2 Samuel 2:12

2 Samuel 2:12 says, And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.  Verse thirteen adds, And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.  Abner and the servants of Saul's son that he had anointed king and Joab and the servants of David ended up on different sides of a pool one morning.  Evidently, there was very little interaction between the two groups.  We may have two groups of people today who both claim to be God's people, but one may be basing this on man-made laws instead of God's laws.  Verse fourteen continues, And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.  Abner, who had basically assumed authority of Israel even though he had ordained Saul's son Ishbosheth as king, proposed a contest between his men and Joab's or David’s men,and Joab agreed.  Though it says let them play, we will see that this was a deadly contest.  We need to be careful that we don't get into contests with the people of the world today just to prove who is better, and especially without first consulting God about the matter.  Verse fifteen states, Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.  Twelve men from each side went out to face each other.  Verse sixteen adds, And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow’s side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.  The twelve men from each side killed each other, so this was hardly playing or a game.  If we begin to play games with people of the world, it may become deadly,  particularly if we are just attempting to show off.  Verse seventeen continues, And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David. This resulted in a great battle, which Abner's forces lost.  Even though God was not consulted before the original contest and maybe not afterward, those who were serving His anointed king were victorious.  As Christians we may act without consulting God today, but we are still ultimately going to be the victors in the battle with those who are not.  Verse eighteen says, And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.  The three sons of Zeruiah, Joab, Abishai and Asahel were there, and Asahel was a fast runner.   Verse nineteen adds, And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.  After being defeated, Abner had evidently fled, and Asahel chased him, not turning aside at all.  He was only focused on catching Abner without giving a lot of thought about what he would do if he caught him.  We can't get so focused on what we have decided to do that we forget to ask for God's guidance in the situation and also without knowing what we are going to do if we achieve our goal.  Verse twenty states, Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he answered, I am.  Abner saw Asahel pursuing him, and he had caught up enough for Abner to identify him and know who he was.  Verse twenty-one adds,  And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.  Abner asked Asahel to turn aside and take as a prisoner or kill one of his young troops and take his armor. Asahel was still determined to capture or kill Abner, and nothing less was going to satisfy him, even though he had placed himself in a dangerous situation.  We should never just doggedly follow our own plan without thinking about all the consequences.  Verse twenty-two continues, And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?  Abner wasn't asking Asahel to turn aside because he was afraid of him, but because he was afraid of Joab if he did kill him.  Non Christians may not be afraid of us today, but they certainly should be afraid of our God Whom we represent.  That is not to compare Joab to God, but to say that he was a representative of God since he served David, who was anointed by God.  Verse twenty-three concludes, Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.  Abner killed Asahel, and everyone who passed the point where this happened would pause to note his death.  Abner had used a sneaky move we might say to kill Asahel, and all of his swiftness did Asahel no good.  The skills that we are most proud of may be of no use to us in the battle against evil in the world today, and our pride in them may lead us to do rash things.

