2 Samuel Chapters 13—18
You
may be someone who was targeted by an Absalom spirit in the past, but didn’t realize
it. You may be someone who is being
targeted now and don’t realize what you’re dealing with. You may be someone who is about to be
targeted by an Absalom spirit and the Holy Spirit wants you to know the
characteristics of this spirit when it manifests. Or, you may be someone who has unknowingly
yielded to this spirit, are under its control, and aren’t aware of it.
When
I first encountered and discerned an Absalom spirit and was troubled by its
manifestations, the Holy Spirit led me to 2 Samuel Chapters 13—18. As I studied and meditated on these
Scriptures, the Holy Spirit imparted insight, knowledge, understanding and
wisdom regarding the Absalom spirit whose presence and manifestations are revealed
through the gift of “discerning of spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:10). If an Absalom spirit is not confronted and
dealt with, it will target and attempt to undermine every level of spiritual authority
in a church.
IDENTIFYING AN ABSALOM SPIRIT
Do you know
someone …
Who
has an inner desire, drive or compulsion to control everything, everybody and
every situation?
Who
continues to get his way every time; speaking loudly, persistently and
aggressively out of turn, with the intent to control a conversation or
situation so that he has his say and way, even when others don’t agree with
him?
Who
is so manipulative in your home, family, office or church that he gets his way
by manipulating others in order to get what he wants and in the manner or way he
wants?
Who
is a spiritual (or secular) “know-it-all,” who has to be the center of
attention, who craves an audience and the praise of men and is compelled to
have the last say on any subject of discussion?
Who
exhibits or acts out inappropriate behavior in a setting or environment which
is under another person’s authority? For
example, someone who blatantly and consistently disregards a person in
authority, interrupts that person and seeks to disrupt social or spiritual
etiquette and protocol, in order to take control, to further his own agenda;
Who
grieves the Holy Spirit in you when he prophesies “in the flesh,” not by the
Holy Spirit, to make himself appear to be super-spiritual and important?
Who
interrupts or speaks out of turn without invitation, to criticize, correct or
debate with a person who is in an assigned position of authority, with the
intent to make that person look inferior, while he seeks to make himself look
superior?
Who
is critical of your pastor and others in positions of authority and leadership
in the church?
If
any of these characteristics describes someone you know, then an Absalom spirit
is present and manifesting.
DEFINITION OF
ABSALOM
An
Absalom spirit is the masculine form of the Jezebel spirit. An Absalom spirit is rooted in PRIDE,
REBELLION,
CONTROL,
JEALOUSY
and RESENTMENT
against all levels of God-ordained authority in a church. This spirit believes that most spiritual authority
is incompetent and is not to be trusted but that it [Absalom] is superior. An Absalom spirit is rooted in hidden agendas,
strategies, alliances and loyalties and will utilize every known wile and
strategy, including but not limited to intimidation, domination, control and
manipulation to further its agenda. In
the church or in a workplace setting, an Absalom spirit is your enemy, not your
friend, and he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15). An Absalom spirit must be confronted and shut
down, or it will seek to undermine every level of spiritual authority that will
enable or allow it to sow seeds of discord, disunity and rebellion.
DEFINITION OF
JEZEBEL
To paraphrase
the story of Jezebel in the Old Testament, Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal,
king of the Zidonians, a priest of Baal, and a cruel and vicious man who
ascended to the throne of Sidon by assassinating his own brother. Sidon is one of the twin cities of the
Phoenicians, a seafaring people who worshipped Baal, the principal male god of
the Phoenicians. The Phoenician version
of Baal worship was deemed evil even by other pagans. (A pagan is a person who has little or no
religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods. The pagans of ancient Rome were followers of
polytheism which is the belief and worship of more than one god.)
When the Romans—hardly
models of virtue themselves—encountered Baalism at Carthage, a Phoenician
colony, they were utterly grossed out by it. Literature from the culture describes Baal
worship as one that is filled with sexual perversions; rife with images of
brutality, rage and frightening cruelty.” Jezebel was the daughter of this Phoenician
culture; probably a priestess of Baal skilled in witchcraft and magic,
completely dedicated to the worship of Baal and the spread of it. Jezebel was also the wife of Ahab, the king
of Israel (1
Kings 16:31), which was the first time that a king of Israel had
allied himself by marriage with a heathen princess.
According to 1 Kings
21:25-26, there was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do
evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after
idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel. Upon marrying Ahab, Jezebel established the
Phoenician idolatry on a grand scale at her husband's court, maintaining at her
table 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Astarte, an
ancient Phoenician goddess of love and fertility. She was such an incredible woman that even the
prophet Elijah was afraid of her in a moment of weakness. You see, throughout Jezebel's reign in
Israel, God’s prophet, Elijah, was her constant nemesis (a formidable and
usually victorious rival or opponent), denouncing her for her worship of Baal and
challenging her again and again.
