T H E L I F E O F D A V I D
T H E L I F E OF D A V I D Chapter ELEVEN David, King of Judah
2 Samuel 2:4 “And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.”
Introduction and Overview of Second Samuel Second Samuel records the establishment of the Davidic throne and the expansion of Israel under God's blessing. The book opens by David learning of Saul’s and Johnathan's death, and his great sorrow over the loss of his best friend, and the LORD's anointed king. The Lord then establishes David over the tribe of Judah (2:4) and finally unites the whole nation under one monarch (5:3). The first ten chapters show David's victories in battle, his love for the people, compassion toward the sick and poor, and his righteousness in God’s sight. We witness David dancing before the Lord in the streets of Jerusalem when the ark of the covenant is brought back home (6:12–16), and meet the crippled son of Jonathan called Mephibosheth, to whom David extended grace, “for Jonathan's sake” (9:7). In all these ways, we see David as a type of Christ, and the foretold expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven under the gospel of the Messiah. Yet we cannot overlook the great sins David committed as a fallen man. From chapter 11 onward, we witness the murderous scandal of David’s adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1–27), and the series of tragedies that flowed from it: their child’s death (12:18), the rape of David’s daughter Tamar’s by his son Amnon (13:1–39), Amnon’s murder (13:28–30), David’s own political overthrow by his son Absalom (15:1–37), and Absalom’s death (18:1–33). Despite the great sorrow of his closing years, David enjoyed the Lord’s forgiveness and favor. his genuine sorrow and regret over his many sins, revealed a truly repentant heart (Psalm 25; 51), with which the Lord was pleased. David's experiences are full of solemn instruction for the believing soul. They serve as an experimental model of the people of God. Chastened and restored, we find much of the fodder of David's meditations which were put in prose in the Psalms, the Divine Hymnal of the Church of all ages. Chapter One 1. Read 1 Samuel 31:5, and compare it to 2 Samuel 1:2-10. What do you make of the 2 different accounts of the same event regarding the death of Saul? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________. Amalekites were the descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, Jacob's brother. The Amalekites were notorious for two sinful characteristics: cruelty and cowardice. In every story in which an Amalekite is involved, the reader witnesses this extraordinarily evil. In Exodus 17:8, we are told that the Amalekites "fought with Israel in Rephidim", and that the Lord swore He would "have war with Amalek from 28
T H E L I F E OF D A V I D generation to generation" (v.16). So the problem David encounters in this chapter is the result of great disobedience on Israel's part hundreds of years before. What does this tell us about how the Lord views sin and disobedience? ____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________. In reading verses 19-27 we find some of the most touching and poetic words ever recorded in the Word of God. It was intended to be a testimony to the memory of Saul, whom he remembers as the LORD's anointed. His bravery and military might are celebrated, and his faults are set aside. It is not enough for David to forget; he also loves to remember. What does this tell us about the character of David? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________. Chapter 1 Practical Lessons The first thing we see here is that the Amalekite silently observed David's grief without understanding its meaning. With a false sense of sorrow and a dramatic display, he thought he had fooled the king. Then David asked, "Whence art thou?"; one of the many searching questions of this book. When the searching questions come, like the Amalekite, our words may quickly betray us. We can be sure that our sins will find us out. There is no covering ourselves or escaping the One who sees all, no matter how well plan, or how detailed our lie. In this life, or the next, sin will be punished unless Christ has borne the penalty. We must do the opposite of this Amalekite, and confess all to Christ when we betray Him by our sin. We also learn from the character of David that the faults of our enemies should never be exposed without reason. It is often best that our enemies sins die with them, unless duty requires otherwise. David proved that if we cannot respect the person in authority, we must respect the office (Rom. 13:7). If in the past, David had grieved by unjust acts and hatred, he has let his pain die with Saul. Let death wipe away all offenses committed against us, and if we must speak about our enemies, we should take David as our example and speak with commendation, not condemnation. Lastly we see that David's anguish over Jonathan is unbounded. Oh how the tender heart of the son of Jesse love of his friend. And here we can't help but see how these words bear the sweet odor of the heart of Christ toward his own. “I have called you friends,” He says to his disciples who were at the point of either denying or abandoning Him. We see here why David is the prophetic Christ, who, "having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." John 13:1. Chapter 2 David had paid his respects to the memory of Saul his king and Jonathan his friend. What he said with his poetically Davidic voice, was as much his praise as theirs. Now David is considering what is to be done next. Saul is dead, now David arises, first by being anointed king at Hebron (2:1-4), second by returning thanks to the men of Jabesh-Gilead for burying Saul(2:5-7, and third, by behaving kingly while 29
