Joab's Gambit (2 Samuel 19-20)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
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Passage Outline
Passage Outline
1. A weakened king (19:1-8)
1. A weakened king (19:1-8)
Read 2 Samuel 19:1-8
2 Samuel 19:1–8 (ESV)
1 It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.”
2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.”
3 And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
4 The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines,
6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
8 Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his own home.
[summarize]
2. A welcome return (19:9-40)
2. A welcome return (19:9-40)
All the tribes of Israel have been talking amongst themselves about what they should do next now that the news of Absalom’s death is spreading.
David sends a message to his home tribe, the tribe of Judah, asking for their support.
Read 2 Sam 19:11-15
2 Samuel 19:11–15 (ESV)
11 And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?
12 You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’
13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’ ”
14 And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.”
15 So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.
David convinces the Elders of the tribe of Judah to support his bid for the throne by appealing to their family bond.
He also makes a deal with Amasa—his nephew, the son of his sister Abigail, who had been made the commander of Israel’s army under Absalom. If Amasa will help generate political support for David, David will allow him to remain the commander of his army instead of Joab.
Amasa and the elders of Judah agree to bring King David back, and so he begins his journey back toward Jerusalem.
Pretty quickly, he is met on by 4 key individuals who we have seen earlier in the story: 2 of them are slick opportunists (Shimei and Ziba), and 2 of them are genuinely faithful (Mephibosheth and Barzillai). We won’t read all the verses for sake of time, but as David is making his way back to Jerusalem, all four of these characters give David a warm welcome, but for different reasons. For the first two servants, they know that they need to kiss up to the King if they want to survive. For the second two servants, they are genuinely thankful that the king is returning. In both cases, David chooses for his return to the throne not to be marked by vengeance, but by grace and kindness.
3. A wicked betrayal (19:41-20:13)
3. A wicked betrayal (19:41-20:13)
2 Samuel 19:41–20:2 (ESV)
41 Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?”
42 All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”
43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
1 Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
What could have been a relatively peaceful resolution of the question of David’s return to the throne became a full-blown political crisis.
Taking advantage of Israel’s uncertainty over Judah’s intentions, a man named Sheba convinces the 10 tribes of Israel to no longer follow David, telling them to go back to their own homes.
David knows he’s in trouble, so he orders Amasa—his new commander—to go out and summon the warriors of the people of Judah and to meet him back in three days ready to go after Sheba (20:4)
But Amasa isn’t as skilled as Joab, so he takes too long.
2 Samuel 20:6 (ESV)
6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”
So, David ordered Abishai—Joab’s brother— to lead a group of special forces to go after Sheba, in hopes of being able to prevent yet another civil war
Let’s pick up back at v.8
2 Samuel 20:8–10 (ESV)
8 When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out.
9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
10 But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck him with it. . . and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
In an act of pure vengeance and wicked treachery, Joab greets Amasa with a kiss, only to murder him in cold blood.
Joab’s servant throws Amasa’s body into a field, covers it with a cloth, and..
2 Samuel 20:13 (ESV)
13 When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
Joab has clawed and killed his way back into power.
4. A war avoided (20:14-25)
4. A war avoided (20:14-25)
Now, with all of David’s army united under the leadership of Joab and his brother, Abishai, Joab follows Sheba all the way to the north of Israel to a city called Abel-Beth-Maacah.
Sheba gathers some men with him and lock themselves in the city
Joab and David’s army arrives and begins setting up seige weapons to knock down part of the city wall
Let’s pick up in verse 16
2 Samuel 20:16–22 (ESV)
16 Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’ ”
17 And he came near her, and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered, “I am listening.”
18 Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter.
19 I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?”
20 Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy!
21 That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”
22 Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
And look at the way the final verses begin, in the first part of 2 Samuel 20:23
2 Samuel 20:23 (ESV)
23 Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel...
Thanks to Joab and the wise woman, Sheba is killed and Joab’s forces return to Jerusalem.
A second civil war has been avoided, all thanks to Joab, the wise and wicked commander of David’s army.
Explanation
Explanation
What are we to make of this story?
From a human perspective, who is the hero of this story? Who is the one who solves the main problem that arises?
I think the text is pretty clear about who the hero is: David’s long-time commander, Joab.
Think about it, the text starts with David so overcome by grief that he isn’t thinking straight. Joab has to confront him and take charge, so to speak, which ends up working! David goes out among the people and starts to get a plan in place to return. But then, because David is upset at Joab, he wants to replace him with another commander, who ends up not being as effective as Joab. And in the end, its Joab’s shrewd negotiation with the wise woman of the city who causes a second civil war to be avoided. Really, when you look at the passage, Joab pretty much saves the day. He saves David’s kingdom.
