Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

After the death of Saul, David returned from striking down the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. On the third day a man arrived from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.
“Where have you come from?” David asked him.
He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”
“What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.”
“The men fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” the young man said, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit. When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, ‘What can I do?’
“He asked me, ‘Who are you?’
“‘An Amalekite,’ I answered.
“Then he said to me, ‘Stand here by me and kill me! I’m in the throes of death, but I’m still alive.’
“So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.”
Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
David said to the young man who brought him the report, “Where are you from?”
“I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,” he answered.
David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
“A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel.
    How the mighty have fallen!
“Tell it not in Gath,
    proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,
    lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
“Mountains of Gilboa,
    may you have neither dew nor rain,
    may no showers fall on your terraced fields.
For there the shield of the mighty was despised,
    the shield of Saul—no longer rubbed with oil.
“From the blood of the slain,
    from the flesh of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
    the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
Saul and Jonathan—
    in life they were loved and admired,
    and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
    they were stronger than lions.
“Daughters of Israel,
    weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
    who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
“How the mighty have fallen in battle!
    Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
    you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
    more wonderful than that of women.
“How the mighty have fallen!
    The weapons of war have perished!”

• 2 Samuel 1:1-27

In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where shall I go?”
“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.
Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.
Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.
The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”
So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim.
Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

• 2 Samuel 2:1-32

To read 2 Samuel 3, click the link HERE.

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

2 Samuel 1:1 ‘the death of Saul’: “Second Samuel 1:1–14 begins where 1 Sam. 31:1–13 ends, with the death of Saul (cf. 1 Chr. 10:1–12). Amalekites. The mention of these people serves as a reminder of David’s obedience to the Lord (1 Sam. 30:1–31) and Saul’s disobedience (1 Sam. 15:1–33). See … Ex. 17:8–16. Ziklag. See … 1 Sam. 27:6; 30:1. This town was not so completely sacked and destroyed that David and his 600 men with their families could not stay there.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 1:6 ‘Chariots and horsemen’: “Chariots and horsemen were a symbol of power and strength (cf. Ex. 14:9; 1 Sam. 8:11; 13:5; 2 Sam. 8:4; 1 Kin. 4:26; 9:19; 10:26; 1 Chr. 19:6; 2 Chr. 1:14; 9:25; 12:3; 16:8; Dan. 11:40). The Philistines were in pursuit of Saul with an abundant number of warriors, making Saul’s escape hopeless.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 1:10 ‘killed him’: ”The Amalekite claimed responsibility for Saul’s death, saying that Saul was still alive when he found him. However, 1 Sam. 31:3–6 makes it clear that Saul died by falling on his own sword, not by the hand of the Amalekite. Thus, this man, who may have witnessed Saul’s suicide, claimed to have killed Saul when in reality he had only reached his body before the Philistines and had fabricated the story to ingratiate himself with the new king by killing his enemy and by bringing Saul’s crown and bracelet to David. The crown and bracelet in the hands of the Amalekite show that he was the first to pass by the body of Saul.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 1:11 ‘friends come and go, but God is’: “It is easier to lose such a friend in death than to lose him in life. David’s grief over his slain friend, Jonathan, had about it some measure of poetic compensation; the loss was a ‘sweet sorrow,’ greatly ameliorated by the knowledge that the heart of Jonathan, so cold now and still, belonged to David in death as it had in life. Such sorrow can be borne; but to search into the face of a former friend and see on the dear and familiar features only dark hostility, to feel that the tender heart of one-time affection has been snatched coldly away and is ours no more-this is more painful than death: who can bear it?
“God allows such experiences because He would have us all for Himself with no rival to share our hearts or to divide our love. He tears away the vine from the crumbling wall of earthly friendships that He may teach it to cling to the Rock of Ages.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Early Tozer: A Word in Season

2 Samuel 1:12 ‘mourned and wept and fasted’: “David demonstrates genuine, heartfelt grief for the death of Saul and Jonathan by mourning and weeping, as well as fasting, which were common ways to demonstrate grief (cf. Esth. 4:3; Joel 2:12).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 1:21 ‘no dew nor rain’: “David spoke a curse, seeking the absence of dew or rain upon the mountain where Saul and Jonathan died. not anointed with oil. It was necessary in those times to anoint a shield with oil (cf. Is. 21:5) to prevent the leather from being hard and cracked. But there on Mt. Gilboa lay the shield of Saul dried out, a symbol of defeat and death.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 1:26 ‘keeping a friend’s memory alive in song’: “David was a poet, and when he found that his beloved friend had fallen by the arrows of the Philistines, he wept greatly and then cheered his heart by writing the lament that in later years was called, ‘The Song of the Bow’(1:18). Even if David’s lamentation is judged according to the canons of literary taste, it must be placed among the best of poetic compositions. Thus David tried to keep his friend’s memory alive; the song was meant to be a memorial to him. Such friends as Jonathan are not common, and we must not forget them. We like to think of the happy days of communion we have had together, and we will not allow the cherished name to be blotted out from our memory. Jonathan loved David out of great admiration of him. When he saw him come back with the head of Goliath in his hand, he loved him as a soldier loves a soldier, as a brave man loves another brave man. Though Jonathan was the king’s son, and heir apparent to the throne, we find that he ‘removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt’ (1Sm 18:4). He felt that such a hero, who could so trust his God, and so expose his life, and come off so victorious, deserved his utmost love. When we read a story like that of Jonathan and David, should it not stir up in us the desire not so much to have such a friend as to be such a friend as Jonathan was to David? Anyone can selfishly desire to have a Jonathan, but he is on the right track who desires to find a David to whom he can be a Jonathan. There is great joy in life with real friendship on both sides. Some people expect friendship to be always heaping its treasures on them, but true friendship has two hands, two feet, and two eyes. We cannot have a real friendship that is all for taking and never for giving. David loved Jonathan as Jonathan loved David. May that blessed Spirit of God, who teaches us to love even our enemies, help us cultivate sanctified friendships and be willing to help those who are our brothers and sister in Christ in time of need.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Samuel 2:1 ‘Asking God where to go’: “Although David knew that he was anointed to be king over Israel, yet he would not take a step toward his rightful position without first asking guidance from God. Moreover, he was not content with a general direction but wanted to have a particular and special indication as to where he was to go.  It was not enough for God to say to him, ‘Go’-he wants to know precisely to which town of Judah he should go. Nor was this an exception to David’s usual habit. From his youth up, he had been accustomed to ask the Lord’s direction in all cases of difficulty. When he fled from Saul and went to Nod to Abimelech the priest, Doeg told Saul that Abimelech enquired of the Lord for David.: It was not enough for David that he had Goliath’s sword; he must also have guidance from God. When he was in the town of Keilah, which he had: rescued from the Philistines, after he had twice enquired of the Lord whether he should do so, he asked whether the men of Keilah would deliver him up to Saul; and, as a result of the response which he obtained from God, he was able to make good his escape. Afterwards, when David had become king over Israel in Hebron, before he fought with the Philistines, he enquired of the Lord, ‘Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?’ (2Sm 5:19). The Lord’s answer was favorable, and David gained a great victory. But when the Philistines came up again, David did not go out to fight with them until he had once more enquired of the Lord, and then it was that God gave him that memorable answer, ‘When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the LORD will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines’ (2Sm 5:24). David was a man who always needed to see God’s finger pointing out the right road, to hear God’s voice, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’ And he never seemed to be satisfied unless he could hear the sound of his Master’s feet close behind him or see a clear indication that his Master was just in front of him or walking by his side.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Samuel 2:4 ‘anointed David king’: “David had already been privately anointed king by Samuel (cf. 1 Sam. 16:3). This anointing recognized his rule in the southern area of Judah. Later he would be anointed as king over all Israel (cf. 2 Sam. 5:3). men of Jabesh Gilead. Jabesh, a city of Israel E of the Jordan, demonstrated its loyalty to Saul by giving him a proper burial (cf. 1 Sam. 31:11–13).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 2:8 ‘Abner’: “Abner, cousin of Saul and general of his army (1 Sam. 14:50, 51), did not desire to follow the Lord’s new anointed king, but placed Ishbosheth on the throne, causing tension between Judah and the rest of the tribes in Israel. Ishbosheth. His name means ‘man of shame.’ Saul’s only surviving son was placed as king over the northern tribes of Israel and the eastern ones across the Jordan. Mahanaim. A town in Gilead to the E of the Jordan River. Ishbosheth established himself there and reigned for two years in this city. This was the same city where Jacob saw the angels while on his way to Penuel (Gen. 32:2). It was appointed to be a Levitical city from the territory of Gad (Josh. 21:28; 1 Chr. 6:80). It later became the haven for David while fleeing from Absalom (17:24, 27; 19:32; 1 Kin. 2:8), because likely it was well fortified (cf. 18:24).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 2:14 ‘the young men … compete’: ”Rather than all-out war, Abner proposed a representative contest between champions on behalf of the opposing armies. Because all 24 of the contestants lay fallen and dying in combat (vv. 15, 16), the contest settled nothing, but excited passions so that a battle between the two armies ensued (v. 17).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 2:18 ‘Abishai’: “Brother of Joab, he was an aide to David throughout his rise to power. Abishai was with David in the camp of Saul when David had opportunity to kill Saul and encouraged the murder of Saul, which David would not allow (cf. 1 Sam. 26:6–9). Asahel. Another brother of Joab, Asahel was single-minded with dogged determination; though he was extremely fleet-footed, his determination would prove to be fatal (v. 23).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 2:22 ‘How then could I face your brother Joab?’: “Abner sought to spare Asahel so as to avoid unnecessary vengeance from Joab or David. Abner tried to give Asahel reasons to stop his pursuit, but Asahel was determined. Abner did not wish to strike down Asahel, but Asahel refused to listen, so he was forced to stop his effort with a fatal stab by the blunt end of his spear.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 3:7 ‘Rizpah’: “By taking Rizpah, the concubine of Saul, Abner made a clear statement to the people that he would take the place of Saul as king over Israel. Going in to the king’s concubine was a statement of power and rightful claim to the throne (cf. 16:21, 22 in regard to Absalom). Ishbosheth reacted strongly against Abner, so Abner resented his reaction as an indignity and, compelled by revenge, determined to transfer all the weight of his influence and power to David’s side (vv. 9, 10).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 3:12 ‘Whose is the Land?’: “Though Abner’s language (vv. 9, 10) implied the conviction that in supporting Ishbosheth he had been going against God’s purpose of conferring the sovereignty of the kingdom on David, this acknowledgment was no justification of his motives. He selfishly wanted to be on the winning side and to be honored as the one who brought all the people under David’s rule.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 3:13 ‘Michal, Saul’s daughter’: “David requested Michal for two reasons. One, it would right the wrong Saul had committed toward David by having given Michal, who was David’s wife and who loved him (1 Sam. 18:20, 28), to another man (1 Sam. 25:44). Two, it would serve to strengthen David’s claim to the throne of all Israel by inclining some of Saul’s house to be favorable to his cause.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 3:17-18 ‘civil war’: “God had cast off Saul because he had not been faithful, and he had appointed David to be his successor, anointing him by the hand of Samuel. Yet when Saul was slain in battle, Israel seemed determined to choose her own king by selecting one of Saul’s family; and under the leadership of Abner, the majority of the tribes set up Ishbosheth, son of Jonathan, to be king. Then commenced a civil war between those tribes on the one hand and Judah, led by David, in which David was increasingly successful. In time Abner became angry at Ishbosheth and resolved that David should become king over the whole land. So he began to persuade the tribes to cease their rebellion and to give up the king of their own choosing and offer the crown to the king whom God had appointed, even David. They had once ‘loved David because he was leading their troops’ (1 Sm 18:16). Now they needed to act on their initial impulse. Some people are in that situation regarding Christ. They may have sought for David to be king over them in times past, but they have not crowned him yet. They must stop thinking, questioning, hesitating, halting, and do one thing or the other. If God is God, serve him. If Baal or the devil is God, serve him. We cannot sit down forever in the absurd condition of believing a thing to be right and yet neglecting it of feeling ourselves to be in danger and not seeking to escape by the way we admit to be safe and fitting. David would not be king over Israel unless Israel was willing that he should be king. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, should rule and reign over our entire nature as our heart’s supreme Lord.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

2 Samuel 3:17-18 ‘the knock at the door’: “The knock at the door by the Lord’s pierced hand has been kept up year after year, almost incessantly; and even in the night watches they have been startled with it. He whose head is wet with dew and his locks with the drops of the night has stood there these many weary months knocking, knocking, knocking. In boundless patience of love, he still lingers and again lifts that scarred hand to knock again in tender earnestness. They have been almost persuaded to rise from their couch to admit him to their hearts, but as yet they have not done so.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon illustrations

2 Samuel 3:25 ‘Abner … came to deceive you’: “It is ironic that Joab accused Abner of deception in spying on David in v. 25 when in v. 26 he deceived David by not telling him of his request to have Abner returned to Hebron. Joab used this deception to slay Abner out of personal vengeance for the death of his brother Asahel (v. 27; see 2:19–23).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 3:28 ‘the blood of Abner’: “Since life is in the blood (cf. Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:11, 14; Deut. 12:23), this expression refers to the life of Abner. David made it clear he had nothing to do with the murder of Abner, and David sought the Lord’s help to punish Joab for his evil deed (v. 39).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

2 Samuel 3:31 ‘mourn’: “Joab was instructed to mourn for the death of Abner, as was the custom for commemorating the death of an individual. To further demonstrate David’s condemnation of the killing of Abner, he instructed ‘all the people’ to mourn the death of Abner, including Joab and his men (vv. 32–34).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

My Thoughts

At the beginning of 2 Samuel, the author reminds us that David had defeated the Amalekites.  David rested at Ziklag.

A runner approached David in torn clothing.  He was an Amalekite.  He reported that Jonathan and Saul were dead on Mount Gilboa.  David wanted proof, and the Amalekite lied, claiming that Saul had been mortally wounded, and he had killed him.  He gave David the crown and the arm band of Saul as proof.

David had the Amalekite killed for claiming to kill Saul.  In the way it was worded, David may not have believed the man, but his claim was what got him killed.

David and his men tore their clothing and lamented.  David wrote the “Lament of the Bow” where he cursed Mount Gilboa so that it would not see dew or rain.  Saul and Jonathan were loved in life and not parted from each other in death.  And he ended the lament with how the weapons of war had perished.

Then David inquired of God where he should move.  With God’s direction, he moved to Hebron where he was anointed king of Judah.  He would reign seven and a half years there, having six sons from six different wives.

He sent a blessing to Jabesh Gilead.  He commended them for their faithfulness to Saul and a promise that he would be faithful to them.

Meanwhile, Abner, Saul’s commander of the army sided with Ish Bosheth.  Ish Bosheth would reign over all the other tribes, except Judah, for two years.

Abner brought his army down to confront Joab and David’s army.  They established a competition of hand-to-hand combat.  Twelve men were selected from each army.  When they faced off, Joab’s troops pulled the hair of their opponent and stabbed them in the side.  With Abner’s select forces killed, his army retreated.

Asahel, Joab’s brother, was a good runner.  He chased Abner.  Abner pleaded with him to turn back but Asahel kept coming.  Abner continued to plead, but when Asahel would not stop, Abner impaled him with the blunt end of his spear.

Asahel’s brothers, Joab and Abishai took up the pursuit, but Abner pled for his life and asked if all Israel must die.  Joab called off the pursuit to bury his brother and marshal the troops around Hebron.

Abner slept with Saul’s concubine Rizpah.  Ish Bosheth accused him of this act, and Abner lied in his defense.  He acted so offended for being accused of something that was true, he switched his loyalty to David.

He proposed to David that with him realigning himself with David, the northern tribes would agree to make David king.  David refused to talk to him in person about the matter unless Abner brought Michal, David’s first wife who had been given to another man.  Abner complied, but Joab was not there when Abner produced the agreement for all the Israel nation to be unified under David.

Joab lured Abner back to Hebron where he killed him for having killed Joab’s brother Asahel.

David cursed the family of Joab for having done this thing.  David ordered everyone, including Joab’s family to mourn the death of Abner.  They had a long funeral procession for Abner, and David fasted.

David wanted it clearly understood that he had nothing to do with the murder of Abner.

A genealogical note: David was the seventh of seven sons of Jesse, but Jesse had two daughters: Abigail and Zeruiah.  Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were the sons of Zeruiah, thus David’s nephews, but since David was the youngest in the family, Joab and Abishai may not have been much different in age to David himself.  I thought this note was important to provide context, showing the connection between Abishai and Joab to David.  And Joab would soon become the official commander of David’s army.

Also note that David reigned in Hebron for seven and a half years while Ish Bosheth reigned two years.  The difference is in David being anointed, for a third time, but this time to be king of all Israel, and David could not move to Jerusalem until after the city was conquered.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

2 Samuel 1:1-16 David Hears of Saul’s Death 1. When have you fibbed to win someone’s favor? How might you be tempted to do so again?
“2. Where does your attitude toward your enemies need to change? How so?
“3. Where might you be grieving the death of a relationship? How is yours ‘good grief’?
2 Samuel 1:17-27 David Laments for Saul and Jonathan 1. What worst enemy and best friend can you begin treating the way David treats Saul and Jonathan? What is holding you back from doing this? How could you overcome the hurdles involved and do this while they are still living?
“2. If you have experienced a death close to home recently, how might you creatively remember him or her? What do you wish you had said before their death?
2 Samuel 2:1-7 David Anointed King Over Judah 1. About what future ‘moves’ are you inquiring of the Lord? So far what is he telling you?
2 Samuel 2:8-3:5 War Between the Houses of David and Saul 1. In what ways are you like Abner: When do you manipulate others to your own advantage? When do you make war instead of peace? How do you decide ‘enough’s enough’ in your fights? When do you teach ‘your brother’ (the competitor) a ‘lesson he’ll never forget’?
“2. In what ways are you like Asahel: What qualities do you possess above your peers, those which could get you in trouble? When do you pursue ‘enemies’ which are best left to someone else? When are your ‘eyes bigger than your stomach’? Where do you need large doses of wisdom to balance your zeal, lest you come to a premature demise?
“3. In what ways are you like the house of David: Are you growing ‘stronger and stronger’? Are you ‘missing in action’? Or are you feeling competition in the family (like a third party wife)? To what do you attribute that? Where do you need a cease-fire?
2 Samuel 3:6-21 Abner Goes over to David 1. Where in your life do you feel the need to ‘strengthen your own position’, as did Abner?
“2. David experienced the pain of broken promises from Saul, yet trusted in God’s promised kingdom. How trusting are you of others’ promises? Of God’s promises?
“3. To whom were you most loyal today: (a) “To thine own self be true”? (b) To God’s chosen King? (c) To some false king of your own making
2 Samuel 3:22-39 Joab murders Abner 1. When it comes to trusting others, are you more like Joab or David? Why?
“2. Like Joab, where are you tempted to go against the wishes of those in authority over you?
“3. Like Joab, where are you tempted to act in a cunning and deceitful way to gratify your need for revenge?
“4. Like David, where are you showing your sincere forgiveness of those who once opposed you?
“5. Why do we instinctively admire ‘sincerity’ (such as David’s) and despise ‘deceit’ (such as Joab’s)?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is one set of questions for 2 Samuel 1 as noted above.  There are four sets of question for 2 Samuel 2-3 as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.