2 Samuel 19:1-15

2 Samuel 19:1-15

In 2 Samuel 18 we questioned the actions of Joab. We looked at his disobedience to David’s command about how to deal with Absalom, and then we looked at how he dealt with telling David the news about his son. So was Joab in the wrong? I think it can be argued either way. In one instance, he disobeyed David’s commands and tried to deceive him into believing that Absalom was not dead (at least not yet). On the other hand, it can be argued that Joab was protecting David from himself. Joab remembered how much grief David felt when he lost Amnon, and maybe Joab did not want David to go into that state of mourning again. 2 Samuel 19 gives us more insight into this situation, for now that Absalom is dead, we do see David’s reaction. He goes back into a deep state of mourning and depression over the death of his son, and it almost seems as if he had forgotten what it was Absalom had tried to do. Did he not remember that Absalom was trying to take the kingdom away by killing David and his men?


Joab picked up on this and scolded David for the way he was reacting. While Joab probably understood that David was suffering a great loss, he was upset at David’s reaction. For Joab and the rest of David’s men, they felt as if they were the enemies, that David would have preferred for Absalom to have succeeded, killing all of David’s men just so Absalom would still be alive. Now while David probably did not feel this way and was grateful that these men had defended him in battle and brought victory back to Israel, his actions did speak differently. In the eyes of his servants and the people of Israel, many might have had the same concerns that Joab raised before David.

In the end, all was restored to the way it once was. David sent a message to the men in Jerusalem asking for his return. They were quick to accept his offer, realizing their mistakes. They had not only lost their king when he fled in fear of his life, but they had also lost their new king in battle who they had placed over Israel themselves. They recognized their mistakes and were ready to once again bring David back to Jerusalem to reign over Israel until his death. So what started in 2 Samuel 11 when David first saw Bathsheba was finally resolved in the middle of 2 Samuel 19. He was back on the throne as the king of Israel. He was back in good standing with God, having repented of his sins and turned his life around. Israel was once again ready to support him, although there would still be days of healing ahead for all of them. And even though he had lost a few children in the process, he still had other children, one of which had already been chosen to be the next king of Israel.

I must admit that this section of David’s life has been one of the most challenging to work through. At times I am not sure that I read the story right. The lines are blurred between who we should consider the “good guys” and who the “bad guys” are at several points throughout these 9 chapters. I hope I have stayed accurate with what the Scripture is saying, and as always I hope you actually read the Scripture yourself and do not depend on my observations alone. While I do try to summarize the main points of the story, I do not hit every little detail. I love the story of David and the book of 2 Samuel, but it is not always an easy read. So if you have not already, I encourage you to go back and read these chapters for yourself. From here on out we will look at the last few chapters of David’s life as we finish the Samuels and enter the Kings.

Matt