Abner Goes Over to David
Second Samuel 3: 6-21

Abner goes over to David DIG: Why would Ish-Bosheth be mad if Abner slept with one of Sha’ul’s concubines? From the way Abner responded to the accusation, do you think he was guilty? If Abner has known all along that God promised to make David king, why had he opposed him up until now? Why didn’t Ish-Bosheth resist Abner taking Michal back to David? How do you think Michal felt about leaving Paltiel for David? How extensive was Abner’s control over the elders of Isra’el? Why did he want to come over to David’s side? In what ways does David’s patient waiting on God’s blessing foreshadow Messiah’s example?

REFLECT: Where in your life do you feel the need to “strengthen your position” as Abner did? David experienced the pain of broken promises from Sha’ul, yet trusted in God’s promises. How trusting are you of other’s promises? Of the promises of ADONAI? How does a person who is confident in the fulfillment of God’s purposes live and respond differently to life’s challenges than someone who isn’t?

1010 to 1003 BC

The overriding question for the Ruach ha-Kodesh at this juncture is how will David win the north, which is still loyal to Sha’ul? We expect the principles in the conflict to be David and Ish-Bosheth, the legitimate (but pitiful) heir of Sha’ul. This powerful narrative, however, contradicts our expectations and makes clear that neither David nor Ish-Bosheth would be key to claiming the north. The key was Abner.²²⁷

The Cause of the Betrayal: During the war between the house of Sha’ul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position. Abner was a blood relative to Sha’ul and the one who made Ish-Bosheth king and kept him in power. Now Sha’ul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah (the heroine of the tragic story of Second Samuel 21:7-9 and 14b). And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine” (Second Samuel 3:6-7). Why was this a threat? Because ancient law declared that a king’s harem was passed down to his successor. Consequently, to claim a king’s concubine was to claim the throne. This will come up several more times, for example in Second Samuel 12:8, Sha’ul’s concubines passed over to David because David claimed the throne. Still later, in Second Samuel 16:21-22, Absalom will claim David’s concubines as Absalom claimed the throne. Any man who even asked for one of those women was asking for the crown and guilty of treason. This is what lead to the death of Adonijah in First Kings 2:17-22. It is possible that Abner took Rizpah just to start an argument with Ish-Bosheth. If so, he succeeded.

Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said because his actions had been discovered. “What am I,” he shouted, that you treat me with such contempt? A dog’s head in Y’hudah? In the East dogs were chiefly found prowling about towns, half-wild, living on dead bodies and garbage. Hence, this term was one of contempt. Till this moment I have shown only kindness (Hebrew: chesed) to the house of Sha’ul your father, and to his brothers and to his friends; and I haven’t handed you over to David.” But that will no longer be the case. Yet you choose today to pick a fight with me over this woman? Abner faked his indignation. You will notice he didn’t answer the question.

The dispute over this woman costs Ish-Bosheth the loyalty of Abner and his crown. Sha’ul’s son couldn’t win anymore, than Sha’ul could win. Both Ish-Bosheth and Abner understood that their actual roles were reversed from their official positions of king and general. Abner had all the power and all the leverage in the relationship. What Abner had done was not simply a sex act. It was a defiant public, political challenge that could not be ignored. But Ish-Bosheth was helpless and politically impotent; therefore, Abner is free to negotiate as he pleased.²²⁸ So in retaliation, Abner declared: May God bring terrible curses on Abner and worse ones yet if I don’t accomplish what ADONAI swore to David – to transfer the kingdom, from the house of Sha’ul and set up the throne of David over Isra’el and Y’hudah, from Dan to Beersheba. The word of Samuel to David, though spoken in the private family gathering (to see link click Ah – Samuel Anoints David), and unrecorded except as Samuel’s instructions from ADONAI, had become widely known. Now even Abner, who in the past had willingly opposed what he knew to be God’s revealed purpose, found himself helping to fulfill it.²²⁹ Ish-Bosheth did not dare say another word to Abner because he was afraid of him (Second Samuel 3:8-11). In the end, the mighty house of Sha’ul merely evaporated in fear. Cowardly, and powerless, Ish-Bosheth could do nothing to stem the tide of Abner’s rising ambitions.

Abner’s Negotiations with David: The preliminary meeting between Abner and David took place through messengers rather than face to face. Abner immediately sent messengers to David with this rhetorical question: Who is going to control the Land? Implying that it was in his power to make whomsoever he pleased king over Isra’el. If you make yourself my ally, I will use my power to hand all Isra’el over to you (Second Samuel 3:12). He wanted a promise from David that he would retain a position of power as commander of the army in the new government. But David was not caught off guard by all of this. He knew he was being invited to enter into a covenant with a man who was betraying his master, and who claimed to have the power to bring David the northern Kingdom. Such a ruthless man threatened to be a rival to David at some point. He could not be trusted.

David was willing to accept Abner’s proposal, but he laid down a precondition. He chose his words very carefully and sent this reply, “Very well, I will be your ally – on one condition: you will not come into my presence unless you bring Michal, Sha’ul’s daughter, with you. Then to show no ill will toward the house of Sha’ul, David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth because negotiations with Abner needed to be public. He would not conspire to overthrow the king of Isra’el. He demanded: Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins (Second Samuel 3:13-14 CJB). David mentions the number that Sha’ul had demanded, although in fact David had paid him double. Michal was still legally the wife of David and David was still legally the son-in-law of Sha’ul. By bringing her back it would help to win over the tribe of Benjamin, who would be the most reluctant tribe of them all to join David. If David could have a child through Michal, this would mean a successor from both houses and this would help win support from the house of Sha’ul. David had not seen her in about eight years. However, as we shall see later, she remained childless.²³⁰

So Ish-Bosheth gave orders to take her from her husband Paltiel, son of Laish. His fear and subservience to Abner kept him from protesting. Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Paltiel was her husband in name only because David had never divorced her. But he loved her nonetheless. Then curt, unsympathetic Abner said to him, “Go back home!” And the meek, brokenhearted husband obeyed (Second Samuel 3:15-16). Affairs of state had to take precedence over personal feelings. The rabbis teach that Paltiel was never intimate with Michal, and placed a sword in between them while lying in bed so as not to be tempted.

Abner’s Negotiations with the elders of Isra’el: Abner first conferred with the elders of Isra’el in Mahanaim before accompanying Michal back to Hebron, which would give him a good excuse to talk to David. He said to the elders, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king.” But the tribe of Benjamin in general, and Abner in particular, had overruled them. But Abner’s negotiations with David had changed all of that. There was no reason to delay any longer in making David king over Isra’el. Therefore, he declared: Do it now! For the LORD promised David, “By my servant David I will rescue my people Isra’el from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all her enemies” (First Samuel 9:16). Abner and the others recognized YHVH’s will. Secondly, Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person because this would be the most resistant tribe. Then, having received unanimous agreement, Abner went to Hebron to tell David everything that Isra’el and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do (Second Samuel 3:17-19).

Abner’s Agreement with David: When Abner, who had Michal and an official escort of twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for them. These men included Abner’s bodyguard and representatives of the other tribes. Then Abner said: Let me go at once and assemble all the elders of Isra’el for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires. These must have been the concluding words of a long and detailed discussion between the two men. Mutual respect and trust between Abner and David was growing so David sent Abner away in peace with his blessing (Second Samuel 3:20-21).

As Dale Ralph Davis relates in his commentary on Second Samuel: Abner was not driven to go over to David by theology . . . it was politics. He did not seek to expand David’s Kingdom because he felt the authority of YHVH’s promise, but because he sought his own advantage. If Ish-Bosheth was not going to roll over and play dead, then the best option for Abner was to swing his support to David and use his influence over the northern tribes as a bargaining chip with David, thereby assuring himself of a powerful spot in David’s regime. Abner only quoted Scripture (First Samuel 3:18) when it supported what he wanted to do. He didn’t seek a united monarchy because of divine promise, but because of human pride.

Abners don’t disappear. We meet more of them in the Bible. Not bearing Abner’s name – only his disposition. For example Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 was the first convert in Samaria under Philip’s ministry. He was all in – profession of faith and baptism. But when Peter and John came, he revealed his true colors, offering to pay them well if they would give him the power to bestow the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh when he would lay his hands on someone (Acts 8:18-19). He professed salvation because it would be to his financial advantage. Though both Abner and Simon made an outward profession of being in agreement with the new power- neither of them had any desire to really follow the right path; rather both of their hearts were full of greed. Outward profession cannot change a sinful heart. Even if a person dresses up like a lion – he will never be a lion. Inner heart change is what changes a person. Only by following God with a heart of love can the sinful heart be washed clean and the person be eternally saved (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer),

Whether it is Second Samuel 3 or Acts 8, we must be alert to our own Abner-mentality. Our clichéd line about supporting Messiah’s Kingdom may only be a cover for using it. As we sing, “Kadosh Atah” in shul or “Amazing Grace” in church, we need to examine our own lives to make sure our attendance is not only an outward form of ritual, but from a true love of God and a desire to please Him. Abner is not far away from any of us.

David’s Accession to Kingship Over Isra’el
Second Samuel 3:6 to 5:25

The story of how David became king of all Isra’el essentially follows the same formula already established in the account of his accession to the kingship of Y’hudah (1:1 to 3:5). Both begin with a warrior trying to gain David’s favor (an unnamed Amalekite in 1:1-13; Sha’ul’s army commander Abner in 3:6-21) and continue with the execution or murder of the warrior (the Amalekite in 1:14-16 and Abner in 3:22-32), followed by a lament voiced by David (over Sha’ul and Y’honatan in 1:17-27 and Abner in 3:33-34).

Near the center of each literary unit is a brief report of the anointing of David as king (over Y’hudah in 2:1-7 and over Isra’el in 5:1-5). David and his men were successful in defending their enemies (over the house of Sha’ul in 2:8 to 3:1 and the Jebusites in 5:6-12), and each unit concludes with a list of sons/children born to David (in Hebron in 3:2-5 and in Yerushalayim in 5:13-16).

The similarities between the two sections point to the careful craftsmanship of a single author, who now sets out to tell his readers that just as the house of David has replaced Sha’ul and his house in southern Canaan (Second Samuel 1:1 to 3:5), so too is David’s house about to replace that of Sha’ul in the rest of the Land (Second Samuel 3:6 to 5:16).²²⁶

Sons Were Born to David in Hebron
Second Samuel 3:2-5
and First Chronicles 3:1-4a

David had gone to Hebron with two wives, and while there, he had taken five more (Michal was returned to him at Hebron but she bore him no children), each of the other six, however, bore him one son. These were the sons born to David in Hebron.

1010 BC to 1003 BC

David was on his way to power in the northern kingdom of Isra’el, just as he was in the southern kingdom of Judah. As he came into the Kingdom that had long been promised to him, it is important to understand how it came about. David did not seize the Kingdom; it was a gift from YHVH. When David finally arrived, he was innocent and faultless.

The narrator pauses to provide a reflective comment and to summarize some important information from David’s seven years in Hebron. It is important to understand that David did not immediately or easily succeed Sha’ul. There was a rather long conflict, during which it was not really clear who would win. The open-ended struggle for power, however, did not preclude hints along the way about the outcome. David’s eventual succession to power had already been acknowledged by Y’honatan (First Samuel 23:27), Sha’ul (First Samuel 24:20), Abigail (First Samuel 25:28), and Sha’ul again (First Samuel 26:25). ADONAI’s desire for David to be king of all Isra’el might be delayed, but could not be defeated. David grew stronger and stronger, while Ish-Bosheth grew weaker and weaker (Second Samuel 3:1).²²³

Already during David’s reign at Hebron the state archives contained records of those who might qualify as heirs to his throne. His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel (Second Samuel 3:2; First Chronicles 3:1a); later he would rape his half-sister and be murdered by his half-brother Absalom (to see link click Dj – Absalom Kills Amnon).

His second son was Kileab (Second Samuel 3:3a), who in First Chronicles is called Dani’el (it is commonly accepted that one is the corruption of the other), the son of Abigail the widow of Babal of Carmel (First Chronicles 3:1b). Nothing more is said about him, and he disappeared from the scene.

The third was Absalom (Hebrew: my father is peace) the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai, the Gentile king of Geshur on the east side of the Sea of Galilee in what today is called the Golan Heights (Second Samuel 3:3b; First Chronicles 3:2a). This marriage with a foreign princess may have been prompted by political motives, perhaps the desire to secure an ally in the neighborhood of Ish-Bosheth’s capital. Absalom would kill his half-brother Amnon, and revolt against his father David (see Do – Absalom’s Conspiracy).

The fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith (First Chronicles 3:2b); he will later try to usurp the throne from Solomon (see En – Adoniyah Sets Himself Up as King), and will be executed by Solomon (First Kings 2:25).

The fifth Shephatiah the son of Abital (Second Samuel 3:4; First Chronicles 3:3a); nothing more is known about him.

And the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah (First Chronicles 3:3b). Nothing is known of him, but the rabbis teach that Eglah was the same as Michal.

Six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months (Second Samuel 3:5; First Chronicles 3:4). David was ensuring that, even at this early stage, he would have a son to succeed him as king, and his household of seven wives was a sign of prestige.²²⁴

For obvious reasons, Solomon’s name is not present. Solomon is born late, not while David was at Hebron. Solomon was a later player in the struggle for power, but he will be the winner. In the meantime we may only note that David functioned like a powerful chieftain with many wives, a hint of a royal harem (and problems) to come.²²⁵ After relocating his capital to Jerusalem, David took even more wives and concubines and had thirteen (yes, I said thirteen) more named sons born to him (see Cp – Children Born to David in Yerushalayim). And you thought Jacob had problems!

It seems David had a lust problem and he was either ignoring or rationalizing God’s Word: The king must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray (Deuteronomy 17:17a). It started in First Samuel 25, where we saw David’s desire to kill a man (Nabal) and later marry his wife (Abigail). Now David was taking more wives. David’s sin with Bathsheba would merely be the climax of something that had gone on in his life for about 26 years. His passionate nature had great potential for both good and evil. These marriages at Hebron were merely a foreshadowing of things to come.

War Between the Houses of David and Sha’ul
Second Samuel 2:8 to 3:1

War Between the Houses of David and Sha’ul DIG: Who was Abner and why did he reject David’s kingship? Who else was he rebelling against? To know God’s will and to choose to go your own way as Abner did is a very serious sin. Can you think of any other examples in Scripture? Why did Asahel refuse to give up the pursuit of Abner? Was he brave or was he a fool? Who was responsible for Asahel’s death? Does the narrative fault Abner? Why did Joab give up the pursuit of Abner? How did Joab’s men respond to Asahel’s death?

REFLECT: Must we forgive? If so, when? How often? What does forgiveness look like? What are the benefits of forgiveness, if any? Does forgiving mean we condone the sin? What is the personal consequence of bitterness? How can we overcome the bitterness that is eating us alive? If/when you forgive, what happens to your spirit? Is there anything that we are to hate? If so, what is it?

