Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
2 Samuel 18:1–8, “And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.”
David prepared for battle because he knew that Absalom was determined to defeat him in battle. He divided his army into three divisions so that he wouldn’t lose all his troops in one battle. He chose tried experienced commanders for each section and planned to lead his men into battle himself. However, his generals told David that the battle was all about him. Absalom planned to kill David and didn’t really care about anyone else. If David was killed in the battle then all his men would have nothing to fight for. The generals persuaded David to remain in the city while they went out to the battle. David asked his men to treat Absalom gently because he stilled loved his son. The battle was fought in heavily forested country so that it was broken up into many small and separate engagements. Many soldiers were lost in the thick forest and perished because they were lost.
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