But as we’ve seen in this story of the Life of David, Joab is a bloodthirsty, violent, and wicked man. He kills in cold blood, when and where he wants.
What are we supposed to do with that? What does God think about all this? What are we supposed to think about this? And what difference does it actually make in our lives today? So what?
As I’ve been reflecting on this story, there’s one theme that really stands out to me in this text: the sovereignty of God.
What is the sovereignty of God?
The Heidelberg Catechism answers that question using the word “Providence” instead of sovereignty, but the idea is the same. Listen to the catechism’s answer:
Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?
A. God’s providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.
(Heidelberg Catechism, Q.27)
How does this story demonstrate the sovereignty of God?
Think about what’s at stake, here. If Sheba was allowed to continue to lead the other 10 tribes and instigate another civil war, would David have survived so quickly after Absalom’s rebellion? Would he have ever been able to recover? Would one of his sons sit on his throne as God had promised him? Would there ever be a line of David’s sons which would one day culminate in a King who would fulfill all of God’s promises? Would there ever be a Messiah, to save God’s people from their sins?
All of a sudden, when we look at this story from the perspective of the whole Bible, the stakes are very, very high.
And so, what Joab intended for evil — namely, a murderous act of vengeance and self-advancement — God intended for good — namely, that Joab would be in a position to shrewdly negotiate with the woman and avoid another civil war and save David’s kingdom.
God is sovereign over all things, even over evil.
Big idea: Because God is sovereign, we can trust that what others intend for evil, God intends for good.
Big idea: Because God is sovereign, we can trust that what others intend for evil, God intends for good.
This is certainly not the only time we see this idea in the Scriptures. I’ll give you six quick examples.
1. Job: God is sovereign over Satan (Job 1:8, 21-22; 42:1-6)
1. Job: God is sovereign over Satan (Job 1:8, 21-22; 42:1-6)
Job’s response to the suffering that he endured
Job 1:21–22 (ESV)
21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
Job didn’t know why he was suffering. He didn’t know that God had allowed Satan to afflict Him. But He did know that God was ultimately responsible for the giving and for the taking, and the text says He was right.
2. Joseph: God is sovereign over suffering (Gen. 45:7; 50:20)
2. Joseph: God is sovereign over suffering (Gen. 45:7; 50:20)
Joseph speaking to his brothers
Genesis 45:7 (ESV)
7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
God was sovereign over Joseph’s suffering and He is sovereign over your suffering
3. Pharoah: God is sovereign over wicked rulers (Ex. 9:15-16)
3. Pharoah: God is sovereign over wicked rulers (Ex. 9:15-16)
God speaking to Pharaoh
Exodus 9:15–16 (ESV)
15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.
16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
God is sovereign over wicked rulers like Joe Biden and Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu and Ismail Haniyeh.
4. Assyria: God is sovereign over wicked empires (Is. 10:5-7, 12-13, 15; 37:26-29)
4. Assyria: God is sovereign over wicked empires (Is. 10:5-7, 12-13, 15; 37:26-29)
God speaking of Assyria’s success on the battlefield
Isaiah 37:26–29 (ESV)
26 “ ‘Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins,
27 while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded, and have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown.
28 “ ‘I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.
29 Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.’
God is sovereign for the success of wicked empires and He holds those empires accountable for their wickedness.
5. Jonah: God is sovereign over storms (Jon. 1:4; 4:8)
5. Jonah: God is sovereign over storms (Jon. 1:4; 4:8)
Listen to the way the book of Jonah describes these natural storms, these natural disasters
Jonah 1:4 (ESV)
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
Jonah 4:8 (ESV)
8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint.
Hurricanes and tornadoes and earthquakes and famine and thunderstorms — God is sovereign over storms
6. Jesus: God is sovereign over sin (Acts 2:22-24; 4:27-28; Jn. 10:18; Rom. 8:32)
6. Jesus: God is sovereign over sin (Acts 2:22-24; 4:27-28; Jn. 10:18; Rom. 8:32)
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your mind around how God can be totally sovereign over sin and evil and yet also be completely holy and pure and also hold sinners accountable for their sins that they freely choose to commit, start with Jesus. Start at the cross. Start at the crucifixion of the Son of God, the most heinous sin in the history of the universe. What could be more wicked than killing the Righteous One? And was God sovereign over the cross? The Scriptures give a resounding YES.
