The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword. – 2 Samuel 18:8

Today's Scripture Reading (November 9, 2025): 2 Samuel 18

In 1981, the low-budget cult film "Don't Go into the Woods" was released. The total budget for the movie was $150,000; not much in the world of movies. Even almost 45 years ago. But the film has become one of those cult classics, and the experts struggle to explain their popularity. The film follows four students who go into a remote forest for a camping getaway filled with fun and music. What the four don't know is that there is a problem in the forest that they have chosen for their retreat. People who go into the woods keep on dying.

The law, or maybe better phrased, the lazy sheriff, believes that a bear is on the loose in the forest and sets out to trap the beast. But the audience soon realizes that the sheriff is wrong (big surprise) and something else is happening to those who dare to enter the woods. The movie has been widely criticized for its violence and formulaic plot, yet it has amassed a significant following over the years. Personal note: Do not watch this movie unless you really like violent slasher films, because this movie is the granddaddy of them all.

Why bother to mention an old slasher film in relation to a blog on the Bible? Well, the author of Samuel tells a strange story of the battle between the armies of David and Absalom. At this point, Absalom's army consisted of soldiers from all over Israel. The two armies met in the forest country of Ephraim. I have to admit that it sounds like a strange place for a battle. But then, the author of Samuel adds this note: "The forest swallowed up or killed more men that day than the sword." The forest was more deadly than the army of David. It sounds like it might have been a forest similar to the one highlighted in "Don't Go into the Woods."

So, what happened? We don't really know. Conservative theologians have argued that the army of Absalom died due to the everyday dangers of a forest, such as a bear loose in the woods (no, I am not saying that Conservative theologians are cousins of the lazy sheriff). Adam Clarke (1762-1832) makes this comment;

It is generally supposed that, when the army was broken, they betook themselves to the wood, fell into pits, swamps, and so forth, and being entangled, were hewn down by David's men; but the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, state that they were devoured by wild beasts in the wood (Adam Clarke).

Less traditional scholars are not so sure. Maybe there was a presence in the woods that swallowed up these soldiers. But regardless of what you might believe, it seems that God fought the battle for David, and the forest swallowed up the army of Absalom in a most unusual way.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 19