1010 to 1003 BC

Ish-Bosheth, the only surviving son of Sha’ul, along with Abner, his general, liberated the remainder of the Western territory from the Philistines over a two-year period. Then he was declared king over the northern kingdom of Isra’el. When Abner killed Asahel at Gibeon (see below), it began five years of war with David. Finally, after five years of fighting, the murder of Ish-Bosheth and Abner removed any opposition to David becoming king over both the northern kingdom of Y’sra’el and the southern kingdom of Y’hudah.

The Reign of Ish-Bosheth: The reason why the city of Jabesh Gilead was in no position to give active support to David now becomes clear (to see link click Ce – David Anointed King Over Y’hudah: David Blesses the Men of Jabesh Gilead). Jabesh Gilead already had a king. Meanwhile, Abner, the commander of Sha’ul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth (his throne name, meaning: man of shame) the son of Sha’ul, brought him over to Mahanaim, a Levitical city of refuge where he would be safe, and made him king over Gilead (the Trans Jordanian north side), and Ashuri (Upper Galilee and out of Philistine control), Jezreel (Lower Galilee), and also over Ephraim, Benjamin (Northern side of the hill country of Judah) and all Isra’el for only two of David’s seven-and-a-half years. The Philistines controlled the west side of the Jordan, so he could only control the east side.

Ish-Bosheth’s personal name was Eshaba’al, which means the fire of Ba’al (First Chronicles 8:33 and 9:39). People that had the god Ba’al in their name were called Bosheth because it was shameful to have Ba’al in their name (Jeremiah 3:24; Hosea 9:10). This is one example, where Eshaba’al became Ish-Bosheth; the fire of Ba’al became the man of shame. But there are other examples: Jerubba’al (Judges 8:35) name became Jerubosheth (Judges 11:21); and Meriba’al (First Chronicles 8:34) was changed to Mephibosheth (Second Samuel 9:3-13). At any rate, Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he began to rule over Isra’el. But the house of Judah followed David and he was king in Hebron over the house of Y’hudah for seven years and six months (Second Samuel 2:8-11).²¹⁹

How could David rule for seven-and-a half years over Judah and Ish-Bosheth rule only two years over Isra’el? Ish-Bosheth was anointed king shortly after Sha’ul’s death, but he only reigned over part of Isra’el. It took five-and-a-half years for Abner to conquer the other regions of the northern Kingdom. So he reigned for only two years over all of Isra’el.

The people of Judah obeyed God’s will and anointed David as their king, but Abner disobeyed YHVH and made Ish-Bosheth king over all of Isra’el. Abner knew that David was the LORD’s choice, a gifted leader, and a brave soldier, but he deliberately rebelled against Ha’Shem and appointed Ish-Bosheth instead. In doing so, Abner joined his collaborators in Psalm 2:2-3, Herod and Pontius Pilate (Acts 4:27-28) in saying: We don’t want this man to be our king (Luke 19:14). Knowing that he and his other three sons would die in battle, Sha’ul may have arranged to make his fourth son king. Though Abner crowned Ish-Bosheth, God never anointed him.

The Battle at the Pool: When Abner made Ish-Bosheth king, he was actually declaring war on David . . . and he knew it. By then Abner had all the tribes except Judah under his control, and he felt he could easily defeat David in battle and take over the entire Kingdom. Confident of victory, Abner called for a contest somewhat like the challenge Goliath issued when he called for one of Sha’ul’s soldiers to fight him. The difference was that Abner was rebelling against the LORD’s anointed, while David was God’s chosen leader.²²⁰

Only one of the skirmishes between the house of Sha’ul and the house of David is described in detail, no doubt because of its sequel in the death of Asahel and its bearing on the assassination of Abner. Abner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth’s army, left Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, and went to Gibeon, west of the Jordan and in the northern part of Judah’s territory. This might have been Abner’s attempt to subjugate Judah and bring it under Ish-Bosheth’s control. Thus began war between Isra’el and Judah (see Second Samuel 3:1 below). Joab, who became the commander-and-chief of David’s army, and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon.

Even today there are two water systems from the Iron Age onwards, which provided access to spring water during times of siege. One of these, a cylindrical hole in the rock, about 37 feet (over 11 meters) in diameter and over twice as deep, led by means of a staircase cut around the side of the pit and down into the rock below the spring, which evidently at times filled the cavernous hole almost to the top. This, or the spring below, must have been the pool referred to here.²²¹ One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side (Second Samuel 2:12-13). This is Joab’s first appearance on the scene as David’s masterful general who, next to the king himself, was the most prominent personality in the history of David’s reign. He was David’s nephew (First Chronicles 2:16).

Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight in front of us.” The Hebrew word for fight here is sachaq, from which the name Isaac (laughter) is derived, means sport, and in this context meant to wrestle hand to hand. But what started as a competitive skirmish ended up as a battle to the death. “All right, let them do it,” Joab said. So they stood up and were counted off – twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth, and twelve for David (Second Samuel 2:14-15). Tempers got out of control, daggers were drawn and fatal wounds were inflicted.

Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and simultaneously thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. As each one of their comrades was killed, their anger grew. All twenty-four men died. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim, which means the field of sharp swords. Because the battle at the pool of Gibeon ended in a stalemate, their only solution was to have the two larger armies fight each other. The battle that day was very fierce, and David’s men defeated Abner and the Israelites (Second Samuel 2:16-17). Thus this verse, the middle verse in the chapter, not only looks back to the standoff, but also to the future overwhelming defeat of the men of Isra’el (see Second Samuel 2:30-31 below).

The Death of Asahel: The three sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister, were there: Joab (the commander-in-chief of David’s army), Abishai (previously went down into Sha’ul’s camp with David and wanted to kill the king with his own spear) and Asahel. These three were ruthless supporters of David who were always out for blood (First Samuel 26:6-9; Second Samuel 3:39 and 16:9). Asahel receives particular attention in the narrative. We are only told one detail about him. He is fast. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He used his uncommon speed to pursue Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he ran after him (Second Samuel 2:18-19a).

The deep-seated tension between them is evident in the face-to-face encounter: Is that you, Asahel? “It is,” he answered. The biblical record is clear that Abner had no desire to kill Asahel, but the young man was impulsive and foolish – a bad combination. Abner understands that Asahel wanted blood, so Abner offered him some blood, saying: Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons as a trophy of victory after you’ve killed him. But the hothead only wanted Abner, no substitute would do. He would not stop chasing him. Next, Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Abner was confident. He didn’t doubt that he could kill Asahel if the issue was forced, but Abner didn’t want the issue forced. It was not only the chivalrous regard of an experienced warrior over a younger opponent that restrained him, but Abner was also concerned about the bloodbath that he assumed would follow. Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face.” But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit. The two were hopelessly enmeshed. Abner was no coward and would not yield, and Asahel was a fool who charged forward. So Abner had no choice but to defend himself and thrust the butt of his spear (which was also sharpened so the spear could be thrust into the ground and be ready for action) into Asahel’s stomach, and came through his back. With his speed, Asahel probably propelled himself right into the end of the spear. He fell there and died on the spot. And most of the men stopped when they came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died (Second Samuel 2:19b-23). The dread of Abner was thick at that moment. Most were no longer interested in continuing the pursuit.

The Pursuit of Abner: But Asahel’s brothers, Joab and Abishai pursued Abner accompanied by the remainder of the men who had not stopped to honor Asahel’s dead body. As the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Slowly Abner retreated toward Mahanaim. Then the men of Benjamin, Sha’ul’s tribe, rallied behind Abner ready to make a last stand. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on the hill (Second Samuel 2:24-25).

Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword go on devouring forever? Don’t you know that in the end it can produce only bitterness? How long will it be, then, before you tell the people to quit pursuing their brothers?” It was a plea for Joab to call off the pursuit. Joab knew David’s heart, that he wanted unity and peace, not division and war. Joab seized the opening and said: God only knows what would have happened if you hadn’t spoken, for we would have chased you all night if necessary (NLT). Joab needed to make sure that he didn’t appear weak or intimidated. But at the request of Abner, called off the attack.²²² Then Joab sounded the shofar and they stopped pursuing Isra’el, stopped fighting for the time being, and went home. All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah (the Jordan Valley). They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim (Second Samuel 2:26-29).

The Conclusion of the Battle: 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. We must remember that it was Abner who was the aggressor who began the conflict when he aggressively left Mahanaim and brought his soldiers to Judah’s border at Gibeon. They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Beit-Lehem as they traveled from Gibeon back to Hebron. Then after burying Asahel, Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak (Second Samuel 2:30-32).

The war between the house of Sha’ul (meaning Ish-Bosheth) and the house of David lasted for seven-and-a-half years. David grew stronger and stronger, while Ish-Bosheth grew weaker and weaker (Second Samuel 3:1). This is a summary statement including occasional battle, including the one above, not one long battle after another.

How do you deal with bitterness? Do you swallow the pill of bitterness hoping to kill your enemy? How long will it be, then, before you take some positive steps to overcome your bitterness and stop pursuing your enemy? Here are three steps to overcoming bitterness that will lead to a new freedom:

1. Recognize, your bitterness and take responsibility for it.
2. Repent of your bitterness and renounce any retribution against the object of your bitterness.
3. Remove any obstacles that might hinder your recovery and resist the temptation to fall back into your pit of bitterness. Then rejoice in your new freedom and be restored to your old self.

Warriors Join David
First Chronicles 12: 23-40

DIG: What do you think the Chronicler’s point was in recounting the numbers and the nature of those joining David at Hebron, including two priests named? Why was the number of Benjamites the smallest? What do you make of such a large number of warriors listed? Why were all the tribes listed in order? Why was the religious element of the celebration was intentionally and consciously omitted from the scene?

REFLECT: What does the imagery of the scene here depicted say about the joy of those who attended this banquet? When have you had such joy? As a believer anticipating the final banquet crowning your King (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Fg – Blessed Are Those who are Invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb), what will you do with the limitless opportunity for enjoying your King?

1010 BC

These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Sha’ul’s kingdom over to him, as the LORD had said (First Chronicles 12:23). The tribes were named in order to give a picture of unity and single-mindedness of Isra’el making David their king. This was not done by strife or war, but peaceably and joyfully.

From the tribe of Y’hudah, carrying shield and spear – 6,800 armed for battle (First Chronicles 12:24).

From the tribe of Simeon, warriors ready for battle – 7,100 (First Chronicles 12:25).

From the tribe of Levi – 4,600 including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men, and Zadok, a brave young warrior-priest, with 22 officers from his family (First Chronicles 12:26-28).

From the tribe of Benjamin, Sha’ul’s tribe – 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Sha’ul’s house until then (First Chronicles 12:29). The armed troops from Benjamin were the smallest group because they had supported Sha’ul to the bitter end. This demonstrates that the monarchy was still a tribal society, sometimes to a fault.

From the tribe of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans – 20,800 (First Chronicles 12:30).

From half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king – 18,000 (First Chronicles 12:31).

From the tribe of Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Isra’el should do – 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command (First Chronicles 12:32). This is the only tribe where the number of soldiers is not listed, only their chiefs.

From the northern tribe of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty – 50,000 (First Chronicles 12:33). They are the most distinguished tribe on the list, with the most soldiers.

From the tribe of Naphtali – 1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears (First Chronicles 12:34).

From the tribe of Dan, ready for battle – 28,600 (First Chronicles 12:35).

From the tribe of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle – 40,000 (First Chronicles 12:36).

And from east of the Jordan, from the tribes of Rueben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon – 120,000 (First Chronicles 12:37). Counting the Levites, thirteen tribes are named here. Of course, there were never thirteen tribes at any one time in Isra’el. Levi early ceased to function as a tribe, but rather scattered among the others. Sometimes the tribe of Levi is omitted from the tribal lists, and the number twelve is retained by dividing Joseph into Ephraim and Manasseh. When Levi is included, however, Joseph is represented as one. The fact that thirteen tribes are named here gives us the picture of unity and single-mindedness when Isra’el made David king.²¹⁶

All these were fighting men, about 400,000, volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Isra’el. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king. The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them. Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Isra’el (First Chronicles 12:38-40).

Another aspect of the celebration was its secular character. There is no doubt that the enthronement itself was done as a religious rite – the anointing (Second Samuel 5:3; First Chronicles 11:3). Yes, it had happened as the LORD had said (First Chronicles 12:23). However, the festivities themselves were devoid of any religious element: no sacrifices, no praise of thanksgiving, no sermons and no prayers. The priests and Levites, although noted, did not serve any religious function. This aspect of the enthronement is even more conspicuous in comparison with other ceremonies so abundant in Chronicles. In Hebron, according to the Chronicler’s view there was no sanctuary; hence, no ritual could have taken place there. That is why the religious element is intentionally and consciously omitted from the picture. But as soon as David captured Tziyon (see Co – David Conquers Yerushalayim), his first act was to transfer the Ark back to the Holy City (see Cr – The Ark Brought to Yerushalayim). The omission of the religious context at Hebron would soon be compensated for with the transfer of the Ark, which was a direct continuation of the enthronement. There, at Yerushalayim, all the religious aspects would be clearly seen.²¹⁷

There is an unbreakable link between experiencing God’s blessing and the kind of purposefulness that we see in David’s followers. With the coming of Messiah and His indwelling in believers (Yochanan 14:23), we now have access to a more profound knowledge of ADONAI than even the righteous of the TaNaKh enjoyed in David’s day. Only by developing the habit of seeing His hand in our lives is it possible to understand how profound is His desire and capacity to love and bless us – both in material and other ways. And it is only when we truly know YHVH as the One who cares for me that we shall ever achieve a real devotion to the doing of His will.²¹⁸

David Anointed King Over Y’hudah
Second Samuel 2: 1-7

David anointed king over Y’hudah DIG: How might David have felt as he returned “home” from exile? What would be hardest for him in this move? Why Hebron in Y’hudah of all places to relocate (see First Samuel 17:2, 30:26-31 and Joshua 15:13-15)? Why did the men from Jabesh Gilead rescue the bodies of Sha’ul and Y’honatan? Why did David bless them now? What characteristics of godly leadership did David demonstrate?

REFLECT: Have you ever had to wait patiently for something for a long time? If so, how did that experience affect you? About what future “moves” are you inquiring of ADONAI? What are some spiritual disciplines you can observe that will keep you focused on the Lord’s will and His timing for you? So far, what is He telling you? Are you listening? Who is calling the shots? In what ways do people typically respond when faced with a major decision? In what ways do their responses reveal who or what they are? Who has been instrumental in your coming to Messiah and your growth as a believer? How could you acknowledge this person’s impact on your life?

