4-24-13
The Return of the King
2nd Samuel 18:1-20-29
I The Defeat of Absalom’s Army 18:1-33
II David Takes Control 19:1-43
III Sheba’s Rebellion is Suppressed 20:1-26
A fine Christian doctor has a son named Keith. He is an intellectual, who graduated at the top of his class in high school. During the latter part of the boy’s senior year, the father began to see some seeds of rebellion that didn’t respond to his fatherly counsel.
Now, Keith wanted his first year in college, to be at Stanford. And since they lived in the southwest, it meant a significant outlay of money. Keith was told that he would have to help with expenses. He didn’t want to, he grumbled a little, and then, reluctantly said he would, and off he went.
While he was at Stanford, he never got a job, but he did get indoctrinated into the liberal mindset, that parents can’t really tell you what to do, that it isn’t their place, and that they have no right to keep you from doing what you want to do. And as a result, he went home that first summer, and told his dad that he was taking off, to travel around with friends, till school started again, and that he’d see him when he saw him, and to please give him his summer allowance, up front……
He found out, very quickly, that that was a big mistake, because his dad said, “Okay son, I’ll tell you what------everything you have, I have bought for you”
Keith played the violin beautifully. So, his dad said, “That Stradivarius violin, that you love so much----you leave in my home.” The boy gulped and then he blinked and he said, “okay…” “and the clothes hanging in your closet? I bought them for you, so just leave them there.”
“My clothes?” “Yeah, all your clothes----except you can have the ones your wearing and the shoes you have on, you can have those.”
Then the dad said, “the money in your pocket is mine too, so leave it there on the counter before you leave---and there won’t be any more from me, since you want to be on your own. Now, let me see if there is anything else.”
Keith was shocked and shaken, and he said, “Dad, I think you’ve covered everything that I have…” His dad said, “Ok, then you can go now.”
But, Keith didn’t move, and it wasn’t but a few minutes, before he and his dad had a heart-to-heart talk, that neither of them ever forgot, and it changed their feelings for each other, and set the tone for the wonderful relationship, that they still share today…Eyeball to eyeball, that very wise father, leveled his young rebel---
David should have done the same thing with his sons, and perhaps Amnon’s and Absalom’s lives would have been spared…
I The Defeat of Absalom’s Army 18: 1-33
David had found refuge and support in Manahanaim, as well as finding the time to gather provisions and to reorganize his army. He divided his troops into thirds, under the leadership of Joab , his brother Abishai and and the loyal Gittite, Ittai
And, he prepared himself, to lead them, in the maneuvers against Absalom and his followers. But his men convinced him, that it was in Israel’s best interest, and in David’s, for David not to be the one to lead the attack.
As the army moved out for battle David commanded his generals to “deal gently” with Absalom, apparently viewing the rebellion of Absalom, as a youthful escapade, that could be eventually, forgiven.
But Joab, and the army, regarded the rebellion, as having much more serious consequences, which is evidenced by what Joab did.
The battle took place in the Forest of Ephraim-----a dense forest north of the Jabbok River. And because of the rugged nature of the war zone, the pursuit through the forest, resulted in more deaths than the actual combat did.
David’s words of warning, unfortunately, weren’t able to protect
Absalom’s life. Absalom tried to escape on his mule, while huge numbers of his men fell, at the hands of David’s men, in the dense tangle of the woods----- but apparently, as he rode under a large oak tree, either his hair or his head, got snagged in it’s branches, and he was stuck, just hanging there, as his mule ran on, without him.
One of David’s soldiers found him struggling to free himself----but he didn’t help him, nor did he didn’t hurt him either, because of David’s order.
But Joab, had no scruples about disobeying David-----He was a ruthless military leader, who viewed Absalom, not so much as David’s
son, but as David’s enemy, who had usurped the throne. So Joab reproved the young warrior, for not putting him to death, when he found him-----and then, didn’t hesitate to do it himself-----he put 3 javelins in Absalom’s heart, and then let 10 of his men, beat Absalom, until they were sure he was dead.
