Day Four

Promises Fulfilled
Yesterday we learned God chose David to become the next king of Israel. Today, we will Key Text learn about the political circumstances surrounding Davids enthronement. 2 Samuel 2-4 In the ancient world, a new dynasty usually took place with the murder of the current king. The murderer usually started the new dynasty in his name. This isnt the Key Verse case with David. He may have been anointed king while Saul still reigned, but he didnt You know with all have to lift a finger to take the throne from Saul. In fact, God brought about the your heart and soul opportunity for Davids enthronement. If you wish to read the background surrounding that not one of the Sauls death, you may do an optional reading in 1 Chronicles 10:1-15. Its not required, good promises the simply because we have a lot to cover today. Using the information from yesterdays LORD your God gave profile, go ahead and add Saul to the timeline. According to 2 Samuel 5:4, how old was David when he became king? 16 20 26 30 35

Yesterday, when the Sacred Writer introduced us to David, we understood him to be a young man when Samuel anointed him. Just how young was he? Using only Scripture, Bible Chronologist Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones, estimates his age to be around 18 years old.i I tend to agree with this estimation. If 18 years old is the correct estimation, David had to wait almost 12 years for Gods calling to take place in his life. We think some of us are waiting a long time for God to act! Why in the world couldnt God allow him become king sooner? While I believe there are several reasons, I want to focus on the one that is applicable to each of our lives. As a young man, David entered Sauls service, first as a harp player, and later as a warrior. David had military success wherever he went. When Saul realized David received the anointing as the next king of Israel, he tried to kill him. David was forced to flee from his home, wife, best friend, and country men in an attempt to escape from Saul. Davids life would be spent hiding in caves, moving around, and seeking refuge. He fought for other countries as he became a drifting soldier (much like Achilles in Troy). At one point, he even wound up fighting for the Philistines! In the midst of those difficult moments, David didnt just sit around hoping for something better to come along. Instead, he allowed God to use that time to do something amazing in his life. David penned some of his best psalms while hiding from Saul. I want us to study one of those psalms and see if we cant read it with renewed understanding. Use the margin to write down anything you note from the psalm that pertains to the emotions David experienced while hiding. Study the specifications of his circumstances and allow them to sink in. Go ahead and read Palm 57. You see, the Lord had a purpose in mind for David by allowing him to wait many years before receiving the throne. Read James 1:2-5. How could this apply to David? Write your answer in the margin. I hardly think any of us consider it joy when we face trials. James calls us to recognize that our sufferings and waiting periods in life are used to develop our faith and strengthen our walk with God. Its also used to prepare us for the future tasks God appointed for us. This truth gives us assurance and joy, knowing the dark night will not last and that something better will transform the ashes of grief into beauty. This is what gives us joy.

you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. Joshua 23:14b

All those years of waiting and facing trials helped shape David into the king God wanted him to be. It created a man of steadfast faith who knew victory rested in Gods hand alone. These qualities are a necessity for a man who leads a nation Gods way, rather than his own. Aside from the benefits these trials offered David, God used them to minister to us. If David hadnt been running from Saul, he never would have penned half of those psalmsand look at what we would have missed! Okay, lets go ahead and get to the meat of todays study. For easier reading we will divide our main portion of scripture into three sections. Read 2 Samuel 2:1-11 What did David inquire of God (1)?______________________________________________ How did God respond (v1)?_____________________________________________________ What city did David settle in (v1)?________________________________________________ What did the men of Judah do with David (v4)? ____________________________________ Who became the next king over Israel (v10)?_______________________________________ How many years did David reign over the house of Judah (v11)?__________ God instructed David to enter the city of Hebron, located in the territory of Judah. When David arrived, the Judeans crowned him as their king. They refused to subject themselves to the rule of Sauls son, Ish-Bosheth. Ish-Bosheth ruled all the tribes except Judah. At this point in our timeline, Israel is divided into two kingdoms. If youd like to see the different territories, turn to the map labeled, Allotments to the tribes. At the age of thirty, David finally became king! But he only ruled over Judah. Didnt God promise David hed govern all of Israel, as well? Before we continue with the lesson, lets pause for a moment and create a profile for Ish-Bosheth based off of 2 Samuel 2:10. Do not skip this. Its important in helping you understand the division in the two kingdoms. How old was he when he became king over Israel?________ How many years did he rule over Israel? __________ Where was the capital of Israel (v8)?_____________________________________________ Go to your map titled, The Kingdom of Saul. Circle the new capital city and place a tiny x over the old one. Then circle the territory Ish-Bosheth ruled over. Before moving the capital to Mahanaim, it had been located at Gibeah. As you can see we have two completely separate kingdoms. Not only were the tribes divided, but war ensued between the house of Saul and the house of David. This war plays a key part in bringing David to Israels crown. What does 2 Samuel 3:1 say about the two houses? _____________________________________________________________________________

