David the Shepherd who became King Volume 6

Transcription

1 The life of David, volume 6 Page 1 David the Shepherd who became King Volume 6 Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission Forward We come to the sixth volume covering the life of David. We have watched David through the many ups and downs of his life. He knew days of great blessing and joy, and also days of great distress and sorrow. Yet through it all the good hand of the Lord was evidently upon him, and even when he failed the Lord when he sensed the Lord had withdrawn the sense of his presence from him, the Lord never once forsook him. In fact at such times the Lord poured his great grace into David s life and forgave him again and again. The life of David, volume 6 Page 2 most important thing of all is that they direct our attention not so much to David, but to the Lord his God, the God who is irresistibly, sovereignly, systematically building his Church and extending his kingdom. They teach us that the ways of God are perfect, and will always be successful in the end; however it might sometimes appear to the contrary to human eyes. May the Lord help us all to see with the eye of faith that his wise and strong hand was not only upon David, but by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is also on us if we follow him. I would like also to place on record my indebtedness to my dear friend and colleague Philip Grist who has been so helpful in the preparation of the Sound Words radio programmes which form the basis for this book. Also my very grateful thanks to Philip s wife Mary for proof reading the manuscript and my secretary Helen Cook for the laying out of the material and the printing. Derek French April 2009 These chapters are not always in strict chronological order, but they give us David s return to Jerusalem after the demise of his son Absalom. These chapters of David s life contain times of great joy and thanksgiving, times of difficulty and opposition, times of great distress again over sin committed and a further period of internal struggle for the throne of Israel. But the

2 The life of David, volume 6 Page 3 Chapter 1, 2 Samuel 19:8b-43 David Returns To Jerusalem Introduction We ended volume five in this series with David s reaction at the death of his treacherous son Absalom, over whom David mourned excessively. However, after some strong words from Joab his army commander, David went out to meet his men who had just won a huge victory against Absalom s men (2 Samuel 19:8) securing the kingdom for David. This simple act restored David to his men, whom really he had not treated rightly or wisely after they put their lives on the line to save his life. 1) A Remarkable Turn Around in the Nation, verses 8b-15 a. Israel were the first to speak about restoring David, verses 8b-10 By Israel we are referring to the ten northern tribes as opposed to Judah who were in the south of the land. Most of these had gone over to Absalom in his rebellion, but now they had been defeated they were in quite some turmoil. The first thing we are told is that they fled to their homes (v8b), but very soon after that they began to argue amongst themselves (v9-10): Throughout the tribes of Israel, the people were all arguing with each other, saying, The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country because of Absalom; and Absalom, The life of David, volume 6 Page 4 whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back? They knew that in the past David had gained some remarkable deliverances from their enemies, not least from that persistent enemy the Philistines, but they had treacherously deserted him for Absalom. They also knew that Absalom had been defeated, even though they had anointed him king over them - something that was a sin against the Lord because he was not the Lord s anointed. It seems that they at least were having some pangs of conscience about their behaviour, and so they argued over why they had not gone to bring David back. They could see that their folly had not profited them at all, and in fact made things worse for them. Lesson: Sinful rebellion never succeeds in the end and only brings further disunity amongst those responsible. b. Judah were the ones to move first, verses News of this debate amongst the northern tribes evidently reached David s ears and spurred him on to send a message to his own tribe Judah (v11-12): King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: Ask the elders of Judah, Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? You are my brothers, my own

