64. Civil War in The Promised Land

A Troublesome Son

Earlier we learned that King David had children by many different women, some of those women were his wives.  In the following story, it is easy to see that it is usually in the best interests of anyone involved, for a man not to have more than one wife at a time.

Amnon, defiled Absalom's sister, Tamar.  The thing to notice here is that Amnon, Absalom and Tamer are all King David's children.  Absalom and Tamar both had the same mother.   When Absalom heard what Amnon had done to Tamar, he stewed about that for two years, then, at sheep-shearing time, he invited his brother to join them and there he killed Amnon, his half brother.

King David did nothing to punish Absalom for killing his other son but David mourned for his son every day.  So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.  King David longed to go out to Absalom;  He missed his son who had fled. 2 Sa 13:38-39.

Absalom gathered together some of those who were not pleased that David was king instead of someone from Saul's family.  And with Absalom went two hundred called men out of Jerusalem. 15:11.

After Absalom had amassed a still larger group of followers, more than twelve thousand, they decided to attack the king in Jerusalem; David with his wives and bodyguard fled for safety; ten of his concubines were left behind to keep the house. 15:16.

Be careful what you pray for.  Ahithophel was David's counselor. 15:12.  And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.  David prayed, O Jehovah, I pray You, turn the advice of Ahithophel to foolishness. 15:31.  This prayer seems to have been distinctly answered.

Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your advice. What shall we do? Ahithophel answered, "Some of your father's wives were left here to take care of the palace. You should have sex with them. Then everyone will find out that you have publicly disgraced your father. This will make you and your followers even more powerful." 16:20-22 CEV. 

Absalom decided to make King David hate him so he followed his counsellor's advice and pitched a tent on the palace roof and he spent his nights with David's concubines that had stayed behind.  It was King David who had prayed, O Jehovah, I pray You, turn the advice of Ahithophel to foolishness.  It is unlikely that there could have been a more foolish route for Absalom to take!

While David and his entourage were fleeing, Shimei, of the house of Saul, walked alongside David and began cursing and throwing stones at him.  And Shimei said this in his cursing, Go out, O man of blood, O man of Belial. 16:7.  According to Strong, Belial means "without profit, worthlessness; ... wickedness."

One of David's soldiers wanted to kill Shimei, but David said, no  It may be that Jehovah will look on my affliction, and that Jehovah will repay me with good for his cursing this day. 2 Sam. 16:12.

When Ahithophel realized that Absalom did not take his advice about how to conduct the war, he went home put his household in order, and he hanged himself. 

Ahithophel was Bathsheba's grandfather.  Is it possible that he turned against King David because of what David had done to his granddaughter, Bathsheba, and her husband?

Some Discrepancies

And it happened at the end of forty years, Absalom said to the king, Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to Jehovah in Hebron. 15:7.   There is a time lapse problem with this verse.  The question is, at the end of which forty years.  

• It cannot mean since David started ruling, because of Absalom's age.  
• Neither is it forty years since King Saul started ruling nor
• even since Samuel, the last judge, passed away.  

Because Bible students have not figured out when the forty years started, some say that the word forty should actually be four.  If that is true then it might well refer to the time when Absalom killed his half brother Amnon.

Well, in any case:

At the death of Absalom, warlord of the Israelites, the civil war ended and many Israelites came to King David and begged for mercy and pledged allegiance to their new king.  However, before the prostration and the forgiveness were finished, a man, named Sheba, took leadership over the people of Israel and cried out in public, We have no part in David, neither do we have any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O, Israel! 20:1.   So again, the Israelites deserted king David and the army of Judah.

King David called for a census to be taken and after that was finished he realized that it was not something that he should have done.  The prophet, Gad, told David that the Lord would punish Israel for what he had done.

Notice a few discrepancies between this story in 2 Sam. and 1 Chron.:

• a) Again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and He (Jehovah) moved David against them to say, Go count Israel and Judah. 2 Sam. 24:1.
• b) And, 1 Chronicles 21:1,  Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to take a census of Israel.   Theologically these two verses sound like exact opposites.

 David you have a choice:

• Shall seven years of famine come upon you and on your land? 2 Sam. 24:13,
•  or, three years of famine will come to Israel. 1 Ch. 21:12

And he, king David, died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. 1 Ch. 29:28.

• King David was the great-grandson of Naomi and the forefather of Jesus Christ.
• He has had a lot of influence in the history of Israel and even in the literature and beliefs in much of the world to this day.  
• He wrote about half of the songs in the Jewish hymnal, The Psalms.  

In spite of the wealth of information about him, our study is now moving forward to Solomon, King David's son.