DAVID.
War with the Moabites--Insult offered by the king of the
Ammonites--War with the Ammonites--Their Defeat--Battle of
Helam--Attack of Hadadezer--Defeat of the Aramæans--Acquisition
of Damascus--War with the Idumæans--Conquest of the town of
Rabbah--Defeat of the Idumæans--Conquered races obliged to
pay tribute--Bathsheba--Death of Uriah the Hittite--Parable
of Nathan--Birth of Solomon (1033)--Misfortunes of
David--Absalom--Wise Woman of Tekoah--Reconciliation of David
and Absalom--Numbering of the Troops--Pestilence breaks out
in Israel--Absalom's Rebellion--Murder of Amasa--Sheba's
Insurrection--David and Nathan--Adonijah.
1035-1015 B. C. E.
When David had completed two decades of his reign, he became involved
in several wars, which withdrew him from the peaceful pursuits of
regulating the internal affairs of the country, and of attending to
the administration of justice. These wars with distant nations, forced
on him against his will, gave him an immense accession of power,
and raised the prestige of the people in a surprising degree. David
first began a fierce warfare with the Moabites, who dwelt on the
opposite side of the Dead Sea. With them he had been on friendly terms
during his wanderings, and amongst them he had met with a hospitable
reception. It is probable that the Moabites had ousted from their
possession the neighbouring Reubenites, and that David hurried to their
rescue. It must in any case have been a war of retribution, for, after
his victory, David treated the prisoners with a severity which he did
not display towards any of the other nations whom he conquered. The
Moabite captives were fettered, and cast side by side on the ground,
then measured with a rope, and two divisions were killed, whilst one
division was spared. The whole land of Moab was subdued, and a yearly
tribute was to be sent to Jerusalem.
Some time afterwards, when Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died,
David, who had been on friendly terms with him, sent an embassy to
his son Hanun, with messages of condolence. This courtesy only roused
suspicion in Rabbath-Ammon, the capital of the Ammonites. The new
king's counsellors impressed him with the idea that David had sent his
ambassadors as spies to Rabbah, in order to discover their weakness,
to conquer them, and to deliver them over to the same fate that had
befallen the Moabites. Hanun was so carried away by his suspicions that
he offered an insult to the king of Israel which could not be passed
over unnoticed. He obliged the ambassadors, whose persons, according
to the laws of nations, were inviolable, to have their beards shaved
off on one side, and their garments cut short, and thus disgraced he
drove them out of the country. The ambassadors were ashamed to appear
at Jerusalem in this guise, but they informed David of the occurrence.
He immediately prepared himself for battle, and the militia was called
out; the old warriors girded their loins, and the Cherethite and
Pelethite mercenaries sallied forth with their heroic leader Benaiah
at their head. Hanun, who feared the valor of the Israelites, looked
around for help, and engaged mercenary troops from among the Aramæans,
who lived in the regions between the mountains of Hermon and the
banks of the Euphrates. Hadadezer, king of Zobah on the Euphrates,
contributed the greatest number--20,000 men. David did not personally
conduct this war, but left the supreme command with the careful and
reliable Joab. Having led the Israelite army across the Jordan, Joab
divided it into two bodies. With the one he attacked the Aramæans, the
other he left under the command of his brother Abishai. He aroused
the enthusiasm of his army by inspiring words: "Let us fight bravely
for our people and the city of our God, and may the Lord God do what
seemeth good unto Him." Joab then dashed at the Aramæans, and put them
to flight. On this, the Ammonites were seized with such fear that
they withdrew from the field, and took shelter behind the walls of
their capital. It was a most successful achievement. Joab hurried to
Jerusalem to report to the king, and to lay before him a plan by which
the Aramæans might be totally annihilated, and any future interference
on their part prevented. The victorious army, having been recalled from
the Ammonitish territories, was reinforced, and with the king himself
at its head pursued the Aramæan enemy on the other side of the Jordan.
King Hadadezer, on his part, also sent fresh troops to the aid of his
defeated forces, but in a battle at Helam, the Aramæan army was again
defeated, and its general, Shobach, fell in the encounter. The vassals
of the mighty Hadadezer then hastened to make peace with David.
Tôi (or Tou), the king of Hamath, who had been at war with Hadadezer,
now sent his son Joram to David with presents, congratulating him on
the victory over their common foe. David followed up his successes
until he reached the capital of king Hadadezer, situated on the banks
of the Euphrates. The Aramæans were then defeated a third time; their
chariots and soldiers could not withstand the attack of the Israelite
army. The extensive district of Zobah, to which various princes had
been tributary, was divided into several parts.
The king of Damascus, an ally of the king of Zobah, was also defeated
by David, and the ancient town of Damascus henceforth belonged to
the king of Israel. David placed land-overseers in all the Aramæan
territories from Hermon to the Euphrates, in order to enforce the
payment of tribute. David and his army themselves must have been
astonished at the wonderful result which they had achieved. It
rendered the king and his army objects of fear far and wide. Meanwhile
the king of the Ammonites had escaped punishment for his insults to
the ambassadors of Israel. In consequence of the campaign against the
Aramæans, which lasted nearly a year, the Israelitish army had been
unable to resume the war against Hanun. It was only after the great
events narrated above that David was again enabled to send his forces,
under Joab, against Ammon. Yet another war arose out of the hostilities
against this nation. The Idumæans, on the south of the Dead Sea, had
also assisted the Ammonites by sending troops to their aid, and these
had to be humiliated now. David deputed his second general, Abishai,
Joab's brother, to direct the campaign against the Idumæans. Joab was
in the meantime engaged in a long contest with the Ammonites, who had
secured themselves behind the strong walls of their fortified capital,
and were continually making raids on their foes. The Israelitish army
had neither battering rams nor other instruments of siege. Their only
alternative was to storm the heights of the city, and in their attempts
to carry out this plan they were often repelled by the bowmen on the
walls. At length Joab succeeded, after repeated attacks, in gaining
possession of one part of the city--the Water-Town; he reported this
victory to David at once, and urged him to repair to the camp in order
to lead in person the attack on the other quarters, so that the honour
of the conquest might be entirely his own. When David arrived at Rabbah
with fresh troops, he succeeded in subduing the whole town, and in
obtaining rich booty. David himself put on his head the golden diadem,
richly adorned with precious stones, which had heretofore crowned
the Ammonitish idol Malchom (Milchom). It appears that David did not
destroy the city of Rabbah, as he had intended. He merely condemned
the male inhabitants, or perhaps only the prisoners, to do hard work,
such as polishing stones, threshing with iron rollers, hewing wood
with axes, and making bricks. He treated the other prisoners from the
various towns in a similar manner. Hanun, the original cause of the
war, who had so deeply insulted David, was either killed or driven
out of the kingdom. In his stead David appointed his brother Shobi as
king. Meanwhile Abishai had been engaged in a war against the Idumæan
king, and had utterly routed him in the Valley of Salt--probably in the
neighbourhood of the rocksalt mountain, near the Dead Sea. Eighteen
thousand Idumæans are said to have fallen there. The rest probably
submitted; and for this reason David contented himself with placing
excise officers and a garrison over them, as he had done in Damascus
and the other Aramæan provinces. The Idumæans, however, seem later
on to have revolted against the Israelitish garrison and the tax
collectors, and to have massacred them. Joab therefore repaired to
Idumæa, caused the murdered Israelites to be buried, and all Idumæan
males to be put to death. He was occupied with this war of destruction
during half a year, and so thoroughly was the task executed that only a
few of the male sex could save themselves by flight. Amongst them was a
son or a grandson of the Idumæan king.
