Would you like to read James McNaught’s novel Sinking Sand”? click here: Sinking Sand
(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
2 Samuel 19:9–15, “And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom. And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back? And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house. Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants. So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.”
David’s men won the battle between the armies but Absalom had spent some time trying to win the hearts of the nation. He had been quite successful in this venture although there were many who supported the anointed king. The Israelis took stock of their situation and realised that David had done far more for the nation that Absalom had. They remembered that David had fought many battles against their enemies and won many important victories for Israel. They decided to bring the king back to his city and accept him as king without question. David sent a message to the priest Zadok and asked him to gather support from Judah, his own tribe. David also remembered the part that Joab had played in bringing Absalom back to Israel after the prince had escaped to live with his mother’s people. David demoted Joab and made Amasa the head of the army in Joab’s place. The people of Judah came down to the Jordan River and welcomed David back to their territory.
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