David’s return to ruling was not without problems. In 2 Samuel 20 we see how Sheba, a Benjamite described as a troublemaker, led a rebellion which many tribes of Israel joined. We are reminded of the fickleness of followers and how easy it is to influence people through catchy slogans which can seem to promise much but which lack substance. David, frustrated by Amasa’s delays, sends Abishai to deal with Sheba, and once more we see the influence of Joab when Amasa is ruthlessly killed by Joab in the manner of Judas (greeting him as ‘brother’ with a kiss and then stabbing him to death.) Joab’s ruthlessness and tendency to violence would have seen a greater death toll as he went on to pursue Sheba, wholesale slaughter of the town of Abel Beth Maakah being prevented by a wise woman who sacrificed Sheba to save the lives of the rest of the people in the town. Throughout this chapter, we see the violence and ruthlessness which are an inevitable part of war and how Joab’s influence remains a part of David’s life, even when he has apparently been removed from power.
The chapter underlines for us how easy it is to lose control of people and how disunity can spread like wildfire. Though the rebellion of Sheba is put down, the tensions between the tribe of Judah and the other tribes of Israel remain, leading eventually to a totally divided kingdom after David’s death. It is not easy to rule wisely, and even though the chapter ends with a reminder of the many people David trusted to help with ruling, there is a sense that we live in a far from perfect world, where few seek God and His way of living. We need constantly to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph 4:2-3) and to find out what pleases the Lord and then act accordingly. (Eph 5:10-11)