By these decisive victories, in the west over the Philistines, in the
south over the Idumæans, in the east (on the opposite side of the
Jordan) over the Moabites and Ammonites, and in the north over the
Aramæans, David had raised the power of Israel to an unexpected degree.
While, at the commencement of his reign, when he was first acknowledged
king of all Israel, the boundaries of the country had been comprised
between Dan and Beersheba, he now ruled over the widespread territory
from the river of Egypt (Rhinokolura, El-Arish) to the Euphrates, or
from Gaza to Thapsacus (on the Euphrates). The nations thus subdued
were obliged annually to do homage by means of gifts, to pay tribute,
and perhaps also to send serfs to assist in building and other severe
labour.
These wars and victories were better calculated than his early
hardships to bring to light the great qualities of David's mind. Strong
and determined as he was in every undertaking in which the honour and
safety of his people were involved, he remained modest and humble,
without a spark of presumption, after success had been attained. He
erected no monument to commemorate his victories as had been done by
Saul; like his general, Joab, he was imbued with the thought that to
God alone was to be attributed the victory. The faith in God, to which
David had given utterance when he prepared himself for the duel with
the Rephaite Goliath (I Samuel xvii. 47), he preserved in all great
contests. David elaborated this guiding thought in a psalm, which he
probably chanted before the ark at the close of the war, and in which
he gives a retrospect of his entire past life.
In consequence of their great victories, two firm convictions were
impressed on the minds of the people, and these actuated and possessed
them in all times to come. The one idea occurs in various forms: "A
king cannot escape by the multitude of his army, nor a warrior by his
power; vain is the horse for safety." God alone decides the fate of
war, brings it to a close, gives victory or defeat, and "to Him it is
equally easy to conquer with few or with many." The other idea, in
closest connection with it, is that God leads the armies of Israel to
victory, if they go forth to glorify His name or to save His people.
The God of Israel was, in accordance with this idea, designated by a
special name which fully expresses this thought; He was named the _God
of hosts_ (Adonai Zebaoth), the God who gives victory unto Israel in
its conflicts. The King Zebaoth was invoked before every battle, and
the Israelitish troops went forth with the firm conviction that they
could never be defeated. This confidence, certainly, worked wonders in
the course of time.
Severely as David treated the idols of the nations whom he had
conquered, he behaved with comparative leniency to the conquered
idolaters. The Moabites alone were cruelly punished, and the Ammonites
were enslaved, but the other conquered races were merely obliged to
pay tribute. The offences of the former must have been very great to
have deserved so heavy a punishment. The foreign races residing in
the country were not molested; thus we find Jebusites in Jerusalem,
and Canaanites and Hittites in other parts of the country. Hence we
find many strangers and natives not of Israelitish descent enrolled
in his corps of warriors, or leading their own troops in his service.
The Hittite Uriah, one of David's thirty heroes, who was destined to
play a melancholy part in David's career, was deeply attached to the
Israelitish nation.
The joy over these great achievements remained, however, but for
a short time unmarred. The happiness of a state, like that of
individuals, is but seldom of long duration, and days of sunshine
must be followed by periods of darkness, to prevent the enervation of
the national vigour. By one false step David lost not only his own
inward contentment and peace, but shook the very foundations of that
state which it had cost him such exertions to establish. When David
returned home from the Aramæan war, and was resting from the fatigues
of battle, which Joab and his army were still undergoing in the land
of Ammon, he beheld from the roof of his palace a beautiful woman, who
was bathing. She was the wife of one of his most faithful warriors
(the Hittite, Uriah), and her name was Bathsheba. The houses of the
warriors were built on Zion in the vicinity of the king's palace, and
thus he happened to see Bathsheba. Carried away by his passion, he
sent messengers to command her to repair to the palace, and Bathsheba
obeyed. When David, some time after, found that this violation of the
marriage tie had not been without consequences, his only thought was
to save his honour, and thus he involved himself in deeper sin. He
commanded Uriah to return to Jerusalem from the camp at Rabbah. He
received him in a friendly manner, and gave him permission to rest,
and enjoy the company of his wife. Uriah, however, made no use of this
permission, but remained with the guard, who slept at the entrance of
the king's palace, and protected his person. David was disappointed.
He sought an escape from the dilemma, and this led him into a heinous
crime. As he could not save his honour, he determined that Uriah
should lose his life. David therefore sent him to the camp with a
letter to Joab, saying that the bearer should be placed in a post of
extreme danger--nay, of certain death--during one of the sorties of the
Ammonites. This command was fulfilled, and Uriah fell, struck dead by
an Ammonite arrow. Bathsheba fulfilled the customary time of mourning
for her husband, and was then received into the palace by David as his
wife.