I believe we can see a glimpse of Gods promise beginning to peek through the clouds of doubt and waiting. Here is our first indicator the tides are turning. Read our second segment found in 2 Samuel 3:6-21. What did Ish-Bosheth accuse Aber of doing (v6)? ____________________________________________________________________________ What did Abner declare he would do from that day forward (v9-10)? _____________________________________________________________________________ What agreement did David and Abner enter into (v12-13)? _____________________________________________________________________________ In ancient Middle Eastern culture, if one slept with the concubine of a king, or their father, it was recognized as a blatant statement of ones intention to overthrow the throne or inheritance. No wonder Abner seethed at Ish-Bosheths statement. Ish-Bosheth just accused him of treason! Im sure the fact Abner had been strengthening his position inside Sauls house didnt exactly play in his favor, but to accuse him of treason hardly seems the right thing to do. Many have speculated Abner committed this traitorous crime. I tend think not. I dont believe any man would have been so offended or even reacted the way he did were he guilty. Abner employs the use of a metaphor by asking if he was a dogs head. Ancient Israelites despised dogs. By using this language, Abner figuratively asked if he should be considered an enemy of Sauls house after all his years of loyalty. In a heated moment of rage, Abner swore an oath to God that he would use his power and position to deliver the remaining tribes of Israel into Davids hands and make him their king. Abners statement over making David king over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba is an idiomatic way of saying the entire territory. The city of Dan is located at one end of the nation, while the city Beersheba is located at the other. Should Abner fail to do this, he invoked Gods judgment upon himself. Abners passionate anger frightened Ish-Bosheth. Ish-Bosheth knew Abner had the ability to accomplish what he declared. According to 2 Samuel 2:8-9, who made Ish-Bosheth king over Israel?_________________ Isb-Bosheth knew Abner could influence the leaders over the tribes and persuade them to crown David as their king. After all, he had done that with him! When Abner left Ish-Bosheths presence he sent a message to David letting him know his intention and desire to arrange a meeting with him to discuss the matter. Who did David demand Abner bring to him before he even entered his presence (v13-14)? _____________________________________________________________________________

What does 1 Samuel 25:44 tell us about David and Michals previous relationship? _____________________________________________________________________________

When David fled from Saul, Saul gave his daughter, Davids wife, in marriage to someone else. Now David demanded her back. Many have speculated as to Davids reason for demanding the return of Michalthe theories range from pure love to political aspirations. I want to lay a couple of those theories out on the table. The first one is that David actually loved Michal. There is nothing in the Bible to support this. We do know Michal loved David when they married (1 Sa.18:20), and that it pleased David to become the kings son-in-law (1 Sa.18:26). Im not sure if that indicates a genuine love relationship on Davids part. I tend to think not. Lets examine the following political reasons its believed David requested Michals return. Demanding the return of Michal allowed David to strengthen his position. 1) As the husband of King Sauls daughter, he claimed his right to reign on the throne and eliminated the possibility of Michals husband to usurp the throne from him. 2) He was winning to himself whatever lingering affection there was for Saul (a child born to the union would join the two rival lines). ii 3) He demonstrated he had no ill feelings toward the previous king. 4) He attempted to gain support from the tribe of Benjamin. 5) The biggest one is probably that he used this demand to place Sauls household under his control. I know it sounds far fetched, but read 2 Samuel 3:15 again. Who does it say took Michal away from Paltiel in verse 15?__________________________ I cant imagine why Ish-Bosheth bowed down to such a request when he knew Abners intention of delivering the kingdom into Davids hands. For whatever reason, he did. In all honesty, I dont believe there is any one reason for Davids motivation. Each one may have played a part in Davids request. Sometimes, life works that way. Life is complicated and more complex than we make it out to be. I believe thats what happened here. What reason did Abner give for wanting to assemble all of Israel (21)? _____________________________________________________________________________ Abner seems to be a spokesperson between the Northern tribes and the Southern tribe. I hope none of you missed the words Abner spoke in verse 18 to persuade them to make David their king. Abner said, The LORD promised David, By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and from the hand of their enemies. Sound familiar? Isnt that what God said about Saul before Samuel anointed him? Verse 19 tells us Abner spoke with the Benjamites in person. Since Saul descended from the tribe of Benjamin, they would need a lot more convincing. As a relative of King Saul, Abner apparently maintained an important influence over the Benjamites. After Abner spoke to the tribes, he reported back to David and met him at Hebron, Davids capital. So far, everything seems to be in place as an alliance is slowly reached between the tribes. But someone very close to David is about the cost him dearly. Read 2 Samuel 3:22-39. Where had Joab and Davids men been when Abner and David were talking and dealing (v22)? _____________________________________________________________________________ Why did Joab appear so upset in verse 24-25? _____________________________________________________________________________