One of my favorite
stories is how Elijah challenged 450 priests of Baal on Mount Carmel and after
winning the challenge by an awesome demonstration of God’s supernatural power,
ordered all 450 of Jezebel’s priests to be slaughtered in the Keshon Valley. You can read about this in 1 Kings Chapter 18. As the story continues, Ahab told Jezebel
everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all of her prophets with
the sword. In response, Jezebel issued a
death threat against Elijah and in a moment of weakness, Elijah ran for his
life.
The
alliance between King Ahab and Jezebel was in this case of a peculiarly
disastrous kind. Jezebel has stamped her
name on history as the representative of all that is designing, crafty,
malicious, revengeful, and cruel. She is
the first great instigator of persecution against the saints of God. Guided by no principle, restrained by no fear
of either God or man, passionate in her attachment to her heathen worship, she
spared no pains to maintain idolatry around her in all its splendor. As previously stated, four hundred and fifty
prophets ministered under Jezebel’s care to Baal, besides four hundred prophets
of the groves (‘prophets of the Asherah,’ which ate at her table (1 Kings 18:19). (Asherah was the name of a sensual Canaanite
goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar, a goddess of fertility,
love, war and sex.) The idolatry, too,
was of the most debased and sensual kind. Her conduct was in many respects very
disastrous to the kingdom both of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 21:1-29). At length she came to an untimely end.
As
Jehu, King of Israel, the son of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 9:2), rode into the
gates of Jezreel, she looked out at the window of the palace, and said,
"Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?" He looked up and called to
her chamberlains, who instantly threw her from the window, so that she was
dashed in pieces on the street, and his horses trod her under their feet. She was immediately consumed by the dogs of
the street (2
Kings 9:7-37), according to the word of Elijah the Tishbite (1 Kings 21:19). Her name afterwards came to be used as the
synonym for a wicked woman (Revelation 2:20). In Revelation 2:18-23, Jesus confronted this same
spirit in the Church at Thyatira:
“And
unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of
God, who has His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass; I know your
works, and charity, and service, and faith, and your patience, and your works;
and the last to be more than
the first. Notwithstanding I have a few
things against you, because you suffer that woman Jezebel, which calls herself
a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to
eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I
gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I
will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and
all the churches shall know that I am He which searches the reins and hearts:
and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.” (Illustrated Bible Dictionary: And Treasury of
Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature.)
ABSALOM IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Absalom
was King David's son by Maacah, a daughter of Talmai, king of the old native
population of Geshur (2 Samuel 3:3; 1 Kings 1:6). Absalom was noted for his personal beauty and
for the extraordinary profusion of hair on his head (2 Samuel 14:25-26).
The
first public act of Absalom’s life was the blood-revenge he executed against
Amnon, David's eldest son, who raped Absalom's sister, Tamar. This revenge was executed at the time of the
festivities connected with a great sheep-shearing at Baal-hazor. David's other sons fled from the place in
horror, and brought the news of the death of Amnon to Jerusalem.
Alarmed
for the consequences of the act, Absalom fled to his grandfather at Geshur, and
lived there for three years (2 Samuel 3:3; 13:23-38). David mourned his absent son, now branded with
the guilt of fratricide (the murder or killing of a brother or sister).
As
the result of a strategy carried out by a woman of Tekoah, Joab—one of the
three sons of Zeruiah, David's sister, and "captain of the host"
during the whole of David's reign—received David's sanction to invite Absalom
back to Jerusalem. Absalom returned
accordingly, but two years elapsed before his father admitted him into his
presence (2
Samuel 14:28).
Absalom
was now probably the oldest surviving son of David, and as he was of royal
descent by his mother as well as by his father, he began to aspire to the
throne. His pretensions were favored by
the people. By much cunning, he gained
their affection; and after his return from Geshur (2 Samuel 15:7) he went up to
Hebron, the old capital of Judah, along with a great body of the people, and
there proclaimed himself king. The
revolt was so successful that David found it necessary to quit Jerusalem and
flee to Mahanaim, beyond Jordan; where upon Absalom returned to Jerusalem and
took possession of the throne without opposition.
Ahithophel,
who had been David's chief counselor, deserted him and joined Absalom, whose
chief counselor he now became. Hushai, a
friend of the King, also joined Absalom, but only for the purpose of trying to
counteract the counsels of Ahithophel, and so to advantage David's cause. Hushai was so far successful that by his
advice, which was preferred to that of Ahithophel, Absalom delayed to march an
army against his father, who thus gained time to prepare for the defense.
Absalom
at length marched out against his father, whose army, under the command of
Joab, he encountered on the borders of the forest of Ephraim. Twenty thousand
of Absalom's army were slain in that fatal battle, and the rest fled. Absalom fled on a swift mule; but his long
flowing hair, or more probably his head, was caught in the bough of an oak tree,
from which he was left suspended in mid-air until Joab came up and pierced him
through with three darts. His body was
then taken down and cast into a pit dug in the forest, and a heap of stones was
raised over his grave.
When
the tidings of the result of that battle were brought to King David, as he sat
impatiently at the gate of Mahanaim, and he was told that Absalom had been
slain, he gave way to the bitter lamentation: “O my son Absalom, my son, my son
Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33).
Absalom’s three sons (2 Samuel 14:27)
had all died before him, so that he left only a daughter, Tamar, who became the
grandmother of Abija, the second son of the prophet, Samuel.
JEZEBEL & ABSALOM IN THE CHURCH
2 Samuel Chapters 13—18
The demons that controlled
Jezebel and Absalom are very much at work today and seek to destroy homes,
churches, workplace relationships, and society. As I share on the characteristics of the
Absalom spirit today, you will be armed with fresh insight, revelation
knowledge and wisdom. If and when you
encounter a Jezebel or Absalom spirit, whether manifesting through a woman or
man, or vice versa, the Holy Spirit will help you discern and recognize these
characteristics. As an intercessor and minister,
I urge you to pray against these spirits.
The cause of Absalom’s sin was OFFENSE, HATRED, UNFORGIVENESS and BITTERNESS.
WHY KING DAVID FAILED TO DEAL
WITH ABSALOM
His
feelings got in the way and almost destroyed him (13:39; 14:1);
By
feeling that he had to prove his compassion to others, to the point of ruining
his own kingdom;
He
tolerated Absalom’s antics and didn’t confront him.
THE ROOTS OF THE ABSALOM SPIRIT
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in a basic distrust and resentment of one’s spiritual authority
in the church—either justifiable or exaggerated;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in a basic independence and self dependence—especially
as it pertains to honest communication, problem-solving, sharing of honest
feelings, needs, wants, etc.;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in camouflaged bitterness—unresolved disappointments,
fear, anger, impotence, etc.;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in irrational secrets—that appear totally rational and
justified to “the Absalom;”
An
Absalom spirit is secretive and rooted in hidden agendas, strategies, alliances
and loyalties.
BASIC BELIEFS OF THE ABSALOM SPIRIT
Most
authority is not to be trusted;
Most
authority is incompetent;
“I
know the right way to handle this.”
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in hidden contempt, hidden hatred and hidden revenge—of
authority and those under that authority;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in PRIDE;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in REBELLION—that will grow and grow and become unquenchable;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in a deep-seated desire to be close to/next to/in a
place of favor with the one in authority, but not with purity of heart;
An
Absalom spirit is rooted in impressing and stealing the hearts of the people
who are under authority in order to eventually “dethrone” and replace the one
in authority.
HOW AN
ABSALOM SPIRIT MANIFESTS
In
self-promotion;
In
a carefully constructed and carefully projected image—one that is designed to
impress;
In
manipulation, domination, intimidation and control, which is nothing less than
the practice of spiritual witchcraft;
In
selfish ambition—disguised to appear as service to others;
In
opportunism—self-advancement at the expense of others;
In
divisiveness, antagonism (opposition), and negative criticism of authorities to
promote self;
In
rebellion and/or insurrectionism;
In
false humility;
In
thievery—stealing the hearts and loyalty of the people away from their true
authority;
In
treachery. WARNING!
Absalom is not your friend and any
disagreement is serious to him! ABSALOM IS
DANGEROUS!;
An
Absalom spirit manifests in subtle seduction;
An
Absalom spirit manifests in religious hypocrisy and hype;
An
Absalom spirit manifests in betrayal.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE ABSALOM SPIRIT
An Absalom spirit seeks an
audience;
Love, kindness and favor are its
“wiles;”
Absalom caused division by
sweetness, “stealing the hearts” of David’s followers;
Wins the hearts of people through
flattery, favors, special treatment and by catering to their weaknesses;
Nothing the pastor/leaders do is
good enough for Absalom. He will always
find fault;
Absalom plants seeds of doubt
concerning leadership. They find faults
in leaders that are usually not related to spiritual qualifications and minor
things are made major issues;
Absalom has a hidden agenda. His motives and agenda are not known until
they manifest and are discerned;
An Absalom spirit is sneaky and
does things behind your back;
Absalom tells you what you want to hear. A pastor’s job is to speak Truth in
love. Sometimes that Truth hurts and
requires change, but it is meant for our good;
Absalom relies on a spirit of
deception to blind you to the fact that you are deceived by it;
Absalom’s objective is to rebel
against God’s established authority in the church and to influence others to
rebel, too;
An Absalom spirit will eventually
come forward with open disloyalty and division.
If you know
someone with these characteristics, I encourage you to pray for the person and
ask the Holy Spirit to show you their heart.
If an Absalom or Jezebel spirit is manifesting, the Holy Spirit will
confirm it to you. I am well-acquainted
with Jezebel and Absalom, having been targeted by these spirits because the
Lord strategically positioned me to witness them in manifestation. Having been called by God into deliverance
ministry, exposure to demon spirits has been an integral part of my
training. Through the gift of “discerning
of spirits,” the Holy Spirit has always been Faithful to confirm the presence of an
Absalom or Jezebel spirit.
WHY THE
ABSALOM SPIRIT IS DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH
People are emotionally
attached to an Absalom through relationships;
Absalom is nice,
lovable and popular. Everyone loved
Absalom, even David;
Dealing with an Absalom
appears as unloving;
It appears as though
the pastor/leaders are paranoid.
THE TARGET OF
ABSALOM
Those who are loyal and have the trust
of the pastor and leader(s) are targets for an Absalom spirit.
HOW TO DEAL
WITH AN ABSALOM SPIRIT
An Absalom spirit doesn’t change
his nature or true colors outside of the church. I have actually worked with people who operated
with an Absalom spirit.
Whatever the setting, the
presence of an Absalom spirit will be revealed by the Holy Spirit through the
gift of “discerning of spirits” while the spirit is manifesting. When I encounter this spirit, “red flags”
wave like crazy in my spirit and the Holy Spirit within me is grieved (John 16:13; 1
Corinthians 12:10; 1 John 4:1);
A believer who is bound by an
Absalom spirit is usually also blinded by a deceiving spirit and, therefore, is
not aware that he is being controlled by an Absalom spirit. If the manifestation(s) of Absalom is causing
a problem in your life, you are responsible for confronting it. God does not want you to be manipulated,
controlled or abused by an Absalom spirit.
If, after confrontation, the person continues to target you, go straight
to the pastor and tell him about “Absalom” before it is too late for them and
for you. If an Absalom spirit is causing
trouble in your Church, the pastor should be informed immediately because, as
overseer and protector of the sheep, he is responsible for confronting and
dealing with this spirit. If left
unchecked, an Absalom spirit will use craft and wile to target and undermine
every level of spiritual authority in The Church. An Absalom spirit must be exposed and dealt
with swiftly and firmly, but the person who is being influenced and controlled
by this spirit must be dealt with in the spirit of love, deliverance and
reconciliation. A believer who has an
Absalom spirit must realize that he is under its control and he must desire to
be delivered and set free. The anointing
will destroy this yoke of bondage. (Isaiah 10:27; Romans
14:13; Galatians 6:1).
Shut Absalom down by not giving
him an audience and by not being an easy target for him. An Absalom spirit seeks weak, vulnerable and
easily-influenced people to prey on.
Tolerating the antics of an Absalom spirit only enables him to continue
pursuing his agenda (James 4:7).
I personally will not entertain or tolerate an Absalom;
Proper role modeling. DO NOT KEEP COMPANY with an Absalom spirit! If the congregation sees you hobnobbing with
Absalom, they will think it’s OK to hobnob with him, too (Romans 16:17; 2
Thessalonians 3:6);
Avoid promoting people in the
church until the person’s true character is proven (Matthew 7:18-20; 12:33; 1 Timothy 3:6);
Mark those who cause division in
the church and avoid them (Romans 16:17-18);
Pray for an Absalom to be
delivered, healed and reconciled (Matthew 5:44);
Leave vengeance to the Lord. If a person who has an Absalom spirit is
unwilling to repent and seek deliverance, his own pride will bring him
down. Once exposed and shut down, an
Absalom will either repent and seek deliverance, or he will leave a church in
search of better hunting ground (2 Samuel 18:9);
As
a minister, I exhort you to remain loyal to the pastor and leaders of your
church who are submitted to God and who are committed to doing things His Way, even
if they do not seem perfect or adequate in your eyes. God is a God of Order and anything less than
His Order is rebellion in His eyes and, according to 1 Samuel 15:23, rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft.
Be Discerning, Be Safe and Be Blessed!
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