II SAMUEL

Samuel has been translated as “Heard of God” or “Asked of God”.

The Hebrew Bible calls this book “Shmuel Bet” meaning “Samuel B”.

The Septuagint (Greek) title is “Bibloi Basileion Alef” meaning “Books of First Kingdoms”,

I and II Samuel were originally 1 book. The Septuagint translators divided it into 2 books calling them 1 and 2 Kings and named the books of Kings 3 and 4 Kings. This change was carried over into the Latin and the Vulgate (common Latin) translations.

Note: The ‘Septugint’ was created by 70 translators (hence the name) who translated the Old Testament from Hebrew into Koine (common) Greek somewhere between 285-247 B.C. According to stories, all 70 translations were identical, showing God’s hand in the translation.

The Hebrew Bible also divided Samuel into 2 books in 1448 AD, but retained the title that it possessed in the Hebrew manuscript; 1-4 Kings became Samuel A and B and Kings A and B (1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings in other translations).

The second book of Samuel tells of the events of King David’s rule in which he ruled 7 ½ years from Hebron and 33 years from Jerusalem.

II SAMUEL 1:1-10

1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag,

2 on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

3 And David said to him, "Where have you come from?" So he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel."

4 Then David said to him, "How did the matter go? Please tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also."

5 So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?"

6 Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

7 "Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.'

8 "And he said to me, 'Who are you?' So I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'

9 "He said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.'

10 "So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord."

The Amalekite lied about killing Saul, believing that David would reward him greatly. David could now be crowned king over Israel and his life was no longer in danger from Saul. The Amalekite bringing the crown to David actually ensured that the Philistines did not get their hands on it.

II SAMUEL 1:11-16

11 Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.

12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13 Then David said to the young man who told him, "Where are you from?" And he answered, "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite."

14 So David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"

15 Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go near, and execute him!" And he struck him so that he died.

16 So David said to him, "Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD's anointed.'"

Lying to David about how Saul died and boasting about his participation in the death of Saul cost this Amalekite his life.

David was more than likely unaware of the prophecy given to Saul concerning Saul’s death and that of his son and didn’t know that Israel had been defeated by the Philistines. And while tearing one’sclothes may not seem like too much to us,

remember that clothing was all hand-woven in those days and was quite expensive. Many common people had only one or maybe two changes of clothes at a time.

As Christians we also have repercussions if we lie about our participation in an event or boast of our deeds. Because these things are not of God, it opens legal doorways into our lives for Satan. Remember pride, lying and boastfulness were 3 of Satan’s sins that resulted in his being condemned by God for eternity.

II SAMUEL 1:17-27

17 Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,

18 and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

19 "The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!

20 Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

21 "O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty.

23 "Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24 "O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

25 "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places.

26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.

27 "How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!"

David mourned the loss of Jonathan who was a brother of his spirit, and also for Saul, even though Saul had tried many times to kill David. David relied totally on the Lord and knew when the time was right that the Lord would deal with Saul, but now he also mourned not only for Saul and Jonathan, but for the entire country of Israel.

I have read where some who follow the ‘gay’ lifestyle point to verse 26 above and say that David and Jonathan shared a homosexual relationship. This is not true. The deep bond shared by ‘brothers in arms’ can be incredibly strong to the point of where a man will sacrifice his life for his fellow soldiers, just as he would for his wife and family. Even Jesus Christ Himself said;

JOHN 15:13

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

II SAMUEL 2:1-3

1 It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."

2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

A good leader will always ask the Lord for direction. David is not seeking wealth and power but the will of the Lord for His people. Once He tells you what you are to do, you MUST obey the Lord’s will. This also applies to Christians today, as Jesus warned;

MATTHEW 7:21-27

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'

23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

25 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

27 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

II SAMUEL 2:4-7

4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul."

5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.

6 "And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing.

7 "Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

Because David had loved and respected Saul, he was pleased that these men had shown Saul respect by burying his body. He is willing to accept their allegiance to his kingdom where many leaders would have killed or exiled these men for their loyalty to the previous king. But David looked at these men of honor and knew they would serve him well.

II SAMUEL 2:8-11

8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim;

9 and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

10 Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.

11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Ishbosheth means “man of shame”. He was the only one of Saul’s four sons still living (the others had died on the battle field with Saul). Abner was his uncle and knew that he could run the army however he wanted, with no interference from Ishbosheth as Ishbosheth held no real authority among the men of Israel. Abner was working for his own power and glory as the “power behind the throne”.

II SAMUEL 2:12-17

12 Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.

14 Then Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise."

15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.

16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon.

17 So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

This was a form of ‘single combat’ much like that between David and Goliath. Sometimes all-out war could be avoided by having champions of both sides fight each other.The losing side would then ask conditions of peace, thereby averting full-scale war. In this case there was no clear winner so both sides fought with Abner and Israel being defeated.

II SAMUEL 2:18-23

18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle.

19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Are you Asahel?" He answered, "I am."

21 And Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

22 So Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?"

23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

This was a dirty trick performed by Abner. Asahel sought to fight Abner in fair combat so he could take Abner’s armor and gain renown for himself. But Abner had either sharpened the back end of his spear or had shod it with a sharp metal tip. He waited until Asahel was close enough then suddenly stopped, driving the end of spear through Asahel’s unarmored body before Asahel could stop.

II SAMUEL 2:24-32

24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon.

25 Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill.

26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?"

27 And Joab said, "As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren."

28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore.

29 Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.

30 So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.

31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner's men, three hundred and sixty men who died.

32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

All three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. These were David’s nephews, as Zeruiah was David’s sister. It is believed that Zeruiah and Abigail were step-sisters or half-sisters to David and his brothers;

I CHRONICLES 2:13-17

13 Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third,

14 Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,

15 Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh.

16 Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel three.

17 Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

This was God’s warning to Israel that David was God’s chosen king. The tribes were only a few thousand men, so 360 men killed was a considerable portion of the tribe. In the same fight only 20 men of David’s army of the tribe of Judah were killed. Remember that Judah was twice the size of any of the other tribes, making the loss a much smaller portion.

Abner was fearful that Joab wouldn’t stop until he had destroyed the Benjamites. Abner and the Benjamites were arrayed to make a last stand atop a hill. This was a shrewd move on the part of Abner as military history and strategy has proven that those who hold the “high ground” have a definite advantage over attackers in lower elevations.

Abner was warning Joab that attacking the Benjamites would be costly due to their relative positions, and Joab agreed that there had been enough bloodshed and withdrew.

II SAMUEL 3:1-5

1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

2 Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

3 his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;

4 the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

5 and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

David’s house grew stronger because of the heirs born to him. Notice that all sons were born by 6 different women! (Not all were named as David’s wives, so some of them such as Absalom and Adonijah may have been sons of concubines.) Remember that Saul’s son was crippled and had no children, so Saul’s kingdom would die with the death of his only surviving son.

II SAMUEL 3:6-11

6 Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.

7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?"

8 Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman?”

9 "May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the LORD has sworn to him

10 "to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba."

11 And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

Abner was getting bolder and was ruling Israel through the “puppet king” Ishbosheth. By going into Saul’s concubine, Abner is showing Israel that he was greater than Ishbosheth. At Saul’s death the concubine became the property of Ishbosheth. This is similar to the time when Reuben went into Jacob’s concubine in Genesis; it is the ultimate show of disrespect for another man.

II SAMUEL 3:12-16

12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, "Whose is the land?" saying also, "Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you."

13 And David said, "Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face."

14 So David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

15 And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.

16 Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, "Go, return!" And he returned.

Abner was willing bring all the other tribes under David’s rule as he swore to Ishbosheth. This would prove his loyalty to David, end the war between Israel and Judah and probably secure himself a high position in David’s kingdom. Abner realized that with no heirs, Saul’s kingdom was doomed and with God’s hand removed this would be the losing side. He didn’t want to be responsible for the destruction of most of Israel.

Remember that Michal was David’s wife first and Saul had given her to another man in his anger at David. David had never divorced her so she was still David’s wife.

II SAMUEL 3:17-21

17 Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, "In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you.

18 "Now then, do it! For the LORD has spoken of David, saying, 'By the hand of My servant David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.'"

