Absalom’s conspiracy and attempted coup came to nothing when his army was defeated and he was killed in battle. Even though David had charged his troops to be gentle with his son, Joab hastened to kill him and end the threat to the throne. As the triumphant army returned to Mahanaim, they were confronted with a king who was plunged into grief because they won.

David was wailing his grief in a room directly over the city gate, so that every soldier returning from battle passed under him. The warriors acted like the vanquished as they quietly crept into town. Joab rebuked David for his attitude toward men who had risked their lives for him and convinced David to come down and receive the fighters as custom would demand.

Meanwhile, the fighting men of Israel fled to their homes, unsure of their future, and the officials in Judah were in confusion over their next move. David reached out to them and offered to return if they would have him, simultaneously promising Amasa, Absalom’s commander, that he would replace Joab as commander of David’s troops. In relief, the leaders of the people quickly called David back to assume the throne again.

As he and his army journeyed toward Jerusalem, various delegations met him to plead for mercy. Shimei, who had taunted David as he evacuated Jerusalem, crossed the Jordan along with Ziba and a large delegation to plead for his life. Abishai again offered to execute Shimei, but David again stopped him and declared that nobody was to die that day. Mephibosheth arrived with evidence of his loyalty to David and a charge of betrayal by Ziba, resulting in David’s modifying his bequest to Ziba.

As David prepared to cross the Jordan, his benefactor in Mahanaim, Barzillai the Gileadite, asked for a place for his son, Kimham. David granted this and they crossed the river at Gilgal. Then the 10 tribes of Israel began to quarrel with the men of Judah concerning the importance of each in bringing the king back. The argument escalated.

An opportunist named Sheba, from Benjamin, tried to raise another revolt on the strength of this quarrel, and at his signal the men of Israel deserted David and followed him. David continued to Jerusalem and took possession of the palace, making special provision for the women he’d left behind. Then he charged Amasa to summon Judah’s warriors within three days, but he took longer than that. In desperation, David commanded Abishai to take the available men and pursue Sheba. When Amasa caught up to the army, Joab brutally murdered him and assumed control of all the army.

Meanwhile, Sheba had collected his troops at a fortified city in the very far north of Israel, near Dan. Joab and his men laid siege to the city and began battering at the wall to bring it down. A wise woman called out to Joab to confer with him and asked why he was attacking a peaceful city. Joab answered that the troublemaker was Sheba and offered to retreat if he were delivered up. Sheba’s head was thrown over the wall, and Joab broke camp and sent the army back south. He was restored as commander of the army and the other officials resumed their positions.

When a famine continued for three years, David inquired of God and was answered that the fault was Saul’s since he violated the treaty with Gibeon that had been made by Joshua in the conquest. In response to their judgment, David gave seven men descended from Saul to be killed and left unburied by the Gibeonites in revenge for Saul’s attempted extermination of Gibeon. The men were killed and left unburied until only their bones were left, the bodies having been protected from scavengers by the mother of two of them. Then David retrieved the bones of Saul and Jonathan from Jabesh Gilead and added the bones of the seven unfortunates and had them all decently buried in the family tomb of Kish, Saul’s father.

In a later battle with the Philistines, David went down with the army and entered the battle. His age was telling against him, though, and he narrowly escaped being killed. From that time, the soldiers would no longer let him go into battle with them. In this series of campaigns, four mighty warriors of the Philistines were killed.

The narrative of David’s actions begins to wind to a close with a powerful psalm of praise by the king. He credits God with saving him from every kind of enemy and portrays God personally intervening on David’s behalf. He extols God’s righteousness and holiness and credits God for his strength and success.

After David’s “last words” reaffirming his position with God and God’s promise to him, the exploits of David’s special fighters are recorded. These men were intrepid warriors of courage, skill and daring. Most notable were the three mighty men, but there were 30 who were singled out for special recognition, even though some died in battle. These included Asahel, who was killed by Abner, and Uriah the Hittite, who was killed at David’s order in the siege of Rabbah.

An additional part of God’s judgment included David numbering his fighting men. This is a sin of pride, when men try to trust in their own strength and power rather than relying on God. Joab tried to talk him out of it, but David insisted and the census progressed. The counters took nine months and 20 days to complete the task, but reported to David a total of 1.3 million fighting men in Israel and Judah. Then David repented of his pride but God sent the prophet Gad to him with a message.

God offered David a choice between three penalties: three years of famine, three months of defeat by his enemies, or three days of plague. David wisely chose to receive punishment from God and not from men, and a plague broke out, killing 70,000 people. Yet God was merciful and stopped the plague at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The plague had lapped at the walls of the capital city.

Gad advised David to purchase the location for an altar to God and David did so. This was the future location of the temple to be built by Solomon. This was the first of the preparations made by David for that great project.