3 The life of David, volume 6 Page 5 flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king? In many ways while such a request was quite reasonable, in the long term it was only going to further the division between Judah and the northern tribes, as the end of this chapter shows. However, in order to placate the northern tribes and to deliver them from any fears that now David was in charge he would inflict revenge on them for siding with Absalom, he made a significant appointment (v13): And say to Amasa, Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab. Amasa had been Absalom s army commander (2 Samuel 17:25) and although he deserved death for his treason, David acted very wisely. In this one appointment he placated the losing side and punished Joab for killing Absalom. This all produced the desired result (v14): He (i.e. David) won over the hearts of all the men of Judah as though they were one man. They sent word to the king, Return, you and all your men. And so the scene was set for David s restoration to his leadership in the kingdom and significantly this was all going to take place at Gilgal (v15): The life of David, volume 6 Page 6 Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan. Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. Gilgal had considerable spiritual significance in the history of God s Old Testament people. Long before David s time in the days of Joshua the covenant between God and Israel was renewed there after the wilderness wanderings (Joshua 5). The kingdom had also been renewed there in Samuel s time (1 Samuel 11:14). So this place was symbolic of the Lord s grace to his people and it was here that David s return was established. Gordon Keddie has written: David s return was a theological event, attended by overtones of forgiveness of sin, reconciliation and revival for the people of God. If in practice it fell somewhat short of these lofty motives, it never-the-less did mark something of a national healing of the schism of the rebellion. In terms of the providential dealings of God with David, it does tell us that if God s children fall, he will raise them up again. So this was the Lord reassuring David that even though he had been under the Lord s chastening hand because of his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, it was the Lord who was restoring him. And that is a reminder of something David wrote concerning the Lord in Psalm 23:3: he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name s sake. Gilgal was where God showed David his unmerited and undeserved favour in restoring him. Today, we do not

4 The life of David, volume 6 Page 7 have our Gilgals, nor do we need them because we have something, or rather someone, much better. We have the Lord Jesus Christ and our salvation and restoration is all of the grace of God in him. And so David s restoration here points us to the greater restoration that every Christian believer has in Christ. 2) David Had Four Visitors, verses When David fled from Jerusalem you may recall several individuals met him on the way, namely Hushai who was David s friend in Absalom s court(15:32-37), Ziba the man charged with caring for Mephibosheth (16:1-4) and Shimei the man who cursed David and pelted him with stones (16:5-13). Now Shimei and Ziba return, and Mephibosheth and Barzillai come as well, and each of these visitors has significant spiritual lessons to teach us. a. Shimei, verses 16, Shimei realised he was in serious trouble, for he had cursed David but David had been victorious and there was the very real possibility he would give Shimei what he deserved. So he came to plead his case with David and to ask for his forgiveness. The urgency he felt is indicated by the fact we are told in verse 16 he: hurried down with the men of Judah to meet David. While the whole company then crossed the Jordon so they could help David back into Gilgal, Shimei fell prostrate at David s feet (v18) and spoke with David (v19-20): The life of David, volume 6 Page 8 May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king. This was an honest confession and he had wronged the king severely (see Exodus 22:28), so he pleaded for mercy. It is difficult to say whether this was true repentance or whether he was just saying the right things to save his life, but David s response was extremely gracious. One of David s men, Abishai, who had wanted to kill Shimei when he cursed David back in chapter 16, spoke up again here (v21): Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, Shouldn t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord s anointed. But David s response is the opposite. First he rebuked Abishai for such an unforgiving attitude on a day when the Lord had intervened for them in a remarkable way, and he assured Shimei he would not kill him (v22-23). David replied, What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? This day you have become my adversaries! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Do I not know that today I am king over Israel? So the king said to Shimei, You shall not die. And the king promised him on oath.