19 And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.

20 So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

21 Then Abner said to David, "I will arise and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Abner kept his word to David, showing that he was a man of his word. Seeing the errors of his ways he wanted to amend them and follow after the will of the Lord. He especially wanted the tribe of Benjamin from which Saul came to pledge allegiance to David, further weakening the house of Saul. Like Abner, we also need to repent before the Lord when we follow our own will instead of the will of the Lord.

II SAMUEL 3:22-27

22 At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

23 When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace."

24 Then Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone?

25 "Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing."

26 And when Joab had gone from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it.

27 Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.

Joab wouldn’t let go of his anger and bitterness over the death of his brother and treacherously killed Abner. In this manner, Satan tried to keep Israel from making David king over the whole land. As Christians we must be very careful not to fall into this trap! If someone harms us or a loved one it is not our place to punish them. As the author of Hebrews said in;

HEBREWS 10:30

30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people."

II SAMUEL 3:28-39

28 Afterward, when David heard it, he said, "My kingdom and I are guiltless before the LORD forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

29 "Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house; and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread."

30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

31 Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner." And King David followed the coffin.

32 So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

33 And the king sang a lament over Abner and said: "Should Abner die as a fool dies?

34 Your hands were not bound nor your feet put into fetters; as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell." Then all the people wept over him again.

35 And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, "God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!"

36 Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people.

37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's intent to kill Abner the son of Ner.

38 Then the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

39 "And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness."

Notice the curse that David placed on Joab and his descendants. There will always be among Joab’s family at least one who is an out cast if they are lepers, sick or lame if leaning on a staff, die young if killed by the sword or they will be very poor and lack the money for food.

David showed through fasting that he had not approved of this killing. This defused the possibility that the rest of Israel would blame David for the treachery and re-ignite the war between Israel and Judah. David didn’t want to cause strife in Judah by killing Abner and Abishai, but left their punishment to the Lord.

II SAMUEL 4:1-12

1 When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart, and all Israel was troubled.

2 Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For Beeroth also was part of Benjamin,

3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

4 Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

5 Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon.

6 And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain.

8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants."

9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity,

10 when someone told me, saying, 'Look, Saul is dead,' thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news.

11 "How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?"

12 So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Ishbosheth had done nothing wrong, but being of the house of Saul, Rechab and Baanah thought to ingratiate themselves to David by assassinating Ishbosheth in a cowardly fashion. David had them executed for their treachery showing all of Israel that he was not complicit in the matter and possibly remembering God’s command to Noah after the Flood;

GENESIS 9:6

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.”

David had promised Saul that he would not destroy Saul’s descendants and he kept his word. The house of Saul still had one descendant left, Mephibosheth (Hebrew: ‘from the mouth of shame’).

Hanging the murderers from a tree showed all who saw that the men were cursed before the Lord;

DEUTERONOMY 21:22-23

22 “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

23 his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

David had Ishbosheth’s head buried with honor in the tomb of Abner, again showing himself to be innocent of Ishbosheth’s murder.

II SAMUEL 5:1-5

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, "Indeed we are your bone and your flesh.

2 "Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.'"

3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The leaders of the rest of Israel finished what Abner had started. They held no animosity toward David, understanding that the things that had happened to David had been strictly Saul’s doing. By declaring David as king, it healed the rift between Judah and Israel caused by Saul and Abner.

II SAMUEL 5:6-10

6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here."

7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

8 Now David said on that day, "Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul), he shall be chief and captain." Therefore they say, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house."

9 Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.

10 So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.

In 1867 this water shaft (now called Warren’s Shaft) was discovered by the Gihon Spring in Jerusalem. The shaft is a 46 foot (14 meter) vertical shaft through solid rock to the pool fed by the Gihon Spring and an archaeologist climbed the shaft to prove that it could have happened the way that the Bible described.

I Chronicles hints that Joab climbed the shaft allowing David’s men to conquer the city;

1 CHRONICLES 11:4-7

4 David and all Israel marched to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, now the city of David.

6 David had said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.

7 David resided in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David.

II SAMUEL 5:11-16

11 Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house.

12 So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

13 And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David.

14 Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

This gave David 17 sons altogether at the time, plus his daughters (we don’t know how many daughters he had).

II SAMUEL 5:17-21

17 Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

18 The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.

19 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" And the LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand."

20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water." Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

21 And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.

One would think that the Philistines would have learned to not attack David by now. David defeated them so soundly that the Philistines left their idols behind in their hasty retreat. David and his men carried them off to destroy them.

(‘Ba’al Perazim’ (Hebrew: ‘Master of the breakthrough’)

I Chronicles supports this;

I CHRONICLES 14:10-12

10 And David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" The LORD said to him, "Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand."

11 So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, "God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water." Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

12 And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.

II SAMUEL 5:22-25

22 Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.

23 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, "You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.

24 "And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."

25 And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

We must not only do the Lords will, but we must do it the Lord’s way. Sometimes He has us do things differently than we would normally do them. With God, the end never justify the means, it is the obedience that matters even more so than the goal.

II SAMUEL 6:1-5

1 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand.

2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.

3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.

5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

The Ark of the Lord had been there since the Philistines returned it after capturing the Ark when Eli was High Priest. The instrument called “sistrums” in Hebrew is “me na’ ana” which translates to castanets. “A rattle type noisemaker composed of a handle with a metal loop at one end. The metal loop was perforated by holes through which wires were positioned and loosely secured by bent ends. These wires jingled when the instrument was shaken.”

II SAMUEL 6:6-8

6 And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.

7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.

8 And David became angry because of the LORD's outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.

Only the priests could touch the Ark of the Lord, anyone else would die as the ark was the dwelling place of the Lord. As commanded by God, the Levite priests used poles to carry the Ark, they didn’t actually touch it themselves. The ark should have been carried by its poles as Moses had commanded, not set on a cart as David did. Uzzah meant well, but God had already set the rules down for its transport and this reinforced His commandment.

Perez Uzzah (Hebrew: ‘the breach of Uzzah’).

II SAMUEL 6:9-15

9 David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?"

10 So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

12 Now it was told King David, saying, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.

13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep.

14 Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.

15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

David was shaken over the death of Uzzah. But when he heard of the blessings of the Lord upon the household of Obed-Edom, he realized that God wasn’t angry at David. Notice this time they were very careful to carry the Ark the correct way.

II SAMUEL 6:16-23

16 Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

17 So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.

19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!"

21 So David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD.

22 "And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor."

23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

David was worshiping the Lord and celebrating the Lord’s Ark coming to Jerusalem. David wore a linen ephod which was a form of a tunic normally worn by the priests. “Underwear” was unknown at that time so with David leaping about, the hem of the ephod probably lifted, inadvertantly exposing David in what Michal deemed to be a shameful display.

Michal was embarrassed that her husband was acting this way, as she considered the king above such things. The worst humiliation for a woman in those days was to be barren, and being the king’s wife would put her under even greater scrutiny. She bore no children of her own, again cutting off any descendants of Saul’s house.

II SAMUEL 7:1-17

1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around,

2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."

3 Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."

4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,

5 "Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?

6 "For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.

7 "Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'

8 "Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.

9 "And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.

10 "Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously,

11 "since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.

12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.

15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."'"

17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David no longer lived in a tent, but in a house built for him and He felt guilty living in a permanent home when the Lord was still dwelling in a tent. David was speaking of a physical house, but God was speaking of a spiritual house of David.

However God promised David that his descendants would form a dynasty (house) after him.

Many people think that God was referring Solomon when He spoke to Nathan, but Solomon was never beaten by men, neither did his throne last forever, nor was Solomon considered to be God’s Son. However, Jesus Christ was a descendant of king David according to the flesh, and was declared by God Himself to be His Son. As John the Baptist witnessed when Jesus was baptized;

MATTHEW 3:16-17

16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.

17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

And Scripture records that Jesus was severely beaten with closed fists then whipped almost to death (called ‘scourging’) by soldiers just before His crucifixion. Even battle-hardened Roman soldiers feared scourging and many victims died from the trauma of being scourged. A forensic pathologist who performed a medical study of the account of Jesus being scourged said, “The miracle isn’t that Jesus died on the cross; the miracle is that He made it to the cross at all.”

