:
H. L. RossierIt is during this period of David's history that hearts are shown for what they are. Under the rule of the throne it is a question of submission rather than of love. But a rejected Christ attracts devotion. In these circumstances we can see whether His followers are truly attached to Him... They tied their fate to the king's. They were not afraid to risk themselves by openly declaring their loyalty to him. Oh! this fear of endangering oneself!... What: you do not dare confess your Savior's name before men? Does the world's opinion have such a great influence over you then?
"Whatever my lord the king decides"
The promise leaves the choice of task with David. Within a few verses he takes them at their word. He sends some men back into Jerusalem instead of keeping them at his side. The same writer draws out what that means for a servant's own preferences:
H. L. RossierShows of devotion are not enough, however dear they may be to the master's heart. They are only the prelude to service. So it is for us Christians. Like Hushai and the priests, we do not get to choose the place or the manner of our service to the Lord. He will decide this.
One loyalty, many assignments
"Whatever" is a wide word, and the chapters that follow fill it with very different jobs. One writer finds three kinds of servant across David's exile. He reads them as a picture of differing gifts and offices:
The Bible TreasuryIn 2 Samuel 15, 17 and 19 we find three classes of servants. Each one gave David intelligent and acceptable service in the day of his rejection. Each one illustrates the New Testament truths that "all members have not the same office," and that "there are gifts differing according to the grace given to each."
Summary
- Rod. David flees not because Absalom is stronger. Absalom is God's rod of chastening, and David spares the city instead of defending himself.
- Reveal. A throne commands submission; rejection attracts love. The crisis showed who was for David.
- Person. These men were bound to David himself, not his office — he had nothing left to offer but a share in his rejection.
- Readiness. "Whatever my lord the king decides" hands over the choice of place and manner of service to the master.
- Range. One loyalty produced different services in chapters 15, 17 and 19. Not every member has the same office.