March 6, 2013
David Takes a Stand
2nd Samuel 1:1-2:32
I David Leads Mourning for Saul and Jonathan 1:1-27
II Civil War Begins 2:1-32
One of the most powerful prayers, in the midst of suffering, that I’ve ever read, was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck Concentration camp. Ravensbruck was built for women and children in 1939., by Hitler’s minions.Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who survived and wrote so many wonderful words, including her book, The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there. This prayer was found in the pocket of a small child, who didn’t make it----- and it says this-----
“O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering that they have inflicted upon us: instead remember the fruits that we’ve born because of this suffering--- our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all these fruits that we’ve borne, be their forgiveness.”
This prayer reminds me of David’s loyalty to Saul. It didn’t matter what Saul had done to him---how he had tried to destroy his life----David continued to treat him with the respect and honor that he deserved, as the anointed one of God. The Nazis didn’t deserve that little girl’s prayers either----but she, like David, believed, that it wasn’t her place to judge them----it was God’s place-----and only God knew when and how He would do that. In the meantime, she prayed for her enemies and so did David.
What a lesson there is for us to learn in that….. it’s a blessing for us to be able to leave judgment up to God, and to pray for those who mistreat us, or someone, or something that we love….
I David Leads Mourning for Saul and Jonathan
From the time of his parting with the Philistines, David must have been greatly concerned about what was going on, on the battlefield, between them and the Israelites-----he was probably especially concerned for Jonathan.
It didn’t take long for him to find out-----because it was only 3 days after his return to Ziklag, after defeating the Amalekites, that David learned that Jonathan and Saul had both been killed. The report came by way of an Amalekite, who claimed to have “escaped from the camp of Israel”. He was probably a mercenary soldier and battlefield scavenger, who had joined Saul’s forces in that last battle at Gilboa. The Amalekite had run 100 miles to reach David in Ziklag. His clothing was torn and dirt was on his head, as a sign of mourning, and he prostrated himself on the ground in front of David, to symbolize that he knew that he was in front of royalty.
David wasn’t willing to accept the man’s report without some kind of verification and he immediately began to question the Amalekite. for details. The Amalekite explained how he had come upon Saul, who was mortally wounded, and had killed him, in obedience to Saul’s own command. Most theologians don’t believe his account----even though it looks like David did-----they think he lied about killing Saul in order to ingratiate himself to David----hoping to be rewarded and maybe even be given a place of honor in David’s kingdom. The Amalekite substantiated his claim, by producing what David recognized, to be Saul’s crown and his armband.
But the Amalekite made a grave error, in assuming that David regarded Saul as his enemy and as an obstacle in his path to the throne. He thought David would welcome Saul’s death as good news---he thought that David would rejoice at Saul’s death-----but he didn’t know David, or the God, that David served. He didn’t know that personal gain, wasn’t what motivated David.
Saul’s death was a heartbreak for David----he had been God’s anointed king; he had killed many Philistines and other enemies of Israel; he had given David his first shot, at being a soldier, which had led to David’s rise to power and fame; he was David’s father-in-law; and he was the father of David’s best friend and confidante, Jonathan. David believed that the Amalekite had killed God’s anointed king-----it didn’t matter that Saul would have died anyway; it didn’t matter that Saul had made David’s life miserable; it didn’t matter that Saul was suffering or that he wanted to die and needed somebody to put him out of his misery; it didn’t matter that the Philistines would have eventually found him and killed him anyway-----all that mattered was that Saul was the Lord’s anointed one and the Amalekite claimed to have killed him.
David, in a very calculated move, had the avowed Saul-killer executed---then he tore his clothes, as a public sign of mourning and joined his men in fasting and weeping for Saul and Jonathan and the slain warriors of Israel----They weren’t ashamed to grieve----we should never think that expressing any kind of emotion is a sign of weakness----it isn’t---there’s nothing better that a Christian can do, than express the joy that they have in the Lord, and that joy includes sunshine and laughter and heartache and tears------having joy in the Lord means, that there is nothing, that can separate us from the love that we have, in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:38)
David’s grief was real and it was revealed in his behavior and in the words of the eulogy that he wrote. His psalm was a special labor of love, which mourned the lives, and deaths, of Jonathan and Saul. There was no negativity in the lament, about Saul-----there was only loyalty and honor, for he, and Jonathan, as fallen heroes. And David not only restrained himself, from speaking ill of the dead, but he remembered both of them, as men, worthy of respect. He began the lament, focused on Saul, and ended it, focused on Jonathan. The eulogy stressed the covenant between Jonathan and David, and it blessed Jonathan’s descendants, and it revealed that the depth of love that they had for each other, went much deeper, than the romantic love, between a man and a woman.
David wrote it for a much wider audience than he and his 600 men-----he wanted all the sons of Judah, to join him in his grief; and in memorializing Jonathan and Saul, for their goodness and bravery and their courage----he took the opportunity to do it in their deaths, in a way that he was never able to do, while they were alive. His eulogy reflected the forgiveness that had already taken place, in his own heart, toward Saul.
II Civil War Begins
David sought God’s guidance and was divinely directed, to go to the city of Hebron, located in the middle of the tribal territory of Judah. It was the largest city in Judah, at the time and it was a walled fortress, so it was secure from attack. And many key trade routes converged at Hebron, which made it difficult for supply lines to be cut off, during wartime. It was the ideal place for David, to set up his capitol city.
So he wasted no time, in taking his wives, and leading his men and their families, to settle in and around Hebron.
And not long, after they got there, the men of Judah anointed David as their king.
It was the men of Judah, who had reported to David, the good deed of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, who had risked their lives to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons, and had given them decent burials. David applauded them for their loyalty and their integrity----- and in an attempt to win their allegiance, he sent them a message----where he promised to reward them, for their loyalty and kindness, stressing that he was their new king and that he desired their support of his kingship-----At the time, he didn’t hear anything from them though.
David’s control over the land of Israel, was not uncontested----while he was busy, trying to bring the people of the north under his influence, with diplomacy, other factors were at work, resisting him, determined to oppose his kingship-----which prevented David, from just stepping into Saul’s shoes, and moving forward with the task that he’d been given, when Samuel had originally, anointed him
Besides the dominating presence of the Philistines over Israel’s central regions, Saul’s surviving relatives, had licked their wounds and rallied themselves and the people, and used Saul’s remaining son, to stake their claim over the land and the Israelite people, too.
The dominant member of Saul’s clan, was his cousin Abner, who was the top military commander during Saul’s lifetime. Apparently, in David’s 5th year, as king over Judah, Abner made a move to cement his clan’s leadership over all of Israel---the 10 northern tribes and the 2 southern tribe of Judah------he moved Saul’s only surviving son, Ish-Bosheth, to a town, Mahanaim, which was a good distance away from David and the Philistines, and he crowned him king. Scholars don’t know why Ish-bosheth wasn’t killed on the battlefield with his father and his brothers, but they do believe that he was 40 years old when he was crowned king.
They don’t know, but they believe, that the reason why he waited 5 years after his father’s death, to assume the throne, may have been because of the constant danger from the ever-present Philistines. Abner and Ishbosheth must have needed that time, to build the army up again, And, apparently, Ish-Bosheth only ruled for 2 years------and then David, was finally made king, over all 12 tribes.
But first, in order to establish Ish-bosheths’s right to rule, Abner had to throw his weight around, by showing some military force. He did that, by leading the Israelite army, to the Pool of Gibeon, located, in Saul’s tribal territory of Benjamin---- which----- was a challenge to David’s army, to come out and fight. The fact that the confrontation took place there, is a pretty good indication, that David’s men were pushing northward, gaining more and more territory and more and more support for David’s kingship over all of Israel.
Joab, who was David’s nephew, was also his top general------and knowing Abner’s troop movements, he responded immediately, by taking David’s soldiers, still only about 600 men, out to settle the situation and to set the opposing general and the army straight, as to who the real ruler was.
As the two opposing forces faced each other----it was decided, as was their custom------ that in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, to select the strongest and bravest among the two groups, and let them fight to the death----whoever was the winner of the contest, was the winner of the battle----
So the war between the House of David and the House of Saul began in a pool that was 37 feet in diameter and 82 feet deep, with everybody else standing around watching them----it reminds me of what it must have looked like when the gladiators and the animals, were pitted against the Christians, in Rome, under Nero, as they entertained the crowds in the Collesium.
Each side chose 12 men, so that there were 24 champions, in all. The paired opponents grabbed each other by the head and lethally, stabbed each other, very quickly-----and the whole bunch of them fell in a heap, all of them dead, at the same time. With their Champions dead, the two armies turned into a mob----and their vengeful passions flared, and turned that initial conflict, into a fierce battle. But when the day was over, David’s men, had gotten the upper hand, and had forced Abner and his men, to have to retreat. Abner had lost 360 men and Joab had lost 19.
Joab’s younger brother Asahel, wouldn’t let it go-----he doggedly pursued Abner. Abner was just barely able to stay a step ahead of him. He warned Asahel twice to turn back----he knew that the young man would be no match for his seasoned fighting expertise, and his superior weapons, if it came to a hand-to-hand combat. (It seems like Asahel had imposed the duty to pursue and kill Abner on himself-----and there is no- where in scripture, that I can find, where he was told to do it. And my bible commentary says, that persistence is a good trait, if it’s for a worthy cause----but if the goal is only for personal honor or gain, then persistence may be no more than stubbornness. And Asahel’s stubbornness caused him, not only his life, but disunity, in David’s army for years to come. Before we decide to pursue a goal, we need to make sure that it is worthy of our devotion and our blood sweat and tears.) When Asahel wouldn’t give up----Abner encouraged him to take whatever weapon he could borrow from some other soldier, to make their fight more fair.
But Asahel wouldn’t and he just kept getting closer and closer till finally, he was within striking distance------Abner didn’t want to kill him, he knew that Joab and the other brother Abishai would see it as a blood feud and would not let it go, until they had made sure that there was an eye for an eye-----so he took the blunt end of his spear to push Asahel back-----but apparently, he struck out with such force, that the spear perforated Asahel’s body, and killed him on the spot!
Joab and Abishai, left their men to wait, and continued to chase Abner, as far as the hill of Ammah, where Local Benjamite militiamen, joined forces with Abner, and took their stand on the top of the hill.
But Abner, at that point, had already lost so many men, that he wanted to avoid any more bloodshed----so he called for a truce.
As they were shouting back and forth, Abner urged Joab, to consider the long-term consequences of a civil war, and how such a conflict, would cause brothers to fight and kill each other and how it would allow bitterness, to take root and grow, among God’s people. Abner’s words must have struck Joab in the heart, because he was willing to back away, for a time----- but------ he still blamed Abner for starting the fight, in the first place----- And we will see him take his revenge later on down the road.
Abner knew that God had decided that David was supposed to be the next king of Israel---so his refusal to submit to God’s plan had already caused the unnecessary death of many Israelites. Unfortunately we have all brought grief on ourselves and on others, by our refusal to listen to God, and to walk in the paths, He’s called us to----and by not submitting willingly to His plan for our lives.
We have to learn to trust that God knows what is best for us -----and----- we have to believe that we were created for a purpose, and we have to trust, that that as we submit to, and fulfill, that purpose, we will find the peace and joy of our Heavenly Father….
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