The prophet Isaiah said;

ISAIAH 52:14

14 Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men;

In other words, when Jesus went to the cross He was nearly unrecognizable as a human being as prophesied in II Samuel Chapter 7:14 above. Jesus never sinned but had the sins of the world laid on Him, thus the magnitude of His punishment from His Father.

David drew up all the plans for the Temple, but Solomon would build the Temple for the Lord. God did show Solomon mercy even when he fell into idolatry with his wives, keeping part of the kingdom for the descendants of David but ripping the rest of it away from Solomon’s son, as we will see later.

God would establish David’s kingdom forever spiritually through Jesus Christ who reigns as the everlasting King.

II SAMUEL 7:18-29

18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: "Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

19 "And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?

20 "Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant.

21 "For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.

22 "Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

23 "And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?

24 "For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.

25 "Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said.

26 "So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.' And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.

27 "For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

28 "And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.

29 "Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever."

It has been said that to truly understand a man, listen to his prayers. Notice that David remembers his roots as a humble shepherd. He doesn’t let the blessings of fame, power and wealth go to his head. He remained humble and knew that while God had placed him as king over Israel, he acknowledged that God was the true ruler over all of Israel.

Sometimes as Christians when we are blessed from the Lord we get prideful or arrogant in our new circumstances. This will lead you away from the Lord very quickly. We must always remember our place where the Lord is concerned. We need to remember to ask God to give us what we need and can handle without turning away from Him.

Agur the son of Jakeh spoke of this in;

PROVERBS 30:5-9

5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

6 Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I request of You (deprive me not before I die):

8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food allotted to me;

9 Lest I be full and deny You, and say, "Who is the LORD?" Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God.

II SAMUEL 8:1-6

1 After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

2 Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David's servants, and brought tribute.

3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory at the River Euphrates.

4 David took from him one thousand chariots, seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

5 When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians.

6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, and brought tribute. So the LORD preserved David wherever he went.

The Lord started establishing Israel as a regional power and kingdom under David’s rule, conquering the Philistines to the West, the Moabites and Syrians to the East of the Jordan River and Zobah to the North-East of Israel.

Destroying 2/3 of Moab’s troops guaranteed that it would be at least a generation before they became a threat again. And destroying most of the chariots and hamstringing the horses ensured that he would not become prideful and rely on his military might rather than relying on God. He may have also remembered God’s command to Joshua when a coalition of Canaanite kings had gathered to attack Israel;

JOSHUA 11:6

6 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.”

II SAMUEL 8:7-12

7 And David took the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

8 Also from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer,

10 then Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze.

11 King David also dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued

12 from Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

David dedicated the gold, silver and bronze to the Lord as tribute and to give thanks to God for his victories. Bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) isn’t that expensive nowadays, but considering that copper was expensive back then and tin was at times as precious as gold due to its scarcity, bronze could be quite valuable.

When Israel had returned from the Babylonian captivity and had rebuilt Solomon’s Temple that the Babylonians had destroyed in 586 B.C., gifts were offered to the Temple, including;

EZRA 8:27

27 twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two vessels of fine polished bronze, precious as gold.

II SAMUEL 8:13-18

13 And David made himself a name when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Syrians in the Valley of Salt.

14 He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.

15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.

16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the scribe;

18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers.

The Valley of Salt is another term for the Jordan Valley area adjacent to the Dead Sea. When God rained fire on Sodom and the cities around it, He also blasted the entire valley with salt to curse the land, changing it from a well-watered,

lush, fertile region to the dry, barren, salt-encrusted wasteland that it is today.

Even today the Dead Sea has so much salt in it that it literally “rains” salt crystals on the bottom of the Sea as the salt precipitates out of the water. And remember, Lot’s wife was encased by a high-velocity blast of salt because she disobeyed God’s command to not look back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah;

GENESIS 19:23-26

23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.

24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens.

25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.

26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Edom was south of the southern border of Judah, and was the territory settled by Jacob’s brother Esau.

II SAMUEL 9:1-13

1 Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" He said, "At your service!"

3 Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet."

4 So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!"

7 So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually."

8 Then he bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?"

9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.

10 "You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat bread at my table always." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

11 Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do." "As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons."

12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.

13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

David knew that Saul’s sons were dead but probably didn’t know about Mephibosheth, especially after the assassination of Mephibosheth’s uncle Ish-bosheth. As a last kindness to Mephibosheth’s father Jonathan, he restored all of Saul’s properties and servants to Mephibosheth and guaranteed his safety and welfare for the rest of his life, David remembering Jonathan’s last request to him;

I SAMUEL 20:12-16

12 Then Jonathan said to David: "The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

13 "may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

14 "And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die;

15 "but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth."

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies."

II SAMUEL 10:1-5

1 It happened after this that the king of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.

2 Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the people of Ammon.

3 And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?"

4 Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.

5 When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, "Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."

Hanun listened to the hot-headed princes rather than to his counselors and greatly shamed David’s servants. Beards were important to men during that time and public nudity was extremely shameful. Cutting off half their beards, cutting their clothing off at the waist and exposing them to the derision and jeers of the populace was a deadly insult to them and to David.

As recorded in the books of I Kings and II Chronicles, king Rehoboam, Solomon’s son listened to the hotheads he grew up with instead of his father’s counselors and as a result had 10 of the 12 tribes rebelled and set up a separate kingdom leaving the house of David only 2 tribes to rule.

II SAMUEL 10:6-12

6 When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.

7 Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.

8 Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

9 When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel's best and put them in battle array against the Syrians.

10 And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon.

11 Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

12 "Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

Military commanders hate multi-front battles as they must divide their forces and hope that the commanders of the other part of the army can handle their part of the battle.

II SAMUEL 10:13-19

13 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.

14 When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to Jerusalem.

15 When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together.

16 Then Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam. And Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army went before them.

17 When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him.

18 Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.

19 And when all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.

The Syrians were hired mercenaries and had no loyalty to the Ammonites. Joab’s army was apparently too tough for the Syrians so they fled. The Ammonites in turn, abandoned by their allies they fled back to their fortified city. The Syrians, more than likely worried that Israel might attack them called for reinforcements from beyond the Euphrates River.

David heard of it and what started as a punitive strike against the Ammonites turned into a full-blown war against Syria. God gave David the victory and he was able to force the Syrians and their allied kings to serve Israel.

When God goes before us, we will win against our enemies. As Christians we must remember to be like David, looking with our heart and not with our eyes. If the task set before us looks insurmountable to our eyes, we must trust in the Lord and not our eyes. He will ALWAYS provide a way, because nothing is impossible for the Lord. As He told the prophet Jeremiah;

JEREMIAH 32:26-27

26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

The Apostle Paul spoke of this also;

ROMANS 8:31

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Also;

2 CORINTHIANS 5:7

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

II SAMUEL 11:1

1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles gives a bit more information on the subject;

1 CHRONICLES 20:1

1 It happened in the spring of the year, at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the country of the people of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab defeated Rabbah and overthrew it.

II SAMUEL 11:2-4

2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.

3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.

The house roofs at that time were flat as it seldom snowed and if it did it was rarely enough to cave in roofs. It was a common practice to fill a large pot with water in the morning and let the sun heat the water all day, then go up on the rooftop to bathe in the evening. Blankets or large pieces of cloth surrounded the bath for privacy purposes. All the houses were the same height except for the roof of the king’s house which was higher than all the other houses in the city. The king’s house being higher than all the other’s in the city also showed the king’s authority and stature among the people.

Being “cleansed from her impurity” meant that she was ritually cleaning herself after the end of her “time of the month”, during which time she was ritually unclean;

LEVITICUS 15:25

25 ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean.

Followed by;

LEVITICUS 15:28

28 ‘But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.

David should have gone with his men, and all of this would have been avoided. When the king sent for someone, it was not a request but a command that his servants would fulfill. He was in command of this situation and showed his lack of self-control. We are commanded to learn and exercise self-control as stated in;

PROVERBS 25:28

28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.

And;

GALATIANS 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

David knew that she was a married woman, the wife of one of his soldiers, yet he committed adultery with her. His infidelity would cost him dearly in the future!

