II Samuel Chapter 20
Please read: II Samuel 20 –
David had just arrived back to his throne in Jerusalem, and there was another man stirring up an insurrection against him. The Bible says Sheba was a useless man. There are people in this world who are influenced by the destroyer of this world, and they love to cause trouble. This time David would squelch the uprising before it got out of hand.
This also shows how easily people can be persuaded to follow anyone who can give a good speech. Apparently, the slanderous words that Sheba shouted were enough to cause the northern tribes of Israel to follow him. These are the same men who had just recently claimed they were more loyal to David than those of the southern tribe of Judah.
Let's Reflect
1. There is a side note included about the concubines (10 servant wives of David) who Absalom slept with to defile his father’s throne. These women were victims of both men really. David did not divorce them, but what did he do that was maybe a bit less harsh since they were taken care of by the king of the land?
2. David asked a man named Amasa to gather the men of Judah within 3 days. He was to assemble men who would go to capture Sheba the man stirring up the insurrection. But Amasa did not arrive with men at the time he was supposed to. Perhaps the men of Judah were not so loyal to David either. We learned back in chapter 17 that Amasa had been the man chosen by Absalom to be the head of his army. David had promised him he would make him the head of his army. So, it is also possible that Amasa never called the men of Judah to muster at all. David told another man to gather his own personal guard. Who did he give those instructions to?
3. His brother Joab also joined with his army and together they all went after Sheba. Amasa, who had been late for the meeting, did show up, but Joab read his actions as disloyalty to the king. What did Joab do to Amasa?
4. The men who were to go with Abishai and Joab were distracted by the scene of Amasa laying in the road bleeding out. The men kept stopping and staring at him. So, what did someone do with the body of Amasa so that the men could move forward with their mission?
5. It always amazes me to read how quickly word was spread of someone’s whereabouts. Sheba and his men had taken cover in a city called Abel of Beth-maacah. Joab had learned of his location, and he and all his men set up some sort of rampart against the wall of the city so that they could get in and take Sheba. A woman stopped the men from knocking down their city wall. The Bible describes this woman how?
6. Joab told the woman if the people of that city would give up Sheba to him, he would withdraw from the destruction of their city. They agreed to Joab’s request. In what way did they do that?
7. The insurrection had been stopped. Joab and his men returned to Jerusalem. The last verse gives us some information about the organization of the throne of David. What does it say about the title given to Joab?
