2 Samuel 20:1-3
1 Now a worthless man happened to be there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite; and he blew the trumpet and said,
“We have no share in David,
Nor do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse;
Every man to his tents, Israel!”
2 So all the men of Israel withdrew from following David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah remained loyal to their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.
3 Then David came to his house in Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, the concubines whom he had left behind to take care of the house, and put them in custody and provided them with food, but did not have relations with them. So they were locked up until the day of their death, living as widows.
Sheba’s Revolt
Trumpet of revolt
The mood of welcoming David was quickly shattered by the dispute between the tribes of Israel and the tribe of Judah. (1) Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite, raised a rebellion. He blew the trumpet (ram’s horn) to signal the revolt. (2) The reason such a rebellion could be stirred up by a relatively unknown man was that tensions between the tribes of Israel and Judah had already reached a boiling point. (3) Sheba, using the form of Hebrew poetry, declared that they had no share in David’s kingdom and called on the people to return to their tents and establish an independent nation. The poetic form was used to convey the intensity of emotion. Incidentally, the words spoken by Sheba at this time would later be used again at the time of the division between the northern and southern kingdoms (1 Kings 12:16). It seems that the tribes of Israel had long harbored such dissatisfaction in their hearts. All the Israelites who had harbored discontent immediately responded and followed Sheba. In the end, only the people of Judah accompanied King David from the Jordan River to Jerusalem. Here lies a lesson for life. Human praise is like the morning dew – it vanishes when the sun rises. In the New Testament as well, the crowd that welcomed Jesus was, just a few days later, shouting for Him to be crucified. We must not build our lives upon human approval. The one who fears God and walks with Him is the true victor in life.
Confinement of the concubines
The first thing David did upon returning to Jerusalem was to restore order to his harem. (1) Absalom had publicly humiliated the ten concubines David had left behind, as a way to demonstrate that he had taken the throne. This act reflected a custom common in the Middle East at the time. (2) Upon being restored to the throne, David first took steps to restore order to the harem. However, he did not have any further relations with the concubines, because they had been defiled by Absalom. (3) Nor could they be given in marriage to other men, for they were the king’s concubines. They had to live out the rest of their lives as widows in a guarded house. It is truly a pitiable fate, and they can be seen as victims of David’s sin.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please help me not to rely on the approval of people, but to seek only Your approval as I walk through life. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.