How to handle betrayal and insult – 2 Samuel 16—20, Part 1

Life has taken a dramatic turn for the worst for King David.  His son Absalom has rebelled and set in motion a plan to usurp the throne.  Fearing the worst, David and his faithful followers flee the city.  At the end of 2 Samuel chapter 15, though David is on the run and seriously grieving the drama in his family, he also sends his trusted advisor Hushai to back to Jerusalem. Hushai, under the pretense of serving Absalom, will actually attempt to undermine him.  That brings us to 2 Samuel chapter 16.

We are studying five chapters this week, so my posts this week will mostly summarize the story on 2 Samuel chapters 16 through 20.  This fascinating story is actually numerous story lines dramatically woven together. 

The first story line begins in chapter 16, verse 1. As David and his entourage are rushing away from Jerusalem, Ziba appears.  Remember him from 2nd Samuel chapter 9 (read post here)?  Ziba serves as a steward to Mephibosheth.  Mephibosheth is the son of David’s best friend, Jonathan.  In 2 Samuel chapter 9 we learned that David wanted to honor his friendship and covenant with Jonathan, so after he became king, David asked if there was anyone in Jonathan’s family he could bless.  There was someone still alive from Jonathan’s family: Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth.  David blessed Mephibosheth with land, and it was Mephibosheth’s steward Ziba and his sons who would care for the land, because Mephibosheth was lame.  David also gave Mephibosheth a permanent seat at his table.  Overnight, Mephibosheth, because of David’s kindness, becomes one of the most wealthy and powerful people in the land. 

The events of 2 Samuel 16 take place years later.  After David has been so kind to Mephibosheth and Ziba, how will they treat David now that David is in desperate need of help when David is fleeing from the city?

Ziba brings the king animals for transportation and food.  When David asks where Mephibosheth is, Ziba tells David that Mephibosheth has stayed in Jerusalem hoping that the kingdom will be restored to him, since he is the grandson of the last king, Saul.  Upon hearing of Mephibosheth’s betrayal, David immediately responds saying that everything that he had previously given to Mephibosheth, he now gives to Ziba. 

The story of David, Ziba and Mephibosheth pauses, and we come to the second story line.

While David and his entourage are fleeing, they come across another man, Shimei.  Shimei is from the same clan as the previous King Saul.  Shimei starts throwing rocks at David and his officials, and Shimei curses at David. 

Imagine the humiliation David is enduring.  David’s own son is overthrowing him, so the great king is now fleeing the city, with his guards around him.  Just then, one solitary man starts throwing rocks at them, yelling insults. 

What is the farthest you can accurately throw a stone?  100 yards?   It depends on the size of the rock, for sure, but I’m thinking a 100-yard throw would be pretty amazing.  Especially if you are throwing a lot of rocks, one after the other.  My point is that Shimei was really bold. He was not far away from David.

One of David’s long-time faithful generals, Abishai, asks David’s permission to cut off Shimei’s head, and David says, “No.”  Here we see David’s heart.  He describes the abuse from Shimei as if it is God telling Shimei be that way, and so David just takes it. 

What a sad, sad, scene.  In story line #1, Mephibosheth, though David helped him so generously in the past, has not come out to support David in David’s time of need.  In story line #2, Shimei is lashing out at David with rocks and insults. 

Imagine the low moment David must be feeling. He has not only lost his kingdom, but he is being betrayed by friends and cursed by others. 

But David endures, putting one foot in front of the other his entourage reaches their destination away from the city, where finally they can regroup.

While life is awful for David, the scene changes to storyline #3, and where learn that life is going wonderfully for Absalom.  In the remainder of 2 Samuel 16, David’s rebellious son, Absalom, takes the throne in Jerusalem, and begins to solidify his grip. 

David’s trusted advisor, Hushai, the one who David asked to return to Jerusalem and try to undermine Absalom, shows up, pretending to be loyal to Absalom. David now has a secret operative in Absalom’s inner circle.  Check back in to the next post, as we watch how that operative, Hushai, starts to undermine Absalom. 

Photo by Slavcho Malezan on Unsplash