Tuesday, September 19, 2023

II Samuel 20, The Rebellion of Sheba

Absalom's rebellion has been put down and now David is king again in Jerusalem. The divisions caused originally by Saul and David lives on, first in those supporting Absalom's rebellion and now in sporadic resistance to David's rule.

2 Samuel 20: 1-2, Sheba rises
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 Benjamite followers of Saul included Shimei and Saul's grandson, Mephibosheth, in the last chapter. Apparently many of those people had gone over to Absalom in the earlier civil war and that division continues to ripple through the nation. Here we are told that the "men of Israel" desert David.

2 Samuel 20: 3, Ten concubines
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.

Absalom had publicly slept with the concubines.  This apparently dishonors the concubines and David exiles them to some type of confinement. Like his first wife, Michal, these women will not be mothers of royalty.

2 Samuel 20: 4-7, Amasa's assignment
Then the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself." But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

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.

Amasa, formerly Absalom's general, is given an assignment. He is slow in carrying it out and David begins to worry that there is treason afoot. He orders Abishai, Joab's brother to hunt for Amasa.  Abishai does this, taking charge of Joab's men. 

Joab is being pointedly ignored. He has no command, no authority.  What does he think about his command being passed to his enemy (and cousin) Amasa?

2 Samuel 20: 8-10, Murder of Amasa
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.

Possibly Amasa is playing both sides. He was ordered to bring the men of Judah together but seems to be dawdling. Joab marches out, presumably in the direction of Abishai and his soldiers, and finds Amasa coming towards him at "the great rock." Joab takes this opportunity to murder Amasa. Joab, like many soldiers of that day, is wearing a tunic with a dagger and sheath visible in the belt. As Joab steps forward to greet Amasa, the dagger falls out of its sheath. This has the appearance of an accident and Joab picks up the dagger with his left hand while reaching with his right hand for Amasa.  Amasa, expecting a greeting, is suddenly and brutally stabbed by the dagger in Joab's left hand. The violent thrust kills Amasa immediately and his intestines and blood spill onto the ground.  Joab has gotten his revenge.

This deception echoes Ehud's lefthanded killing of Eglon in Judges 3: 20-23.

2 Samuel 20: 11-13, Wallowing in blood
One of Joab's men stood beside Amasa and said, "Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!"

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. After Amasa had been removed from the road, all the men went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

After Joab kills Amasa, one of Joab's men pulls his body out of the road so that the other soldiers won't stare at it. Joab, Abishai and Joab's army continue on in hunt of Sheba

2 Samuel 20: 14-15a, Sheba besieged 
Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah and through the entire region of the Berites, who gathered together and followed him.  All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maacah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. 

The troops of Joab trap Sheba at Abel Beth Maacah and surround the city. Joab is apparently leading them now.

(NIV footnotes: The identity of Abel Beth Maacah in verses 14 and 15 is unclear. This Wikipedia article identifies it with a tell (archealogical mound) in far northern Israel. Indeed, this website invites students to join them this summer, 2023, as part of an ongoing dig there@)

2 Samuel 20: 15b-21a, Ultimatum 
While they were battering the wall to bring it down, a wise woman called from the city, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him."

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.

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 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 town of Abel apparently has a reputation as a place for finding answers and claims a reputation of being peaceful.  The woman insists they want no part in this civil war.  Joab responds that the siege can be stopped by handing over Sheba.

2 Samuel 20: 21b-22, Ultimatum 
The woman said to Joab, "His head will be thrown to you from the wall."

Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri 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.
 
The woman of the city clearly has a leadership role. She promises Joab the head of Sheba and shortly therafter Sheba's head is tossed over the wall.  Joab, triumphant, and the leader of the army of David, returns to Jerusalem. 

This chapter is one of several in the Old Testament that carries a PG-13 or R rating (R if put on film) for its violence. We have one man dying among his intestines and blood while another has his head thrown over the wall.  After the violence of Judges, I enjoyed Ruth; after the violence of David's era, lets read the Psalms for a bit!

Both commentators Robert Alter and Ronald Youngblood point out the numerous times that a woman has stepped in to reduce the violence of these time. There is the "wise woman" of Tekoa (2 Samuel 14) who helps bring Absalom home and here the wise woman of Abel prevents a massacre. The wise woman, Abigail, wife of Nabal (1 Samuel 25) stopped David from massacring Nabal's family.

2 Samuel 20: 23-26, David's officers
Joab was over Israel's entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.

We have here a list of leaders of David's army, all under Joab.

At this point we have most of the details of the reign of David. In the last four chapters of the scroll of Samuel we will have four additional stories from his reign.  Then David's death and the appointment of Solomon as the next king will be told in chapters 1 and 2 of 1 Kings.

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