The+summary+of+Second+Samuel

= 2 Samuel =  The theme of 2 Samuel is God is KING. The book shows us how God guides King David through many trials and victories in order to set up the Davidic Covenant. In the beginning of the book David is shown to be the right man for the job as king. After this David is shown to no longer be the right man to fulfill the job as king and also the Davidic Covenant, and what is shown are the characteristics of the one who can fulfill the covenant, which is the KING. . Chapter one through seven discusses the reasons David is fit to be king, and also God’s anointed. Chapters one through six tells about qualifications of David, how he first must have personal stability, military power, and national unification.  The chapter opens up by Saul passing away, and David being told about it. The theme is played out by David’s love and reverence for the office. This is first seen in how David handles the man who tells David of Saul and Jonathan’s death. This man is going to try and deceive David, but he is very careless and commits numerous errors. (2 Samuel 1:6)The first error he commits is he tells David he was at Mt. Gilboa Mount Gilboa is in Israel, and therefore it is very strange for the man to be there because he is a foreigner. There is no good reason why he should be there so this shows he is wandering around. This shows he has no commitment to anyone, which raises the questions about how he know to go to David, and how does he know Jewish Customs. .(2 Samuel 1:8)The man proceeds tells David he is an Amalekite, an enemy of Israel The second problem that arises is it shows that he is in it for the money, since by nationality he is an enemy of David. This is proven again as he discusses how Saul and Jonathan died. He watched as Saul was losing then went and killed him in cold blood. Then end of verse ten is very important in showing David’s reverence for the throne because David has a chance to take the throne illegitimately because the man brought the crown and bracelets of the king. Yet, instead of seizing the throne prematurely he mourns for Saul (1:12), who in first Samuel had tried to kill him. (2 Samuel 1:2, 12)David and his men mourned stands in stark contrast to how the Amalekite man. David makes the man admit his guilt, and punishes him for killing God’s anointed. (2 Samuel 1:13-14) Again, the reader sees David’s respect for Saul and his position as king despite Saul trying to kill him. He has the man killed, and in doing so rejects the temptation of seizing the throne prematurely, which shows his love/reverence for the office. David wishes to honor the KING, and shows how he is the right man for the Covenant. (2 Samuel 1:19-27)After this he laments and writes a song for them in the rest of the chapter. The song shows David understands the office. In the song it laments Israel’s loss of its king. The beginning of the song uses such intense language because it isn’t just death but desecration; it implies there is a curse. (1:20) “tell it not in Gath” links to Micah 1:10. Gath is the arch enemy of Israel and for the people of Gath to hear about it would be joy for them, so all of Israel should be in lament because of this. The death of the king affects everything and Mount Gilboa is cursed. The KING has rejected the king, which is a cause for national distress. In the final section David laments over Jonathan, but it is not a homosexual relationship, but one similar to a brotherhood. God is setting up a threefold manner in which David will need to be a true king. Here David begins to fulfill the first qualification of personal stability.  The next qualification David must accomplish is military power. Yet, going along with the theme, God is the one at work. God begins by guiding David and bringing him victory. Chapter two shows David’s relationship with God, and also his geographical strength in the battle to come. A side note, (2 Samuel 2:2) David here takes two wives shows a running theme throughout second Samuel. The theme deals with Deuteronomy (17) involving the “three G’s: principle. The king should never multiply Girls, gold, and giddy up. David has a weak spot for girls and this will result into his downfall later on. (2 Samuel 2:4-5)David’s strong hold is located in Hebron which is in the center of Israel, and is a sturdy stronghold. At Hebron David is anointed the king of Judah. Afterwards he finds out the men who buried Saul and blessed them, which shows David’s reverence for the office. Soon after, a man named Abner take control of the house of Saul, and places Ish-Bosheth as king. The way Ish-Bosheth becomes king is in contrast to David, because David was anointed, whereas Ish-bosheth made himself king showing the nation submits to David. The time they reigned is mentioned to show Ish-Bosheth was a fake while David’s was real because of a difference in leadership strengths. (2 Samuel 2:12-13)Both of their armies meet at Gibeon because Gibeon, geographically, is the key to conquering all of the Central-Benjamin-Plateau, which is a key area to the control of Israel. They have two battles. The first battle has both side sends twelve representatives, but it ends in a tie and all die. This occurs to show a stark contrast of a battle in which God has no intervention, to the battle to come where God directly intervenes.