What Does II Samuel 15:26 Mean?

David completes his statement of surrender with remarkable theological clarity: "But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him." The king places himself entirely at the disposal of divine sovereignty, using the prophetic formula "here am I" (hinneni) that was spoken by Abraham on Mount Moriah, by Moses at the burning bush, and by Isaiah in the throne room of God. In his deepest humiliation, David reaches his highest theology, finding in the language of prophetic submission the words that his manipulated court could never have spoken.

The willingness to accept divine displeasure without protest is the mark of a soul that has finally stopped fighting against the consequences of its own sin. David does not argue that his punishment is unjust, does not claim that his past victories entitle him to a pardon, and does not attempt to negotiate terms with God. He simply offers himself: "Here am I." The contrast with Absalom, who is at this moment seizing the throne through deception and force, could not be sharper. The father submits; the son grasps. The anointed king trusts God; the self-appointed king trusts himself.

The Lord Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, offered the most perfect "Here am I" in the history of creation: "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." His submission was not the resignation of a sinner who deserved judgment but the obedience of a sinless Savior who embraced judgment on behalf of others. Where David said "let him do to me as seemeth good," Christ said "not my will, but thine," and the will of the Father that He embraced was the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection that conquered them both.