2 Samuel 24:18-25 English Standard Version David Builds an Altar 18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. Last time we talked about how David chose the consequences that would befall the nation as a consequence of his sin when he took a census of the people against the will of the LORD. While the curse has been satisfied (the LORD told His angel to stop killing people because enough blood had been shed), atonement still needs to be made for David's sin now. Remember there is no Temple, and the entire Tabernacle still has not been rebuilt, so the LORD tells David where to go to make his offering on a stone or earthen altar which had not been cut by any iron tool.
David was to go up to the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (where we know the angel of the LORD is standing overlooking Jerusalem, for He was ready to attack it next, but the LORD stopped Him),. and David is to build an altar there. David goes to the very place that the prophet Gad has commanded and when he gets there, Araunah came out to pay homage to the king (to bow down before him as a servant would do to his master at that time. The lower you bowed, the more respect you were showing, and Araunah bowed so that his face was on the ground. This man loved, respected and honored king David though he was a Jebusite that should have been completely destroyed in the Conquest). David explains to Araunah that he needs to buy Araunah's threshing floor so that he can set up and altar and make a sacrifice on his threshing floor so that the plague that has come over the nation would be stopped. Araunah not only loved the king, but it seemed like he feared the LORD as well and wanted to offer David (and the LORD) that land and wood and the animals for the sacrifice, but David refused this offer by saying, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." I think this is one of the most important quotes to remember out of this passage for sure, and maybe out of all of David's life. He has come to a point where he realized that an acceptable and pleasing offering to the LORD is going to be costly. As we spoke of yesterday, one day it will be the LORD who says to us that He will not offer a sacrifice up for our sins which costs Him nothing, and He will offer up His own Son, Jesus, the Christ, in close proximity to where this happened, and probably in the same nearby place where Abraham offered up Isaac on Mount Moriah. David bought the threshing floor, oxen, their yokes and threshing sledges to break up for the wood for the offering for an amount of 50 shekels of silver (assuming this is the measure of weight and not the silver coins by the same name that became popular in Israel in the inter-testemental period, this is roughly 1 pound and 4 ounces of silver). In today's market, that much silver would be worth $429.34 as of the date and time of this article. I would say that Araunah still gave David a great deal, though he honored David's wish of making him pay something. I say it was a great deal, because Araunah likely just lost his entire business by no longer having a threshing floor on which to thresh his grain, no longer having a team of oxen by which to help plow and harvest the fields, and no sledge to help with this labor either. It seems like he was the one making the big sacrifice here and getting almost nothing in return for it, but he understood how important this matter was for the king to make atonement for himself and for the sins of the people so that this plague would stop killing those he loved--even he was a Jebusite, he loved the LORD very much. We should not just automatically judge the people of the Bible or anyone today by their nationality or ethnicity, for we've seen that Uriah the Hittite as one of the most valiant and trusted of David's mighty men who had more honor and integrity than David did. We also know that the LORD used Rahab of Jericho and Ruth the Moabite to be a part of David's family tree (and ultimately Jesus was born from this family). This Jebusite understood a high price needed to be paid for the atonement of all the people--a people that weren't even "his" people by blood, but it seems they were by faith, and he was willing to sacrifice everything to save them. What a great image we get from this Jebusite that was willing at first to give up everything and get nothing in return for it. The LORD responded favorably to the burnt offerings and peace offerings that David offered on behalf of himself and the people of Israel that day, and the plague that would have been as devastating as the plagues that we read about that was against Egypt in the book of Exodus was averted. That probably makes us scratch our heads a bit to try to understand why such severe judgment came on all of Israel over this one act of King David, but the LORD completely knew David's heart at the time and knew both why he wanted to do this and why he refused to listen to the wise council of Joab. Bad decisions by the shepherd end up affecting the sheep, and this was a lesson for David in just how severe of an issue the sin in his life was and that it needed to be dealt with in a very serious way. This concludes the records of King David as told in the books of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. We will get more details from the priests when we read 1 Chronicles, but we will continue on into the book of 1 Kings next which will pick up where we left off and talk about the story of Solomon. 2 Kings after that will talk about the divided nations of Israel and Judah and the beginning of all the prophets that LORD needed to send to these kings to instruct them and the people because they were starting to become more and more like the nations around them. I hope you'll continue with me as I seek to continue to read through and study the Old Testament this year. 2 Samuel 24:10-17 English Standard Version The LORD's Judgment of David's Sin 10 But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.” 15 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.” Last time we talked about how David wanted a census taken, and how even Joab protested this because he knew it was not good to do this unless the LORD commanded it. Whether the act itself was sinful or simply the motive behind it was sinful doesn't matter, David refused to listen to wise council from Joab (not the person I would expect the LORD to use to give me wise council, if I'm being honest) and the LORD had to send the prophet Gad to David to confront him (much like when the prophet Nathan was sent to confront David after his adultery with Bathsheba). That's where we will pick up the story today. To us this may seem like no big deal, but David seems to be trusting in himself and the numbers of the people of Israel for the kingdom to continue. He's about to die and wants to know if the kingdom is able to survive without him. He might also specifically be concerned about war breaking out between Israel and Judah again, since it seems apparent that he had the northern tribes counted separately from the southern tribes. No matter what David's concern was, he was not trusting in the LORD to be faithful to fulfil his covenant with David and his house.
