The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 74, The Gibeonites Avenged, Part One

The material contained in Chapter 21 is difficult to understand from a spiritual viewpoint and I doubt if we will arrive at an answer that satisfies all our questions. Even the most well-respected Bible scholars of the ages have had difficulty with this passage of the Bible. We will do our best to study the information we're given and then will discuss whether or not we think David was right or wrong to handle the problem the way he did.

Our chapter begins with a famine in Israel that lasts for three years. The author of 2 Samuel doesn't tell us at what point in David's reign the famine occurs but many scholars believe it occurs exactly where it appears in the book: right after the rebellion of Sheba is ended. The author simply says it happened "during the reign of David" but it's generally accepted that it happened during the latter years of his reign.

"During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord." (2 Samuel 21:1a) It's not uncommon to have a year or two of drought or poor harvests. But by the third year David begins to suspect something more is going on. Perhaps it is a judgment of the Lord for sin in the land. The author tells us he "sought the face of the Lord" and in David's day this usually meant consulting a priest or prophet who would inquire on the king's behalf.

"The Lord said, 'It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.'" (2 Samuel 21:1b) The Bible has not previously told us of any incident during which King Saul slaughtered any of the Gibeonites. The Israelites were forbidden to assault the Gibeonites because they had sworn an oath to them in Joshua 9. In Joshua 9 we find the Gibeonites (who are descendants of the Amorites, whom the Lord instructed the Israelites to destroy from the promised land) deciding to deceive the Israelites by pretending to be from a far country. They heard how the Israelites destroyed Jericho and Ai and they want to trick them into making a treaty with them so their own cities will not be destroyed. So they go to the Israelites like a delegation that has been traveling for many days, dressed in old patched clothing, with worn out and mended sacks and wineskins loaded onto their donkeys, and with molded bread in their sacks. They know the Lord commanded the Israelites to destroy all their close neighbors (the heathen tribes of Canaan) and they claim to be from far away. Joshua doesn't check out their story and makes an alliance with them in the name of the Lord. Upon finding out that they've been deceived, the Israelites are bound by their promise not to harm the Gibeonites. But at some point in King Saul's reign he did harm the Gibeonites and the priest or prophet who consults the Lord for David tells David that the three years of famine are the result of the blood that was wrongly shed by King Saul.

Why did Saul attack people he was commanded not to attack? The author gives us a clue in this next segment after David summons the leaders of the Gibeonites to the palace. "The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)" (2 Samuel 21:2) Saul was a man with a rebellious spirit. Over and over we found him doing things his way instead of God's way. Then, when confronted with his rebelliousness, he always made excuses for it. He never wanted to admit his disobedience or take responsibility for it. The slaughter of many of the Gibeonites must have been one of those occasions where he decided to take matters into his own hands. He took it upon himself to kill some of the descendants of the Amorites even though he was forbidden to lay a finger on them. Prior to the mistake made in Joshua 9, the Israelites had been instructed to make an end of the Amorites. But because of their oath to the branch of the Amorites known as the Gibeonites, they could not completely fulfill the Lord's instructions. Their oath made in the Lord's name supersedes the original instructions. 

Joshua made a mistake in accepting the Gibeonites' story without making sure the story was true. The people made a mistake in making a treaty with the Gibeonites in the name of the Lord. But just because they were wrong to make the treaty doesn't mean they don't have to abide by it. Using the Lord's name is a serious matter. To go back on an oath made in His name would be to disrespect His name and to disrespect all that He stands for. The Lord is righteous and does not tell lies or make empty promises. If the Israelites had gone back on their word to the Gibeonites, the heathen peoples of the land would have had an opportunity to blaspheme the name of the Lord. They would have had a reason to ask themselves, "If the word of the people of the Lord can't be trusted, can the Lord Himself be trusted? Can we even be sure the God of Israel is real? If He does not judge His people for breaking the oath they made in His name, we have no proof that He exists."

David wants to do something to satisfy the Gibeonites' need for justice and something to end the famine in Israel. The people may have had enough stored grain to make it through the first and second years of famine but by the third year things are looking pretty dire. Their storehouses must be nearly empty by now. David asks the leaders of the Gibeonites what he can do. "David asked the Gibeonites, 'What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance?'" (2 Samuel 21:3) He doesn't propose a solution himself; he asks what will be an acceptable solution to them. 

"The Gibeonites answered him, 'We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul's family, nor do we have the right to put anyone to death.'" (2 Samuel 21:4a) Under the terms of their agreement with the Israelites, the Gibeonites became subject to them. Legally they cannot go to any of Saul's family and demand money as compensation for the way Saul wronged them. Legally they cannot arrest and execute any of Saul's family. The rights of the Gibeonites are limited in Israel and the king would have to demand money or arrests and executions on their behalf. When they mention death, David understands that they are asking him to fulfill the law of "an eye for an eye". Which brings us to this next verse: "'What do you want me to do for you?' David asked." (2 Samuel 21:4b)

In tomorrow's text they are going to ask for the execution of seven members of Saul's family. We will discuss reasons for and against believing their request is lawful. We will discuss whether or not David should have granted this request. There is an additional condition to their request that will cause extra grief and shame to the families of the executed men and in my opinion David should not have allowed that particular condition to be carried out. However, when he realizes his error he will quickly correct it. One thing we can say about David is that, although he makes mistakes (sometimes shockingly big mistakes), as soon as he realizes he's made a mistake he's quick to repent of it and to rectify the mistake whenever possible.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 73, The Rebellion Instigated By Sheba Is Put To An End

As we closed yesterday's study we found Joab stabbing his cousin Amasa in the gut before continuing his pursuit of the rebel Sheba (who is stirring up opposition against David) and his men. Some of David's troops don't know what to do when they come upon the wounded Amasa lying in the roadway. During Absalom's brief reign, he was the chief general of Absalom's army. Since David was reinstated as king of Israel, he has been David's chief general in place of Joab. It draws the troops up short to find this army commander in their path and, if not for the quick thinking of one of Joab's men, it might have delayed the pursuit of Sheba or derailed it altogether. 

"One of Joab's men stood beside Amasa and said, 'Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!' Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri." (2 Samuel 20:11-13) This man's treatment of Amasa may be callous but on the other hand, in most nations a man who commanded the army of a man attempting to usurp the throne would have been executed for treason as soon as the rightful king was restored to the throne. Amasa was perfectly willing to lead Absalom's forces in a battle where the objective was to kill David. Any other king in the world at that time would almost certainly have had Amasa put to death for his treachery. But David is Amasa's uncle, David is bitter toward Joab over the death of Absalom, and David may have thought he'd regain the support of those who had betrayed him by placing Absalom's general at the head of his own army. Amasa didn't earn or deserve his position over the army and now Joab has relieved him of it, whether or not his method was right or wrong.

"Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites, who gathered together and followed him. All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, a wise woman called from the city, 'Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.'" (2 Samuel 20:14-16) Earlier in our chapter we were told that Sheba is the son of Bikri, so when we learn he gathers supporters from among the Bikrites, he's gathering supporters from among his own people. With him also are some or all of those who deserted David on the way back from the Jordan River to Jerusalem---those who quarreled with the men of Judah and accused them of trying to make themselves a big deal in David's eyes. Sheba does not have enough men to face down Joab's forces. If he did, he would not have fled to a fortified city for refuge. 

People under siege usually undergo terrible deprivations. If a siege continues long enough, people can't go out to work their crops or tend their flocks and herds. People can't obtain food and medicine from outside. They begin dying of starvation or of treatable medical conditions. A woman known only to us as a "wise woman" takes matters into her own hands to put an end to the siege. I don't know whether the author of 2 Samuel refers to her as a wise woman because she saves the day in our text or whether she's a respected female elder of her city or whether she's a prophetess. But she decides she isn't going to just sit there; she's going to do something. She calls for the man now in command of the army, Joab, and he draws near enough to hear her words. "He went toward her, and she asked, 'Are you Joab?' 'I am,' he answered." (2 Samuel 20:17a)

She asks him why he would want to destroy a city that is at peace with everyone around it. "She said, 'Listen to what your servant has to say.' 'I'm listening,' he said. She continued, 'Long ago they used to say, 'Get your answer at Abel,' and that settled it. We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord's inheritance?'" (2 Samuel 20:17b-19) Abel was evidently once known as a city where wisdom could be sought. There may have been a school of prophecy there or perhaps a council of elders. There is still at least one wise provider of advice in the city---this woman---and Joab clearly displays an attitude of respect for her when he makes his reply.

"'Far be it from me!' Joab replied, 'Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I'll withdraw from the city.'" (2 Samuel 20:20-21a) Do the average citizens of Abel not know what the siege is about? Are the leaders of the city protecting Sheba and his men? Or does Sheba have few enough supporters that they were able to enter the city gates in the daytime and blend in with the crowd? We are not provided with these answers but from our text it appears as if the wise woman does not know why Joab and his army are preparing to lay siege to the city. I believe most of her fellow citizens don't know why either, but as soon as she informs them of the reason, they help her put an end to the situation. 

