Is Absalom as stupid as he is brave for standing up and usurping David's throne? Absalom shows his sign of courage by rebelling against the man who defeated Goliath, but futilely takes David away from his spear and gets himself killed. The wrongs David suffers after being crowned king are the only instances in which Absalom can legitimize his revolt and question David's righteousness, but they actually show signs of David's morality that Absalom does not see. Absalom exhibits no similar characteristics as David succeeds in dealing with the surrounding Philistines, and Absalom makes a fool of himself when he finds himself with no motive for revolution other than selfishness. Rather, Absalom is described as more suitable as a fool than as a king. David repenting for his sins and weakness shows that he is fit to be the pinnacle of a prosperous leader, which leaves Absalom with no reason to start his revolution. Although David shows acts of weakness in character, Absalom is no better than when David commits adultery for throwing David from his throne. David is an amazing king for protecting his land and being able to move the Ark, so David has shown no signs that a new king is needed for the kingdom to prosper; however David shows weakness when he is unable to control his children. Unlike David who recognizes what he has done wrong, Absalom shows cowardly qualities when he is the only one who runs away to avoid confrontation with his father after ordering the servants to kill Amnon (The Holy Bible, 2 Samuel, 13: 28-29). Absalom shows many more weaknesses than David. Furthermore, Absalom does not remedy his defects. By character, Absalom makes... in the center of the card... king. There is no good reason why Absalom should try to rebel against David. Instead of becoming a great king, he ends up becoming a dead madman. Even with the case of Bathsheba and the inability to control his children (Amnor raping Temar), David is such an iconic king because all the reasons that would question his leadership make him appear even greater than before he committed the sins. Rather, the Bible shows that David improves in righteousness when he cries and admits that he has wronged God and begs for forgiveness. David supervising the rape of Temar is depicted to show how David was marked for committing adultery. The more problems reveal David's flaws, the more they become opportunities for David to improve himself. By acknowledging what he did wrong, David belies any reason why revolting against him would benefit the kingdom.