2 Samuel 20:4-13
4 Now the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.”
5 So Amasa went to summon the men of Judah, but he was delayed longer than the set time which he had designated for him.
6 And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight.”
7 So Joab’s men went out after him, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors; and they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
8 When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was dressed in his military attire, and over it he had a belt with a sword in its sheath strapped on at his waist; and as he went forward, it fell out.
9 And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it going well for you, my brother?” And Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
10 But Amasa was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab’s hand, so he struck him in the belly with it and spilled out his intestines on the ground, and did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
11 Now one of Joab’s young men stood by him and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”
12 But Amasa was wallowing in his own blood in the middle of the road. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa from the road to the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still.
13 As soon as he was removed from the road, all the men went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
The Assassination of Amasa
Command to Amasa
David gave his first command to Amasa, who had newly been appointed as commander. (1) The order was to assemble the men of Judah within three days and return to Jerusalem. However, Amasa was unable to return by the specified deadline. It is likely that he had failed to gain the trust of the people of Judah. (2) Therefore, David urgently appointed a replacement and moved to suppress the rebel, Sheba. Even at this time, David bypassed Joab and appointed his brother Abishai as the overall commander. David harbored distrust toward Joab for killing Absalom. (3) Abishai led the army in pursuit of Sheba.
At Gibeon
The army reached Gibeon, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Jerusalem. (1) At that moment, Amasa arrived, intending to join the pursuit force. (2) Joab, having arranged it so that his sword appeared to fall naturally, picked it up. Then, under the guise of greeting Amasa, he stabbed him in the abdomen with the sword and killed him. (3) One of Joab’s men shouted, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab,” reversing the position between Joab and Abishai. (4) The soldiers, who had been stunned at the sight of Amasa’s bloody corpse, joined Joab in the pursuit of Sheba once the body was covered. Thus, Joab eliminated Amasa, who had become an obstacle, and reclaimed the position of commander by his own hand. Joab, David’s nephew, was a highly skilled warrior, but his nature was extremely ruthless. Yet, David was never able to punish Joab. In fact, Joab himself held considerable influence over David. The reason was that Joab held leverage over David. It was Joab who carried out the killing of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, at David’s command. When we commit sin, we give others a hold over us. Satan, too, grasps our weaknesses and accuses us before God. Only Jesus Christ can rescue us from such trap. How precious is the blood of the Lord Jesus!
Today's prayer
O God, all my weaknesses have been erased by the blood of the Lord Jesus. Now I am free. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.