Thank you. Some people seem to think faith means just passively resting in God, waiting for him to act.

Today on Truth for Life, we'll hear about a strikingly different response from King David

as his struggles with his son continue.

Alistair Begg is teaching from 2 Samuel Chapter 15, and we pick up the story at the point

where Absalom has just gotten a chariot.

Now, those of you who have been on the journey for a long time will perhaps have a little bell going off in your head. It's in chapter 8. And it's when Samuel responds in 1 Samuel

to the desire on the part of the people for a king. You will remember that Samuel was not keen on that

idea. He didn't like the idea. He was a judge and so on. And on that occasion, he issues a warning to the people.

He says, you know, if you want to follow through on this and have a king like all the other nations, because that was the key, we want to be like everybody else, we want to follow through on this and have a king like all the other nations, because that was the key.

We want to be like everybody else. We want to be as the nations of the world. If you get a king like all the other nations,

then you need to know this, that he will have chariots and horsemen to run before him. Samuel issues the warning, and here we find

that Absalom is in the wrong sight of Psalm 20, verse 7. Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Absalom is on the wrong side of that fence, building his persona.

Secondly, what about his politics?

Because he is a politician, there is no question about that, and a pretty good one, depending on your perspective.

He is obviously more, there is more to him than simply creating news about him.

And his objective is to usurp the role and the rule of his father.

It is to see himself in the position of king.

And we're told what he was doing. Whenever people came to the city gate, which was the place where the king would execute judgments, would deal with matters of justice, and so on,

he decides, Absalom decides, well, what I will do is I'll position myself in the thoroughfare

that leads to the city gate so that when people are coming there looking for judgment,

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