2 Samuel 15:12-13 And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom. And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.
Absalom always had the political ambition to be king, but without a heart for God. On the other hand, David might have had similar ambitions, but first of all he had a heart for God and would wait God’s timing. Absalom looked the part of a king by outward appearance, and he was worldly-wise to give the people what they wanted. In a short while many of the people followed after Absalom in his rebellion, while a smaller, loyal contingent supported David.
It is a natural worldly response to follow after outward appearance and after leaders who give us what we want. It is a spiritual response of faith to follow after the inward heart of God and after leaders who have a heart for God. We are all drawn to what we can see with our eyes and bodies. However, the eyes of faith sees things differently. For this reason, God gives us the revelation of the unseen things of God in His Word.
There will always be a struggle within us for the attraction of the worldly things we can see and the heavenly things we can’t see. These are apprehended by faith, which itself is a gift of God through the Gospel. We need a constant exposure to the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ to open the eyes of the heart to grasp the things of God that we really need. Otherwise we will be deceived by the world into giving our heart to that which is either empty vapor or full of evil.