2 Samuel 1:17

2 Samuel 1:17 says, And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:  David lamented, or mourned, over Saul’s death, even though he had been trying to kill him, just as He did for Jonathan, who was his friend and was helping him.  People sometimes tend to mourn the death of their friends and celebrate the death of their enemies, but I am not sure that we should ever celebrate the death of anyone, especially those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  We shouldn't want even our worst enemies to spend eternity in hell, because Jesus died for them just as He died for us.  Verse eighteen adds, (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) David taught the people of Israel to use the bow. Matthew Henry says that this was likely a musical instrument instead of a bow used in war, and it was used in mourning Saul and Jonathan.  We are told this is written in the book of Jasher, which we have no copy of.  Not all things written by God's people became a part of the scriptures or are even preserved.  Still, Matthew Henry says it was written down so that we have at least fragments of it today.  The rest of the chapter is an elegy written by David. Verse twenty-nine states, The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!  David referred to Saul as the beauty of Israel who had fallen with the mighty, though Saul hadn't been beautiful in his relationship to David and God and the people hadn't been mighty in their fight with the Philistines.  I believe that even if they fail that we should look for the best in people today.  Verse twenty adds, Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. I believe this was a reference to not saying anything bad about Saul so that his enemies couldn't use it to rejoice in his death.  We should never give the enemies of God reason to celebrate the defeat of anyone who is identified as a part of the family of God, even if they haven't always lived up to that calling.  Verse twenty-one continues, Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.  David basically said to let the mountains of Gilboa, where Saul had fallen, be cursed.  Verse twenty-two states, 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.  David praises the valor of Jonathan and Saul in fighting the enemy, and Saul had been victorious in many battles with the Philistines.  David put Jonathan his friend and Saul who was trying to kill him in the same category.  Even if we don't always agree with them, we should mourn the loss of anyone who has been a part of the war against Satan and his forces just as much as we do those that we are close friends with.  Verse twenty-three adds, Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.  David continues to celebrate the lives of Jonathan and Saul together and speaks of their valor and might in war.  He also says that they died fighting together.  We as Christians, even when we disagree amongst ourselves, should be noted as having fought together with our fellow believers when we die.  Verse twenty-four continues, Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.  David called on the woman of Israel to weep for Saul, who had enriched their lives materially.  Though he was at times a very self-centered individual, Saul did lead the people to victory many times and enrich their loves.  Verse twenty-five says, How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.  David now praises Jonathan without mentioning Saul.  Jonathan and David had a covenant to support one another, and now Jonathan was dead.  This is but a personal observation, but David may have felt guilty for not being there to help Jonathan in the fight.  Verse twenty-six adds, I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.  David spoke of the great love that Jonathan had for him.  Again, this was not a sexual love, but a God given closeness to each other spiritually.  We too often want to view love in worldly terms instead of spiritual terms.  We should have a Godlike love for all our fellow Christians, and we will have a closer relationship with some than with others.  Verse twenty-seven continues, How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!  David closed by speaking of how the mighty had fallen and their weapons of war had perished.  We should lament anytime people of God fall in the battle against evil in the world, even if they are not always perfect in their faith.

2 Samuel 1:10

2 Samuel 1:10 says, Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:  David tore his clothes in mourning for the death of Saul and Jonathan and Saul's other sons and his men joined him in mourning.  David had never wished for Saul’s death and he certainly hadn't wished for Jonathan's death.  We should always mourn the death of our family members, even if they haven't been very kind to us.  Verse twelve adds, And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.  They mourned, wept and fasted all day for Saul and Jonathan, as well as all the people of Israel who had fallen by the sword.  Saul had been trying to kill them, especially David, but they did not rejoice in his death, but mourned it.  Jonathan had been a good friend to David, and they mourned his death as well.  The others who died likely fell somewhere in between, but they were all a part of God's Chosen People.  No matter our personal relationship with them, even if we don't have one, we should always mourn spiritually when one of our fellow believers dies.  Verse thirteen states, And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amelekite.  David sake the young man who brought the news who he was and where he was from.  It is always good to know who we are dealing with, especially if they are bringing us bad news.  The young man said he was a stranger and not an Israelite, but an Amalekite.  Verse fourteen adds, And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?  David asked the young man why he wasn't afraid to kill the LORD’s anointed.  Matthew Henry points out that the young man was an Amalekite, who Saul should have already destroyed and that he may have done what Saul’s armor bearer couldn't do or he may have just been boasting about something he really didn't do.  Either way, he showed no respect for Saul, David, or any of God's people since he thought he would bring honor to himself for having killed their king even if he presented it as an act of mercy.  People today often still try to present themselves as our friends even as they are doing things that harm us and are not God's will. Verse fifteen continues, And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.  David called on one of his young men and had him kill the young Amalekite.  We are not called on to kill those who are our enemies today, but we should always be aware that they are not our friends, even if they present themselves as such.  Verse sixteen concludes,  And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’s anointed.  Before he died,  David told the young Amalekite that he was responsible for his death, because he had convicted himself by his own words.  Ultimately, everyone is responsible for their own relationship with God when they die, and if we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we will be convicted by our own words. 

