Revolt Again


2 Samuel 20:1-26
http://www.esvbible.org/2 Samuel 20:1-26

We’ve all seen those action adventure movies where in the final scene the bad guy just doesn’t seem to die. He keeps coming back for more. Just when you think the hero has finally won the day, the villain comes back for a few more hits. Two of the more memorable movies like that for me were The Terminator and more recently Avatar. If you’ve seen them, you know what I mean. Those feelings of “come on already” must have typified David as he has to squash yet another uprising in the form of Sheba, son of Bicri. Apparently, Sheba decided to take up the cause of Absalom and try to continue the rebellion against David.

While Sheba never actually takes up a sword himself, he runs his mouth throughout the land trying to stir the people into a rebellious frenzy, continuing the cry to overthrow David as king. Sadly for Sheba, no one pays much attention except for his own family. His rather ignominious end (his head is tossed over the wall to David’s waiting army) is the perfect cap to his thwarted rebellion. In the meantime, there are others involved in the drama.

This chapter has little to do with David and says a great deal about Joab, Amasa, and Abishai. These three men are all at times the leader of David's army. The drama played out between them is fairly interesting. As you will remember, Joab had some very harsh words for David after Absalom’s death. Now, he pays the price for those words. The command of David’s army is given to Amasa, the former leader of Absalom’s army! This position should have gone to Joab but he is overlooked and in a move that was probably designed to win the followers of Absalom back, David gives the role of commander to Amasa. “There is something almost cruelly comic about the portrait: Amasa was the man whose loss of a battle [17:25; 18:7] gained him a command [19:13], who failed to keep an appointment [20:4–5], and who could not spot the sword in his rival’s hand.”* We also see a picture of Joab as the totally ruthless person he was. There seems to be nothing he won’t do to regain / maintain his role as the leader of David’s army.

Finally we must take note of the “wise woman” who saved her town from destruction. Joab would not have hesitated to destroy the entire city where Sheba has run for safety in order to drag him out of there. But this woman demands a hearing from Joab and actually gets it. This city of peace was allowed to remain peaceful because of her bravery and wisdom. Unfortunately for Sheba she was more interested in peacefully protecting the city rather than granting sanctuary to a rebel and a fugitive.

*Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 3: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (1045). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

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