1010 BC

The death of Sha’ul was the signal for David to act. There was a political vacuum and someone was going to fill it. He was still hold up in his private refuge of Ziklag, but finally, it was safe to go back to the territory of Y’hudah. He needed to return if he was to be a factor in the new decisions of power that were sure to come.

David Anointed King at Hebron: David began his reign over all Isra’el by being king over Y’hudah. In the course of time, Samuel’s anointing of David as king made it very clear to David that ADONAI had chosen him as the next king over Isra’el (to see link click Ah – Samuel Anoints David); and though David had known this for many years, he did not rush it, but waited for God’s timing. Samuel had anointed David many years earlier, and YHVH was using all the time since then to prepare David to be king. Is there something in your life for which you are anxiously waiting for? Are you allowing the Lord to make you into the person He wants you be for the job/marriage He has in mind for you?

As long as Sha’ul and Y’honatan lived, David had refrained from pressing the issue. But now his people had been miserably defeated and subjected by the Philistines, and David was the only man in Isra’el who was both connected with the royal household because of his marriage to Sha’ul’s daughter Michal, had the political experience, the military genius, the personal charisma, and the faith of the public to undertake the slow and difficult task of rebuilding Isra’el’s political fortunes. It was clear that God had foreseen what would happen to Sha’ul and had provided for His people Isra’el by providing for a new king to be ready at the perfect time.

At the outset, David’s change to power was shaped as an act of obedience. Unlike Sha’ul, he inquired of ADONAI by the use of the Urim and the Thummim (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). He would have to ask a series of questions because the Urim and the Thummim would only respond with “yes” and “no” answers. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Y’hudah?” he asked. The LORD replied in one word: Go (Hebrew: alah). David asked a second question: Where shall I go? Then he probably began naming different cities one after another and the Urim and the Thummim kept saying “No.” But at some point he asked if he should go up to Hebron. Again a one-word answer, “Yes.” It’s size, and importance as the burial place of the patriarchs (see the commentary on Genesis Fv – Abraham Buried His Wife Sarah in the Cave in the field of Machpelah), its central position in Y’hudah (twenty miles from Yerushalayim) and its strong defensive position made Hebron extremely suitable as the capital of the new southern kingdom of Judah.

So in obedience to YHVH, David went up to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron. David also took the 600 men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its surrounding towns. David’s procession was a show of power and determination. His own clansmen, as should be expected, were the first to recognize him as king. We are given no clue as to the negotiations that went on with the powers of Judah. We are only given the conclusion: And there they anointed David, king over the tribe of Y’hudah (2 Samuel 2:1-4a).

This was a historic occurrence. No, we have not yet heard of David’s many military victories (see Cx – David’s Victories); it would be a long time before we are amazed by Solomon’s lavish splendor (First Kings 4 and 10), and even later before we enjoy the just rule of the Stump of Jesse (see the commentary on Isaiah Dc – A Shoot Will Come Up from the Stump of Jesse). But here, for the first time in the history of the world, ADONAI’s chosen king ruled on the earth at Hebron. It was only one tribe. It was a small beginning, but the kingdom of God had been tucked away in the hills of Judah. His Kingdom is like a seed (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Eu – The Parable of the Seed Growing By Itself).²¹²

At this point the prophet Samuel had already anointed David to become king over all Isra’el. But it was a three-step process. And here we have the second step, to be king over Judah. From the Philistine viewpoint, King Achish viewed David as merely a vassal of Gath, otherwise the Philistines, who had just won a great victory, wouldn’t have allowed it.²¹³ But the third step would come when the northern tribes agreed to have David rule over them as their king after the death of Ish-Bosheth (see Cm – David Anointed King Over All Isra’el).

David Blesses the Men of Jabesh Gilead: The northern tribes of Isra’el were a difficult and persistent problem for David, especially Sha’ul’s tribe of Benjamin. Sha’ul was dead, but the Sha’ul movement was by no means dead. The tribes of the north did not automatically rush to a new loyalty in the south.²¹⁴ Jabesh-Gilead was a special city for Sha’ul, and Sha’ul was special to the people there because he had courageously rescued them from the Ammonites long ago (First Samuel 11:1-11). The people of Jabesh-Gilead didn’t forget. Their town was located across the Jordan in the tribe of Gad, and the men who recovered the bodies of Sha’ul and Y’honatan had to travel northwest and cross the Jordan River perhaps 25 miles. It was a dangerous and courageous endeavor. When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Sha’ul (see Bw – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life: The Rescue of the Bodies), he sent messengers to them.

David said: The LORD bless you for showing this kindness (Hebrew: chesed) to Sha’ul your master by giving him a proper burial (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed). David was grateful and well aware of the considerable risk they took to do so. May ADONAI now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I also will show you this goodness (Hebrew: tobah, a rough synonym for chesed) to you because you have done this. But his message may have been prompted as much by diplomatic motives as well as gratitude. He virtually claimed to be Sha’ul’s legitimate successor, their best source of security, and appealed for their loyalty. Now then, be strong and brave, and hold the land of Gilead against the Philistines until I can come to your aid. For Sha’ul your master is dead, and the people of Y’hudah have anointed me king over them (Second Samuel 2:4b-7). Sha’ul was thirty years old when he became king over Isra’el, and David was thirty years old when he became king over Y’hudah.

Unfortunately, the people of Jabesh Gilead didn’t choose to submit to David, but instead followed Abner and Sha’ul’s weak son, Ish-Bosheth. They took the easy way out. A right response, however, to Messiah’s – or David’s – appeal can be costly. Most of us reading this today can detach ourselves from Jabesh Gilead. We think, that’s so long ago and so far away. On the contrary, we must count ourselves citizens of Jabesh Gilead. That’s were we all live, for the text clearly shows that Jabesh Gilead is sandwiched right between David and Abner, between the true Kingdom in its seed form, and the counterfeit kingdom that expects allegiance (see Cg – War Between the Houses of David and Sha’ul).²¹⁵

There’s only two kinds of spiritual food. There’s angel’s food and devil’s food, and if you aren’t eating one, you’re eating the other. To be a believer in the true Kingdom of God, it takes courage, and courage only comes from grace. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

King David
Second Samuel 2:1 to 14:33
and First Chronicles 11:1 to 30:3

The death of Sha’ul was the signal for David’s departure from Ziklag and Philistine territory, but the best way to proceed was far from obvious. Sha’ul had left men of power over his army who were capable of asserting their authority, and who had the backing of those who had supported Sha’ul. In particular, they could count on the loyalty of Sha’ul’s tribe, Benjamin. The Philistines had their outposts as far north and east as Beit-She’an and had established their military hold over Isra’el, driving a wedge between the northern tribes and the central area of Ephraim and Benjamin. Isra’el’s territory east of the Jordan was more or less intact, but the general picture was one of division and doubt in the absence of one commanding figure to establish and unite the country. David was such a man.²¹¹

David Recovered His Wives
First Samuel 30: 18-31

David recovered his wives DIG: What dissension in David’s army threatened to make this victory bittersweet? How did David deal with that? If the troublemakers had gotten their way, what further resentment would have been felt by the two hundred who stayed behind? What is the leadership principle behind David’s actions? Why did David send part of his plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends?

REFLECT: What can you trust YHVH to do when you encounter problems and crises? David shared the spoils of victory even with the men who were too exhausted to fight, because he said ADONAI and not the fighters deserved the credit. What have been some of your victories with God’s help? How can you give Him credit in tangible ways?

1011 BC

The Recovery: David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken (to see link click Ca – David Inquired of the LORD), including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying: This is David’s booty by means of conquest (First Sam 20:18-20), however, David naturally understood it was ultimately not his, but the LORD’s.

The contrast between David’s battle against the Amalekites and the holy mission Sha’ul was sent on needs to be explained. Ha’Shem had declared the Amalekites to be cherem, meaning devoted to destruction (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). ADONAI-Tzva’ot had declared: I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Isra’el when they ambushed them as they came up from Egypt (see the commentary on Exodus Cv – The Amalekites Came and Attacked the Israelites at Rephidim). Now go and attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys (because they were all devoted to destruction). But Sha’ul took Agag alive and spared the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat (Lev 3:16) calves and lambs – everything that was good. These Sha’ul was unwilling to destroy completely as the LORD had commanded (First Samuel 15:2-3, 9). Sha’ul had a specific task to fulfill, which he well understood, but which deprived him of any share of the plunder. Once Sha’ul took that which was devoted to destruction, he became devoted to destruction. David, however, was under no such instructions, and was therefore free to keep what he had recovered in the battle.

The Principle: There was a conflict between the men who fought with David and the men who were left behind. Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers who had joined David’s army only to escape their own criminal past, said: Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, including their own possessions. However, each man may take his wife and children and go away, not even being a part of David’s army any more (First Samuel 30:21-22).

David replied: No, my brothers, you must not do that with what ADONAI has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike. David exercised his prerogative, and laying down the principle, which became standard practice and established legal precedent for Isra’el from that day to this (First Samuel 30:22-25). David’s actions provided a good illustration of the faith of ordinary Israelites that supported the Torah and made it workable. David’s sense of justice was based on his experience of the mercy and generosity of ADONAI, and for that reason, surpassed ordinary human standards of what is just and right.²⁰⁸

The Division of the plunder: David understood that the plunder was ultimately not his but ADONAI’s. When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah showing he was loyal to Judah and not to the Philistines, who were his friends or those who had helped him in his flights from Sha’ul, saying: Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies. Many of them had endured raids, and now they would receive some compensation. David sent it to those who were in Bethel (not the famous Benjamite city north of Jerusalem, but a town in southern Judah, probably the same as Bethuel in First Chronicles 4:30 in the vicinity of Ziklag and Hormah), Ramoth Negev (perhaps the same as Ramah in the Negev, a Simeonite city in Joshua 19:8) and Jattir (about thirteen miles south of Hebron), which was close to Eshtemoa were both Levitical cities (Joshua 21:14); to those in Aroer (not the famous city on the Arnon river, but a city called Adadah in Joshua 15:22, which was ten miles south of Beersheba), Siphmoth and Rakal (is Carmel, the place where Nabal had his farm in First Samuel 25:2); to those in the towns of Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; to those of Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak and Hebron (the most important city in the area, and soon to be David’s first capital); and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed (First Samuel 30:26-31). David’s sharing of the plunder was an important factor in building relationships and preparing the men of Judah to welcome him as their new king.

As Joyce Baldwin relates in her commentary on the books of Samuel, on their return from Aphek, David and his men had faced their ruined homes and kidnapped families; everything seemed lost, and David was in danger of being stoned to death. His status as the future king, the LORD’s anointed, was no passport to an easy life, and he had to face the uncertainties of human life every bit as much as Sha’ul did. David’s genius was his spiritual resilience. He expected to find the resources he needed in ADONAI, and he was not disappointed, whereas Sha’ul was in the habit of “doing his own thing,” and deliberately refusing to carry out the instructions given to him by Samuel. David refused to interpret obstacles as signs of God’s opposition to him; rather they provided opportunities to see what YHVH would do in answer to the prayer of His servant.

To be able to find the energy and resolve to rally for another campaign, David’s men, who already needed food and rest, carried on. This was indicative of David’s leadership abilities (in contrast to Sha’ul’s tendency to wait for something to happen). The inner resources of David resulted in action that would not have been possible without his faith in God. The “chance” encounter with the slave of an Amalekite was part of the provision that enabled David and his men to crush the Amalekites. That they were in no shape to defend themselves was the result of their own self-indulgence. The hand of the LORD is to be seen throughout David’s wilderness wanderings, in which he was able to turn something positive out of a bitter calamity. Certainly, as Isra’el’s next king, David’s wilderness wanderings were over.²⁰⁹

In giving gifts to His people out of the treasure of his own plunder, David foreshadowed Messiah’s graciousness as our true King. Like David with his followers, Yeshua calls us His friends (Yochanan 15:15) and pledges to meet all our needs, especially our need of forgiveness and eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, Jesus said (John 10:11). Surprisingly, the gift of Christ’s gospel is such that when we give it to others, we do not lose it, but possess it even more richly for ourselves. What an incentive for us all to strengthen ourselves in YHVH and start following His Word in renewed faith. Who can tell what God will do in and through any of us if we yield ourselves to Jesus?²¹⁰

David Defeats the Amalekites
First Samuel 30: 9-17

David defeats the Amalekites DIG: Knowing that the Israelites lived in Ziklag, how would you have felt being interrogated by David if you were the Egyptian? Did David give him water and food before or after the Egyptian agreed to help the Jews find the Amalekites? What does that say about David? While the Amalekites were destroying Ziklag, Sha’ul was dying at the hand of the Philistines. How did David at that point replace Sha’ul as the LORD’s anointed (see First Samuel 15:2-3)?

REFLECT: What problems are you facing right now that you have totally relied on the LORD to solve? You have no idea how to find the answer. Are you paralyzed by fear, are you too exhausted? Or do you strike out in faith? Why? How? When? Who, like the Egyptian slave, has God put in your path to help you find the solutions to your problems? What victories have you had in your life that you can look back on, knowing that the LORD was with you? How can you help others with that knowledge?

1011 BC

The Pursuit: There was no way of telling where the raiding Amalekites had gone, since they were a nomadic people (to see link click Ca – David Inquired of the LORD). So YHVH told David to go forward as best he could, in the same way that God will often call believers today to obey Him without a clear end in sight.²⁰⁶ David and the six hundred men with him left Ziklag and came to the Besor Valley where some stayed behind. After traveling another twelve miles or so, two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor into the Negev, not surprising considering they had just covered eighty miles or so from Aphek to Ziklag in the previous three days. But David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit (First Samuel 30:9-10). David had entered into the grief of his people and then moved beyond the grief into faithful, saving action.²⁰⁷

The Egyptian Slave: Providentially, God provided a blessing in the form of an Egyptian servant who had been abandoned by his Amalekite master. They found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat – part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said: I am an Egyptian (and would not fall under the judgment of annihilation), the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. A sick slave was not worth the cost of being taken care of, especially because the Amalekites just captured a whole town that they could use as slaves. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites (who will later become part of David’s army), some territory belonging to Judah that had been taken over by the Philistines and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” Although the Egyptian had been abandoned by the Amalekites three days previously, he would still know better than David their hideouts and objectives. He answered: Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them (First Samuel 30:11-15).

The Attack on the Amalekites: It was obvious that David could have never found his enemies if ADONAI had not provided the Egyptian servant to lead him. He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside. In their excessive self-indulgence, the Amalekites were eating, drinking and dancing because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Y’hudah. David caught them by surprise, as the Amalekites were probably be still asleep, hung over and unable to defend themselves. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day. The attack was massive, bloody, and decisive. None of them got away, except for four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled (First Samuel 30:16-17). At that point all the honor belonged to David, just as earlier he had been obliged to take all the blame.