"The woman said to Joab, 'His head will be thrown to you from the wall.' Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem." (2 Samuel 20:21b-22) When the leader of the rebellion is killed, the rebellion itself is killed. Sheba didn't have enough followers for him to be successful in the long run anyway. Joab blows the trumpet to signal the end of the conflict and he and all his men return home.

Upon Joab's return to Jerusalem, he is reinstated as top commander over David's army. "Joab was over Israel's entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Ira the Jairite was David's priest." (2 Samuel 20:23-26) I don't know whether or not David wants to reinstate Joab to his position as commander of the entire army but there is no other man in Israel at this time who can rally an army like Joab can. There is no other man whose orders so many men will automatically follow without question. Joab has helped the nation win a number of decisive battles against foreign enemies and against domestic enemies. He may not be the type of man David wants to lead his army but right now he's the type of man David needs. 

Help doesn't always come to us through the channels we expect. I've had unbelievers give me aid in my troubles. I've had agnostics and bakslidden believers give me encouragement. I've had people do things for me because it helped them get something they wanted, not so much because they felt generous toward me. Joab is a loose cannon and does what seems best to him for David and for the nation even when what seems best to him contradicts direct orders from David. Yet in a lot of ways he helps David by being shrewd and ruthless and being able to look at situations more objectively than David can. Up until now he has always been firmly on David's side even though some of his actions have served to fulfill his own ambitions. We can say what we will about Joab's character but we can't say he has never done anything good for David or for Israel.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 72, Rebellion Breaks Out; Joab Murders Amasa

In yesterday's study we found the men of the ten northern tribes claiming that the men of Judah took over the procession of the return of the king and did not give them a chance to participate as fully as they would have liked. We know at least a thousand men of Benjamin also participated in the return of the king but today we'll find a man of the tribe of Benjamin stirring up a rebellion against David. Joab will take this opportunity to murder his cousin and military rival, Amasa.

"Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, 'We have no share in David, no part in Jesse's son! Every man to his tent, Israel!'" (2 Samuel 20:1) He's voicing his decision not to support David and is calling upon the men of the northern tribes, who have been in dispute with the men of Judah, to leave the procession to Jerusalem and go home. This is exactly what they do. "So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri." (2 Samuel 20:2a) When the author says "all the men of Israel" he is no doubt referring to the group of men of Israel who came down to the Jordan River to escort the king, not literally all the men of Israel. At this point these men desert him and go home. But the men of Judah who came down to the river continue with him all the way to the palace. "But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem." (2 Samuel 20:2b)

David has a matter to take care of in the palace when he gets home. When David departed from Jerusalem upon hearing Absalom had proclaimed himself king, he left ten concubines to take care of the palace. You'll recall that when Absalom took his father's place in the palace, Ahithophel advised him to also take his father's place with his father's concubines as a symbol to the whole nation that he intends to take his father's place in every way. So Absalom had a tent set up on the roof of the palace where he took the concubines inside with him, one by one, and slept with them. We said at that time we couldn't be sure whether he forced himself on these women or whether they were willing participants because they thought it in their best interests. But even if they didn't protest Absalom's actions, we can't truly say they were completely free to make this choice; there was no good choice available to them. When David arrives back at the palace he doesn't legally divorce these women because, even if they went into the tent with Absalom without protesting, he understands that they were under duress. It wouldn't be right to divorce them but at the same time it's understandable that he would no longer wish to have a relationship with any of them. So he continues to provide for them for the rest of their lives but he never again calls any of them into his presence, as the author informs us below.

"When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement until their death, living as widows." (2 Samuel 20:3) Concubines were legal wives, not mistresses. However, they did not have the same rights as wives from a man's own country. Concubines were foreign women, usually women purchased as slaves or women taken from a defeated enemy army. According to the ways of the world in David's time, these women are his property. They have no legal recourse against being confined to house arrest. Slavery is wrong and the treatment women have endured at the hands of men is wrong and I am not condoning anything David does in regard to his concubines. I'm just pointing out that these things were accepted practices in David's time and that under most other kings these women would have fared much worse, for it's likely that a pagan king would have had them put to death upon his return to the palace.

Next David commands his nephew Amasa, whom he recently appointed to the position of top general in place of his nephew Joab, to muster the fighting men of Judah. "Then the king said to Amasa, 'Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.' But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him." (2 Samuel 20:4-5) Why does it take Amasa longer than it should have? It could be because he lacks the experience of Joab and does not know how to summon the men in a timely manner. It could be that many of the men are slow to follow him, preferring instead to follow Joab who has commanded them in so many battles.

When Amasa doesn't return by the prescribed time, David commands his nephew Abishai (the younger brother of Joab) to call up the king's special troops. "David said to Abishai, 'Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master's men and pursue them, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.' So Joab's men and all the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri." (2 Samuel 20:6-7) David wants Sheba killed so that the movement that's gathered behind him will dissipate.

"While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath." (2 Samuel 20:8) Earlier in the book we discussed the possible reasons why Joab was demoted as David's top army general. It may have been due to political expediency: replacing him with Absalom's top general as a way of appeasing those who had given their allegiance to Absalom. Or it may have been due to David knowing or suspecting that Joab had a hand in Absalom's death. Interestingly, we don't find Joab deserting David or the army of Israel even though he's fallen out of favor with the king. He's gone out to battle in spite of not being in charge of the troops.

Amasa shows up after Abishai, Joab, and the king's special troops arrive at Gibeon. Joab sees an opportunity to take out his rival. He steps forward as if to greet Amasa in a friendly manner and his dagger drops out of his belt, either by accident or on purpose, so that he appears to have no weapon in hand. But it is believed by many scholars that he has another, smaller dagger concealed up his sleeve, perhaps strapped to his wrist. This makes more sense than thinking he picks up the dagger from the ground in the sight of Amasa and stabs Amasa with it. "Joab said to Amasa, 'How are you, my brother?' Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab's hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out onto the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri." (2 Samuel 20:9-10)

Amasa wasn't on his guard because he didn't see a weapon in Joab's hand. Another reason he might not have been on guard is because he and Joab are first cousins since their mothers are sisters to each other. But there's a reason why there's a saying that goes: "All is fair in love and war." This saying doesn't exist because it's true that all is fair in love and war. It exists because there's not much some people won't do for love or to get the better of someone they consider an enemy. Joab's familial relationship to Amasa is of no consequence to him. He disowned Amasa as a kinsman when Amasa took Absalom's side over David's and fought against David, Joab, and Joab's brother Abishai. He no doubt harbored a great deal of resentment toward Amasa when David promoted him to general of his army and demoted Joab. In Joab's mind, he was only looking out for his king and his country when he killed Absalom. In most nations Joab would have been rewarded for stabbing Absalom in the heart, even if Absalom was the son of the king, but David isn't most kings. Because of his love for his son, David can't get past his suspicions or his knowledge that Joab took the life of Absalom after David strictly ordered all the troops to take Absalom alive.

Joab wastes no time, after committing the murder of Amasa, to continue the pursuit of Sheba. When he and the men successfully handle the rebellious Sheba and return to Jerusalem, we'll find Joab once again in command of David's army. He is still faithful to his king---for now. But a day will come when he will not be. Joab has proven himself treacherous to other men on several occasions but he has always been firmly on David's side. A time is coming when he will prove himself treacherous to David also.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 71, A Dispute Breaks Out Between The Northern And Southern Tribes

David and those with him thankfully and triumphantly crossed back over the Jordan River on their way back to Jerusalem in yesterday's study. But trouble begins brewing right away. The ten northern tribes claim the two southern tribes received preferential treatment when this procession was being put together. 

We were told yesterday that all the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had come down to the Jordan River to ceremonially cross over with the king. We know at least a thousand men of Benjamin also helped the king to cross over; there may have been more since the Bible often refers to the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin simply by the combined term of "Judah". The ten northern tribes feel as if they weren't given as much time and opportunity to participate in the king's return as the tribe of Judah was given. "Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, 'Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?'" (2 Samuel 19:41) 

It seems as if the men of the ten northern tribes should have had time to form a party twice the size of the one that went to the Jordan. You'll recall that the ten northern tribes were the first to begin insisting that David be returned to the throne in Jerusalem. Judah was the last to get on board and invite the king home. I am not sure why they were last except that Absalom's rebellion began in Jerusalem and in Judah and, after the death of Absalom, public opinion may have been equally divided in Judah as to whether to reinstate David or whether to anoint someone else as king. But once the people of Judah decided unity was more important to them than continuing the division caused by Absalom, all their troops got together and went to escort the king home. By contrast, only half the troops of the other tribes went to the Jordan to escort the king, even though they were in agreement to reinstate him as king before the men of Judah were. If, however, they were not informed of the date and time that the king would be crossing over, there is some validity to their argument that they didn't have enough notice to form a party as large as they would have liked to have formed. On the other hand, if the northern tribes and the southern tribes were better at working together, this lack of communication could not have happened. 

The men of Judah remind the men of Israel that David is a Judahite. So even though they were the last to make up their minds about reinstating him as king, once they made up their minds they did it in a big way. Once those who had forsaken David for Absalom realized they'd made a mistake, they came together with those who'd remained faithful to David and they all went down to the Jordan in a spirit of brotherhood. These men counter the accusations of the men of the northern tribes like this: "All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, 'We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king's provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?'" (2 Samuel 19:42) They say, "You behave as if we came out to support the king for our own gain, expecting a reward. We are not expecting a reward! We haven't even eaten a morsel of the fine foods supplied to the king by his supporters. We supplied our own selves for the journey. We do not want or expect a reward because we are doing what it is our duty to do. David is one of us. We owe it to him to see him home with the biggest welcoming committee we can put together. We owe it to him to try to make up for what he's been through due to Absalom's rebellion and those who followed Absalom in his rebellion. Why are you accusing us of selfish motives? We've done nothing to benefit ourselves. Our only intention is to honor our kinsman the king."

"Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, 'We have ten shares in the king; so we have a greater claim to David than you have. Why then do you treat us with contempt? Weren't we the first to speak of bringing back our king?'" (2 Samuel 19:43a) They say, "So what if you're from David's own tribe? The men of Judah and Benjamin combined are only two shares in the king; there are ten northern tribes and we have ten shares in the king! We should have had more say in how this welcoming party was put together. We should have had more opportunity to do good things for the king. You purposely did not include us in your planning committee because you wanted to make yourselves look better than us. You wanted to gain favor for yourselves from the king."

I believe the second half of verse 43 indicates that this argument goes on for some time. Eventually the men of Judah "win", if anyone can be said to win when the Lord's people are arguing among themselves. I don't know if they win because their attitude is so fierce that the men of Israel stop answering back or if it's because David calls a halt to the argument and states that he feels the men of Judah are correct. "But the men of Judah pressed their claims even more forcefully than the men of Israel." (2 Samuel 19:43b) 

A man named Sheba who is on the scene will speak words that incite a rebellion in tomorrow's passage. The unhappy men of the northern tribes will be enticed into this rebellion by their anger and bitterness toward the men of Judah. As a result, they will refuse to go all the way to Jerusalem with the king and will drop out of the procession. 

What's happening in Chapter 19 can be compared to divisions in the church congregations of today. Instead of coming together in unity and brotherhood/sisterhood as the family of God, there is infighting and jealousy. A house divided against itself cannot stand, as the Lord Jesus said, and many a church has fallen apart because the congregants begin fighting against each other. It's not the outside forces that tear a church apart but problems that crop up on the inside. The same can be said for many nations that have fallen. They fell apart not because of enemy attacks but because of divisions on the inside. During the days of David's grandson, King Rehoboam, the nation of Israel will split in two. The cracks that begin appearing here in Chapter 19 will continue to widen and eventually the ten northern tribes will become the kingdom of Israel and the two southern tribes will become the kingdom of Judah. This division will contribute to the eventual downfall of both kingdoms, for the separation of the ten northern tribes from the house of God at Jerusalem will make it easier for them to fall into idolatry, culminating in the Lord allowing them to be conquered by Assyria. A little over a hundred years later, Judah meets the same fate at the hands of the Babylonians. If all twelve tribes had remained united in their love for the Lord and in their love for each other and in their love for their nation, the outcome would almost certainly have been very different. 

Divisions among the Lord's people are a dangerous thing! As long as there is unity in the house of God, I don't believe anyone or anything from the outside can tear the house apart. But when the people are self-seeking and when they are resentful and jealous of each other, the house falls apart from the inside. David knew from personal experience how important it is for the people of God to love and support each other and to work together like one big family and he said, "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 70, David Returns To Jerusalem As King, Part Four

I apologize for not making a Bible study post yesterday. My inner ear disorder was acting up pretty badly and I'm not able to look at computer screens or really do any reading when that's happening. I missed us getting to study together yesterday.

Today is our final segment on the return of David to Jerusalem after he had to flee the city when Absalom and his men were approaching it to take over the city and the palace. For the safety of the city's citizens, as well as for his own safety and that of his family and officers and officials, David went across the Jordan River. But now that Absalom is dead and his supporters defeated in battle, David has been asked by a majority of his countrymen to return to Jerusalem to resume his reign.

We've been studying those who came down to greet him at the river and escort him across. A large number of men from his own tribe of Judah came down, along with Shimei the Benjamite who was accompanied by a thousand men, also Ziba the former servant of King Saul with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, plus Mephibosheth the grandson of King Saul. Next is a man we met in Chapter 17 called Barzillai. Barzillai is one of the men who brought supplies to Mahanaim for David and his people. "Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there. Now Barzillai was very old, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man." (2 Samuel 19:31-32) This man has been blessed by the Lord and in return he has been a blessing to the Lord's anointed king and to those with the king.

David wants to reward Barzillai for his goodness toward him. Not only did he provide supplies but he's come in person twice to see David, and as we'll see from his own statement shortly, he has several age-related issues that make it hard for him to be able to do much at all. Yet he made the effort to personally deliver supplies to David at Mahanaim and in today's text he makes the effort to come down to the Jordan River to cross it with David and "send him on his way from there", which likely means he's brought more supplies. David is touched by how much this man cares about him and the people with him. "The king said to Barzillai, 'Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.'" (2 Samuel 19:33)

Barzillai appreciates the offer to live at the palace but declines it. He feels he is too feeble to be of any use to the king and if the king is going to let him live in the royal household he wants to be of valuable service to him. "But Barzillai answered the king, 'How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is enjoyable and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of male and female singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way? Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever you wish.' The king said, 'Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever you wish. And anything you desire from me I will do for you.'" (2 Samuel 19:34-38) 

The general consensus among most Bible scholars is that Kimham is Barzillai's son. That is my assumption as well. When Barzillai refers to Kimham as David's "servant" he means it in the same sense as he refers to himself as a servant; we could substitute the word "subject" there, for the they are the loyal subjects of the king. Kimham is not a literal servant, for we could hardly expect Barzillai to ask David to take a servant into his household and treat him like royalty. I believe the best interpretation is that Kimham is Barzillai's son who came down to the Jordan River with him and that Kimham will now go to Jerusalem with David to live in the royal household and serve him in some official capacity.

"So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over." (2 Samuel 19:39a) You'll recall that when David left Jerusalem he was the last to make his exit, making sure everyone else got safely on their way ahead of him. He does the same thing when crossing the Jordan. 

"The king kissed Barzillai and bid him farewell, and Barzillai returned to his home. When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over." (2 Samuel 19:39b-40) David will scarcely be across the river before the men of the ten northern tribes initiate a dispute with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. I believe David's crossing of the Jordan, and the crossing of those with him, was done in a celebratory mood. But then almost immediately an argument breaks out because the ten northern tribes feel that preferential treatment was given to the men of the two southern tribes. As so often happens after a great victory, that old thief Satan slithers up and tries to steal the joy from the moment. He enjoys kicking people when they're down but he sometimes has more success with sneaking up on people when they're celebrating a victory. That's because a person celebrating a victory may let their guard down, whereas a person in the thick of trouble may be more intently focused on the Lord. In tomorrow's text we'll find a rebellion taking place. David won't have even a moment to relax in the palace and enjoy a sigh of relief. The prophet Nathan predicted that the remainder of David's life and reign would be this way. But because David always places his hope in the Lord and always finds his strength in the Lord, he is able to keep moving forward no matter what comes his way.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 69, David Returns To Jerusalem As King, Part Three

David has come down to the Jordan River in preparation to crossing over and returning to his palace at Jerusalem where he will resume his reign now that the rebellion led by Absalom has dissolved upon Absalom's death. Yesterday we found Shimei of the tribe of Benjamin coming with a thousand men to greet him. Also Ziba, a chief servant of the former King Saul, came down with his sons and servants to greet him. Next the son of David's late friend Jonathan comes down to greet him.

"Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely." (2 Samuel 19:24) You'll recall that Mephibosheth has been treated like one of the king's own sons ever since David had him brought out of obscurity in Lo-Debar as a way of honoring his friendship with Jonathan by treating the Jonathan's son like royalty. You'll also recall a deception perpetrated upon David by Saul's servant Ziba in regard to Mephibosheth. Ziba lied to David and said Mephibosheth didn't come out of Jerusalem with David because he wanted to stay and support Absalom. David now asks Mephibosheth to give an accounting of his actions. "When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, 'Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?'" (2 Samuel 19:25)

Here is where we find out Ziba not only lied to David but also tricked Mephibosheth into staying in Jerusalem so it would appear as if he backed Absalom's bid for the throne. "He said, 'My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled and I will ride on it, so I can go with the king.' But Ziba my servant betrayed me. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever you wish. All my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?'" (2 Samuel 19:26-28) When David brought Mephibosheth to Jerusalem he restored the ancestral lands of King Saul's family to Mephibosheth and ordered Ziba and his fifteen sons and twenty servants to work the land for him. Since Mephibosheth had been lame in both feet since an injury at the age of five, he could not work the land himself. But when Ziba convinced David that Mephibosheth had betrayed him, David announced he was taking the land away from Mephibosheth and giving it to Ziba.