In every other State the court circle would have discussed a king's
fancy with bated breath; it would hardly have been blamed, and
certainly it would soon have been forgotten. But in Israel there was
an eye which could pierce this factitious darkness, and a conscience
which declaimed in a loud voice against the crimes of even a royal
wrong-doer. Prophetism possessed this clear sight which never failed,
and this conscience which never slept. It was its foremost duty not to
allow sin to grow into a habit by hushing it up and screening it, but
to expose it in glaring colors, and brand it with the stamp of public
condemnation.
David no doubt believed that Bathsheba alone was cognisant of his sin,
and Joab the only accessory to the plot against Uriah's life. But
this error was suddenly and rudely dispelled. The prophet Nathan one
day came to David, and requested permission to bring a certain case to
his notice. He then related the following parable:--In a great city
there lived a rich man, who possessed great flocks and herds; and near
him lived a poor man who possessed but one little lamb, which he had
reared for himself. One day, when a guest came to the rich man, he
was too stingy to kill one of his flock for the meal, but he took the
lamb of the poor man to feast his friend. On hearing this complaint,
David's sense of justice was aroused, and he said indignantly that the
heartless rich man deserved to die, and should pay the poor man four
times the value of the lamb. Then the prophet replied, "Thou art the
man!"
Any other king would have punished the moralist who had dared speak the
truth to a crowned head, to the representative of God on earth. David,
however, the pupil of the prophet Samuel, when the picture of his
misdeeds was thus placed before him, penitently answered, "Yes, I have
sinned." He certainly did not fail to offer up heartfelt prayers, and
to make atonement in order to obtain God's forgiveness. The child which
was born died in early infancy, although David had worn himself away
in fasting and prayers for its life. Bathsheba afterwards had a second
son named Jedidiah, or Solomon (1033), who became the favourite of his
father.
But though God pardoned the king for his heinous sins, humanity did not
forgive them, and they proved fatal to domestic peace. Bathsheba, the
wife of Uriah, was the daughter of Eliam (one of David's warriors),
and the granddaughter of his counsellor Ahithophel. The father and
grandfather felt their honour disgraced through their daughter's
seduction, which they could never forgive, although they kept silence,
and did not betray their hatred. Ahithophel especially nursed his
vengeance in secret, and only awaited an opportunity to wreak it on the
king. David did all in his power to appease them. He elevated Bathsheba
to the rank of first queen, promised her secretly that her son should
be his successor, and solemnly swore to fulfil this promise. He wished
at any cost to make peace with Ahithophel, whose counsel was precious
to him. Ahithophel, however, remained immovable. A scandalous event
in the house of David involved matters to a still greater extent, and
robbed his remaining years of all tranquillity. His eldest son Amnon
seduced his half-sister Tamar, and thereby aroused the fierce anger of
her brother Absalom, who determined to avenge her. Each of the king's
sons, six of whom had been born in Hebron, and eleven, in Jerusalem,
had, when he attained manhood, his own house, household and lands.
Absalom's lands and herds were situated at Baal-Hazor, not far from
the capital. Thither he invited all the king's sons to the feast of
sheep-shearing. Whilst they and their guests were enjoying the feast,
and drinking freely, Absalom's servants, at their master's command,
attacked Amnon, and dealt him his death-blow. Absalom served a double
purpose by this murder. He avenged the insult offered to his sister,
and hoped to secure his own succession to the throne by ridding himself
of his elder brother. The son of Abigail, the second in succession,
was already dead, and so it seemed inevitable that he, as the third
son, must be the successor. David's son a fratricide!--What will be the
consequences of this bloody deed? Only his faith in God saved him from
becoming, like his predecessor, a victim to insanity, although the dire
fate which had befallen him was but too real, and not merely the effect
of a distrustful imagination.
David's first impulse was to seek out the murderer, who had taken
refuge with his grandfather, King Talmai, of Geshur, on the south-west
boundary of Judæa, in order to deal with him as he deserved, even
at the risk of going to war on his account. But there were various
influences at work against such a policy. In fact, since the affair
with Bathsheba, intrigues had been rife at David's court. Joab was
opposed to the succession of the last-born, Solomon, and was naturally
on the side of Absalom, the eldest surviving son. Ahithophel, David's
infallible counsellor, also favoured Absalom's claim to the throne,
because he could use him as a tool against his father. On the other
hand, Adonijah, David's fourth son, advocated the infliction of condign
punishment on Absalom. Adonijah thought his prospects of displacing the
infant Solomon fairer than his chance with the remorseless Absalom. If
the latter were punished for fratricide, Adonijah would be the next
in succession. He and his mother Haggith may perhaps, therefore, have
incensed David against Absalom, but Joab and Ahithophel were wiser, and
knew how to exert their influence in favour of abandoning all warlike
attempts upon him or his grandfather, whose protection he was enjoying.
When David had at length decided on seizing or demanding the surrender
of his guilty son (though he had been absent for three years), Joab
employed a ruse to turn the king from his resolve. He sent for a
woman living in the adjacent town of Tekoah, who had a reputation for
adroit and clever speech. With her he devised a plan to make the king
realise how horrible it was for a father to be willing to put to death
a son for the not altogether unjustifiable murder of his brother.
The wise woman of Tekoah consequently appeared before the king in
mourning garments, and as though invoking his mercy she called out in
an entreating voice and with deep prostrations, Help! O king, help!
When she stated her fictitious case, the king readily recognised the
hidden point of her story, and the allusion to his own case, and he
demanded an open answer from her as to whether Joab had assisted her
in her disguise and invention. When the woman of Tekoah had confessed
the truth, the king sent for Joab, and assured him that he no longer
entertained evil intentions against Absalom, and assigned to him the
task of conducting his son to Jerusalem. The woman of Tekoah had, in
her ingenious manner, made it clear to him that blood-revenge against
his own son would be a contradiction in itself.
Joab himself brought Absalom from Geshur to Jerusalem. The son,
however, was not permitted to appear before his father, but was obliged
to remain in his own house. By this means Joab unconsciously sowed the
seeds of dissension in the house of David. Night and day, Absalom, in
his isolation and disgrace, brooded over the vile plan of deposing his
father. But he dissembled in order to lull the latter's suspicion.
