Tag Archives: 2 Samuel 18-19

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April 14, 2024 Bible Study — Some Thoughts

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Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Samuel 18-19.

The first thing which I thought about as I read today was where the passage tells us, after recounting Absalom’s death, that Absalom had built a monument for himself.  We are told that he built this because he thought that it would preserve his name even though he had no sons.  Yet back in chapter fourteen it says that Absalom had three sons and a daughter.  I have read several commentaries which suggest that even though Absalom’s monument was not mentioned until after his death it was probable built before the birth of his children.

After the death of Absalom the men of Israel debated whether or not they should call David back as king.  David reached out to the tribe of Judah, which called him back to be their king before the rest of Israel made up their minds what to do.  Along with the men of Judah, Shimei led the tribe of Benjamin to bring David back to be king.  The same Shimei who had cursed David as he fled from Absalom.  Ziba, who was the steward of Saul’s household and who had brought David supplies when he was fleeing Absalom, accompanied Shimei and the other men of Benjamin to greet David and escort him back to Jerusalem.  Then we learn that Mephibosheth also came to greet David at the Jordan as he returned.  What makes this interesting is that Ziba said that Mephibosheth had remained in Jerusalem as Absalom advanced because he hoped to be made king, yet here we are told that Mephibosheth had acted similar to a man in mourning since the moment David had left Jerusalem.  David who, when Ziba brought him supplies, had given Ziba all of the properties he had earlier given to Mephibosheth, with Ziba to manage them for Mephibosheth, now splits those properties between Mephibosheth and Ziba.  As best I can understand the situation when Ziba first came to David as he fled, David chose to reward Ziba for his support and punish Mephibosheth for his perceived betrayal.  Here, David retracted the punishment of Mephibosheth, but maintained the reward without acknowledging that Ziba had lied to him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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April 14, 2023 Bible Study — David’s Complex Relationship With Joab And Abishai

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Samuel 18-19.

Today’s passage once again shows us the contradictions in King David’s complicated relationship with the sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, which makes them his nephews.  While fleeing Jerusalem ahead of Absalom, David had reprimanded Abishai for suggesting that Shimei should be killed for cursing David.  And in his reprimand David had expressed unhappiness with both Abishai and his brother Joab.  No sooner had David established himself in Mahanaim then he appointed Joab and Abishai as two of the three commanders over his army.  Then, after the victory of David’s army over Absalom’s army, and Absalom’s death, Joab confronts David over the way his mourning for Absalom is disheartening his army, and the threat that poses to David’s safety.  Finally, Abishai once more called on David to have Shimei killed as David re-establishes himself as king of Israel, a recommendation which David gets angry about.  Abishai’s argument for executing Shimei echoes David’s condemnation of wanting to kill King Saul when the two of them had  snuck into Saul’s camp, and David’s justification for ordering the execution of the Amalekite who claimed to have administered the coup-de-gras to King Saul.  I would struggle more to understand David’s hostility towards Joab and Abishai were it not for the two occasions where Joab killed the men David had attempted to replace Joab with as commander over his armies.  As I said on the 12th, I think David’s hostility has to do with Joab and Abishai only being concerned with what they perceived as best for themselves, David, or the kingdom rather than giving any thought to what was the right thing to do.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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April 14, 2022 Bible Study — Implications Of David’s Return

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Samuel 18-19.

After the death of Absalom the people of Israel debated whether or not to invite David to come back as king over Israel.  The debate appears to have been between those who wanted to call David back to resume being king and those who wished some other solution.  David resolved the issue by reaching out to the leaders of the tribe of Judah through the priests who had remained loyal to him.  As part of his campaign to regain the support of the tribe of Judah, David offered Amasa, who had been commander of Absalom’s army, the title of commander of his army in place of Joab.  David did this despite, or maybe because of, the fact that Joab had saved him from himself by forcing him out of his funk over the death of Absalom.  I am not sure if it has any significance, but Shimei is identified as a member of the tribe of Benjamin, but he declared himself the first from among the tribes of Joseph to come and greet David upon his return.  So, does this mean that all of the tribes which were not part of the tribe of Judah considered themselves as tribes of Joseph?  The final element of this I want to point out is what the writer says about Mephibosheth.  The writer tells us that Mephibosheth had not taken care of his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes since David had fled Jerusalem.  All of which lends credence to Mephibosheth’s claim that he intended to join David when he fled, but was unable to do so because Ziba had left without him to curry favor with David.

The last few days I have found myself writing about the historical events, and the politics of ancient Israel, when what I really want to study are the spiritual lessons we can take from these accounts.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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April 14, 2021 Bible Study King David Returns To Jerusalem

Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Samuel 18-19.

