Chapter 15
Absalom sets himself up as a judge, and dispenses favors to those with disputes by playing favorites. (2021 - He is usurping the authority of the King by dispensing corruption to those who will then owe him a favor. He is doing the Godfather thing in Israel. Both Joab and David had to have known about this. Such a public thing could not have been secret for long. Yet apparently, nothing is done to stop it.) Once many people owe him favors, Absalom gets David's permission to go to Hebron - to separate himself from David and those loyal to David.
2024 - 2 Samuel 15:7 NASB1995
[7] Now it came about at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.
Most translations say 40 here, but a few, including ESV, call it 4. It surely cannot be 40...David would have been dead? Or he may have been very old. Hmmm...maybe that's why nothing was done. The word translated is surely 40 so the thing to do is see how similar in Hebrew are 4 and 40. See if it could be a transcription error...but if so, why wouldn't they fix it? Note in BLB says in Hebrew, it is 40, but in Syriac and the Septuagint, it is 4.
David initially ruled from Hebron when he was ruler over Judah and Benjamin only, during the days before the kingdom was united. So Hebron would be seen as kind of a capitol city. He takes 200 men with him, who don't know that Absalom intends to have himself declared King in Hebron. These 200 men make it look like David is "sharing" the kingdom with Absalom, because David is growing old.
This verse:
12 And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing. [2Sa 15:12 ESV]
Ahithophel is Bathsheba's grandfather, and may have been harboring a grudge against David, though he was in a position as David's advisor. This also reinforces the legitimacy of Absalom's claims, since a close personal advisor of David is also now with Absalom in Hebron. Absalom should not have been offering sacrifices in Hebron, however. That should only have been done in Jerusalem.
Upon learning all this, David flees Jerusalem. He does not want the restored and beautified city to be ruined in a war between he and Absalom.
(2021 - But is David over-reacting to Absalom? Absalom doesn't really have an army capable of besieging Jerusalem, he only has a few hundred men? Before, we have seen David stop to ask God what he should do even when most would think the course of action obvious. But this time, we have no indication that David checked with God at all. Or perhaps he did, and God is still withdrawn because of the sin with Bathsheba and the consequences that were promised? In any case, this seems like over-reaction.)
30 But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went. [2Sa 15:30 ESV]
See notes on this elsewhere.............
David hears that Ahithophel is with the conspirators. So maybe David doesn't realize that the 200 don't know what is afoot. But David prays that Ahithophel's advice to Absalom will be foolish advice.
David enlists an old friend's help as a spy for him in the palace of Absalom. The friend's name is Hushai. He is to communicate with David through the sons of Zadok the high priest. Hushai agrees, and gets back to Jerusalem just as Absalom is entering.
(2021 - Conspiracy and counter-conspiracy are the order of the day. So much intrigue is being put into place. David does pray, and it seems God is with him, but still...things are very much in question.)