Tag Archive | Joab

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 137

May17

Day 137.  Reading 2 Samuel 16 – 18

Read Today’s Scriptures.
  • Remember where we left off?   With a lot of conniving, Absalom, David’s son, who would naturally have assumed the throne when David died in “the normal order,” doesn’t want to wait.  He goes to Hebron to “pay a vow,” but really to perform a coup. (It’s where David was crowned king.) He takes 200 unsuspecting guests to the celebration, instructing them to say “Absalom is King” when the trumpet is blown.
  • Absalom even entices David’s chief counselor, Ahithophel, who happens to be Bathsheba’s grandfather, to come along. A messenger is sent to David saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom!“
  • Does David gather an army to fight the coup?  No!  And perhaps he feels it is simply a part of God’s discipline for his sin, and he accepts it.
  • Anyway, David quickly gathers his things (leaving his ten concubines behind to keep the house), and leaves town.  Many of his faithful leaders and men follow him, including Abiathar and Zadok, the priests, bringing the Ark of the Covenant. David tells them to take it back into the city, hoping he’ll one day return. Before they leave, he sets up a way for their sons to get messages to him about what Absalom is doing.
  • Hushai, David’s second counselor, and truly loyal, shows up to flee with David. But the King sends him back, saying to pretend to be with Absalom too, so he can “mess up” all Ahithophel’s advice. “Whatever you hear from the king’s house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, who will send it to me via their sons.
  • Just as Hushai came into the city …. Absalom was entering Jerusalem

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2 Samuel 16.

Okay, as if this is not enough bad news, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him along the road. (Remember, Mephibosheth is Jonathan’s crippled son, whom David is caring for like a son.)  Ziba brings saddled donkeys (for the king to ride), bread, raisin cakes, summer fruit, and wine for his followers to eat and drink.  HUH?

“Where is Mephibosheth?” David asks.

“Um, he’s staying in Jerusalem. He thinks it’s a good time for the house of Saul to give him back the kingdom.”

Shocked, David replies, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.”

Ziba answers, “I pay homage; (grovel, grovel) let me ever find favor in your sight, m’lord, the king.”

Then, just east of Jerusalem, Shimei, a distant relative of Saul, comes out cursing continually at David, throwing stones at him as he passes, and calling, “Get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!  The LORD is avenging you for all the blood of the house of Saul. Your evil is upon you, you are a man of blood!!”

Joab’s brother, Abishai, offered to “take off his head,” but David would not allow it. “My own son seeks my life, how much more this Benjamite! Leave him alone. Let him curse.”

So Shimei cursed and threw stones and dirt at David all the way to the Jordan River.

Meanwhile…

Absalom and all the people of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him.  Hushai shuffles up to him and says, “Long live the king!  Long live the king!”  Absalom is suspicious, but Hushai convinces him that it’s Absalom he wants to serve.  “Who but the king’s son shall I serve!”  (He was convincing.)

“Give counsel. What shall we do?” Absalom askes Ahithophel.

“Go into your father’s concubines, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father.  The hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”  The creep advised. But this is what was done, to prove the new man was the conqueror.

So they pitched a tent on the roof, and that’s what Absalom did …in the sight of all Israel.

And so the fourth of the four consequences of David’s sin that God had spoken to him took place, (2 Samuel 12:11)

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2 Samuel 17.

Next comes the battle of Absalom’s counselors: Ahithophel vs Hushai. What is Absalom’s next step, they are asked?

AHITHOPHEL:  “Let me choose 12K men and I will arise and pursue David tonight, while he is weary and discouraged.  He’ll be in a panic, he’ll flee, and I can strike him down.”

(Actually, for a war aspect, this is sound advice.)

HUSHAI: “Your father and his men are mighty men, and they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field.  He is an expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people but will hide himself somewhere. Then when the first soldiers fall, a sound will go out that there has been a slaughter among Absalom’s men, and your men’s hearts will melt.  EVERYONE knows that your father is a mighty man….

