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.
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