The Snare of Vanity, Pride and Rebellion

The Snare of Vanity, Pride and Rebellion
Words of Faith 3-17-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2025
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Samuel 18
[6] The army marched into the field to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. [7] There the army of Israel was defeated by David's men, and the casualties that day were great--twenty thousand men. [8] The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword. [9] Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going. [10] When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree." [11] Joab said to the man who had told him this, "What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt." [12] But the man replied, "Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lift my hand against the king's son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' [13] And if I had put my life in jeopardy--and nothing is hidden from the king--you would have kept your distance from me." [14] Joab said, "I'm not going to wait like this for you." So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. [15] And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him. [16] Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. [17] They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes. [18] During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, "I have no son to carry on the memory of my name." He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.

The battle between David's heroic band and Absalom's followers soon took place in the forest of Ephraim. It may be hard to imagine today, but much of this part of Israel was once covered with forests and thickets. These thick forests waged as much a battle against Absalom's men as did David's men's swords.
As Absalom frantically attempted to escape from this inhospitable terrain on his mule, he rode beneath a large oak tree and became tangled in its branches. The tangle of branches and vines is described with a word that translates as "mesh"—or a "net." He was literally ensnared by the head and suddenly suspended in midair. While the text does not say he was caught up by his full mane of lovely hair, this is the apparent image that the tradition brings to mind.
A soldier of David found him in this predicament, but because David had ordered his men not to hurt Absalom, the soldier refused to harm him further. Joab was not so reluctant. He had a heart for vengeance and was accustomed to doing the "dirty work" that David found distasteful. Joab thrust three javelins into the heart of Absalom, and then ten of his attendants struck Absalom to make sure he died.
It is a powerful image. Absalom had himself sinned in vengeance by killing Amnon. Pride had led him to believe his personal solution for the family was the best. He later became caught up in his own attractive popularity before people, and his mane of hair was measured in pounds. This all led to his sinful rebellion against his father, King David. It was truly this tangle that had suspended him and made him vulnerable. This was his downfall.
This is a retched triangle—vanity, pride, and rebellion. Vanity and pride distort realities, inflate egos, and drive one toward rebellion. Pride does indeed go before the fall. This was the way of Lucifer who fell from heaven to the depths. This was the way of temptation used against first Eve and then Adam— "You can be god. You can change the words of God. You can determine good and evil for yourself, you can operate outside of the authority and protection of your creator…"
The sad vanity, dreadful pride, and miserable rebellion of Absalom serve as a warning. The trap is there for any of us. How do we avoid the snare of vanity, pride, and rebellion? The wisdom of the Lord is the opposite of the path that led to Absalom's destruction—
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Father God, free me from the snares of vanity and pride. Draw me back from rebellion and unforgiveness. I choose to trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways, I will acknowledge You. O God, make my paths straight. I have no wisdom in my own reasoning. I will fear You, reverence Your Word, and shun evil. Give me health in my body and nourishment in my bones. In Jesus' Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.