Morning Light – July 7th, 2015
Today: [2 Samuel Chapter Nineteen]: David Restored to the Throne. Absalom is dead and David mourns. Joab despises David’s remorse for his son’s death and threatens renewed civil war. The tribe of Judah returns to David and his former enemies petition him for mercy regarding their support of Absalom. David refuses to retaliate against his foes and shows mercy as a type of Christ forgiving from the cross those who crucified him.
[2Sa 19:1-43 KJV] 1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. 2 And the victory that day was [turned] into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son. 3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! 5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; 6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. 7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now. 8 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate.
Absalom is dead and David is inconsolable. Joab rails upon the king despising his heart of compassion for his slain son. He threatens insurrection if David does not heed his counsel to go out and show himself to the army and commend them for their victory. Let us not forget that Joab is David’s general and that he colluded with David in the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah. He is also responsible for the civil war that broke out because he manipulated David into bringing Absalom back to Jerusalem after he murdered his eldest brother Amnon. Now again Joab accuses David and criticizes him for not responding appropriately (in his mind) to the circumstance that Joab himself had created. Do you have a Joab in your life? David never adequately dealt with Joab in his lifetime. As a type of Christ Joab is to David what Judas was to Jesus. Judas also was an integral part of Jesus life. This is the trait of a Joab mentality – a person who ingratiates himself or herself into your life at a point where it makes them difficult to deal with and gives them great influence over your life and the lives of people you depend on. The key to eliminating this contaminating influence is to cut them off from your life without remedy and without negotiation for they are adept and turning argument against you and making you look like the offender as we see Joab mercilessly do with David time and again even when he was in morning for his son.
And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent. 9 And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom. 10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back? 11 And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, [even] to his house. 12 Ye [are] my brethren, ye [are] my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? 13 And say ye to Amasa, [Art] thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. 14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as [the heart of] one man; so that they sent [this word] unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants. 15 So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.
David communicates with the tribe of Judah inquiring as to whether they will recognize him as king once again now that Absalom is dead. He furthermore promises Amasa the command of the armies in Joab’s place. The principle that was established in Moses’ day was that Judah always goes first. They are the tribe out of which the bloodline of Jesus extends and as such they bear a greater responsibility. Just as judgment first comes to the people of God so Judah must return to David before any of the other tribes.
As believers we as the tribe of Judah are not to follow the world or to allow the world to become the trendsetters in culture. The enemy however has deceived the church for centuries and successfully established a stronghold of recalcitrance and backwardness that causes God’s people and their leaders to be very reticent to innovate or to be on the leading edge of the issues of our day. In the USA for instance when the internet broke on the scene the church was very reluctant to embrace the new technology although the LGBT lobby and strangely enough the White Supremacist factions quickly spread their influence through adapting the use of computers and the internet. To this day according to polls that have been taken pastors and church leaders are very skeptical regarding the usefulness of the internet and social media for the purposes of building the kingdom. For this reason we have been one step behind on many issues and it has remained to us only to play catch up and complain about the world’s course rather than leading and setting the tone ahead of the world.
16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which [was] of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. 17 And [there were] a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over Jordan before the king. 18 And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan; 19 And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. 20 For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king. 21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’S anointed? 22 And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I [am] this day king over Israel? 23 Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him. 24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came [again] in peace. 25 And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth? 26 And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant [is] lame. 27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king [is] as an angel of God: do therefore [what is] good in thine eyes. 28 For all [of] my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king? 29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. 30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.
When Judah reaffirms David as king – his former enemies now tremble and seek to gain his favor. At the head of this delegation is Shimei who previously cast stones and dirt at David when he retreated from the holy city. David’s men wanted to kill Shimei on the spot but David will not allow it. When the day of victory comes it will be a test for you what to do with your enemies. Will you pay them back the ill treatment they have heaped upon you? Or will you render them unearned favor? David refuses to retaliate. Not because Shimei and the Benjamites with him are repentant but because he is a man after God’s own heart and leaves the matter in the hands of God. He knows that man cannot harm him because God is his rearguard and his defense. Therefore he is not insecure but forgives Shimei.
