Today began the second book of Samuel which continues following the story of David, and leading up to his reign over Israel; after the death of Saul.
* The narrative thread of 1 Samuel is continued. 1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book. The author is unknown,
After David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, a man came to tell him the news of Saul’s death. David asked the young man how he knew of this information, and the man replied that he saw Saul leaning on his spear and the chariots and horsemen were upon him. Saul was still alive and asked the man to kill him because he was in anguish. The man did as Saul had asked and killed him. He took Saul’s crown and armlet to David.
*The man’s story conflicts with 1 Samuel 31:3-6, where Saul is depicted as taking his own life. It appears that the man fabricated this version of Saul’s death, expecting David to reward him. His miscalculation of David’s response cost him his life.
Then David and all the men who were with him, mourned and wept for Saul. They fasted until the evening for Saul and Jonathan because they had fallen by the sword.
David then asked the man why he wasn’t afraid to tell him he had killed Saul even though Saul was the Lord’s anointed. David called one of his men and had the young man executed and said, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.'”
David lamented over Saul and Jonathan his son, as a common practice in the ancient Near East to compose laments for fallen leaders and/or heroes.
After this David inquired of the Lord as to whether he should go to any of the cities in Judah. The Lord told him to go to Hebron, an old and important city centrally located in the tribe of Judah.
*Even though Saul was dead and David had many friends and contacts among the people of his own tribe, David did not presume to return from Philistine territory to assume the kingship promised to him without first seeking the Lord’s guidance.
So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took his men with him and everyone with his households, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
*David had previously been anointed privately by Samuel in the presence of his own family. Here the anointing ceremony was repeated as a public recognition by his own tribe of his divine calling to be king, over the house of Judah.
But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and made him king. He was forty years old when he began his reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years.
But the house of Judah followed David. David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.
At one point, Abner and the men of Ish-bosheth went to Gibeon. Joab and David’s men went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool and the other group sat on the other side.
Abner said to Joab, David’s military leader, to have some of the men fight hand to hand in front of them. So they each counted off twelve men. Each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together.
The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s men.
*Since the the representative combat of the twelve men was indecisive, a full-scale battle ensued in which David’s forces were victorious. The attempt to use representative combat to avoid the decimation of civil war failed.
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel started chasing Abner. Abner told him to stop chasing him and fight one of the young men, he didn’t want to have to explain killing him to his brother Joab.
But Asahel refused to give up his pursuit, so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died.
Then Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. Abner eventually turned and spoke to them asking, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?”
*Abner proposed an armistice as a means of avoiding the awful consequences of civil war.
So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. For the present the open conflict ceased, but the hostility remained.
Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. But David’s men killed three hundred and sixty of those who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night to return to Hebron.
The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
*It went on to list the sons born to David in Hebron to give evidence of the strengthening of David’s house in contrast to that of Saul. The six sons were each born of a different mother, indirectly informing that Saul married four additional wives.
**The writer does not offer any direct criticism of this polygamous practice, which conflicts with Dt. 17:17, but lets the disastrous results in David’s family life speak for themselves as the book continues.
Sons born to David in Hebron
- Amnon, son of Ahinoam of Jezreel
- Chileab, son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel
- Absalom, son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur
- Adonijah, son of Haggith
- Shephatiah, son of Abital
- Ithream, of Eglah David’s wife
While there was war between the house of Saul and David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, and Ish-bosheth asked Abner why he had taken his father’s concubine.
*Ish-bosheth suspects that Abner’s act was part of a conspiracy to seize the kingship. Great significance was attached to taking the concubine of a former king.
Abner became very angry, and Ish-bosheth did not say another word because he was afraid of him.
Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, asking whose land it was and that he wanted to make an agreement; and Abner would hep bring all Israel over to David.
*Abner was the real power behind the throne
**This was most likely a rhetorical question that presumed that the land belonged either to Abner or to David. Abner wanted assurance that he would fave no reprisals for his past loyalty to the house of Saul.
David said that he would make an agreement with him, but he demanded that Abner not come into his presence unless he brought Michal, Saul’s daughter, with him.
Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth demanding him to give him his wife Michal who was betrothed to him for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.
Ish-bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel. But her husband went with her, and wept after her all the way.
Then Abner conferred with the elders of Israel saying, “You wanted to make David your king, then do it already!” Abner also went to David with twenty men and said, “Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
Just then David’s men and Joab returned. When Joab learned that Abner was just there and David let him go he was confused. He told David that Abner was only there to deceive him and observe his movements and find out everything he was doing.
*Remember Abner killed Joab’s brother…
Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back. But David did not know it. When Abner returned, Joab took him aside to “speak privately” and there he stabbed him in the stomach to avenge his brother’s death, and Abner died.
Later when David heard of this, he said that himself and the kingdom were forever innocent in the blood of Abner. Then he cursed Joab’s house, and they mourned the death of Abner.
All came and urged David to eat but he refused; and he continued to fast for Abner until the sun set. When the people saw this, they were pleased and knew that David had no part in the murder of Abner.
Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”