The death of Absalom, meant an end to the revolt, and so Joab called for an end to the battle. Absalom was buried in a deep pit, which was then covered over with stones. Some scholars suggest that this represents Absalom being stoned, which makes sense, because, the legal penalty in Israelite culture, for a son rebelling against his father, was being stoned to death. (How ironic that, when he was alive, Absalom erected a monument to himself, so people would revere him, but in his death, his own cousin threw him into an unmarked grave, in an unknown section of a forest, and he was scorned.)
( There is a lesson here for us-----there is only one person, who has ever lived, who is worthy of our worship----and that is the Lord Jesus Christ-----we need to know that we can’t build monuments to ourselves, or to other people----they won’t stand, they will wind up, every time, just being just a pile of rocks-----only the Lord Jesus deserves honor and adoration and worship.)
As David’s soldiers were rejoicing over their victory----- for some
Reason------ Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, wanted to run and tell David the good news, but Joab knew that the death of Absalom would not be good news for David------and he didn’t want David to be reminded of Absalom’s death, every time he looked at Ahimaaz, or Zadok, in the future. So he sent one of his foreign Cushite (Ehtiopian) soldiers to deliver the message. But when Ahimaaz continued to plead to be allowed to go tell David the news----Joab finally relented, hoping that the Cushite runner would get there first. He didn’t, Ahimaaz beat him there, but then, he couldn’t bring himself to tell David about Absalom-----and the Cushite had to do it, after all----and when David heard and understood the truth of it-----instead of waiting for his victorious troops, so he could praise them, even if he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate with them (what parent could) he retreated to his chambers, weeping and mourning for Absalom. (I’m reminded of what happened at the marathon in Boston----what those two brothers did was a form of rebellion against this country, but it was also against their own family----and as the world waited to see them be caught and brought to justice---don’t you know their heartbroken family wanted them to be caught, but don’t you also know that they also would have wanted their lives to be spared-----that must have been how David felt-----heartsick and broken.)
When Joab found out about David’s behavior, he intervened. He knew that the troops had returned to the city, with their heads hanging down, like they had done something wrong, instead of returning with shouts of jubilation, for having done their job well, and for having protected their people, and restored their king. The language that the scripture uses to describe David’s sorrow, throughout the sad experience, is particularly intense.
Joab thought it was too much, so he was determined to shake David out if his over-the–top grief, for the sake of the army.
Losing a loved one to death, is an incomparable sorrow-----and the grief is compounded, exponentially, when a parent loses a child. David had every reason to be heartbroken by Absalom’s death. There must have been so much regret in his heart----he must have been keenly aware of his own role, in the tragedy----He had treated Absalom to a lifetime of indulgence and careless parenting, and then, had treated him with the utmost disrespect, when he never confronted him, but kept him in exile, and then, under house arrest, for 5 years, after the death of Amnon.
Also, David was still dealing with the consequences of his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah. Nathan had prophesied that David’s sons would rebel against him, because David had killed Uriah-----so, David must have been eaten up with guilt, that his behavior, had cost the life of his son.
And, while David was sure of his own eternal security, he might have been less sure of Absalom’s, because there is no evidence that Absalom followed the Lord in any way. This might have been why he expressed the wish that he could have died in his son’s place. The lack of confidence in Absalom’s eternal destiny, is a stark contrast to his certainty, that his infant son who had died, was waiting for him in heaven.
And, I truly think, even though I also believe that he was an absentee, permissive parent, that David, being the gentle shepherd, that he was, truly loved his son, even though Absalom had done nothing to deserve that love. David responded to the news of Absalom’s death as a father not as a king.
