Today’s reading is a little gruesome. There are a couple of murders. But rebellion leads to these kinds of problems.
Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel Ch. 20
Rebellion Of Sheba
A rebel named Sheba announced that they, Israel, had no part of David. All of Israel turned from following David and followed Sheba instead. However, the men of Judah remained loyal.
David Secludes His Concubines
Interestingly, when David returned home, the concubines that were left to keep house, he secluded. Putting them in their own houses and supporting them, but David never again had intimacy with any of them. They lived the rest of their lives as widows.
Killed At The Stomach
David wanted the men of Joab to be assembled in three days time. He wants a man known as Amasa to get the men together. However, Amasa takes his sweet time. He reached the men, but he didn’t assemble them.
This caused problems for David, and David sends out a different man. Then men of Joab are gathered and as they pursue Sheba, they run into Amasa. Joab had a sword at his belt, and he made it look like he was going to greet Amasa. Instead of a hug, he cut Amasa at the stomach with the sword, and Amasa died.
This caused men who saw Amasa’s death to not move any farther. Eventually, Amasa’s body was moved and the men proceeded.
Old Woman Offers The Head Of Sheba
There was a wise woman who spoke to Joab and asked him why he was going to swallow (I assume destroy) Israel. (v.18) Joab responds that he does not want everyone in Israel to be destroyed, but the rebel. With this piece of information, the old woman speaks to others and they find Sheba, killing him, and tossing his head over the wall to Joab.
What To Take Away: It helps to give clarity. Sometimes misunderstanding happens simply because we do not know the whole story. It helps for us not to assume we know the truth, but actively seek it out.
Comment Below:
Were you familiar with this story?
Monthly Scripture – (NIV) 2 Corinthians 4:02, “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”
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Yes, I’ve read that account before, but not focused on the head being thrown over the wall. It’s sometimes difficult to keep track of who’s on which side through those accounts between Israel & Judah when the kingdom was divided. Thanks for sharing!
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I’ve read it before, too and never really remembered the story. I agree, it can be difficult to know what is going on. I think it helps to read in order and to read multiple times 🙂 Always more room to soak in scripture.
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