And the men of Israel, reacting to the sharp words of Judah in kind, answered the men of Judah and said, We have ten parts in the king, since theirs were ten tribes to the two of Judah and Benjamin, and we have also more right in David than ye, by virtue of their greater number; why, then, did ye despise us, by slighting them, by not inviting them, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? Their word had been first, the suggestion to bring back the king had come from members of Israel. And the words of the men of Judah, in this unpleasant quarrel over precedence, in this jealous ill feeling, were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel. The entire scene led to a new, evil purpose on the part of Israel; it paved the way for Sheba's rebellion. The entire matter, in the Lands of God, was a means to keep David humble. For such is His way of dealing with His believers.

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