“My advice is that you gather a multitude of men from “Dan to Beersheba” and go to battle IN PERSON and there will be no place for him to hide. You will easily catch him.”

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(***NOTE: ABSALOM WAS NOT A MILITARY MAN. We have seen NO INSTANCES where he has been in battle.  He was a PARTY MAN. See 2 Sam. 13:26-29 and 2 Sam. 15:10-12 and probably had no idea what happened in a war situation.)

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Absalom’s brain went back and forth. (“If I go with Ahithophel’s counsel, HE will get the credit. If I go with Hushai’s counsel, “I” will get the credit.“)

ABSALOM:  “The counsel of Hushai is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.

Quickly, after the meeting, Hushai goes to the priests and gives a message to be sent to David.  “Tell David not to stay the night this side of the River, but cross it.”  The priests’ sons were waiting at En-Rogel. A female servant was sent to tell them the message.

BUT!!!!  A young man saw them and quickly told Absalom.  The priests’ sons hurried off to Bahurim and hid in a well. The woman there covered the opening and spread some grain on it. (Doesn’t this remind you of Rahab hiding the Israeli spies in Jericho under some grain??)   When Absalom’s men came, she said they had gone on over the brook already.  They couldn’t find the two sons and went back.

David got the message and did what Hushai said.  At daybreak, not even one had not crossed.

Ahithophel saw “the writing on the wall.”  He went home, set his house in order, and hung himself.

And so… Absalom took the army with Amasa as commander (Joab had gone with David) and crossed over the Jordan River after David. They camped in Gilead.

Meanwhile, three faithful men – Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai – brought supplies: beds, basins, vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, and lentils, honey and curds, sheep and cheese for David and his men to eat.   WHAT A BLESSING THESE MEN WERE!!

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2 Samuel 18.

The Deadly Battle

Refreshed, David gathered his army and then divided it into three companies.  Joab commanded one, his brother Abishai, commanded the second, and Ittai took the third. (Remember Ittai, who stayed faithful to David as he was leaving the city?  (1 Samuel 15:19-22)

David wanted to go out with them, but the men all said, “YOU SHALL NOT GO OUT!”  They feared for his safety, so he stayed back at the gate of the well-fortified town of Mahanaim.  His last words to the three commanders before sending them off was, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.”  And all the people heard him say it.

The battle mostly took place in the forest of Ephraim. Absalom’s men were defeated by David’s, 20K of them.

  • Then Absalom came riding his mule through the forest.
  • The mule went under a low-hanging branch, and Absalom’s massive head of hair was caught in it.
  • The mule continued on, leaving the king’s son, dangling.
  • A soldier saw him and told Joab.
  • Joab was furious. “Why didn’t you kill him?  I’d have given you 10 pieces of silver!”
  • The soldier said, “Even for a thousand pieces of silver, I would not kill the king’s son.”
  • Exasperated, Joab took three javelins and thrust them into Absalom’s heart.
  • (This would be “strike three” for Joab.)

Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back.  The men took Absalom’s body down, threw it in a pit, and covered it with a huge pile of stones.

The son of Zadok asked to carry the news to the King, that the LORD had delivered him from the hand of his enemies.  But Joab would not let him.  Instead, he sent the Cushite to tell the king what he had seen.

Zadok’s son asked to run too, but Joab said he would get no reward for bringing that news.  Nevertheless, the boy wanted to go.  So Joab let him.

And Zadok’s son outran the Cushite, coming to David first.

  • David waited at the gate for news.
  • The watchmen said he saw a man running alone.
  • “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.
  • Then the watchman saw another man running alone.
  • “He also brings news.”
  • The watchmen recognized the son of Zadok.
  • “He is a good man and comes with good news.”
  • ALL IS WELL! said the boy, panting. “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”
  • “Is it well with the young man, Absalom?”
  • “When I left I saw a great commotion, but I don’t know what it was.”

Then the Cushite arrived and told him the good news that the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all who rose against him.

“Is it well with the young man, Absalom?”

May all your enemies be like that young man.

