Sheba, man of Belial
2 Sam 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.
Son of Belial, a name of a devil. A worker of iniquity taking the opportunity to sound a trumpet and to divide Israel away from David. What had David done to bring division? Nothing. Sometimes division and strife comes and we feel somehow responsible. It is a son of Belial, a wolf in the fold dividing away the sheep. The shrill trumpet call of a demonic presence. Be aware of these son's of Belial who take the opportunity to cause divisions.
Rom 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Rom 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse...
Jesus came from the son of Jesse, they had no part in him.
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
2 Sam 20:2 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.
We dare not follow a Sheba to destruction. We are the children of Judah, the tribe of the Christ. We shall cling to King Jesus. Clave to the king: to adhere firmly and closely, loyal and unwavering.
David's welcome home was only with Judah beside him. The rest of the tribes of Israel followed Sheba in rebellion, each to their own tent, each doing their own thing, apart from the king. Is this not as sin that separates? The king desired unity, king Jesus calls his own into unity and holiness, with sins forgiven and he is in the midst of His people.
Psa 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Heb 2:12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
Ten women
2 Sam 20:3 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.
The ten concubines were already in bondage to David's lust. Now, having been defiled by Absalom, the law is followed and they are put away, not to be as wives, but as widows to a living husband.
1 Cor 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
Selective law keeping is in place here. What of the law to not commit adultery? What of the command of God to have one wife? The ten women were innocent of wrong doing. They were cared for, all the remainder of their lives. Having been in bondage, in a way this was easy on them. Nothing was required of them and they were cared for, though kept imprisoned. Sadly, many prefer a life of imprisonment. That way decisions are made for them. Ten is the number of the law, human infirmity, failure.
There is a better way. It is the way of a new life in Jesus, not by the will of the flesh, but by submitting to the will of God through his indwelling Spirit. The decisions are His, we are required to obey him. This is true freedom, the life of victory in obedience to the Holy Ghost.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Amasa
2 Sam 20:4 Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.
2 Sam 20:5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
Amasa had been captain under Absalom. He was made captain of David's troops for political reasons, to solidify the kingdom and also to punish the disobedience of Joab who had slain Absalom, against the will of the king. There was anger and resentment from Joab to Amasa.
2 Sam 17:25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man's son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother.
2 Sam 19:13 And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh (David)? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab.
Amasa was chosen instead of Joab by Absalom and then king David chose him instead of Joab. Amasa was told to assemble the fighting men in three days, and he had not done so. Did Amasa have a double heart? Who was he serving? We are as Amasa when we are told in the Spirit to do something, and we tarry, we do not do what we were commanded to do. Amasa was not being trustworthy. David had good intentions and gave Amasa grace. Was Amasa qualified? Amasa had been defeated by Joab and Davids armies before being appointed over Joab. Now where is he? People fail but God never fails.
Psa 89:5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
Psa 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?
Bloody Joab
2 Sam 20:6 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.
David speaks to Abashai, the brother of Joab to go after Sheba.
2 Sam 20:7 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.?
The mighty men went forth, including Joab's men, including Joab, but Abashai was in command.
2 Sam 20:8 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.
2 Sam 20:9 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.
Amasa came out to meet the army. Joab, was as a Judas; he pretends to care about Amasa, even pretending to deliver a kiss of affection.
Luke 22:47 And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
Luke 22:48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?
2 Sam 20:10 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.
Joab kills Amasa with no remorse. He was a brutal killer. Perhaps it was out of jealousy, or that he thought Amasa was a traitor to the king. I would not want Joab as my friend or my enemy.
Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Mat 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
Follow Joab
2 Sam 20:11 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.
As Sheba sounded the trumpet for the 10 tribes to follow him, now one of Joab's men shouts to the crowd of soldiers, to follow Joab. So Joab ruled by force and by fear. Those who follow satan, the father of killers are ruled by force and by fear. Terrorists rule by force and by fear. Our God is mighty, he is able to put fear into the hearts of those who oppose his people. David was after God's own heart, using satan's tactics was not pleasing to our God. In our country our motto is "In God We Trust." Using satan's tactics will cause God to bring our ways to the light, so that we should repent.
