The Rebellious Prince

 The Story . . .

2 Samuel 13:1-18, 33

Absalom was the most handsome, cunning, and

ambitious of David's sons. The Bible says, "But in all Israel

there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his

beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head

there was no blemish in him." 2 Samuel 14:25.

But this determined young prince wanted more than just

the admiration of the people for his stunning appearance. He

wanted the power of his father's throne. He wanted to be

king of Israel-at any price. First

Absalom killed his older brother,

Amnon, after Amnon mistreated his

sister Tamar. Amnon was David's

firstborn son and in line to follow

David as king. Then, after Absalom

wormed his way back into his father's

favor, he began to sow subtle seeds of

doubt throughout the kingdom about

David's leadership, judgments, and laws

until he "stole the hearts of the men of

Israel." 2 Samuel 15:6.

Finally, his sinister plan erupted

into a full-blown rebellion as Absalom

tried to assassinate his own father and

kidnap the kingdom. David and his

followers were forced to flee from

Jerusalem. But after a severe battle a few days later, David

was once again secure on his throne, and handsome Prince

Absalom was slain.

A sad story indeed, but this was not the first such royal

family feud. In another great kingdom long ago, very similar

events led to the most tragic rebellion of all time.

The kingdom was called-heaven!

The Study

Fill in the blanks after reading each Bible text.

1. What was the name of the rebellious prince in heaven,

and why did he rebel?

Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O _______________,

son of the morning!

Isaiah 14:13, 14 For thou hast said in thine _______________, ... I

will be like the _______________ _______________.

Ezekiel 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy

_______________, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy

_______________.

NOTE: Lucifer was the most powerful and beautiful of God's creatures. He was

the highest of the angels and most likely led the heavenly choir. But he allowed

his beauty to fill him with pride. (See supplement entitled "Satan Symbolized by

the Kings of Tyre and Babylon.")

2. Did God make a devil when He created Lucifer?

Ezekiel 28:15 Thou wast _______________ in thy ways from the day

that thou wast created, till _______________ was found in thee.

NOTE: God made a perfect angel who, of his own free will, chose to be a devil. It

may be hard to imagine, but if we knew Lucifer before his fall, we would have

loved him. We don't know exactly how long, but Lucifer may have joyfully served

God for eons before he began to cherish seeds of pride and resentment in his heart.

The Lord could have made all of His creatures like robots, but a robot cannot love.

True love must be willing to take risks. This is why parents decide to have children,

knowing that at some time they may choose to disobey. God allowed Lucifer to

carry out his rebellion for several reasons. First, to forever settle any question of

whether or not God makes His creatures with freedom of choice. Second, if God

had destroyed Lucifer as soon as he began spreading doubts about God's love and

government, the other intelligent creatures would have forever had lingering

questions. They might have thought, "Perhaps Lucifer was right." Therefore,

Lucifer was allowed to demonstrate the horrible results of sin. Finally, God does

not want His creatures to obey Him merely because He will punish them if they

don't. He wants us to obey from principles of love rather than from fear.

3. What finally happened?

Revelation 12:7 And there was _______________ in

_______________: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;

and the _______________ fought and his angels.

NOTE: Eventually Lucifer and the angels who sided with him were expelled

from heaven.

4. What powerful beings work under the devil's command?

Revelation 12:4 And his tail drew the _______________ part of

the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.

Revelation 12:9 He was cast out into the earth, and his

_______________ were cast out with him.

NOTE: Satan is so cunning that he was able to deceive one-third of the angels

of heaven into following him in his rebellion against God. Now called "devils"

and "demons," these fallen angels carry out Satan's plans. In our story of

Absalom, we notice that he likewise did very little of his own dirty work.

Absalom ordered his servants to execute his wishes.

2 Samuel 13:28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now

when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, ... then kill him, fear not: have not I

commanded you?

2 Samuel 14:30 Therefore he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine,

... go and set it on fire.

5. What methods does Satan use in his work?

A. Revelation 12:9 Satan, which _______________ the whole world.

B. Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days,

_______________ of Satan.

C. Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working

_______________.

D. Revelation 12:10 For the _______________ of our brethren is

cast down, which _______________ them before our God day

and night.

E. John 8:44 He was a _______________ from the beginning. ...

For he is a _______________, and the father of it.

NOTE: In one respect, Satan has an advantage over God in the battle between

good and evil. God uses only truth, but Satan can use truth or lies in any

combination, to best serve his purposes. (See supplement entitled "Expect

the Unexpected.")

6. When is the devil most dangerous?

2 Corinthians 11:14, 15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is

transformed into an _______________ of _______________.

NOTE: Just as the devil did, Absalom pretended to love the people and

displayed an interest in their welfare in order to deceive them.

2 Samuel 15:5, 6 And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him

obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this

manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom

stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Satan is most dangerous when he poses as a spiritual being working inside the

church. (See supplement entitled "A Brilliant Angel.")

7. Does Satan know the Bible?

Matthew 4:5, 6 Then the devil ... saith unto him, If thou be the Son of

God, cast thyself down: for it is _______________, He shall give his

angels charge concerning thee.

