Book 2 of Samuel 19:1-23

 

Preface

 

The rebellion of Absalom had brought many feelingsof gratitude and resentment to David’s life. How didDavid face these feelings in his life? How did his faithguide him through the moments of gratitude and resentment,and then help him to walk on to a broader path?Book 2 of Samuel 19:1-23 details four examples of gratitudeand resentment for our consultation. Each of thesefour examples can be considered from the following fiveperspectives:

1. Subjects

2. Causes

3. Consequences

4. Transcendence

5. Transformation

 

Let’s consider the first example:Main Text

A. Gratitude and resentment between Davidand his armies

1. Subjects: David and the armies that helped him quellAbsalom’s rebellion.

2. Cause:

David felt that he was responsible for Absalom’s rebellion. Thus, when the troops set out for war withAbsalom, David stood by the side of the gate and “commandedJoab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Deal gentlyfor my sake with the young man, even with Absalom’” (2Samuel 18:4-5). He meant for the armies to leave Absalomalive on the battlefield.

Yet Joab realized that Absalom, leader of the rebels,had to be killed for the country to regain peace and stability.Therefore, Joab “took three darts in his hand andthrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he wasyet alive in the midst of the oak”; and “ten young menbearing Joab’s armor encompassed and smote Absalom,and slew him” (2 Samuel 18:14-15).

When David learned about Absalom’s death, he“covered his face, and the king cried in a loud voice:‘O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son’” (2Samuel 19:4).

David’s excessive grief over Absalom’s death hadturned the victorious armies into murderers of the king’s son. Not only were their efforts in vain, but now theywere afraid that David would turn on them for revenge.That was the cause for the gratitude and resentment betweenDavid and his armies.

3. Consequences:

What are the consequences if these feelings ofgratitude and resentment are not handled properly? First,the victorious armies “gate them by stealth that day intothe city, as people that are ashamed steal away when theyflee in battle” (2 Samuel 19:3). This is because David’s excessive grief had led the armies to believe that theywere the murderer of King David’s beloved son.

Second, Joab pointed out to David that, “in thatthou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that lovethee. For thou hast declared this day, that princes and servantsare nought unto thee: for this day I perceive, that ifAbsalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then ithad pleased thee well” (2 Samuel 19:6). “Now thereforearise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants;for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will nottarry a man with thee this night: and that will be worseunto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee fromthy youth until now” (2 Samuel 19:7). Joab meant forDavid to go out and celebrate the victory with his armies,to comfort those who loved him and had fought for him;otherwise, they would feel the king’s son’s murderers,and flee from him. As the result, the kingdom wouldmeet its doom.

4. Transcendence:

Though Joab’s words were harsh, it was a sternwake-up call to David, who was still mourning the deathof his son Absalom. David suddenly came to his sensesand “arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all thepeople, saying, ‘Behold! The king is sitting in the gate’:and all the people came before the king” (2 Samuel19:8). This passage means that David was holding a ceremonyby the city gate to celebrate victory of his armyand reward the soldiers; especially Joab, the one who hadkilled Absalom. The difficulties of David’s transcendencewere that he had to restrain his excessive emotions forAbsalom, prioritize national security, and fill the gap betweenthe armies and himself. David had transcended allgratitude and resentment by relying on the Lord’s grace.

5. Transformation:

The soldiers were properly rewarded, and thus ableto let go the shadow of being a prince murderer. Theycame to the king and pledged their loyalty. David hadrisen above this gratitude and resentment and earned theloyalty of the armies. The road to restoration thus becamewider and smoother.

 

B. Gratitude and resentment between Davidand the elders of Israel

 

1. Subjects: Though David had made amends with hisarmies, there were feelings of gratitude and resentmentbetween him and the elders of Israel.

2. Cause:

What was the cause of the gratitude and resentmentbetween David and the elders of Israel? Accordingto Book 2 of Samuel 19:9-10, the elders said, “the kingdelivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he savedus out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fledout of the land from Absalom, and Absalom, whom weanointed over us”. King David had rescued the peoplefrom their enemies, and then again saved them from thePhilistines. Yet when King David had fled the land fromAbsalom, the elders had anointed Absalom as the newruler, rather than support David. The elders of Israel hadrequited David’s kindness with ingratitude by favoringthe rebellious. Thus, there were feelings of gratitude andresentment between David and the elders of Israel.

3. Consequences:

When Absalom was killed, the elders of Israel intendedto bring King David back (2 Samuel 19:10). Howshould David respond to this group of fence-sitters? IfDavid bore a grudge and forced them to confess theirguilt, the elders of Israel might have united against David.As a result, David’s road to restoration might havebecome precarious.

 

4. Transcendence:

In Book 2 of Samuel, 19:11 states that “King Davidsent to Zadok and to Abiathat the priests, saying, ‘Speakunto the elders of Judah’, saying, ‘Why ate ye the last tobring the king back to his house’?” David had kept hisemotions under good control, and had neither called theelders “fence-sitters” nor mentioned the fact that theyhad anointed Absalom. Faith in God helped David torestrain his emotions and transcend his gratitude and resentmentwith the elders of Israel.

 

5. Transformation:

As a result, David earned the support of ten Israelitribes and widened his road to restoration.

 

C. Gratitude and resentment between Davidand the elders of Judah

 

1. Subjects: The elders of Judah.

 

2. Cause:

Though David had transcended gratitude and resentmentwith the Israeli elders, there were still suchfeelings between him and the elders of Judah. Accordingto Book 2 of Samuel 19:11, though the people of Israelhad spoken of bringing the king back to his home, theelders of Judah had not many any such gesture. Why?When David fled the country, the elders of Judah hadnot fled with him; when Absalom was enthroned in Jerusalem,the elders of Judah had not fought against him.The attitude of the elders of Judah was practically a tacitrecognition of the enthronement of Absalom. Therefore,when Absalom was killed in the battlefield, the elders ofJudah bore a different agenda, and were afraid that Davidwould look into their guilt. This is the cause of the gratitudeand resentment between David and the elders ofJudah.

 

3. Consequences:

If David had not resolved these feelings with theelders of Judah, they might have felt uneasy with David’s restoration in Jerusalem, and thus taken the initiativeto gain the upper hand against him. As a result, David’sroad to restoration might have been clouded over.

 

4. Transcendence:

Foreseeing this, David had taken the initiative toresolve these feelings of gratitude and resentment. Herequested the priests Zadok and Abiathat to pass on twomessages to the elders of Judah.

The first message was, “ye are my brethren, ye aremy bone and my flesh” (2 Samuel 19:12). David meantto say to the elders of Judah that they were not traitors tothe country, and that he would not investigate into theirguilt. So why had they not brought the king back yet?

The second message said, “say ye to Amasa, Artthou not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, andmore also, if thou be not captain of the host before mecontinually in the room of Joab” (2 Samuel 19:13).Amasa was David’s nephew, yet he served as Absalom’s captain. Amasa could be considered a major war criminal.Yet David had not only acquitted him of the crime oftreason, but appointed him to be captain instead of Joab.It was David’s message to the elders of Judah: If I am notgoing to charge Amasa with treason, how could I possiblyhold you responsible for your tacit recognition ofAbsalom’s enthronement under pressure?

 

5. Transformation:

David had firmly promised not to bear a grudgeagainst the elders of Judah by “bowed the heart of allthe men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so thatthey sent unto the king, saying, ‘Return thou, and all thyservants’” (2 Samuel 19:14). As the result, David hadregained the support of the Judah tribe and broadened theroad of his restoration.

 

D. Gratitude and resentment between Davidand Shimei

1. Subjects: David and Shimei.

2. Cause:

David’s road to restoration had one more bridge ofgratitude and resentment to cross: that between Shimeiand him. The cause in this case is that when David fledthe country, Shimei, the son of Gera of the family ofSaul, “came out and cursed still as he came, and he caststones at David and at all the servants of king David” (2Samuel 16:6).

 

3. Consequences:

Now, when David was passing through Jordan toJerusalem, “Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, whowas of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the menof Judah to meet king David” (2 Samuel 19:16). “Therewere a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba theservant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and histwenty servants with him; and they went through the Jordanin the presence of the king” (2 Samuel 19:17). Howshould David respond to Shimei, who had been insolentto him before?

How would the thousand men of Benjamin, Ziba,the servant of the house of Saul, his fifteen sons, andhis twenty servants have reacted if David had followedAbishai’s advice and sentenced Shimei to death because“he cursed Jehovah’s anointed” (2 Samuel 19:21)? Thesepeople were the most resolute supporters of the house ofSaul. They might have risked turning against David if hehad put Shimei to death. As a result, David might have toface the staunchest resistance from this tribe of people onhis way to restoration.

 

4. Transcendence:

Yet David reproached Abishai, and at the sametime swore to Shimei that “thou shalt not die” (2 Samuel19:23). If David could spare Shimei, the one who “cursedJehovah’s anointed” and “cast stones at David and atall the servants of king David”, then Shimei’s followersshould be safer still. Later, when the kingdom had splitinto North and South, the Benjamite of the Saul tribepledged their loyalty to the South because of this incident.

 

5. Transformation:

David’s transcendence had earned him the supportnot only of the Benjamite tribe, but also the throne of thetwelve tribes of Israel. Furthermore, the support of theBenjamite tribe protected his descendents after the countrywas split.

 

Conclusions

From the preceding four examples we learned thatDavid had transcended the gratitude and resentment oflife because:

1. He never held people to their mistakes.

2. He never nursed his own grievances.

3. He always praised the merit of others’.There is a price to pay when walking through thegratitude and resentment of life. David had paid theprice. He transcended all these feelings and thus createda broader and smoother new path for himself. David thusserves as a model and reminder to us when facing thegratitude and resentment of life.