May 28, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

David Takes Charge

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Opening Prayer

Teach me today, Lord, what it means to live in You, to rest in You, and to hope in You.

Read 2 Samuel 19:8-18

[8] So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,” they all came before him. Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes. [9] Throughout the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom; [10] and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?” [11] King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? [12] You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’ [13] And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you are not the commander of my army for life in place of Joab.'” [14] He won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.” [15] Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan. Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. [16] Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. [17] With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul’s household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. [18] They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

Although there will always be wars and rumors of wars, we are to bearers of, and negotiators for, peace. This is true in our relationships, society, and the wider world.

Tired of war, David begins the process of taking back his capital and his throne by cajoling and encouraging rapprochement between enemy groups. The northern tribes who had followed Absalom remind themselves that King David had protected them from the Philistines and hurry to march into Jerusalem behind the king. David nags the men of Judah into action. He replaces Joab with Amasa, Absalom’s commander (2 Sam. 17:25), who is also David’s nephew and Joab’s cousin! He makes sure that his clansmen and relatives are at the forefront of his triumphant return. Crowds can be fickle, and he makes sure that no group is left out, so that order can be restored as quickly as possible. Even Shimei, who stood up and publicly cursed David (2 Sam. 16:5-8), hurries to join in. The narrator tells us that they rushed to the Jordan to do whatever he wished (17-18). Tired of war, will they rebel again? We know that they do, as we shall see in chapter 20, and later when the next son in line seeks to snatch the throne (1 Kings 1:5).

As I write this, the civil war in Syria fills the news–devastated cities, traumatized children, inadequate hospitals filled with broken bodies, and millions of refugees fleeing to barren tented camps. How do we view war? As a necessary evil in a fallen world? Jesus told us to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek. How, then, should we understand war in the Old Testament when it takes place at God’s command? Stories of the defeat of the Philistines and the other enemies of Israel, under David, are thought-provoking texts, but David’s battles are defensive ones, protecting Israel from enemies without and rebellion within so that God’s people under God’s hand can serve his purposes.

Apply

“Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said (Matt. 5:9). Does peacemaking sometimes involve compromise and accommodation?

Closing prayer

Loving Father, I ask for Your enabling so that I may become a peacemaker. I long for healthy relationships in my life, my church, and society.

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