To this end it was absolutely necessary that a reconciliation should
be effected. Joab, who earnestly desired peace between father and
son, became the mediator, and David decided that, after a two years'
exile from his presence, his son might now be allowed to return. At
this meeting, Absalom played to perfection the part of the penitent,
obedient son; David then gave him a fatherly embrace, and the
reconciliation was complete. Seven years had passed since the death of
Amnon. But now Absalom's intrigues commenced. No doubt he had frequent
meetings with Ahithophel, and was following his advice. He obtained
chariots and horses from Egypt, procured a guard of fifty men, and
displayed regal grandeur. He arose betimes in the morning, listened to
disputes, and found every one's case just, but regretted that the king
would not listen to all, and would not give justice to all. He hinted
that were he the judge, no one would have to complain of difficulty in
obtaining his dues. Absalom pursued this course for four years after
the reconciliation with his father. He was the handsomest man of his
times. He was then about thirty, and in the full pride of his strength.
His beautiful thick hair fell in waves over his neck and shoulders,
like the mane of a lion. His affability won him the hearts of all who
approached him. David was so blinded that he did not see how his crafty
son was alienating the affections of the people from their sovereign,
whilst Absalom merely awaited a favourable opportunity to proceed
against his father, to dethrone him, and perhaps to attempt his life.
This opportunity soon offered itself.
It appears that David was occupied, in the last decade of his reign,
with a comprehensive plan, apparently that of a great war which would
require a numerous body of soldiers. He had already enlisted bands
of mercenaries, six hundred Hittites, who, with their general Ittai,
(whose admiration for David secured his unswerving attachment), had
arrived from Gath. The king also wished to ascertain the number of
able-bodied men over twenty years of age in all the Israelitish
tribes, in order to determine whether he could undertake with their
aid a campaign which would probably prove severe and tedious. The
king delegated the office of numbering the men who could bear arms
to his commander-in-chief, Joab, and the other generals. The work of
enumeration lasted nine months and twenty days. From the numbers which
were handed in, supposing them to be correct, it appears that, out of
an entire population of 4,000,000, there were 1,300,000 men and youths
capable of bearing arms.
This counting of the nation, however, proved to be a mistake for which
David had to pay heavily. The people were highly incensed against
him. In itself the act was displeasing to them, as they saw in it the
preliminaries to enlistments for a war of long duration; added to this
was the fear that the counting itself must be attended by evil results,
for such was the view held in those days. A fearful pestilence broke
out, which carried off great numbers, and confirmed all minds in the
belief that it had arisen in consequence of the numbering of the
people. The capital, being densely populated, naturally suffered the
greatest loss from the pestilence. On seeing the heaps of corpses,
or, to speak in the metaphorical language of those days, at sight
of "the angel of Destruction" that had snatched away so many, David
exclaimed:--"I have sinned and done wrong, but what has my poor flock
done? Let thy hand strike me and the house of my fathers." The plague
having spared Mount Moriah, where the Jebusites had settled, the
prophet Gad bade the king erect an altar, and offer up sacrifices on
that mountain, and he announced that the pestilence would then be
averted from Jerusalem. Without hesitation, David and his entire court
repaired thither. When the chief of the Jebusites, Ornah (Araunah),
saw David approaching, he hurried to meet him, saluted him humbly, and
asked what was his desire. David then informed him that he wished to
buy the mountain in order to build an altar on it. Ornah graciously
offered him the spot and all appertaining to it as a gift, but David
refused to accept it. No sooner was an altar hastily erected there and
a sacrifice offered, than the pestilence ceased in Jerusalem. From that
time Mount Moriah was considered a sacred spot, which destruction could
not approach; it was also the mountain on which Abraham was supposed to
have offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
In consequence of this plague the nation conceived a dislike to David;
it condemned him for the loss of the thousands of human beings whom the
Angel of Destruction had snatched away. Ahithophel made use of this
dislike in order to avenge himself on David, and he employed Absalom as
his tool, and, with him, contrived a conspiracy which could not fail to
succeed.
Absalom secretly despatched messengers in every direction, in order to
give those adherents who were already attached to him the necessary
signal. The insurrection was to be set on foot in Hebron, an outpost of
the tribe of Judah, whose elders had already been won for Absalom. The
latter invented subterfuges by which to deceive David as to the true
purpose of his visit to Hebron, and the king permitted him to depart
without suspicion.
Absalom arrived at Hebron, attended by his friends and guards, and by
two hundred prominent men of Jerusalem, whom he had invited under some
pretext, and who did not suspect his real aims. These two hundred men,
through their very ignorance of matters, contributed to the success of
the project. The people of Hebron, seeing that even prominent men had
joined Absalom's party, gave up David's cause as lost. Ahithophel, who
had likewise invented a pretext to absent himself from court, openly
declared for Absalom, thus giving his cause an immense accession of
power, as he was known to be David's right hand.
The traitorous plan succeeded but too well. The Hebronites and others
present saluted Absalom as king, forswore their allegiance to David,
and sacrificed burnt-offerings. Ambition prompted various members of
David's family also to join Absalom. This was more especially the case
with Amasa, his cousin, who considered himself a great commander, and
thought that Joab had unjustly been preferred to him. The messengers
then gave the signal previously agreed upon, and the conspirators who
sided with Absalom gathered together, and shouted "Long live King
Absalom!" They carried with them all who had been incensed against
David for taking a census of the people, and in fact all who hoped
to gain some advantage from changes and dissension. The Benjamites,
whom the accession of David had deprived of supremacy, and the
ever-dissatisfied Ephraimites, were more particularly delighted at
David's downfall, and willingly did homage to the usurper; they hoped
to regain their former freedom through David's misfortunes. They had
greater chances of obtaining power under Absalom, who was very vain,
and not likely to retain the favour of the nation for a long time,
than under the rule of David. The chief towns of all the tribes sent
ambassadors to Hebron to salute the new king, and his adherents daily
increased in number. At first the conspiracy was kept secret from those
in authority; no one was permitted to journey to Jerusalem, lest the
news spread. David received the information of his own dethronement and
the accession of his son simultaneously with the news that the houses
of Judah and Israel had renounced their allegiance to him.
