Life of David – 2 Samuel 20

David, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

2 Samuel 20:1–26

Vs. 1-5: The danger of tooting your own horn

Vs. 6-13 The damage of friendly fire

Vs. 14-26 Cutting off a head to save a city

Intro

In the Christian life, there are very few “breaks in the battle.” Life doesn’t come with “time outs” or “easy buttons.” We can see this in the life of David:

He had just put down the civil war led by his son Absalom.
Then he had to deal with a tug of war between Judah and the 10 tribes of Israel as to who wanted him more.
That is barely over when there is another squabble and rebellion led by Sheba.

Perhaps David was the first to utter the words of Rodney King, “Why can’t we all just get along?” The hardest part of life has got to be human relationships and our inability to get along with each other. The 20th chapter reveals some common pitfalls we make in our relationships with other people and how to avoid them.

The danger of tooting your own horn

The first two guys make the same mistake but for very different reasons:

Sheba takes advantage of a situation to “get a head” and will in the end lose his
Amasa seems to be a good guy who has been placed in the wrong position, and he won’t realize until he has “a stabbing pain in his gut.”

Make no mistake, Christian, it is a dangerous thing to either try to be in a position or be placed into a position God has not called you to. Let’s consider the text, then we will draw our application:

Vs. 1-2 Based upon the text, Sheba (oath), the son of Bichri (firstborn), exploits the dissension that already existed between Judah and Israel for his own personal gain. He did this by taking advantage of David’s weakened position from the conflict between Judah and the other ten tribes (verses 40–43) and seizing upon it to create a split. Israel had already been squabbling with Judah as well, who had more rights to David and Sheba. This man of Belial, or (son of Satan), blew his own horn and said, “Forget David; we don’t need him from the tribe of Judah; let’s just do our own thing.”.

Now, conflict is a part of life, and no one enjoys it, but oftentimes it will be a crisis that will bring out either the best or worse in people. In this case, all it took to rekindle the flame of conflict was this self-serving fellow. And to make matters worse, this all took place at Gilgal, where in Joshua’s time the nation came together to recommit themselves to God and each other. Follow me on this, and you will see the root of the problem when conflict comes in, as most of the time the problem arises because people lose the bigger picture. Instead of rededicating themselves to the Lord, folks are jostling for position and power. How different this might have been if they all had laid aside their agendas at the altar in Gilgal and circumcised the flesh of their hearts?

Now let’s look at the tune Sheba played on his own horn to Israel as it follows a familiar three-fold pattern of rebellion of all those who rebel against the King:

“We have no share in David.” Refuse to recognize his position. How did Sheba do this? Well, he denied the claim that David had the right to reign over him or anybody else. This is no different than many people today who reject God’s authority over their lives. Remember back in the 60’s when people publicly declared that God was dead and that there was a new day dawning, “The Age of Aquarius,” in which people would be liberated from God?

“Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse”: Devalue his identity. That is the second part of rebelling against the king: to kick him down a few notches. Man is that not ever popular today, as we are told in Dan Brown’s novel that Jesus wasn’t God the Son; no, He was just a mistaken revolutionary who, according to the DeVinci Code, had sex with Mary Magdalene and so on.

“Every man to his tents, O Israel!” Place yourself in his position. The final act is that of self-will: “Let’s go home; let’s go and do what we want to do.” So Sheba not only did his thing for himself; he wanted others to join his rebellion, taking others away from the king as well.

The sad truth is that this works as we are told in verse 2, “So every man of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri.” At first it looked like most of Israel followed (so every man of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba), but in the end there were only a handful of people who went up into a walled city, and even there they weren’t that loyal, as they would rather take off his head than lose theirs. There have been many churches that started out of a split like this where it looks like the whole thing is going to come apart, and in the end the loyalty was to rebellion itself and not over any real issues.

In my opinion, Sheba wasn’t so much against David as he was for himself, and it is never hard to get people to leave the king when you set yourself up as one. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah, saying, “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns; broken cisterns that can hold no water.” And Jesus said in John 8:43, I “have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”

The flesh is always after self-exaltation, as it was these same ten tribes who argued with the tribe of Judah over who honored David more. Now, based upon their response to Sheba’s rebellion, we can see that their desire to honor David had nothing to do with him and everything to do with self-exaltation, and that Sheba offered them an easier way of doing so.

Now listen up, as we can see three important things based upon this by way of application:

We see what the primary cause of rebellion and its sister disunity is: self-centeredness when people follow their own agendas and not the King’s! Simply put, it is when people insist upon their way and not submit to God’s way that disunity happens in the body of Christ.