T H E L I F E OF D A V I D Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was set up in opposition to him (2:8-11). What happens next is the first civil war in Israel. An encounter happens between David's men and Ishbosheth's, in which, twelve of each side engaged in hand to hand battle where all slain (2Sa_2:12-16). In process of time, this brought about the complete settlement of David on the throne. 1. Can you name David’s two wives who moved with David and his men to live in the cities of Hebron? 2. How old was Ishbosheth when Abner made him king over Israel? 3. How many years was Ishbosheth king over Israel? 4. How many years was David king over Judah in Hebron? 5. How many men did Abner lose in the conflict with Joab at Gibeon? 6. How many men did Joab lose in the conflict with Abner at Gibeon? Chapter 2 Practical Lessons Although David had been promised the kingdom, he did not try and establish it on his own. He was willing to be guided by the LORD's will as to both time and manner. It reminds us, "He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isaiah 28:16). By David's example we are reminded that in all of life's dealings, hopes, and fears, we must seek for the will of God by faith and prayer. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path"(Proverbs 3:6). We ought to be sickened at the brutality of the battle between Abner and Joab, and the sport made of life and death. War and conflict should not be sought after, but only used as a last resort. If we love our country, our Church, and our family, and our neighbor as ourself, let us use the best means possible to advance the principle of peace with all men, and look to that perfect day, "when they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
For Next TIme Read 2 Samuel 5 & 6. Read A.W. Pink's corresponding chapters
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2 Samuel 2:4 “And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.”
Introduction and Overview of Second Samuel Second Samuel records the establishment of the Davidic throne and the expansion of Israel under God's blessing. The book opens by David learning of Saul’s and Johnathan's death, and his great sorrow over the loss of his best friend, and the LORD's anointed king. The Lord then establishes David over the tribe of Judah (2:4) and finally unites the whole nation under one monarch (5:3). The first ten chapters show David's victories in battle, his love for the people, compassion toward the sick and poor, and his righteousness in God’s sight. We witness David dancing before the Lord in the streets of Jerusalem when the ark of the covenant is brought back home (6:12–16), and meet the crippled son of Jonathan called Mephibosheth, to whom David extended grace, “for Jonathan's sake” (9:7). In all these ways, we see David as a type of Christ, and the foretold expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven under the gospel of the Messiah. Yet we cannot overlook the great sins David committed as a fallen man. From chapter 11 onward, we witness the murderous scandal of David’s adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1–27), and the series of tragedies that flowed from it: their child’s death (12:18), the rape of David’s daughter Tamar’s by his son Amnon (13:1–39), Amnon’s murder (13:28–30), David’s own political overthrow by his son Absalom (15:1–37), and Absalom’s death (18:1–33). Despite the great sorrow of his closing years, David enjoyed the Lord’s forgiveness and favor. his genuine sorrow and regret over his many sins, revealed a truly repentant heart (Psalm 25; 51), with which the Lord was pleased. David's experiences are full of solemn instruction for the believing soul. They serve as an experimental model of the people of God. Chastened and restored, we find much of the fodder of David's meditations which were put in prose in the Psalms, the Divine Hymnal of the Church of all ages. Chapter One 1. Read 1 Samuel 31:5, and compare it to 2 Samuel 1:2-10. What do you make of the 2 different accounts of the same event regarding the death of Saul? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________. Amalekites were the descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau, Jacob's brother. The Amalekites were notorious for two sinful characteristics: cruelty and cowardice. In every story in which an Amalekite is involved, the reader witnesses this extraordinarily evil. In Exodus 17:8, we are told that the Amalekites "fought with Israel in Rephidim", and that the Lord swore He would "have war with Amalek from 28