5 The life of David, volume 6 Page 9 These were the words of a man who knew God had forgiven him, and hence he showed forgiveness himself. David knew he did not deserve any of the Lord s mercies himself but God had still forgiven him, and therefore he could not take this man s life although the law permitted it. This is exactly what Jesus taught his followers to do in the Lord s prayer in Matthew 6, and which he emphasised in his parable about the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18. But it is also fair to say that for David this was a wise political move as well. If those men who had travelled with Shimei saw David wreak vengeance on him it could destabilise the whole situation. Further we know from 1 Kings 2 that David instructed his son Solomon to deal with Shimei as he deserved when he ascended his father s throne and this seems to indicate Shimei was not truly repentant when he came to David. b. Ziba and Mephibosheth, verses 17, Ziba, you may remember, had been given the task of looking after the land which had formerly belonged to the family of King Saul, on behalf of his grandson Mephibosheth who was lame. He had however come to David when he was fleeing Absalom with some valuable food for him and his men, but also with the story that Mephibosheth had in effect deserted David (2 Samuel 16). The result was that David had rather rashly given Ziba all of the land that had been given to Mephibosheth. Well, he was amongst that first group of men from Judah who came to welcome the king back (v17): The life of David, volume 6 Page 10 With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul s household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. Before very long Mephibosheth also arrived, and his condition was quite surprising (v24). Mephibosheth, Saul s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his moustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. Mephibosheth looked like a man who had been in great grief, and that was true. He openly and unashamedly shared in David s exile even though he was confined to Jerusalem, and that was a very courageous thing to do when Absalom was still alive. But his presence made David recall Ziba s previous accusation and so he questioned Mephibosheth (v25): When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, Why didn t you go with me, Mephibosheth? David was clearly suspicious and the answer he received showed that in actual fact Ziba had not been completely truthful in his previous accusation against him (v26-28): He said, My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, I will have my donkey saddled and will

6 The life of David, volume 6 Page 11 ride on it, so that I can go with the king. But Ziba my servant betrayed me. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever pleases you. All my grandfather s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king? Ziba had in fact not been truthful at all and had undermined Mephibosheth s character and concern for David. Evidently Mephibosheth had been gripped with sorrow over David s plight and this is why he had not taken care of his appearance because of his love for the king for whom he had in fact mourned. Ziba was a liar at this point and had been totally wrong to accuse Mephibosheth of treason. Consider Proverbs 12, verse 22: The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. So Ziba was a man of mixed character. He was at the same time helpful to David but untruthful about Mephibosheth, and that was dishonourable. How this incident searches our hearts to ensure that we are always honest and above reproach. How easy it can be for us to fall into the same mistake and sin against others and against the Lord by being untruthful about others. Where we have failed we need to repent and seek the Lord s forgiveness and the forgiveness of those about whom we have been untruthful. This is quite a humbling experience but a necessary one to The life of David, volume 6 Page 12 help us to walk in the paths of righteousness for the Lord s name s sake. There is a notable absence in the narrative, namely, that David did not rebuke Ziba for his deceit, and it is difficult to see why this was so. Did he accept that there was a little bit of truth in Ziba s words? Did he think there was insufficient evidence to corroborate either of the men s stories? Did he act out of political expediency and lack of courage not wanting to upset those who had travelled with Ziba and lose their support at such a critical time? We are simply not told, but the way Mephibosheth had neglected his appearance while David was away does seem to put the weight of evidence in his favour. What David did do was to give half the land to Mephibosheth and half to Ziba, which was hardly fair (v29). The king said to him, Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the fields. And Mephibosheth responded in a most gracious way because he was so aware of the grace David had shown to him (v30). Mephibosheth said to the king, Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has arrived home safely. For him David s safety was everything and having him return filled his heart with joy, which is hardly what we would have expected if Mephibosheth had been disloyal as

7 The life of David, volume 6 Page 13 Ziba claimed. Dale Ralph Davis has written: That was Mephibosheth. He was lame and limited but loyal. And his loyalty was not driven by survival (Shimei) or greed (Ziba). He could not sustain David with abundant provision like the wealthy farmer Barzillai (17:27-29; 19:31-32) He did what he could. c. Barzillai, verses Elderly Barzillai who had been so generous in providing for David and his men when he was fleeing from Absalom (2 Samuel 17:27-29) came to meet David as he was returning (v32-33). Now Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. The king said to Barzillai, Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you. How lovely for this faithful man of God to come to meet David and send him on his way. And the king s invitation for him to stay at Jerusalem with him and care for him was a fitting response to a man who had been so loyal. But this dear old believer excuses himself from accepting the king s kindness by an appeal to his great age and some of the weaknesses and physical deterioration that come with that. He could not see too well, or taste food as he did while younger, or hear clearly (v34-37). But Barzillai answered the king, How many more years shall I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with The life of David, volume 6 Page 14 the king? I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is good and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of men and women singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way? Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever pleases you. The man Kimham was probably one of Barzillai s sons (see 1 Kings 2:7). To this David agreed and added that he would still do anything Barzillai may want him to do and all he had to do was to ask (v38): The king said, Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever pleases you. And then a very moving farewell is described for us (v39). So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and gave him his blessing, and Barzillai returned to his home. It reminds us of Paul s farewell to the church at Ephesus in Acts 20, verses 36-38:

8 The life of David, volume 6 Page 15 When he (i.e. Paul) had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. 3. Tension Builds Again, verses David returned to Jerusalem but conflict soon raised its ugly head among his people (v40-41): When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over. Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men? The northern ten tribes (Israel) were guilty of petty jealousy, and that may have been increased by a guilty conscience over their support of Absalom. But their language was excessive to say the least for the men of Judah had not stolen David from them at all. The men of Judah were also quick to respond to this accusation (v42) All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king s provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves? The life of David, volume 6 Page 16 But this quarrel and rivalry continued (v43). Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, We have ten shares in the king; and besides, we have a greater claim on David than you have. So why do you treat us with contempt? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king? But the men of Judah responded even more harshly than the men of Israel. We have to say that this was trivial quarrelling that really should not have arisen amongst those who called themselves the people of God. But sadly we also have to say that sometimes Christian believers can be guilty of just the same and the number of Churches that have had such divisions within their membership are too many to count. Surely for the Lord s people love and mutual concern is to characterise us, not bickering and envy and malice towards other believers. Paul has some strong words for us about this (Ephesians 4:29-32): And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. The people of God are to be characterised not by smallminded quarrelling but by a real concern for one another and a willingness to forgive because in Christ God has forgiven us. For David, this disagreement between the

9 The life of David, volume 6 Page 17 tribes of Judah and Israel was going to simmer under the surface for quite some time until sadly they would part from each other after the death of David s son Solomon. And that simmering disagreement will burst out on occasions well before that time as we shall see in the next chapter. Chapter 2, 2 Samuel 20 Evil Earns its Wages Introduction One of the great principles which the Bible regularly brings before our eyes is that evil behaviour will reap its own evil reward. Sinfulness earns its wages, and those who pursue that way of life are really on a course of self destruction. Consider Paul s words to the Galatian church (Galatians 6:7-8): Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Unrestrained sin reaps destruction. When repentance is non-existent ruin is the outcome. And we see this principle at work in 2 Samuel 20. In our last chapter we left the scene with David having crossed the Jordon River on his way back to Jerusalem. But the men from the northern ten tribes of Israel began arguing with the men from Judah who had come to bring David home, and that disagreement The life of David, volume 6 Page 18 was very strong. As we come to the next phase in David s life that division is made worse. 1) Sheba Rebels, verses 1-2 We are introduced to a rebellious man named Sheba. He was obviously suspicious of David, thinking he favoured his own tribe Judah, so he stirred up strife (v1-2): Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri, 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, O Israel! So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. The fact that Scripture calls him a troublemaker indicates he was a very divisive man and of no real help to David at all. In fact he really calls for a major split amongst the tribes, wanting Israel s northern ten tribes to desert David completely. Tragically the men of Israel deserted David and went home, leaving only Judah to protect their king. And we see here one of the great devices which Satan uses against the people of God in every age, including ours. He seeks to bring division amongst us in order to weaken our impact on the world in which we live and to hinder our witness for Christ. A prime example of this kind of thing is the divisions that came into the Corinthian Church and which Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1, verses 10-12:

10 The life of David, volume 6 Page 19 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, I follow Paul ; another, I follow Apollos ; another, I follow Cephas ; still another, I follow Christ. In other words there were troublemakers in the church of Christ at Corinth. And sadly we have to say there are still those who would mar the fellowship between believers by their constant criticism or jealousy or lack of humility, and the selfishness which says, me first. It was the same thing here, as Sheba claimed he and the northern tribes had no part in David so he called the people to follow his views, even before following the Lord s views because David was God s appointed king. Sheba did not want David to rule over him, and sadly there are those today who do not want Jesus to rule over them as Lord of their lives they want their own way. Such divisiveness is not only dangerous but sinful amongst the people of God. Love should have characterised the relationship between each tribe, but alas jealousy was allowed to prevail and so division became a reality. How we need to guard our own hearts against divisiveness and seek the Lord to produce the fruit of his Spirit in us, beginning with love. Gordon Keddie has written: The pride of Israel and Judah is still with us. More fellowship between Christians is broken by pride-related personal animosity than by genuine doctrinal The life of David, volume 6 Page 20 disagreements. In fact true fellowship often most wonderfully bridges the latter and brings believers of divergent views together. This is one aspect of what the gospel must mean in an imperfect world, for when we do not saturate our relationships with the love of Christ, our differences break out into sores that run with bitterness and rancour Those who feel greatly forgiven want to relate to their fellow-believers with love, humility and a forgiving spirit and desire to reach out with the same attitude even to a hostile or indifferent world. It was good that Judah remained faithful to David and in the providence of God he was able to return to Jerusalem in safety. 2) David acts, verses 3-13 a. David shows kindness, verse 3 On his return to Jerusalem the first thing David did was to provide for the concubines he had left to care for the palace and who Absalom had defiled by sleeping with them (v3): 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 did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows. The plight of such defiled women would have been dire, and so David compassionately provided for them until they each died. We must also add that their defilement would

11 The life of David, volume 6 Page 21 have been a strong reminder to David of his sin with Bathsheba, for it was prophesied by Nathan that David s wives would be defiled in this way (12:11). So we have to say that their misery was the result of David s sinfulness, and that must have pricked his conscience considerably, and for them it was life long, living in seclusion as if they were widows. Lesson: How we all need to be more thoughtful when we are tempted to sin and consider not only what the Bible calls the pleasures of sin but also the effects it might have on other people. We must add that these women also reminded David that God had not punished him as much as his sin deserved, so in a strange way these women were also a reminder of God s grace to David. A question that often puzzles the Lord s people is precisely why the Lord allows such chastening in our lives long after he has forgiven our sins? And the answer is simply to humble us, to teach us salvation is by his grace and never by works, and as a reminder of how we should behave if tempted to do wrong again. We need to be reminded regularly of God s great purpose behind the disciplining of his wayward children (Hebrews 12:10): Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. The life of David, volume 6 Page 22 b. David pursues Sheba, verses 4-10 David acted swiftly so as to deprive Sheba of the time to consolidate his rebellion and gain more support from the northern tribes. First, he sent Amasa to gather the men of Judah within three days (v4) so they could pursue Sheba. For a reason we are not given, Amasa failed to do this in the time allotted (v5). So David appointed Abishai to act quickly or Sheba s rebellion would be worse than Absalom s had been (v6-7): David said to Abishai, Now Sheba son of Bicri 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. 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 Bicri. We must note that Joab was bypassed again by David as the main commander of his army which showed him David s displeasure over his part in the death of Absalom. This must have angered Joab considerably because he had been demoted. He was now behind both Amasa and Abishai in importance. But Joab was determined to lead David s army by whatever means he could avail himself of, as we shall see. Before long Amasa returned from his recruitment journey and met with the army at a place known as the great rock of Gibeon and he would have assumed his command of the army. However, Joab had other plans (v8-10):