David Inquired of the LORD
First Samuel 30: 1-8

David Inquired of the LORD DIG: What must David and his men have thought as they saw the smoke of their homes on the horizon? How does YHVH once again look after David’s interests when his enemies attack him? How do you think David found strength in the LORD? How did the Ephod relate to David’s inquiry and ADONAI’s will (see First Samuel 23:9-12)?

REFLECT: Describe a situation that taxed your faith and patience almost to the breaking point. Are you at a time right now when you think things could not possibly get any worse? Are you at the end of your rope right now? When you are greatly distressed, how do you respond initially: with bitterness and fixing blame, as seen in David’s men? Or by finding strength in the LORD, as David did? Where do you need that divine strength right now? Whom else can you encourage to seek that strength?

1011 BC

The Destruction of Ziklag: David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day (to see link click Bu – The Timeline for David’s Return to Ziklag, and Hearing About Sha’ul’s Death). This indicates that David and his men covered about twenty-five miles a day on their march south from Aphek to Ziklag. During their three-day journey their hearts must have been lifted at the thought of relaxation after so much stress, as well as joyful reunions with their wives and children. But as they drew new Ziklag, however, they may have been alarmed at the sight of smoke on the horizon; we can easily imagine the men breaking rank and racing toward their families.²⁰¹

The Amalekite leaders knew that David was at Gath and that all attention was focused on the confrontation between Isra’el and the Philistines. This was a perfect time to retaliate against David for his raids (First Samuel 27:8-11), so the Amalekites raided Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and they had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old, perhaps to sell as slaves in Egypt. The Amalekites, whom Sha’ul had failed to exterminate (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh), had taken advantage of the departure of the fighting men to wreak havoc, but at least their wives and children had not been killed. There were no bodies on the ground. Everyone was missing. Instead, the Amalekites had taken them captive to be enjoyed or sold, they also took their animals and whatever else they could find as booty (First Samuel 30:1-3).²⁰²

The sight of their burned homes and missing family members was more than the men could bear. Imagine the horror and grief of David and his six hundred men who had never lost a battle! So David and his men wept aloud until they had no more strength left to weep. David had suffered in exactly the same way as everyone else, losing his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. Their city was burned, their wealth had been seized, and their wives and children had been kidnapped. It was the mercy of ADONAI that the Amalekites spared their lives, for in their raids David and his men had certainly killed their share of Amalekite women and children (First Samuel 27:11).

David, at 29 years old, was at the end of his rope.²⁰³ Never since his flight from Gibeah and Sha’ul (First Samuel 20:24a), had David stood so alone.

The blow was not only too much for David to bear, but it was also the last straw for his weary men. Added to David’s grief was the fact that he was in great distress because his men blamed him for their plight. The men were so distraught that they could not think clearly and were prepared to stone David to death because they blamed him for the loss of their loved ones; each one was bitter in spirit because of his family being taken.

But David found strength in ADONAI his God (First Samuel 30:3-6). Here David anticipates Rabbi Sha’ul’s wonderful two-sided statement in Philippians 2:12-13: Work out your own salvation . . . for God is at work. David counted heavily on YHVH being at work. At the same moment, David went to work on his rescue mission. By using the expression ADONAI his God, the Ruach ha-Kodesh emphasizes David’s intimate relationship with the One who, from the beginning, had always been with him (First Samuel 16:18).²⁰⁴ So far from blaming God for allowing the destruction of the city and the capture of the women and children, David took the retaliation of the Amalekites as the work of the Adversary and drew on his relationship with the LORD.

David’s Inquiry of God: Sha’ul was also pictured as being in great distress (First Samuel 28:15b). So both David and Sha’ul are portrayed as leaders who were in crisis and at great risk. But look at how each man responded. Sha’ul sought refuge in a witch (see Bv – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor), while David, when he hit rock bottom, inquired of the LORD. Then David’s spiritual discernment surfaced, and he said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions) and David asked: Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them? Sha’ul had consulted Ha’Shem but had received no answer. However, ADONAI’s response to David’s inquiry was immediate, clear and full of encouragement. YHVH answered with a single word: Pursue (Hebrew: radaph). Saying, in effect: You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue (First Samuel 30:7-8).

To strengthen ourselves in the LORD means we remind ourselves of what Scripture says about ADONAI and His promises, and we bring those truths to bear on the situation. Every detail causes opposing voices to ring in the ears of the child of God. One is the voice of our circumstances, telling us that our situation is hopeless. The other is the voice of faith, telling us that YHVH is sufficient for the trial.²⁰⁵ Therefore, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things (Philippians 4:8).

David Destroys the Amalekites
First Samuel 30: 1-31

Though David had seen God’s providential purpose in sparing him from fighting against Sha’ul, he met yet another challenge when he and his men returned to Ziklag. Their camp had been destroyed and their wives and children taken captive. But even when all seems lost, David continues to prosper. Through YHVH’s help, he tracks the Amalekites down and recovers all of the people and the plunder they had taken. He then ingratiates himself to his troops and his neighbors by sharing his good fortune with them. Chapter 30 is a case study of the qualities that make for strong and compassionate leadership: persistence, empathy, and faith in ADONAI, commitment to a cause, integrity, decisiveness and generosity. Sha’ul, disobeying God’s prophet, defeated the Amalekites but lost his kingdom First Samuel 15:1-35); David, seeking God’s will, destroyed the Amalekites and began his reign. The chapter displays a chiastic arrangement:

A David reaches destroyed Ziklag and finds it plundered (30:1-3)

B David and his men are promised the LORD’s help (30:4-8)

C David destroys the Amalekites (30:9-20)

B David shares the LORD’s plunder with his men (30:21-25)

A David returns to Ziklag and distributes the remaining plunder (30:26-31)²⁰⁰

David’s Lament for Sha’ul and Y’honatan
Second Samuel 1: 17-27

David’s lament for Sha’ul and Y’honatan DIG: For what purpose did David compose and teach this lament for Sha’ul and Y’honatan? What were the qualities or achievements of Sha’ul that David highlighted in this lament? Why does David call for censorship in Gath and Ashkelon (First Samuel 31:8-10)? Likewise, why does David curse Gilboa? What kind of warriors were Sha’ul and Y’honatan? What does this lament reveal about the friendship of David and Y’honatan? What can you tell about how David treats his enemies? His friends? In what ways should a Messianic congregation or church celebrate its leaders, especially its rabbis and pastors?

REFLECT: What worst enemy and best friend can you begin treating the way David treated Sha’ul and Y’honatan? What would God say about your heart? What is holding you back from doing this? How could you overcome the hurdles involved and do this while they are still living? If you have experienced a death close to home recently, how might you creatively remember him or her? What can you say to those who are still living before they pass away, so you won’t have any regrets after they are gone?

1011 BC

The last time we hear about Y’honatan is when he died with his father and two brothers on the battlefield against the Philistines. The slaughter brought profound grief to David, launching a sorrowful lament, or a formal expression of grief or distress, which can be written, read, learned, practiced or repeated. It differs from the informal, spontaneous, immediate outbursts of grief that vomits out its feelings. The lament is an expression of thoughtful grief. The sorrows and wounds God’s people receive from their losses are not miraculously healed after a short time of emotional catharsis. The lament-form of the Bible assumes that our grief is deep and ongoing, and it invites us to enter the discipline of expressing that grief in words that convey our anguish, in images that picture our despair, and in written prayers that verbalize despondency. It is a grief that takes its time.¹⁹¹

The Lament: David took up this lament concerning Sha’ul and his son Y’honatan when he was 29 years old. And he ordered that the people of Y’hudah be taught this lament, which became known as the song of the bow. David thus provided a vehicle by which Isra’el could continue mourning. It was written in the Book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13), an early account commemorating great events in Isra’el’s history perhaps written in poetic form, but since has been lost (Second Samuel 1:17-18).

But David also wanted his mighty warriors (to see link click Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors) to know this sad song and to know it by heart. Because he intended to use it as part of their motivational military training. Gilboa would not be the last time Isra’el would fight the Philistines (see Cn – David’s Defeats the Philistines) and David wanted his men to remember Gilboa, remember the disgrace, remember the tragedy, remember the pagan arrogance. He wanted them ready for the next time.

The same principle is at work in the state of Isra’el today. The Isra’el Armored Corps swear their oath of allegiance on top of the old fortress of Masada. It was a fortress west of the Dead Sea, where, in 72-72 AD, some 960 Jews held out against Flavius Silva’s Roman army. After seven months of siege the Romans breached the fortress but were denied the pleasure of Jewish blood since the defenders had committed suicide in the night. Masada then stands as a symbol of courage, and Israeli troops today stand on its summit to swear their oath of allegiance, saying “Masada shall not fall again.”¹⁹²

David openly sang about the grandeur of Sha’ul and Y’honatan and the enormous loss that Isra’el faced. It is difficult, if not impossible, for us to imagine the extent of their sorrow today. As we read the books of Samuel, we get so caught up in Sha’ul’s chase of David that we might miss what Sha’ul’s death meant to Isra’el. Even with Samuel’s rejection of Sha’ul, Sha’ul was the king. Now the king and the prince had died. Something precious and vital in Isra’el was gone and would never return. David, in his ability to turn the rhetoric completely away from himself, made it possible for Isra’el to embrace the loss more fully.

Only Isra’el could understand what this loss meant. An outsider could never know. Outsiders must leave the family or a clan to its grief, because outsiders will always get the wrong impression. David was sure that the Philistines, in particular, would not understand. Indeed, like the death of the Two Witnesses in the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Dm – The Resurrection of the Two Witnesses: The Third Sign of Jonah), when the Philistines learned of the death of Sha’ul and Y’honatan (First Samuel 31:9), they would turn the occasion into joy and celebration. Indeed, they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. They put his armor in the temple of their gods, the Ashtoreths, and fastened his body and his severed head to the wall of Beth Shan in the Temple of Dagon (Second Samuel 31:8-10; First Chronicles 10:8-10). However, joy in response to the death of their king, and celebration in the face of their pain was unbearable to them. From the Israelite perspective, those uncircumcised outsiders were less than human.¹⁹³

The First Strophe: Your pride and joy, O Isra’el, lies dead on the hills. How the mighty have fallen, repeated in each strophe and therefore central to the lament, emphasizes the greatness of Sha’ul and Y’honatan even after defeat and death (Second Samuel 1:20 NLT). Like the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11, there is nothing recorded in the song that remembers any sins or mistakes in their lives.¹⁹⁴ Tell it not in Gath, their capital city, or proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, the chief religious center where people would give thanks to their idols for helping their army defeat Isra’el, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice (Second Samuel 1:20). David could picture the welcome home, with the women singing and dancing in praise of the victors in the same way that the Israelite women had welcomed him after the defeat of Goliath (First Samuel 18:7). That the uncircumcised would rejoice over the death of Isra’el’s king was too painful for David to contemplate.¹⁹⁵

Even though Sha’ul had tried to track David down and kill him for years, David did not celebrate Sha’ul’s death. In fact, David took up a lament (Hebrew: hakkinah, meaning to protect or to shelter) concerning Sha’ul. He had no sense of bitterness. Why? Because David believed the best of Sha’ul. Once again, why? Because David had a heart that was like God’s heart. When Samuel the prophet had first picked him out from among his six brothers, ADONAI testified concerning him, ” I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22a).

The poem recalls that it was in the great battle on the mountain range of Gilboa that death came to Isra’el. Those mountains were held accountable and placed under a curse. The death of ADONAI’s anointed had contaminated them and they were then defiled. Mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain in the summer, and may showers not fall on your terraced fields in the winter. For there the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Sha’ul – no longer rubbed with oil (Second Samuel 1:21). What David could not have brought himself to say about the king, he can say about the shield.

The memories of Y’honatan and Sha’ul at the height of their powers came flooding back. From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Y’honatan did not turn back, the sword of Sha’ul did not return unsatisfied. We see the two together, father and son, treasured in Isra’el, valiant warriors. The poetry of grief looks past the rage of the father and the deception of the son. Those tensions are not important anymore. Sha’ul and Y’honatan in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not separated. Death has a way of permitting us to focus on the larger issues in our lives, to transcend the details of hurt and affront.

Together they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions (Second Samuel 1:22-23). To David, these men weren’t just great soldiers; they were also gracious people who were loved in life – and in death were loyal to each other and the people of Isra’el. From his meeting with Samuel at Endor (see Bv – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor), Sha’ul knew that he and his sons would die the next day in battle, yet he entered the fray determined to do his best. Y’honatan knew that his father had disobeyed YHVH and sinned against David, yet he stayed at his side until the end. Even though the army of Isra’el was defeated, David wanted the people to remember the greatness of their king and his sons.¹⁹⁶

Daughters of Isra’el, perhaps professional mourners, were invited to grieve, just as the daughters of the Philistines (Second Samuel 1:20) were prohibited from grieving.¹⁹⁷ Weep for Sha’ul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold (Second Samuel 1:24). The rich and affluent of Isra’el who thought it was beneath them to show any display of public mourning were required to join the common people in their grief.

The Second Strophe: David now speaks directly to Y’honatan: How the mighty have fallen in the heat of battle, Y’honatan lies slain on your heights! For the first time David speaks in the first person: I grieve for you, Y’honatan. While David had called on others to weep for Sha’ul, he was consumed with grief for my brother; you meant so much to me! David had never experienced such love, such devotion, that Y’honatan had shown him. He did not have to spell it out, for everyone knew that Y’honatan, heir to the throne, had not demanded his rights, but had voluntarily surrendered them in favor of David, whom he had protected and encouraged through the years. And this renunciation had been no impulsive act, but an ongoing generous attitude of heart and mind: Y’honatan had allowed his own interests to be disregarded so that David’s could prosper (see An – David and Y’honatan’s Friendship). True, David had found love from the women in his life, his mother and his wives, but even their love was not to be compared with the love that motivated Y’honatan. His selfless, transparent goodness had not looked for reward, and hence we read of David’s heartfelt praise for his fallen brother, “Your love for me was deeper than the love of women” (Second Samuel 1:25-26).¹⁹⁸ Y’honatan was about 54 at the time and David was 29.

The Third Strophe: David had spoken to Y’honatan, but now he must face reality: How the mighty have fallen. The battle was over, and the weapons of war had perished (Second Samuel 1:27). For all David knew, Sha’ul and Y’honatan were still laying alone on the war-torn slopes of Gilboa, their weapons lying useless beside them. The lament brings to an end the account of Sha’ul’s reign, but at the same time marks the beginning of David’s Kingdom.

David ordered the people of Judah be taught this lament for Sha’ul and Y’honatan, and God commanded Moshe to write down a song and teach it to Israelites (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Er – The Song of Moses). Apparently the epic hymns of Isra’el’s history were intended to be taught and applied from generation to generation. David’s lament may well have been a favorite if First Maccabees 9:21 is any indication. There we read that the lamentation for the slain Judas Maccabeus, leader of the Jewish rebellion against their Seleucid overlords, began with these words: How the mighty have fallen!¹⁹⁹

David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death
Second Samuel 1: 1-16

David hears of Sha’ul’s death DIG: How does the Amalekite’s account of Sha’ul’s death differ from the biblical account? Why did he lie? What does he bring to David? Which of David’s responses surprise you the most? It might seem that the Amalekite was punished for a sin he did not in fact commit, but is this really so?