Confronted with a story which conflicts with the one Ziba gave him, David finds himself in a difficult situation. He was in deep distress when Ziba made false claims against Mephibosheth and in his distress he failed to take time to think things through. He hastily promised Ziba all of Mephibosheth's land. When he sees how much Mephibosheth has worried about him and mourned for him, I believe he can tell Mephibosheth is being truthful, but he doesn't entirely go back on his word to Ziba. Some scholars think this is because he is ashamed to fully take back his word because he is ashamed of having allowed himself to be deceived. Whatever the reason, he doesn't strip Ziba of all the land and place it back into Mephibosheth's hands but instead announces that half the land will go to one man and half to the other man. "The king said to him, 'Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land.' Mephibosheth said to the king, 'Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has returned home safely.'" (2 Samuel 19:29-30) 

I think David actually does divide the land; I doubt that he leaves Mephibosheth with nothing even though Mephibosheth says something like, "Ziba can have every acre for all I care. I care more about having you return to be our king than about all the lands of the world! I would have nothing at all if it weren't for you. Any other king who assumed the throne of my grandfather Saul would have put all of his descendants to death. After all, Saul was a deadly enemy to you! But you didn't seek me out to kill me; you sought me out to help me. No king on earth would have done what you did! It is enough for me that I'm invited to eat at your table every day. That's more than I ever expected to have and I can never repay you for it." 

We see a picture of the way the Lord deals with us when we study this interaction between David and Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was crippled by an accident; we were crippled by sin. Due to Mephibosheth's disabilities, he couldn't really do anything for David politically or militarily, yet David took him into his household and treated him like one of his own sons. When we were disabled by our sins we couldn't do anything for the Lord, yet while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) so that by faith in Him we could become the children of God. King David did more for Mephibosheth than Mephibosheth ever expected or thought of or deserved; likewise the King of kings has done more for us than we ever expected or thought of or deserved. Mephibosheth is content just to eat at David's table in David's house where he can gaze upon the face of the one who turned him from being a nobody into being a somebody. This should be our attitude toward the One who took us when we were nobodies and made us into somebodies. David will write a psalm in which he says something to the Lord that is similar to what Mephibosheth says to him in today's text: "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple." (Psalm 27:4) David says, "It is enough that He has saved me and made me one of His own. It is enough that I can go to His house and seek His face as a child looks to the face of his father." 

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 68, David Returns To Jerusalem As King, Part Two

In yesterday's study we learned that the people of Israel are discussing among themselves bringing David back to Jerusalem to resume his reign. Many of those who supported Absalom deeply regret it---some because his coup was unsuccessful and now they are on the losing side, some because they are genuinely sorry for having fallen for the political promises of the young and energetic Absalom over a man with a proven political and military record like David.

David would be within his rights to march triumphantly back to Jerusalem and sit back down on his throne in the palace without being asked to resume his reign. But he wants to be "re-elected", so to speak, by the people. Absalom had a lot of supporters in Jerusalem and David wants no conflict to break out in the city upon his return. After all, he previously left the city in order to avoid a conflict there; he doesn't want to bring any hardship or casualties upon the non-military citizens who are just trying to go about their daily lives. So he's been waiting to be invited to return. In yesterday's passage we found a large majority of the citizens all over the nation talking about asking him to return, with the exception of David's own tribe of Judah. He rebuked the elders of his tribe for not doing what the elders of the other tribes were doing: calling the people together for a vote on this matter to get David back on the throne and to get the country moving forward again. It's not safe to have the kingship up in the air like this. It's not safe for the nation internally, for various political factions might begin fighting against each other. And it's not safe for the nation externally, for Israel's enemies might regard it as a good time to invade.

The elders of Judah and the priests took David's impassioned speech of yesterday's text to heart. The other people of Judah did too. Today they invite him back with the promise to welcome him with open arms. "He won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, 'Return, you and all your men.' Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan." (2 Samuel 19:14-15a)

When the people hear he has neared the Jordan, they send welcoming parties out to escort him home. "Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite of Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul's household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. They crossed at the ford to take the king's household over and to do whatever he wished." (2 Samuel 19:15b-18a)

The last time we saw Shimei he was cursing David and throwing pebbles and dirt at him as David made his escape from Absalom. Shimei, who is a Benjamite like King Saul and is of the same clan as King Saul, felt the kingship should have remained with the house of Saul and should not have been transferred to David, even though it was the Lord's will for David to be king. Shimei was emboldened to curse the king because he believed Absalom's bid for the throne would be successful (and indeed it looked that way at the time) and he never imagined he'd find himself in a situation where he'd have to beg David for his life. But that's the situation he finds himself in today and he rushes down to the Jordan River and throws himself at the mercy of the king.

"When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king and said to him, 'May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.'" (2 Samuel 19:18b-20) I can't help picturing Shimei splashing across the low point of the Jordan with his hands outstretched in an attitude of supplication and honor toward the king. I don't know that he looked so undignified but in my mind's eye I see him running ahead of his entourage, his robes trailing in the water, desperate fear in his eyes, and water splashing all over him. He wants to be the first to greet David in hopes this will tame the anger he assumes David feels toward him. He wants to apologize immediately in hopes David will extend mercy to him. He knows David has the right to put him to death.

David's nephew Abishai knows David has the right to put Shimei to death and he thinks David ought to have him put to death. He offers to do the deed himself. "Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, 'Shouldn't Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord's anointed.'" (2 Samuel 19:21) This is the second time Abishai has wanted to see Shimei dead. On the day Shimei cursed David, Abishai offered to run over to him and cut off his head, but David granted Shimei mercy instead. David will again grant him mercy.

"David replied, 'What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don't I know that today I am king over Israel?' So the king said to Shimei, 'You shall not die.' And the king promised him on oath." (2 Samuel 19:22-23) David displays mercy like the Lord's when he pardons Shimei. Shimei is guilty; there is no doubt about that. David has the right to judge him however he wishes; there's no doubt about that either. But just as we are guilty of our sins, and just as the Lord has the right to judge us for our sins, when we come to Him in a repentant attitude in the way Shimei comes to David, the Lord extends mercy to us in the way David extends mercy to Shimei. 

Shimei provides us with a good example to follow when repenting of our sins. He is truly sorry. He admits his sin and doesn't try to make any excuse for it. He simply confesses what he did and acknowledges that it was wrong. He also acknowledges David's position of power over him and David's right to handle the matter however he chooses. David represents the law and David has the right to judge him and sentence him under the law. But since David represents the law, he has the power to pardon Shimei, just as God the Lawgiver has the power to pardon us for our sins. Shimei knows he does not deserve mercy but asks for it anyway because he knows David is a merciful man. In this same way we know we don't deserve mercy but we ask for it anyway because we know the Lord is merciful.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 67, David Returns To Jerusalem As King, Part One

After David's men won the battle against Absalom's men, and after Absalom was killed, the author says, "Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes." (2 Samuel 19:8b) The author previously referred to Absalom's troops as "Israelites" and I don't know whether he is saying all of Absalom's surviving troops fled to their homes or whether he is saying that pretty much everyone in the nation is now staying close to home, in a state of anxiety, waiting to see what will happen next.

Verses 9 and 10 indicate that the entire nation is in a state of anxiety and that many tense discussions are going on regarding what to do about the kingship now. "Throughout all the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, 'The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom; and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?'" (2 Samuel 19:9-10) Looking back on their anointing of Absalom, they feel as if they must have been under the influence of some type of temporary madness. They wish they hadn't chosen him in favor of the man who helped them gain so much peace from their enemies. Their rejection of David doesn't make sense to them now.

Our episodes of sin and rebellion can certainly seem like madness when we look back on them, can't they? In looking back on some of the mistakes I've made in my life, I cannot imagine what I was thinking at the time. I think at this point in the narrative the people of Israel are asking themselves, "What were we thinking? Why did we get caught up in these bad decisions? How can we fix this mess?" 

David is going to help them fix the mess and he begins by speaking to the people of his own tribe of Judah who were the first to anoint him king after the death of Saul. "King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: 'Ask the elders of Judah: Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?'" (2 Samuel 19:11-12) David knows the people of the other tribes are talking about reinstating him as king over the entire nation. But he's not hearing any talk out of Judah about reinstating him as king. Those who were first to anoint him king after the death of Saul should not be the last to reinstate him as king now, especially when it's taken in to consideration that they are his own kinsmen. They should have been the first, when David's men won the battle, to step up and declare David the one and only rightful king and to insist that he be allowed to resume his reign. David says it's to their shame that they were not the first to do so. 