This was only half of Joabs concern and motive for rebuking David. The real reason he rebuked David is more personal than political. What does verse 30 tell us about the grudge Joab nursed against Abner? _____________________________________________________________________________ The true reason behind Joabs angerhe wanted revenge! He didnt like the idea of David acting on friendly terms with the man who murdered his brother. 2 Samuel 2:12-32 states very clearly that Abner didnt murder Joabs brother out of the evil of his heart. In fact, his death happened during one of those power struggles between the house of Saul and David. Joabs brother chased Abner down. Abner warned him to stop or hed kill him. He wouldnt stop, and so he met his death. Of course, Joab blamed Abner for his death. In situations like this, grief has a way of clouding out logic. It blinds us to both sides of the story, as we focus on the one we mourn. We hold the other person responsible for the loss as we grow to hate them and seek revenge. Thats exactly what Joab did. I dont think Joab thought about the effects his actions might have on the progress being made in turning the kingdom over to David. What did David immediately say when he learned of Abners death (v28-29)? _____________________________________________________________________________ I tend to think of this statement as one of those Whitehouse press conferences where the president issues an official statement to declare the government and administration from any guilt regarding a disaster that will assuredly point blame on them. David knew the northern tribes would not only suspect him of fowl play, but would consider withdrawing any consideration of crowning him as their king. Notice he didnt try to Watergate the situation. He openly acknowledged the incident took place. He even went so far as to pronounce a curse, not only on Joab, but his entire family. David made a point that Joab may have been on his administration, but Joab acted on his own. The Israelites would have taken this into serious consideration of Davids innocence in the involvement of Abners death. What do verses 31-36 tell us David did to show the people he had no part in Abners death? Write your answer in the margin. Did it work? Yes No

Notice he also commanded Joab to participate in the mourning of Abner. Jews consider mourning to be the expression of grief and sorrow over the death of a close relative, friend, or national leader.iii Expressing grief is done through several actions: 1.) the tearing of clothes: . ..The tearing of garments is a sign of grief, a traditional Jewish mourning custom . . . Although the rendering of garments initially may have been simply a manifestation of natural feelings of grief and anger, it also developed as a symbolic substitute for the pagan practice of mutilating ones flesh upon learning of a relatives death.iv 2.) Wearing sackcloth: Sackcloth is a rough, coarse cloth, or a baglike garment made of this cloth and worn as a symbol of mourning or repentance. . . .the Israelites showed their grief by wearing sackcloth and ashes.v David also composed a lament for Abner. The lament might sound strange to us, but based off the customs of the time, the metaphorical language laments Abners unjust death.

The reference to walking in front of Abner, and David walking behind the brier is referring to the funeral procession. Coffins were not used by the ancient Israelites. The deceased were simply buried on a bed of intertwined reeds. . . during Talmudic times, it was more common to bear the body to the cemetery on a mittah (brier). . .vi The people realized Davids sincerity in lamenting Abners death. It pleased them he would mourn over Abner in this way. Now, dont think David did these things simply for publicity. I hardly believe he did it for show. As a man after Gods heart, I believe he genuinely mourned the unjust death of an innocent man the way a man of God would mourn. What did David say he would not do to the sons of Zeruiah and why (v39)? ____________________________________________________________________________ The sons of Zeruiah, refers to Joab and his other brother, who both revenged the death of their brother. David knew they were too powerful to punish at the moment. Even though he ruled the nation, his position did not hold political stability among the people of Israel, and to execute them too soon would be considered hasty within his own clan. He chose to leave their punishment in Gods hands. To see how the rest of these events turned out read 2 Samuel 4:1-12. What happened when Ish-Bosheth learned of Abners death (v1)?_____________________ Whats interesting is the Hebrew translation of the phrase lost courage. The Hebrew word is Rapah. The actual meaning of this word is, to be slack, be remiss, be idle; to be weak, be feeble, to desist; to sink down; to be despondent, be disheartened, to be lazy; to disarm; to let alone, abandon, desert; to relax; to abate; to stop; to let someone go; to remain; the basic idea of relaxing the hands or letting down can connote the loss of courage.vii I know thats a mouthful, but its meaning is significant and explains why Israel became so alarmed. Loosing courage, Ish-Bosheth became lazy and slack in running the country. Im not sure if the rest of the country planned to handle the issue, but apparently two of the raiding band leaders didnt want to see the country fall into ruin. In a devious plot, they decided to kill IshBosheth. The importance of the inner part of the house lets us know exactly how much thought they put into their plot. Going to the inner part of the house, they pretended as if they needed to get some wheat. The Hebrew word indicates the inner part of the house to be a passage or hallway. In order to reach Ish-Bosheth, they had to pass the wheat storage in the hallway that led to his room. Dont fail to notice the time of day they murdered him. Ish-Bosheth took a regular afternoon nap. They chose this precise time to execute their plan. It is a coward who murders a defenseless man. What did the men tell David the Lord had done for him (v8)? _____________________________________________________________________________ I find it amazing these men claimed the Lord avenged David through Ish-Bosheths murder. That is absolutely crazy! When the Lord brings about justice, he doesnt do it in a way thats sinfulat least not when it comes to His chosen people. It seems to me these men tried to get away with sinning by pinning the Lords name on it. Ish-Bosheths murder wasnt a hap accident. It was premeditated murder! Not only was it premeditated murder, but it had little to nothing to do with bringing the kingdom under Davids control. It had everything to do with getting rid of a lazy, scared ruler who abandoned his country. These men attempted to pin unselfish motive to selfish motives.