Second, you see the price of loyalty in Judah’s commitment: Saints, there will be times when following the Lord is not popular with family and friends, perhaps even fellow followers of Christ. They will turn away and “go back to their tents,” and what’s more, bid you to follow along. You see, the men of Judah remained loyal to the king even when their fellow countrymen deserted him. And like them, we will have to decide the primary reason we are following the King. What? You recall Jesus questioned His disciples when many didn’t want to follow Him any longer in John 6:66–68, saying, “Do you also want to go away? But Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Hey saints, it’s at times like these that we are brought to the very core of why we are following the Lord. As you know, it’s not always easy, nor does doing so always benefit us the way we expected it to. No, we are following Him because He alone has “the words of eternal life!”

Finally, in verse one we are told that Sheba “blew a trumpet” of self-promotion, and in verse 22 we shall see that the others will “blow a trumpet” as they yell “heads up” when Sheba’s head comes sailing over the wall. My point? Hey, make sure you really like the tune you’re playing as you toot your own horn, as it may be the last one you ever hear! Yeh, the song may have been a real “head turner,” but the problem was that the only head that was turning was Sheba’s. There are far too many Sheba’s around the body of Christ, I’m afraid, who want to blow their own horns and cause division and dissension, looking for opportunities to draw people to themselves.

Vs. 3 To illustrate this point, consider David’s opposite reaction when he came back into Jerusalem, as apparently he had learned from his dysfunctional home and realized that he needed to make some changes, and he started with the area of lust. Remember that in chapter 16:20–23, Absalom had raped these ten concubines as part of his rebellion against David. So upon his return, David “put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them.” Jewish commentators tell us that the widowed queens of Jewish kings were not allowed to marry again and were obliged to live the rest of their lives in seclusion. So it appears that David treated his ex mistresses as if they were full wives (queens) and not just concubines.

Yet he didn’t divorce them and abandon them as he could have; instead, he supported them but didn’t continue in an improper relationship with them. Further, their secluded life was not punishment but the only option left for them. All of this seems to suggest that David finally got a hold of his problem with lust and did the right thing towards all it had affected. If that is the case, then it gives hope that we, like David, can finally learn from our mistakes and move on in our lives towards the Lord.

Vs. 4-5 Now again, let’s consider the text as it relates to Amasa. In 19:13, David showed his heart towards those who had at one time been sworn enemies by making his rebellious son’s chief general the commander of his own army, displacing Joab. When David heard of Sheba’s rebellion, he immediately sent word to Amasa to gather the troops within three days so that he could nip the insurrection in the bud. But Amasa didn’t show up with the army in the three-day time frame. The most logical reason for this is that the men of David’s army didn’t know or trust Amasa, who had been the general of Absalom’s army, as following an experienced commander was a dangerous proposition. Though Amasa hadn’t prepared the troops in time, he still wanted to go out to the battle, but his inexperience will cost him his life, but not by the hand of Sheba and his rebellious army but by those who were supposed to be with him. When Amasa finally got some people together, he met Abishai at a rock in Gibeon, 6 miles from Jerusalem, to join the battle (verse 8), but Joab had no love lost for Amasa, even though they were cousins, as Amasa sided with Absalom against his father David.

Amasa is a clear example of a good guy in the wrong position; placing him as commander was a politically correct move; it helped unite the nation for the moment, but there was a problem with it; he couldn’t do the job. Why do I mention it? Well, I think at times the Church has fallen into the same error by placing those who have successful professional lives but lack the spiritual life to hold a position in the body of Christ. There are whole chapters devoted to this subject in the Bible, but consider the words of Paul to Timothy in 3:6 when he said that the person in leadership should “not be a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.”

And again, his words in 5:22 when he says, “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily.” Today, I suppose we would call Amasa a “poser,” and you can see how dangerous it is in the body of Christ not to have the right person in the right position. Amasa came up short as a man who could lead others as he was not disciplined enough to follow the king’s orders, and in the end he “got the point,” as he spilled his guts on the side of the road.

The damage of friendly fire

Vs. 6-10 Apparently Abishai (Joab’s brother) was still the commander over David’s secret service even though Joab was no longer in charge of the army, so he gave them orders seeing that Amasa had not done what he was supposed to do. David was a seasoned commander, and he realized the delay in going after Sheba would cause greater loss of life and greater risk that his rebellion would have a greater effect on the already fractured nation. This is the third murder committed by Joab as he gets rid of the competition. You may recall that he did the same thing to Abner, who was the general of Saul’s army; then he disobeyed David’s command and killed Absalom; and now Amasa; perhaps he just didn’t like fellows whose names started with “A.” That is why, when David was dying, he said to Solomon, his son, as he took over the throne, “Take care of Joab. That guy has given me a lot of grief, and he’s shed a lot of blood. Don’t let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.”.

I again think this warrants a comment with regards to loyalty and making decisions decisively. It is a wise, seasoned leader who knows what to do when rebellion occurs in the body of Christ. One must always understand that these sheep, all of them (including those that are in rebellion), belong to the “good shepherd.”

