Day 93: 2 Samuel 16-18

(The previous post covered the rape of Tamar and Absalom's attempt to take the kingdom from David.)

2 Samuel 16
¹ And when David was a little past the top of the ascent, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.

(Ziba was a servant of the house of Saul (2 Samuel 9).)

² And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as are faint in the wilderness may drink.

(Ziba, specifically Mephibosheth's servant, brought David and his followers some much needed supplies while they were in exile.)

³ And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

(When David asked, "where is thy master's son?" he was actually referring to Mephibosheth. Ziba was originally the servant of Jonathan, Mephibosheth's father. Ziba was telling David that Mephibosheth was preparing to set himself up as king in Israel.)

⁴ Then said the king to Ziba, Behold, thine is all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I do obeisance; let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, O king.

(In return for this information, David gave everything of Mephibosheth's to Ziba. Was this information true or false?)

⁵ And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out thence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came.
⁶ And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

(Shimei, a man from Saul’s family, cursed and threw stones at David.)

⁷ And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, thou man of blood, and base fellow:
⁸ Jehovah hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and Jehovah hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son; and, behold, thou art taken in thine own mischief, because thou art a man of blood.

(David was called a "man of blood" and a "base fellow." Essentially calling him a violent and unprofitable animal.)

⁹ Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

(Abishai was Joab's brother. He wanted to execute Justice for David.)

¹⁰ And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curseth, and because Jehovah hath said unto him, Curse David; who then shall say, Wherefore hast thou done so?
¹¹ And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more may this Benjamite now do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for Jehovah hath bidden him.

(David was humble and considered that God sent Shimei to curse him. Did David believe God sent him because David was a "man of blood"? Was this an effect of the judgment called on David for the Bath-sheba incident?)

¹² It may be that Jehovah will look on the wrong done unto me, and that Jehovah will requite me good for his cursing of me this day.

(David believed he may receive reward if he handled the cursing and attempted stoning well. Maybe that reward could help David answer his prayer for Ahithophel's counsel to be bad.)

¹³ So David and his men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
¹⁴ And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary; and he refreshed himself there.
¹⁵ And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
¹⁶ And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, Long live the king, Long live the king.

(Just as David wanted (2 Samuel 15:32-34), Hushai went and affirmed Absalom as king.)

¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend?
¹⁸ And Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom Jehovah, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide.
¹⁹ And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.

(David suspected his prayer concerning Ahithophel was flawed (2 Samuel 15:31) which is why in addition to his prayer, he sent Hushai to frustrate Ahithophel's council.)

²⁰ Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what we shall do.
²¹ And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then will the hands of all that are with thee be strong.

(Ahithophel counseled Absalom to go in unto David's concubines, which fulfilled what God told David through Nathan. It sounded like Ahithophel was hearing from God.)

²² So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

(Absalom did this in the sight of all Israel as God said would happen: 2 Samuel 12:11.)

²³ And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

(Ahithophel's counsel was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. David's prayer (2 Samuel 15:31) for God to turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness was not answered the way David wanted it to be, because it was over the will of Ahithophel. The opposite happened.)




2 Samuel 17
¹ Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night:
² and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;
³ and I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace.
⁴ And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

(Ahithophel’s plan to kill David and gather the people was pleasing to Absalom and all of the elders of Israel.)

⁵ Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what he saith.

(Absalom wanted Hushai’s perspective even though Ahithophel's counsel was from God. David was hoping this would happen...)

⁶ And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner: shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou.
⁷ And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given this time is not good.

(This was why Hushai went to Absalom, to negate Ahithophel's counsel because David's prayer was ineffective.)

⁸ Hushai said moreover, Thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
⁹ Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it will come to pass, when some of them are fallen at the first, that whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.
¹⁰ And even he that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiant men.
¹¹ But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto thee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
¹² So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and of all the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one.
¹³ Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be not one small stone found there.

(Hushai completely undercut Ahithophel like David had asked Hushai to do.)

¹⁴ And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Jehovah had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Jehovah might bring evil upon Absalom.

(Absalom and all the men of Israel agreed that Hushai's counsel was better than Ahithophel's. God could not make Ahithophel's counsel bad because He could not honor David's prayer against the will of another person. However, God could help David through Hushai. God knew Absalom would value Hushai over Ahithophel and David made sure Hushai was able to give Absalom counsel and that it would be different than Ahithophel's counsel.)

¹⁵ Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled.

(Hushai also informed the priests that were sent back into Jerusalem by David.)

¹⁶ Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.

