seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Samuel 20:1 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!”
no part in Jesse’s son!
Every man to his tent, Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3 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 till the day of their death, living as widows.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5 But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.
6 David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.” 7 So Joab’s men and 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.
8 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.
9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 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 on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri.
11 One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” 12 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. 13 After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri.
14 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. 15 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, 16 a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17 He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”
“I am,” he answered.
She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”
“I’m listening,” he said.
18 She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19 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?”
20 “Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21 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.”
The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.”
22 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.
23 Joab was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24 Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26 and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.
Here's the link to the commentary I use. I would advise you to go read it. This is about the transfer of power from Absalom back to David. It was not peaceful.
Let me review the characters.
- David is king, anointed by God, of course.
- Joab is David's nephew and commander of David's army.
- Sheba the troublemaker is a Benjamite who would try to lure the soldiers away from David's command.
- Amasa was David's sister's son, David's nephew. He was late... Was it on purpose?
- The ten concubines were David's whores that he left behind to guard the palace.
- And then there's the old lady... who was smart.
David returned to Jerusalem, but it was not peaceful and beautiful.
When David returned to the palace, the 10 concubines he left behind had to be dealt with. They were his whores, and his son Absalom slept with all ten of them. David made arrangements for them to live as widows. Although they would never be "wives" of the king, they would never be treated as adulterers. They were set up for life, but they wouldn't be screwing around anymore.
A man named Sheba [not the Queen of Sheba, a man not a woman] called to the Israelis to follow him because he was loyal to Absalom. Since Absalom was now dead, Sheba wanted the king's men to worship him. David called in his troops under command of Joab to disperse Sheba's crowd.
Another of the king's nephews, Amasa, was under orders to get the men of Judah together and meet David in three days. Amasa didn't follow orders. He showed up late. Was that on purpose? I think Joab figured it was treasonous.
When he showed up late, Joab used a dagger and sliced him wide open. Amasa's body dropped in the middle of the road. The soldiers who were marching down the road on the way to take on Sheba, were stopped in their tracks by the dead body.
Israelis are very particular about dead bodies. They have a cleansing ritual they have to go through. The soldiers couldn't move the body and then just pick up their arms and continue on. They would have to do the cleansing ritual.
Joab dispensed with the problem... He drug Amasa's body out of the road and covered it.
And then there's the end of Sheba. He held up in a town with walls. Joab laid siege to the town. The troops were working on breaching the wall when an old woman called out "Hey who's in charge here?" [modern lingo]. Joab told the old woman that he only wanted Sheba for treason!
The old woman got Sheba's head cut off of his body... and tossed it over the wall to Joab.
Joab ordered his troops to stop and they left, with Sheba's head.
And finally, transfer of power complete, David picked his cabinet.
It was not a peaceful return to power for David.