It was a terrible blow for the king. But his resolve was soon taken;
he would not resort to a civil war, as the sons of Zeruiah and many
other faithful followers probably urged him to do. Deserted by all the
tribes, he would be obliged to shut himself up in his capital. The
city would not be able to resist the attack of so large an army; and
he saw, now that he was undeceived, that Absalom would not scruple
to turn Jerusalem into a sea of blood. David felt deeply wounded by
the alliance of Ahithophel with his usurping son, and he was greatly
discouraged by it. He saw, too late, that the conspiracy was of
long standing, that the plan had been maturely considered, and that
resistance on his part would only lead to his own destruction. He
therefore announced to his people that he would depart from Jerusalem
in all haste, before Absalom could leave Hebron with his numerous
followers.
This step was instrumental in proving to David that he still had
faithful friends, who would be true to him till death. When, on
leaving his palace, he passed the Place of the Sellers of Ointment, he
observed to his great joy that a great concourse followed him. Not
only his general, Joab, with his brother, Abishai, and their followers;
not only a great number of the warrior-corps (Gibborim), the hired
troops, Cherethites and Pelethites, with Benaiah their leader, but also
Ittai the Hittite, with six hundred men, whom David had only a short
time before enlisted. The entire population wept aloud, whilst David
withdrew to the Vale of Kedron, where he mustered his followers before
taking the road over the Mount of Olives to the desert near the Jordan.
He did not venture to take refuge in a city from fear of treachery.
Later on the two high priests Zadok and Abiathar with all the Levites
hurried after him, bearing the ark of the covenant with them. David,
however, urged the priests to return to Zion with the ark, saying, "If
by God's mercy I shall be permitted to return to Jerusalem, then I
shall again behold the ark of the covenant and the sanctuary; if not,
if God rejects me, I am ready to endure what seemeth good unto Him."
It also appeared to him that the priests could be of more service to
him if they remained in Jerusalem than if they joined him in exile.
Whilst, then, the priests hastily took the ark back to Jerusalem, David
ascended the Mount of Olives barefoot, his head covered, and his face
bathed in tears. All his attendants wept bitterly. But when his grief
and despair had reached their climax, a friend, who was to give him
help, came from the other side of the Mount of Olives, and met him at
its highest point. Hushai from the city of Erech was a confidant of
David, and a counsellor of no less wisdom than Ahithophel. He advanced
in mourning array, his garments torn, and earth upon his head, prepared
to share the king's flight. David, however, refused to permit this,
because, being an aged man, he would only be a burden. In Absalom's
vicinity he might do valiant service by counteracting Ahithophel's
counsels, and by keeping David informed of all that occurred. Hushai
therefore repaired to Jerusalem.
The first town through which David passed in his flight was the
Benjamite city of Bahurim. Far from meeting with a friendly reception
there, he was received with insult and neglect. A Benjamite named
Shimei, of the house of Gera, reviled and cursed him, saying, "Thou
outcast and man of blood, God will repay thee for thy treatment of
the house of Saul, whose crown thou hast stolen." He followed David's
march for a long distance, throwing stones and earth at him, so that
the soldiers had to shield the king. David, however, had some friends
in Bahurim also. Humbled and exhausted, the king at length accomplished
the journey through the desert, and reached the neighbourhood of
Jericho with his forces.
Here he could recruit his energies after his recent bodily and mental
exertions, while awaiting the news which his faithful adherents would
transmit to him from Jerusalem.
When David was approaching the banks of the Jordan, Absalom arrived
in Jerusalem with his traitorous adherents, among them Ahithophel,
the faithless counsellor. Ahithophel urged the usurper to commit
ever greater crimes in order to widen the breach between him and his
father, and render a reconciliation impossible; he advised him to take
possession of his father's harem. It mattered little to Ahithophel
that Absalom would incur the hatred of the people through this fresh
misdeed. His sole object was to revenge himself on David, and to ruin
him. The weak-minded sinner who called himself king, and who was
incapable of undertaking anything, unless incited thereto by others,
allowed himself to be induced to commit this crime. But, whilst Absalom
was revelling in sin, the man who was destined to frustrate all his
ruthless plans was near at hand. Hushai had apparently submitted to the
new king, and had assured him that he would serve him as faithfully
as he had served his father, and Absalom relied on this promise. He
called a council to consider the most expedient plan for defeating and
ruining his father. The elders of the tribes, who were in the city,
were invited to attend. Ahithophel gave the diabolical advice to attack
David that very night with a strong army, to disperse his following in
a sudden onslaught made by a force its superior in point of numbers,
and to capture and slay the king, whom he imagined to be utterly worn
out and dispirited. But Absalom also consulted Hushai with regard to
the campaign against his father, and Ahithophel's advice was rejected
by him as impracticable. Hushai urged such plausible objections that
Absalom was duped by them; he advised that David should not be attacked
with a small force, but that Absalom should raise from the entire
nation--from Dan to Beersheba--an army whose numbers would render
it irresistible. Hushai's advice was more favourably received than
Ahithophel's, and steps were forthwith taken to act upon it. The attack
was postponed, and the campaign was deferred till the numerous forces
could be assembled. Hushai immediately conveyed the results of the
meeting to David by means of Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the sons of the High
Priest.
The first result of these events was favourable to the cause of David,
for Ahithophel departed from Jerusalem, and hanged himself in his
native town of Gilo. He was led to this course either by disgust at
Absalom's conduct in setting aside his counsel, or by the conviction
that Absalom's cause would be lost through delay, and that he himself
would reap well-deserved punishment. This suicide was a severe blow
to the usurper, for he had no capable man amongst his followers, and
he himself was neither warlike nor prudent. His general Amasa had but
little military genius. The enrolment of soldiers was actually begun,
but before it could be completed David had obtained an important
advantage. He went to Mahanaim, the inhabitants of which town received
him with a welcome as cordial as that which in former times they
had extended to the fugitive son of Saul. All the Israelites on the
opposite side of the Jordan offered their assistance, and placed
themselves under his command. Two men of Gilead outvied each other
in attentions to the unhappy king and father, and provided him and
his followers with all necessaries. They were old men--Barzillai from
Rogelim, and Machir from Lo-debar--and help came also from Shobi,
king of Ammon, the son of Nahash. When at length Absalom or Amasa had
succeeded in collecting a large force, they crossed the Jordan by means
of rafts, and approached Mahanaim. The Absalomites encamped opposite
the wood without any particular plan or order. David, on the other
hand, divided his army into three divisions, commanded respectively by
Joab, Abishai and Ittai, who were all proved and competent soldiers.
