2 Samuel 20
Sheba's RebellionThis section tells how King David faced new problems soon after his victory over Absalom. Even though David should have been celebrating, trouble started again in his kingdom. The people’s arguments and old grudges gave an enemy a chance to rebel. David’s own family was also shamed because of past sins.v. 1: A man named Sheba started a rebellion against David. Sheba was called a man of Belial, meaning he was wicked. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and lived in the area of Mount Ephraim (2 Samuel 20:1; 2 Samuel 20:21 a). This happened right after Absalom’s rebellion was stopped. It shows that when one problem ends, another may begin. The people of Israel and Judah had just made peace, but they soon argued again about who should have the most honor in bringing back the king. Israel said, We have ten parts in David, while Judah said, The king is near of kin to us. Sheba used this quarrel as an opportunity to turn Israel against David. He shouted, We have no part in David, and many Israelites decided to follow him instead of David (2 Samuel 20:1 b). Only the men of Judah stayed loyal to the king (2 Samuel 20:2 c). This teaches us that leaders should not show favoritism, and we should be careful with our words, because small arguments can quickly become big problems (Proverbs 17:14 d). People’s feelings can change quickly; one day they praise someone, and the next day they reject them. – v. 3: When David returned to his house in Jerusalem, he had to deal with his concubines. Absalom had sinned with them in public, so David could no longer be with them. He put them in a kind of prison for the rest of their lives . This was sad for David, but it was necessary because of what had happened. He did this to prevent further shame and gossip among the people. The Bible teaches that wrong choices bring pain and trouble, and sometimes those involved must face hard consequences (1 Corinthians 5:1 e). Amasa's DeathThis section describes the fall of Amasa, who was just beginning to gain power. Amasa was David’s nephew and had been the general for Absalom’s army. When Absalom was defeated, David promised to make Amasa the commander of his army instead of Joab. But Sheba’s rebellion made David act quickly on this promise. Sadly, Joab’s jealousy and ambition turned this situation into a tragedy for both Amasa and David.v. 4: David gave Amasa the job of gathering the men of Judah to fight against Sheba’s rebellion. David wanted Amasa to do this as quickly as possible (2 Samuel 20:4 f). However, the people of Judah were slow to respond. Even though they had supported David’s return, they were not eager to go to battle. Amasa was supposed to gather the troops in three days, but he could not do it on time (2 Samuel 20:5 g). This showed how people sometimes want to support a leader when it is easy, but avoid difficult tasks. – v. 6-7: Because Amasa was delayed, David told Abishai, Joab’s brother, to take the royal guards and chase after Sheba (2 Samuel 20:6-7 h). David wanted to stop Sheba quickly, before he could get stronger. David gave the command to Abishai, not Joab, because he wanted to punish Joab for his past actions, especially for killing Abner and Absalom. Joab, however, joined the pursuit anyway, possibly hoping to deal with his rival, Amasa. – v. 8-10: Near Gibeon, Joab met Amasa at a big stone where the soldiers were gathering (2 Samuel 20:8-10 i). Joab greeted Amasa in a friendly way, calling him brother and asking about his health. He even took Amasa by the beard, as if to kiss him. But this was a trick. Joab was ready with his sword and killed Amasa in front of everyone. He planned this attack, pretending to be friendly so that Amasa would not suspect anything. Joab’s action was shocking because it was done openly, at the head of the army. He killed Amasa with one strong blow. By doing this, Joab showed disrespect to both David and Amasa’s authority. It was a bad time to create division, because they were all supposed to be fighting Sheba together. – – v. 11: After killing Amasa, Joab quickly took control of the army. He left one of his men to call the soldiers to keep following David, but now under Joab’s command . Joab trusted that the soldiers would support him, since he had been their general before. Many of the soldiers liked Joab more than Amasa, who had fought against David with Absalom. Still, it is strange that Joab, after killing someone, could lead the army against a traitor without feeling guilty. v. 12-13: Amasa’s body was left in the road, and the soldiers stopped when they saw it (2 Samuel 20:12-13 j). Someone pulled his body off the road and covered it with a cloth, so the army could keep moving. Covering up the crime did not erase what Joab had done. But, because they needed to fight Sheba, no one tried to punish Joab at that time. David probably heard about Amasa’s murder soon and regretted trusting Joab again. He may have remembered his own guilt for asking Joab to kill Uriah, which encouraged Joab to be cruel. – Sheba PursuedThis section tells how Sheba’s rebellion finally came to an end. Sheba ran from tribe to tribe, but he did not find as much support as he expected. In the end, he hid in a strong city, but wise action by a woman saved the city and stopped the rebellion.v. 14: Sheba traveled across all the tribes of Israel, trying to gather followers. But most people did not want to join him after thinking it over. Only a few people like himself supported him, mainly from Beeroth in Benjamin. At last, Sheba took shelter in Abel-Beth-maacah, a strong city in the north, in the region of Naphtali (2 Samuel 20:14; 2 Kings 15:29 k). One evil person can always find others to join in trouble. v. 15: Joab brought his whole army and surrounded the city to capture Sheba. They attacked the wall and began to break it down, preparing for a full assault . It was right for Joab to go after any city that protected a traitor. In the same way, a heart that keeps sin cannot have peace with God. v. 16-17: While the city was in danger, a wise woman called to Joab from the wall. She asked him to listen to her and reason with her. Joab agreed to talk with her (2 Samuel 20:16–17 l). It was unusual for a woman to lead in war matters, but her wisdom made a big difference. – v. 18-19: The woman explained that Abel was famous for wisdom and had always helped solve problems in Israel (2 Samuel 20:18 m). The city was known for peace and loyalty, not for rebellion (2 Samuel 20:19 n). She said destroying the city would hurt all of Israel, since it was part of the inheritance of the Lord. She also reminded Joab that he should have offered peace before attacking, as the law of war commanded (Deuteronomy 20:10 o). – v. 20-21: Joab replied that he did not want to destroy the city. He said, Far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy (2 Samuel 20:20 p). The only reason for the attack was that the city was hiding Sheba, a traitor. If they handed over Sheba, Joab would leave them in peace (2 Samuel 20:21 q). The wise woman quickly agreed and promised, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee presently. – v. 22: The woman spoke to the people of the city, and they agreed to her plan. They killed Sheba and threw his head over the wall to Joab. With that, Joab ended the siege and returned to Jerusalem. The city was saved, and peace was restored, not by violence, but by wisdom and quick action . David's CourtThis section explains how David’s royal court was organized after he returned as king. Some leaders kept their old jobs, but one new position was added. This shows how David’s government became more organized, especially as the kingdom grew and needed more management.v. 23: Joab remained the commander of the army because he was too powerful for David to remove him. Benaiah continued to be the captain of the royal guards. A new office was created—the treasurer, or the person in charge of collecting taxes. This job was given to Adoram, and it was only later in David’s reign that the people began to pay tribute or taxes (2 Samuel 8:16-18 r). Adoram held this office for a long time, but he was later killed when the people rebelled (1 Kings 12:18 s).
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