David realizes this right away as soon as Joab reports the census numbers to him, but at that point it can't be taken back. The deed is done and the dye has been cast. The LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, and told him to offer three choices of punishment to David. The first option was three years of famine, the second was three months of military losses when David would flee before his enemies (which we'd assume would come with heavy loses to both the fighting men and the civilians), or three days of pestilence (a plague) that would be felt throughout the entire land. The number three is consistent here but the duration of each event diminishes probably meaning that the first event is less intense but longer lasting, the second is of both moderate duration and intensity, and the third was likely to be of short duration but high intensity. None of the choices set before David are good choices and David wishes that he himself could be punished for his own sin and the people could be left out of it and not affected by his poor choice, but that wasn't one of the options given to David. David is not afraid for the hand of the LORD to bring judgment Himself, but David is concerned about the LORD using pagan men to accomplish his judgment because David doesn't trust them (this might help reveal to us that David's concern in taking the census was about the strength of the military and keeping the borders of Israel secure). The LORD understood that David was choosing the option of pestilence because a long-term famine would also be an invitation for the foreign armies to attack when Israel was weak. David really wants something that will be quick and painless and that wasn't an option either. The quick option would be very painful for him and the people and the plague that the LORD sent worked its way through the whole land killing 70,000 men. The angel (we'll see in a second that this is not just any angel, but the angel of the LORD, which I hope you recall is one of ways in which the second person of the Trinity is referred to in the Old Testament) sent to administer the plague was reaching his hand out towards Jerusalem to destroy it (assuming this means to completely kill everyone in it, including David and his family), but the LORD stopped, probably for the sake of the Davidic covenant and the other covenants that He made with Israel that needed to be fulfilled through Christ. Even though the LORD has stayed his judgement, the angel of the LORD does not leave and is at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, which would eventually become the location of the Temple. Of note, this is also in fairly close proximity to the location where Abraham was tested by being asked to offer up Isaac, the Child of Promise, in the book of Genesis. God might have intended for the Jews to remember this location and have some connection in their thoughts between that event and this one, for the angel of the LORD appeared to and spoke to Abraham there, and they offered a sacrifice and worshiped the angel of the LORD there. So it would be that David would come and offer and sacrifice and worship there, and the angel of the LORD would accept the sacrifices and worship--something that only God and no ordinary angel should do. We'll talk about that next time as well as something interesting that David says about refusing to offer a sacrifice that costs him nothing. David again pleads for the judgment to come against him and his house, for a shepherd, he sees the people of Israel as his sheep that he is shepherding (there is a strong connection in the Bible between the role of the king and the role of a shepherd). It breaks his heart to see the "sheep" of the people of Israel suffer for his own sin. One day, the Good Shepherd will go beyond this and will plead for the Father to poor out His wrath that was stored up for the true Israel (all the redeemed people that were true children of Abraham from all the nations of the world) not because Jesus had committed any sins that He deserved to pay for and didn't want to see others punished for, but because He had committed no sins and desired to take their punishment upon Himself so that they might have the rewards that belonged to Him for perfectly keeping the Law and fulfilling the covenants that no one else could. That event would again happen either right here in this place where David and the angel of the LORD would meet or in close proximity in the very same mountain range (the hill that we call Golgotha was either here or nearby). The intent is clear though that the LORD intends to teach David one final lesson about being king and that is that he is guilty of sin and cannot suffer in the place of his people. One day however, there would be a better King, the King of Kings, who would be the Suffering Servant of the book of Isaiah. Let's look at just a few of those words as we close today. Isaiah 53:4-6 English Standard Version 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 2 Samuel 24:1-9 English Standard Version David's Census 24 Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000. Let's be clear from the beginning of this passage that "inciting" and "commanding" are two different things. The LORD did not command or cause David to do something and then turn around and ask why David did it and punish him for it. However, it seems that that the LORD had a plan in all this that this would be a means for all of Israel to be punished and to make David choose their punishment. The text doesn't specify what their corporate sin was, but we probably can guess that they were boasting and trusting in their own numbers and military strength and failed to worship the LORD and praise Him for being the one that went into battle before them.