How did David respond to their news (v9-12)? _____________________________________________________________________________ Imagine, as Davids mouth opened, Recab and Bannahs adrenaline raced, expecting to be rewarded for their deed, only to have their adrenaline go from seventy miles per an hour to a mere zero as David declared their death sentence. David reminded the men he didnt spare the messenger who announced he killed Saul. Instead, he had the messenger killed. David knew the seriousness of murdering those the Lord anointed. Regardless of whatever evil they committed, the Lord still anointed them and placed them in the office. We know Sauls character well. He disobeyed the Lord in many ways. He too, attempted to murder David, the Lords anointed, and actually did murder some priests. If David considered it a sin to murder a man guilty of numerous sins against him and the Lord, how much more so could he view the murder of an innocent man who never harmed him? With the news the messengers brought, David found himself in a deja-vu. Once again, the nation of Israel would grow suspicious of David and question his involvement with Ish-Boseths murder. Where did David bury Ish-Bosheth (v12)? ________________________________________ In ancient times, kin were usually buried in the same area. Abner and Ish-Bosheth were related. When David buried Ish-Bosheth with Abner, he gave Ish-Bosheth a respectful and dignified burial. The Israelites noticed this action, and again, it pleased them that David showed respect for Ish-Bosheth. Add Ish-Bosheth onto the timeline. Okay, now we have one quick reading and well be finished for the day. Turn to 2 Samuel 5:1-5. Who made David their king? ___________________________________________________ What did David enter into with the people (v3)?____________________________________ According to 1 Chronicles 12:38-39, how many days did the negotiations last?___________ The moment weve been waiting for! The Israelites sought David as their king! They based their choice of David from several significant factors: 1) David was their own flesh and blood 2) David led successful military campaigns in Sauls army 3) The Lord chose him. David made a compact with the Israelites. One scholar speculated this compact must have included an understanding that the other tribes would enjoy equal rights with the tribe of Judah in the new national monarchy.viii David finally ruled the entire nation! The journey to this moment proved difficult. As weve studied in this lesson alone, the road had plenty of bumps and potholes along the way, filled with moments when the promise almost seemed lost. Even when David saw a shadow of the promise, he must have thought it would disappear. While one half of the promise seemed close, the other seemed far off. He must have thought it would never come. Take a moment to reflect on the bumpy road David endured in reaching the other half of the Lords promise. Have you ever felt like the Lord fulfilled half of a promise after you waited a long time, only to encounter many bumps along the way in receiving the fulfillment of the other half? Go ahead and write the experience in the margin.

I think weve all been there. We can gain hope from Davids experience. I love the way I Chronicles 11:1-3 phrases these events. It seems to wrap up Davids entire exhausting ordeal in one hopeful ending. Go ahead and read it. . . . as the Lord had promised through Samuel. I love that! At the beginning of todays lesson we talked about the length of time David had to wait to become the next king. It wasnt something he was just hoping would happen one day. It was a promise the Lord made to him. He waited a long time for that promise to come to pass. In our own lives we feel God has promised us certain things. Promises we eagerly await to see fulfilled. How quickly we become discouraged if we dont see it come to pass when wed like. Just as we learned about the consequences of not waiting on God from Saul, we can learn about the rewards of patiently waiting and eagerly expecting from David. Are you waiting in your own life to see a promise from God come to pass? If so, what is it? Write your answer in the margin. Read the key verse. Now, write the verse over the answer you wrote in the margin. Dear One, if its a promise from God, it will come to pass. Never doubt that. Though it lingers, it will come. And in that day, it will be beautiful!

Jones, Dr. Floyd Nolen. Chronology of the Old Testament (N.p: Master Books, 1993), 95. Vos., Ibid, 156. iii Eisenberg., ibid, 91 iv Ibid, 92. v Lockyer, Herbert, Ed. Nelsons Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible.(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996) , 933 vi Eisenberg, ibid. 81 vii Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, ibid.,1551 viii Vos., Ibid, 157
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