REFLECT: When have you had a loose relationship with the truth to win someone’s favor? Where might you be grieving the death of a person or relationship? A small child may cover her eyes in the belief that she cannot see you, and you cannot see her. Do we ever try to do the same thing with God, and isn’t it just as ridiculous? The TaNaKh teaches us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). Think about this. How does “fear grounded in love” differ from “fear grounded in sin” Which do you fear the most?

1011 BC

ADONAI graciously prevented David and his men from assisting the Philistines in their battle against Sha’ul and Israel, so David returned to Ziklag (to see link click Bt – Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag), out of the way of the dangerous battle that had gone on the slopes of Mount Gilboa, and completely innocent in the death of the king of Isra’el. However, when he and his men got back to Ziklag, they discovered that the Amalekites had invaded and kidnapped all their wives and children, and left the town burned to the ground and in ruins.

The Death of Samuel: Second Samuel begins with the words: After the death of Sha’ul. This has a familiar ring to it because the books of Joshua, Judges, Second Samuel and Second Kings all begin the same way. Joshua begins with: After the death of Moses, and Judges begins with: After the death of Joshua, so also Second Samuel begins with: After the death of Sha’ul. Although Second Kings being similarly, the corresponding phrase sits differently in the verse and is therefore appropriately rendered in a slightly different way: After Ahab’s death. Consequently, it seems likely that these books were written/compiled/edited by the same person, and the narrator telegraphs to his readers as sharp a break at Second Samuel 1:1 as he had in Joshua 1:1, Judges 1:1 and Second Kings 1:1.¹⁸⁴ David was about 29 years old at that time.

A Deceitful messenger: When David and his men returned to Ziklag he discovered the Amalekites had attacked his home base and burned it. They had also taken the women and children captive and carried them off as they went on their way (see Bu – The Timeline for David’s Return to Ziklag, and Hearing About Sha’ul’s Death). David, his men and their families stayed in Ziklag for two more days. On the third day a man arrived from Sha’ul’s camp with signs of mourning: his clothes torn and dust on his head. The distance from Mount Gilboa to Ziklag is more than eighty miles, a three-day trip. 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 (Second Samuel 1:1b-3). He could have been a slave, a mercenary soldier, but more likely, he was just “camp follower” looking to rob bodies.

“What happened?” David asked, “Tell me.” “The men fled from the battle,” he replied, “Many of them fell and died.” And what is more, continued the man – who obviously thought he was bringing David good news – “Sha’ul and his son Y’honatan are dead.” Then David said to the young man who brought the report, “How do you know that Sha’ul and his son Y’honatan are dead?” The young man continued his lie: I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and there was Sha’ul, leaning on his spear, with the [Philistine] chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit (Second Samuel 1:4-6).

The fanciful tale he told was this: When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said: What can I possibly do to help you? He asked me, “Who are you?” I answered: An Amalekite. He said to me, “I’m in agony and I’m going to die, but I’m just barely hanging on. So please, stand over me and kill me.” Supposedly in mortal agony and wanting to die, Sha’ul was unable – or at least temporarily unwilling – to take his own life.

So I stood over him and killed him (something that David had never done, even though he had more than one opportunity to do so) because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive once the Philistines captured him. It was not likely that the king would have been so isolated in the thick of the battle, with no armor bearer or royal bodyguard, that he had to depend on an Amalekite to accidently wander on the scene to kill him. The Amalekite continued: And I took the crown (the primary symbol of his royal authority) that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord (Second Samuel 1:7-10). What was he supposed to say? “I slithered around like a coward, waiting for Sha’ul to fall so that, when the way was clear, I could sneak in and steal his crown and armlet?” Hardly. Certainly he had to explain how he obtained the items, but how much more gallant it sounded if, in the thick of battle, he kindly and coolly assisted Sha’ul in his death? How much more his reward?¹⁸⁵

He knew that David was to be the next king and was looking for some reward, not really knowing David’s heart about the matter. But the problem was that he lied to do it. He found the body of Sha’ul before the Philistines got there and stole the royal crown from his head and band from his arm. The Spirit of God tells us that clearly Sha’ul was dead when he fell on his sword (First Samuel 31:4-6).¹⁸⁶

The Amalekite’s account of Sha’ul’s death differs in several important respects from the biblical record. First Samuel 31 says that the king committed suicide (see Bw – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life), but here the Amalekite said he killed him; there Sha’ul was critically wounded by archers, here his enemies were charioteers (the very reason Sha’ul retreated to Mount Gilboa was to negate the advantage that the Philistines had with their chariots); there the Philistines took his armor, here the Amalekite brought Sha’ul’s crown and armlet to David.

David’s Mourning: Having once been a valued member of Sha’ul’s court, David undoubtedly recognized the crown and armlet in the hands of the Amalekite. But the messenger could scarcely have been prepared for the response of David and his men. Then, instead of rejoicing, David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Sha’ul and his son Y’honatan, and for the army of ADONAI and for the nation of Isra’el, because they had fallen by the sword (Second Samuel 1:11-12). The messenger obviously didn’t know David’s heart. In David’s eyes, Sha’ul was never his enemy (Second Samuel 22:1).

The Safety of Fear: After the initial shock wore off, David said to the young man who brought the report, “Where are you from?” “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite,” he answered. With that information, it would seem that David had learned all he needed to know concerning the messenger. Since his father was a resident alien living in Sha’ul’s realm, the man could be expected to have at least a minimal knowledge of Isra’el’s basic traditions, including the holiness of the LORD’s anointed.¹⁸⁷

Not only that, if he were a loyal resident alien and had found the dead bodies of the king and his sons, he would have sought to hide them and protect them from the enemy, not steal from them. So it’s likely that the messenger was a genuine Amalekite, but not a resident alien in Isra’el. More likely, he was a “camp follower” who made his living scavenging after the Philistine army. By claiming to be the son of a resident alien, the man was asking for certain privileges specified in the Torah (Exodus 22:21, 23:9; Leviticus 19:33, 24:22; Deuteronomy 24:17), privileges he certainly didn’t deserve.¹⁸⁸

Then David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” David didn’t know he was lying at that time. At this point David believed the Amalekites account. Then, apparently without giving him time to answer, David called one of his men and said: Go, strike him down! So he struck him down, and he died. Instead of getting a reward, as he was obviously anticipating, he was executed. For David had said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, meaning the blood you have shed in the cause of your own death. Your own mouth testified against you when you said: I killed YHVH’s anointed” (2 Samuel 1:13-16). The Amalekite received justice, but it was justice mixed with irony. He was punished for what he said . . . not for what he did. He received what he should have received even though it was not based upon fact. The judgment of YHVH found him, found him in his lie and repaid him in line with his intent – if not his deed!

We serve a God who delights in truth in the innermost parts (Psalm 51:6 Darby Bible Translation), who sets our secret sins in the light of His presence (Psalm 90:8). But this will not be the last episode – there will be other “Amalekites” in the congregations of God. Ananias and Sapphira would feel the need to boost their self-esteem within the Jerusalem Church (Acts 5:1-11 in light of Acts 4:32-37) and end up in twin graves for it. Even if we could fool kings and judges, Yeshua has taught us that no one will escape final judgment for unbelievers (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment), or loss of reward for believers (see my commentary on Revelation Cc – For We Must All Appear Before the Judgment Seat of Christ). Yet strangely, we find ourselves believing this absurd notion that if we have duped the eye of mankind, we have eluded heaven’s gaze as well. We must understand that there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed. Messiah should know, He’s the one Ha’Shem has appointed to judge our secrets (Romans 2:16).¹⁸⁹

After hearing about the death of Sha’ul and mourning the kidnapping of their wives and children, David and his men left to hunt down and crush the Amalekites (see Bz – David Destroys the Amalekites), and recover their loved ones (Second Samuel 1:1a).

With the death of Sha’ul and his three sons at Mount Gilboa, the question of succession is now raised. Ish-Bosheth, Sha’ul’s youngest son, was still alive and would reign among the tribes of the northern Kingdom of Isra’el, though we haven’t encountered him yet (see Cg – War Between the Houses of David and Sha’ul). David’s claim to the throne was not acknowledged or recognized everywhere. The books of Samuel are partially intended to answer the question, “Who is suitable to reign as king over Isra’el?” Sha’ul had shown himself to be clearly unsuitable, and his disgraceful death confirmed the fact that the future king must be different than the first one. By contrast, the Bible describes the remarkable way in which the Spirit prepared and protected David. He was without question, suitable as Sha’ul’s successor (see Ci – David’s Accession to Kingship Over Isra’el).¹⁹⁰

Sha’ul Takes His Own Life
First Samuel 31:1-13
and First Chronicles 10:1-14

Sha’ul takes his own life DIG: Why does Sha’ul ask his armor-bearer to kill him? Why did the armor-bearer refuse Sha’ul’s request (Second Samuel 1:14)? When then did each take his own life? Why do the Philistines cut off Sha’ul’s head (17:51)? Why do the Philistines put Sha’ul’s armor in their temple (see 5:2 and 21:9)? Why do the people of Jabesh Gilead risk harm to retrieve the bodies of Sha’ul and his sons (see Chapter 11)? Is Sha’ul in heaven or hell (to see link click Bv – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor)? Why?

REFLECT: As part of their witness as believers the Puritans stressed the importance of “dying well.” What relation between “living well” and “dying well” is typified by Sha’ul’s life? By Y’honatan’s life? Do you think suicide is an unpardonable sin? Y’honatan took to heart the words of the LORD; Sha’ul took to heart his own sword. What will you take to heart from this first book of Samuel? Sha’ul began his reign so well, so promising, but he didn’t finish well. How do you want to finish your life. What will be your legacy be?

1011 BC

The Philistine threat hung like a dark cloud over Isra’el throughout First Samuel almost from the beginning (First Samuel 4:1-11), and the end had not come until now. The Philistines attacked the Israelites on Mount Gilboa, which lay at the head of the great east-west Valley of Esdraelon, below Galilee. Its loss by Isra’el enabled the Philistines to penetrate to the Jordan and even beyond.

The Death of Sha’ul and His Three Sons: Now the Philistines fought against Isra’el, as they had done at the beginning of Sha’ul’s reign (First Samuel 13:5). Sha’ul’s divine commission had been to save Isra’el from their hand (First Samuel 9:16), but ironically he died at their hand, and thus a reflection of his failure. The Israelites were no match for the Philistine army with its large divisions and its many chariots. The Philistines preferred to fight on level ground because they depended on their chariots, while Isra’el tried to lure them into the hill country around Mount Gilboa. Isra’el was outnumbered and outclassed. But even if they had boasted superior forces, they still would have been defeated. Sha’ul’s hour of judgment had come. Without Samuel’s prayers and David’s anointed leadership, the army of Isra’el was destined to defeat.¹⁷⁹

The Israelites fled before the Philistines, and as all too often under Sha’ul’s erratic leadership, many fell dead on Mount Gilboa (Second Samuel 31:1; First Chronicles 10:1). This was in stark contrast to David’s killing of Goliath that galvanized the Israelite army with the result that the Philistines dead were strewn along the roadside (First Samuel 17:52).

Samuel’s prophecy was about to be fulfilled. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Sha’ul and his sons, and they killed his sons Y’honatan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. Sha’ul’s youngest son Ish-Bosheth, probably wasn’t present on the battlefield. Once his sons were killed, the Philistines concentrated their efforts to kill the king of Isra’el and the fighting grew fierce around Sha’ul. With Sha’ul helpless and virtually alone, the Philistines moved in for the kill. And when the archers overtook him, and in shooting range, they wounded him critically. At that point, he was afraid of being tortured before he died. Therefore, Sha’ul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and make a mockery of me while I am still living.” But his armor-bearer was terrified to lay his hand upon the king, and would not do it. Since Sha’ul was determined to die on his own terms, he had no alternative but to take his own sword and fall on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Sha’ul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. Therefore, Sha’ul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and his royal bodyguard died together that same day (Second Samuel 31:2-6; First Chronicles 10:2-6).

The Defeat of Isra’el: When the Israelites along the north side of the valley of Jezreel and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Sha’ul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. The fact that the Philistines were focusing their efforts to kill Sha’ul and his three sons allowed many of the Israelite soldiers to escape. And the Philistines came and occupied them (Second Samuel 31:7; First Chronicles 10:7). The rest of the Israelites managed to escape as a result of the Philistines’ concentration on the pursuit of Sha’ul.

Ha’Shem had protected David from fighting against his own people (to see link click Bt – Achish Sends David Back to Ziglag). If David had been in the battle on Mount Gilboa, he might have had to fight and kill his best friend Y’honatan and the king of Isra’el. God can do the same for us, even when we don’t know it. David didn’t know when he was sent back to Ziglag that he would be spared the agony of fighting against Y’honatan, the king and the Israelites. ADONAI is merciful and He opens and shuts doors on our behalf. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).

The Desecration of the Bodies: The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Sha’ul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. As David had earlier cut off the head of Goliath, they now cut off the head of Isra’el’s king (don’t think for a minute they had forgotten about that national humiliation). They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the good news (Hebrew: basar, ironically this is word used in proclaiming the Good News of the Messiah in Isaiah 61:1) in the temple of their idols and among their people. They put his armor in the temple of their god of sex and war, the Ashtoreth, and fastened his mutilated body and his severed head (Sha’ul’s suicide did not in fact prevent his body from being abused) to the wall of Beth Shan in the Temple of Dagon as a public warning to others (Second Samuel 5:2-5; Second Samuel 31:8-10 and First Chronicles 10:8-10).

The Rescue of the Bodies: When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Sha’ul, all their valiant men (Hebrew: ish, meaning man, actually in the singular because they were of one mind) marched fifteen miles through the night to Beth Shan (a major city between Gilboa and the Jordan) and went to Jabesh. Sha’ul had previously rescued them from the Ammonites (First Samuel 11:1-11). Even though more than thirty years had passed they still remembered the good deed that he had done. That rescue preceded this rescue and they took down the bodies of Sha’ul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and took them back to Jabesh where they burned them. They took their bones and buried them under a great tamarisk tree at Jabesh. Cremation is not a Jewish practice, normally only reserved for criminals (Joshua 7:25). Jews do not normally embalm dead bodies and the deceased are usually buried within twenty-four hours of death. So they probably burned their bodies to prevent the spread of disease since it had been possibly weeks until they heard of Sha’ul’s and Y’honatan’s death, retrieved the bodies, and brought them back to Jabesh Gilead. And then they fasted for seven days (Second Samuel 31:11-13; First Chronicles 10:11-12).