“And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son!”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 143

May22

   Day 143—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading, and today, we finish our ELEVENTH Book (2 Samuel).   Are you loving God more each day? What are you learning about Him?  Share in the comments section.

   Day 143 –  2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21 – 22, Psalm 30. (Census, judgment, alter/temple, joy)

What exactly incited King David to call for a census of all his military men?  2 Samuel seems to say that the LORD (in His anger) did, while 1 Chronicles says that Satan did. Both instances began with Israel’s sin, which is important when the consequences fall. 

Perhaps God, in His anger against Israel, allowed Satan to put the need to see how big his army was in David’s mind. Israel and her king needed to trust ONLY in the LORD  for victory in battle and not in the amount of military power that had.

Interestingly enough, Commander Joab confronted the king and said a census was NOT a good idea. But David, who didn’t like Joab anyway, ignored his advice and sent him throughout Israel with an abacus.

The tally numbers also seem to conflict. 2 Samuel‘s number could be the amount of standing army soldiers, and 1 Chronicles could also include all men of military age, whether seasoned or not. 

Also, 1 Chronicles mentioned that Joab hadn’t gotten to the tribes of Benjamin and Levi when God stopped the process.  (The Levites wouldn’t stand in battle, but only in defense of the Tabernacle and its contents.) 

In either case, the whole thing displeased God, and he sent His Seer, Gad, to David to give him three choices as to the consequences of showing this lack of trust in Him.  (And NO, this is not like having a Genie in a bottle.)  For one thing, the choices were horrific.  1) 3 years of famine, 2) 3 months of devastation by their enemies, and 3) 3 days of pestilence/plague.  What a choice!!

David chose #3 for the shorter duration and because he would rather trust himself in the hands of God than the hands of the Philistines, etc. And the Angel of the LORD killed 70,000 men in Israel. (soldiers?) But the Angel stopped when He came to Jerusalem and allowed the king to offer burnt (sin) offerings on the threshing floor of a Jebusite (People who held Jerusalem before David conquered it.) 

After seeing the Angel of the Lord, the Jebusite and his sons ran and hid, but then he fearfully approached the King and offered his threshing area, his oxen, and all the wooden implements to use in his offerings.  But David refused the offer and insisted on buying everything. “I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel – 50 shekels for the oxen and implements & 1 Chronicles – 600 for the land)

It reminds me of Abraham, who was looking for a burial place for his wife, Sarah. He did not accept the land as a gift but insisted on paying for it. Both that land and the area David bought became a permanent possession.

This purchased area would become the site of Solomon’s magnificent Temple. (Currently, the Dome of the Rock (“threshing floor”) sits on top of it.)

2 Chronicles.  This chapter flows from the previous verses about that area in Jerusalem, which would become the place where Solomon would build a House for the LORD. David was not allowed to build it because he was a man of war and bloodshed, while Solomon, who was a man of peace, could.  Meanwhile, God allowed David to make the plans and collect all the materials needed, from great stones and cedar trees to the iron nails for the doors, clamps, etc.

King David even called his young son and charged him with the task, telling him that the LORD would be with him and establish his royal throne in Israel forever. “Now my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD you God as He has spoken concerning you. Only may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when He gives you charge over Israel, you may keep the law of the LORD your God…..  Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. With great pains, I have provided for the house of the LORD.”

Psalm 30. “O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You have healed me. O LORD, you have brought up my soul from the grave.; You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.  Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”   “O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 139

May18

   Day 139—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? What are you learning about Him?  Share in the comments section.

   Day 139 – 2 Samuel 19 – 21 (Aftermath of Absalom’s coup)

Chapter 19. The rebellious, arrogant, murdering son, Absalom, is dead at the hands of Commander Joab. The war is over. The coup is stopped. There should be a celebration. And yet the king is in his room, weeping, moaning, and wailing. “O Absalom, my son! Wish I had died.” His troops hear him and slink away. 