II SAMUEL 11:5-13

5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."

6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David.

7 When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered.

8 And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift of food from the king followed him.

9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

10 So when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"

11 And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing."

12 Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.

13 Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

David tried to cover his sin by getting Uriah to sleep with Bathsheba so as to pass off this child as Uriah’s child. When we try to cover up our sin instead of going to the Lord and repenting, things will only go from bad to worse. And we need to really consider the consequences of our sins, for while the Lord will forgive us, he may allow the consequences of our sin to occur to teach us the price of sinful behavior.

Uriah proved himself to be a honorable man by willingly sharing the hardships of his fellow soldiers rather than the pleasures of home.

David knew what he did was wrong but didn’t want to get caught, as according to the Law of Moses both people were to be executed when adultery was proven. Being the king of Israel wouldn’t save him;

LEVITICUS 20:10

10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death.

II SAMUEL 11:14-21

14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die."

16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.

17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war,

19 and charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king,

20 "if it happens that the king's wrath rises, and he says to you: 'Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?

21 'Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?'then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

Joab more than likely had no idea why David commanded what he did, probably attributing it to a dispute between David and Uriah, but he followed the king’s command.

The story of Abimelech occurred during the time of the Judges when a man named Abimelech, the son of Judge Gideon decided to try and become king of Israel (long before Saul was chosen). He hired brigands and thugs to help enforce his rule and slaughtered many fellow citizens in his 3-year quest for power.

Finally he was besieging a city called Thebez when;

JUDGES 9:50-55

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took it.

51 But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower.

52 So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

54 Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.

55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place.

Millstones were hard sandstone disks used to grind grain, pigments for dyes, and ores for smelting and consisted of a removable upper stone which rotated atop the bottom disk to perform the crushing and grinding. Both stones were quite heavy and a piece of one dropped from a height could easily crush a man’s skull as happened with Abimelech.

II SAMUEL 11:22-25

22 So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him.

23 And the messenger said to David, "Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate.

24 "The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

25 Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.' So encourage him."

Notice that the sins are piling up fast! David has to commit more sins (murder of an innocent man and others with him) to try and hide his previous sins from being exposed. However Jesus warned us;

MARK 4:22

22 "For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

II SAMUEL 11:26-27

26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.

27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

The time for mourning is 30 days as shown in the following examples;

NUMBERS 20:29

29 Now when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, all the house of Israel mourned for Aaron thirty days.

DEUTERONOMY 34:8

8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

David was working and planning so hard to cover up his sins from the people, figuring that by marrying Bathsheba even though her child would probably come at 8 months or less instead of the usual 9 months, people would think it was Uriah’s son.

We can’t hide anything from the Lord, He sees not only the physical aspects of our lives but also what is in our hearts and minds. As the Lord told Samuel as he was sent to anoint the king to replace Saul, when Samuel was impressed byJesse’s oldest son Eliab;

I SAMUEL 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

II SAMUEL 12:1-6

1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.

2 "The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.

3 "But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.

4 "And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

5 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!

6 "And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."

Too often it is easier to see the sin in another’s life, rather than the sin in our own lives. Jesus spoke of this in;

MATTHEW 7:3-5

3 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

II SAMUEL 12:7-12

7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

8 'I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!

9 'Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.

10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

11 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

12 'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.'"

God forced David to confront his sin. In a terrible pronouncement David is told that adversaries would arise from his own house within his lifetime and that strife would affect his house throughout their generations. And history records the terrible fulfillment of this prophecy as we shall soon see.

The Lord disciplines His children for their own well being as shown in the following Scriptures;

DEUTERONOMY 8:5-6

5 "You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the LORD your God chastens you.

6 "Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.

JOB 5:17-18

17 "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

18 For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.

PROVERBS 3:11-12

11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction;

12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.

I CORINTHIANS 11:32

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

HEBREWS 12:5-8

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."

7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

II SAMUEL 12:13-15

13 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.

14 "However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die."

15 Then Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill.

Even when we repent and God forgives our sins, there are consequences for our sin. And in many cases the consequences can affect others as well. God would not allow a child born of adultery to inherit David’s kingdom.

II SAMUEL 12:16-23

16 David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.

17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.

18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!"

19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead."

20 So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.

21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food."

22 And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'

23 "But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

While David was sincere in fasting and pleading for his son’s life, he understood that once his son was dead that God had made His final decision. And it would be a lesson David would carry with him for the rest of his life.

II SAMUEL 12:24-25

24 Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him,

25 and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: so he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

Solomon (Hebrew: “Peace”) Jedidiah (“Beloved of Jehovah”)

II SAMUEL 12:26-31

26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city.

27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, "I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city's water supply.

28 "Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name."

29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it.

30 Then he took their king's crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David's head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance.

31 And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Joab honored David by having David conquer the capital city of the Ammonites rather than himself. Capturing the city’s water supply doomed the city as thirst would quickly force the surrender of the city. David then made slaves of the people, setting them to labor in public works projects, making some woodcutters, brickmakers, etc.

The gold of the crown was roughly 75 pounds plus the gem stones, although scholars have disputed the weight as such a crown would be far too heavy to wear and as the weight of a talent varied through history.

II SAMUEL 13:1-11

1 After this Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.

2 Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.

3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.

4 And he said to him, "Why are you, the king's son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

5 So Jonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.'"

6 Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."

7 And David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Now go to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him."

8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.

9 And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." And they all went out from him.

10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom.

11 Now when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."

Here we see the beginnings of the fulfillment of God’s curse on the House of David, in which the sword, strife and

sorrow would afflict his descendants because of his sins of adultery and murder concerning Bathsheba. Amnon was Tamar’s half-brother (same father, different mother) but Satan had filled his heart with lust for her.

II SAMUEL 13:12-20

12 But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing!

13 "And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you."

14 However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.

15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Arise, be gone!"

16 So she said to him, "No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me." But he would not listen to her.

17 Then he called his servant who attended him, and said, "Here! Put this woman out, away from me, and bolt the door behind her."

18 Now she had on a robe of many colors, for the king's virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.

19 Then Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly.

20 And Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart." So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house.

Being as Amnon and Tamar were half-siblings, technically it was not forbidden for them to marry. Abraham and Sarah were half-siblings. When journeying through Canaan, Abraham stayed in Gerar, a city of the Philistines. Abimelech, the king of Gerar fell in love with Sarah and planned to make her his wife as Abraham had said that Sarah was his sister.

However God spoke to Abimelech in a dream warning him that Sarah was Abraham’s wife. Frightened by the dream, Abimelech confronted Abraham concerning Sarah, asking why Abraham had misled him. Scripture the records;

GENESIS 20:11-13

11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.

12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”

Amnon marrying Tamar therefore would not have been forbidden. But Amnon raping Tamar was forbidden and by doing so, brought defilement and shame upon them both. According to the Law of Moses, Amnon was to then take her as his wife for the rest of their days;

DEUTERONOMY 22:28-29

28 “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out,

29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.

A defiled woman would have difficulty finding a husband as she would be considered an outcast. In this fashion, God would provide for her welfare the rest of her life.

Amnon hating Tamar after he raped her isn’t surprising. Satan does this often, first blinding us to sinful behavior then leaving us to suffer the guilt, bitterness and shame afterward which can result in self-loathing and anger. Amnon knew he had done wrong and was trying to avoid the guilt of his actions.

II SAMUEL 13:21-29

21 But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

22 And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

23 And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom had sheep shearers in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king's sons.

24 Then Absalom came to the king and said, "Kindly note, your servant has sheep shearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant."

25 But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you." Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.

26 Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"

27 But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.

28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, "Watch now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon!' then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant."

29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each one got on his mule and fled.

Absalom spent 2 years planning his strike against Amnon for the rape and dishonor of his sister Tamar. Sheep-shearing was a festive time in Israel and usually a feast was provided for the shearers. If Absalom had invited only Amnon, David would have been suspicious, so he invited the whole family to cover his real intentions.

The fact that Amnon was “merry with wine” indicates that he was unrepentant of his defiling of his sister Tamar, nor does Scripture indicate that he repented of what he had done, neither did he take Tamar as his wife. If he had done these

things, chances are good that Absalom would not have had him murdered.