David gives the command to Joab who was commander of the army at that time and was there with David when this thought (it might be fair to call it a temptation) came upon David. David ordered Joab to go through all the land and number all the people. This would be contrary to the instructions that the LORD had given in the past when He commanded a census to be taken, which is why I warned us to be careful to not confuse the word "incited" with the word "commanded." It seems that LORD was letting David be tempted to do something that was in David's heart. David's purposes are not totally known, but since it is the end of David's reign and David is making official records, it is probably safe to assume this census was part of that effort to put some numbers to the show how numerous the nation of Israel had become within the borders of the Promised Land (from Dan to Beersheba--the northernmost point to the southernmost point and a phrase commonly used to mean "the whole Land.") It is strange to see Joab questioning the king's order here, but even Joab knows this is not a good thing for David to do, and the LORD tries to use Joab to get David to slow down and think about what he's doing and why he's doing it, but David prevails in his command to Joab and it doesn't seem the Joab got any explanation or if he did, it is not recorded for us. So Joab gathered the army and they started first in the Trans-Jordan area working east-to-west, then coming back to the land we typically thing of as Israel and staring in Dan in the north, they worked their way south towards the southern wilderness area of Judah all the way to Beersheba just as David had commanded. The entire census took the army nine months and twenty days (nearly 10 months) to complete, and they found that the number of all the men of fighting age in Israel (the northern 10 tribes) was 800,000, and the Judah (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin with the same age restrictions) was 500,000. These are different numbers than those given in 1 Chronicles 21, but that passage explains the difference saying that Joab desired to low-ball the numbers that he reported to the king. Joab actually counted 1, 100,000 men of fighting age from the northern 10 tribes and 470,000 men of fighting age from the tribe of Judah. Joab did not wish to count the tribe of Benjamin (the tribe that King Saul was from) and he knew better than to count the tribe of Levi in a military census. It would seem that Joab didn't want David to be concerned about Israel rising up in rebellion against him or his son that would take the throne, so he made their military numbers look smaller and made the number of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin look a little larger than he had counted (though he didn't actually count Benjamin because he wasn't sure if they would be for or against David and his successor). This should give us some indication as to what was on David's mind. Although it's possible that Joab tried to figure it all out on his own, he probably got some indication or hint what was troubling David and why he wanted this census and it seems that it comes from a place of fearing another civil war. Was Judah still capable for holding back Benjamin and the other ten tribes? It seemed like it was Joab's goal to tell David that although Israel had more men of fighting age, it was a reasonably fair fight that Judah could win. The odds would not have been good if he had reported the real numbers. Even so, David realizes his sin as soon as he hears the numbers reported to him, but by then it is too late. The LORD has already sent the prophet Gad to David, which we'll talk about next time. 2 Samuel 23:8-39 English Standard Version David's Mighty Men 8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. 9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain. 11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory. 13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. 18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three. 19 He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three. 20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard. 24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, 27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all. It seems like one of David's last acts as king was to honor his "mighty men" who had protected him and fought for Israel over all these years. There will be several of these names that you will recognize from 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, but much of what we know about these men, especially the lesser-known names comes from the book of 1 Chronicles (which parallels the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel). I cannot cover the story behind every name mentioned here, but I do find it especially interesting that Uriah the Hittite is the last one mentioned in the list. There were thirty men that were distinguished above all the others among the regular fighting men, and Uriah's name was among them. There were seven others that were mentioned that were captains, commanders, or generals that had leadership positions over these thirty men that made up the elite "special forces" or over entire divisions of the army. We know the names of many, but not all of these commanders. Some were there with David from the very beginning. Others proved themselves to David by earning their position of leadership through promotion. There is one that is not mentioned among the list here though other than his relation to some others and that is Joab. While Joab was the commander that stood alongside David for a long time and killed many enemies, including some giants, it seems David did not honor him here because of his lack of character. These men that were in the list were not just there because they were excellent soldiers, but because they were also of excellent character and were men that others should exemplify. Joab did not make the cut because of his moral deficiencies. Joab's brothers and even his armor-bearer are among those listed, but none of his own accomplishments are mentioned. I'd say that it probably stung to be excluded from this list, but he did it to himself when he killed Abner and then Absalom, and on top of that, he went along with David's plot to kill Uriah and then turned it around to use it as blackmail against the king. Never mistake someone with great accomplishments for someone who ought to be celebrated. This passage teaches us that even those who were at the top of their field shouldn't always make the cut when it comes to receiving accolades and commendations.