Joab goes to him and basically slaps him alongside the head. “What are you doing? Your enemy is dead. The people are ashamed and leaving you. Get up and ACT LIKE A KING!” And David does. But he fires his successful commander-in-chief and replaces him with Absalom’s commander, Amasa. SERIOUSLY DAVID???  (Joab takes care of that later in chapter 20.)

The priests and people of Judah call the king back to Jerusalem, and David magnanimously pardons his enemies. (Remember Shimei, who cursed David as he was fleeing? And Ziba, who (maybe falsely) bad-mouthed Mephibosheth? Even the crippled son of Jonathan got the benefit of the doubt about seizing the kingdom.)  Then there is a tug-of-war between Judah and the other 10 tribes about WHO should be helping King David and his entourage back over the Jordan River.  Sheesh!

Chapter 20.  Then “a worthless man” named Sheba musters a rebellion of the Benjaminites, saying it should be a descendant of King Saul (A Benjamite) who rules. Again, the tribes align themselves on one side or the other, and King David sends Amasa and his troops to take care of Sheba.

For some dumb reason, Amasa procrastinates (can’t make up his own mind?), and Joab, dressed only as a soldier now, follows him. “Hey, Dude, how ya doing?” he says as he grabs Amasa’s beard and stabs him in the gut.  Joab then slips back into his role of Commander-in-chief and, with his co-commander brother, Abishai, takes care of the task. Instead of attacking the city that Sheba is hiding in, a wise woman persuades Joab to let her take care of it. He does. She does. And soon Sheba’s head is tossed over the wall. Joab leads the entire army of Israel home.

Chapter 21. Next, there is a three-year famine, and the king inquires of the LORD in case there is something else he has done wrong. It turns out King Saul had treated the Gibeonites cruelly, and that needed to be fixed.

(Remember when Joshua began conquering the land? The Gibeonites had tricked him, and he had made a covenant with them not to attack them. Joshua 9:14-15!  Since then, Israel had honored that covenant and had not warred against them, only made them servants.)  But Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal.”  King David makes it right, but not without them hanging seven of Saul’s 15 remaining sons. Later David collects their bones and those of Saul and Jonathan and buries them in a respectful manner.

The last of the chapter is a recap of Israel’s wars with the Philistines and their champion giants, all of which are now dead. 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 137

May16

    Day 137—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? What are you learning about Him?  Share in the comments section.

   Day 137 – 2 Samuel 16 – 18 (Absalom’s take-over & Fall, David’s friends & sorrow)

You may need to read these chapters twice to keep track of all that is happening, but basically, they are about Absalom vs David (their counsel & battles, and their loyalties & betrayals), and God’s sovereign oversight.

Chapter 16. As David and his entourage pass over the Mount of Olives, a man meets him with supplies for the exiled King and his men. It’s Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth (Saul’s remaining disabled son, whom David has been more than generous with), and along with supplies, he brings news that Mephibosheth is taking advantage of the situation to reclaim the throne of his father, Saul.  On hearing this, the exiled King transfers all the blessings he gave to Saul’s son to Ziba.  However….,this is just another incident of betrayal, which we’ll see in chapter 19.

As they go, Shimei, a Benjamite from Saul’s family, travels along with them on the hillside, cursing David. Joab’s brother and second-in-command, Abishai, offers to go and kill the fellow, but David stops him, recognizing that perhaps he deserves the cursing. 

Meanwhile, Absalom and all his followers enter the city, and Ahithophel, David’s former counselor, advises him to “take” his father’s concubines in the sight of all Jerusalem. This will fix him firmly in the place of king. (This is part of the “consequences” God spoke to David.)

Chapter 17.  Next, Ahithophel gives Absalom good military advice, but the proud usurper asks for a second opinion from Hushai (David’s spy in the court).  Hushai gives him bad military advice, which plays to Absalom’s ego, so he takes it.  Hushai tells Zadok, the priest who secretly sends the news and some advice via messengers to David.  Ahithophel sees the writing on the wall, goes home, and hangs himself.

One of Absalom’s loyal men sees the messengers and tells his master. The messengers are pursued, but the wife of a loyal-to-David man hides them in a well until the danger passes (much like Rahab in Joshua’s time).  David listens to Zadok’s advice and flees over the Jordan River.  Again, men loyal to David bring them all food and supplies.