Absalom sinned in taking revenge against Amnon himself instead of waiting for the Lord to avenge Tamar. God had said;

DEUTERONOMY 32:35

35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.’

II SAMUEL 13:30-39

30 And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not one of them is left!"

31 So the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.

32 Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, "Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

33 "Now therefore, let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead."

34 Then Absalom fled. And the young man who was keeping watch lifted his eyes and looked, and there, many people were coming from the road on the hillside behind him.

35 And Jonadab said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming; as your servant said, so it is."

36 So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king's sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.

37 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.

38 So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years.

39 And King David longed to go to Absalom. For he had been comforted concerning Amnon, because he was dead.

David understood immediately that this was caused by the Lord’s curse on his house. At first he thought that all of his sons were dead, but found out that only Amnon had been killed. David was also at fault as he apparently did nothing concerning Amnon’s shameful action causing Absalom to take matters into his own hands.

Absalom fled to Geshur because the king of Geshur was his grandfather on his mother’s side;

II SAMUEL 3:2-3

2 Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

3 his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;

Geshur was east of the Jordan river in Ammonite territory where half of the tribe of Manasseh settled when Israel came out of Egypt.

II SAMUEL 14:1-11

1 So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was concerned about Absalom.

2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead.

3 "Go to the king and speak to him in this manner." So Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, "Help, O king!"

5 Then the king said to her, "What troubles you?" And she answered, "Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead.

6 "Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him.

7 "And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, 'Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.' So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth."

8 Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you."

9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, let the iniquity be on me and on my father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless."

10 So the king said, "Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore."

11 Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son." And he said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground."

God had instituted he death penalty for murder in;

GENESIS 9:6

6 “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.

When a person murdered another, an “avenger of blood” was commissioned to find the murderer and execute him. God had commanded concerning avenging murder;

NUMBERS 35:16-21

16 ‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death.

19 The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death.

20 If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies,

21 or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

Joab apparently was concerned that David’s mourning for Absalom was interfering with David’s ability to rule, therefore he set up a situation to snap David out of his sorrow.

II SAMUEL 14:12-24

12 Therefore the woman said, "Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king." And he said, "Say on."

13 So the woman said: "Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again.

14 "For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.

15 "Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant.

16 'For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.'

17 "Your maidservant said, 'The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.'"

18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Please, let my lord the king speak."

19 So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.

20 "To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth."

21 And the king said to Joab, "All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom."

22 Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant."

23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

24 And the king said, "Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face.

Joab (David’s nephew and general in David’s army) reminds David through the maidservant that he must rule his own household as justly as the rest of Israel. If he doesn’t, then Israel as a nation will pay for David’s bad judgment.

II SAMUEL 14:25-33

25 Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

26 And when he cut the hair of his head at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard.

27 To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance.

28 And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king's face.

29 Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

30 So he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

31 Then Joab arose and came to Absalom's house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?"

32 And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent to you, saying, 'Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still."' Now therefore, let me see the king's face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me."

33 So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom.

Absalom was angry at his father and 2 years of silence was feeding the rebellion growing in his heart toward his father, king David. He was so arrogant and pompous that when Joab didn’t come when he sent for him, he childishly set Joab’s barley field on fire, a serious offence. Joab didn’t dare retaliate as Absalom was the king’s son but kept his anger hidden.

Absalom’s hair weighed about 5 pounds (2.3 kg) according to ancient shekel weights. He had luxurious hair indeed!!!

II SAMUEL 15:1-6

1 After this it happened that Absalom provided himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

2 Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him and say, "What city are you from?" And he would say, "Your servant is from such and such a tribe of Israel."

3 Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you."

4 Moreover Absalom would say, "Oh, that I were made judge in the land, and everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice."

5 And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him.

6 In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absalom was starting to undermine his father. Having men run before him to announce his presence wherever he went was reserved for the reigning king. In ancient times kings and judges sat at the gate to a city and would hold court and dispense justice publicly. If the king was unavailable, a deputy assigned by the king would act in his place.

Absalom faked commiseration with people who came for justice making it seem as if David was just too busy to hear their cases or didn’t care about his subjects, but he, Absalom if made judge and king would never do this.

II SAMUEL 15:7-12

7 Now it came to pass after forty years that Absalom said to the king, "Please, let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the LORD.

8 "For your servant took a vow while I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, 'If the LORD indeed brings me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.'"

9 And the king said to him, "Go in peace." So he arose and went to Hebron.

10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, 'Absalom reigns in Hebron!'"

11 And with Absalom went two hundred men invited from Jerusalem, and they went along innocently and did not know anything.

12 Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city from Giloh while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom continually increased in number.

The curse that God laid on David’s house because of his adultery with Bathsheba is coming to pass. Absalom’s rebellion started when David didn’t punish Amnon for the rape of Absalom’s sister, but punished Absalom for avenging her on Amnon.When he felt that he had enough people on his side due to his flattery and deceptions he went to Hebron where David had been crowned king to announce his coup against his father.

II SAMUEL 15:13-22

13 Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."

14 So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword."

15 And the king's servants said to the king, "We are your servants, ready to do whatever my lord the king commands."

16 Then the king went out with all his household after him. But the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house.

17 And the king went out with all the people after him, and stopped at the outskirts.

18 Then all his servants passed before him; and all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed before the king.

19 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why are you also going with us? Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place.

20 "In fact, you came only yesterday. Should I make you wander up and down with us today, since I go I know not where? Return, and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you."

21 But Ittai answered the king and said, "As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also your servant will be."

22 So David said to Ittai, "Go, and cross over." Then Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones who were with him crossed over.

Most palace coups are violent affairs, with the coup plotters usually slaughtering those still loyal to the ruler. David understood immediately what was happening and wanted to spare his servants and the city from wanton destruction at Absalom’s hands.

The origins of the Cherethites and Pelethites is unknown but their being spoken of apart from Israel indicates that they were foreigners who had pledged service to David. It is doubtful that they were hired mercenaries as some think, as they went with David who could not pay them because of Absalom’s coup when they could have offered their services and swords to Absalom.

The Gittites with David were residents of the Philistine city of Gath who had been exiled voluntarily or involuntarily from the city and had chosen to serve David. Their loyalty is shown in that they preferred to stay with David come what might happen.

II SAMUEL 15:23-29

23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness.

24 There was Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city.

25 Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me both it and His dwelling place.

26 "But if He says thus: 'I have no delight in you,' here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him."

27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

28 "See, I will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."

29 Therefore Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem. And they remained there.

David knew why this was happening and didn’t feel it right to bring the ark with him as he fled. And by sending Zadok who was a prophet and Abiathar back to Jerusalem they could keep David informed of Absalom’s activities. Even if he was confirmed as king, Absalom wouldn’t dare kill priests and prophets of the Lord as all Israel would rise up against him.

II SAMUEL 15:30-37

30 So David went up by the Ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went up.

31 Then someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, I pray, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!"

32 Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain, where he worshiped God there was Hushai the Archite coming to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.

33 David said to him, "If you go on with me, then you will become a burden to me.

34 "But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; as I was your father's servant previously, so I will now also be your servant,' then you may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

35 "And do you not have Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? Therefore it will be that whatever you hear from the king's house, you shall tell to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

36 "Indeed they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything you hear."

37 So Hushai, David's friend, went into the city. And Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Scripture implies that Hushai was one of David’s trusted counselors and his being a “burden” might be because he was an old man and would not handle exile well. David sent him to Jerusalem to spy on Absalom and to counter Ahithophel’s

treason. Hushai would also have the support of the prophet / priest Zadok and the priest Abithar.

Ahithophel - (Hebrew: ‘Brother of folly’).

II SAMUEL 16:1-4

1 When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

2 And the king said to Ziba, "What do you mean to do with these?" So Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink."

3 Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.'"

4 So the king said to Ziba, "Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours." And Ziba said, "I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!"

Rebellion sometimes brings out the worst in people. Ziba apparently saw an opportunity to throw off being a servant to his master Mephibosheth and become rich himself, by lying and saying that Mephibosheth was going to lay claim to his grandfather Saul’s kingdom in David’s absence.

