The gore in this chapter is there for a purpose, part of the big messianic prophecy in 2nd Samuel 15–20. There are multiple stories in this chapter that are worthy of attention and note. This chapter has lots of parallelism and chiastic structure. For example, the actions of Yoab (Joab) mirror those of the high priest and of Yehudah Ish-Kariot (Judas Iscariot) in his betrayal of Yeshua (Jesus).
This chapter gives us a new spin on the meaning of the term “good news.” The major people in 2nd Samuel 19 — Shemai, Mephiboshet and Barzillai — were involved in key events and had important traits later expressed in the life of Peter, particularly in how he responded to the death of Yeshua the Messiah.
Ziba comes to David with some of Mephibosheth’s wealth and brought it to David on the pretext of pledging loyalty to David. Ziba tells David that Mephibosheth has purposefully refused to flee with David and stay behind to possibly gain the throne for himself. This chapter structured to highlight betrayal to show us that a particular individual, David was betrayed and that His descendant, the Messiah would be betrayed in a similar way.
Daniel addresses a question raised during the last study of 2nd Samuel 15 about David’s going the Mount of Olives to pray with a covered head and bare feet in this excursus. In many places in the Bible, covering a man’s head is an act of shame or mourning. Why does God command His priests to wear head coverings? Why did Paul write in 1st Corinthians 11 that a man should pray or prophesy with his head “uncovered”?
Daniel elaborates on the chiastic structure of 2nd Samuel 15–20 by showing a couple of simpler chiastic structures in Numbers 7, which was discussed during the Torah study.
The one in 2nd Samuel is the largest chiastic structure that Daniel has presented so far. However, the focus of this chiastic structure, as in most chiastic structures, is the Messiah. God places these chiastic structures in the Bible to reveal clues about the role of the Messiah or events that will occur in the Messiah’s life on earth.
Absolom’s political life begins after he retuned to Israel after his exile. He quickly gains the favor of many and he usurps David’s throne for a time. He stole the hearts of the people by claiming he just wanted to be a judge of Israel as Samuel and his predecessors had been judge. However, it is in Absolom’s heart to become king all along by crowning himself in Hebron, the city where David had become king. David leaves behind 15 people including five spies and 10 concubines.
This section of 2nd Samuel is the “second witness” of the veracity of the gospel authors and their testimony of Yeshua’s life, death and resurrection. As Yeshua told the pharisees in John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” These Scriptures Yeshua calls the Pharisees to re-examine are the TaNaKh (Torah, Prophets and Writings). He tells them — and us — that the entire TaNaKh give us His story.