In 2 Samuel 19 Joab rebukes David for mourning so forcefully for Absalom, and David realizes he must affirm the troops, or lose them. When David returns to Jerusalem, he shows his character once again, by pardoning those who spoke against him when he left the city. He also reinstates Mephibosheth, who Ziba had deceived and left in the city. Because David couldn’t tell for sure whether it was Ziba or Mephibosheth who was telling the truth, he divided Mephibosheth’s property between them. Even so, Mephibosheth was grateful that his relationship with David was reestablished, because that meant more to him than the property. David also appointed Amasa as his commander over the army.
In 2 Samuel 20 Sheba, an Israelite (as opposed to a citizen from Judah) rebelled against David. When David sent his troops out against Sheba under Amasa’s command, Joab once again showed his treachery by murdering Amasa. Joab and Abishai then led Judah’s troops to victory and reestablished David’s leadership over all of Israel.
2 Samuel 21 records God’s judgment against the Israelites, because Saul had broken their pledge with the Gibeonites and killed some of them during their reign. The judgment came in the form of three years of famine. When David realized what was happening, he went to the Gibeonites and asked what could be done to satisfy this wrong. They didn’t ask for money, but for seven sons of Saul to be hanged. While the request seems so inhumane from our perspective, when David provided the men, and they were hanged the famine stopped. In addition, to this account, the chapter tells us about a couple of additional battles with the Philistines. David was nearly killed during the first battle, and his commanders told him that he must no longer go into battle. We see David is aging, and literally his reign is going down hill at this point. In all of our lives, we grow and mature, and at some point while our mental and spiritual abilities may continue to grow, our physical capacity diminishes. When that happens, we are wise to do as David did and realize our limitations.
As we return to Mark 13, we read Jesus’ record of what will take place in the future at the time of the end. Many signs and evidences of the end are noted, but Jesus made it clear no one would know the exact time of His return. He made one point extremely clear: Be ready. While many folks in our day spend their time attempting to determine when Jesus will come back, we must invest our time attempting to help as many people as possible to know Him as Savior and Lord. That way when He returns we will be found ready!