But the people of Judah are the kinsmen of the late Absalom too, and that's where the problem lies. There may have been as many people of Judah supporting Absalom as there were supporting David---more perhaps. He knows people's opinions are divided within his own tribe and to show them he's willing to work with those who previously rejected him, he offers to demote Joab as his top general and put Absalom's top general, Amasa, in his place. "And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you are not the commander of my army for life in place of Joab.'" (2 Samuel 19:13)

Joab is David's nephew, the son of David's sister Zeruiah. Amasa is also David's nephew, the son of David's sister Abigail. But Joab remained staunchly loyal to David when Absalom attempted his coup while Amasa gave all his support to Absalom. Why, then, is David willing to replace Joab? I do not think it is only due to political expediency that he offers to make Amasa his general in order to appease those who had given their support to Absalom. I think David either knows or suspects that Joab had a hand in the death of his son. Even if Joab hadn't had a hand in it directly, David knows he could have prevented it from happening. We must also remember how harshly Joab spoke to David in yesterday's passage while he wept and mourned for his son, threatening him that if he did not go out and address the troops he would have no soldier left standing with him by morning. Some scholars think that Joab wasn't just saying that all the men would lose heart and desert him but that Joab himself intended to incite this desertion and lead the troops away himself. What would Joab have done then, with no king to follow? Well, I think he would have put forward a candidate for the throne and would have stirred all the people up behind this candidate. 

David's sons Amnon and Absalom weren't the only two sons he had who are rebellious and self-seeking; his son Adonijah will attempt to take over the throne in the book of 1 Kings while David is still alive, even though he is aware that David has named Solomon as his heir. Joab will back Adonijah's bid for the throne. This is why I think that if Joab and all the soldiers had left David at Mahanaim, it might have been easy to entice David's son Adonijah into announcing his candidacy. Adonijah may have already been rebellious toward his father, for all we know, but Joab was the type of man who made it his business to know everything that was going on within the royal family and among David's officials. If Joab had indeed intended to do a walkout with all the troops, we can be sure he wasn't going to do it without a plan in place. 

But right now there is no need for such a plan because David stepped up and did what he needed to do yesterday in addressing his troops. And now the momentum is gathering for him to be able to return to Jerusalem unopposed and in peace. In tomorrow's passage a great number of supporters will come to escort him back across the Jordan River.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 66, Joab Rebukes David

When David received the message that his army won the battle and that Absalom was dead, he went weeping to his room. He has not come out. It's understandable that he would mourn his son but he is not a private citizen who can withdraw to his room and refuse to be disturbed. As the king he has a duty to greet and address his troops when they return from battle. These men risked their lives to protect him and to protect all his family members. He owes it to them to get himself together enough to greet the returning soldiers and thank them for their service. Because David does not do this, in our text today Joab will harshly rebuke him. 

While David's army is still in the region of the forest of Ephraim where the battle took place, word comes to them that David is not celebrating their victory but has taken himself behind closed doors and is weeping loudly for his son. "Joab was told, 'The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.' And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, 'The king is grieving for his son.'" (2 Samuel 19:1-2)

This information may have come to the army by the Cushite who took the news to David that the battle was won and that Absalom was dead. Or this word may have come through Ahimaaz who also went to Mahanaim to give news to David. All we know is that someone came to the army camp from Mahanaim with an update on the king and it's not what the men expected to hear. They learn that David didn't ask the Cushite or Ahimaaz how the battle went or whether there were any casualties among his faithful supporters. Instead he asked only about Absalom. Upon learning that Absalom was dead, he rushed wailing to his room without saying a word about how valiantly his supporters fought for him that day. At this moment he only cares about Absalom. Knowing this takes all the wind out of his men's sails, so to speak. There are no longer shouts of victory in the camp. The air of celebration instantly dissipates. The men are left not knowing what to do or what to say and the entire camp falls silent.

The men are still silent when they arrive back at the city. "The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle." (2 Samuel 19:3) The king doesn't meet them at the gate, as he should have, to thank them for their service to him and to their nation. He won't even look at them. He's in his room with the covers over his head refusing to speak to anyone. "The king covered his face and cried aloud, 'O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!'" (2 Samuel 19:4)  

A number of hours must have gone by since he first heard the news. It would have taken quite a bit of time for the army to break camp, pack up all their equipment, and march back to Mahanaim. They likely spent some time plundering the enemy army before they headed back to the city. The Bible doesn't tell us they looted the bodies of Absalom's fallen soldiers or that they plundered the camp of Absalom's men but this is what ancient armies customarily did when they won a battle. I think we can safely assume David's men came back loaded down with the weapons, armor, horses, mules, carts, and food supplies of Absalom's army. But during all the time it took for David's men to gather everything together and return, he doesn't try to get a grip on his emotions enough to be able to stand at the gate and greet them. This is what kings did in those days and David knows what he is supposed to do. He just doesn't do it because he cares more about the loss of one bad man than he does about the loss of any good men. It matters more to him that Absalom is dead than that his men won the battle. 

I do sympathize with David and I don't want to come across as being highly critical of him. If I were in David's place, I'd care more about the death of my child than about anything else that happened on the day my child died, even if my child was a terrible person in life like Absalom was. I'd mourn the loss of my child and I'd mourn the fact that my child lived a rebellious life and that he brought upon himself an early death. But most parents will never find themselves in David's position: being the leader of a nation and the commander-in-chief of an army that just won a decisive battle in his favor. David doesn't have the luxury, for lack of a better word, of being able to mourn privately for a time. He can't take to his bed, pull the covers over his head, and refuse to see anyone. He owes it to his troops to greet them when they return. He's shirking his duty by not doing this and he's offending and insulting his men.

Joab is going to confront David and hotly rebuke him for the way he treats the soldiers. Upon the army's return to Mahanaim we find Joab storming angrily into David's room to tell him to man up. "Then Joab went into the house of the king and said, 'Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.'" (2 Samuel 19:5) 

In yesterday's passage we found David saying he wished he were dead instead of Absalom. From the point of view of a father, this makes sense. But from the point of view of the head of a family and the head of a nation, it doesn't make sense. If Absalom had won the war and had become king, he would have had David and all of David's family put to death. Absalom would not have left alive anyone of the royal household. He probably would not have left alive any of David's friends or military officials or advisors either. David's nephews and top generals Joab and Abishai would certainly have been on Absalom's kill list. So would the priests and their sons who helped David to escape across the Jordan. Yet David is giving the appearance of caring only about the death of his reprobate son who had come to hate him over the years and who wanted him dead and wanted to sit on the throne in his place. In verse 5 Joab is saying something like, "Maybe you don't care about your own life but what about the lives of your wives, concubines, sons, daughters, and extended family members? Do you not care about them? Do you not realize if Absalom were not dead and if his men had won the battle today, he would have ordered your whole family executed?"

He continues, "You love those who hate you and you hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead." (2 Samuel 19:6) This is probably not literally true but in David's intense grief it feels to him, on this day, as if nothing matters except that his son is dead. When he's had time to get hold of himself he will naturally be able to see that the lives of all these people are far more important than what has happened to Absalom. But right now he's behaving as if he couldn't care less about anyone or anything except Absalom. Joab isn't talking to him in the way a person should talk to a king but I'm not sure he could have gotten through to David if he had not spoken so boldly and so harshly. There's no time to weave a parable in the manner of the prophet Nathan when he rebuked David for his sin with Bathsheba. David has to do something and he has to do it immediately. "Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now." (2 Samuel 19:7)

Joab has been a military man all his adult life. For a long time now he's been David's top general. He understands soldiers. He's not making an idle threat when he states that the men will desert David if he continues to lie in bed wailing for his dead scoundrel of a son. In the midst of his sorrowful state he recognizes the wisdom of Joab's words and he gets up and does what needs to be done. "So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, 'The king is sitting in the gateway,' they all came before him." (2 Samuel 19:8a) If David had not done this then we would not find a large majority of the people, in tomorrow's study, calling him back to Jerusalem to resume his reign.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 65, David Mourns For Absalom

Ahimaaz, son of the priest Zadok, asked Joab for permission to be the one who tells David of Absalom's demise. Joab cautioned him that this isn't in his best interests. Absalom was David's enemy but he was also his son; David will not be happy or be handing out a reward when given the news. Joab instead told a servant, a Cushite, to run to Mahanaim to tell David. But Ahimaaz insisted on going as well so Joab allowed him to go. This is where we pick up with the narrative today.

"While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up on the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. The watchman called out to the king and reported it." (2 Samuel 18:24-25a) This runner is Ahimaaz because we were told that even though the Cushite had a head start on him, Ahimaaz ran by another route and arrived at Mahanaim first.