But when Joab pointed it out, that instead of thanking the soldiers, and the people for their support and their courage, he had shamed them into guilt, by his preoccupation with his grief for Absalom----David recognized the truth of Joab’s words and he put aside feelings and responded to the people as their king. (No matter what kind of grief we face, whether its death or disappointment or a loss of any kind----we can’t allow it to devastate us, to the point that we stop living----we have to keep our focus on the Lord Jesus, and we have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward------the best way for us to
do that, is to throw ourselves, into service to someone else----the loss will still be there, but the pain of it, will be lessened, because we’ve taken our focus off of ourselves and our circumstances, and put them on theLord and His work.
Only the Lord, can give us the peace that passes all understanding, and He only gives it to us, when we need it.
As difficult as it may be, putting God and His work above everything else-----including family, friends, plans and passions----is always the right thing and it’s always the best thing to do…
.We have to keep our priorities in the right place regardless of what’s going on around us, or what’s happening to us, or what we’re walking through.) (In her lifetime, no matter what was happening in her life---my grandmother never stopped feeding people----that was her life’s work---her dinner table, was her mission field, it was her altar of sacrifice; it was her prayer bench and it
was her place of worship-----that’s where she went about her Father’s business ------the Lord has a place for each of us every day----we need to
listen to Him, to know what and where it is-----and we need to do whatever it is, regardless, of what anyone else is doing----we can’t control their behavior, we can only control ours…
I’m glad this story is in the Bible, because it lets us know, that
unhappiness, tragedy and regret are part of loving, and living in a family. It was true for King David and its true for each of us. Think about how much we suffer hurt, within our own families, when there is discord and pain; then think about how much more, God must hurt over our disobedience and rebellion. David said that he would have given his life to save his son from death, because he loved him so much------but God loved us so much that He sent His son to His death-----On the cross, at Calvary, God’s whole tragic family was gathered, embraced and saved, by a Father, who, in his grief, loved us so much, that He allowed his son,
to die on our place.
II David Takes Control 19:1- 43
Scott Turow begins his novel “Presumed Innocent” with the words of a prosecuting attorney named Rusty. Rusty is explaining his approach to the jury when he’s in court. Rusty says: This is how I always start: “ ‘I am the prosecutor. I represent the State. I am here to present you the evidence of a crime. Together you will weigh the evidence. You will deliberate upon it. You will decide if it proves the defendant’s guilt. This man’---- and here I point….”
Then he went on to say, ”If you don’t have the courage to point….you can’t expect then, to have the courage to convict.” And so I point. I extend my hand across the courtroom. I hold my finger straight. I seek the defendant’s eye. And I say: “This man has been accused…”
Scott Turow, in his novel, shows in that courtroom scene, a principle that holds true in all of life. People need leaders to galvanize their courage. People need leaders to point, to take a stand, to say what they believe.”
David’s unrestrained grief over Absalom could have led to political
disaster if Joab had not stepped in and David had not recognized the wisdom of his words ------
As it was, the movement to restore David to power was not a unanimous one, among the tribes or the people. Apparently, some of the Israelites thought that he should be reinstated because of his past service to the nation---- while others thought he had forfeited his right to rule----and then, the men of Judah were reluctant to reinstate him, because of the part they had played in Absalom’s insurrection---they were afraid David would make heads roll…. David, in his wisdom, insisted that his restoration be unanimous among all 12 tribes, beginning with Judah-----and David, diplomatically, won them over to his side, by replacing Joab, as his chief commander, with another nephew Amasa, whom Absalom had also used as his chief commander-----this decision served 2 purposes----1.) it did secure the allegiance of the rebel army to him and 2.)it publically and painfully disciplined Joab for killing Absalom and Abner. The men of Judah responded, by traveling to Gilgal, an important religious site in early Israel to join David.
