David’s return to Jerusalem in the previous chapter was not without its drama and power struggles. A rebellion of a very serious nature follows in chapter 20. Sheba leads a rebellion against King David in chapter 20. Perhaps Sheba, son of Bichri, was inspired by Absalom’s rebellion and the support he was able to garner against King David. The text suggests that Sheba was a scoundrel of sorts, and he inspired a general rebellion among the northern tribes. Sheba instructed the men that were with him to go back to their homes, to rebel against David from there.
Amasa was the commander of Absalom’s armies, but had since been recommissioned to lead the armies of David after Absalom’s death. David gave Amasa three days to prepare his armies to follow Sheba and his men and defeat them. However, Amasa took longer than David had directed. Because of this, David asks Abishai, Joab’s older brother, to gather up armies and to quell Sheba’s revolt. Joab now enters the story and goes with the men assembled under Abishai with his own elite fighting force of men.
As Abishai and Joab were leading their men in pursuit of Sheba’s rebellion, they come in contact with Amasa at a large stone in Gibeon. Joab, bold and rash as ever, approaches Amasa under the pretext of giving him a brotherly greeting but instead underhandedly stabs him in the belly with his sword. Amasa dies in the dirt and is moved to the side of the road and covered so that Abishai and Joab’s men are not worried by the sight of one of their countrymen ruthlessly killed in the road. They continue to pursue Sheba and the rebellion.
Sheba in the interim is gathering support for his rebellion all throughout Judah. But Abishai and Joab catch up with him in Abel and they begin to besiege the city using a siege mound. A siege mound was the gathering of dirt and debris against the side of a fortified city wall so that it could be overcome and entered.
But just as they are battering the wall, presumably atop the mound to throw it down, a wise woman cries from within and is able to speak directly to Joab. Her and Joab’s exchange is as follows: “…I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?” And Joab answered and said, “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.”
After this exchange, the woman says that she will throw Sheba’s head over the wall of the city. The woman was actually able to get help from others within the city to do just that. Sheba’s head is cut from his body and thrown over the wall. When Joab sees it, he blows a trumpet, and all of the men of the rebellion surrender, returning to their tents. Summarily, David’s army returns to Jerusalem. The chapter ends with the description of the ancient org chart of David’s leadership team, with Joab now as the commander.
What can we learn from this bloody chapter? Here are four things:
- Partial or slow obedience can jeopardize the mission.
- Amasa’s delay was not absolutely detrimental to the mission – you can thank Abishai and Joab for that. But his delay could have resulted in Sheba’s ability to consolidate power and perhaps return to Jerusalem to take it over again. When we delay what is needed, someone else more competent will often step in to save the situation. However, if there is no one to step in, calamity can result.
- When evil is bold, violence is sometimes necessary.
- David, just having gotten back his kingdom at a great cost, is vulnerable to lose it again. King David is purposeful and decisive in his action to stop the rebellion. When Amasa is incapable of being immediately effective, enter Joab, the seemingly bloodthirsty yet loyal warrior under David. Yet even Joab, as forceful and strong as he was, could see the wisdom proffered by the wise lady at Abel. His agreement to stop the attack upon the deliverance of Sheba’s decapitated head was a wise one. 99 times out of 100, violence is not the answer. Indeed, it is a last resort. But sometimes, when evil is bent on destruction and overtaking, the righteous must take up arms to defend goodness, the innocent, and what is rightfully theirs.
- Wisdom can diffuse destruction – often from unlikely places.
- The wise unnamed woman in Able was able to save an entire kingdom from further mass bloodshed and the fortified city of Abel from complete destruction. Always be willing to hear advice, for you never know from where a solution might appear.
- Division starts small but can grow quickly
- Whether you are the leader of a team, a family, or serve in the brotherhood as one, be wary of and on the lookout for division among the team. What starts as a whisper can grow into a murderous cancer capable of destroying everything if it is not addressed quickly and utterly.
Monday Night Bible Study 