(2 Samuel 2:17) In the second battle God intervenes, and shows Abner and his men being completely smashed before the servants of David, not by them. This is to show it is God who is behind David, so it is God vs. Abner. Here the theme is shown again. God as KING is intervening to help the king because of God’s plan for the Davidic Covenant. (2 Samuel 2:18-24)After the battle as Abner is running away, kills the brother of Joab the general for David’s army. This event is vital to second Samuel because it shows God’s intervention even more, but also how God wants a clear military and political victory. If Azahel, Joab’s brother, killed Abner then David would be king faster, but would not have total allegiance. Instead, God intervenes because Abner, who is very well trained, tries to stun Azahel, but instead he impaled him on the butt end of the spear by accident. When Joab and his other brother hear about this they chase Abner and his men to the hill of Ammah. There Abner is able to talk Joab out of his rage, and they returned to count the missing or dead. By statistics David’s side won the battle with only nineteen men missing, whereas Abner had three hundred and sixty. After this the second fold of qualifications David needs to be king, which is control of the military.  (2 Samuel 3)The third qualification is now being addressed. David must prove he is able to unify the people and country. The chapter begins by discussing the sons being born to David so he has heirs to his throne. God has intervened here as well, because it is God’s grace that David is allowed to have heirs to the throne. This solidifies his kingdom, so if misfortune was to visit David his family would be unharmed. (2 Samuel 2:7)This is in contrast to the house of Saul which is falling apart. Abner is becoming stronger while Ish-Bosheth has no power. Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with Saul’s concubines, which if he did signify Abner has power in Saul’s house. (2 Samuel 2:9)This results in Abner going to join David. Abner wants to make David king, and swears that he will die trying, which ironically he does. (2 Samuel 13)After this David commands Ish-Bosheth to give him Michal and he does. This shows that David has all the power, but because Michal is the daughter of Saul he has a legitimate right to the throne. After this Abner goes and speaks to the leaders of Israel and unifies them under David. When Joab returned from raiding he heard about Abner, and killed him. This could have caused a problem for David politically, but David mourned for Abner similarly to how he mourned for Saul and Jonathan. This showed David’s integrity and united the kingdom under him because the people were pleased by how he reacted to the death of Abner. Here David meets the third qualification by uniting the kingdom. This was not done because of how brilliant David is, but again by God’s providence and guidance. Chapter four begins discussing what Ish-Bosheth did after he heard that Abner died. (2 Samuel 4:1-4)After this it begins talking about two commanders in Saul’s house, who will seize power and kill Ish-Bosheth. Verse four seems very out of place in light of what is being said, but he writes this in order to say there is still a son of Saul, and to contrast them with the two commanders. After killing him they brought his head to David trying to seek reward (2 Samuel 4:5-8). (2 Samuel 4: 9-12)If David had accepted it he could have become king, but illegitimately. Instead David does what is right again and has them slain like the Amalekite.  The theme of chapter five is God’s full endorsement of David as king. In the beginning all of Israel gives their oath to David, and this is given in covenant language so it is a legal bond between David and his people. This became the official declaration of David as king. (2 Samuel 4:6-9)Samuel now discusses David’s conquest of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, and completes the conquest. The conquest has many implications theologically for the Davidic covenant, and the rest of the Bible. First, David has completed what Joshua was supposed to do by conquering Jerusalem. The other implication is in verse seven “stronghold of Zion”; Zion is a theological name, and it deals with not only the promise but the place of many promises God makes to man. Another reason Jerusalem is important is because this is where Melchizedek met with Abraham. This also fulfills promises made to Abraham, Moses, and Noah etc. also has geographical importance. It is easily defendable, border of the Benjamin land/ Saul’s land, place where Isaac was almost sacrificed water supply, etc. In 2 Samuel 5:10 the reason why David is so successful is because God was with him. This connects with the theme of the book. (2 Samuel 5:11-12)After, this David is recognized as a king by the nations around, and it is the first time Israel has been seen as a nation by other nations. Yet, despite David’s success he fails in verse thirteen where it is seen he violates the rule stated in Deut. 17. Soon after David is made king, the Philistines, who were the thorn in Israel’s side for three hundred years, thought David was a puppet king since he had worked with them before when Saul was chasing him. David consults God, which is very good, and defeats the philistines in Baal-perazim which means “broke through” in Hebrew. In verse 20 it shows that God broke through the Philistines and their gods like the flooding of a valley because as they fled they left their idols behind. Later, they try to invade Israel again, but God is for Israel and they annihilate them all over the Central Benjamin Plateau. This is shown in verse 25 because it gives two cities that are on different ends of the CBP.  (2 Samuel 6)After all this God shows in how He is KING over David. In this chapter David tries to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem. There are numerous errors David commits. The first is he does not consult God at all. (2 Samuel 6:6)The next mistake is he places it on a cart, but by law the Ark should have been moved by being carried on poles. Another mistake was made by Uzzah who touched the Ark. It seems harsh to strike him down, but the ark would was defiled more by Uzzah thinking he could touch the presence of God, compared to the ark falling onto the dirt God made. God shows his Kingship over all the people. God shows that David is truly nothing without the support of the KING. This made David angry, but also afraid of God so he moved the Ark to the house of Obed-edom. God blessed this household, so David knew that God’s anger had subsided and so he brought the ark to Jerusalem. While bringing it David puts on the clothes of priest and they gave an offering to God to keep it pure. They also rested after every six steps in light of the Sabbath. This is the closest David will ever be like a priest, and is to show you how the perfect candidate, who is Jesus Christ, for the Davidic Covenant will fulfill the role of king, priest, and prophet. (2 Samuel 6:16)Michal who now hates David; this represents the last vestige of Saul’s opposition. After the ceremonies she came to yell at David in verses twenty. In response (verses 21-23) David and God respond to her. First, David tells her about God’s appointment and why they should be joyful, and God’s response by having her childless till death.  The next major section begins here in chapter seven and goes till chapter twenty. Chapter seven is where the Davidic covenant is set up. It begins by telling us about David being the right person, and God’s protection. David has rest from all his enemies so he wants to build God a temple, and asked Nathan who said yes. There are two major issues which come up. The first issue is David is very self-centered when talking, and the last issue is Nathan does not consol God about the decision. (2 Samuel 7:4-7) God comes to Nathan to rebuke him, and David. Yet, it does show David’s heart for God, but mainly God’s agenda which places more importance on the royal line then a temple for Him. From verse eight and onward God discuses the Davidic covenant in a more proper manner. God reminds David of the past, and how God is the one who has intervened, but then begins making promises. (2 Samuel 4:9)There is a promise made by God to make a great name for David. Verse ten discusses a land for the Israelites, which would be Israel. The end of verse eleven discusses peace for Israel from all enemies. After that he promises to make a house for David, in contrast to David wanting to make God a house. This shows corporate solidarity because everything now relies on one man’s shoulders, David. From verses twelve and onward God discusses how He will fulfill these means. In verse twelve God tells David when he dies, he will raise a descendant/seed for him. This seed is similar to the one said in Genesis 3:15. Then God will establish the seed’s kingdom. He will then establish His throne, which shows singularity and establishment of the Davidic line. He will be a father to him, and he will correct him when need be. Many kings were punished in the line as a result. Yet, ultimately all of these points towards Christ and the ending discuss Christ suffering for the sins of the world. God promised a lot in this covenant yet, there were conditions to be met on both sides. In response David in verse eighteen postures himself in a humbling manner to worship God. In this section David’s reaction emphasis three main points. The first is God’s plan and attention to history, so all glory goes back to God, second shows David is the right guy, and third David prays that God will enact the covenant which shows David understands God’s plan, promises.  In chapter eight the Davidic Covenant is being upheld by both by God and David. He begins by conquering the lands around him in order to have political unity. He becomes the new Joshua. One major area he conquered is found at the end of verse three, Zobah. This is the connection point to Mesopotamia. (2 Samuel 8:4)Then David fail again the three G’s because he decides to keep many horses, these are the giddy up, for his army. David has now control of all the trading routes in and out of Israel. This is the fulfillment of the first promise God made by making David a great name to the nations around. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Chapter nine begins discussing David’s love for the people of Israel. In verse one David asks around for anyone left of the house of Saul to show kindness. They then call the master of the house of Saul, and it turns out to be a servant named Ziba. This shows how unstable toe house of Saul is. He tells him about Mephibosheth who was mentioned in chapter five to be lame. David makes only one mistake and this by talking to him in a derogatory manner. (2 Samuel 9:6) When he comes to meet David he prostrates himself which indicates a test just like the Amalekite. God wants to see if David will abuse his position, but David doesn’t and gives a great example of how love is persistent, active, and personally involved. David gives back a large amount of land to Mephibosheth and has him eat at David’s table every day, but he takes everything from Ziba which is a slap in the face and will come back to bite David. The theme is exhibited here by David showing he is the right man for the kingdom, by reflecting the characteristics of the KING. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Chapter ten begins the plummet of the king. David begins to fail and show how a man cannot fulfill the Davidic covenant. God is using David to show how a mortal man could never fulfill the role as king, because only the KING can be what mankind needs for salvation. The first mistake came when the king of the Ammonites died, and David wanted to show kindness so he sent his servants to console him. One thing to really keep an eye on for the rest of the book is the word sent. This will show how this one word shows the affects of sin in David’s life. Sometimes it is used to talk about what pagan kings do, other times it is what David does whether good or bad, and finally what God does. The section ends with the Ammonites hiring Arameans to fight Israel, so as to sandwich him in. This is the beginning of the political collapse of the three things David needed to be a good king. Upon hearing this in verse seven David sends Joab and his mighty men to fight and they barely win the fight. David is now acting like the pagan kings sending out their general instead of fighting himself. In the end David goes to fight. The text shows that it was David who fights the enemies and has complete victory. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> David slowly has begun failing as the right person and has begun proving himself the wrong person, and chapter eleven is the climax of his fall. There are seven discordances in this chapter. (2 Samuel 11:1)The first is David sends out his servants and men just like pagan kings, instead of him going out. The second is Joab seems to be in command of the army and not David in verse one. The next discordance is why did David stay, and send Joab. Verse two should shed light on this. (2 Samuel 11:2) The reason is probably because David could not sleep because he had something on his mind. Which leads to the fourth discordance which is why was he lying on his bed? Also why was he pacing back and forth on the roof top? The next discordance is why Bathsheba is showering on the roof top. It goes against the cultural norm of the day, and is not possible to be a ritual of purification. Included in this is why can David see her, unless he knew she was there. This could lead to the conclusion that she may have been compliant in this. The word sent is used here again, and here it hits rock bottom because David is about to commit the sin that will lead to him being the wrong man. The sixth is why David asks who she is because he already knows! Yet, one brave servant asks him about it but David ignores him and sent his servants to get her. Here, David fails to follow the three G’s principle found in Deut. Seventeen. She then gets pregnant, so this leads into the next discordance which is he sent for Joab to ask Uriah about the welfare of the war. Uriah is one of the mighty men mentioned earlier and because of this probably a good friend, if not the best friend of Joab. Uriah must think he is getting a promotion by how David summoned him. This is even more emphasized in verse eight when David tells Uriah to go home and wash up and rest. Yet, instead Uriah is loyal to David so he stays with the King’s servants at the front door. This shows Uriah’s righteousness and loyalty to the king. David then tries to get him drunk in verse thirteen, yet Uriah still acted more righteous then David when drunk. As a result David gives Uriah a letter to give to Joab, which is very cruel because Uriah thinks it’s a promotion letter, but is his death sentence. It is even crueler since Joab and Uriah must be really good friends. The letter commands Joab to attack the enemy during a siege which is very stupid because when sieging a city all that is needed to be done is to wait till the city starves or surrenders. Yet, he sends Uriah, and as a result Joab must send other ways to attack so as to protect David because he marries Bathsheba. This result in the death of many men, good soldiers who died for a king they thought was good. At the end of the chapter David sends for Bathsheba and here complete fall of David occurs, and now God will act against David. David has fallen, and now has lost all three aspects needed to be the right person, which were personal, military and political. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The theme of this section will focus on how David will continue to fail, but also God’s judgment begins. The chapter begins by God sending Nathan to rebuke David. HE traps David within the story because it is about a shepherd, and David condemns the greedy man which is actually him. God has manipulated him, and made him decree his own punishment. After this Nathan says David is the man in the story (2 Samuel 12:7). Following this God rebukes David by reiterating what David has done, and is now condemning David’s line. God says “as the Lord lives” which the strongest oath that one can say. (2 Samuel 12:10) God says the sword shall never depart David’s house, but God has love for David so forgives him. (2 Samuel 12:5-6)Yet, just as David said the man should repay four fold, God will take four of David’s son. The sons are his unnamed child with Bathsheba, next is Amnon, Absalom, then Adonijah. God also promises to raise one up to take away David’s wives just like David did to Saul. God is a God of His word, so he follows up what he says by having Nathan visiting David’s house. David knows he is guilty, and is humbled by God. He fasts for seven days, and God does not speak to David. During the time David hopes for grace for his child and submits to the KING (God). Yet, God still loves and does more than legally required and gives David another son, Solomon. To finish off the chapter one would think David would learn his lesson, but instead David sends Joab to fight for him instead of himself going out. What is even more bewildering is in verse twenty seven David is being commanded by Joab. David is no longer treated like a king, and has lost control of the military. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Chapter thirteen begins the theme of God’s punishment against David and the dynasty and military begin to weaken. The first is the instability of David’s household. His daughter gets raped by her brother Amnon. It occurs in a manner similar to what David did with Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 13:5-7)This section begins a motif of plotting. The first scheme is how Amnon tricks David into allowing Tamar to go to his place to bake him heart shaped bread. The sending theme and how ugly it is. In the narrative we see that Amnon is like his father David, unrighteous and wicked. Whereas we see Absalom is portrayed Uriah who is righteous and loyal because he takes in his sister. Amnon then hates Tamar and sends her away. (2 Samuel 13:21) David’s reaction and he gets angry, yet he cannot do anything because if he were to punish Amnon he would have to punish himself. In the next verse Absalom take action because he hates Amnon, and because of this he looks more like the king than David who is left looking stupid since he can’t act. In the following verses God will make good on his curse upon David and his household with the sword. This is the beginning of the second motif of plotting. Absalom plans to kill Amnon, and begins with verse twenty three where it mentions sheepshearers. In Hebrew Sheepshearers sounds like Nabal which means fool. Unlike the last plot David catches on when Absalom wants to invite Amnon to a party. Yet, David has become stupid and just by begging him he allows Absalom to take Amnon. He gets Amnon drunk and has all the servants kill him, and then flees. When David hears about this he should act like he should have with Tamar, but again fails to act, because he loves Absalom too much (verse 37) it makes David look even weaker, and now Absalom is more of a threat to the kingdom. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The next section focuses greatly on the military instability. In verse one Joab is able to perceive that David’s heart is against Absalom. It is not for it, because in the Hebrew the word means against not inclined. Joab sets up a trick to get David to allow Absalom back. He sends a woman, which is David’s weakness. She tells a story similar to Nathan to trap him, and they succeed and this allows Absalom to return. This shows that Joab has more power then David. (2 Samuel 14:1) David figured out it was Joab behind it, so he summons Joab. Joab bows to him, but what makes this unique is that it is all for show. Joab does not respect David anymore. This is in contrast to the prior bowing and prostrating earlier. This shows David is no longer king. David no longer listens to the KING, and because of this he begins losing all that qualified him for kingship. God is showing that man is not enough to fulfill the requirements. When Absalom returns he is not allowed to see the king because if he does he will become a greater threat because David still loves him as a son. Chapter fifteen brings about the complete destabilizer to David. The first few verses begin by describing Absalom. (2 Samuel 15:25-27) One item to note is that Absalom is entirely superficial. He is described in physical terms and throughout the Bible when people are described to be handsome and such it usually means they are materialistic. In verse twenty six he cuts his hair like a Nazorite, but doesn’t do it for an appreciation for God. He does it because his hair is heavy on his head. Two years after returning Absalom trick Joab into letting him see the king. One item to note is Joab no longer is siding with Absalom because he has seen the inner personality of him and is disgusted. Absalom then burns the crops of Joab which actually makes him a criminal. He forces Joab to make him see the king (verse 33). When Absalom presented himself to David he prostrated himself, but for respect because it was all for show. The next chapter begins the theme of national disunity. After this Absalom enacted his plot to create national disunity by waiting outside the gates intercepting anyone who came to see the king. This won the hearts of the people in verse six. He won them because he showed them he was “one of them”. Not only that but he looked like a younger more successful David. This time Absalom plots again, because he wants to fulfill a vow to God, but he has never trusted God before. One note to be taken is Absalom probably isn’t very smart, so he must have someone helping him. Towards the end of the chapter that man is named, Ahithophel. This is the grandfather of Bathsheba who is the counselor of David. He holds a grudge against David because of what he did to Uriah. David still loves Absalom greatly so in verse nine he sends him in peace, despite