T H E L I F E OF D A V I D generation to generation" (v.16). So the problem David encounters in this chapter is the result of great disobedience on Israel's part hundreds of years before. What does this tell us about how the Lord views sin and disobedience? ____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________. In reading verses 19-27 we find some of the most touching and poetic words ever recorded in the Word of God. It was intended to be a testimony to the memory of Saul, whom he remembers as the LORD's anointed. His bravery and military might are celebrated, and his faults are set aside. It is not enough for David to forget; he also loves to remember. What does this tell us about the character of David? ____________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________. Chapter 1 Practical Lessons The first thing we see here is that the Amalekite silently observed David's grief without understanding its meaning. With a false sense of sorrow and a dramatic display, he thought he had fooled the king. Then David asked, "Whence art thou?"; one of the many searching questions of this book. When the searching questions come, like the Amalekite, our words may quickly betray us. We can be sure that our sins will find us out. There is no covering ourselves or escaping the One who sees all, no matter how well plan, or how detailed our lie. In this life, or the next, sin will be punished unless Christ has borne the penalty. We must do the opposite of this Amalekite, and confess all to Christ when we betray Him by our sin. We also learn from the character of David that the faults of our enemies should never be exposed without reason. It is often best that our enemies sins die with them, unless duty requires otherwise. David proved that if we cannot respect the person in authority, we must respect the office (Rom. 13:7). If in the past, David had grieved by unjust acts and hatred, he has let his pain die with Saul. Let death wipe away all offenses committed against us, and if we must speak about our enemies, we should take David as our example and speak with commendation, not condemnation. Lastly we see that David's anguish over Jonathan is unbounded. Oh how the tender heart of the son of Jesse love of his friend. And here we can't help but see how these words bear the sweet odor of the heart of Christ toward his own. “I have called you friends,” He says to his disciples who were at the point of either denying or abandoning Him. We see here why David is the prophetic Christ, who, "having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." John 13:1. Chapter 2 David had paid his respects to the memory of Saul his king and Jonathan his friend. What he said with his poetically Davidic voice, was as much his praise as theirs. Now David is considering what is to be done next. Saul is dead, now David arises, first by being anointed king at Hebron (2:1-4), second by returning thanks to the men of Jabesh-Gilead for burying Saul(2:5-7, and third, by behaving kingly while 29
T H E L I F E OF D A V I D Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, was set up in opposition to him (2:8-11). What happens next is the first civil war in Israel. An encounter happens between David's men and Ishbosheth's, in which, twelve of each side engaged in hand to hand battle where all slain (2Sa_2:12-16). In process of time, this brought about the complete settlement of David on the throne. 1. Can you name David’s two wives who moved with David and his men to live in the cities of Hebron? 2. How old was Ishbosheth when Abner made him king over Israel? 3. How many years was Ishbosheth king over Israel? 4. How many years was David king over Judah in Hebron? 5. How many men did Abner lose in the conflict with Joab at Gibeon? 6. How many men did Joab lose in the conflict with Abner at Gibeon? Chapter 2 Practical Lessons Although David had been promised the kingdom, he did not try and establish it on his own. He was willing to be guided by the LORD's will as to both time and manner. It reminds us, "He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isaiah 28:16). By David's example we are reminded that in all of life's dealings, hopes, and fears, we must seek for the will of God by faith and prayer. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path"(Proverbs 3:6). We ought to be sickened at the brutality of the battle between Abner and Joab, and the sport made of life and death. War and conflict should not be sought after, but only used as a last resort. If we love our country, our Church, and our family, and our neighbor as ourself, let us use the best means possible to advance the principle of peace with all men, and look to that perfect day, "when they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).
For Next TIme Read 2 Samuel 5 & 6. Read A.W. Pink's corresponding chapters
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