"The king said, 'If he is alone, he must have good news.' And the runner came closer and closer. Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, 'Look, another man running alone!" The king said, 'He must be bringing good news, too.'" (2 Samuel 18:25b-26) A large number of men would be running toward the city if David's army was in retreat from the enemy. The sight of two messengers, coming from opposite directions, is taken as a good sign that David's men are winning the battle and that these two messengers are bringing news of victory from two different divisions of his army. We were told that when David sent his men out, he separated them into three divisions: one under his nephew Joab, one under his nephew Abishai, and one under Ittai the Gittite. 

David doesn't want Absalom killed but he does want to win the war. He expects his men to fight just as fiercely as if they were fighting foreign invaders, which means inflicting heavy casualties on Absalom's army, but he gave strict instructions that Absalom was to be captured alive. 

The runners are getting close enough to the city to be recognizable. The watchman doesn't personally know the Cushite because he is a foreign servant (perhaps a slave). But the watchman knows Ahimaaz and he believes the first runner looks like him. "The watchman said, 'It seems to me the first one runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.'" (2 Samuel 18:27a) This is the verse that has caused some scholars to believe Ahimaaz was well known for being an exceptionally fast runner and that the reason he wanted to run to Mahanaim with news of the battle was to show off his athletic skills. If that's the case, pride is what sent him to David with news he won't want to hear, but David doesn't suspect him of any selfish motives. He believes if a man as well known to him as Ahimaaz is running toward the city, it must be to tell him something he will be glad to hear. "'He's a good man,' the king said. 'He comes with good news.'" (2 Samuel 18:27b)

For Ahimaaz's sake, Joab didn't want him to be the person David will always associate with the news of his son's death. He warned the young man, "You are not the one to take the news today." Instead Joab wanted to send the Cushite who David does not know personally and with whom he will probably never have further interactions. It may have been a custom that bad news was delivered in such a manner whenever possible so that the receiver of the bad news won't have to have personal, social, business, or political interactions with the person he will always associate with a tragedy. The reason I think this is because David is relieved to hear that one of the runners is Ahimaaz because he does not think someone as well known to him as Ahimaaz would bring bad tidings to him. Ahimaaz was instrumental earlier in the book in helping David and his people escape from Absalom across the Jordan. David is grateful to him for his bravery and considers him a good man and a friend. In David's day it may have been a major breach of etiquette for someone of a close relationship to bring such a message if someone of a less-close association could bring it instead.

After all his eagerness to get there first, we will see in a moment that Ahimaaz finds himself unable to speak the words he came to say. Maybe he realizes he's made an error in judgment. Maybe he's ashamed of himself when he sees the fear in David's eyes for Absalom's safety. Maybe the fact that David asks only about Absalom, and not about who won the battle or about whether any of his own men fell on the battlefield, takes Ahimaaz aback and causes him to see that Joab was right: David will not receive the news of the death of his enemy in the way Ahimaaz hoped he would. Absalom was more than willing to have David killed but the last thing David wanted was for Absalom to be killed. Ahimaaz failed to take into consideration the love a father has for his child, perhaps because the young Ahimaaz doesn't yet have children of his own. When asked about the safety of Absalom, Ahimaaz can't bring himself to deliver the news but instead assures David that his troops won the battle.

"Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, 'All is well!' He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, 'Praise be to the Lord your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king.' The king asked, 'Is the young man Absalom safe?' Ahimaaz answered, 'I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king's servant and me, your servant, but I don't know what it was.' The king said, 'Stand aside and wait here.' So he stepped aside and stood there. Then the Cushite arrived and said, 'My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.' The king asked the Cushite, 'Is the young man Absalom safe?' The Cushite replied, 'May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.'" (2 Samuel 18:28-32) The Cushite's words make it clear that Absalom is dead. The way he phrases this news isn't the way we'd do it today but when he says, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man," it's the same as saying, "He is dead and may everyone who rose up against you meet the same fate."

A lot of criticism has been poured out on David in Bible commentaries for the way he fails to acknowledge the great victory his army won over Absalom's army. These men risked their lives for him and he does not, at first, thank and congratulate them. It will take Joab speaking harshly with him in our next chapter and telling him to get himself together before he will say what he should to his brave soldiers. I understand the criticism of the commentators but at the same time I understand that the loss of his son is the uppermost thing in his mind right now. He is so grief stricken that he can't even be around other people while he processes this terrible news. "The king was shaken. He went up to his room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: 'O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you---O Absalom, my son, my son!'" (2 Samuel 18:33) 

I feel deeply sorry for David. Like any loving parent, he wishes he could trade places with his son so his son could still be alive. It would not be in the best interests of the nation to have Absalom as king instead of David but David isn't speaking from a political perspective. He's speaking from a father's perspective. It's natural for a loving parent to feel this way. Many a bereaved parent has said exactly what David says in today's text: "I wish it was me who died and not my child!" I feel deeply sorry for David and I think his men do too but at the same time his overwhelming grief for Absalom coupled with his failure to thank his troops causes them to feel as if they did something wrong in fighting for their king. There is no joy in their victory. There is no sense of having done something good for their king and country. In tomorrow's text we'll be told they slink back into the city like men "who are ashamed". It's at that point that Joab has to take the situation in hand and warn David that if he doesn't get a hold of himself, and that if he doesn't come out to address the troops, they will not stand with him again. David is a man who makes mistakes in the Bible (and who doesn't make mistakes?) but he's also a man who is willing to admit his mistakes when confronted with them. He will get up and do what he needs to do for the sake of his men and for the sake of all Israel.

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 64, Messengers Run To Tell David That Absalom Is Dead

In Thursday's session we studied the death of Absalom who got caught by his long hair in an oak tree as his mule ran under one of the boughs. Joab, David's nephew and top army general, stabbed Absalom in the heart with three javelins at once and then allowed his ten armor bearers to strike him with their weapons until he was dead. David had given strict instructions to all the men that he didn't want Absalom killed if they encountered him. Joab felt it was in the best interests of David and in the best interests of the nation to take Absalom completely out of the picture. He knew David didn't see it this way and would never see it this way, so he took matters into his own hands. He was right to believe Absalom and his supporters would continue to be a threat to king and country if Absalom were allowed to live; he was wrong to disobey the orders of the king. 

Ahimaaz, who helped bring a message to David in Chapter 17 that allowed him and his people to get to safety across the Jordan, wants to be the one who gives David the news about Absalom. "Now Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, 'Let me run and take the news to the king that the Lord has vindicated him by delivering him from the hand of his enemies.'" (2 Samuel 18:19) Ahimaaz has a vested interest in this situation, having earlier risked his life to help David. He's happy that the threat no longer exists. To him it is good news that David's enemy is dead. But he's failed to take into account that David's enemy was David's own son. Joab wants to spare Ahimaaz from always being remembered by David as the man who brought him news that broke his heart. "'You are not the one to take the news today,' Joab told him. 'You may take the news another time, but you must not do so today, because the king's son is dead.'" (2 Samuel 18:20) He says, "On some other occasion you can bring tidings to David, but not on this occasion. He will not be happy to hear anything you have to say about Absalom's demise." 

Joab tells someone else to deliver the news to David. "Then Joab said to a Cushite, 'Go, tell the king what you have seen.' The Cushite bowed down before Joab and ran off." (2 Samuel 18:21) Many scholars believe the Cushite is one of Joab's servants or slaves. It was common for army officers in those times to travel with several servants or slaves. Joab thinks it's best if David is given the bad news by someone he doesn't really know---someone with whom he is unlikely to have any further interactions. Ahimaaz doesn't agree with Joab and continues to insist that he be allowed to take the news to David. Joab gives in. "Ahimaaz said again to Joab, 'Come what may, please let me run behind the Cushite.' But Joab replied, 'My son, why do you want to go? You don't have any news that will bring you a reward.' He said, 'Come what may, I want to run.' So Joab said, 'Run!' Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite." (2 Samuel 18:22-23) 

I don't know why Ahimaaz is so insistent on running to David with this news. He doesn't appear to expect or want a reward; Joab made it clear to him that there won't be one. Maybe he doesn't believe David won't be relieved to hear he can go home and resume his reign. Perhaps he just wants to be there to see the relief on David's face. Or maybe he's the type of person who likes being on the scene when big things are happening. Have you ever known someone who just always seems to want to be in the middle of whatever is going on, whether what's going on is good or bad? Another theory, proposed by some scholars, is that Ahimaaz is an extra fast runner and is prideful about that and wants to show off. I can't say what his motivation is but when he arrives in Mahanaim ahead of the Cushite he will find himself unable to come right out and clearly state that Absalom is dead. He will allow the Cushite to give the news after all. This may be because David's first question upon his arrival is, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" David will not ask how the battle went. He won't ask whether his supporters have incurred casualties. His main concern, above all else, will be whether Absalom is safe. When Ahimaaz sees the stark fear on David's face and hears the worry in his voice, I think he's so touched in his heart that he can't find the words to say what he came to say. 

David has been highly criticized over the centuries by scores of scholars, pastors, priests, and laymen for being more worried about Absalom than about anything or anyone else. They are of the same opinion as Joab, who will say to David in Chapter 20, "I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead." Although Joab and all the others who criticize David have a valid point, I'm of the opinion that it's impossible for David to set aside his love for his son and be glad that the threat to his life and the threat to his rule is gone. I think it's natural that, as a parent, he can't feel anything but grief when he hears that the war is effectively over, his army is intact, his wives and his other children will be safe, and he can go back to the palace and get on with the business of running the nation. I'm not a parent but I don't have any trouble understanding why David feels like the bad news outweighs the good news. He's too heartbroken to do anything but mourn at first. That's what we'll find him doing as we move on into the second half of Chapter 18 tomorrow as the Cushite blurts out the news Ahimaaz has trouble articulating. David will say something that will resonate with any loving parent: "My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you!" 

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 63, The Death Of Absalom

In Wednesday's study we found David sending his troops out with strict instructions to, "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake." It's understandable that, as a father, he still loves his son no matter what he's done. He still loves his son even though his son wants him dead. Those of you who are parents can relate to the unconditional love David feels for Absalom. He doesn't love the things Absalom has done or the things Absalom is planning to do. But he loves his child and nothing can make him stop loving him.

Yesterday's portion of our text ended with us being told that "all the troops" heard King David giving the orders that Absalom is to be captured unharmed. David's nephew and top general, Joab, knows exactly what David said but, as usual, he will do what seems best to him. He feels it is in the best interests of David and in the best interests of the nation for Absalom to be taken out of the picture. When an opportunity presents itself to take Absalom out of the picture, Joab will do it. Absalom may be his first cousin and Joab may still harbor some familial affection toward him, but whatever concern or pity he feels toward the young man is outweighed by his concern for the king and his concern for the security of the nation. 

"David's army marched out of the city to fight Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim. There Israel's troops were routed by David's men, and the casualties that day were great---twenty thousand men. The battle spread out over the whole countryside, and the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword." (2 Samuel 18:6-8) You'll recall that David divided his men into three divisions headed by Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. These divisions swoop down on Absalom's troops from three different directions, for David is an experienced battle strategist and Absalom (along with his newly appointed general, Amasa) is not. I think perhaps Absalom and his army don't expect to be attacked from so many directions at once and this throws them into confusion and panic, causing many of them to flee the fight and charge into the woods and thickets. The forest of Ephraim contained many pits and steep precipices that were often concealed by the thick vegetation. A number of them probably fell to their deaths without realizing they were about to step off a cliff or fall into a pit. Many others may have suffered disabling injuries that prevented them from being able to extricate themselves, instead succumbing to their injuries or dying of exposure. 

"Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going." (2 Samuel 18:9) It's ironic that Absalom's downfall will not be caused by losing the fight but by being caught by something about which he was so vain. In 2 Samuel 14:26 we learned that he had unusually thick, fast-growing hair and that he cut it once a year and weighed it. The insinuation is that he weighed it because he was proud of it. He was so proud of it that he didn't prudently cut it or braid it up out of the way before riding into battle. I think he liked the idea of how he must have looked from behind with his hair, which must have been several feet long, flowing out behind him on the wind. But it's this very vanity that gets him caught in the oak tree. When his mule runs under the tree, the branches catch his flowing hair and he is left hanging with his feet off the ground, unable to reach far enough above his head to loosen himself.

"When one of the men saw what had happened, he told Joab, 'I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree.' Joab said to the man who had told him this, 'What! You saw him? Why didn't you strike him to the ground right there? Then I would have had to give you ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt.'" (2 Samuel 18:10-11) I don't know whether Joab had already secretly made the promise to the men under his command that he would give ten shekels of silver and a warrior's belt to anyone willing to kill Absalom. If not, he's making the promise now if this man will go back to the tree and thrust Absalom through with his sword. But this soldier fears and respects King David more than he wants money and military medals. "But the man replied, 'Even if a thousand shekels were weighed out into my hands, I would not lay a hand on the king's son. In our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.' And if I had put my life in jeopardy---and nothing is hidden from the king---you would have kept your distance from me.'" (2 Samuel 18:12-13) He says, "No amount of money would be enough to convince me to kill the king's son. If I did such a thing and the king found out---and the king usually finds out everything!---you would claim you had not commanded me to kill him. You would pretend you knew nothing about it until after it had happened. I could not count on you to defend me. You'd let me be executed."

"Joab said, 'I'm not going to wait like this for you.' So he took three javelins in his hand and plunged them into Absalom's heart while Absalom was still alive in the oak tree. And ten of Joab's armor-bearers surrounded Absalom, struck him and killed him. Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops stopped pursuing Israel, for Joab halted them. They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled to their homes." (2 Samuel 18:14-17) Joab and his men don't cover Absalom's body in an attempt to conceal it. Their intention is not that he would simply come up missing and that it would be presumed he fell into a pit and died somewhere in the forest. We know this isn't their intention because it quickly becomes common knowledge that Absalom is dead. Later in Chapter 18 we'll find David being informed of his death. Throwing him in a pit and covering him with stones is a method of burial that was commonly used in ancient times when soldiers died at a distance from home. Absalom died at a distance from his home because he crossed over the Jordan River with his troops in pursuit of David. Rather than carrying his body and the bodies of all the fallen troops back to their various hometowns, it makes more sense to use what's available for burial. Since the area is rough and rocky and contains numerous pits, placing the dead in pits and covering them with rocks is actually a respectful burial because it protects their bodies from being scavenged by animals. If Absalom had truly been a king, accepted by all Israel as king and accepted by Joab and all of David's army as a king, naturally the men would have carried his body home to Jerusalem so he could be given a royal funeral and burial. 

Another way we can know that Joab and his men aren't attempting to conceal Absalom's body is that the author adds this final verse to our segment today to let us know that Absalom expected to be remembered by a greater, more memorable monument than the pile of stones that now covers his dead body. "During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, 'I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.' He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day." (2 Samuel 18:18) In 2 Samuel 14:27 we were told that Absalom fathered three sons and one daughter. But his unnamed sons must have died in infancy or childhood since none of them is still living when he erects the monument to himself. Only his one daughter, Tamar who is named after his sister, reached adulthood because the author told us that she grew up to be a beautiful woman. 

Absalom's life has come to an inglorious end. It can't even be said of him that he died courageously in battle. He might have survived the day and perhaps even the whole war if it had not been for his extreme vanity over his hair. He died without sons to carry on his name and his branch of the family tree. If he had survived, he might have fathered more sons in the future and they might have grown up to become men, but instead he made foolish choices that led to his death and now he has no offspring who can someday make any claims to the throne. This will be to the advantage of David's son Solomon, whom the Lord will choose to succeed David. The line of Absalom is cut off due to his treachery and his selfish ambition and his personal vanity. 

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 62, David Musters An Army To Fight Absalom But Instructs The Troops Not To Kill Him

As we closed yesterday's study we found David and everyone with him escaping across the Jordan River. Absalom and his men will pursue them across the Jordan but thanks to Hushai and several other friends of David, David and his group have a head start.

"David went to Mahanaim, and Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel." (2 Samuel 17:24) Absalom crosses the Jordan with all the men of Israel who want to go across and fight against David with him. Not all the men of Israel are on his side. While David was still on the west side of the Jordan River we found him being helped by several supporters. These supporters represent only a small fraction of the people who are still faithful to him as their king. Later in today's text we'll find thousands of men willing to fight for David. 

"Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether, an Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab. The Israelites and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead." (2 Samuel 17:25-26) David's nephew Joab and Joab's brother Abishai are still on David's side. Joab has always been the top general of David's army. Although Joab helped David and Absalom to reunite several years earlier, his sympathies lie with David and not with Absalom. Joab once considered Absalom as the best candidate to inherit the crown when David dies but he never expected Absalom to try to wrest the throne from David while he is still alive. Joab is with David and his troops so Absalom appoints a different man over his own troops. He chooses Amasa who is a nephew to David by David's sister Abigail, for we will be told in 1 Chronicles 2:16 that David's two sisters were named Zeruiah and Abigail, and in our current chapter we are told that Amasa's mother is Abigail the sister of Zeruiah. There is a mystery here in that verse 25 states that Abigail is the daughter of Nahash because we know that the father of David was named Jesse. Was Nahash David's mother? Possibly, but everyone else in the Bible who is named Nahash is a male. If this Nahash is a man then some scholars speculate that David's mother was a young widow when Jesse married her and that her first husband's name was Nahash and that she bore Abigail and Zeruiah to Nahash while he was still alive. Then sometime later she married Jesse and bore him seven sons, with David being the seventh. 