II SAMUEL 16:5-8

5 Now when King David came to Bahurim, there was a man from the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei the son of Gera, coming from there. He came out, cursing continuously as he came.

6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

7 Also Shimei said thus when he cursed: "Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue!

8 "The LORD has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!"

Satan used this opportunity to heap further abuse and misery on David, accusing him of overthrowing Saul even though David had not harmed any of Saul’s descendants or Saul himself.

II SAMUEL 16:9-14

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!"

10 But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?'"

11 And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him.

12 "It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day."

13 And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust.

14 Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there.

One has to admire David’s restraint in this matter. Because of all the training of the Lord earlier in his life, David now takes it all in stride, recognizing that the Lord is in control of everything and His will shall be done. Besides, David had promised Saul that he would not destroy Saul’s household of which Shimei was a part. Abishai was David’s nephew and 1 of his 3 top generals in the army.

David’s conduct reflects what Jesus taught here on Earth;

MATTHEW 5:43-45

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

II SAMUEL 16:15-23

15 Meanwhile Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him.

16 And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"

17 So Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?"

18 And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain.

19 "Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence."

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give advice as to what we should do."

21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong."

22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

Notice that when Hushai said, “Long live the king!”, he didn’t say which king he was referring to, Absalom or David. Ahithophel wanted the breach between David and Absalom to be permanent. Remember Reuben and his father’s concubine? (Genesis 35:22) This was the ultimate show of disrespect from a son to his father, and to do this publicly would have caused a permanent rift in David’s house.

This was also the fulfillment of God’s curse to David;

II SAMUEL 12:11

11 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

II SAMUEL 17:1-14

1 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.

2 "I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king.

3 "Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace."

4 And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

5 Then Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he says too."

6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke to him, saying, "Ahithophel has spoken in this manner. Shall we do as he says? If not, speak up."

7 So Hushai said to Absalom: "The advice that Ahithophel has given is not good at this time.

8 "For," said Hushai, "you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are enraged in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field; and your father is a man of war, and will not camp with the people.

9 "Surely by now he is hidden in some pit, or in some other place. And it will be, when some of them are overthrown at the first, that whoever hears it will say, 'There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.'

10 "And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt completely. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and those who are with him are valiant men.

11 "Therefore I advise that all Israel be fully gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.

12 "So we will come upon him in some place where he may be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground. And of him and all the men who are with him there shall not be left so much as one.

13 "Moreover, if he has withdrawn into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city; and we will pull it into the river, until there is not one small stone found there."

14 So Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel." For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.

Absalom was so proud and arrogant that he thought to judge and take vengeance on David in place of God. If Absalom had followed the advice of Ahithophel instead of Hushai, he might have succeeded. But God allowed the elders and Absalom to believe Hushai, giving David time to get to safety.

David had previously asked God to turn Ahithophel’s advice into foolishness and God had answered his prayer.

Hushai - (Hebrew: ‘hasty’)

Concerning vengeance, Scripture states;

NAHUM 1:2

2 God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; the LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies;

ROMANS 12:19-21

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

20 Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head."

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

II SAMUEL 17:15-23

15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, "Thus and so Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so I have advised.

16 "Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, 'Do not spend this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily cross over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.'"

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed at En Rogel, for they dared not be seen coming into the city; so a female servant would come and tell them, and they would go and tell King David.

18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly and came to a man's house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went down into it.

19 Then the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground grain on it; and the thing was not known.

20 And when Absalom's servants came to the woman at the house, they said, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" So the woman said to them, "They have gone over the water brook." And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

21 Now it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told King David, and said to David, "Arise and cross over the water quickly. For thus has Ahithophel advised against you."

22 So David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By morning light not one of them was left who had not gone over the Jordan.

23 Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice was not followed, he saddled a donkey, and arose and went home to his house, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died; and he was buried in his father's tomb.

Covering the well with a cover was ingenious as the well would be hidden from the men searching the property, and chances were that the men didn’t know that the well existed. To them it would appear as if the woman had been grinding grain on the ground. The well itself was either dry or had a low water level.

When Ahithophel’s advice wasn’t taken by Absalom and the elders, he could see that he would never attain the prestige he sought after in betraying David. He also may have known that this rebellion of Absalom would end in David’s favor, and that he, Ahithophel would be executed for treason.

II SAMUEL 17:24-26

24 Then David went to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra, an Israelite, who had gone in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

26 So Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

Manahaim is east of the Jordan River about midway between the Sea of Galilee to the north and the Dead Sea to the south in the area known as Bashan at the northern edge of Ammonite territory.

II SAMUEL 17:27-29

27 Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,

28 brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched grain and beans, lentils and parched seeds,

29 honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who were with him to eat. For they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness."

This was a huge sign of respect for David and the people as the Ammonites were usually enemies of Israel. They could have attacked David as he was weakened yet they brought provisions to him, fulfilling the Proverb;

PROVERBS 16:7

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

In ancient times roasting (parching) grains, beans, etc. was a way to preserve them and prevent dangerous molds and rot from spoiling foods.

II SAMUEL 18:1-5

1 And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.

2 Then David sent out one third of the people under the hand of Joab, one third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, "I also will surely go out with you myself."

3 But the people answered, "You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city."

4 Then the king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you I will do." So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom.

David still loved his son very much and he didn’t want the blood of his son on his hands. He knew that Absalom would have to be punished, but he knew that part of the reason God allowed this rebellion was because of David’s sin regarding Bathsheba and the punishment God had set for David.

II SAMUEL 18:6-18

6 So the people went out into the field of battle against Israel. And the battle was in the woods of Ephraim.

7 The people of Israel were overthrown there before the servants of David, and a great slaughter of twenty thousand took place there that day.

8 For the battle there was scattered over the face of the whole countryside, and the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

9 Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on.

10 Now a certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, "I just saw Absalom hanging in a terebinth tree!"

11 So Joab said to the man who told him, "You just saw him! And why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt."

12 But the man said to Joab, "Though I were to receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, I would not raise my hand against the king's son. For in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, 'Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!'

13 "Otherwise I would have dealt falsely against my own life. For there is nothing hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me."

14 Then Joab said, "I cannot linger with you." And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom's heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree.

15 And ten young men who bore Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, and struck and killed him.

16 So Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people.

17 And they took Absalom and cast him into a large pit in the woods, and laid a very large heap of stones over him. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his tent.

18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up a pillar for himself, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He called the pillar after his own name. And to this day it is called Absalom's Monument.

Joab disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, making himself judge and executioner, possibly remembering Absalom setting Joab’s barley field on fire. Absalom was survived by his only daughter (Tamar), but all 3 of his sons had apparently died before their father.

Indeed God’s curse continues as it was the sword from his own household that drove David out of Jerusalem and the sword (figuratively) devoured his son as well.

II SAMUEL 18:19-33

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Let me run now and take the news to the king, how the LORD has avenged him of his enemies."

20 And Joab said to him, "You shall not take the news this day, for you shall take the news another day. But today you shall take no news, because the king's son is dead."

21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, "Go, tell the king what you have seen." So the Cushite bowed himself to Joab and ran.

22 And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, "But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite." So Joab said, "Why will you run, my son, since you have no news ready?"

23 "But whatever happens," he said, "let me run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate, to the wall, lifted his eyes and looked, and there was a man, running alone.

25 Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he came rapidly and drew near.

26 Then the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, "There is another man, running alone!" And the king said, "He also brings news."

27 So the watchman said, "I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." And the king said, "He is a good man, and comes with good news."

28 So Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "All is well!" Then he bowed down with his face to the earth before the king, and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king!"

29 The king said, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant and me your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what it was about."

30 And the king said, "Turn aside and stand here." So he turned aside and stood still.

31 Just then the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, "There is good news, my lord the king! For the LORD has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you."

32 And the king said to the Cushite, "Is the young man Absalom safe?" So the Cushite answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do harm, be like that young man!"

33 Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: "O my son Absalom my son, my son Absalom if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!"

Ahimaaz kept the command of Joab, only informing David that his enemies had been defeated. However, David’s main concern was for Absalom, something that would come back against him later.