David himself was not permitted to accompany them, as his generals
knew too well his love for his wicked son. The contest cost many human
lives. Although Absalom's forces exceeded those of David in point of
numbers, yet they were defeated, for they were not well disciplined,
and were not able to find their way in the forest. David's troops,
on the other hand, fought valiantly. The forest was more destructive
than the sword. Twenty thousand warriors are said to have fallen
there. The forest of Rephaim was also the cause of Absalom's personal
destruction. His long hair, of which he was very vain, caught in the
branches of an oak, and the mule he had been riding galloped away.
It seems providential that the death-blow was dealt by Joab, who had
formerly favoured him, and who had thus unwittingly assisted him in his
conspiracy. Joab then sounded the horn as a signal for David's army to
cease from the contest, and the adherents of Absalom took to flight,
and crossed the Jordan.
Thus ended the second civil war of David's reign, a war which was the
more unnatural because of the close relationship between the rival
combatants, and the sad causes which led to the contest. The first duty
of the victors was to transmit the news of their triumph to David.
This was in itself a painful office, for all knew how deeply David
would feel the death of his wicked son. David was terrified at the
news, wept and sobbed, and cried repeatedly, "My son, my son, Absalom;
would, I had fallen instead of thee!" The depths of a father's heart
are unsearchable. Perhaps, he considered Absalom in the light of a
victim whom Ahithophel had inveigled and urged on to rebellion. The
warriors dared not enter Mahanaim as victors, but repaired homewards
stealthily, as though humiliated after a defeat. David would see and
speak to no one, but mourned continually for his son's loss. At length
Joab took heart, and reproached him in harsh terms for indulging in
continued mourning, and thereby manifesting ingratitude towards his
soldiers. In order to rouse the king, Joab further threatened that
if he did not immediately show himself to his soldiers, and address
them kindly, his faithful followers would leave the same night, and he
would remain alone and helpless. These sharp words of the rough but
faithful Joab induced David to rouse himself, and appear before the
people. The corpse of Absalom was thrown into a cave, and covered with
a heap of stones. He left a beautiful daughter, but his three sons
had been snatched away by death before his revolt, as though it were
destined that no son of his should witness the attempt against his
father's life. During his short reign at Jerusalem, he had erected a
splendid monument in the "King's Valley," to perpetuate his own name.
Intended for his glorification, it became the commemoration of his
disgrace. After the close of the war, David contemplated returning
to Jerusalem. He did not wish, however, to force the tribes into
submission, he preferred to await their repentant return to him, and
the renewal of their oaths of allegiance. It was a curious fact that
the tribes of the north were the first to take this course. The voice
of the people appealed to the elders to lead them back to their king.
They cried, "The king who delivered us from our enemies, and freed us
from the yoke of the Philistines, was forced by Absalom to flee from
his own country. Absalom is now dead. Why do you not hasten to bring
back our king? Come, let us lead him home." Thereupon the elders of
the tribes invited David to return to his capital; and thus, a second
time, they acknowledged him as king. Contrary to all expectation, the
tribe of Judah, and naturally the tribe of Benjamin were still holding
back. They did not move one step to welcome their king. Probably the
men of Judah felt bitterly ashamed of the revolt they had started in
Hebron, and did not venture to entreat David's pardon. Perhaps, too,
the discontent which had incited them to forswear their allegiance
was still at work amongst them. It seems that Amasa, who had fled to
Jerusalem after the defeat in the forest of Gilead, still exercised
great influence over the men of Judah.
When David saw that the tribe of Judah was still holding aloof from
him, he commanded the two priests, Zadok and Abiathar, who had remained
in Jerusalem, to admonish the elders of Judah to invite their king to
return. He told the priests to assure Amasa that he would not only
receive a free pardon, but even retain his rank as general. With this
prospect before him, Amasa determined to accept David's offers, and
he persuaded the elders to accede to the king's proposal. The men of
Judah thereupon sent an invitation to David, and an embassy went forth
to meet the king, and receive him at Gilgal. The men of Benjamin were
sorely puzzled by this conduct. What were they to do? The Benjamites
had publicly shown themselves inimical to David when he had fled from
Jerusalem through their territory; they had not thought it possible
that he would ever return, and reclaim his throne. Now affairs had
changed, and not only the northern tribes, but even Judah was preparing
to do him homage. The Benjamites felt no attachment to David, but they
could not isolate themselves, for then the king's wrath would fall
heavily on them. Shimei, whose insults had caused David such bitter
pain during his flight, and who, in consequence, had most cause to fear
the king's anger, advised that they should display intense enthusiasm
for David's cause, exceeding that of the other tribes, since, by
appealing to his generosity, they might incline him favourably towards
them. In obedience to this advice, one thousand Benjamites went forward
to meet David, joined the Judæan embassy, and, on arriving at the bank
of the Jordan, threw a bridge across the river in order to facilitate
the king's transit. Meanwhile the king had left Mahanaim, and was
approaching the Jordan, attended by his court, his servants, and the
faithful followers who had joined him on the opposite shore. Shimei
advanced before all the others, threw himself at the king's feet as he
was about to cross the river, acknowledged his fault, and entreated
David's forgiveness. David now returned with a larger concourse of
followers than had accompanied him on his flight across the Jordan: he
was attended by the Judæan embassy, by a thousand Benjamites, and by
the faithful friends who formed his guard of honour. The first town
reached after crossing the Jordan was Gilgal. Here the ambassadors of
the different tribes on this side of the river were assembled to renew
their homage; they felt surprised and annoyed that the Judæans had
stolen a march on them by meeting the king at the very shore of the
Jordan. They saw in this eager display of loyalty, which they could
not consider sincere, an effort on the part of the house of Judah to
regain the king's favour, to the detriment of the house of Israel.
The elders of Israel made no secret of their displeasure, and gave vent
to it in David's presence; the Judæans, however, retaliated on them.