(But the people should never have risen against David in the first
place, but crowds are fickle----they can be swayed by almost anything, because they have the same mentality, as sheep----they just follow the person in front of them-----not paying attention to the right or the left----- but following the crowd is rarely the right thing to do----we need to make sure that we follow the principles laid out in God’s word----we need to line our behavior and our thoughts and our allegiance up with the scripture---and that, will help us to avoid, being swayed by the popular opinions of the crowd or the need to join in, the irrationality, of the mob mentality. )
David was accompanied from Mahanaim, by Barzillai, his wealthy, 80 year old friend who had supported and encouraged him with supplies and words, probably, both of the times, he was in exile. David asked his old friend to come all the way home to Jerusalem with him, so that he could return the favor, with royal hospitality. But Barzallai declined, saying that his old age would cause him to be a burden to the king, and he didn’t want that. He wanted to live out the rest of his life, in his hometown, and be buried there, with the rest of his family, who had gone on before him.
But he did ask a favor from David--- which was----- for David to take his son Kimham back with him, and confer the blessings on him, that he wanted to give to Barzallai. David understood ----and David did what Barzillai asked him to, to the point, that even on his deathbed, David instructed Solomon in 1 Kings 2:7 to continue to be kind to Barzallai’s sons.(The lesson for us, in this, is that we should remember to pray for each other, and to intercede with the Lord on the behalf of each other and to seek God’s blessings for each other-----more than we do for ourselves )
As David and the royal party got to the west bank of the river, they were met by a large contingent of people, including Shimei, Mephibosheth and Ziba -------David had a score to settle with all 3 of them and they were brave to come out to meet him face to face----David’s forgiveness of all 3 men, went a long way in smoothing the ruffled feathers, of the people, who were waiting to see how he would take charge of the
kingdom reins again....When Shimei approached David, instead of yelling and flinging stones at him, he fell down at the kings feet and confessed his crime and begged for forgiveness. Abishai still wanted to kill him but David, who was anxious to mend fences, and to strengthen his ties, to the northern tribes, spared him-----at least, at that time----but it must have been conditional on his continued loyalty, because later on in 1st Kings 2:8-9, David ordered for Shimei to be punished for his crime----
Ziba and his sons and his servants were there to greet David and to help him on his journey through the river and on to Jerusalem-----just like they were, when he was running away from Jerusalem. And even though Ziba and his household, were certainly around, the conversation was between David and Mephibosheth.
Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s crippled son, met David in the traditional attitude of mourning-----barefoot, ashes and torn clothes------and apparently, he’d been like that, since David had left. His humility was apparent in his demeanor and in his words, as he confessed his loyalty to David, and blamed Ziba, for his inability to leave the palace during the revolt.
Ziba’s story and Mephibosheth’s didn’t match but it looks like David decided to give both men, the benefit of the doubt-----he split Mephibosheth’s land between them rewarding both men for their
loyalty. I suspect there was an element of truth, in each man’s story----
So, the wisdom of David’s decision, was apparent, because it acted, as a catalyst, for reconciliation, between Mephibosheth and Ziba-------
Mephibosheth acknowledged David’s graciousness to him in the past
and that he was unworthy and undeserving of any special consideration from David-----and then, like the mother that told Solomon not to divide the child, because she loved him too much for that---- Mephobosheth, made it clear that he cared more about David, and his good favor, and
just being in his presence, than he did about the property -----so he wanted Ziba to have it all. (We are like Mephibosheth----we don’t deserve God’s good favor, or any of the blessings He lavishes us with----so we shouldn’t expect them-----we should just be happy and content, to have the opportunity and the blessing, to dwell in his presence, and not ask for anything more wonderful than that….)
David’s fairness, sets a standard for government that will be put fully into place, when Jesus comes back to set up his kingdom on the earth----but until then, his fairness sets the standard, that we are to live our lives by, as we walk and worship and work together, waiting for Him to come…
Chapter 19 closes with David’s homecoming, which was marred by the
arguing and the brewing trouble, between the people of Judah and the people of Israel. When the people of Israel were arguing with the people of Judah, the Israelites claimed 10 times the ownership of David since they had 10 tribes.