NOTE: The devil is an expert at quoting and misquoting the Bible for the

purpose of deceiving people. That is why it is essential that God's people know

the Scriptures for themselves to avoid being misled.

8. Whom on earth does the devil hate most?

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the

_______________, and went to make war with the

_______________ of her seed, which keep the commandments of God,

and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

9. What two deadly animals does the Bible use to portray

Satan?

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a

roaring _______________, walketh about, seeking whom he may

devour.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old

_______________, called the Devil, and Satan.

NOTE: Both lions and snakes use stealth and diversion to capture their prey.

Like the devil, they spring suddenly upon their victims and are ruthless and

indifferent to suffering.

10. What is the only way we can resist Satan?

James 4:7, 8 _______________ yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. _______________

_______________ to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

NOTE: The best ways to draw near to God are through prayer and seeking to

know Him through His Word.

11. How did Jesus fight the assaults of the devil?

Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:

for _______________ _______________ _______________.

Ephesians 6:17 The sword of the Spirit, which is the

_______________ of _______________.

Hebrews 4:12 For the _______________ of God is quick, and

powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.

NOTE: Our only safety from Satan's clever deceptions is in storing God's Word

in our minds to keep us from sin. The same tools Jesus used to fight the devil

are needed and available to us today.

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against

the wiles of the devil.

12. How will the final fate of Satan resemble that of Absalom?

2 Samuel 18:17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great

_______________ in the wood.

Isaiah 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides

of the _______________.

13. Will Satan ever reappear to tempt God's people?

Ezekiel 28:19 Never shalt thou be _______________

_______________.

Nahum 1:9 Affliction shall not rise up the _______________

_______________.

14. How does God feel about the destruction of the wicked?

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have

no _______________ in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked

_______________ from his way and _______________: turn ye, turn

ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?

15. How did David respond when he learned that his

rebellious son Absalom had been slain?

2 Samuel 18:33 And the king was much _______________, and

went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he

said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had

_______________ _______________ _______________,

O Absalom, my son, my son!

Your Response

This touching picture displays how our heavenly Father feels about His lost

children. Not only was He willing to die in our place; He went one step

further-He gave His greatest gift, His Son! God is not willing that any should

perish. He is desperate for you to be saved. This is why Jesus died in your place.

Most of the world has joined Satan in rebellion against the heavenly Father.

Will you choose now to love and serve Him?

ANSWER: _______________

 

Supplement

This section provides additional information for further study.

Satan Symbolized by the Kings of Tyre and Babylon

In Isaiah 14:4-15, the Bible uses the king of Babylon as a symbol of

Satan, and in Ezekiel 28:11-19, Satan is symbolized by the king of Tyre.

In both cases we know that the symbolism goes beyond earthly kings

because God's description of the being could not apply to any mortal man.

Notice the ways Lucifer (now called Satan) is described in these passages of

Scripture:

  • fell from heaven (Isaiah 14:12)
  • was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 28:12)
  • had been in Eden (verse 13)
  • every precious stone was his covering (verse 13)
  • was the anointed cherub that covereth (verse 14)
  • was upon the holy mountain of God (verse 14)
  • was perfect in his ways (verse 15)

Since the kings of Babylon and Tyre exhibited the same policies and

suffered the same complete destruction as will Satan's kingdom, God used

them to represent Satan himself. Virtually all Bible authorities are in

agreement on the symbolism. Incidentally, the Bible records many other

references to Lucifer (see Luke 4:5, 6; 10:18; John 8:44; 2 Peter 2:4; 1 John

3:8; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-9), but without Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, we

would not have the complete history.

Expect the Unexpected

Many people expect Satan to openly appear as God's enemy in the end

time, but this is not so. Satan is indeed God's bitterest enemy, but his

approach will be to feign righteousness (Matthew 24:24). He can appear as a

glorious, angelic being (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) and will seek the worship of

people (Revelation 13:12). Scripture is clear that his godly front will be so

convincing that "all the world" will wonder after the beast (Revelation 13:3).

Talk about a tragedy! Satan will be so effective in posing as Christ that

virtually the entire world will follow him, thinking all the time that they are

following Jesus. Will you be deceived? Not if you heed the Bible warnings

presented in this series.

A Brilliant Angel

Satan is delighted when people portray him as an ugly, red, bat-winged

creature that is part-man and part-beast, having split hooves and a long,

pointed tail, or carrying a pitchfork and stoking the fires of hell. Nothing

could be further from the truth. Such concepts come from Greek mythology.

No such nonsense can be found in Scripture. The Bible describes Satan as a

brilliant, highly attractive angel with an uncanny ability to communicate. He

is also well acquainted with Scripture (Matthew 4:5, 6). The devil is a selfproclaimed

enemy of God whose aim is to defame His character and capture

His kingdom. Satan also despises you and your loved ones and has plans to

destroy you. This series will help you understand his plans and learn how to

thwart them. Just place your life in the protective care of your mighty

Saviour, and pray earnestly for His guidance.

 

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