2Samuel, chapter 20, comments

 

2Samuel 20:1 ¶  And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. 2  So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem. 3  And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

 

Children of Belial or men of Belial are wicked, worthless, corrupt, ungodly, and good for nothing from a word that Strong’s translates as worthless.

 

Deuteronomy 13:13  Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

 

Judges 19:22  Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

 

It is used as a name for Satan in one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians.

 

2Corinthians 6:14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

 

Sheba’s rebellion, while short-lived, is an example of the precarious situation David is in. Once a rebellion occurs there will be other opportunists who will think they have a chance. Israel’s declaration in the last chapter is shown to be rather thin as they join this rebellion again in unity. Only David’s tribe stands with him.

 

David takes the measure of locking up those poor concubines of his whom Absalom had used to show his dominance over his father.

 

2Samuel 16:21  And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. 22  So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

 

Perhaps, though, they had been willing to go to Absalom, assuming David’s cause was lost, looking out for themselves and their children. John Gill said they consented to Absalom’s lust.

 

 

 

2Samuel 20:4 ¶  Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present. 5  So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 6  And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us. 7  And there went out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 8  When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them. And Joab’s garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. 9  And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. 10  But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. 11  And one of Joab’s men stood by him, and said, He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David, let him go after Joab. 12  And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. 13  When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

 

Joab’s murder of his replacement and kinsman, Amasa, shows that while David may need him to do his bidding he is a threat to David’s authority. He will be dealt with later but for now he goes on, with loyalty to him identified by his warriors as being synonymous with loyalty to David. This is a very dangerous game Joab is playing. Clearly the Israelite soldiers were not pleased that Joab had been replaced by Amasa as they did not object to the murder. After all, Amasa had been Absalom’s general. The desire to replace Joab with him on David’s part was not well-advised. Amasa dies a horrible death wallowing in his own blood and intestines.

 

2Samuel 20:14 ¶  And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, and to Bethmaachah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together, and went also after him. 15  And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. 16  Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee. 17  And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear. 18  Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter. 19  I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? 20  And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. 21  The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. 22  Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

 

This potentially dangerous insurrection was ended decisively by a wise woman who beseeched Joab to allow the people of her city to deal with the rebel. Joab was wise in not pursuing the typical punishment of a city of destruction for harboring such a one as Sheba. Joab’s astute handling of the situation and the actions of this wise woman prevented a lot of bloodshed of innocent people and again saved David’s reign.

 

2Samuel 20:23 ¶  Now Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites: 24  And Adoram was over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder: 25  And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: 26  And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.

 

This chapter concludes with Joab being David’s main general. Benaiah will be the means by which Solomon will execute Joab later. He is over whom Strong’s dictionary suggests are probably the Philistine mercenaries so loyal to David. Adoram will meet a tragic fate later under King Rehoboam. This chapter ends with a list of prominent men, important to David.