The Right Response: 2 Samuel 2:1-11

1.David’s submissive response
1After this David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 2 Samuel 2:1-3 (ESV)

5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 (ESV)

We are not to advance ourselves ahead of others, but allow others a leading place until God should see fit to move us up (see Lk. 14:8-10).

Scores of Jesus' disciples find most of their labor is done in a 'Hebron stage' in which they see little of the power and the glory. But as long as they know God reigns (Eph. 1:19b-21), they are content.

David’s Hebron phase called for a patient faith that waited on the promises of God.

 2. Judah’s submissive response
4And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 2 Samuel 2:4 (ESV)

3. David’s conciliatory response
4And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” 5David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. 6Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. 7Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.” 2 Samuel 2:4-7 (ESV)

9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

Two words that are often found together in the Bible’s descriptions of God’s ways: he is “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” comprehend all that we could desire from and ask of God. Exodus 34:6; Matthew 10:34-39

4. Abner’s defiant response
8But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, 9and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. 10Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 11And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 2 Samuel 2:8-11 (ESV)

20And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 1 Samuel 24:20 (ESV); 2 Samuel 3:18

While Mahanaim (which means “two camps”) may not be as weighty with memories as Hebron, it was named by Jacob when he met angels on his way to his reunion with Esau (Genesis 32:2) and divided the company who were with him into “two camps” (Genesis 32:7, 10). There is some irony in Abner’s choice of Mahanaim. He was again dividing the people of Israel into “two camps.” Zechariah 4:10

Grief 101: 2 Samuel 1:17-27

1.The Structure of David’s Grief
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,                              2 Samuel 1:17 (ESV)

A lament is a formal expression of grief or distress. One that can be written, read, learned, practiced or repeated.

2. The Teaching of David’s Grief
18and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said: 2 Samuel 1:18 (ESV)

‘Bow' is the title of David's lament, named appropriately, in memory of Jonathan's weapon     (v. 22) and gift (1 Sam. 18:4).

David intends the lament as part of the peoples’ motivational military training. The place of Gilboa was not the last time Israel would fight Philistines. David wanted his men to be deeply stirred and moved in their remembrance of the tragedy that occurred at Gilboa and in their remembrance of the pagan arrogance– for the next time.

3. The Irony in David’s Grief
19“Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!                         2 Samuel 1:19 (ESV) 

The greatness that once was is no longer. We weep because of what was, but now is not.

4. The Disgrace in David’s Grief
20Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. 2 Samuel 1:20 (ESV)

5. The Curse in David’s Grief (Gilboa)
21“You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.                    2 Samuel 1:21 (ESV)

David prays for Mount Gilboa to be turned into a perpetual expression of Israelite death and grief.

34Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34 (ESV)

8It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. Psalm 118:8-9 (ESV)

6. The Accolades in David’s Grief
22“From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. 24“You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 2 Samuel 1:22-24 (ESV)

7. The Emotion in David’s Grief
25“How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! “Jonathan lies slain on your high places. 26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. 27“How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!” 2 Samuel 1:25-27 (ESV)

Differing Values and Expectations: 2 Samuel 1:2-16

2And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 2 Samuel 1:2-5 (ESV)

1. A Test for a Lie
6And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10So I stood beside 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 armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” 2 Samuel 1:6-10 (ESV) 

If you ever have a choice between the narrator and an Amalekite, always believe the narrator. Have you ever met an Amalekite you could trust? (Dale Ralph Davis)

10when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 2 Samuel 4:10 (ESV)

11But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. Psalm 63:11 (ESV)

2. A Time to Mourn
11Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.  2 Samuel 1:11-12 (ESV)

a. Our reaction to the failures of others reveals the depth of our relationship with God.  b.      When we see an enemy or irritator fall, we should strengthen and restore them if it is possible, considering our own weaknesses.

3. A Truth about Sacred Things.
14David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’” 2 Samuel 1:14-16 (ESV)

Anointed means someone who was set apart for God’s special use.

Once a person had been anointed by God to be king, he had the divine right to be respected and honored. A sacred relationship between God and the king existed. Thus the king was not to be harmed by any citizen of the nation.

The Amalekite had assumed that no scruples would stop David from seizing the kingship; David assumed that one fear should have stopped the Amalekite from destroying the king. 'Why were you not afraid?' (Leviticus 19:17-18)

Looking Back/Looking Forward: 2 Samuel 1:1

1After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 Samuel 1:1 (ESV)

1. Saul’s Legacy

1After the death of Saul…Samuel 1:1 (ESV)

The death of a leader marked the end of one era in Israel’s history and raised serious questions about Israel’s future in the light of this event. Joshua 1:1; Judges 1:1

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 1 Samuel 8:19-20 (ESV)

Saul died because he failed to fulfill the conditions God had placed on his kingship.

Saul’s ugly death was dreadful proof of the people’s foolishness in desiring a king “like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).

2. David’s Victory

1 …when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites…2 Samuel 1:1 (ESV)

After Saul had decisively failed to be the fully obedient king he was required to be, David had been chosen by God to be king over Israel.

This time God was not giving the people what they had asked for, but out of God’s own good will (“his own heart” 1 Samuel 13:14).

14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:14 (ESV)

The concept of David being “a man after God’s own heart” and in this way chosen by God possibly relates to the consequences of the grace that was shown to David but not Saul. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

3. The Reader’s Expectancy

1…David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 Samuel 1:1 (ESV)

These two days would have been days of suspense for David.

John Woodhouse: “There were two days in which we (the readers) know that the old king had died, but the one we expect to become the new king did not yet know this. There were two days in which there was in fact “no king in Israel.”

The New Testament writers understood that Jesus’ resurrection “on the third day” had been anticipated in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:4).

21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Luke 24:21 (ESV) Colossians 2:15

3 DAYS:
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)