In this chapter, and the previous four chapters, we see that David’s troubles and the trouble for his household are continued to be lived out as Nathan the prophet told him earlier, 2 Samuel 12:10.
Not long after the death and fall of Absalom and his men, 2 Samuel 18:9-15, another rebellion begins to rise against David and his household. This rebellion is led by Sheba, 2 Samuel 20:1, and it’s possible he was trying to take advantage of the complaints the northern tribes made, 2 Samuel 19:40-43.
He openly declared that the Benjamites have no share in David, Jesse’s son, 2 Samuel 20:1. The good news for David is that his cry for war wasn’t going to last very long, 1 Kings 12:16. He appears to have gathered a large number of men behind him, 2 Samuel 20:2, which tells us the men of Judah didn’t really appease the complaints against the northern tribes, 2 Samuel 19:40-43.
Notice that David returned to Jerusalem and provided for his concubines all the days of their lives, but he didn’t have any kind of sexual relations with them, 2 Samuel 20:3. This is because they had become defiled after Absalom had openly slept with them, 2 Samuel 16:22.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘He could not well divorce them, he could not punish them, as they were not in the transgression, he could no more be familiar with them, because they had been defiled by his son; and to have married them to other men might have been dangerous to the state, therefore he shut them up and fed them, made them quite comfortable, and they continued as widows to their death.’
David now tells Amasa to summon the men of Judah to come to him within three days and be here himself, 2 Samuel 20:4. Amasa was a nephew of David, the son of David’s sister Abigail, and his father was an Ishmaelite, 1 Chronicles 2:13-17. He was the former rebel commander of Absalom’s army, 2 Samuel 17:25.
For some reason Amasa had been delayed, 2 Samuel 20:5. This is possibly because he knew Sheba and wanted to give him time to escape or gather an army to fight against those who were loyal to David. There are other possibilities for his delay, maybe he didn’t think it was necessary to hurry up, maybe he didn’t know how to summon the troops quickly, or maybe the men of Judah had lost confidence in him. Whatever the reason, David was still reluctant to place Joab in command, and so he summoned Abishai, who quickly gathered an army and sent him after Sheba, 2 Samuel 20:6-7.
Because Joab had been relegated when Amasa was appointed as the commander of David’s army, 2 Samuel 20:7, Joab appears to have an opportunity to get rid of Amasa. Joab was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath and as he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath, 2 Samuel 20:8. Joab pretends to be Amasa’s friend, 2 Samuel 20:9.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following, concerning 2 Samuel 20:8-9.
‘It appears that this was not a military garment and that Joab had no arms but a short sword, which he had concealed in his girdle; and this sword, or knife, was so loose in its sheath that it could be easily drawn out. It is thought farther, that Joab, in passing to Amasa, stumbled, (for so some of the versions, and able critics, understand the words it fell out.) and that the sword fell down when he stumbled; that he took it up with his left hand as if he had no bad intention and then, taking Amasa by the beard with his right hand, pretending to kiss him, he, with his sword in his left hand, ripped up his bowels. This seems to be the meaning of this very obscure verse. It is worthy of remark that in the Eastern country it is the beard, not the man, which is usually kissed.’
Whilst he’s on his way to meet those who were rebelling, he murders Amasa in the middle of the road, 2 Samuel 20:10 / 2 Samuel 3:27. One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and says, whoever favours Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab, 2 Samuel 20:11.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This speech, addressed to Amasa’s followers as well as Joab’s, shows very distinctly that the rivalry between Joab and Amasa, and David’s purpose to make Amasa captain in Joab’s room, were well known; and shows also the real reason why Joab killed Amasa. What is added, ‘and he that is for David,’ was intended to identify Joab’s cause with David’s, and also to insinuate that Amasa had not been loyal to David, 2 Samuel 20:5.’
Because Amasa’s dead body was lying in the middle of the road it became an obstacle for the soldiers who were chasing Sheba, 2 Samuel 20:12. As soon as Amasa’s body is removed from the road, everyone then followed the command of Joab, 2 Samuel 20:13.
Sheba passed through Beth Maakah, 2 Samuel 20:14, which was a fortified city, near Dan in the land of the Naphtali, in the north of Palestine.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following concerning Abel.
‘This is supposed to have been the capital of the district called Abilene in St. Luke’s Gospel, Luke 3:1.’
It appears that Sheba is running as far north as mobile and as far away as he can from Joab and his army. He appears to be heading towards his father, Bikri who was the father of Sheba, 2 Samuel 20:22 / 2 Samuel 20:1. All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah and they built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications, 2 Samuel 20:15. When Joab’s men were battering the wall to bring it down a wise woman came forward to negotiate terms of peace, 2 Samuel 20:15-16.
Joab goes to the woman and she asks him if he is Joab? And he says yes. Then she asks him to listen to what she has to say and Joab is prepared to listen to her, 2 Samuel 20:17. She tells him that long ago they used to say, get your answer at Abel, and that settled it, 2 Samuel 20:18. Apparently these words were a proverb.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘This was an old proverb. Abel, like Teman, and some other places, was once famous for the wisdom of its inhabitants, 1 Kings 4:30-31. The wise woman was herself a remnant of this traditional wisdom.’
She says we are the peaceful and faithful in Israel and you are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the LORD’s inheritance? 2 Samuel 20:19. Joab tells her far be it from him to swallow up or destroy, 2 Samuel 20:20 / 2 Samuel 2:27-30. He says that’s not the case, a man named Sheba son of Bikri, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David and if she hands over Sheba, Joab will withdraw from the city, 2 Samuel 20:21.
But there was really only one thing which would meet the requirements of Joab and that was the head of Sheba, 2 Samuel 20:21. It was left to the men of Beth Maakah to cut off Sheba’s head and throw it over the wall to Joab, 2 Samuel 20:22. When this was done Joab sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home and Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem, 2 Samuel 20:22.
Although Joab was loyal to David and a great military commander of his men, 2 Samuel 20:23-26 / 1 Kings 4:2-6, David never forgave Joab for the murder of Absalom, Abner and Amasa, and near the end of his life, David left orders for his son Solomon to kill Joab, 1 Kings 2:5-6. Here we have a list of David’s key people who were in government, 2 Samuel 8:16-18 / 1 Chronicles 18:14-17.
It’s with this list that the writer closes the history of David’s reign. The remaining four chapters of 2 Samuel, form a kind of appendix. This list belongs to a later period in David’s reign because David’s use of forced labour didn’t take place in the first part of his reign but the latter part of it.
This use of forced labour by David was adopted by his son Solomon and greatly developed by him, sadly, it would be because of this forced labour that later would cause another rebellion against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam.