2 Samuel 3:1-21 - Abner defects

The war between the houses of David and Saul went on for a long time, but David gradually grew stronger while that of Saul grew weaker. Perhaps we can draw an analogy here between our war against the flesh. When we are born again we do not suddenly become perfect, we still have battles to fight, but over time we become more Christlike, and the flesh becomes weaker.

David had six sons. He also had several wives. Now while in OT times it was common to have more than one wife, it tended to cause problems and is not approved of by the Bible. It was more common on those days because men tended to die in battle and women needed a husband for security. In Genesis the original patterns was one man one woman, a pattern affirmed by Jesus and throughout the New Testament.

These sons did not bring unalloyed joy to David's life. Ammon raped his sister and was killed by Absalom. Absalom rebelled against David. Adonijah tried to take the throne before Solomon.

Abner, leader of Saul's army was falsely accused and changed sides. David accepted this, but also demanded that Saul bring Michal who had been promised to him as a wife by Saul. This may have been simply getting his own back, or maybe he wanted another wife, or it could have been a political ploy to help bring unity (ie the house of Saul and David united).

Abner made preparations for David eventually becoming king.

2 Samuel 2 - Fighting

David frequently enquired of the Lord, and about specific matters, such as here.  And the Lord answered him. The Bible does not give us any detail on how God answered him, only the answer that He gave. 

So David went up with his family to Hebron.  The men of Judah came and anointed David as king over the tribe of Judah. Now earlier David had been anointed by Samuel, under God's guidance, as king over Israel. 

In the previous chapter we see how David had the Amalekite put to death for his actions towards Saul. Here David rewards or honours the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul.

So David continued to have a respect for Saul. However, the house of Saul continued to have a capricious attitude towards David. Saul's son Ishbosheth had been made king of Israel by the commander of Saul's army. This was man's choice, and nothing to do with God's choice, and he reigned for only two years.

Then a rather silly battle ensues. Twelve young men from David's and Saul's sides fought and merely succeeded in killing each other. A further battle followed and David's men won.

Joab and his men pursue Abner, but eventually stop. 

2 Samuel 1 - News of Saul's death

We now return to Samuel, this time the second book. The first book has set the scene. Saul has now died, and David is king. We will see how his reign develops. Now we need to understand that while David was "a man after God's own heart", and is a type of the messiah (ie he demonstrates some of the qualities of the Messiah), he was still a sinful man. So we see both good and evil in his life.

A man arrives from Saul's camp with the news that Saul and Jonathan are both dead. The man was an Amalekite. We need to remember that David had been living among them, pretending to be on their side. This will help us to understand the situation.

David and his followers all wept and fasted, for Saul, Jonathan and the nation. David then has Amalekite put to death. This does seem rather unfair on the man as he was only doing what Saul had asked.

David then wrote a lament for Saul and Jonathan.

Psalm 142 - Rescue me

David wrote this Psalm when he was on the run and hiding in a cave. He cries out to God, as he so often did, looking to God to answer him our of His faithfulness and righteousness. This is significant. He is not hoping for a bit of luck, he is not hoping that a capricious "god" will help him. When we come to God we are relying on His nature, and it is His nature to be faithful, righteous and merciful.

Nor is David depending upon his own righteousness. He knows that no one can stand before God on their own merit. 

David has been pursued by the enemy, relentlessly, and this is having a crushing effect on his spirit. When we go through difficult times it has an effect on our innermost being. So David remembers the times when he knew the reality of God, when he knew God's blessing and he calls out to God.

David wants a quick answer, for his spirit is failing. Note that he doesn't just pray for rescue. He asks God to teach him His ways, and to lead him by His Spirit. We should follow this example.

David makes a final appeal, relying on God's Name, His righteousness and His unfailing love.

Psalm 141 - Guard my mouth

David calls on the Lord to come quickly to his aid. Incense and the sacrifice are allusions to the temple worship. The incense was offered up to God, and David asks God to receive his prayers in the same way. The sacrifices atoned for the people's sins. David asks that his lifting up of his hands work in the same way. In doing this David is putting his trust in God, looking to Him for mercy.

When confronted by evil and danger it is easy to be drawn into following evil ways, to following foolish paths. David asks that God protects him from doing this. We must recognise our own frailty, our own propensity to go down the wrong route. We need God to guard our hearts and minds. 

It is far better to be "struck" by a righteous man. What David means here is that it is better to be rebuked and disciplined by a good man than to be flattered by an evil one. A mark of maturity is that we are willing to accept correction.

The wicked will come to nothing, they will be destroyed.

We, however, should look always to the Lord, this is the only way to true safety.

Psalm 140 - Protect me O Lord

David was used to people plotting against him, even his own children. They devised plans and spoke badly about him.

We can long for a life free from trouble and aggro. This will not happen until Christ returns, so in the meantime we need to learn to live in this world as it is. David shows us how to do this, and the primary thing that he did was to call upon the Lord. We should remember too the example of Jesus Himself. People were constantly plotting against Him, and of course eventually killed Him. Yet He remained calm and in command in all circumstances, even on the cross itself.

We call upon the Lord, and His mercy is the grounds for our protection. 

David calls for the plans of the wicked to completely backfire. David closes his prayer with an affirmation of the justice of the Lord and His concern for the needy. We may experience all sorts of difficulties, but deep down a trust and confidence in the Lord's goodness and mercy should assure us.

Psalm 139- Search me O God

As human beings we are very complex creatures. We have a mixture of good and evil thoughts, good and evil motives. This happens because we were made in the image of God (hence the good stuff), but we have sinned against God (hence the bad stuff). As Christians we have been forgiven and we are in the process of being renewed by the Holy Spirit. So we want to be more and more like Christ, yet at times we seem so far away, and our character, the heart of our being seems to be working against God. What are we to do? We call upon the Lord to search us. In fact He has already searched us, He already knows the most intimate truths about our lives, He knows us better than we know ourselves.

God knows all that goes on inside us, and all the practical details of our lives. God keeps a check on our lives, He acts in our lives. Even if we try we can escape from His presence. We can flee as far and as fast as we can go, but we cannot escape God. Even the darkness cannot hide us from God.

Why is this? Why this inability to escape from God? Because He made us. He made our inmost being, He formed us in the womb. So we should praise the Lord, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. It is the Lord who gave us life. Our days were ordained before they came into being. Now we must not read this as fatalism (ie life is mapped out and there is nothing we can do about it, that is not what the Bible is saying).  God is intimately involved in every moment of our lives, and every moment matters. What it does mean is that our lives are not at the mercy of chance, it does mean that every hair on our head is counted. God's thoughts are precious to us. Why? Because they are what determines the outcome of life.

Then David indulges in one of his periodic outbursts against the wicked. One day there will be no people who hate God, for the final judgement will have come. 

The Psalm closes with David calling on God to search Him. We need to be examined by God, and we need to trust that He knows what is best for our lives.