2 Chr 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Later on, when David desired to build a temple for the Ark of God, God said, no. So another would build the temple, his son Solomon.
1 Ki 5:3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
Now, Jesus has come, defeating the devil. He is under the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to dwell in Jesus, this way satan and his workers of bad words and deeds are under our feet.
2 Sam 20:12 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.
Had David commanded that Amasa be killed? No, Joab again acted independently from his king. When we act independently from God, our king, it is called sin. The people looked upon the body of Amasa, to the point that they were unable to continue, until he was covered. The law under the old covenant required the blood of an animal to cover sins, to hide them until the next sin. Jesus came as the sacrifice for all who would believe. His blood did more than cover sins, he removed them, they are no more. This is the New Covenant in his blood. His blood keeps on removing our sins, as we repent and ask for forgiveness.
2 Sam 20:13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
2 Sam 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.
He gathered support from all the tribes, all recognized Joab as the leader. Joab was a skilled General with many victories, his problem was his self will. Self will is a problem with all who wish to follow the king. We are to die to self and live in the Spirit of our king, Jesus. The fruit of the Spirit is love and all that goes with this:
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Wise woman
2 Sam 20:15 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.
They were at the city of Abel, where Sheba was behind the safety of the walls.
The word solelah, which we render bank, means, most probably, a battering engine of some kind, or a tower overlooking the walls, on which archers and slingers could stand and annoy the inhabitants, while others of the besiegers could proceed to sap the walls. That it cannot be a bank that stood in the trench, is evident from the circumstance thus expressed. (Barnes)
2 Sam 20:16 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.
Will the ruthless Joab listen to a woman? Yes, and she was a woman of influence, a wise woman of the city.
2 Sam 20:17 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.
Joab would hear the voice of a wise woman. We all can benefit from the wisdom of the wise women in our midst. She did not Lord it over Joab. She might have been a ruler in the city, but she humbled herself before Joab, "hear the words of thy handmaid." Hear the words of your servant. I am under your authority, may I speak? The Bible is clear about submitting to authority, otherwise all is chaos.
1 Pet 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1 Pet 2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
Are women to submit to all men?
Col 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Col 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
A wife is to submit to her own husband, not to every man. This brings order in a family.
The Bible has many examples of women speaking in God's time and purpose. Esther spoke to the king and her Jewish brethren were protected. Jesus spoke to the Gentile woman at the well and she became the first evangelist to the Gentiles. Jesus came to Mary Magdalene and she was the first to spread the good news of the risen Christ. Women are used by God as are all who obey his voice. Let no one put you down, nor let no one exalt self. We are all servants of the Lord. Be sensitive to established order, for we are to be servants of all.
Beheaded
2 Sam 20:18 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.
There was a saying that Abel was known as a place of wisdom. In Jesus' time, Nazareth, his hometown, had a bad reputation.
John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
Listen Joab, to the wise woman from the wise city of Abel.
2 Sam 20:19 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?
2 Sam 20:20 And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.
When confronted by the woman, Joab pretends to not be a destroyer.
2 Sam 20:21 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.
The problem was addressed, the need is to capture Sheba. Jesus said if thy hand causes you to sin, cut it off. The sinning mouth of Sheba was about to be removed with his head. Apparently he was not that well liked by the people, so that they would protect him. There are a lot of talking heads leading people into rebellion. In the TV news, in the political speeches, and in the meeting places. That rebellious spirit is everywhere. Many are caught on fire by emotional speeches.
2 Sam 20:22 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.
As Sheba began the rebellion with a trumpet call and words of rebellion, so his end is accompanied by a trumpet call. Day is done all is well, the fire begun by the lips of Sheba will no longer originate from his mouth.
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
James 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
James 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
James 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
James 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
David's leaders
2 Sam 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:
Joab became leader, not by David's first choice, but by his cunning and strength. His men made him the chief of the armies. Beniah, was over the archers, and slingers.
2 Sam 20:24 And Adoram was over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder:
Adorum was treasurer or tax collector and Jehosophat kept the public records.
2 Sam 20:25 And Sheva was scribe: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:
2 Sam 20:26 And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David.
David was appointed ruler of his people by God. He had help running the kingdom. One man cannot do everything.
2 Sam 7:8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
2 Sam 7:9 And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
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