knowing that he is an enemy to David. This result in Absalom making the people believes he is king in Hebron (verse 10). When David hears about what Absalom does, instead of putting the rebellion down then he instead tells his men to flee. This is a very bad strategic move and bad leadership. Absalom couldn’t have that large an army, whereas David had many men under him. Yet, what made him commit this blunder is his love for Absalom. He leaves ten concubines there, which is a horrible decision because it was one of the curses against David that someone would sleep with his wives. Yet, God still has mercy on David and in verse twenty to twenty two Ittai the Gittite passes over them. David flees and is able to escape, but upon further study this route taken is the exact same one as Saul, so it is to show that David has become like Saul. David still has some trust in the Lord, because when Zadok came with the Ark David commands him in verse twenty five to twenty eight to take the ark back and if David returns to Jerusalem than God is with him. To finish off this sober chapter, God puts in a segment about his faithfulness to the covenant. The reason being is David’s friend Hushai is named as the “king’s friend” which means he has an official status in the kingdom. David sends him to not only learn about what Absalom and Ahithophel are doing, but also to cause turmoil in Absalom’s court. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Chapter sixteen still deals with the loss for David and a large lack of leadership. David no longer can be king, and God is punishing him for his mistakes throughout his life. Here he runs into Ziba, the servant in Saul’s household who he took all power from. Ziba maybe trying to gain some favor and loyalty to David, but could also be trying to bash on Mephibosheth. When David asks him in verse three where is he, Ziba responds that he is at Jerusalem trying to obtain power for the house of Saul in the confusion. He then tries to act as head of the Saul household again by telling David all of what he gave to Mephibosheth is now his (2 Samuel 16:4). After this he runs into Shimei, who is cursing David. He calls him a man of blood, or a murderer. David’s men wish to make him stop, but instead David tells them no. He says in verse ten to twelve that God has commanded him to curse me so let him be. David is hoping that God will have mercy on him and end the cursing soon. In one way he sees this as a temptation to act out justice, but refuses because he understands that everything happening is divine punishment against him. The end of this chapter shows a prelude to what is to come. It shows God’s faithfulness to the covenant because he allows Hushai to easily enter the court of Absalom just by flattering him with words. (2 Samuel 16:21)Yet, in God’s curse and punishment is being acted out, because Absalom is now going to sleep with the concubines of David. This is similar to what Abner was accused of because it shows that now Absalom has taken his father’s place as king. A final thing to note is the description of Ahithophel who was almost equated to the Word of God. Yet, in chapter seventeen the spy Hushai has already infiltrated successfully. When Ahithophel seeks to go destroy David, (2 Samuel 17:6-7) Absalom seeks out Hushai’s counsel and he persuades him not to let Ahithophel go. In his speech Hushai portrays David as still mighty and how devastating it would be for Absalom and his image if they lost. He also stresses that Absalom himself needs to be present to fight! (2 Samuel 17:15) Yet, Hushai tells the priest to tell David to make haste because they ended up deciding to follow Ahithophel’s advice, but in the end Absalom followed Hushai because he went himself to find David. This bought some time for them to get across the Jordan. The result of this was Ahithophel commits suicide. Some speculate that this is because he has realized the fate of Absalom, and David will now be victorious. He doesn’t wish to be punished by David when he returns. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> (2 Samuel 18)Yet, despite this victory David will prove again that he is an inadequate leader and fails again. David was able to gather his army. (2 Samuel 18:2) he splits up the command between Joab and Abishai. David is no longer in charge of the army nor acts like a king because when the people tell him not to go out he chooses not to. Instead he still sends Joab to go fight in his place. He, again, listens to Joab despite being the king, and can only make a plea to keep Absalom alive instead of commanding them or doing it himself. Yet, another way to look at is how the people have a respect for the position of king, because of how David lamented over the death of Saul. (2 Samuel 18:7) The people may have wished that not to happen to them. Moving on to the battle there is the phrase “defeated before the servants of David”. This indicates God divine intervention in this battle, and God showing his faithfulness to the Davidic covenant. (2 Samuel 18:9-15)The next scene is tragic; Absalom is fleeing and gets his head stuck in a tree. A man sees him and reports to Joab. Joab demands to know why he didn’t strike him down. The man must have remembered what happened to the Amalekite, and dared not to defy what the king ordered, nor harm the royal line. Yet, Joab in verse fourteen does not listen to David and strikes down Absalom. Worse than that he throws his body into a deep forest, instead of burying him like the prince he was. Despite God’s faithfulness to the Davidic covenant, David will lose again because he has failed to be the right person for the job. Joab does not send the son of the priest Ahimaaz, because Ahimaaz may not know what has happened to Absalom, and because of this Joab is afraid David will harm the messenger. Instead he sends a foreigner to bring the news. In verse twenty three he almost prophecies whether or not it would be good news, and he turns out to be partially right because it is good news, but the death of his son is tragic to David. Ahimaaz is able to out run the Cushite, and tells David of victory, but when asked about Absalom has no idea. When the Cushite arrives he speaks very eloquently in verse thirty one all of those who rose against David, the Lord has freed you from them. This is grace because David is no longer threatened, but tragedy because he still loved Absalom. In chapter nineteen verses one to four indicates how great a loss this was to David, to the point where it affected all of the people of Israel. Upon hearing this Joab in verse five acts by reprimanding the king. Yet, again, Joab does not respect David. Instead he gives commands to David as if he is king, and even threatens him again! What is even more astonishing is David listens to Joab, which indicates that David is still no longer the king. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> A major theme that comes out in the middle of chapter eighteen deals with the lack of unity in the nation. (2 Samuel 18:8) The people are arguing about the fact that after all the battles, and the death of Absalom. Why have they not brought David back? This prompted David to call the elders to welcome him back, and they did so. Two men are there to meet him, Ziba and Shimei. They both bring many men from the house of Saul which seems to have gotten stronger. Then Ziba, who was trying to gain favor with the king, and Shimei asking for forgiveness came to David. (2 Samuel 18:22) David extends that forgiveness to Shimei, though later he will be punished. After this Mephibosheth traveled to meet David, and David asked him why he did not come. Mephibosheth tries to explain that he was ready to leave with the king, but Ziba had tricked him, and left him there so that he could put him in bad light in front of the king. Yet, David isn’t completely persuaded so he splits the land up between Ziba and Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 18:30) Mephibosheth responds in a very humble manner and recognizes he doesn’t deserve anything and leaves it up to the mercy of King David. David then meets with Barzillai who took care of him while they were fleeing. He wishes to repay him so he takes Chimham with him, and as they return home, at the end of the chapter the men of Israel and the men of Judah have an argument about who has more of a claim for David than the other. Now this disunity is amplified even more. In chapter twenty a man, who is described as useless, named Sheba incites more disunity. The men of Israel were easily led astray by them, whereas the men of Judah were faithful to David. Not only was there disunity in the nation, but again the military is in control of Joab. David calls for Amasa to assemble the men of Judah. This may be that David no longer trusts Joab, and because of this Joab assassinates Amasa. (2 Samuel 18:11-13) Joab takes measures to ensure that no one is distracted by the murder, and the followers of Amasa don’t rebel. Then Joab continues to pursue Sheba, (2 Samuel 18:14) and Sheba’s main support could just be his own clan. They begin to siege the city, when a wise woman approaches. This woman is similar to the one that Joab sent to David. It shows a bit how Joab begins to act like the king. She convinces Joab to stop and they give Sheba over to Joab. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The major theme left in this section is “the King Unveiled” and it stretches from chapter twenty one to the end of twenty four. After all the battling and rebellion there is a famine that hits the land. This section will demonstrate how the Davidic King is the mediator of the law. The beginning of chapter twenty one illustrates the curse of the law. What is seen here is David is consulting God for guidance. God tells him to go to the Gibeonites who were mistreated by Saul. They ask for seven sons of Saul, and David provides, but spares Mephibosheth. Through doing this David fulfills the law. Yet, as he sees the wives and mothers mourn he brings the bones of Saul, Jonathan, and the seven who died to be buried in the country of Benjamin in Zela. Now David is faced with his frailty, and his short comings. One thing to note is there is no peace for David anymore. He continues to be in battle, in 2 Samuel 21:15 the Philistines were attacking Israel again. During the battle David gets fatigued and is saved by Abishai, who tells David to no longer go out into battle. This is one aspect a reverence for the office because they do not wish the lamp of Israel to die, but on the other hand they are commanding David what to do. Another item to note in these battles it is no longer the enemies being defeated before the servants of David, but drawn out battles. God is no longer divinely intervening in these battles. The philistines are very well armed in the area of giant men, yet David cannot strike them down and is in need of assistance. Nearing the end of the book in chapter twenty two, David is in definite need of YAHWEH. This chapter corresponds with Psalm 18. It is seen that David realizes his need for God’s protection through the Psalm. It could also be the reflection that David has, as he looks back to what God has done for him. David goes into depth about the troubles he had to face such as death and destruction. Here David than called on the Lord, and He brought salvation to David. This could refer to how in certain battles it said that the enemies were defeated by God before the servants of David. David then goes into his own righteousness, not out of pride but in light of the Davidic covenant. This section doesn’t mean that David was always righteous, but because of God’s mercy and grace David was dealt with as if he was righteous. God was always faithful to the Davidic covenant even when David was not. It does not mean one can hold his own faith by his own righteousness, but it all must be taken in light of the Davidic covenant. David then talks about God’s righteousness which is manifested into grace. David then praises God for His faithfulness to the Davidic covenant by the overcoming of David’s foes. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The next theme seen deals with the Davidic king’s dependence on YAHWEH. Chapter twenty three begins by introducing who David is, and discussing his position that was given to him by God. This last poem could be David’s “last words” as he talks about God’s guarantee promised. When one rules righteously in the fear of the Lord will be like the light for the world. David than praises God for the Covenant which is solely reliant on God and the true king is one of Justice. He will uphold what is good and righteous, which refers to the one who can fulfill the Davidic covenant. Then David discusses men who heroes. In light of them David isn’t that unique, and describes the achievements of the three. These three men are not mentioned elsewhere, but are part of the thirty. Yet, they distinguish themselves in battle, and this reflected on the original character of David. He was a man worth following because of what God was doing in his life. It is similar to how Ittai the Gittite still followed David despite all the shortcomings of David. After this David continues to discuss the rest of the thirty men who consist of Abishai, Asahel, Joab, etc. These are all men who in their own right were very distinguished in battle. In the last chapter of the book the theme that is shown is the Davidic king as mediator of God’s presence. Yet again, David messes up, because in the opening words of the chapter God’s anger is already burning against Israel. In verse two David commands Joab to take a census, but Joab raises objections to it. It never discusses exactly why God angered burned or why the census was wrong, but it was. Joab then listens to David and takes the census. The intent of the census, which is to get a number for David’s military. This seems to show a lack of trust in God when it comes to protection of the nation. In verse ten David realizes his mistake and prays to God. Yet, God’s anger had already been burning against him, so he sends the seer Gad to give David three options. David then leaves it up to God, but does not wish for the second option which is fleeing from his enemies. God sends a pestilence for three days and seventy thousand men died those three days. The angel who was causing this was about to strike Jerusalem, but God stopped him. David in verse seventeen prays to God to tell Him what he can do to take the punishment instead of the people. God tells David to build an altar where the angel had stopped which was in Araunah the Jebusite. The reason behind this isn’t well known but if is more clearly stated in Chronicles. The chapter ends with David going and buying the property from Araunah and gives an offering to God. This shows the corporate mediation that David does for the entire nation. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Bibliography <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ackroyd, Peter R. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Second Book of Samuel: Commentary //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. The Cambridge Bible commentary, New English Bible. Cambridge [Eng.]: Cambridge University Press, 1977. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gelander, Shamai, and Ora Lipschitz. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">David and His God: Religious Ideas As Reflected in Biblical Historiography and Literature //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Jerusalem: Simor, 1991. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gordon, R. P. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I & II Samuel: A Commentary //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Library of Biblical interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: Regency Reference Library, 1988. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hertzberg, Hans Wilhelm. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">I & II Samuel, A Commentary //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. The Old Testament library. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1964. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">McCarter, P. Kyle. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">II Samuel: A New Translation with Introduction, Notes, and Commentary //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1984 <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">