2 Samuel 22 English Standard Version David's Song of Deliverance 22 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 5 “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; 6 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 7 “In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 8 “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 9 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water. 13 Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth. 14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. 15 And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. 17 “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. 20 He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. 21 “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside. 24 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 25 And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. 26 “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 29 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 32 “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? 33 This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. 34 He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. 37 You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip; 38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed. 39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet. 40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them. 42 They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them. 43 I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets. 44 “You delivered me from strife with my people; you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. 45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me. 46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses. 47 “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, 48 the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me, 49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence. 50 “For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 51 Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” You will recognize many of the words from this song from the Psalms of David, and you may recognize some portions as lyrics to modern day praise and worship songs, as we have often set these words to music to praise the LORD for who He is, what He has done, and to remind ourselves of a proper response to the facts, no matter what our current situation or circumstances may appear to be.
David is nearly at the end of his reign, he has been asked by his generals to stay home from battle, and it is not apparent who his successor will be. It would be easy for David to have a different attitude, but he chooses to focus first on what he has to be thankful for. Only in light of God's attributes and a complete assurance that the LORD will bring about everything He has promised does David look at his current situation. He prays for the LORD to work things out, but David is confident that that LORD is in control and will bring His perfect will to fruition and completion. David remembers how the LORD has not only delivered him from his physical enemies, but from the enemy of his own sin, for David committed heinous sins such as adultery and murder and covered them up until the LORD sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. The LORD had every right to demand that David be executed as punishment under the Law and to take the kingdom away from David (and his family), but the LORD had a bigger and better plan that included Jesus, the Son of David who would be born one day in the City of David (Bethlehem). David thanks the LORD for choosing to not look on his seen and for making David blameless in His sight. Only the LORD God is able to fight our battles for us, both against our flesh and blood enemies, our spiritual enemies and even our own flesh and mind which war against our spirits. David in the end chooses to praise the LORD and share his testimony not only with the LORD's people, Israel, but with the whole world so that they too might know of the LORD and the salvation that He alone can provide. This is how we too who have experienced salvation should respond. 2 Samuel 21:15-22 English Standard Version War with the Philistines 15 There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. 16 And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.” 18 After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. 19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 20 And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. 21 And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. 22 These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. The Philistines have been quiet for many years, but given the chaos that has ensued recently they think now would be the perfect time to make their move and once again make war against Israel. David, though he is quite old by this time, gathers his servants (the army of Israel) and they fight against the Philistines, but David grew weary--again, this is probably at least partially due to how old his is now.
The Philistines have once again employed giants to fight for them, this time the giant's name was Ishbi-benob, and and he had a spear that weighed three hundred shekels of bronze (about seven and a half pounds) and he also had a new sword with which he planned to kill King David. Abishai, the brother of Joab, came to David's aid though and attacked "the Philistine," that is Ishbi-benob, and killed him. After this incident, David's men made David swear that he would no longer go out to battle with them, because he was too important to Israel for them to lose him on the field of battle. I'm sure this was something that was hard for David to admit, but there comes a point in everyone's life when they get older and they have to admit that they shouldn't try to do everything that they did when they were younger. So, David had to entrust the fighting to his young "mighty men" (men of valor that he fought alongside, entrusted with his life, and had entrusted the safety and protection of Israel to). The Philistines do not stop here even with their champion giant defeated. They continue to make war and attack at Gob. There was another descendant of the giants there named Saph, and the Israelites also defeated this giant. Then again war broke out at Gob and Elhananthe, the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down and killed Goliath the Gittite (a different Goliath than Goliath of Gath that David killed in his youth). Like Goliath of Gath, Goliath the Gittite had a spear whose shaft was like a weaver's beam, so he was probably of similar size and stature to Goliath of Gath. Speaking of Gath, that is the next place where war broke out, and like Goliath, he also had six digits on each hand and foot (a trait of many of the giants like Goliath, so it is assumed this person is also a giant, though it only says he was descended from giants, so he may have had some of their traits without actually being big and tall). He came out to blaspheme and taunt Israel in the same kind of way that Goliath of Gath had done in 1 Samuel, only this time, Israel did not hide from the giant, but Jonathan, the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. It is great to see the faith that so many in Israel now have to be giant-slayers (not in their own strength, but in the strength of the LORD) like David was against Goliath in 1 Samuel. All four of these champions were descended from the giants of Gath, meaning that they were all relatives, maybe even close relatives, of Goliath of Gath. While David himself didn't fight the battles, he is named alongside his servants here as receiving credit for the victory, and I believe that has to do with what we just talked about before, as he was the one that passed his faith along to so that they probably had back-and-forth with these giants that sounded much like the words exchanged between David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:44-47. 1 Samuel 17:44-47 English Standard Version 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.” 2 Samuel 21:1-14 English Standard Version David Avenges the Gibeonites 21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?” 4 The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” 5 They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6 let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” And the king said, “I will give them.” 7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 8 The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; 9 and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest. 10 Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. 11 When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. 13 And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 14 And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land. For context, you'll probably want to look back at Joshua 9 before reading and studying today's passage. We don't know exactly when Saul put Gibeonites to death, but we do know that his sons definitely waged war against the Gibeonites, and the LORD judges Saul's household for breaking the vow that Israel had made with Gibeon in Joshua 9. Because there was a covenant made with Gibeon, the LORD called on David to enforce that covenant and to make sure that justice was done for Gibeon. David goes to the people of Gibeon seeking atonement and they said that no amount of silver or gold would pay the price for the lives that were lost at the hand of Saul and his family, and they had no right to enforce justice for themselves since they were servants of the Israelites. David asked them to speak clearly what it was that they wanted, and they said that they wished for seven of Saul's sons to be handed over to them and for them to be given permission to hang them as punishment for the crimes of Saul and his family against Gibeon. The execution is to happen at Gibeah of Saul and David is to deliver the seven sons of Saul over to them.
The king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan because of the covenant that David had made with Jonathan and with Mephibosheth. He would not break one vow to honor another. Instead, David took two sons of Rizpah and five sons of Merab (both daughters of Saul) and gave them to the Gibeonites for execution that happened on the mountain they had named on the first day of the barley harvest. Rizpah, the daughter of Saul, then publicly mourned publicly so that the king heard about it. This was the mourning of a woman who had her father, brothers and now her sons taken from her and she could not bury any of them because their bones had been kept away by others. David has compassion on her and decides to get the bones of Saul and Jonathan from the people Jabesh-gilead who had taken Saul and Jonathan's corpses down from the wall when the Philistines sought to desecrate their corpses, and he got the bones of the seven men just killed by the men of Gibeon, and he brought them back to the land of Benjamin so they could be buried with their ancestors in their family tomb. So even though David executed judgment on the house of Saul for their sins, he did it in a way that showed some measure of compassion and mercy for those who remained. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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