2 Samuel - Chapters 18-20 with Psalm 20 and 64

Chapters 18-20 of 2 Samuel focus on the issue of who will be king after David. David's firstborn son Amnon rapes his half-sister Tamar, so Tamar's brother Absalom plans and eventually kills Amnon. Absalom is then banished but eventually allowed back into the family. Absalom then plots to become king and leads a rebellion against David. There is a battle in which Absalom is killed. David mourns for his son, causing his men to question his love for them. David is eventually welcomed back as king, but there is conflict between Judah and Israel. Sheba leads a rebellion, but is eventually killed. The passage ends with a list of leaders in David's kingdom. Psalm 20 and 64 are referenced in connection to the events. I'm Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If, by chance, you want to contact me, you can do that at vab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we're covering chapters 18 through 20 of 2 Samuel with Psalm 20 and 64. The chapters leading up to this address the issue in a subtle way of who will be king after King David. David's firstborn son Amnon was a wicked man who raped his half-sister Tamar and then dismissed her as trash. She lived with her full-blooded brother Absalom, and it took two years of planning, but Absalom killed Amnon for how he treated Tamar. He ran away to exile, but David's heart missed him so much that Joab, the king's commander of the army, took action and hired an actress to come and address the king on an issue about quote, her sons. King David pardoned her son, and then she asked why the king would not pardon his son. David knew it was Joab that initiated this. David allowed Absalom to live in Jerusalem again, but he could not see the king's face. That lasted two years until Absalom insisted to see Joab, who in turn went before the king, and Absalom was accepted back into the family. Chapter 15 began, in the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with 50 men to run ahead of him. This gives the first clue that Absalom plans on becoming the king next. It seems that David's second born son must have died at a young age, and now Absalom, which was the third born, is now the oldest in line for the throne. Even though Israel's kings did not seem to have chariots and horses, probably due to the terrain, pagan nations, especially those in flatlands, would have them. Chapter 15 tells of Absalom's conspiracy, which took another four years to come to fruition. David, his family, servants, and warriors all fled Jerusalem, crossed the Kidron Valley, went up to the Mount of Olives, and then over the Jordan River to find refuge. The mention of a chariot and horses made me think of Psalm 20. It is entitled for the director of music, A Psalm of David, and it goes as follows. May the Lord answer you when you are in distress. May the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when we are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed. He answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. O Lord, save the king. Answer us when we call. So Absalom and his men came after King David. Chapter 18 verse 1 tells us, David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. Thanks to the help of David's friend Hashai, the archite, who willingly went back to Jerusalem to hinder the wise counsel of Ahithophel, Absalom did not attack right away, which gave David time to rest and get organized. The battle happened in the forest of Ephraim and verse 8 tells us, the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword. Verse 9 continues, now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule and as the mule went under the thick branches of an oak tree, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in mid air while the mule he was riding kept on going. Even though Absalom had a chariot and horse, it could not fight in the thickness of the forest and Absalom was on a mule. David's men would not allow David to fight in this battle because his life was too precious for the sake of the kingdom. So when he sent the men out for battle, he told them, be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake. Well David's men found Absalom hanging from a tree, but because of David's request, none of them were willing to lay a hand on Absalom, so they found Joab who killed Absalom with three javelins in his hand and he plunged them into his heart. Verse 15 explained that ten of Joab's armor bearers surrounded Absalom, struck and killed him. News got word to David that his son was dead. He was shaken, went up into a room, wept and cried out, oh my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom. If only I had died instead of you, oh Absalom, my son, my son. Joab had blown the trumpet and the war was over. The men of Israel on Absalom's side ran home in fear and David's men came back to David, but instead of rejoicing, they saw David crying and mourning for his son. Joab was furious and he entered the king's room and told him, today you have humiliated all your men who have saved your life. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now, chapter 19 verses 5 through 7. David came before his men. Now the question comes, what will everybody do? King David sent a message to the priests to ask the elders of Judah to allow David to come back as king. And they said, come. The men of Judah came to the crossing of the Jordan River by Gilgal to help the king come back. One of the men that came to greet the king was Shammai, who had cursed David and thrown rocks at them as they left Israel, and now he pleads for mercy. Another person was Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, the grandson of King Saul. He looked as if he had been mourning since David left, and he claimed that Ziba his servant deceived him and left without him. Since Ziba had given King David supplies as they were fleeing, he had given Ziba all the land of Mephibosheth, but now he split it for both of them. The man that helped David immensely on the east side of the Jordan River was Barzillah, the Gileadite. David asked him to come to Jerusalem with him, but he was 80 years old and he wanted to stay in his home, but he sent Kimham in his place. Once David was back across the river, there was still discord between Judah and Israel. Why did Judah help you cross the Jordan instead of us? Judah said, it's because David is from our tribe, so we are more closely related. And Israel said, but we have 10 tribes of Israel and you only have two. This friction grew into chapter 20 with Sheba of Benjamite, the tribe of Saul, who shouted, we have no share in David, no part in Jesse's son, every man to his tent, O Israel. The Israelites followed Sheba and the tribe of Judah brought David home to Jerusalem. Once there, David made a place for the 10 concubines, which Absalom raped on the roof of David's palace. He never was with them again, and chapter 20, verse 3b explained, they were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows. Next, in an attempt to make peace, he placed Absalom's commander, Amasa, and made him commander of the army in place of Joab. This was also a way of getting back at Joab for killing his son and confronting the king. Amasa's first job was to gather men in three days and then go after Sheba, but Amasa took too long, so David sent Joab's brother Abishai and his men to go. Joab was now under his brother. While on the way, Amasa met up with Abishai and David's men, but Joab killed him. By the time the men reached Sheba, Joab was again the commander of the army in the eyes of the men. Sheba was in a walled city, Abel, Beth, Macca. They built a siege ramp and began battering the walls. Then verse 16 says, a wise woman called from the city, listen, listen, tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him. He came to her and she said, 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? Joab told her that all he wanted was a man named Sheba, so the woman agreed to hand him over. She went through the town with her wise advice and the people cut off the head of Sheba and threw it to Joab. He sounded the trumpet, and the men returned home. And verse 22b says, and Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem. Verses 23 through 26 of chapter 20 end with the list of leaders that David now has in this new stage of his kingdom. With Joab over Israel's entire army, Adoniram was in charge of forced labor, which definitely becomes an issue with the next king of Israel, and the last verse says that Ira the Jairite was David's priest. Psalm 64 compares the wicked and the righteous who take refuge in the Lord. It is a psalm of David for the director of music. It goes like this, Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint. Protect my life from the threat of the enemy. Save me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man. They shoot at him suddenly without fear. They encourage each other in evil plans. They talk about hiding their snares. They say who will see them. They plot injustice and say we have devised a perfect plan. Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning, but God will shoot them with arrows. Suddenly they will be struck down. He will turn their tongues against them and bring them to ruin. All who see them will shake their heads in scorn. All mankind will fear. They will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart praise him. Ben F. Filbreck Jr. said in his commentary, Joab remained a potent factor to be reckoned with, but apparently he had no ambition to wear the crown personally. While David had many reasons to disapprove of his general's tactics, he never had cause to doubt his loyalty. The question still remains, then who will wear the crown? The prophet Nathan told David in 2 Samuel 7 verses 12-13, When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. King David was not perfect, and after his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, he was forgiven, but scarred. He had a blind spot with regards to his sons and their sins, and Joab knew that. He was not perfect either. Actually, ladies, the only person in the Bible that is perfect was David's descendant, Jesus. In Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 23 it says that anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. Absalom hung on a tree. He was cursed because he had rebelled against his father, plus he slept with his father's concubines. These laws are found in Exodus chapter 20 verse 12, Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 16, and then Deuteronomy chapter 21 verses 18 through 21. So he deserved to die. Jesus, the perfect one, the son of David, the son of man, and the son of God, also hung on a tree. We call it a cross, and he did that to take our curse upon himself. Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 says, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. No one is perfect except Jesus, but when we confess our sin and ask Jesus to forgive us our sins, we are made righteous with God. So ladies, if you have heard his voice today, please don't harden your heart like Absalom. Instead, let's be women who hear from the Lord and obey. Until next time, and thanks so much for listening.