"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.
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