The two books of Samuel were originally one, and the division of the two was a matter of scribal convenience rather than literary skill. But the death of Sha’ul the first king of Isra’el forms a fitting conclusion to the first book, as the history of David’s reign is an appropriate opening to the second.

Sha’ul’s legacy: Sha’ul died because he was unfaithful to ADONAI. The accusation of faithlessness is especially severe. The Hebrew word used is ma’al, which is normally reserved for serious sin against God, often associated with idolatry and carrying with it the death sentence. It is the seriousness, rather than the particular kind of sin, that the word implies.¹⁸⁰ He did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted with a medium for guidance, nor did he inquire of YHVH but did what was best in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). So Ha’Shem put him to death and turned the Kingdom over to David son of Jesse (First Chronicles 10:13-14). His career began with promise, but ended in tragedy; it began with victory, but ended in defeat; it began with hope but ended with despair.¹⁸¹

Y’honatan’s legacy: As John MacArthur relates in his book, Twelve Unlikely Heroes, Y’honatan functioned both as a foil to his father and a friend to his father’s successor. When Sha’ul should have been initiating the attack on the Philistines, it was Y’honatan who led the charge. When Sha’ul was doubtful and disobedient, Y’honatan displayed faith and courage. His levelheaded response to his father’s violent mood swings and irrational behavior set him apart as a striking contrast to the reckless king.

Early in Sha’ul’s reign, Y’honatan learned that his father’s kingdom would never belong to him. A typical response to that kind of disappointment would include anger and resentment. But Y’honatan’s response was far from typical. Rather than fighting against his future, the prince embraced it – to the extent that he became a loyal friend to the man who would one day be king instead of him. While his father tried to destroy David, Y’honatan bravely protected David and defended his reputation – demonstrating heroic loyalty to him at every turn. Though Sha’ul’s legacy is one of disobedience, distrust, and disappointment; the legacy of Y’honatan is completely the opposite. Here was a man who had every reason in the world to be threatened by David, just like his father was. Yet he let his crown go with no remorse and lived for the well-being of the one who would take his place, as YHVH had determined.

Y’honatan’s first recorded words revealed his absolute faith in ADONAI’s will and power, when he told his armor-bearer: Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side . . . perhaps the LORD will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder YHVH from saving, whether by many or a few (First Samuel 14:1 and 6).

His last recorded words, spoken to David, highlight his confidence in ADONAI’s perfect plan for his future and for Isra’el. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Sha’ul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Isra’el, and I will be second to you. Even my father knows this” (First Samuel 23:17).

Unlike his selfish father, this noble prince was eager to obey YHVH. So out of the tragic account of Sha’ul comes the legacy of Y’honatan’s heroic selflessness and unwavering friendship. Yeshua said: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Yochanan 15:13). Without question, Y’honatan would have sacrificed his life in death to protect his friend. This is the ultimate sacrifice. Y’honatan chose this sacrifice of gladly giving up all personal honor, power and position for a friend who takes those things because it is the Lord’s will to do so.¹⁸²

Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor
First Samuel 28: 3-25

Sha’ul and the medium at Endor DIG: How did YHVH communicate His will at this time in Isra’el’s history? But how did Sha’ul do it? Why did Sha’ul expel spiritists and mediums from Isra’el (see Leviticus 19:31, 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-13)? Why then did he consult one anyway? And why in secret? Why did the woman fear she might die? Considering Sha’ul’s assurance in verse 10, who fears the living God more – the Israelite king or the pagan witch? Why is she terrified when she saw Samuel? Why had YHVH stopped responding to Sha’ul when he called? How had Sha’ul responded to ADONAI’s calls in the past? How is Sha’ul like and unlike Yeshua? Explain. How do you think Sha’ul enjoyed his last meal?

REFLECT: Sha’ul was prone to say one thing (expel the spiritists and mediums) and do quite another (consult them). What area(s) of your life are like that? Where do your actions speak louder than your words? What “great distress” in your life has you seeking God’s will in earnest? Where are you looking for answers? Whom are you consulting? Do you temporarily “repent” during hard times, only to “harden your heart” when things get better? In light of your present relationship with God, what are your feelings about death and dying? Are you a “Sha’ul” or a “David?” Do you know with certainty where you are going to spend eternity? What is the basis for your certainly?

1011 BC

When this episode begins, the battle lines are already drawn, but Sha’ul had no heart for battle. He urgently needed someone to talk to for advice and encouragement, but found himself totally isolated, desperate, and in need of counsel. Of all the “night scenes” in the Bible – and there are many of them – this one is perhaps the strangest and most dramatic. A dead man returned to announce the doom of a despairing king who couldn’t find any way to escape. Samuel and Sha’ul would meet for the last time, and it wasn’t a happy meeting.¹⁷³

The Silence of God: In First Samuel 28:3-6 we learn that Samuel had died, and all Isra’el had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. This is a summary of 25:1. But the point the author makes in this context is that Sha’ul could not go to Samuel for advice as he was able to do in the past. Although Sha’ul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14), he had sunk down to that which he had banned. The fact that he regretted his decision indicates how far he had departed from his earlier commitment. At this time, he had the worst of both worlds.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem a few miles north of the valley of Jezreel at the mountain of Gilboa and had penetrated into the largest valley in northern Isra’el, while Sha’ul gathered all Isra’el and set up camp at Gilboa (First Samuel 28:4). Sha’ul had moved his army from the plane of Jezreel, where he would have been at a disadvantage because of the superiority of the Philistine chariots, to the mountain of Gilboa. When Sha’ul saw how much larger the Philistine army was than he thought it would be, he was afraid and terror filled his heart. He inquired of ADONAI, but YHVH did not answer him by: the usual method of dreams (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Hd – Jacob Saw a Stairway with the Angels of God Ascending and Descending), or by the Urim and Thummim (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummin, the Means of Making Decisions), or prophets (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Yisra’el). No matter what Sha’ul tried, he received no answer from God. But he should have known better than to consult a medium, for Isaiah had declared: So when they tell you to consult those squeaking, squawking mediums and fortune-tellers; you are to answer, “Shouldn’t a people seek their God? Must the living ask the dead” (Isaiah 8:19)?

The Medium of Endor: Therefore, Sha’ul said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium who consults the dead to determine the future,” so I may go and inquire of her.” These mediums were possessed by demons, which impersonated the dead. So Sha’ul was in a very desperate condition. This was a direct violation of the Torah spelled out in (Lev 19:31 and 20:6). “There is one at Endor,” they said. It is very interesting that Sha’ul’s servants knew about her despite of its unlawfulness (1 Sam 28:7). Fearful of Philistine strength, Sha’ul wanted to know what to do, and thus was willing to go to any lengths to find out what to do.

So Sha’ul disguised himself putting on common clothing instead of royal clothing, and at night he and two men traveled about ten miles and went to the woman. This was a very dangerous journey for the king because to get to Endor from Gibeah he would have to pass over the shoulder of a hill on which the Philistines were encamped. The darkness of the night matched the darkness of Sha’ul’s soul. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring me up from Sh’ol the one I name” (First Sam 28:8). Like a noose around his neck, this was a desperate attempt to escape the fate that was closing in all around him.

But the woman said, her words dripping with irony: Surely you know what Sha’ul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death? She neither admitted nor denied what she was. She wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a trap. But Sha’ul swore to her by ADONAI, “As ADONAI lives, you will not be punished for doing this” (First Samuel 28:9-10 CJB). The rabbis teach that Sha’ul was like a woman who swears by her husband’s life when in bed with her lover. In a practice forbidden by ADONAI, he swears by ADONAI’s name.

Then the woman asked: Whom shall I bring up for you? And Sha’ul answered: Bring up Samuel. Despite the finality of Sha’ul’s last confrontation with Samuel (First Samuel 15:10-35), Sha’ul still longed for the word of ADONAI that he had received through the prophet who first anointed him and proclaimed him king. He must have hoped that Samuel would somehow reverse the judgment that he had pronounced, much in the same way that some people today refuse to take seriously the consequences of sin in their lives.¹⁷⁴

She left the room and drawing on the demonic powers of necromancy (Deut 18:10-11), she called up the apparition of Samuel. Even the rabbis do not speculate as to her technique in conjuring up Samuel, but simply say, “She did what she did, and she said what she said, and raised him. When the woman saw Samuel, she recognized something was different. Normally, she would bring up a demon that would impersonate the dead. But in this case, it seems to follow the view held by the rabbis that the text records a genuine appearance of Samuel that YHVH Himself brought about. When the real Samuel came up and she cried out at the top of her voice. It was cry of shock and a cry of fear because this didn’t normally happen. It shows that she herself had nothing to do with Samuel coming up. YHVH took over and allowed the spirit of Samuel to come up from sh’ol. She said to Sha’ul, “Why have you deceived me? She immediately realized that it was the work of God and not herself and that her disguised night visitor was none other than King Sha’ul. She declared indignantly: You yourself are Sha’ul” (First Samuel 28:11-12)!

When the king heard her cry out, he called to her, saying: Don’t be afraid – you will not be executed. What do you see?” What this tells us is that Sha’ul was in another room. The woman had the capacity to see the unseen world. Hers was a demonic power, but a power nonetheless. She said: I see a god-like being coming up out of the earth. He asked her, “What does he look like?” She said: An old man wearing a robe is coming up. Before glorification, Samuel appeared the age in which he died. He was in death exactly as Sha’ul knew him in life: unaccommodating and unwilling to condone Sha’ul’s sin. Then Sha’ul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground as if before the LORD (First Samuel 28:13-14 CJB).

The Message of Samuel: Samuel’s shalom in sh’ol was disturbed, and he didn’t like it at all. He said to Sha’ul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Sha’ul laid the full weight of his abandonment and despair before Samuel, “I am in great distress. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. Sha’ul justifies his action by saying he needed God and had no alternatives. So I have called on you to tell me what to do” (First Sam 28:15).

Samuel said: Why do you ask (Hebrew: sha’al) me this, you have answered your own question. Now that the LORD has departed from you, He has become your enemy! Samuel explains, in an impatient, serious tone, that ADONAI and he are allied and nothing can come between them; if God had departed, Sha’ul may be sure that Samuel had also departed. If the LORD had no answer, there was no reason to believe that Samuel had any answer. No wedge could be driven between them. Then Samuel painstakingly reviewed the record: YHVH has done what He predicted through me (First Samuel 15:28). The record had not changed, and the verdict had not softened. ADONAI has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors . . . to David (First Samuel 28:16-17). This is no surprise to us, and it surely is no surprise to Sha’ul. The entire story has been building the case for the utterance of this name.

First Samuel 28:18-19 is structured like a lawsuit that asserts the verdict and sentence against Sha’ul. The cause is Sha’ul’s disobedience. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His demand to utterly destroy the Amalekites (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh), ADONAI has done this to you today. He had no one to blame but himself. The verdict was that because he did not utterly destroy the Amalekites, God would utterly destroy him (First Samuel 15:18-19). Then the sentence against Sha’ul is pronounced: YHVH will deliver both Isra’el and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your three sons will join the dead (see Bw – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). Samuel’s speech is final and absolute. There will be no appeal, no protest, no argument, and no alternative. The narrator does not mention Samuel’s departure. It doesn’t matter. It is the Voice that counts, and that Voice only speaks of death and doom for Sha’ul. Since Chapter 15, Sha’ul’s career has been carried out under the omen of this irrevocable decision.¹⁷⁵

But the question remains, was Sha’ul saved? Which side of sh’ol did he end up in for eternity (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Hx – The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus)? When Jewish believers talk about the righteous of the TaNaKh, the emphasis is on the righteous. Not perfect, but having a loving, obedient heart that desires to please the LORD. But Sha’ul, possessed by an evil spirit and having a murderous heart, selfishly worked against the known purposes of God. We see no repentance from Sha’ul after this encounter with Samuel. He only felt sorry for himself. Like the rich man in the parable above, he was spiritually dead. Though Sha’ul’s selfishness was awful, God would have forgiven him if there had been a softening of the heart that led to repentance. Peter denied Christ three times, yet he was forgiven due to a repentant heart. David also sinned; but David’s heart was so grieved by his sin and totally repentant before God that he also was forgiven. When there is true repentance, God always forgives. There is no sin too big that God can’t forgive. All sins are forgivable – when the heart is truly grieved over the sin and turns away from sin to lovingly follow God.

When people abandon YHVH, their only desire is that ADONAI leave them alone to their own devices. But when the LORD abandons people, He assigns to them the judgment of death, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Sinful mankind has violated the law of YHVH and rebelled against His sovereign rule, the only possible result is that foretold by Yeshua in the parable of the Ten Minas: The king said, “But those enemies of mine who rebelled and did not want me to be king over them – bring them here and kill them in front of me” (Luke 19:27).

If we think this is a dreadful picture of God’s justice and wrath, let us not forget His spurned offer of grace and the sacrificial blood of His own Son. If you have heard but refused the gospel offer of forgiveness through the blood of Christ, your judgment will be not only for rebellion against His divine authority, but also for contempt of His saving grace. The application from Sha’ul’s plight is both urgent and unwavering: Seek the LORD while He may be found and call on Him while He is near. Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts, let them turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7; Second Corinthians 6:2b).¹⁷⁶

Do you have peace with God? If so, that’s great. If not, would you like to accept Christ right now? If so, there is a prayer I would like you to repeat. But, before you do I want you to remember that saying a prayer does not save you, trusting in Christ does. Say these words: God, I admit that I have sinned. I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins, and I want to trust Him to save me right now. If you were to die right now, where would you go? That’s right, heaven. Why should God let you into His heaven? That’s right, because Jesus died to pay for your sins (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Fr – Jesus the Bread of Life: see imputation).

Jesus’ last words from the cross were: It is finished (John 19:30). That is the translation in Aramaic because that was the common language of His day. But the original Greek text in the B’rit Chadashah reads, tetelestai, which means paid in full. This word is actually an accounting term. After the destruction of Herod’s Temple in AD 70, many Jews found their way to Alexandria, Egypt. There they had one of the greatest libraries of the ancient world by the second century. But by then, the international language was Greek. And while the Jews spoke Aramaic, they wrote in Greek, not Hebrew. Archaeologists have discovered an underground storage area there with thousands of clay accounting tablets. Across each one was written tetelestai. It is important for you to understand that your sins have been paid in full by the blood of the Messiah on the cross. All of your sin, past, present, and future. And as a result, you now possess living water (John 4:4-14, 7:37-39; Revelation 7:17), or eternal life (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30).

Sha’ul’s Last Supper: Samuel ended his message by saying that the LORD would also give the army of Isra’el into the hands of the Philistines. Thus, Sha’ul, who had not seen the divine vision, but had heard only to plainly the prophet’s words, was as good as dead already. The fatal truth overwhelmed him and he immediately fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night (First Samuel 28:20). Most people in fear for their lives lose their appetite rather quickly.