The question of precedency degenerated into a violent quarrel, the
Judæans making angry retorts, thus offending the northern tribes still
more. Bitter animosity arose between the contending parties; David
appears to have inclined to the side of the Judæans. Sheba, a Benjamite
of the family of Bichri, taking advantage of the general confusion,
sounded the trumpet and cried, "We have no portion in David, and no
share in the son of Jesse; let every Israelite return to his tent."
Heeding this cry, the elders of the northern tribes withdrew, and
followed Sheba the Bichrite. The men of Judah alone remained faithful
to David, and accompanied him to Jerusalem. The joy of their return
was mingled with annoyance: a fresh breach had arisen, a civil war
was imminent. At this sad juncture David had recourse to a step which
may be considered either very wise or very foolish. Joab had become
obnoxious to him since the king had learned that he had killed Absalom,
and David did not wish him to fill the office of general any longer.
Besides this, he desired to keep his word with Amasa, and to appoint
him to the office of commander-in-chief. David, being now dependent on
the tribe of Judah, felt the necessity of retaining Amasa's good-will,
as the latter's influence had immense weight with the Judæans. Without
consulting Joab, he commanded Amasa to summon the forces of the tribe
of Judah within three days, in order to proceed against the rebels.
The time expired, and Amasa did not return. David became uneasy; he
thought Amasa might have deceived him, and made common cause with the
insurgents. It was necessary to be expeditious, lest Sheba's followers
increase in numbers, and also gain time to occupy fortified cities.
David had no choice but to turn to the sons of Zeruiah, who, in their
unswerving fidelity, had remained true to him in spite of frequent
slights, and whose skill in matters of war he had amply tested. David
would not, however, give the supreme command to Joab, but entrusted it
to his brother Abishai. He set out with the Cherethites and Pelethites,
who were to form the nucleus of the army which he hoped to collect on
the way. Joab overlooked the insult which had been offered him, and
joined the troops, or rather became their leader. He appears to have
issued an appeal to the people to gather around him. When Amasa joined
them in Gibeon, Joab killed him with one stroke of his sword, and
the Judæans, whom Amasa had collected, followed the sons of Zeruiah.
In all the towns, fresh partisans and followers attached themselves
to David's cause. Sheba found but few adherents, the northern tribes
being unwilling to begin a civil war for the sake of a man who was but
little known, and who was followed only by a small band of soldiers.
He had thrown himself into the fortified town of Abel, and a part of
his followers occupied the town of Dan, which lay at an hour's distance
from the base of Mount Hermon, not far from the source of the Jordan.
Joab quickly ordered a trench to be dug round the town of Abel, and
without calling on the inhabitants to surrender, he began to undermine
the walls. The inhabitants became greatly alarmed. Then a wise woman
called from the wall to the sappers below to summon Joab. When he
approached, she addressed him reproachfully, "Thou shouldst have asked
first in Abel and Dan that thou mightest have heard, whether all those
who are faithful and peace-loving have departed from Israel. Why wilt
thou slaughter the mothers and the children of Israel? Why wilt thou
destroy the inheritance of Jacob?" Joab replied that he did not wish
to do this, that he merely desired to capture the man who had lifted
his hand against the king. On this the woman promised that the head of
the rebel should soon be thrown over the wall. She kept her word, for
she secretly persuaded her fellow-citizens to separate Sheba from his
few followers, and to kill him. His gory head was cast over the wall,
and Joab raised the siege, dismissed his soldiers, and returned to
Jerusalem with the news of his victory. The king was obliged, against
his will, to leave him in command of the army.
David returned to his capital with a purged soul. He had suffered and
atoned heavily for his sins. He had taken away the wife of his faithful
servant, and his son had taken away _his_ wives. He had spilt Uriah's
blood, and the streams of blood shed in his own house had almost
overwhelmed him. He had found by bitter experience that even the best
king cannot build on his people's love. His plan of undertaking a great
war against his heathen foes was shattered. He, therefore, in his old
age, during the last years of his reign, confined his attention to
the internal affairs of his kingdom. He wished to carry out, before
death overtook him, an idea he had long cherished. He wished to build
a magnificent temple to the God of Israel, who had rescued him in his
many troubles. Before commencing, David consulted Nathan, the prophet;
for in those days the prophet ranked higher than the priest. He said,
"I live in a palace of cedar wood, whilst the Ark of God is only in a
temporary tent. I will build a temple of cedar for it!" Nathan approved
the plan and said, "Carry out all that is in thy heart, for God is with
thee!" The next day, however, the prophet came to him, and revealed to
David that he was not destined to build a temple, because he had shed
blood, but that this task would be reserved for his son. At the same
time David was informed that his throne was established for many years
to come,--that a long succession of kings would descend from him, and
occupy his throne, provided that they walked in the ways of God. Much
as David had wished to build a stately temple in Jerusalem, he bowed
humbly to the divine decree revealed to him by Nathan, and gave up his
project. Before the ark of the covenant, he thanked God in a heartfelt
prayer for the mercies bestowed on him, who had been raised up from
the dust. His heart was filled with gratitude that his royal house and
his throne were to be established for many years to come. David gave
expression to this feeling in a psalm, which, however, has not the same
_verve_ as his former songs; it was, perhaps, his last poetic prayer.
Although David did not commence the erection of the temple himself, he
began to make the necessary preparations. He devoted to the sanctuary a
part of the booty which he had acquired from the conquered nations. He
also regulated the order in which divine services were to be conducted,
by having, according to Samuel's method, choirs of Levites to play
on the harp and sing psalms, in addition to the ordinary sacrificial
rites. He is also considered the inventor of the various musical
instruments which were later on introduced into the service.
David's vital energy began to decrease before he had attained his
seventy-first year. The anxieties of his youth, the constant warfare,
the exciting events in his own family, Amnon's sinfulness and Absalom's
revolt caused him to grow old at a comparatively early age. He felt no
warmth in his body; he felt cold despite the torrid heat of Jerusalem,
and all the clothes which he could procure did not seem to supply him
with the necessary vital heat.
