(The previous post covered David's first actions as king: having the Amalekite killed that claimed to have killed Saul and David becoming king over a united Israel.)
2 Samuel 4
1 And when Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.
2 And Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin:
3 and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been sojourners there until this day).
(Abner was Saul's/Israel's General. It caused Ish-bosheth, acting king of Israel, a lot of stress when his General left him for David and was subsequently killed.)
4 Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
(Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, was "lame of his feet." Mephibosheth will be an important piece to the second Covenant David made with Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20 when:
1) Jonathan promised to tell David any negative response from Saul and,
2) David promised to take care of Jonathan's family.)
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, as he took his rest at noon.
6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
7 Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life; and Jehovah hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.
(Rechab and Baanah brought Ish-bosheth's head to David. David was avenged of Saul's son. Verse 2 above stated that Rechab and Baanah were "of the children of Benjamin." These men were from the same tribe as Saul. Was this God’s vengeance or man’s?)
9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As Jehovah liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
10 when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his tidings.
11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?
12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.
(It was man's vengeance. David compared this killing to the Amalekite who told him that he killed Saul. David stated these people thought that David was going to reward them good for the evil they had done just like the Amalekite thought he would be rewarded. David commanded his men to kill the two men who killed Saul's son Ish-bosheth. David recognized Ish-bosheth as a righteous man. Clearly these two men, Rechab and Baanah, did not understand the man that David was.)
2 Samuel 5
(This chapter covered David being made king over a unified Israel.)
1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt be shepherd of my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah: and they anointed David king over Israel.
(The elders of Israel recognized that even while Saul was king, David was a leader to them. David was anointed King of Israel.)
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
(If David was anointed king by Samuel at about 15-20 years old, it took him 10-15 years for that anointing to be official. Along the way, David never sought out the throne as a cause. David sought out God, and his faith in God was proven every time David waited on the Lord for this position of authority.)
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither; thinking, David cannot come in hither.
(Jerusalem was still inhabited by Jebusites who were Canaanites. The Jebusites mocked David and his troops, essentially saying, "even the blind and the lame could defeat you.")
7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.
("Zion" and "the city of David" were other names for Jerusalem.)
8 And David said on that day, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and smite the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul. Wherefore they say, There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house.
(David encouraged his men to defeat the Jebusites who David called "lame" and "blind.")
9 And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
10 And David waxed greater and greater; for Jehovah, the God of hosts, was with him.
(The defeat of the Jebusites in Jerusalem was complete. So much so that David called the name of the city: the city of David.)
11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.
12 And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.
(David perceived that God had established him King of Israel because he grew greater and greater because God was with him. Notice, another king from another nation was sending gifts to David, trying to gain his favor.)
13 And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
14 And these are the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
(David took even more concubines and wives. Notice, Solomon was mentioned. He was born in Jerusalem, but we have not covered the circumstances of his birth.)
15 and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
16 and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.
(Verses 17-25: David has another conflict with the Philistines, this time as King of Israel.)
17 And when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold.
18 Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
19 And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said unto David, Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy hand.
(Now that David was King of Israel, he would fight against the Philistines. He took counsel from God before doing this. The counsel was for the benefit of Israel.)
20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said, Jehovah hath broken mine enemies before me, like the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.
(Baal-perazim meant "lord of the breaks." The defeat was so overwhelming, it was like a breakthrough of water.)
21 And they left their images there; and David and his men took them away.
22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
23 And when David inquired of Jehovah, he said, Thou shalt not go up: make a circuit behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees.
(God is a master of strategy. This time, God directed David to go behind the Philistines.)
24 And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is Jehovah gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.
(God gave David a sign for when to attack: when David heard the Philistines marching on the mulberry-trees. "Mulberry-trees," also called balsam-trees, were a type of shrub which dripped sap when cut and would have been easy for soldiers to trample with their feet.)
25 And David did so, as Jehovah commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gezer.
2 Samuel 6
(Psalm 132 is often associated with the events of this chapter.)
1 And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale-judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of Jehovah of hosts that sitteth above the cherubim.
(David and all the chosen men (30,000) went to fetch the Ark of the Covenant.)
(Similar to the term "select" or "elect" in the New Testament, the term "chosen" referred to the quality of these men. They weren't excellent men because they were chosen, they were chosen because they were excellent men. It is easy for people to abuse the Principle of Causality here and it damages the correct interpretation of scripture:
-Cause: "choice" men
-Effect: were "chosen." )
3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in 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 in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
5 And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah with all manner of instruments made of fir-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and with cymbals.
(David and the house of Israel played music to God. Remember, David was an amazing musician. Also, David was not allowed to go into the house of God because he was the tenth generation from a bastard (Ruth 4:18-22). So, this would be the closest he would ever get to the Ark of the Covenant.)
6 And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled.
7 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
(Uzzah touched the Ark in an attempt to prevent the Ark from falling and God killed him.)
8 And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzzah; and he called that place Perez-uzzah, unto this day.
(David was "displeased" because God had killed someone who was trying to help however, this was done in response to Justice. Perez-uzzah meant "breach of Uzza.")
9 And David was afraid of Jehovah that day; and he said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come unto me?
10 So David would not remove the ark of Jehovah unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
11 And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house.
(David was afraid to take the Ark to the city of David so he left it at the house of Obed-edom. Just the presence of the Ark in his home caused Obed-edom and his house to be blessed by God.)
12 And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy.
(Obed-edom being blessed must have caused David to not be afraid of the Ark and/or intensely desire the Ark so all of his kingdom would be blessed.)
13 And it was so, that, when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
(David commanded an excessive amount of sacrifices to ensure the how/why of transporting the Ark was right. 1 Chronicles 15:11-15 recorded David's command for the priests to carry the Ark the right way.)
14 And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
(David danced before God. Once again, he was wearing priestly garments.)
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 And it was so, as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart.
(David’s wife, Michal, despised David because he was dancing. It may not have appeared to be the "kingly" way to act but David cared more about worshipping the Lord than he did about how he looked.)
17 And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.
18 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts.
19 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a portion of flesh, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed every one to his house.
(David facilitated everyone present into a worship experience, fellowship, and breaking of bread.)
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 to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
21 And David said unto Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: therefore will I play before Jehovah.
(David responded well to Michal's emotional attacks. David was not focused on appearance while he danced and he said he will play before God.)
22 And I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids of whom thou hast spoken, of them shall I be had in honor.
23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
(Michal did not have any children. Was she barren? Did despising David cause this? Did God close up her womb?)
(This post covered David's formal anointing as King of Israel and David bringing the Ark back to Israel.)
Day 90
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