Acts 2:22–24 (ESV)
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Acts 4:27–28 (ESV)
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
John 10:18 (ESV)
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Romans 8:32 (ESV)
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
GOSPEL CALL
The CROSS was not an accident. It was the intentional, willing, planned, purposeful decision of the Triune God before the world was even Created, designed to demonstrate just how loving God really was. That on the cross, we see the maximum amount of love that any universe could ever show: God laying down His life for His creatures.
John 15:13 (ESV)
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
This is not philosophy. This is the HEART of the Gospel, the Good News. That God did not leave your salvation up to chance. There’s no possibility that your redemption might not have been accomplished! God planned, He made sure, He orchestrated all of the events of history to make sure that YOU could come to Know Him in a personal way through Jesus.
And God has now brought you here to passage about how God used the sinful decisions of sinful people to save David’s kingdom, which would one day result in Jesus being born in David’s line so that he could LIVE the life you should have lived — pure and spotless before God — and DIE on the cross in your place as your victorious substitute — so that if you TURN from your sin and TRUST in him, you can have your sins forgiven and have the hope of eternal life.
Application
Application
Big idea: Because God is sovereign, we can trust that what others intend for evil, God intends for good.
What does this mean for us?
How does this lesson that God intended Joab’s wicked behavior to accomplish His better and bigger purpose to save David and his kingdom and the line of Christ — how does that lesson impact us where are today? So what?
Let me try and connect the dots. I hope you’ll stick with me for these last couple minutes. This is big, heavy, meaty, weighty, solid, rich food from God’s Word.
Here it goes: “The worst day ever was ordained by God for our good and God’s glory and Your worst day ever was ordained by God for your good and God’s glory.”
Weary saints, we are so tempted when we suffer to want to do everything possible to shield God from our pain. We can’t let our minds go there. “Surely, God could not have allowed this or that to happen.” So we come up with all kinds of coping mechanisms — we blame Satan, or we blame the decisions of other people or we blame the environment — we do anything and everything we can to avoid having to consider the thought that maybe, just maybe, God has chosen this path for me for reasons I don’t yet know and reasons I may never know.
To be sure, Satan is real. People make decisions. Environments produce results. But none of those things are ultimate. Those are all secondary.
We think we are doing God a favor but in fact we are cutting ourselves off from the only hope that could possibly ever sustain us — that Because God is sovereign, we can trust that what others intend for evil, God intends for good.
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV)
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Quotes
"With time and perspective most of us can see good reasons for at least some of the tragedy and pain that occurs in life. Why couldn't it be possible that, from God's vantage point, there are good reasons for all of them? If you have a God great and transcendent enough to be mad at because he hasn’t stopped evil and suffering in the world, then you have (at the same moment) a God great and transcendent enough to have good reasons for allowing it to continue that you can’t know. Indeed, you can’t have it both ways.”
(Tim Keller)
Again, here’s the Heidelberg Catechism:
“What does it benefit us to know that God has created all things and still upholds them by his providence? We can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from his love; for all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they cannot so much as move.”
(Heidelberg Catechism, Q.28)
Big idea: Because God is sovereign, we can trust that what others intend for evil, God intends for good.
Application
Application
3 points of Application as we close.
1. Watch
1. Watch
Open your eyes and look at your life and your Bible through the lens of God’s sovereignty. It will change your life. I just gave you 6 quick examples, but there are hundreds of examples in the Scriptures. And there are hundreds of examples in your own life, if only you had the eyes to see God’s sovereignty in your life. Watch! Look for it!
2. Wait
2. Wait
Maybe you are in a season of tremendous suffering right now. Maybe someone has sinned against you in a particularly painful way.
Psalm 130:5 (ESV)
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
Brother/Sister: Wait on the Lord! Keep waiting. Keep hoping. Keep trusting. God knows what He is doing. There’s a good reason. And God won’t abandon you or leave you alone. He is with you while you suffer, offering steadfast love and comfort through the Holy Spirit.
3. Worship
3. Worship
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.
Through the deepest possible pain, in the face of unyielding discouragement, when you have no strength left, LIFT YOUR EYES, Oh weary, helpless saint, and LIFT UP YOUR BROKEN VOICE and Praise the name of the LORD, whose name is exalted, whose majesty is above earth and heaven, and who will not let your pain be wasted.
Let’s pray. [Pray]
Please stand as we close singing, “O Praise His Name”