In other words, David was 10 times more obligated to them. But when the people of Judah spoke of their relationship to David, their claim to him, was that he was their near kin. Neither the 10 tribes of Israel nor the tribe of Judah, spoke of David as God’s anointed king. Both tribes followed David for self-serving reasons. Which means that Judah was no better for following David, than the men of Israel were for leaving him.
III Sheba’s Rebellion is Suppressed 20:1-26
Wisdom, is the God-given ability, to see life, with rare objectivity, and to handle life, with rare stability.
There was a troublemaker named Sheba, son of Bicri, a Benjamite, from the same tribe as Saul, stirred up dissension among the people by attempting to incite another rebellion------it was surprising how quickly and completely all the men of Israel followed Sheba. Although Israel was a united kingdom, under David, it was still made up of 12 separate tribes, and the tribes sometimes had trouble agreeing on the goals of the nation as a whole. The same tribal jealousies that kept the Israelites from conquering the Promised Land in the days of Joshua, were the same tribal jealousies that created the perfect climate for Sheba to start the rebellion.
After David got back to Jerusalem, he took care of 2 housekeeping duties: 1.) he assigned the 10 concubines that Absalom had slept with, to a life of widowhood----they were unclean, so he couldn’t sleep with them anymore, but he compassionately provided for them. And 2.) He gave Amasa, the command to amass the troops, and to go after Sheba and stop the revolt. But he was less than prompt in executing his duties----So David turned to Abishai, and sent him with the troops to track down Sheba----Joab went with Abishai----and wound up brutally, killing Amasa, as he caught him off-guard, in a sneaky-sleight-of-hand, when Amasa finally caught up with the troops from Jerusalem at Gibeon----
Joab was David’s most loyal supporter, but he was also the most vicious soldier in David’s army-----and its hard to tell if he loved Israel above all else, David above all else, himself above else----or all 3 interchangeably----it seems like he is always killing someone, to save David from himself and his compassionate benevolence toward his people….but Joab never seemed to include God in the equation….
Joab and Abishai pursued Sheba to the very edge of Israelite territory, to the city of Abel Beth-maacah. As Joab’s assault against the city gained momentum, the wise woman appealed to Joab to spare her city…
The wise woman from Abel Beth Maccah did a great service for her town, more than we can even realize-----because all throughout Israelite history, cities and nations were often called upon to make sacrifices in order to get an enemy to suspend their attack. Normally, silver and gold was the price for peace. For example, when Tiglath-pileser led the Assyrian army against Jerusalem in 701 B.C. , the Judahite king, Hezekiah attempted to make the Assyrians withdraw, by providing them with eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold. On other occasions an invading king might not leave until had had also taken hostages in addition to material wealth. That’s what happened when Daniel, his friends, and about 10 thousand others, were carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C.
When Joab launched an attack against Abel Beth Maacah, it was not for the purpose of conquering the city to bring it under Israelite control; the city was already a part of the nation. However, this walled city was acting as a hostile enemy by providing safe haven for the person who was a threat to David’s kingship. Joab could have demanded that the city pay all costs associated with Israel’s efforts to put down the revolt----a price tag that would have taken every bit of the citizen’s wealth. He could have demanded that all the city leaders be arrested and handed over to him, for execution, because of their willingness to support the rebellion. But instead, he just demanded that Sheba be killed.
And he was---the men of the city, took things into their own hands------ his head was thrown over the wall and the revolt ended almost as quickly as it began.
The trumpet was blown, and the troops went back to Jerusalem----Joab returned, leading the victorious troops and David restored him publically, as head of the army------David’s rule was once again secure, in the united nation of Israel and Judah.
The events that happened in these chapters underscore the reality of God’s hand in our lives. There are times that God intervenes in direct ways and sometimes it is indirect-----but He is always in control----and just like the Israelites had to submit themselves to their earthly king, David----- we have to submit ourselves to our heavenly king, Jesus. We need to submit to Him as our Savior and Lord and we need to live as his loyal subjects, for His glory and for our good.
