The Bible Study Podcast, episode 261.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of 2nd Samuel with chapter 20.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

We continue on with chapter 20. In chapter 19, we had a chance to mourn Absalom, or at least David did, but trouble for him starts again right away in chapter 20. Now, a troublemaker named Shiba, son of Birki, a benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, we have no share in David,

no part in Jesse's son, every man to his tent, Israel. So all the men of Israel deserted David

to follow Shiba, son of Birki, but the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from

the Jordan to Jerusalem. When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left

to take care of the palace and put them in the house under guard. He provided for them, but had no

sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as

widows. Then the king said to Amasa, summon the men of Judah, to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.

But when Amasa went to Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.

David said to Abashai, Now Shiba, son of Birki, will do more harm than Absalom did.

Take your master's men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.

So Joab's men and the Kirithites and the Pelothites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abashai.

They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Shiba, son of Birki.

David, who's defeated his son Absalom, or at least his men, defeated him immediately.

There's this quarrel that breaks out that is a completely needless quarrel with who has the greater share in David.

And the Israelites say, well, there are 10 tribes here or 11 tribes, and therefore, then we have a

greater share in David than Judah does. And to prove that point, they abandoned David and say he's no longer their king.

I mean, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but tempers were running high,

and Shiba takes advantage of this situation here to basically split Israel away from David.

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