When the woman came to Sha’ul from another room (it seems likely that she had an inner sanctum where she practiced her secret rites) and saw that he was greatly shaken. She said: Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way. She was thinking in human terms of some way to boost the morale of the king. Though she couldn’t save him from his fate, she could give him temporary help and comfort to strengthen his fainting spirits. But she was astute enough to realize that Sha’ul was in no mood to eat. So she reasoned that since she had risked her life for him, he should be willing to do something for her.¹⁷⁷

Initially, he refused and said: I will not eat. Without a doubt, he was not hungry. But his men joined the woman in urging him, and finally he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Sha’ul and his men, and they ate. That same night Sha’ul arose and dejectedly walked off into the darkness (First Sam 28:21-25).

In Richard Samuel’s commentary on First Samuel, the author reflecting on Sha’ul, remembered another Last Supper (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kd – The Last Passover in the Upper Room) when Yeshua Messiah gathered with His apostles on the night He was betrayed. Sha’ul brings to mind one of the apostles, who for all his privileges as one close to the Savior had nonetheless rejected Jesus in his heart. Yochanan says of Judas Iscariot that after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night (John 13:30). Yochanan was not merely noting the time, but also the state of Judas’ soul and the destiny to which he was turning to unbelief. Like Sha’ul, Judas had a heart of darkness. Messiah’s words about Judas are true of all those who turn from His light to the darkness of sin and self-rule: It would have been better for that man if he had not been born (Mattityahu 26:24).

After the Last Supper, our Savior Himself would head into darkness. Like Sha’ul, Yeshua bore the curse of a prophesied death upon His head. The only completely righteous man, the One who had perfectly obeyed the will of YHVH every moment of His life, the Son of David who was far more unlike Sha’ul than even David, would be nailed to the cross to die for sin. As Mark records: When the sixth hour came, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice . . . My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God)? As God’s Son prepared to die in the sin-cursed darkness, the words spoken by Sha’ul to Samuel could equally be said of Jesus, “God has turned away from me and answers no more” (First Samuel 28:15).

Yet how great, how infinitely great, was the difference between Sha’ul in the darkness of his own sin and Messiah in the darkness of the sins He did not commit. Sha’ul with his hardened heart and in his rebellion against YHVH had entered a darkness that would last forever in sh’ol. But the Savior, Jesus Christ, in obedience to the saving will of the Father, became sin on our behalf (Second Corinthians 5:21) so that He might take its curse away forever from the people who belong to Him by faith. Yeshua entered the darkness of the cross that we might enter life and light of His resurrection glory. On the third day He rose in the light of the open tomb, and all those who place their sins on His cross may know the joy of eternal life in His grace. The Bible teaches that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).¹⁷⁸

The Timeline for David’s Return to Ziklag,
and Hearing About Sha’ul’s Death

Day Six: On the third day an Amalekite arrived from Sha’ul’s camp and told David of Sha’ul’s death (to see link click Bx – David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death), where David wrote a lament.

Day Five: David and his men stayed in Ziklag a second day and continue to mourn.

Day Four: David and his men wept and mourned in Ziklag.

Day Three: David reaches Ziklag and discovers the Amalekites had taken the Israelite women and children captive (see Ca – David Inquired of the LORD).

Day Two: David and his 600 men travel to Ziklag.

Day One: Achish sent David back to Ziklag (see Bt – Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag), saving him from having to attack the Philistines and guaranteeing Sha’ul death.

Day One: The Philistine army headed for Shunem to set up their war camp.

Day Two: The Philistine army reached Shunem and set up their war camp. Sha’ul saw their vast army and was terrified. He inquired of ADONAI, but YHVH refused to answer him; therefore, that night he went to see a witch to call Samuel up from the dead and tell him what to do (see Bv – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor).

Day Three: The Philistine army attacked the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Sha’ul was critically wounded by arrows and was afraid of being tortured by the Philistines so he fell on his own sword rather than being captured. Y’honatan, and two other sons of Sha’ul were also killed in the battle (see Bw – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life).

Day Four: While stripping the bodies of the slain Israelites, the Philistines discover the body of Sha’ul. An Amalekite took Sha’ul’s crown and set out to tell David of his death.

Day Five: The Amalekite traveled a second day to Ziklag.

Day Six: On the third day, the Amalekite reached Ziklag and told a lie about how he assisted Sha’ul in his death, but because he supposedly lifted his hand against the LORD’s anointed, David had him executed (see Bx – David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death).

Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag
First Samuel 29: 1-11

Achish sends David back to Ziklag DIG: Why were five Philistine kings present? What reservations did the Philistine generals have about David fighting on their side? What did King Achish think? Why? Do you think David would have fought against Isra’el? Or was he bluffing? Why?

REFLECT: In your life right now, where are you “between a rock and a hard place,” caught in the middle of a situation that you have no control over? How many times has God intervened to prevent something terrible from happening to you? Or for something that we would regret for the rest of our lives? In such dilemmas, how does your faith in God affect how you decide? Is the LORD obligated to step in and save us from results of our own sinful decisions? Do we reap what we sow? How would David reap what he had sown in the years to come?

1011 BC

This was the battle in which Sha’ul and Y’honatan died (to see link click Bw – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life), and it was therefore providential that the hand of ADONAI kept David and his men from having to fight against their own people, the Israelites. David was about 29 years old.

The Philistine Generals rejected David: The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Isra’el camped by the spring of Jezreel. Here the Philistines were some thirty miles (or 48 kilometers) further north of Aphek, well on their way to the Valley of Jezreel, but still about forty miles (or 64 kilometers) or two days short of Shunem where they would set up camp. At that time, the Israelite army was already in Jezreel getting ready to take up their positions for battle on Mount Gilboa (First Samuel 28:4a). Therefore, the battle would take place in three days.

As the Philistine generals marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. As the troops were reviewed, all five of the Philistine rulers were present representing the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath. Their personal involvement demonstrated their perception that this battle was crucial.¹⁶⁹ Therefore, it was a sizable army. David and his men happened to be a part of the army of Gath. And as they passed before the reviewing stand, the Philistine rulers were obviously uneasy at the presence of David the Israelite and his six hundred men, so they asked: What about these Hebrews (First Samuel 29:1-3a)? The other four Philistine rulers were irate that Achish could possibly be so naïve as to think it safe to include David in the order of battle for their invasion of Isra’el.

If the Philistine rulers were hostile to David’s presence, Achish could not say enough in David’s defense: Is this not David, who was an officer of Sha’ul king of Isra’el? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Sha’ul until now, I have found no fault in him. This shows how well David was able to mask his own activities. But the Philistine rulers were angry and said: Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting (exactly what David was thinking). How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men?” pointing to the Philistine troops marching by in full display. The other four Philistine rulers had accurately perceived David’s true intent, namely, to turn on them in the heat of battle so as to strike a decisive blow for Isra’el.

But ADONAI had other plans. There would be no rescue of Sha’ul because YHVH would bring up Samuel in two days to declare to the Israelite king that he would indeed die in the upcoming battle (see Bv – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor). David had no way of knowing that and, in his predicament, saw no other alternative than to strike the Philistines in the heat of battle. But like I said, God had other plans.

The Philistine rulers concluded their critique by reminding Achish of the song sung by the women of Isra’el in honor of David and Sha’ul. Isn’t this the same David they sang about in their dances, “Sha’ul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands? (First Samuel 29:3b-5)? That Jewish saying had become famous, even among the Philistines and they took the song as a sign of solidarity between David and Sha’ul. The Philistine rulers suspected that David had aspirations for the throne of Isra’el. David, they argued, could become acceptable to Sha’ul and Isra’el only by putting Philistines to death, so they demanded that he should be sent back to Ziklag.¹⁷⁰

David Was Sent Back to Ziklag: So Achish, not willing to buck his peers, called David and to impress him with his own sincerity, he used the name of David’s God and not his own. The Philistine ruler said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the other four rulers are unconvinced and don’t approve of you. Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine military rulers (First Samuel 29:6-7).

“But what have I done,” asked David? “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” David pretended to be outraged – but this saved him from his deadly dilemma. For the third time Achish vindicated David’s honor and dependability, saying: I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God. The threefold formula of Pontius Pilate’s acquittal of Yeshua sounds like a strange echo of the words of Achish. Pilate declared of Messiah, “I find no fault in this man in anything of which you are accusing him” (Luke 23:14 Aramaic Bible in Plain English). Having examined Jesus, Pilate rendered his verdict: I find no guilt in Him (John 18:38 NASB). And then, for the third time Pilate spoke to the crowd, “What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty” (Luke 23:22).

Nevertheless, the Philistine rulers said, “He must not go up with us into battle.” Now get up early, along with [the Israelites] who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light. So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel (First Samuel 29:8-11). On the one hand, YHVH saved David from his dilemma; but on the other hand, God didn’t want David to turn on the Philistines and save Sha’ul because ADONAI had already decreed that the king would die in three days.¹⁷¹

Thus David, doubtless relieved, avoided fighting against his own countrymen . . . and did so with the blessing of the Philistines. This was divine intervention. It was the sovereignty of God. It was very ironic that the very same Philistines who would finally dispose of Sha’ul were the ones who unwittingly rescued David.¹⁷²

David Among the Philistines
First Samuel 27:1 to 28:2
and First Chronicles 12:1-22

David among the Philistines DIG: Given King Achish’s last encounter with David, how do you think he felt about David’s arrival and settlement in Gath? Why does David desire to move to Philistia? What was David’s motive for totally annihilating those whom he raided? Was David justified in raiding the outlying towns (First Samuel 15:2-3)? In what ways did David deceive Achish (First Samuel 28:1-2)? What was the result?

REFLECT: David escapes Sha’ul only to land in Achish’s lap. When has an escape play of yours turned into a similar “out-of-the-pan-into-the-fire” experience? What good, if any, came of the fiery situation? What are you getting away with right now (at home, work, school or social setting) that you fear someone might blow the whistle on? What long-standing agreement with the Lord remains unfulfilled in your life?

1012-1011 BC

In reality, the story of the rise of David continues beyond Sha’ul’s death in Chapter 31 and through the accounts of David’s elimination of other rivals to his divinely granted rule over Isra’el in Second Samuel Chapters 1 through 5. At the same time, however, there is a distinct literary break (to see link click Bv – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor), which begins the narrative that describes Sha’ul’s final hours. So the scene depicting David’s escape to the land of the Philistines is a convenient point to highlight David’s rise and Sha’ul’s decline.¹⁶⁵

It was with a measure of desperation that David felt that he was prepared to consider approaching the very enemies he had successfully fought on Isra’el’s behalf, and offer them his services. Not that he had any intention of turning traitor to his beloved Y’hudah, but he would have to appear to do so in order to reassure his Philistine allies. This was not David’s first attempt to enlist Philistine protection (see Aw – David at Gath), but that effort would not have helped him on this second attempt. This time the situation was very different.¹⁶⁶

God’s name is not mentioned either in First Samuel 27:1 to 28:2, or in First Samuel 31. This suggests that Sha’ul had entered his final battle against the Philistines without YHVH’s assistance (ominously in 28:6), and that David did not consult ADONAI (maybe believing that he could not do so because he was no longer in Isra’el, his homeland, see the comments on First Samuel 26:19-20a) when he decided to escape to Philistine territory.¹⁶⁷

The Reason for the Fight: Even though Sha’ul had promised not to harm him (see Br – Sha’ul Promises Not to Harm David), David still did not trust the king. So he thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Sha’ul.” He obviously didn’t believe that Sha’ul had repented. “The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines.” This sojourn to Gath would end his running from Sha’ul, and he would shortly become king over all Isra’el. Then Sha’ul will give up searching for me anywhere in Isra’el, and I will slip out of his hand (First Samuel 27:1). David was immortal until God’s purpose for him had been fulfilled. YHVH had already promised him that he would be king.

So David and six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Sha’ul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him (First Samuel 27:2a-4). This implied that it was David’s move to Gath that stopped Sha’ul dead in his tracts. It also showed that Sha’ul’s second change of heart was as temporary as his first change of heart.

Ziklag: After living with Achish at Gath probably for a month or two, David asked Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of your country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” David wanted to be away from the watchful eye of the Philistines, and to avoid assimilation with the Philistines. He still saw himself as a loyal Israelite. So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Within the territory controlled by Gath, he goes to his final stopping place before moving back into the Land, which was Ziklag. Originally it was assigned to the tribe of Y’hudah (Joshua 15:31). But they did not occupy it and the Philistines retained it. Ziklag was in the southeast corner of Gath’s territory, and was far enough away from the heart of Philistine territory that it gave him an opportunity to carry out his own agenda without being discovered. And it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. This shows that the books of Samuel were written sometime after the division of the Kingdom.¹⁶⁸ David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months (First Samuel 27:5-7). David was about 28-29 years old during that time and lived sufficiently long in Ziklag to build up relationships with Israelites living in the far south (First Samuel 30:26-31).

These were the men who had been with David for the sixteen months that he lived in Philistine territory while he was banished from the presence of Sha’ul. They were among the warriors who helped him in battle; they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed. They were from the tribe of Benjamin, which was Sha’ul’s tribe, and the defection of some of his men to David was a sure sign that the pendulum had swung against the faithless king. Even though they were Sha’ul’s fellow tribesmen, they recognized that YHVH had chosen faithful David. Ahiezer the Benjaminite chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Trinity (see Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors); Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezar and Jashobeam the Korahites; and Joelah and Zeadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor (First Samuel 27:2b; First Chronicles 12:1-7).

Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. They were fierce as lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. Fierce as lions and swift as gazelles means they were mighty and experienced warriors. Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, Yirmeyah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh. These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest a thousand. This description is not about their rank, but their reputation. It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks (which makes the Gadites’ achievement all the more noteworthy), and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west (First Chronicles 12:8-15).

Other Benjamites and some men from Y’hudah also came to David in his stronghold. David went out to meet them and said: If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you. For some reason David feared possible treachery. Perhaps he remembered his betrayal by Doeg the Edomite, resulting the subsequent slaughter of virtually the entire priestly community (see Bd – Sha’ul Kills the Priests of Nov). Then the Ruach ha-Kodesh came upon (Hebrew: labesh meaning clothed Himself) Amasai, chief of the Thirty (see Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors), and he said: We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you. Amasai’s words, therefore, have the character of prophecy, rather than mere well wishing. So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands (First Chronicles 12:16-18).

Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Sha’ul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said: It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Sha’ul). When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of thousands in Manasseh. They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God (First Chronicles 12:19-22).

