Sheba’s revolt and Joab: Dealing with the ongoing effects of sin
2 Sam 20:1-26
A week or so ago, I heard on the radio about the death of Marianne Faithfull, a singer associated with the Rolling Stones in the sixties who sang the song ‘As tears go by’. Although I have never heard of her before, I remembered the melody and watched a recent interview with her. As clips were played of her early rise to fame, I was struck by the contrast between the earlier image of the young waif-like girl with an angelic voice and the ravages that a hard life of drugs, homelessness, sleeping around and attempted suicide left on her. By the time of the interview, her face has become coarser, her voice raspy. Although she managed to leave her rough life behind and come back into a normal existence with a steady career, the changes that her previous experiences wrought on her could not be undone.
Further rebellion and the consequences of violence
Like this woman, David has been restored, but the consequences of his earlier sin continued to reverberate down the line. His own violence against Uriah led to ongoing violence in his household and spilled over into the larger political scene (2 Sam 12:9-10). Sheba, an opportunist that used intertribal tensions to stage a revolt, is part of this unfolding story. Although a worthless fellow (2 Sam 20:1) and not one to command huge support in the end (note that his death ends the unrest; 2 Sam 20:22), he contributed to the ongoing warfare. David also has to deal with the fallout of Absalom’s violence against the king’s concubines. The rationale for David’s actions is opaque, though no doubt these abused women welcomed the release from wifely duties after their ordeal (2 Sam 20:3).[1] That their innocence is recognised is clear from the way the king provides for them. The need for guarding them is perhaps motivated by David’s fear that, in a further rebellion, they might be used as pawns again in the game of power.
Joab back in the saddle
Sandwiched between the beginning and end of Sheba’s revolt and the primary focus of the narrative is Joab’s return to power. This is a much more sinister development, which will ensure that David cannot shake off violence as long as he lives. His inability to deal with Joab goes back to his compromised status as king because he himself used Joab’s violence for his own ends (2 Sam 11:14-15). While Amasa is now commander (2 Sam 19:13), his delay in gathering the people forces David to send Joab’s brother, Abishai, with the troops to deal with Sheba (2 Sam 20:4-6). However, this is a futile attempt to by-pass Joab, since the men are ‘Joab’s men’ (2 Sam 20:7). Joab’s ruthless killing of his cousin, Amasa, under the guise of friendship (2 Sam 20:9-10) and his callous treatment of the latter’s bleeding body in full view of the troops (2 Sam 20:12) gives us a sense of his brutality. However, he is no cardboard cutout, but a complex character, who is unfailingly committed to David’s cause and is willing to listen to a wise woman who offers an alternative to violent civil war (2 Sam 20:15-21).
The effects of sin and the larger perspective
The aftermath of David’s return to the throne leaves us with some sad reflections. While we might have thought that the king got off lightly when God spared his life after the Bathsheba incident, the truth is that his sin cast a long shadow over the rest of his reign. The Bible is realistic about the effects of sin and warns us of the terrible damage that it can cause. David’s story teaches us not to take sin lightly. Although forgiveness in God’s mercy is available, not all the destruction sin brings can be undone. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the larger perspective. As we come to the end of David’s life, we shall see his own reflections on his reign a few chapters later and his acknowledgement of the Lord’s amazing grace despite all (2 Sam 23:3-5). No matter what sinful mistakes we live with, when we look to the Lord, we are upheld by His faithfulness.
[1] Given that Absalom’s act was a form of incest as the OT defines it (the same sexual partner shared by two people of the same family, a father and son here; Lev 18:8), it may be that David does not want to implicate himself in such an act by taking up a sexual relationship with these women again.
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