Day 126: Israel and Judah quarrel

One day they’ll be separate nations. Eventually the north will be the depised Samaritans. Are the seeds of a split sown here?

David and Barzillai
2 Samuel 19:31-40
Israel quarrels with Judah
2 Samuel 19:41-43
Sheba’s rebellion
2 Samuel 20:1-3
Joab kills Amasa
2 Samuel 20:4-12
Sheba seeks refuge but is killed
2 Samuel 20:13-22
David’s officers
2 Samuel 20:23-26
The Gibeonites avenged
2 Samuel 21:1-9
Rizpah’s care
2 Samuel 21:10-14
David honours God’s majesty
Psalm 29
His thanksgiving
Psalm 65

If we are tempted to think that now Absalom has gone, all the people breathed a great sigh and relief and said, “Welcome back David,” we’d be wrong. First of all, Judah and Israel argue about who wanted David back the most. Then there’s another rebellion, led by Sheba, who tries to persuade the ten tribe of Israel to follow him as king. The army make short work of him, and there’s a sub-ploy going on with Joab, who is as ruthless as ever. It seems David doesn’t trust him, and wants someone else to command his army. But Joab brooks no rivals, and kills David’s choice Amasa, and takes back his position. We’re not told what David thinks about this, but instead we get an extraordinary story, full of tangled, confused motives. The Gibeonites, who are descendants of a tribe that Israel didn’t annihilate when they conquered Canaan, are named by God as the reason for a famine. Not because they’re still alive, but because Saul tried to wipe them out. Huh? Then to add to the complication. David agrees to sacrifice some surviving descendants of Saul to appease God’s anger. Double huh!? I thought Mephibosheth was the only survivor?? After this human sacrifice, God sends the rain.
What a mixture of bad theology, misremembered history and muddled motives! Saul thought he was doing the right thing, wiping out interlopers that shouldn’t have been allowed to survive. So his descendants pay for it with their lives, even though up to now they’d kept their heads down and not been part of David’s desire to show mercy to Saul and Jonathan’s family. Finally, there’s the very Canaanite belief that God’s anger must be appeased by human sacrifice. I hesitate to say David has lost his way, but I do not think this episode reflects well on him. How different is the theology of Psalm 65, which ascribes the rain to God’s mercy. It is not withheld because of some forgotten sin, because “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions.” (Ps 65:3). But it is a Psalm for the good times, and perhaps David’s theology can’t cope with the bad times. He’s fine when opposed by human forces, but drought and famine cause him to slip into confusion.