2 Samuel 19:9 - Meaning and Application

It is surprising that David did not immediately march back to Jerusalem after Absalom’s army was defeated and scattered. He could have gone back at once with the victorious troops he had in Gilead. But he chose not to return that way. He wanted to go back as a prince welcomed by the people’s agreement, not as a conqueror forcing his way in.

David also wanted to return in peace and safety, sure that he would face no resistance. For that reason, he waited until the people showed they were ready to receive him. He would come back in honor, too, and in a way worthy of himself. A ruler who wins his people’s love by wisdom and kindness looks greater than one who rules only by fear.

So it was decided that David should be brought back to Jerusalem, his own city and the home of his throne, with some ceremony. The first talk about this came from the men of Israel, meaning the ten tribes (2 Samuel 19:9-10). The people were arguing about it everywhere. Some may have opposed it, saying David should either return on his own or stay away. Others strongly supported it and gave reasons for bringing him back.

They said David had once helped them by fighting their battles, defeating their enemies, and doing them great service. It was shameful, then, that he should stay banished from the land of the one who had done so much for it. Good service done for the public may be forgotten for a while, but people remember it again when they come to their senses.

They also said Absalom had failed them. They had foolishly grown tired of the cedar and chosen the branch to rule over them, but now they had had enough of him. He was gone, and they had barely escaped being destroyed with him. So they should return to their duty and think about bringing the king back.

This may have been the whole dispute, not whether David should be brought back, since all agreed on that, but whose fault it was that it had not happened sooner. As often happens, everyone defended himself and blamed his neighbor. The people blamed the elders, the elders blamed the people, and one tribe blamed another. It is good when people stir each other up to do good work, but not when they keep accusing each other for failing to do it. When public duties are neglected, everyone usually shares the blame. Each person could have done more than he did, whether in reforming behavior, healing divisions, or similar work.

The men of Judah, however, were the first to actually act, and David arranged that (2 Samuel 19:11-14). It is strange that his own tribe was not more eager than the others. David learned that the rest of Israel were well disposed toward him, but he heard nothing from Judah, even though he had always shown special care for them. Yet people do not always show the most kindness where we most expect it.

Still, David would not return until he knew how his own tribe felt. Judah was his lawgiver (Psalm 60:7). To clear the way home, he sent Zadok and Abiathar, the two chief priests, to speak with the elders of Judah and urge them to invite the king back to his house, which was also the honor of their tribe. No one was better suited for this task than these two priests. They were loyal to David, wise, and influential among the people.

Perhaps the men of Judah had been careless and needed someone to urge them. Many people will follow in a good work, but will not lead it. It is a pity when they stay idle simply because no one has spoken to them. Or perhaps they felt too ashamed to bring David back after joining Absalom. They may have feared that David would not favor them. So David told his messengers to assure them of his love, saying, in effect, “You are my brothers, my own flesh and blood, so I cannot be harsh with you.” In the same way, the Son of David, Jesus Christ, has called us brothers, his own flesh and blood, which gives us hope that we will find favor with him.

Or perhaps Judah waited to see what the other tribes would do first, and this is why they are rebuked. “The word of all Israel has come to the king to invite him back,” David’s agents could say, “and will Judah be the last, when it should have been the first? Where is the famous courage of this royal tribe? Where is its loyalty?” We should be stirred to do what is good and great by the example of those before us, by the example of our neighbors, and by the place God has given us. Those who are first in honor should not be last in duty.

David also won over Amasa, Absalom’s former general, who was also David’s nephew and Joab’s cousin (2 Samuel 19:13). David called him his kinsman and promised that if Amasa helped him now, he would make him commander of all his forces in Joab’s place. He would not only forgive him, which Amasa may have doubted, but also promote him. At times, it is no loss to gain the friendship of someone who has been an enemy. Amasa’s support could help David greatly at this moment.

If David acted wisely for himself in naming Amasa, since Joab had become unbearably proud, he did not act kindly toward Amasa by making the plan known. That decision led to Amasa’s death at Joab’s hand later on (2 Samuel 20:10). Still, the plan worked. God’s providence, through the priests’ urging and Amasa’s influence, moved the men of Judah to vote together, without a single objection, to recall the king (2 Samuel 19:14).

David did not move until he received this invitation, and then he came as far as the Jordan River, where they were to meet him (2 Samuel 19:15). In the same way, our Lord Jesus rules in those who invite him to reign in their hearts, and not before he is welcomed. He first bends the heart and makes it willing in the day of his power, and then he rules in the midst of his enemies (Psalm 110:2-3).