Dec 5, 2021. II Samuel 19:41-20:3

Posted byJohn Sanzone

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THE JAWS OF JEALOUSY. II Samuel 19:41-20:3. 12/5/21. #48

2 Samuel 19:41-20:3 [New International Version]

41 Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?” 42 All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king’s provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?” 43 Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king; so we have a greater claim on David than you have. Why then do you treat us with contempt? Weren’t we the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the men of Judah pressed their claims even more forcefully than the men of Israel. 1 Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, “We have no share in David,    no part in Jesse’s son! Every man to his tent, Israel!” 2 So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 3 When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.

  1. Fickle followers
    1. Israel and Judah go from rebellion against David to fighting over him to claim him as their king
      1. a1. The controversy is petty, immature, and divisive
      1. a2. Rivalries are generally trivial and unprofitable
    1. People are typically fickle and self-absorbed
      1. a1. Very few people act on righteous core values alone (Jonathan, Barzillai, Daniel, Joseph, Samuel…)
      1. a2. Most people respond on how they feel at the moment and by what gives them an advantage
    1. From the beginning of the kingdom, Israel was divided between the northern tribes and Judah
      1. a1. Rarely did the tribes show absolute unity (under Deborah, Gideon, Rehoboam…)
      1. a2. The tribes of Israel never saw themselves as one nation (common cause of fighting off enemies demonstrated a unity of necessity)
    1. Several features are important for a unified nation:
      1. a1. Common culture and purpose
      1. a2. Set boundaries
      1. a3. Unifying sense of bonding and identity
    1. Many nations are divided by sub-classes (tribes, clans, ethnicity, ideology, provincialism, values…)
      1. a1. America was founded on an idea (freedom and government by consent of the governed)
      1. a2. Unity under God should have sustained Israel
  2. Judah claims David
    1. David had to coax Judah to escort him back to Jerusalem
      1. a1. Now they claim that David is more their king than he is of the other tribes
      1. a2. They wanted none of David or all of David
    1. The northern tribes are highly offended by Judah’s claim
      1. a1. They are jealous and accusatory
      1. a2. They already feel like outsiders: Jerusalem is in territory of Judah
    1. Judah argues that David was a member of their tribe
      1. a1. Judah did not depend upon David feeding them during the war as Israel had
      1. a2. David does not seem to intervene in this bickering
    1. Rivalry is usually dangerous, leaving bitter feelings
      1. a1. 1 Cor. 3 the factions in Corinth cause strife in body
      1. a2. 3 Jn. the petty control by Demetrius harmed ministry
    1. The bitter words were sure to bring hostile division
    1. Instead of mutual rejoicing, David’s victory brought strife
    1. Israel needed to be united (enemies all around them)
    1. Arguing who had greater claim over David was absurd
      1. a1. Like the disciples arguing who was greatest in the kingdom (Luke 9:46-47)
      1. a2. All such jealousies are founded upon pride (Proverbs 16:18)
      1. a3. The Gideon/Ephraim squabble (Jude 8)
  3. The second rebellion
    1. Israel goes off to their tents in a huff
    1. Sheba the Benjaminite leads the rebellion (Benjamin was often a problem: Jud. 20, Saul, Shimei…)
    1. This silly squabble ends up in another civil war
      1. a1. The core issues after the war still remained
      1. a2. David was unsuccessful in uniting the tribes