12 The life of David, volume 6 Page 23 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. 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 on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bicri. This was the third occasion that Joab had murdered someone. First there was Abner (2 Samuel 3:27), second there was Absalom (2 Samuel 18:14), and now his third victim was Amasa. If it came to passing an examination in murder we would have to say that Joab had straight A s! David had failed to bring this man to justice before and so Joab took advantage of that on this third occasion. This failure along with the fact David also involved him in the death of Uriah, actually had the effect of hardening Joab in his sinful behaviour. He was in effect saying to David that he would be the general of the army whatever he may have said! Although David did nothing to curb Joab he never forgave him for his wickedness and on his own death bed, David, in 1 Kings 2, verses 5-6 charged his successor Solomon not to let his grey head go down to the grave in peace. Tragically in the end Joab reaped the reward of his evil actions. The life of David, volume 6 Page 24 c. Sheba executed, verses First one of Joab s men called all the fighting men to follow Joab (v11). One of Joab s men stood beside Amasa and said, Whoever favours Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab! At first out of respect for Amasa when his men came to the place where his body lay on the road they stopped and would not go any further, so his body was dragged off the road and covered (v12). Then the men continued in pursuit of Sheba. Sheba travelled as far as a town named Abel Beth Maacah in the far north travelling through a region of the Berites and ended up with a small gathering of his men in this town. Joab and his men quickly built a siege ramp against the town walls and started to use a battering ram to break through (v14-15). But in Abel Beth Maacah lived a very wise woman and when she saw what was happening and realised the whole population was in danger she entered into negotiations with Joab from the top of the town wall (v16-21). a wise woman called from the city, Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I can speak to him. He went towards 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. She continued, Long ago they used to say, Get your answer at Abel, and that settled it. We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to

13 The life of David, volume 6 Page 25 destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord s inheritance? Far be it from me! Joab replied, Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bicri, 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. This wise woman saved many lives that day by her godly wisdom. She pleaded the faithfulness of the town s people to David and loyalty to the whole nation and how unjust it would be if Joab and his army destroyed them all. Sheba was guilty of treason which was a capital offence in Israel because it marked rebellion against the revealed will of God in Scripture. And such rebellion against the teaching of the Word of God is always very serious in the eyes of the Lord because it is a refusal to accept his Lordship over those who rebel. But we have to say very sadly sometimes even people who accept the inspiration and inerrancy and authority of Scripture can still make excuses when their own circumstances clash head on with God s Word. For example, how many Christian believers have married unbelievers even though the Bible is quite clear this is not to be done. At such times people let their emotions have precedence over the Word of God and that is sin. How we need to remember the words of Jesus (Matthew 7:21): The life of David, volume 6 Page 26 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. We all need the Lord to help us here because at times we can all too easily fall into this trap where we put our desires before the Lord s revealed will. Returning to 2 Samuel 20 this wise woman arranged for Sheba s execution, and his head was thrown over the wall as she said it would be. The result was the town was spared, justice was satisfied and Joab and his men could return home (v22). d. David is established in the kingdom again, verses 23 & 26 The Lord so overruled that something nearing normality returned to the Lord s servant and the Lord s people (v23-26): Joab was over Israel s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; Adoniram was in charge of forced labour; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Ira the Jairite was David s priest. Still Joab was not challenged over his ungodly behaviour, but the Lord had overruled and David was now more secure than he had been for some time. Dale Ralph Davies writes: The kingdom is fragile because of the sinfulness of

14 The life of David, volume 6 Page 27 the king, and because of the rebellion of Absalom and Sheba. Yet in spite of all the corruption from within and attacks from without, the kingdom is still standing. And God s kingdom will always stand. Even when it is very weak, he will uphold it. Conclusion We have seen in this passage that the wages of wickedness is death, as Paul reminds us in Romans 6, verse 23. But, as solemn as that is, it is not the whole story. The wonderful thing is that God has provided a way whereby the wicked can be pardoned and cleansed and changed within. How? By sending his Son the Lord Jesus Christ to suffer the penalty of sin by his death on the cross. Jesus had no sin of his own, but was made sin in the place of others (2 Corinthians 5:21). All who in humble repentance turn to Jesus and trust in what he accomplished on the cross to pay sin s wages are wonderfully, freely and eternally pardoned by Almighty God (Romans 6:23): For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore let us all make sure we have turned to Christ for pardon and cleansing, for failure here will mean continuing to live in a sinful way which will, as we have seen, eventually bring its own disastrous rewards. The life of David, volume 6 Page 28 Chapter 3, 2 Samuel 21 David, the Gibeonites and the Philistines Introduction As we come to 2 Samuel 21 we need to point out that its details are not in chronological order but mostly describe events earlier in David s reign. Many think that the first part of the chapter dealing with the Gibeonites probably came before Absalom s rebellion, and we will consider that shortly. The chapter deals with the need to right a particular wrong that had been committed, and also the defeat of a persistent enemy on more than one occasion. 1) Dealing with a Previous Wrong, verses 1-14 This chapter of 2 Samuel begins with the report of a period of considerable difficulty for David and the whole nation. a. The difficulty is described and its reason identified Verse 1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death. Now we need to remember that famines in the Old Testament land of Israel always had a spiritual significance. This was the Promised Land, flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8), and under God s special blessing for the benefit of his people, so when famine struck something was dreadfully wrong. We read in Deuteronomy 28, verse 15ff:

15 The life of David, volume 6 Page 29 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed. (See also Leviticus 26:19-20.) David understood this principle and as he was unaware of the precise sin that had caused this famine he wisely turned to the Lord in prayer for help. David therefore sought the face of the Lord We have here a lovely description of David s relationship with God, in that he came to him and enjoyed his precious fellowship. Now we need to be careful here because not every calamity which comes to the people of God is as a direct result of some sin, but it is always wise at such times of difficulty to seek the Lord so we may learn the lessons he wants us to grasp. If there is obvious sin then we need to confess it to the Lord in repentance. On this occasion sin was the cause and the Lord spelled it out for David very clearly. This famine had come because of the wicked way king Saul, David s predecessor, had treated the Gibeonite peoples. This takes us back to the days of Joshua 9 where the people of Israel swore on oath not to massacre them. The Gibeonites realised that God was with the people of Israel as they began to conquer the The life of David, volume 6 Page 30 Promised Land, and so they disguised themselves as travellers from a far country and asked for a treaty so they would not be destroyed with the other inhabitants of Canaan. Instead of praying to the Lord (Joshua 9:14-15) Israel made a treaty of peace with the Gibeonites, and it was only after this that they discovered who they really were. Now we need to remember here that when someone makes a promise on oath he or she is expected by the Lord to keep their word. When this promise was first given to the Gibeonites and then they were discovered to have been deceitful, some in Israel were very unhappy, and this is what we read (Joshua 9:18-19): But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, We have given them our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. So they kept their word, and instead the Gibeonites became labourers for the Israelites. But when Saul reigned he contradicted this promise and set about killing many Gibeonites and thus contravened the peace treaty. Precisely when this took place in Saul s reign we are not told, and we are only told that his reason was because of his zeal for Israel and Judah (v2) so it seems to have been a form of ethnic cleansing. It has been suggested that as the land the Gibeonites occupied was in Benjamin which was Saul s tribe, that this was the reason behind his excessive nationalism, but that is only conjecture, even if it does

16 The life of David, volume 6 Page 31 sound feasible. Whether this was true or not, the Lord considered this action as extremely wicked; the promise given in the name of the Lord was broken cruelly and many died and the Lord was dishonoured. This in effect was taking God s name in vain, and something strictly forbidden (Exodus 20:7). Dale Ralph Davies reminds us: Swearing an oath in Yahweh s name also means that the swearers ask that Yahweh bring the curses of the covenant upon them should they fail to keep their covenant word. As David prayed over the famine, the Lord told him the reason was because of this killing which King Saul had been responsible for. b. The solution provided We have to say that this revelation to David was a mercy from the Lord. He did not keep David in ignorance so that the famine would continue for many more years. Instead he told him the reason so that David could deal with it in the right way. Sin cannot be overlooked or ignored. Being an honourable man David wanted to put this right so he summoned the Gibeonites to him (v3): David asked the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the Lord s inheritance? The Gibeonites replied that they had no right to either demand payment from Saul s survivors, nor did they have the right to put anyone to death in Israel (v4). So David pressed them further to be specific and they gave this answer (v5-6): The life of David, volume 6 Page 32 They answered the king, As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul the Lord s chosen one. To this David agreed choosing the seven men to die and taking care to protect Mephibosheth for whom he had promised to provide (v6b-7). This mention of Mephibosheth seems to indicate the timing for this event was after David had taken Mephibosheth into his palace in 2 Samuel 9. Those chosen are listed in verse 8 and their deaths described in verse 9: But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth (i.e. This is a different Mephibosheth from the one David protected), the two sons of Aiah s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. To our minds all of this sounds gruesome and problematic, not least because we are told that the Lord approved of what was done because (v14) he answered prayer on behalf of the land. It is further complicated by Deuteronomy 24, verse 16 which states:

17 The life of David, volume 6 Page 33 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin. So how do we take all of this into account? Was this an injustice? Well, clearly not because the Lord could never have accepted it if it was unjust. So what can we say? First, the law in Deuteronomy 24, verse 16 was about an individual criminal case, but Saul s massacre of the Gibeonites was a national sin; because as king he represented the whole nation of Israel, and he broke the nation s promise not to kill the Gibeonites. The whole nation was therefore involved, not just one individual. As Saul had long since died his relatives were in effect substitutes for Saul and all Israel. Second, because blood-guiltiness was resting on the land, this could only be expiated by the blood of the criminal (Numbers 35:33). Gordon Keddie quotes Charles Simeon who wrote Such a kind of retribution would not be justifiable among us; because the children are not to suffer for their parents crimes: but, as ordered of God, it was right: and, if the whole truth were known, we would probably find that the sons of Saul had aided and abetted the wicked devices of their father; and that they therefore justly suffered as partners in this crime. While this latter point does sound very likely, we do have to add that this is not something recorded in Scripture. The life of David, volume 6 Page 34 Third, the deaths of these men still horrifies us, and so it should because here the Lord is showing us that atonement for sin is never a nice matter. We humans nearly always underestimate the seriousness of our sin, but God takes full account of it. Atonement is costly, gruesome and demands the shedding of blood, without which there can be no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). We must never lose our awareness that atonement is not a picnic, but a blood bought blessing. This directs us to Calvary, of course, and the horrors the Lord Jesus Christ endured as his blood was shed. Dale Ralph Davies has written: The stench of death hangs heavy wherever the wrath of God has been quenched. c. A promise kept, verse 7 In stark contrast to Saul s breaking of the covenant with the Lord, David resolutely refused to break his covenant with Jonathan, Saul s son, about his descendant Mephibosheth (v7): But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. Saul was the covenant breaker, but David was the covenant keeper! How good to know every Christian believer has an infinitely greater King who has pledged to keep us safe and who will never break his covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider his assurances:

18 The life of David, volume 6 Page 35 John 6, verses And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 10, verse 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand. John 17, verses 11-12, 15 I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them (i.e. His disciples) by the power of your name the name you gave me so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. d. A loving action, verses There is a very touching scene painted for us in verse 10: Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. She was the loving mother of two of those who had been executed and would not allow any animal nor bird to attack the bodies and she stayed there for days, probably weeks The life of David, volume 6 Page 36 until the rain came. She grieved over the sin that had taken her sons from her. Here again we see that sin only brings sorrow, and this again points us to Calvary and the darkness of the cross. The cost of our redemption was truly infinitely costly to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. The rain was the sign that the Lord had lifted the famine and had been satisfied by what had taken place. David was told of this and moved by it he arranged for the bones of Saul and Jonathan and these seven men who had died to be buried in an honourable way in their home territory (v11-14). And then it is that we read the Lord answered prayer on behalf of the land (v14). 2) Fighting a Persistent Enemy, verses We have noted before in this series that the Philistines were a perpetual thorn in the flesh for the Lord s people and they attacked them again and again. David came to national prominence when he defeated Goliath, that Philistine giant in 1 Samuel 17 and the verses before us now record the defeat of four more prominent Philistine warriors. Again we are not given the time scale for these incidents, but the first one indicates that David was not as young and as fit as he once was, so we are talking of a period well on in his reign. We read in verses 15-17: Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill