God’s intention in salvation has always been for the salvation of the world. He has always had all the nations of men in mind, and the fact that Israel was the chosen nation was not in tension with this reality, but rather was the down payment on it, the first installment of it.

The Text

“Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand . . .” (2 Sam. 6:1-23).

Summary of the Text

David has established Jerusalem as his capital city, and determines to bring the ark of the covenant to that place. He starts by gathering some elite troops, 30,000 of them (v. 1). Having done so, he goes to Kiriath-jearim, where the ark is (v. 2). They put the ark on a cart that had never had a profane use, and they set out—Uzzah and Ahio driving the cart (v. 3). Eleazar, their brother who had been keeping the ark, is not mentioned here. Uzzah apparently sat up on the cart, and Ahio walked in front (v. 4). David (and everyone else) played on all kinds of musical instruments (v. 5). When they reached Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached to steady the ark (v. 6). God was angry with him for this, and struck him dead (v. 7). David was angry in his turn, and he named the place after the Lord’s bursting forth upon Uzzah (v. 8). Not only was David angry, but also fearful (v. 9), and diverted the ark to the house of Obed-edom (v. 10). The ark was there for three months, and the household of Obed-edom was greatly blessed (v. 11). When David heard this, he went to bring the ark up to Jerusalem, and did so with gladness (v. 12). The ark was carried this time, and when the men carrying it had taken six steps, a great sacrifice was made (v. 13). David was dressed in a linen ephod, and danced before the Lord with all his might (v. 14). And so it was that David and the whole house of Israel brought the ark up to Jerusalem with shouting and trumpets (v. 15). When the ark entered the city of David, Michal looked out the window and saw David dancing, and despised him (v. 16). They brought the ark to the tent that David had prepared for it, and more sacrifices were made (v. 17). David then blessed all the people, and gave them gifts (vv. 18-19). Afterwards, he came home to bless his own house, and was met with sarcasm from Michal (v. 20). David replies sharply—it was before the Lord, the same God who chose Michal’s husband over Michal’s father (v. 21). David insists that he will continue to behave in the same way (v. 22). As a result of this clash, Michal had no children (v. 23).

A Moment for Michal

Without arguing with the providence of God—to which we gladly submit—we can at least take a moment to feel bad for Michal. The last time she saw David in Scripture, she was helping him escape from a window (1 Sam. 19:12), and now she looks out at him through a window in contempt. She had been given to a man who loved her (Phaltiel in 2 Sam. 3:15-16), and had then been taken back from him by David, for apparently political reasons. When she comes back to David, he already has other multiple wives and probably a small harem. Great.

But she is still a female Uzzah. Uzzah was concerned that the ark would be dishonored if it fell, and so he took it upon himself to steady the ark the way he thought best. You know, he had his reasons. But God still struck him down as a result. Michal is concerned for David’s royal dignity, and objects to him being dishonored. When she complains that he had “uncovered” himself, she was not complaining about nakedness, because it says that he was wearing a linen ephod. He was not wearing his royal robes—and he was dancing in a way that she believed was inconsistent with his office. She tries to steady him, and has no children as a result.

Do it the Way God Says

David has 30,000 troops present for the first attempted transfer, and is humiliated in front of them. That is the same number that Israel lost to the Philistines in the battle at Aphek (1 Sam. 4). God had burst forth on the Philistines in the previous chapter, and He burst forth on Israelites for acting like Philistines in this chapter (transporting the ark by cart was a Philistine technique). This happens at a threshing floor, which is a common symbol of judgment in Scripture. David is defensively angry and fearful at first, but he learns the lesson of true gladness from the blessings that fall upon the head of the ark’s new temporary home. All of which is to say that reverence is defined by the Word of God, and not our own makeshifts.

If God is not establishing a work, or a house, or a kingdom, or a nation, then it cannot be established. And if God is doing so, then nothing whatever can prevent it—however mighty that opposing force might be.

The Text

“Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh . . .” (2 Sam. 5:1-25).

Summary of the Text

The tribes of Israel come to David and present three arguments for making David king. They are related to him (v. 1), David has proven himself in battle (v. 2), and God has promised the shepherding/kingship to him (v. 2). And so the elders, representing the tribes, come to David in Hebron and make a pact with him (v. 3), and anoint him king over all twelve tribes (v. 3). David was 30 when he first became king in Hebron, reigning for 40 years total, 33 years over a united kingdom (vv. 4-5).

David starts by conquering a capital city from the Jebusites, a city that would not be part of any tribe—just as D.C. is not part of any state. At the same time, the city was in the territory or region of Benjamin, some consolation to the tribe of Saul. The Jebusites do a little trash talking from the wall, the meaning of which is ambiguous. The best guess is that they were saying that an army of blind men and cripples could defend this place against you all (v. 6). But David captured the city anyway (v. 7). They did it by climbing up a steep water tunnel (which archeologists have found and identified), and that is how David got saddled with Joab (v. 8; 1 Chron. 11:6). That water course was about fifty feet tall. David then consolidated his rule (v. 9), and God blessed him greatly (v. 10), and which David saw clearly (v. 12). Hiram of Tyre made an alliance with David (v. 11), and David had many more sons (vv. 13-16). From all these sons, the only two which receive subsequent mention are Nathan and Solomon, both sons of Bathsheba (1 Chron. 3:5). Nathan is an ancestor of Joseph (Luke 3:31).

At this the Philistines invaded, and David retreated into a stronghold (v. 17). The Philistines set up in the valley of Rephaim, a valley named after giants, just a couple miles west of Jerusalem, easily within sight (v. 18). David inquired of the Lord, and was told to go out (v. 19). He went and was victorious, like the breaching of a dam (v. 20). They captured the Philistine idols and burned them (v. 21). These idols were so pathetic that they weren’t even capable of running away like their worshipers could. The Philistines tried again, in the same place again (v. 22). When David inquired of God again, he was told to attack the Philistines from behind this time (v. 23), and to follow the lead of the Spirit in the tops of the trees (v. 24). The botanical identification of the trees is uncertain (mulberry, balsam, aspen?). This David did and struck down the Philistines decisively (v. 25).

Constitutional Government

When Samuel established the monarchy, he wrote down a constitution, and placed it before the Lord (1 Sam. 10:25). When David became king, the Lord had anointed him (through Samuel), but the people also established him as king through anointing him. He was the king-in-principle from the moment Samuel anointed him, but he was not installed until the people anointed him. This is contrary to the whole “divine right of kings” approach, and it is utterly contrary to the arrogant attitude of our current ruling elites. This is something which the Reformers saw very clearly, and was the basis of their understanding of government. We owe our republican forms of government to that understanding.

When David was anointed by them, he also made a covenant with them (v. 3). Israel was governed by the law of God (Deut. 17:14-20), of course, but it was also governed by a written constitution. This is because written constitutions are a great barrier to dishonest men, not to mention the cowardly men who let them be dishonest.

In this chapter, we have assassination, intrigue, execution, dismemberment, and so on. Let us see what we can do to make an edifying sermon out of it. The fact that we might even think there could be trouble with it is testimony to how we have reinterpreted what it means to be “spiritual.”

The Text

“And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled . . .” (2 Sam. 4:1-12).

Summary of the Text

When news of Abner’s death came to Ish-bosheth, his hands became feeble. We would say he lost his grip (v. 1). There were two brothers, captains of raiding parties, named Baanah and Rechab, who were naturalized Benjaminites (vv. 2-3). We are then introduced to Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son. He was twelve at this point, and being lame, it is made plain that he was not a contender for the throne (v. 4). These two brothers came to the house of Ish-bosheth during the heat of the day, stabbed him, beheaded him, and then got away (vv. 5-7). They brought Ish-bosheth’s head to David, and proclaimed it as the vengeance of God (v. 8). David answered the two with an oath (“as the Lord liveth”), and appealed to God as the one who had delivered him from all adversity (v. 9). He pointed to what had happened to the Amalekite who had lied about killing Saul, thinking to ingratiate himself with David (v. 10). How much more would he execute men who had killed a righteous man in his own bed (v. 11)? So he gave the order, and the two assassins were executed. Their hands and feet were cut off for display (v. 12), and Ish-bosheth’s head was buried in Abner’s tomb.

There is one manuscript issue here to note – the Septuagint mentions a woman at the doorway of Ish-bosheth’s house, who had fallen asleep. In the Hebrew text, there is something of an ambiguity at that point.

Striking Parallels

Both Saul and his son died as the result of a wound to the belly, and both were beheaded (1 Sam. 31:4,9; 2 Sam. 4:6-7). David receives the report of their respective deaths in a similar way, by executing the messengers, messengers who were expecting a reward. The executions are carried out by David’s “young men” (2 Sam. 1:15; 2 Sa. 4:12). David himself notes some of the parallels.