Once again, Joab acts against David’s wishes in his best interest, and then confronts him about mourning for the son who betrayed him.  Then upon his crossing the Jordan, King David reprimands Joab’s brother for saying that Shimei should be executed for cursing the Lord’s anointed, which was the sort of thing which David had said about those who spoke ill of King Saul. The more I read these passages, the less I understand King David’s hostility towards Joab and his brother, who were his nephews.  Also as King David returned across the Jordan, Mephibosheth came to greet his return.  The passage makes it clear that Mephibosheth considered David’s being forced to flee a bad thing.  Further,it indicates that Ziba had lied about why Mephibosheth had not joined David when he fled.  Yet, for all of that, King David only revokes part of the reward which he had given Ziba for the aid which he brought.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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April 14, 2020 Bible Study — Sometimes Our Desire to Mourn Does Harm

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 18-19.

I mentioned yesterday that the biblical account tells us that King David had some hostility towards Joab and his brother, Abishai.  The writers of those accounts seem to suggest that David’s animosity towards his nephews was justified, but do not really explain it.  However, today I noticed something I never really thought about that likely plays a role in David’s animosity towards Joab.  When one of his men reported that they had found Absalom hanging by his hair, but still alive, Joab asked why they had not killed him.  Joab said that he would have rewarded him well for doing so.  To which he replied that everyone had heard the king’s order to go easy on Absalom and he would not be willing to face the king’s wrath.  The important point made is that this man said that Joab would be among the first to abandon him when the king found out who killed his son.  So, it appears that Joab had a reputation for encouraging people to stand up for David, but, if they angered David by doing so, he would be among the first to take action against them.  If David was aware of this, and he likely was, he would likely consider it the worst sort of betrayal.

Having said that about Joab, we have the example later in this passage of Joab confronting David about his mourning the death of Absalom while his men wished to celebrate their victory.  So, we see that despite the ill will which David had for Joab, Joab looked out for what he perceived to be David’s best interest.  In this case, Joab was right.  David had selfishly put his mourning the loss of his son ahead of the needs of his men and his nation.  We can sympathize with David’s desire to mourn, but we need to recognize that by doing so he was doing more harm to himself than good.

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April 14, 2019 Bible Study — David Regains The Throne

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 18-19.

This is probably relatively unique to me, but I always assumed that the battle between David’s and Absalom’s men took place in the vicinity of the city where David took refuge.  However, David had fled across the Jordan river and took refuge in a city east of the Jordan.  The battle, on the other hand, took place in the forests of Ephraim, which were west of the Jordan river.  We learn here what was suggested by Absalom’s rejection of Ahithophel’s advice, Absalom had a terrible understanding of strategy and tactics.  First, there was no strategic gain to be had for Absalom in fighting David’s army.  Absalom needed to kill David, his father, in order to secure the throne.  As long as David was alive Absalom’s hold on the throne was tenuous. David could always raise another army.  Second, Absalom had the larger army, so fighting in the difficult terrain of the forest favored David’s army, which was more experienced from top to bottom.

After Joab had killed Absalom Ahimaaz, the son of one of King David’s key allies, wanted to take the news to David. Joab, knowing what David had done to the men who brought him news of King Saul’s death and of Ishbosheth’s death, did not want to send him. Instead, Joab sent an Ethiopian. Joab chose a foreigner because he expected David to have the messenger who brought him word of Absalom’s death killed. Nevertheless, Ahimaaz persisted in wanting to take the nes to David, so that Joab finally let him go. Joab probably thought that the Ethiopian, having left first, would get there first. However, Ahimaaz knew the countryside better and took a less direct, but easier route and got there first. However, Ahimaaz understood that David would not take the news of Absalom’s death well, so only told David that victory had been won and feigned ignorance as to Absalom’s fate. And her is a point to be noted, David did not have the Ethiopian messenger killed because, unlike the previous bearers’ of unwelcome news, the Ethiopian did not claim responsibility for the death.

Now we come to the aftermath of the rebellion. First, we once again see the complex between King David and Joab (and his brother). David goes into mourning over the death of Absalom, depressing his followers who wanted to celebrate their victory. Joab has to confront David and warn him that he had better let his followers know that he appraciates what they have done for him. Then when King David crosses back over the Jordan he is met by Shimei, who begs forgiveness for cursing David. Joab’s brother once more wants to kill Sjimei. And once more King David forbids him from doing so. And once more, King David expresses anger at both Joab and his brother over this, even though Joab is not involved in this scene.

Related to this, Mephibosheth also met King David as he crossed the Jordan. Mephibosheth had essentially been in mourning since David fled Jerusalem, lending credence to his claim that he had tried to join David in his flight but was unable to do so because Ziba did not have someone saddle a donkey for him. Yet, despite Ziba lying to him about Mephibosheth, King David is willing to allow him to keep at least part of the property he gave him when they fled Jerusalem.

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April 14, 2018 Bible Study — The Aftermath of Absalom’s Rebellion

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 18-19.