A different Nahash, from an Ammonite city, is mentioned in this next segment when we are told that his son and many others bring gifts and provisions to David and his people. "When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery. They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cow's milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, 'The people have become exhausted and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.'" (2 Samuel 17:27-29) We previously heard of Makir son of Ammiel when we were told that Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul, had been residing with Makir ever since he was taken there for his safety as a child on the day Saul and his three eldest sons were killed by the Philistines in battle. We were never told Makir's relationship to Mephibosheth but it has long been assumed he was a close relative to Mephibosheth's mother. Makir, who likely regarded Mephibosheth as a son, is very grateful to David who called Mephibosheth out of obscurity and gave him a place at his table and treated him like a prince of the royal family. In gratitude and loyalty to David, Makir comes along with these other men who want to provide as much help as they can to David and the men with him and all their families.

A great number of men have rallied to David to help him fight against Absalom and his men. "David mustered the men with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. David sent out his troops, a third under the command of Joab, a third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite." (2 Samuel 18:1-2a) Ittai was the man in Chapter 15 who had just come to Jerusalem with his troops the day before David had to flee Jerusalem. David offered to release Ittai and his men from their contract with him to serve in his army because they had only been with him for one day before Absalom began carrying out his coup. But Ittai and his men refused to be let out of their contract, choosing instead to go with David. For his loyalty (and probably also because he was well known for his bravery before he ever joined up with David) we find Ittai being appointed as a general in David's army.

"The king told the troops, 'I myself will surely march out with you.' But the men said, 'You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city.' The king answered, 'I will do whatever seems best to you.' So the king stood beside the gate while all his men marched out in units of hundreds and units of thousands." (2 Samuel 18:2b-4) The men fear David will be killed if he goes into battle with them. If David is killed, they have nothing left to fight for. Absalom will declare himself king over all Israel and all the citizens, whether they want Absalom as their king or not, will have no choice but to submit to his rule because at this time the supporters of David have no alternative candidate who can overcome Absalom.

David agrees to remain in the city, not because he isn't still a brave and capable warrior but because he knows the men have made a valid point. If he is killed in battle, Absalom will win and the citizens of the nation will lose by having a man like Absalom over them. David wants the best for the people of Israel and Absalom is not the king who is best for them. Out of his love for his people he agrees not to ride out with the army even though as a warrior he very much wants to go. His men realize he wants to go but they also realize that, even if he is not captured or killed by the enemy troops, he might find himself face to face with his son Absalom on the battlefield and find himself unable to strike Absalom down in order to save his own life. Or David might be in the thick of a fight with some of Absalom's troops and catch a glimpse of Absalom on the battlefield and become distracted long enough for one of Absalom's men to thrust David through with his sword. The chances of something going wrong are too great when it's taken into consideration that David is the father of Absalom and that David still loves him in spite of all that he's done.

To back up the theory that David's men are right to fear that he could not deal harshly with Absalom his son in the way he would deal with an unrelated enemy, David gives special instructions to his generals regarding how they are to treat Absalom if they come in contact with him. "The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, 'Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.' And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders." (2 Samuel 18:5) Every man in David's army knows they are to spare Absalom's life. If he falls into their hands, he is to be captured, not killed. David could not have been more clear about this. Nevertheless, Joab, who has always been a loose cannon, will do as he sees fit. He usually has David's best interests at heart but he always goes about protecting David's interests in the way that seems right to him, not necessarily the way that seems right to David. If he disagrees with David's orders and doesn't think David's orders will produce the best outcome, he disobeys them. Where Absalom is concerned, Joab doesn't feel keeping him alive is the best thing for David. He feels as if David has a blind side where Absalom is concerned and that David cannot see that what is best for the security of his rule, and for the security of the nation, is to take Absalom entirely out of the picture. That means taking Absalom out of this life. 

The Second Book Of Samuel. Day 61, Hushai Gets A Message To David, Ahithophel Hangs Himself

While Absalom is calling up his supporters throughout the land to come and fight on his side against David, Hushai works quickly to get a message to David that he needs to flee across the Jordan River immediately. 

"Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, 'Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. Now send a message at once to tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.'" (2 Samuel 17:15-16) In yesterday's passage we found Hushai giving Absalom advice that differed from that of Absalom's advisor Ahithophel. Absalom preferred Hushai's plan which took more time to put into action. During that time Hushai goes to the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, whom you'll recall wanted to leave Jerusalem with David but whom he sent back to the city so they could be of aid to him. The time has come for them to be of aid to him.

The priests get word to their two sons, whom David also sent back to the region around Jerusalem to work as spies for him, and these two men risk their lives to warn the king. "Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En Rogel. A female servant was to go and inform them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they could not risk being seen entering the city. But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So the two of them left at once and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they climbed down into it. His wife took a covering and spread it out over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it. No one knew anything about it." (2 Samuel 17:17-19) 

David was passing through Bahurim when last we saw him. The roadway through that region is where he was cursed and pelted by stones by a man named Shimei, who was of the clan of the late King Saul. On that occasion David's nephew Abishai offered to cut off the man's head for assaulting and disrespecting the king but David showed Shimei mercy and passed on through without taking any action against him. He said perhaps the Lord would bless him for his mercy. I think in verses 17-19 David may be reaping the mercy he showed Shimei, for if he had allowed his men to slaughter Shimei of Bahurim, some of the people there might have turned against him and be on the lookout for spies getting messages to David. But as it is, the people of Bahurim are still on his side and are willing to risk the wrath of Absalom to protect men who are working for the king.

"When Absalom's men came to the woman at the house, they asked, 'Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?' The woman answered them, 'They crossed over the brook.' The men searched but found no one, so they returned to Jerusalem." (2 Samuel 17:20) This woman's bravery reminds me of the bravery of Rahab in Joshua 2. Rahab hid the two spies sent from Joshua to infiltrate her hometown of Jericho. She was from a heathen culture but feared the God of Israel and wanted to be on the right side of Him, so she hid the spies from their pursuers and saved their lives. We are not given the name of the woman who hides Ahimaaz and Jonathan in our current chapter. The reason we were given Rahab's name in Joshua 2 is likely because Rahab is an ancestress of Jesus of Nazareth. She appears in His genealogical record in Matthew 1:5. 

As soon as Absalom's men are gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climb out of the well and continue on their mission, thanks to the unnamed woman of Bahurim. "After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, 'Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.'" (2 Samuel 17:21) Ahimaaz and Jonathan know that Absalom stated he preferred Hushai's plan over Ahithophel's plan, but these two men can't be certain which plan Absalom will actually follow when he has his troops amassed. Even under Hushai's plan it's imperative that David gets across the Jordan River as quickly as possible, for with thousands upon thousands of troops, Absalom will be capable of searching every cave and crevice all the way along the route from Jerusalem to the Jordan. Getting across the river will give David and those with him a huge advantage over Absalom because it will take a great deal of time for Absalom to move thousands of troops, their horses, their chariots, and all their equipment to the other side. Absalom will cross the Jordan later in Chapter 17 but by then David has a good head start on him. "So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan." (2 Samuel 17:22)

While the events of verses 15 to 22 have been taking place, Ahithophel dies by his own hand. "When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then he hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father's tomb." (2 Samuel 17:23) Ahithophel is used to having his advice followed as if he were a prophet of the Lord, according to what we were told in 2 Samuel 16:23. Having his advice disregarded makes him feel scorned and shamed. I think it seems certain to him that he will lose his position as Absalom's top advisor in favor of Hushai if Hushai's plan is successful. Or it could be that he suspects Hushai's plan will not be successful and that Absalom will lose his bid for the throne, in which case David can logically be expected to put Absalom and all his co-conspirators to death, including Ahithophel. However this situation turns out, Ahithophel has lost his exalted position as advisor to the king and, if things go wrong for Absalom, he may be charged with treason and executed. In his distress he sees no alternative to taking his life.

There are alternatives. We've found David to be a merciful person and it may be that Ahithophel could have repented for his betrayal of David and that he could have sought and been granted David's forgiveness. This may have saved his life, though not his position as chief advisor to the king. If Ahithophel is not sorry for his sins and not inclined to apologize for them, he could stand and be charged in David's courtroom when David is restored to his throne, admit his guilt, and accept his sentencing like a man. I suppose if Ahithophel wanted to take the cowardly way out, he could have fled the nation and lived in exile for the rest of his life, but I think he may have viewed this course of action as bringing more shame on his family than if he just ended his life. 

The main thing to remember about Ahithophel is that if he had not betrayed his king he would not have found himself in such a terrible position. In betraying David he scorned the will of God who commanded David to be anointed king by the prophet Samuel. The Lord has made no announcement that He's changed His mind about David. The Lord has commanded no prophet or priest to anoint Absalom or anyone else to be king in David's place. Unless or until the Lord initiates a change in the royal house of Israel, no one has the right to declare anyone king but David. It won't be long until the Lord makes that very clear to all of those who betrayed their king and sinned against the Lord in the process.