2 Samuel 1:1

2 Samuel 1:1 says, Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;  After Saul’s death, David had returned to Ziklag and stayed there for two days.  David. who now certainly could claim the kingship of Israel, was still hiding out with the Philistines.  As Christians, we do not need to be hiding out with those who are not while our fellow believers are fighting against Satan and his forces today.  Verse two adds, It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.  On the third day after Saul's death, a young man, as he is later referred to as being, came to David from Israel.  He was in bad shape, and fell to the ground in in honor before David.  If people who are in bad shape come to us for help, they shouldn't have to come as though we are some how better than them.  As followers of Christ, we are all equal spiritually and should all be willing to help our fellow believers without them feeling inferior to us or our feeling superior to them.  Verse three continues, And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.  When David asked the young man where he was from, he said he had escaped out of Israel.  David knew the Philistines were going to war with Israel, had even offered to go with them, and was evidently not very concerned about the people of Israel.  He was more interested in protecting himself.  We know that many of our fellow Christians are at war with the world today and we are many times unconcerned because we are safe and that is our priority.  Even then, we at times may aid the enemy more than we do our fellow Christians.  Verse four states, And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.  David asked the young man how the war was going.  He told David the people had fled and many were dead, including Saul and his son Jonathan.  David may have been hiding from Saul, but Jonathan and he had made a covenant to protect one another.  If we run from our enemies, our fellow believers may fall even if our enemies do while we are safely sitting out the battle.  Verse five adds, And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?  David asked the young man how he knew Saul and Jonathan were dead.  If someone comes to us with news today, we should always ask how they know that it is true.  Verse  six continues, And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.  He told David that as he happened upon Gilboa, that Saul leaned on his spear and the chariots of the Philistines were hard after him.  Saul could have been a great king had he been obedient to God, but he wasn't and in the end, when he was standing by his own strength and power, they failed him.  We can be great in the battle against evil today as long as we stand under God's power, but if we attempt to stand by our own while we are out of fellowship with God, we will ultimately fall.  Verse seven says, And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.  The young man said Saul called him over and he went to him and told him he was there.  If people are calling on us when they are in trouble today, the first thing we must do is acknowledge that we hear them.  I believe that too often we are deaf to the cries for help from those around us because we fear that it will upset our peaceful life.  Verse eight adds, And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. Verse nine continues, He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.  The young man said Saul asked him who he was and he told him, and Saul then asked him to finish killing him because he was in anguish because he was still alive. I personally don't believe that we should ever be in such anguish that we want to end our life.  Verse ten concludes, So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.  The young man said he did as Saul asked because he was sure that Saul could not survive his injuries.  He said he then took the crown and bracelet from Saul and brought them to David.  I certainly don't believe that we should ever decide that someone is so bad off that we should kill them.  Still, if they are in a hopeless situation, we may be called on to decide whether to continue to attempt to keep them existing, even when there is no hope of improvement or quality of life. 

1 Samuel review concluded

We are told of Saul killing Abimelech and the priests who had innocently aided David after David lied to him.  Sometimes,  David’s actions were not guided by God's word and this brought consequences to others if not to himself.  We need to always be honest in our dealings with others as Christians.  Then, we have the account of David rescuing Keilah and God telling him that they would betray him to Saul.  Those that we help today in their times of distress, even our fellow Christians, may at times betray us.  We are told of Samuel's death.  Those who serve God will always die one day.  Then later on, we are told of Abigail keeping David from sinning by preventing him from killing Nahal her husband.  David was prepared to act out of anger instead of seeking God's guidance at this time, and we may at times act more out of anger than we do out of the love of God.  If we start to, we need to pray that we have someone who will stop us.  Then, we have the marriage of Abigail and David after her husband's death and David’s marriage to another at the same time.  We do know that God never endorsed marriage to more than on person at a time, and even this was supposed to last a lifetime.  Then, David was given the city of Ziklag by Achish of Gath, a Philistine.  David was hiding out among the enemies of God, and I don't believe that we should ever do this.  I don't believe David was really living by faith at this time, but was relying on his own instincts and we should also never do this.  We also are told off David's willingness to fight for the Philistines against Israel, and we certainly should never fight with the enemies of God against God's people.  Then, we have the account of David’s rescuing those taken captive,  including his two wives, and establishing the rule of shared spoils. If we fail to protect our home and family spiritually, we place them in danger of being taken captive by the forces of evil in the world.  Also, I believe that if we have gained riches in our fight against evil in the world that we should not hoard them but should share with those who are less capable of fighting.  Finally, we have the death of Saul and his sons, which included Jonathan, who had done nothing but help David.  If we engage in sinful actions, it may harm our family as well.  This was the end of the first king of Israel and three of his sons who could have claimed the throne.   Next,we will look at 2 Samuel. 