In ancient times some cities had watchtowers set over the gate entrances for guards to watch over who come and went and to drive away any attackers. This was the chamber that David went to, to mourn for his son.

II SAMUEL 19:1-8

1 And Joab was told, "Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom."

2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people. For the people heard it said that day, "The king is grieved for his son."

3 And the people stole back into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried out with a loud voice, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"

5 Then Joab came into the house to the king, and said, "Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines,

6 "in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well.

7 "Now therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants. For I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now."

8 Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, "There is the king, sitting in the gate." So all the people came before the king. For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent.

Joab angrily and justly rebukes David in that he is showing more concern for Absalom than for all those that Absalom put in danger and putting his son above all who had fought for David. Absalom had made his own choices, just as anyone who chooses not to follow God suffers the consequences. David has the responsibility to follow the Lord and look after the welfare of the nation of Israel as his top priorities.

As Christians our most important priority is to do the will of the Lord, this makes us all the children of God. As Jesus told us in;

MATTHEW 12:47-50

47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."

48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"

49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!

50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

II SAMUEL 19:9-14

9 Now all the people were in a dispute throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "The king saved us from the hand of our enemies, he delivered us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled from the land because of Absalom.

10 "But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now therefore, why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?"

11 So King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, "Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have come to the king, to his very house?

12 'You are my brethren, you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?'

13 "And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me continually in place of Joab.'"

14 So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, just as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word to the king: "Return, you and all your servants!"

Sometimes your family can be the hardest ones to ask forgiveness of or receive forgiveness from, usually because they are the closest to your heart and usually they have watched you grow up from childhood. As Christians our families can be the most difficult to witness to, it can be much easier to witness to a total stranger. A stranger doesn’t know you and can’t hurt your heart like a family member. But we must forgive each other. We are one family in Jesus Christ, we are to encourage each other, and help those weaker in faith than ourselves.

JOHN 13:34-35

34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

David might have removed Joab as head of the army because of his murder of Absalom.

II SAMUEL 19:15-23

15 Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king across the Jordan.

16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

17 There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over the Jordan before the king.

18 Then a ferryboat went across to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. Now Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king when he had crossed the Jordan.

19 Then he said to the king, "Do not let my lord impute iniquity to me, or remember what wrong your servant did on the day that my lord the king left Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart.

20 "For I, your servant, know that I have sinned. Therefore here I am, the first to come today of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king."

21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, "Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?"

22 And David said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be adversaries to me today? Shall any man be put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?"

23 Therefore the king said to Shimei, "You shall not die." And the king swore to him.

Shimei repented of his sin and asked forgiveness, and David, mindful of Joab’s earlier words showed mercy to him. Shimei brought 1,000 men of Benjamin (Saul’s tribe) with him to show the loyalty of the men of Benjamin to him.

II SAMUEL 19:24-30

24 Now Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had not cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he returned in peace.

25 So it was, when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?"

26 And he answered, "My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, 'I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go to the king,' because your servant is lame.

27 "And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king, but my lord the king is like the angel of God. Therefore do what is good in your eyes.

28 "For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to cry out anymore to the king?"

29 So the king said to him, "Why do you speak anymore of your matters? I have said, 'You and Ziba divide the land.'"

30 Then Mephibosheth said to the king, "Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house."

Mephibosheth by his appearance and words showed the treachery of Ziba who had slandered Mephibosheth to David when David was fleeing Jerusalem. David, being uncertain of the matter, divided the possessions of Saul’s house between them. Mephibosheth showed his loyalty to David by being willing to give it all up to see David safe.

II SAMUEL 19:31-40

31 And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim and went across the Jordan with the king, to escort him across the Jordan.

32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And he had provided the king with supplies while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man.

33 And the king said to Barzillai, "Come across with me, and I will provide for you while you are with me in Jerusalem."

34 But Barzillai said to the king, "How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

35 "I am today eighty years old. Can I discern between the good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any longer the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king?

36 "Your servant will go a little way across the Jordan with the king. And why should the king repay me with such a reward?

37 "Please let your servant turn back again, that I may die in my own city, near the grave of my father and mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him cross over with my lord the king, and do for him what seems good to you."

38 And the king answered, "Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems good to you. Now whatever you request of me, I will do for you."

39 Then all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had crossed over, the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own place.

40 Now the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. And all the people of Judah escorted the king, and also half the people of Israel.

David justly wanted to reward Barzillai for helping him in his time of need. However I’m sure David understood that Barzillai wanted to spend the remainder of his life surrounded by his family in his own home. For his time he was considered to be ancient as most people died before they were 60 years old. Barzillai was probably mostly deaf and his sense of taste was dulled. He was happy in his own city and wanted to die in his own country.

II SAMUEL 19:41-43

41 Just then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, "Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king, his household, and all David's men with him across the Jordan?"

42 So all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "Because the king is a close relative of ours. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we ever eaten at the king's expense? Or has he given us any gift?"

43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, "We have ten shares in the king; therefore we also have more right to David than you. Why then do you despise us were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?" Yet the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

David was the ruler of all Israel, yet Israel and Judah were squabbling over who had the greatest bond and kinship in David.

II SAMUEL 20:1-3

1 And there happened to be there a rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: "We have no share in David, nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!"

2 So every man of Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem, remained loyal to their king.

3 Now David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in seclusion and supported them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up to the day of their death, living in widowhood.

The concubines were ritually defiled by Absalom and were considered to be “unclean”. As concubines they were fed, clothed and had the benefits of marriage, but were not actually married, therefore could not inherit property upon the death of their “husbands”.

II SAMUEL 20:4-6

4 And the king said to Amasa, "Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself."

5 So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him.

6 And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he find for himself fortified cities, and escape us."

David realized that he needed to strike Sheba hard and fast before his rebellion grew.

II SAMUEL 20:7-14

7 So Joab's men, with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men, went out after him. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

8 When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now Joab was dressed in battle armor; on it was a belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his hips; and as he was going forward, it fell out.

9 Then Joab said to Amasa, "Are you in health, my brother?" And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

10 But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab's hand. And he struck him with it in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.

11 Meanwhile one of Joab's men stood near Amasa, and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David follow Joab!"

12 But Amasa wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him, when he saw that everyone who came upon him halted.

13 When he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

14 And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel and Beth Maachah and all the Berites. So they were gathered together and also went after Sheba.

Joab was very angry that David had given Amasa the job as commander of the army and was determined to get that title back, even if it meant treacherously murdering Amasa. Joab knew with Amasa out of the way the army would follow him as they had for many years.

II SAMUEL 20:15

15 Then they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maachah; and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood by the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall to throw it down.

In ancient times siege mounds were erected around city walls to shut the inhabitants in (depriving them of supplies from without), and to allow arrows and heavy stones to be shot into the city. Siege towers filled with soldiers were rolled up the mound to the walls, allowing attacking soldiers to climb inside the city walls. It also allowed battering rams to break through the walls of a city so soldiers could assault the city through the breaches.

Because of this, many cities built an inner wall and filled the space between them with rubble and dirt to absorb the force of the battering rams and keep attackers from breaking through.      

II SAMUEL 20:16-26

16 Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, 'Come nearby, that I may speak with you.'"

17 When he had come near to her, the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your maidservant." And he answered, "I am listening."

18 So she spoke, saying, "They used to talk in former times, saying, 'They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,' and so they would end disputes.

19 "I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?"

20 And Joab answered and said, "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy!

21 "That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city." So the woman said to Joab, "Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall."

22 Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

23 And Joab was over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;

24 Adoram was in charge of revenue; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

25 Sheva was scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were the priests;

26 and Ira the Jairite was a chief minister under David.

This woman thought Joab had come to destroy the city, but when Joab explained his purpose she figured that beheading Sheba for treason was better than having hercity destroyed and its people killed.

II SAMUEL 21:1-14

1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites."

2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; the children of Israel had sworn protection to them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.

3 Therefore David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

4 And the Gibeonites said to him, "We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us." So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."

5 Then they answered the king, "As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories of Israel,

6 "let seven men of his descendants be delivered to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD chose." And the king said, "I will give them."