Ish-bosheth and Abner die in similar ways too. They both die from stabbing, both as the result of deception, and brothers were the perpetrators (2 Sam 3:30; 2 Sam. 4:2).

David Falters

The deaths of Saul, Abner, and Ish-bosheth all have eerie similarities. The narrative flows straight past all three. David wreaks immediate and hard vengeance for the first and third one, and this means his failure to do anything about Joab stands out in high relief. What is different in this picture?

David’s failure to deal rigorously with Joab is book-ended with two incidents that show David doing just the opposite. This failure will haunt David in years to come.

Vengeance that Wasn’t, Vengeance that Was

At the same time, David does what is right in this instance. Baanah and Rechab took what they claimed was vengeance. They were saying, in effect, that they were the hand of God on Ish-bosheth, and that what they did to him was a just recompense for harm done to David. But David refers to Ish-bosheth as a righteous man—this is a fallen world, and there will be times when there are noble men on the opposite side. So these two assassins claimed to be bringers of vengeance . . . but they were not.

The affairs of state are flowing in David’s direction but, as any leader can tell you, there’s always something. As soon as the division between Saul and David is healed, the division between David and Joab appears.

The Text

“Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker . . .” (2 Sam. 3:1-39).

Summary of the Text

In the extended civil war between the house of Saul and the house of David, things went badly for Saul (v. 1). In the next verses, we are given the names of the six sons born to David in Hebron (vv. 2-5). At the same time David was growing stronger in all Israel, Abner was growing stronger in the house of Saul (v. 6). Ish-bosheth made the bad move of accusing Abner of taking Rizpah, a concubine of Saul, for himself (v. 7). This was the last straw for Abner (v. 8), who then swears to give the whole kingdom to David (vv. 9-11).

Abner is true to his word (v. 12), and yet David is ready for him with a demand for Michal (v. 13). David then makes the demand of Ish-bosheth, whose compliance reveals him as a spent force (v. 14-16). Abner then meets with the elders of Israel and persuades them to give their allegiance to David (vv. 17-18). The tribe of Benjamin was obviously a special case (v. 19), which Abner has to give additional attention to. So Abner comes to Hebron with 20 men, and is received with a feast (v. 20). The deal is closed (v. 21).

Joab comes in from the field, and Abner was gone (v. 22). He finds out what had happened, and registers a strong protest with David (vv. 23-25). Without David’s knowledge, Joab then sent messengers after Abner (v. 26), and when he returned, he stabbed him in the city gate (v. 27). When David heard about it, he disclaims all responsibility and curses the house of Joab (vv. 28-30). David forces Joab to lament the death of Abner (v. 31). David mourned the loss of Abner, and composed an elegy for him (vv. 32-34). He mourned in a high profile way (v. 35). The people were pleased with David’s response and knew he had not had Abner killed (v. 36-37). And David praises Abner again, confesses his own weakness, and the hardness of his nephews (vv. 38-39).

Too Many Princes

We have yet another biblical sampling here of what a bad idea polygamy is. With multiple woman, a man is easily able to beget more children than he can be a father to. Some men are even able to do that with one woman. Amnon, the first born, later raped his half-sister, Tamar. For that, her full brother took his revenge (2 Sam. 13:28-29). Absalom is the grandson of a king, and a Gentile king at that. Chileab, with a name that combines Caleb and Abigail (also called Daniel, see 1 Chron. 3:1), is not heard from, perhaps because he was given the estate of Nabal, and perhaps because he had such a shrewd mother. Adonijah made an ill-fated play for the throne when David was on his death-bed, and was later killed by Solomon (1 Kings 1:5-53). Shephatiah and Ithream were not major players, and other sons are born later in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:13-16).

Conquest and Concubines

Saul was paranoid, and Ish-bosheth was a little that way himself. He accuses Abner, and Abner’s anger shows his innocence. If Abner really were making a play for the throne, there would be no sense in denying the relationship with Saul’s concubine. It should be noted that while politics and sex were both involved, the political element is foremost. A concubine was a slave wife, or a second-tier wife. At the same time, concubines were influential enough that to claim the concubine of a king was to claim the prerogatives of royalty. We see this with how David inherited Saul’s concubines (2 Sam. 12:8), with Absalom’s treatment of David’s concubines (2 Sam. 16:21-22), and with Adonijah’s request for Abishag (1 Kings 1:21-22). Ishbosheth accused Abner in a slanderous (not to mention idiotic) way.