2 Samuel 15:6
“Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
This is a sad turn of events. Absalom had reconciled with his father, the king. Prior to that Absalom had avenged Tamar by killing his half brother Amnon. This may have been the right thing. The sin involved rape and it appeared David did nothing about it. Absalom had the killing ordered, but was in a city of refuge (I'm fairly certain), until Joab arranged for him to come back to Jerusalem. Even then, David wouldn't see him. I believe it was years that went by. Joab arranged a meeting and reconciliation was made.
Then we have today's verse. Absalom seeks to steal the hearts of the people from his father. The previous chapter speaks of Absalom as being highly praised and handsome. This appears to have filled him with conceit. He's had years of being out of favor with his father and family. That can harm to anyone. Maybe that changed him for the worse.
It may be that Absalom didn't fear God. This is a sinful habit he is living. His fame is outweighing allegiance to his dad and doing the right thing. Much of this is building up his ego. He's a smart problem solver, people are naturally drawn to him as he is handsome, many are probably supporting the justice meted out by him against Amnon.
Why did Absalom do this? He may be thinking his dad is morally failed due to Amnon and Bathsheba. He also may think all this fame is derived by God. We can lie to ourselves, especially when it involves our pride.
Can we be deceived in this manner? Of course. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." We all can deceive ourselves, especially as it benefits ourselves and we end up winning. The difference with the christian is that God will interrupt us.
The path we follow depends on if we fear God. It reminds me of the phrase in the Lord's pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,...". Do we want that? It appears that Absalom was busy building his kingdom. Literally. The christian wants God's kingdom built.
Was God trying to warn Absalom? I would think so. God loves us all and seeks to reach us. Absalom did big things. It takes a certain type of person to do that. It may be he didn't listen to the little whisperings in his heart. One's conscience is usually active when we transgress. Some don't appear to be affected by such things. We know that David was a poor father. Maybe being the child of royalty made him feel special and his spoiled behavior didn't lend to being subservient to anyone, even God.
If we ignore God and His warnings our insight and thinking is flawed. Romans 1:21 says, "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened." It appears this was what was going on with Absalom. His thinking was off. He was building his kingdom, without much regard for God.
This is a great contrast with David. In the next chapter of 2 Samuel, we will see someone taunting David. One of his men offers to slay him. Here's David's response, 'But the king said, “What business of mine is yours, you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the LORD has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who should say, ‘Why have you done so?’”' David is sensitive to life's events as being part of God's will. Our hearts should be the same. Our ears should be attentive to what God might be saying. We can pray for clarity and His will.
Lord, help us to be sensitive to Your will, not just our success.