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Help Me.
"Help me!" (Verse 4)
cried the Wise Woman of Tekoa.
What a smart way to get attention. What a smart way to engage a hurting person who had 2 MISSING sons himself. One was missing because of death and the other to exile because of the son's wrongdoing. The hurting man was David and his 2 sons were Amnon and Absalom. David could not see a satisfying solution in his own case, but could see them in other "similar" cases easily enough.
The Wise Woman was a good actress and used a pretend MISSING story to bring healing. The "idea person" behind her story was a person who cared deeply for the person who had the 2 missing sons. His name was Joab, of the court of David.
Joab gave precise instructions.
Verse 2: "Pretend you are ____.
Dress in _____ clothes, and
don't use any cosmetic lotions.
Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead."
Verse 3: Then go to ___(the hurting person) and speak these words to him." And ____(the mentor) put the words in her mouth.
The pretend story used many "loaded" words to get sympathy.
"widow, dead husband, had two sons, they got into a fight, one struck and one was killed, no one was there to separate them, so that we may put him to death, get rid of heir, neither name nor descendant, the only burning coal I have left"
It worked. The result was reassurance.
Verse 8:
"Go home, and I will issue an order in your behalf."
and (Verse 10)
"If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he will not bother you again."
The Wise Woman adds a cryptic statement. Verse 9
"Let the blame rest on me.
Let the king and his throne be without guilt."
The Wise Woman of Tekoa didn't know how David would react if he found out any untruth or her relationship to Joab, and if her own son would be safe ultimately. She said no more for now.
(Verse 11)"Then let the king invoke the LORD his God...
so that MY son will not be destroyed."
Once the woman had the following reassurance that almost reads like an oath given in front of witnesses, she challenges David himself.
(Verse 11) "As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "not one hair of YOUR son's head will fall to the ground."
She does not want to make a mistake. Could she be concerned for the hair on her head? First she is very polite and asks permission to speak again.
And she is ordered to "Speak". (Verse 12)
She points to the similarity of her case to the king's situation.
(Verse 13)"When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son?"
(Verse 14)But God,... he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.
The woman still seems concerned. There must be more truth in her story she initially told than we thought. Perhaps she left out some more damning information. Joab was a shrewd man and must have chosen the "actress" carefully. He must have known that the Tekoan woman would be very prudent while acting. He must have known that she didn't deliver a pretend story, but a true one.
(Verse 15)"Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both ME and MY SON from the inheritance God gave us." (Verse 17)"May the word of my lord the king bring me rest." and "May the LORD your God be with you."
Then it was David's turn to ask permission to ask for the truth. He said:
(Verse 18) "Do not keep from me the answer."
(Verse 19)"Isn't the hand of Joab with you in all this?"
"Yes, it was your servant Joab who instructed me to do this."
(Verse 20) "Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation."
The king then spoke to Joab directly who was very pleased.
"Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom."
The first step of reconciliation.
(Verse 24) BUT the king said, "He must go to his own house; he must not see my face."
Ha, but the king could spy and see HIS SON'S FACE when his son didn't know it! Absalom also had three sons and a daughter. David's grandchildren! David probably spied on them too.
This went on for 2 years.
Absalom got impatient with Joab. Joab even hid from Absalom, because he couldn't improve the situation.
Absalom grew desperate and even set a fire. That got Joab's attention and he agreed to see David on behalf of his son. He passed on the quote that Absalom told him.
(Verse 32) "Why have I come from Geshur (his place of exile)? It would be better for me if I were still there!" and "Now then, I want to see the king's face, and if I am guilty of anything, let him put me to death."
So Joab went to the king.
Then the king summoned Absalom.
He came in and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. (He was repentant.)
And the king kissed Absalom.
It took more than 2 years to get this far.
The results:
The original crime(s) could not be undone.
David reconciled with this son and family, especially the "innocent" grandchildren.
AND the actress got Joab off her back and off the back of her own son. She didn't owe him anything at all anymore.
AND Joab, who was aware of David's heart's desire, was still more indispensable to the king.
Today we would say: It was the best possible situation under the circumstances. This was a WIN-WIN-WIN situation for those living.
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