(Hushai sent messengers to David to tell him of the plan.)

¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go and tell them; and they went and told king David: for they might not be seen to come into the city.

(The plan was working great. Jonathan and Ahimaaz were the priests' sons.)

¹⁸ But a lad saw them, and told Absalom: and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down thither.
¹⁹ And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.
²⁰ And Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They are gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
²¹ And it came to pass, after they were departed, that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they said unto David, Arise ye, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath Ahithophel counselled against you.
²² Then David arose, and all the people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan: by the morning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.

(David's men were found, but a woman bore their pain. David and his followers escaped safely.)

²³ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home, unto his city, and set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

(Ahithophel killed himself when he saw that his counsel was not followed. He knew he was on the losing side and David would not spare him.)

²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
²⁵ And Absalom set Amasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

(Joab, David's General, was no longer General of Israel's army. Amasa was given the position of General in his stead. Amasa and Joab were cousins.)

²⁶ And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
²⁷ And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
²⁸ brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched grain, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
²⁹ and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

(Ammon (from Lot) helped David.)




2 Samuel 18
¹ And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
² And David sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

(David wanted to go to battle alongside his captains. Did David learn his lesson from not going forth to battle in 2 Samuel 11:1?)

³ But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that thou be ready to succor us out of the city.
⁴ And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

(The people convinced David to stay behind because he was worth too much.)

⁵ And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

(David agreed to this but he told his captains to deal gently with Absalom. All the people with David heard this charge he gave to his captains. They were all aware of David's command for Absalom to be dealt with gently.)

⁶ So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.
⁷ And the people of Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.
⁸ For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country; and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

(Israel lost badly to David’s men in the forest of Ephraim. This was a massive civil war.)

⁹ And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between heaven and earth; and the mule that was under him went on.

(Absalom's head was caught in a tree, probably by his hair. Remember, his hair grew very fast and was very heavy. Absalom hung from the tree as his mule continued on.)

¹⁰ And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.
¹¹ And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle.
¹² And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.

(The man who saw Absalom obeyed the words of David. Joab had other plans…)

¹³ Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no matter hid from the king), then thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.
¹⁴ Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

(Joab thrust three darts into the heart of Absalom. Did any of this have to do with Absalom burning Joab's fields (2 Samuel 14:29-33)? Was this revenge? What would David do to Joab?)

¹⁵ And ten young men that bare Joab's armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.

(Joab had ten men take off his armor. How much armor did he have? These armorbearers surrounded Absalom and killed him.)

¹⁶ And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people.
¹⁷ And they took Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.

(Absalom was buried in the forest in Ephraim.)

¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself the pillar, which is in the king's dale; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name; and it is called Absalom's monument, unto this day.

(Absalom had set up a pillar, named after himself, for people to remember him.)

¹⁹ Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that Jehovah hath avenged him of his enemies.
²⁰ And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead.

(Joab did not let Ahimaaz bring the news to David. Was Joab trying to stop David from hearing what he did?)

²¹ Then said Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what thou hast seen. And the Cushite bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.

(Joab sent a Cushite (translated Cushi in the KJV, as if it was his name) to tell David what he saw. Perhaps Joab did not want an Israelite (Ahimaaz) to give the news for fear David would kill the messenger. Joab may have thought the Cushite was expendable.)

²² Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But come what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt have no reward for the tidings?
²³ But come what may, said he, I will run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.

(Ahimaaz still wanted to go to David. Perhaps Joab thought, "it's your funeral" and let him go. He outran the Cushite. Was Ahimaaz going to tell David what happened?)

²⁴ Now David was sitting between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone.
²⁵ And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
²⁶ And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold, another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.
²⁷ And the watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.

(Since the messenger was someone David knew (Ahimaaz), he assumed it was good news.)

²⁸ And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.
²⁹ And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.
³⁰ And the king said, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.

(Ahimaaz told David that all was well because God had avenged David. Ahimaaz was known to be a good man. Did Ahimaaz want to retain this reputation by appearing to have nothing to do with the deception that Joab was attempting to accomplish concerning Absalom? Or did he simply believe this was a good thing that Absalom was dead?)

³¹ And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidings for my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.
³² And the king said unto the Cushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.

(The Cushite told David that Absalom was dead. Was David going to kill the Cushite?)

³³ And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

(David wept and said he would have died for Absalom. Was this the response Joab was expecting?)

(This post covered Absalom's rejection of Ahithophel's advice, the death of Absalom (against David's instructions), and David being told about the death of Absalom.)

Day 94