Chapter 18 tells of the battle between David’s army and commander Joab and Absalom’s army, led by his commander Amasa (a distant relative of Joab). Before the battle begins, king-in-exile David tells Joab in the hearing of all the men NOT TO KILL Absalom.

God allows Joab a resounding success, and in the middle of the battle, Absalom’s donkey runs a bit too close to a low-hanging branch of a tree in the forest. Absalom’s gorgeous, thick hair – which he is so proud of – catches in a branch, and he is left hanging there and vulnerable while the donkey keeps going.  It is told to Joab by a soldier who scolds him for not killing the usurper. Immediately, Joab, wisely but contrary to David’s specific command, thrusts a javelin through Absalom’s heart.  Several of his men surround the body and finish him off (to cover for who actually killed him??). 

Commander Joab then blows a trumpet to call his men off and tell them of the victory.  Another of Zadok’s sons, Ahimaaz, asks to be the messenger of good news to David.  However, Joab sends another messenger. He knows King David will not be happy to hear that Absalom is dead, against his specific orders.  BUT he allows Ahimaaz to also run after the first messenger has a head start.  However, Ahimaaz is a faster runner and charges ahead.

Meanwhile, back in the city where David is staying, a watchman sees the first runner and tells the King. Then he sees another runner passing the first.   Ahimaaz arrives and says, “All is well. Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”

But David is only concerned about Absalom. “Is it well with the young man, my son?” he asks. Ahimaaz, who knows very well what has happened, says he only saw a commotion when he left, so he doesn’t know, trying to be gentle with his king.  But the second messenger soon arrives (the one who began first) and gives David the news, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man!”

David, the king, sinner, adulterer, murderer, and failure as a father to his sons, goes up to his chamber and weeps for his arrogant and betraying son. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”  

Seriously????

 

 

 

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 131

May10

    Day 131—We are in our FIFTH month of Bible reading.   Are you loving God more each day? Are you reciting, praying, and singing the Psalms we’ve been reading?  Share in the comments section.

    Day 131 – 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, Psalm 20. – (War with Ammon & Syria, Trust in  God)

2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 tell of the same incident, with slight differences. Both show King David’s graciousness toward a son whose father has died. Both show the stupidity of the friends of that son. Both show the strategy, victory, and godliness of Commander Joab. 

Psalm 20 tells of their trust and hope in God, who helps in the day of trouble. 

David: “I will deal loyally with Hanun, son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent his servants to console him concerning his father.

Hanun’s princes:  “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? He’s sent them to search the city and spy it out to overthrow it.”

(This reminds me of the foolish advisors to Rehoboam who helped split Israel, after his father, King Solomon, died.)

So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half their beards (disgrace!), and cut off their garments in the middle (exposing their genitals). WHOA!! When King David heard this, he told his servants to stay in Jericho until their beards re-grew, and sent Joab with the army to deal with these ingrates.

When Hanun and the Ammonites saw they had become “a stench to David” they hired Syrians to come fight with them. $1K pieces of silver did the trick and the Syrians brought 20K soldiers (plus 1K and 12K from other areas) to fight. Commander Joab, with his second-in-command brother, Abishai, led Israel’s soldiers. When they saw two battle fronts they split their men.

Joab: If the Syrians are too strong for me, they you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. “Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to Him.”

All the armies fled before Israel’s armies. (Hmmm. This reminds me of recent world news.) But when these armies saw they’d been “shamed” in battle, they called more troops, crossed the Jordan, and arrayed themselves against Israel…again.

King David himself led the battle, killed 40K horsemen, and killed Shobach, the commander of their army. When the Syrians realized this resounding defeat, they “made peace with Israel and became subject to them.”

“So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.” 

Psalm 20:1-5, 7

"May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May He send you help from the sanctuary 
and give you support from Zion!
May He grant you your heart's desire 
and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over Your salvation,
and in the name of our God, set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."