Parakalein

In II Samuel 18, David instructs all the hundreds of soldiers to watch over Absalom, his son.
This was not because David loved Absalom more than any of his other children.  Preferential treatment was not part of the palace sop or was it?

During the battle vs 8 tells us oddly enough that "more soldiers died in the forest that by the sword".

Really, that seems odd.  With javelins flying through the air, swords wielded by the strong arms of warriors, and arrows flying through the sky, more soldiers died. What if tucked in this passage is an amazingly neglected truth.  Inside of people when they hold anger, hurt or violence they will eventually succumb to that violence or act that violence out toward others.  Absalom, who David knew held in his heart the anger and hurt of his half brother's murder of his full sister and more her silent banishment into a remote part of the palace to liv ever life our in shame and obscurity.  The real shame is that David cared more about what people thought than the life of his daughter.  Absalom took matters into his own hands and when in battle the opportunity arose he slew Amnon hi shelf brother to avenge his sister's hurt.  Amnon had raped her but Dad had raped her of her life by not standing up for her and offering justice.

So on this day when Absalom was riding throughout the forest of his own mental anguish he was not paying attention so the just and pain in his heart and the violence inside blinded him from good self care.  He ran in to a tree limb that hung him out to his death.  So true that our inner hurt an pain cause us pain in living and in death. This is why David wash concerned of his son and why when he learns of his sons death he exclaims, "I should had died instead".

The tragedy is had David stood for life of his daughter his sons would have lived in the green pastures of grace rather than die in the forest of confusion and pain.