Absalom's Takeover

Although not anointed king, Absalom rose tip to wrest the reins of administration of Israel from his father. David's laxity with his sons surely contributed to the sorrowful state in the kingdom. Yet he was still God's anointed king and his failures, grievous though they were, did not entitle Absalom to lay claim to the throne.
Absalom stole—notice Scripture does not say "won," as in Proverbs 11:30—the hearts of the men of Israel by posturing himself as possessing greater sensitivity to their needs than David. In actuality, his maneuvers were components of a larger scheme designed to capitalize on the people's simplicity and ultimately thrust him into a position of political ascendancy. By repeated, denigrating jabs at David as an out-of-touch and uncaring leader, Absalom fueled the fire of discontent. Fifty men who led his well-orchestrated public relations campaign coordinated their efforts with the spies who, working behind the scenes, had infiltrated every tribe of Israel Finally the momentum of his conspiracy crested, the trumpet sounded, and Absalom was declared king in Hebron.
Paul refused to have dominion over the Corinthians' faith, or, in the spirit of this passage, he refused to reign in Hebron. Being an apostle, he could have invoked his authority over them, but instead he sought to stir their consciences by bringing before them their responsibility to God. By faithfully ministering the truth—not fables—he was a helper of their joy. This is true Christian ministry. It is by faith we stand, not by human persuasion and reason (2 Cor. 1:24).
May we value leaders God has raised up for the good of the assembly, but reject outright any man that seeks to bring us into bondage (2 Cor. 11:20). We have been bought with a price and are not to be the servants of men (1 Cor. 7:23),