Opening Prayer

Holy God, forgive my sin today. I want to come to you cleansed and ready to do your will as I study your Word and hear from you.

Read 2 SAMUEL 20

Sheba Rebels Against David

20 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!”

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.”^[a] 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,^[b] 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.

David’s Officials

²³ Joab was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; ²⁴ Adoniram^[c] 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^[d] was David’s priest.

Footnotes

1. 2 Samuel 20:6 Or and do us serious injury
2. 2 Samuel 20:14 See Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew Berites.
3. 2 Samuel 20:24 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Kings 4:6 and 5:14); Hebrew Adoram
4. 2 Samuel 20:26 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac (see also 23:38) Ithrite

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.’1

Think Further

In recent years, governments have been faced with various crises with difficult decisions to be made. When should they wait and when should they act? Who should be cared for first? When should blame be placed or responsibility for wrong decisions accepted? This chapter is full of these kinds of questions, both for characters in the events recorded and for readers of the account. We are faced with the challenge of reading narratives, not just to note what happened but also to ask questions about the implications.

The background is another rebellion against David, led by Sheba the Benjaminite, which was overcome. The writer concentrates, however, on other matters. First, the plight of the ‘ten concubines’ (v 3): is this incidental or is the writer raising issues about the treatment of women? Is he emphasizing David’s unacceptable behavior (clearly not in keeping with the law), or is he pointing out David’s kindness? Then the interaction between the cousins: Amasa, Abishai, and Joab were all sons of David’s sisters. Was Amasa at fault or was David’s timescale too short? Was David right to replace him so soon? He did, after all, reach the meeting point as soon as Joab! David, having deposed Joab, appointed Abishai instead, perhaps to avoid losing face, but the writer’s comment ‘Joab’s men … went out under the command of Abishai’ (v 7) is pointed. Joab would not tolerate being replaced by either Amasa or Abishai. His deceit and murder of Amasa was clearly wrong, but the omission of any further action by David is again notable. Finally, we have another story of a ‘wise woman’ (v 16) taking a leadership role in her town!

Apply

Do questions raised by this passage help us reassess the behavior of our own leaders? Think about how this writer might describe actions and decisions you have taken recently!

Closing prayer

I remember all those I know who are under pressure and feel like giving up. Lord, I ask that you give them streams of living water.

Last Updated on September 28, 2023 by kingstar

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