    There is really a lot in this passage which I want to comment on. It is worth noting that David did not kill the messenger who brought him the news of Absalom’s death, unlike those who brought him the news of Saul’s death and the news of Ishbosheth’s death. The difference is that this messenger did not claim responsibility for the death.
    David’s reaction to Absalom’s death is understandable. He clearly deeply loved this son. Although it is likely that part of David’s morning was a result of the betrayal he felt over Absalom’s attempt to usurp his throne. It took Joab confronting him for David to realize what his actions said to his loyal followers who had just saved his life. So, this is the second account where Joab gets David to change his behavior in a way which Joab perceives as being in David’s interest. The first time was when Joab convinced David to bring Absalom back from exile because he believed that to be David’s desire (an idea supported by how deeply David mourned Absalom’s death). Then this occasion where Joab got David to put aside his mourning before he alienated his supporters.
    When David entered into Jerusalem he had a disagreement with Joab’s brother. David was angry because Abishai, Joab’s brother, wanted to kill Shimei for cursing David when he fled from Absalom. In reaction to Abishai’s reccomendation that Shimei be killed, David angrily lashed out at both Abishai and Joab. I have never quite understood the conflict between David and his nephews, Joab and Abishai. It is never clear to me why David was unable to remove Joab from his position as head of his army. Even more confusing is why Joab remained loyal despite David’s clear desire to remove him. I think, at least in part, this situation can be explained by family dynamics. Joab was David’s nephew, but not a lot younger than David. So, Joab looked up to David, but was close enough in age to see him more as a companion than as an elder. David, on the other hand, felt a sense of duty to look after Joab and his brothers, perhaps even felt that their impetuousness was his fault for not being a better example.

    Finally, I said that we would come back to what Ziba had told David when he joined him as he fled Jerusalem. When David returned to Jerusalem, Mephibosheth came to greet him. Now the passage tells us that Mephibosheth had not taken care of his basic hygiene since David had left the city. Further, when questioned by David, Mephibosheth claimed that Ziba had tricked him into staying and outright lied when he said that Mephibosheth had refused to join David as he fled. This is where it gets interesting. David apparently believed Mephibosheth. At least, by enough to return to Mephibosheth half of the property he had bestowed upon Ziba when David fled Jerusalem. Now, if David believed that Ziba had lied to him about Mephibosheth, why did he allow him to keep half of the property? On the other hand, if David believed that Mephibosheth was lying here, why did he return to him half his property? At which pint Mephibosheth declines, saying that Ziba should be allowed to keep all of it. We do not know how this actually played out. Did Mephibosheth get half of his property back? Or did it all go to Ziba and his heirs?

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April 14, 2017 Bible Study — Celebrating Victory, Even When the Price Was Too High

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 18-19.

    I think this passage really gives us some of the best insight into Joab’s character. It is in light of what Joab does here and then later at the end of David’s life that leads me to believe that Joab worked to maintain the stability of the Davidic dynasty. Joab was right to kill Absalom because as long as Absalom was alive he would represent a focal point for those seeking to overthrow David (and Absalom had just proven himself unable to rule effectively by failing to quickly pursue and kill David). Joab was also right in confronting David about mourning for Absalom while failing to acknowledge the victory his defenders had just won for him. In his mourning for Absalom, David was failing to live by the philosophy he expressed at the death of his first son by Bathsheba. Despite what Joab did for David here, and previously, David attempted to replace Joab as the commander of his army (this is the second time David offered Joab’s position to someone else).
    In his grief, David committed a sin which we all find too easy. He believed that his grief over the loss of his son gave him the freedom to ignore the feelings of others. He selfishly focused only on his own sense of loss and paid no attention to the relief felt by those who had risked their lives on his behalf. He went so far as to make them feel guilty for being happy that the war was over and they were victorious. Not on purpose, but that was the consequence of his actions. How often have you heard it said by or about someone that they had the right to be angry, rude, inconsiderate, or just plain miserable to others because they had just lost a loved one? There may be some truth to that, but I pray that I have someone like Joab to warn me from taking it too far if I am ever in that situation.

    When David returned to Jerusalem, Shimei hurried out to greet him and apologize for cursing him when he fled. Just as he had when they were fleeing Jerusalem, Abishai, Joab’s brother, wanted to kill Shimei. I had always thought that David’s reaction to Shimei and Abishai was similar to what Saul had done after his very first victory as king when his supporters wanted to kill those who had previously failed to support Saul. However, I noticed today that Shimei came to meet David with 1,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin. I suspect that this show of force had more to do with David extending mercy to Shimei than David’s merciful nature did. We will encounter Shimei once more when Solomon becomes king.

    Today I noticed another thing which my familiarity with this story led me to overlook. Ziba, the servant of Saul whom David had made steward for Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, was among the 1,000 men from Benjamin who traveled with Shimei to greet David. We are told that Mephibosheth also traveled to greet David as David returned to Jerusalem. David’s first question for Mephibosheth was why Mephibosheth had not left Jerusalem with him. Mephibosheth’s reply was that he had told Ziba to saddle a donkey for him but that Ziba had left without him. The fact that Mephibosheth had not groomed himself from the time that David left Jerusalem until his return supports Mephibosheth’s story here. What is interesting here is that David apparently believes Mephibosheth, but only returns half of the property he gave to Ziba when he believed that Mephibosheth had turned against him.