Adonijah, the king's fourth son, endeavoured, by taking advantage of
David's failing powers, to secure the succession. He was the next heir
after Amnon and Absalom, but he feared that he might be passed over
if he awaited the death of his father, and he had probably heard of
the secret understanding, according to which the son of Bathsheba,
his youngest brother, was to succeed to the throne. Adonijah had no
desire to rebel against his father as Absalom had done, he merely
wished to have his right to the succession recognised by the chief
dignitaries of the kingdom. He therefore took counsel with those of
David's court who were opposed to Solomon's succession. Foremost
amongst these was Joab, who supported him as he had formerly supported
Absalom. Adonijah's other confidant was Abiathar, the second of the
high priests, who seems to have been placed in an inferior position by
David. Zadok, whose family had been appointed hereditary high priests
by Saul at Gibeon, had been retained in that position by David, who
wished to secure his support, and therefore bestowed upon him the
highest rank in the sanctuary. Abiathar may have felt hurt by this
neglect, and perhaps took the part of Adonijah in order to secure the
position he could not hope to obtain under Solomon. The other sons of
the king also wished to see the throne assured to Adonijah, and thus
intrigues at the court commenced afresh. Adonijah was as handsome and
as popular as Absalom had been, and also, it appears, as thoughtless
and as unfit for governing. Like Absalom, he began to draw the eyes of
the people upon himself by a truly royal display; he procured chariots
and attendants on horseback, and kept a guard of fifty runners, who
preceded him wherever he went. David was weak in his behaviour to him,
as he had been to Absalom--permitted him to have his own way, and thus
tacitly acknowledged him as his successor. One day Adonijah invited his
confidants, Joab, Abiathar, and all the king's sons excepting Solomon,
to a meeting. They offered up sacrifices near a well, and during the
feast his followers cried, "Long live King Adonijah!"
The first to take exception to Adonijah's proceedings was Nathan the
prophet. He knew of the secret promise, given by David to his wife
Bathsheba, that Solomon should inherit the crown. He had also revealed
to David that Solomon was appointed by God to be his successor. He
seems to have had confidence in Solomon's character, and to have
expected better things from him than from Adonijah. Nathan, therefore,
went to Bathsheba, and they devised a plan by which Adonijah's scheme
might be overthrown. Bathsheba then repaired to the king, reminded him
of his oath, and directed his attention to the fact that, in the event
of Adonijah's succession, she and her son both would be lost, and her
marriage would be branded with ignominy.
Hardly had she ended the description of the sad fate which awaited
her if Solomon's claims were set aside, when the prophet Nathan was
announced, and confirmed her assertions. David's resolve was quickly
taken, and carried into effect on the same day, for he was most anxious
to keep his oath to leave the sceptre to Solomon. He called upon the
dignitaries who had not conspired with Adonijah, on Zadok, Benaiah and
the warriors, and announced to them his resolve that Solomon should be
anointed king during his own lifetime, and they all solemnly promised
to acknowledge Solomon. Thereupon, David summoned the Cherethites and
Pelethites to attend his son. Solomon then mounted one of the royal
mules, and proceeded to the valley of Gihon, to the west of the town. A
crowd of people joined the procession, and when the high-priest Zadok
and the prophet Nathan had anointed him with oil from the tent of the
sanctuary, the soldiers blew their trumpets, and all the people cried,
"Long live King Solomon!"
Great excitement now prevailed in Jerusalem. While the eastern
mountains echoed with the cry of "Long live King Adonijah!" the western
chain was resounding with shouts of "Long live King Solomon!" Had both
the king's sons and their adherents remained obstinate, a civil war
must have ensued. But Adonijah was not like Absalom--he did not wish to
excite a rebellion. Nor would his chief supporters, Joab and Abiathar,
have assisted him in such an attempt. No sooner did Adonijah hear that
Solomon had been anointed king by his father's command than his courage
failed him. He hastened to the sanctuary at Zion in order to seek
refuge in the holy of holies. Solomon, however, who had immediately
taken the reins of government, sent to inform him that he might leave
the sanctuary, that not a hair of his head should be touched so long
as he did not attempt any fresh revolt. Adonijah then repaired to the
young king, paid him due homage, and was dismissed with presents. Thus
the contest for the succession ended.
David's weakness gradually increased, until after a stormy reign of
forty years and six months (1015), he expired peacefully. He was the
first to occupy a place in the royal mausoleum which he had built in a
rocky cave on the southern slope of Mount Zion.
David's death was deeply mourned. He had made the nation great,
independent and happy, and death transfigured him. When he had passed
away, the nation began to realise the true value of his work, and what
he had been to them. He had reunited the various tribes, each of which
had before followed its own special interests, and he formed them into
one nation. The revolts of Absalom and Sheba proved sufficiently how
strong the feeling had become which bound the tribes together. The
house of Israel did not seize the opportunity offered by his death
of severing itself from the house of Judah, and great as was their
jealousy of each other, they held together. David had removed every
inducement for party divisions, and had knit them together with a
kind but firm hand. During his reign the priesthood and the prophets
worked amicably together. Thus Solomon was anointed by the high
priest Zadok in conjunction with the prophet Nathan. David maintained
friendly relations between the priestly houses of Eleazar and Ithamar,
represented by Zadok and Abiathar respectively. The nation had no
reason to complain of oppression, for he dealt justly to the extent
of his ability. By destroying the power of the Philistines, who had
so long held the neighbouring tribes in subjection, and by conquering
the nations inhabiting the banks of the Euphrates, he had not only
established internal prosperity, but had also founded a great empire
which could vie in power with Egypt, and had cast into the shade the
Chaldæan and Assyrian kingdoms on the Euphrates and the Tigris. By
this means he had roused the people to the proud consciousness that
it constituted a mighty nation of the Lord, the possessor of the law
of God, the superior of the neighbouring nations. David's sins were
gradually forgotten, for his atonement had been both grievous and
manifold. Posterity pronounced a milder judgment on him than did his
contemporaries. The remembrance of his great deeds, his kindness, his
obedience to God, caused him to appear invested with the traits of an
ideal king, who served as a pattern to all later rulers,--one who had
always walked in the ways of God, and never departed therefrom. The
kings of his house who succeeded him were measured by his standard, and
were judged by the extent of their resemblance to him.
David's reign shone through the ages as perfect,--as one in which power
and humility, fear of God and peace were united. Every succeeding
century added its tribute to David's character, until he became the
ideal of a virtuous king and sacred poet.