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite;

9 and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So they fell, all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

10 Now Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

11 And David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

12 Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, after the Philistines had struck down Saul in Gilboa.

13 So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there; and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.

14 They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.

In the book of Joshua, the inhabitants of Gibeon, a royal Canaanite city, were frightened of Israel hearing what Joshua had done to Jericho, a powerful, fortified, walled city, and they were afraid that Joshua would destroy them too (Joshua, chapter 9).

So they sent men with old, torn clothing, worn sandals, and moldy bread who pretended to be from a distant country and asked Joshua to make a covenant with them as allies. Joshua and Israel agreed without consulting the Lord and later found out that they were Gibeonites. However as he had sworn an oath to them, he did not destroy them but madethem perpetual servants to Israel.

Saul had broken this covenant, therefore the Lord afflicted Israel with drought and famine to bring attention to the issue.

Notice that David went to the Lord and then waited upon Him, and that the Lord didn’t make David break his oath to Jonathan. The execution of Saul’s descendants further weakened the house of Saul.

II SAMUEL 21:15-22

15 When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint.

16 Then Ishbi-Benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David.

17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."

18 Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant.

19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20 Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant.

21 So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Ishbi-benob was one of the descendants of Anak, mentioned in Numbers as a giant. The spies that Joshua sent into Canaan reported;

NUMBERS 13:33

33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Ishbi-bnob’s spearhead weighed about 7 pounds (3.1 kg) and as the Philistines knew how to smelt iron was probably made from cast-iron. This also shows the enormous strength of the giants. Anthropologists believe that these giants were slow and clumsy, but the fact that they were warriors tends to disprove this theory.

David was getting old by this time and his strength failed him in the battle. His men forbid him to fight any more lest he be killed and Israel become disheartened, or even worse, descend into civil war.

II SAMUEL 22:1-19

1 Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

2 And he said: "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

3 the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.

4 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

5 "When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears.

8 "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because He was angry.

9 Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it.

10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down with darkness under His feet.

11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew; and He was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness canopies around Him, dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled.

14 "The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.

15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

16 Then the channels of the sea were seen, the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

17 "He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.

Nothing and nobody can protect us like the Lord! It sounds as if God caused a thunderstorm to stop Saul’s pursuit of David, much as God did to to Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite forces of Hazor. Sisera’s army had heavy iron chariots and a massive storm caused the chariots to bog down and the river Kishon flooded sweeping his troops away. (Judges chapter 5).

When Joshua was pursuing the Amorites in Canaan, Scripture records;

JOSHUA 10:11

11 And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

II SAMUEL 22:20-51

20 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

21 "The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

25 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes.

26 "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

27 with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

28 You will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.

29 "For You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD shall enlighten my darkness.

30 For by You I can run against a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall.

31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 "For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?

33 God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.

35 He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You enlarged my path under me; so my feet did not slip.

38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.

40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued under me those who rose against me.

41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me.

42 They looked, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

43 Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, and I spread them out.

44 "You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me.

45 The foreigners submit to me; as soon as they hear, they obey me.

46 The foreigners fade away, and come frightened from their hideouts.

47 "The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, the Rock of my salvation!

48 It is God who avenges me, and subdues the peoples under me;

49 He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.

50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name.

51 "He is the tower of salvation to His king, and shows mercy to His anointed, to David and his descendants forevermore."

David praises and extols the virtues of God, and reiterates the blessings of those who trust and believe in Him. God is greater than all things and is alone worthy of glory, worship and praise.

II SAMUEL 23:1-5

1 Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; thus says the man raised up on high,

the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

4 And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain.'

5 "Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; will He not make it increase?

God tells David the traits of a good ruler. David acknowledges that his household doesn’t measure up, but he knows that with God all things are possible. Just like Jesus told us in;

MARK 10:27

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

II SAMUEL 23:6-7

6 But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands.

7 But the man who touches them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place."

Rebellion, especially against God and His chosen rulers must be destroyed. As Samuel told Saul in;

I SAMUEL 15:22-23

22 So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

God destroyed both Saul and his house for his disobedience and rebellion against the Lord.

II SAMUEL 23:8-17

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time.

9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated.

10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder.

11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.

12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15 And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

16 So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD.

17 And he said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

These men were mighty indeed, considering their deeds!! David learned a powerful lesson, realizing these three men could have died because he asked for something so trivial. Think of the consequences before you ask!

II SAMUEL 23:18-39

18 Now Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three.

19 Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.

20 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

21 And he killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.

22 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men.

23 He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite), Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,

30 Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,

31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the sons of Jashen), Jonathan,

33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,

34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah),

38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39 and Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

This is an “honor roll” of the top 37 men in David’s army, brave men who fought for Israel and the Lord.

II SAMUEL 24:1-10

1 Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah."

2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people."

3 And Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?"

4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

5 And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer.

6 Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon;

7 and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba.

8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

It is unknown as to what sin David and Israel were guilty of before the Lord, but the book of Chronicles says that God allowed Satan to have David number all Israel, which would have puffed up David’s pride;

I CHRONICLES 21:1-2

1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it."

David in his desire for exaltation of himself through the number fighting men available for his army, forgot that all battles belong to the Lord. David had already been successful in many battles where he was extremely out numbered, but the Lord had gone before David and the battle had been won by and for the Lord. Joab tried to get David to rethink the census by questioning David’s motives.

Power and pride have seduced many people, and this was also a big part of Satan’s fall from Heaven. The following Scripture is known as Satan’s 5 “I will” statements;

ISAIAH 14:12-14

12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!

13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'

Lucifer was so blinded by his own pride and glory, he sinned in that he thought that he, a created being, was equal to his Creator and was worthy of worship. As a result, he was thrown out of Heaven and his name was changed to Satan (Hebrew: ‘Adversary’; ‘Accuser’).

We as Christians must be on our guard against this. The best way to do this is to be humble before the Lord in all things. As Jesus taught us in;

MATTHEW 18:4

4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

And;

MATTHEW 23:11-12

11 "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

As Christians, we are given power to fight Satan;

JAMES 4:6-7

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Note that David immediately humbles himself before the Lord to repent. Remember, even though Jesus forgives us when we truly repent with all of our heart, there are still consequences to pay for our actions. Just as there is a cost to following Jesus, there is a cost to not following Him. You must choose carefully, as the cost for not following Him with all your heart is very great indeed!

II SAMUEL 24:11-14

11 Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

12 "Go and tell David, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you."'"

13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, "Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me."

14 And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

God held both David and all Israel accountablefor the sin(s) that had angered Him. He doesn’t lightly punish men for sin, nor does He do it on a whim, so the whole nation was guilty before Him.. God also doesn’t always give us the choice of what the cost to our actions will be, so this must have been a terrible choice for David to make. David chose the plague for 3 days and prayed for the mercies of the Lord on His people.

When we pray for the mercy of the Lord, it is at His discretion as to when and how much mercy He chooses to show us. Spiritually, the greatest mercy the Lord has ever done was when Jesus Christ died for all of our sins and saved us from an eternity in the Lake of Fire and then invited us to live forever with Him in Heaven.

II SAMUEL 24:15-18

15 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.

16 And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house."

18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

David was willing to accept responsibility for the sins of the nation before the Lord, but God’s punishment had been leveled already.

II SAMUEL 24:19-25

19 So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.

20 Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

21 Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."

22 Now Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.

23 "All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you."

24 Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

25 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

The book of Chronicles adds detail to the story;

I CHRONICLES 21:19-22

19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD.

20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat.

21 So David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground.

22 Then David said to Ornan, "Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the LORD. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people."

David understood that the offering to the Lord must cost him something. Offering to the Lord something that costs another instead of you (the person offering the sacrifice) is like offering to pay for a meal, then using someone else’s money to pay for it. David had to give of himself to the Lord.

Similarly, we as Christians must have our own individual relationship with the Lord. I can pray for you, but all decisions between you and the Lord MUST be made of your own free will, because you will be the one to live with the consequences (good or bad) of your decisions. 

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? E-MAIL: watchmen_777@yahoo.com

RETURN TO BIBLE BOOK MENU

RETURN TO MAIN MENU