1-18 Defeat and Death of Absalom
- David gathers a army of thousands and divides it into 3 groups under the commands of Joab, Abishai, and Ittai the Gittite.
- He offers to go with them, but they tell him to stay back, because his life is worth 10,000 of theirs.
- He instructs the commanders to "deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom," and all the people hear those instructions.
- The servants of David defeat the men of Israel - 20,000 Israelites die -- more taken by the forest than by the sword.
- Absalom rides through the forest on his mule, and his head gets caught in the branches, and he is left hanging there.
- One of Joab's men report this to him, and Joab chastises him for not killing Absalom: he would have given him 10 pieces of silver and a belt.
- The man replies he wouldn't do it -- not for a thousand pieces of silver -- because the king commanded them not to.
- Joab replies, "I will not waste time like this with you," and he takes 3 spears and stabs Absalom with them, and 10 of his armor-bearers also strike and kill Absalom.
- Joab calls his troops back, and they take Absalom's body, throw it in a pit and heap stones over it.
- Side note: Absalom had erected a monument to himself in the King's Valley because he had no children, and named it after himself. At the time of this writing, "Absalom's Monument" still stood. In reference to this link, one source said this monument was actually built in the first century C.E. (Common Era), or more "commonly," first century A.D.
- Ahimaaz son of Zadok wants to tell the king the good news that God has delivered him from his enemies, but Joab forbids it, telling a Cushite to run to tell the king.
- But Ahimaaz insists on running after the Cushite, goes a different way and overtakes the Cushite.
- David sees first one lone runner then another and knows they are bringing news. When someone one tells him the first one is Amihaaz, the king supposes he is bringing good news.
- Ahimaaz tells him only that he has been delivered from his enemies, but doesn't really know about Absalom.
- The Cushite, however, tells him of the defeat, and "May the enemies of my lord...be like that young man."
- David goes to the "chamber over the gate," weeping - "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
- When the troops hear of his mourning, their victory celebration turns into mourning on their king's behalf.
- Joab goes to David and chastises him for caring more for his son than he does for the armies that risked their lives for him and for his people, turning their victory over David's enemy into shame.
- If you don't go, Joab says, you will lose all your men, and this will be worse than any other disaster you have ever known. While looking up a link about Absalom's monument, I came upon this comment in a Daily Bible reading blog by a man named Mike: "David's love for his son was admirable in one sense - but it also could be seen as selfish in another sense. David seemed to care more for his son than for the nation of Israel, and Joab called him out on this."
- The people back home are confused by David's flight and now by Absalom's death, because it means they have no king.
- David sends a message to the priests that they should be the ones asking him to return.
- He makes Amasa his commander, and Amasa convinces the people of Judah to send for the king, and he comes back to the Jordan, where the people meet him at Gilgal.
- Shimei, who before had thrown rocks at him (2 Samuel 16:5ff), brings a thousand family members from Benjamin with him to meet David.
- Also Ziba, Saul's servant, comes with his 15 sons and 20 servants.
- Shimei confesses his sin and begs for David's mercy.
- Abishai wants to punish Shimei with death.
- But the king wants no more killing, and promises Shimei he will not be punished.
- Mephibosheth has not come to meet the king (I wondered where he was when it mentioned Ziba), because he has not prepared himself physically to meet the king, having not bathed, shaven, nor washed his clothes since the king left.
- Apparently, Ziba's story that Mephibosheth stayed behind in support of Absalom was false. He had asked Ziba to saddle a donkey for him to go with the king, but Ziba hadn't, and because of his handicap, he couldn't come.
- David offers to divide the land he promised to Ziba with Mephibosheth, but Mephibosheth says it is enough that the king has returned safely. And this is why I hadn't remembered Mephibosheth's disloyalty (see notes on 2 Samuel 16:1-4) -- there was none!
- David wants to reward Barzillai -- 80 years old and very wealthy -- by taking him to Jerusalem and taking care of him. This is why Barzillai sounded familiar (2 Samuel 17:27). I must have liked this story when I read it before. It's so refreshing to read of selflessness midst all the battles and fighting in these chapters.
- Barzillai declines because of his age. He wouldn't enjoy the amenities of palace life, preferring his own home, and suggests David take a man named Chimham instead, which David agrees to do.
- So the king kisses and blesses Barzillai and goes on to Gilgal, with Chimham. All the people of Judah and half the people of Israel bring him on his way to Jersualem.
- The people of Israel accuse those of Judah of trying to steal their king -- after all, they have 10 shares in David to only 2 for Judah. It appears this infighting begins a long time before Solomon's death.
1-26 The Rebellion of Sheba
- Sheba, son of Bichri, a Benjaminite, draws some away from David, proclaiming with a trumpet, "Everyone to your tents, O Israel!"
- All Israel follows Bichri, but those of Judah follow David back to Jerusalem.
- David imprisons the 10 concubines he left behind (and who slept with Absalom) in a house under guard, where they live like widows for the rest of their lives.
- The king orders Amasa, the army commander he appointed to take Joab's place, to gather Judah together within 3 days, but he doesn't show up.
- David tells Abishai to go after Sheba before he gains even more power, so Joab's men go after him, with the Cherethites, Pelethites, and warriors.
- At Gibeon, Joab meets up with Amasa and grabs his beard as if he's going to kiss him, but stabs him instead -- disemboweling him with one blow.
- One of Joab's men stands by Amasa's body lying in the road and tells those who are for David to follow Joab, but the people hesitate at the sight of the body lying in a pool of blood.
- So the man carries Amasa's body into a field and covers it up so the people follow Joab in pursuit of Sheba.
- They pursue Sheba to the city of Abel, besiege it and are preparing to batter the walls and destroy the city, when a "wise woman" from the city calls to Joab to negotiate with him.
- She tells him she is one of those in the city who seeks peace, and please not to destroy those like her because of one man.
- Joab: All I want is Sheba.
- So the woman confers with citizens of the city, and they deliver Sheba's head to Joab, and Joab returns to Jerusalem.
- David's officers listed (a couple of changes from his officials in 2 Samuel 8:15-18)
- Commander of the armies - Joab. He is such an interesting character -- violent and fiercely loyal to David, despite David's failure to judge wisely the character of those who are disloyal, e.g. Absalom and Amasa
- Commander of Cherethites and Pelethites - Benaiah
- In charge of forced labor - Adoram
- Recorder - Johoshaphat son of Ahilud
- Secretary - Sheva
- Priests - Zadok and Abiathar
- Also David's priest - Ira the Jairite
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