David’s Raids: Now being stationed in the southeast corner of Philistine territory, David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, probably a small tribe dwelling between Philistia and Egypt (Joshua 13:2); the Girzites, Canaanites occupying Gezer, a town to the northeast of Philistia, and the long hated Amalekites, on the eastern frontier of Egypt. From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur, on the eastern frontier of Egypt, all the way to Egypt, but they were living within the borders of the Promised Land. (First Samuel 27:8). Therefore, David was merely finishing some of the work left undone by Joshua and the Judges, because YHVH had commanded the total destruction of these people earlier (Exodus 17:14; Joshua 13:13; First Samuel 15:2-3).

Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). Then he returned to Achish regularly to share the spoil with the king of Gath. When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” While actually raiding Jewish enemies, David would say that he had raided various tribes in Judah. It was deceptive, but necessary to stay alive. David would say: Against the Negev of Y’hudah, or against the Negev of Jerahmeel, or against the Negev of the Kenites. He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say: This is what David did. And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory” (First Samuel 27:9-11).

In fact David fought against their common enemies, nevertheless, Achish trusted David and therefore was deceived in his report. Achish said to himself (because of his false belief that David did his raiding in the Negev of Y’hudah), “He has become so utterly despised to his own people of Isra’el, that he will be my servant for life” (First Samuel 27:12). Another Philistine of Gath (Goliath) had likewise prematurely predicted much the same thing for David’s fellow Israelites (17:9). It didn’t work out too well for him either.

The Preparation for War: When David was living in Ziklag, making his various raids, the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Isra’el. Achish commanded David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.” David and his men were to become part of the army of Gath against his own people, the Israelites. David’s answer was ambiguous: Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do. He was bluffing. He was buying time because he had no other choice. David had no intention of fighting against his Jewish brothers. At just the right moment, he and his men would switch sides and fight against the Philistines. Achish replied: Very well, I will make you the head of my royal bodyguard for life (First Samuel 28:1-2).

Sha’ul Promises Not to Harm David
First Samuel 26: 13-25

Sha’ul promises not to harm David DIG: What was the penalty for Abner not protecting Sha’ul? Why didn’t David call Sha’ul “my father” as he had done before? What did David mean when he said that people had said to him, “Go, serve other gods?” What was David’s point when he compared himself to a flea and a partridge? Was Sha’ul sincere in his confession? Did it matter? In what way were Sha’ul’s words, God’s words concerning David?

REFLECT: How can we tell the difference between true repentance and mere emotion? Why do we need to know this? In what area of your life do you need to be comforted with this reminder: The LORD rewards righteousness and faithfulness? Where is your faithfulness being tested? Describe one of your “desert experiences” from the past. Are you in one right now? What do you hope to learn from this one?

1012 BC

Throughout First Samuel, we have seen David contrasted to King Sha’ul. From the start, David was intended to be ADONAI’s replacement for the apostate leader (First Samuel 13:14). In this chapter, we see them together for the last time . . . Sha’ul declining into his depravity and David growing in God’s grace. On these respective courses, time has only served to widen the gap between them. Imagine how great the gulf is when advanced into eternity! The real difference, of course, was their respective relationship with the LORD, which set them on their different paths. Our standing with ADONAI is what matters to each of us. A relatively moral person who is a stranger to God’s grace is bound to move in a godless direction, if only in his or her own heart. However, a relatively immoral person who comes to faith in Christ, is bound to become more and more holy over time.¹⁶⁰

David’s Message to Abner: Then David and his nephew crossed over to the other side and stood on top the hill opposite the hill of Hakilah some distance away (to see link click Bq – Do Not Lay a Hand on ADONAI’s Anointed). There was a wide space between them so David could not be easily caught. He called out to the army to waken them, and specifically called Abner, Sha’ul’s general (and thus by association to the king himself), by name, taunting him, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?” After waking up, Abner replied: Who are you who calls to the king? Abner’s snooty response is only an invitation for David’s sharp and baiting speech. In a few words, David managed to honor Sha’ul, to take Abner seriously, and yet to ridicule him.

David said: You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Isra’el? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as ADONAI lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the LORD’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head (First Samuel 26:13-16)? The absence of the spear and water jug was evidence enough that someone had indeed been close enough to the king to have killed him. So Abner, whose responsibility it was to protect the king, was guilty. Abner could not know, of course, that his failure was due to the deep supernatural sleep sent by YHVH (First Samuel 26:12b CJB). ADONAI was with David, and Abner was sure to fail. Sha’ul’s general stood indicted, and was reduced to silence.¹⁶¹

David’s Message to Sha’ul: David was careful not to humiliate Sha’ul in the presence of his men, although Sha’ul couldn’t easily escape the embarrassment of the situation. He recognized David’s voice because it was still too dark to recognize his face and figure and said: Is that your voice, David my son? But David didn’t call him “my father” as he had done before (First Samuel 24:11). He replied: Yes it is, my lord the king. And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. Had David’s suffering come from the hand of God or the hands of men? If ADONAI has incited you against me, then may He accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the LORD! If David had broken the commandments of the Torah, then he was willing to bring a sacrifice and have his sins forgiven. But if Sha’ul was treating David like a criminal because of the lies his people had told him, then they would have to pay for their sins.

They had driven David from the Land, the very inheritance that YHVH had given his family, and if David moved to other lands, how could he worship ADONAI away from the priesthood and the ark of the Covenant?¹⁶² It was as if Sha’ul was saying: Go, serve other gods. Consequently, David pleaded: Now do not let my blood fall to the ground (to die a violent death) far from the presence of ADONAI outside the Land, away from the Sh’khinah glory. The rabbis teach that the God of Isra’el could only be properly worshiped in the Land of Isra’el; hence, banishment was equivalent to his being told to go and serve other gods. The king of Isra’el has come out to look for a single flea – as one hunts a partridge in the mountains. This was an undignified pursuit, hardly worthy of the dignity of the king of Isra’el (First Samuel 26:17-20). The species of partridge common in the Holy Land tries to save itself by running, rather than by flight, and is continuously chased until, when fatigued, it is killed by sticks thrown along the ground.

Sha’ul’s Promise: Once again Sha’ul lapsed into one of his sentimental moods and confessed: I have sinned. Come back to the palace of Gibeah, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Sha’ul admitted that he, like his alter ego Nabal (see Bm – Nabal Offends David), had acted like a fool and had been terribly wrong (First Samuel 26:21). In this contrite state of mind, Sha’ul wanted David to return, however David had learned his lesson – Sha’ul couldn’t be trusted under any circumstances. Therefore, he submitted Sha’ul to the indignity of having to send a soldier to fetch his spear.

David’s Response: David offered to return Sha’ul’s spear, the symbol of death, but not the water jug, the symbol of life.¹⁶³ “Here’s the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. YHVH rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. David ignored Sha’ul’s invitation to return to the palace. He had no reason to trust him. God would judge Sha’ul. The LORD delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on ADONAI’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may YHVH value my life and deliver me from all trouble (First Samuel 26:22-24). David had spared Sha’ul’s life, and he knew that Ha’Shem would reward him for what he had done. ADONAI, who dispenses judgment to the peoples, vindicate me, ADONAI, according to my righteousness and as my integrity deserves (Psalm 7:8 CJB). At this point David didn’t need anything from Sha’ul, only from YHVH. Sha’ul, in fact, had become irrelevant.¹⁶⁴

The Final Separation of Sha’ul and David: Sha’ul here is a pathetic figure as he pronounced a blessing on David and foresaw his many successes, which foreshadowed Sha’ul’s own death. Then Sha’ul, resigned to his destiny, said to David, “May you be blessed of God and protected by Him; David my son, you will do great things and surely triumph.” So David went on his way, and Sha’ul returned home (First Samuel 26:25). Nothing had changed, Sha’ul headed off to ultimate disgrace and death, and David to ultimate glory and victory. The two would never see each other again. David was about 28 years old at that time. One day he would look back on those difficult years and see in his painful experiences only the goodness and mercy of the LORD when he wrote: Goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; and I will live in the house of ADONAI forever (Psalm 23:6).

Do Not Lay a Hand on ADONAI’s Anointed
First Samuel 26: 1-12

Do not lay a hand on ADONAI’s anointed DIG: Compare this passage and David’s encounter with Sha’ul in the cave. What are the differences? How has YHVH humbled Sha’ul? Exalted David? Given this setting, how would you have responded to David’s invitation in verse 6? Why did David turn down Abishai’s advice? What evidence do we have that ADONAI was with David? Why had the LORD twice delivered Sha’ul into David’s hands this way? Would Ha’Shem really have been angry if David had killed Sha’ul?

REFLECT: How hard is it for you to wait on ADONAI before you act? Failing to see ADONAI act on your behalf, are you tempted to take matters into your own hands? In what area? Have you gotten ahead of the LORD in the past? How did that work out? How did it change you? What have you learned? How can you help others?

1012 BC

Since Chapter 16, the narrative has been shaped so that Sha’ul and David are on a collision course. But in the end, the confrontation between them has an odd settlement. For a long stretch of the narrative, Sha’ul is the stalker seeking out David; David is the one stalked, who must always seek escape. Here, however, their roles are reversed. Abruptly and unexpectedly, Sha’ul is the one being hunted and David is the hunter. This reversal is done very skillfully. David, we know is sure to succeed. The chase must come to an end. But we also learn that he is unwilling to seize his crown, his unavoidable success, with violence.

The sheer intensity of Chapter 26 surpasses that of Chapter 24. This is the last meeting and last exchange between the antagonists who have become deadly rivals. Sha’ul will appear again only in a secret, disastrous meeting (to see link click Bv  – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor) and in his own death scene (see Bz – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). In terms of its power and significance, Chapter 26 culminates Sha’ul’s part in David’s story.¹⁵⁷

The Second Betrayal by the Ziphites: The Ziphites went to Sha’ul at Gibeah. Once again we see that there was an active betrayal on their part. They were related to Caleb (First Chronicles 2:42), so being members of the tribe of Judah, they should have been loyal to David. But hoping to gain the king’s approval, they betrayed David for a second time. And they said: Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon? This time Sha’ul is so desperate that he did not send the Ziphites back to scout out the territory (First Samuel 23:19-20), this time he went himself to finish the job.

Not much had changed in Sha’ul since his last appearance. Notice how ready he was to commit evil. Given Sha’ul’s words at the end of his prior meeting with David (see Bj – David Spares Sha’ul’s Life), we might have expected the king to ignore the intelligence and send the Ziphites away with a warning to leave David alone. Yet exactly the opposite happened. Hadn’t Sha’ul figured out by then that Ha’Shem wasn’t going to allow him to take David’s life? No . . . his sin had blinded him! So Sha’ul went down from the high ground at Gibeah to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David and his six hundred men. Sha’ul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David was already far ahead of him, for his spies had located Sha’ul’s camp. David, sensing that Sha’ul had followed him there, sent out scouts to confirm the fact and learned that Sha’ul had definitely arrived (First Samuel 26:1-4).

David Spares Sha’ul’s Life Again: This would be the final encounter between the two adversaries. When David was about 28 years old, he took the initiative and went to the place where Sha’ul had camped. From a distant vantage point he saw where Sha’ul and Abner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Sha’ul was lying inside the heart of the camp, with the army encamped around him. David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite to go with him. There were still remnants of the Hittite empire in the Land, in fact, centuries earlier Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite (see the commentary Genesis Fu – Abraham said: I am an Alien Among You, Sell Me Some Property So I can Bury My Dead), and David had Hittites in his army such as Uriah the Hittite (Second Samuel 11:2b-3). David also asked Abishai (the brother of Joab who would become the commander of David’s army) son of Zeruiah (half sister of David), “Who will go down into the camp with me to Sha’ul?” So these two were David’s nephews (First Chronicles 2:16). This is the first mention of these two, but especially Joab will play an important role in David’s career as king (First Chronicles 26:5-6a).¹⁵⁸

Far from being intimidated by the impossible odds, David worked out a plan for which he needed a companion. The challenge was, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Sha’ul?” Abishai said: I’ll go with you. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Sha’ul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear, the symbol of his authority, stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai, who was convinced that it was God’s will that he kill Sha’ul and put an end to his selfish rule, said to David, “Today YHVH has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike him twice.” Abishai knew of David’s oath not to harm Sha’ul, so he volunteered to do the dirty work himself (First Samuel 26:6b-8).

But David commanded Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless. . . ADONAI forbid that I should raise my hand against ADONAI’s anointed” (First Samuel 26:9 and 11a CJB)! David realized that it would be sinful to take personal revenge against Sha’ul, a lesson that he had learned from Abigail (see Bn – Abigail Acted Quickly). Abishai’s brazen offer to pin Sha’ul to the earth with his spear showed all the signs of vengeance of Sha’ul’s earlier attempts to pin David to the palace wall with the very same weapon. Only Abishai’s was an act of self-preservation while Sha’ul’s act was a selfish act of hatred.

David had learned from his experience with the foolish and greedy Nabal that he shouldn’t try to force God’s hand. In his anger over Nabal’s insults, David had been on the verge of committing mass murder until Nabal’s gracious wife Abigail intervened (see Bm – Nabal Offends David). Afterwards, YHVH took care of Nabal in a much better way than David ever could have. David learned from this experience to wait upon the LORD in the confident hope that He would work things out justly and wisely. Then David added, “As ADONAI lives, ADONAI will strike him down, or the day will come for him to die, or he will go down to battle and be swept away (First Samuel 26:10 CJB).

But now, David did what he came to do, an act the bloodthirsty Abishai could hardly appreciate, saying: We’ll take the spear by his head and the jug of water, and get out of here. Previously in the cave at En-Gedi, David had taken the corner of Sha’ul’s robe as a symbol of Sha’ul’s authority, but here David took the spear and the water jug from Sha’ul’s head and got away. The spear was prominent everywhere in Sha’ul’s life, as defense, as safety, as an expression of anger, and as a sign of authority. Now all that was in David’s hand.¹⁵⁹ Nobody saw or knew about it, and no one awoke, because they were all asleep – a deep supernatural sleep from the LORD (Hebrew: tardeimat ADONAI) had fallen over them (First Samuel 26:11b-12 CJB). Therefore, David and Abishai, unseen and unheard, vanished into the night.

David’s growth in grace involved his awareness of YHVH’s goodness, justice and wisdom. Knowing that he served an omnipotent, sovereign, faithful God who had promised his salvation, David chose to wait on ADONAI to find a solution in dealing with Sha’ul rather than coming up with his own. The moral and spiritual authority so necessary to David’s kingdom would have been impossible with Sha’ul’s blood on his hands. David reasoned that if Ha’Shem intended for him to be king, and if Sha’ul’s wickedness stood in the way of his reign, then the LORD would take action against Sha’ul.

Rather than taking matters into our own hands when confronted with a hostile situation, God’s people are to wait upon the LORD in prayerful humility, refraining from anger and violent retribution. Put your hope in ADONAI, be strong, and let your heart take courage! Yes, put your hope in ADONAI (Psalm 27:14 CJB).