Holding the beard and kissing a fellow on the cheek was a sign of affection, and the sword falling to the ground all made it seem as though things were copasetic. Joab killed Amasa for several reasons:

He was jealous of his position: Amasa as general was wearing Joab’s uniform, and it didn’t go over too well. Joab had unusual job security as it was difficult to fire Joab as he just kept killing his replacements.
He questioned his loyalties, seeing that he was not quick in gathering the troops to pursue the men he used to command.
He didn’t think the guy was competent and felt that his leading would mean defeat and loss of life.

If Amasa was a good guy in the wrong position, Joab was a bad guy in the right position. This fellow was a ruthless murderer but a good leader, as David’s men naturally wanted to follow him as he had never been defeated. Hey saints, this is why natural abilities, gifting, and success are not prerequisites for service in the body of Christ, as God has higher standards of character of the heart. Consider Joab in verse 14, as he was able to go through all the tribes of Israel and find men loyal to David, and Sheba couldn’t assemble an army

when it was right in front of him. Furthermore when Sheba and his rebellious army held up in the city of Abel, Joab began a siege against the city. This was no small undertaking, as months and years could pass before those held up in a city would starve out.

Joab serves as another example of why it is difficult to get along with people. Here they had a rebellion to put down, and Amasa lacks the discipline to deal with it, and Joab wants to use the opportunity to place himself back in leadership. Notice three mistakes that Joab makes:

Vs. 10 Joab’s sword is a powerful weapon, but he uses it against the wrong person. Hey Christian, listen up. There are far too many believers out there today that “drop” their sword to be seen or use it to kill their brother or sister. God’s Word ought not to be used to be seen or to hurt, but for Him to be seen that He might heal.

Vs. 11: Joab links following him with following the king, and I see that happen a lot today as well. “Whoever is for my pet doctrine is standing up for Jesus!” Jesus is added on to far too many personal causes and private opinions; instead of being in line with His will and heart, we try to line Him to ours! And what happens when we do so? Well, the walls come up as we harbor an intruder, which forces folks to come and lay a siege against them just like the city of Able.

Vs. 12 The killing of Amasa by Joab halts the progress of the King’s army against the real enemy. This scene has been repeated many times on highways where an accident happens and people slow down to see. Far too often the church is fighting and killing each other, and we all stand around the carnage instead of heading down the highway.

Cutting off a head to save a city

Vs. 14-22 Sheba had really put some distance between he and David’s men, as he was in the northern part of Israel near the area of Tel Dan. Again, Joab is a master negotiator, as he suggests just throwing out Sheba’s head from the city, and he would end the fight. The city would have been destroyed if it hadn’t been for a wise lady who suggested that the city shouldn’t be destroyed for the rebellion of one man. This wise woman spoke of the history of the city as a place where guidance and disputes were settled, and so Joab and this gal struck a deal in which Sheba’s head would be cut off and thrown over the wall; perhaps this is where the phrase “heads up” came from?

Sheba wanted to “get ahead,” and in the end he ended up “losing his head”, when he sought to be served rather than to serve. Sheba thought he had numbers on his side; he thought he was safe and held up in a walled city, but none were safe when they rebelled against the king. “Every person’s heart is an enclosed city, and hidden therein is a traitor to our souls called sin. We need to cast his head out of the walls, for why should we love our sin more than life?” The rebellion of Sheba was gone, but not the division in the nation, as after the death of Solomon, civil war will permanently divide the nation and only foreign occupation will bring temporary unity. So too our lives. If the King is not on the throne, we will continue to strive against each other, but when we all unite around King Jesus, all is well.

The chapter ends when we are given a list of men who served in different capacities when in the kingdom in harmony, all doing their part for the betterment of all. Yet David is forced into another bad decision concerning who would control his armies by allowing Joab to again take control, as it was now his 3rd time around having been put out each time because of murder. Apart from Joab, David assembled seven other men to be part of his leadership team to govern the nation:

Benaiah: “Built by Jehovah” was over the secret service and staff. Now we are given this guy’s exploits in 2 Sam 23:20, as we are told he “killed two lion-like heroes of Moab… had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day… and killed a spectacular Egyptian man… by wresting the spear out of his hand and killing him with his own spear.”

Adoram: “My Lord is exalted.” Apparently this fellow held his office throughout three reigns. His position was “over the men subject to task work,” which means he was the head of the department of forced labor for the government from those people whom Israel conquered. He will be murdered by Israel when Rehoboam Solomon’s son becomes king, as he used his own people for forced labor.

Jehoshaphat: “Jehovah-judged” He apparently served under David and Solomon as recorder.

Sheva: “Jehovah contends” who was a scribe or secretary of state.

Zadok and Abiathar: “Just” and “liberal” were the priests.

Ira the Jairite: “Watchful citizen.” From the tribe of Manasseh (not a priestly tribe), the idea behind “chief minister” is that Ira was a personal chaplain to David, an accountability partner. Now if David was a man after God’s heart and the sweet psalmist of Israel and he felt he needed someone to help with his devotional life, how much more you and I? Ah, there is the key to healthy relationships with each other, as Hebrews 10:24 reminds us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.”