1 Samson eeview continues on

After God rejected Saul as the king because of his disobedience, Samuel was sent to anoint a son of Jesse as king.  All of his sons that Samuel saw were rejected, even though some seemed physically ideal to be a king.  God was not looking at the physical characteristics but at the heart of the sons.  David was tending sheep at this time and was called, and Samuel knew he had found the right man.  Samuel anointed David as king, but he did not demand to immediately claim the kingship.  He went back to tending sheep.  Even if we are called to be leaders in God's kingdom, our most important role is always to tend to His sheep.  Then after being anointed as king, David was called to play the harp for Saul, and he went and did so.  He did not believe this was beneath him.  We need to be willing to serve in any situation God leads us to without letting pride gat in the way.  After David returned to tending sheep,  Goliath, a giant, was taunting the Israelite army, including  some of David's brothers, when David came to bring his brothers some provisions.  He asked why they were allowing Goliath to do this, and said he would face him.  We should never allow things that we deem to be giants, or too big for us to overcome, to keep us from standing up to them under the power of the Holy Spirit.  David killed Goliath with a sling, cut off his head, and took his sword, but he still did not pronounce himself as the anointed king.  He still recognized Saul as God's anointed king and was content to serve Him.  We should never attempt to claim a place of service until we know for certain that the person filling it is no longer capable of filling it, but must wait for God's timing to be right.  Saul became jealous of David and spent years trying to kill him, but even on two occasions when David could have killed Saul, he didn't.  We also must never act just because an opportunity presents itself, but must rely on God's timing to act.  At one point, Saul promised one of his daughters to David  in marriage, and then had her marry someone else basically to try to humiliate David.  People of the world are still trying to humiliate Christians today.  Eventually,  David did marry one of Saul's daughters, and she loved him and saved his life on one occasion.  Saul later gave her to another man in marriage.  We have to have a lot of empathy for her since she had little say in the matter.  We may at times be treated like a pawn in a chess game, with little to say about the situation we are placed in, but if we remain faithful to God, our victory is assured.  We are told of Jonathan, Saul's son and apparent heir to the throne and his loyalty to David above his loyalty to his father.  We likewise should be more loyal to God and His his plan than we are to our earthly father.

1 Samuel Review continued

We are told of the great fear of the people of Isreal when God showed His displeasure at their demanding a king and also of Samuel giving them the assurance that God would not abandon His people because of their evil in asking for a king.  We need to realize that if we truly are followers of Christ that He will never abandon us.  After Saul reigned for two years, Jonathan his son attacked and defeated some Philistines, which led to the Philistines declaring war on Israel.  The people of Israel instead of standing firmly by  before God ran and hid.  When we face our enemies today, we can either stand firm in faith or run and hide.  Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days in Gilgal and he would come to him.  During the seventh day, Saul grew impatient and assumed the role of priest for himself and offered a burnt offering that the priest should have offered to God.  We then see Samuel telling Saul that he had acted foolishly and that instead of being established forever that the kingdom would be taken from him.  We will not lose our salvation if we act foolishly before God as Christians, but we may lose a lot of His blessings.  Then we have an account of Jonathan and his armor bearer sneaking into the camp of some Philistines and killing them under God's direction.  We need to never be afraid of the enemies of God today but must engage with them under God's direction.  We learn of Saul's foolish edict that no one could eat until the Philistines that they pursued were killed under a penalty of death, and of Jonathan defying that edict.  There may come times in our life when we have to choose between obeying the edicts of man and obeying the edicts of the world.   Saul calling on God's name said that Jonathan should certainly die after he confessed to what he had done, but the people prevented Saul from killing him. We need people who will stand with us if we come under attack today simply because we have been following God's guidance.  We have an account Saul's destroying the Amalekites, but not all of them and taking the spoils of war, which he wasn't told to do by Samuel.  Saul arose early the next morning and told Samuel to see what he had done following God's command, and Samuel asked him what the bleating of the sheep meant.  Saul confessed his sin to Samuel, and he often confessed his sins later on,but there was no real meaning behind his words.  If we are xerving God today simply for material gain,we need to sincerely confess our sins and ask for God's forgiveness.  After ths, Samuel never returned Saul.  If we reject God's call too many times, He may no longer come to us calling on us to repent and be forgiven by accepting Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. Of course, once we do, He will never reject us, though we may at times lose His protection in the world if we do fall back into sin.