Light  ~  2 Samuel 2:1-3:5; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4; 2 Samuel 23:8-17; 1 Chronicles 11:10-19; 2 Samuel 23:18-39; 1 Chronicles 11:20-47

HighLights  ~  David anointed king over Judah (southern territory), settles in Hebron; Saul’s son Ishbosheth proclaimed king over Israel (larger, northern and eastern territory); initial skirmishes between Judah and Israel; Asahel, brother of Judah’s commander Joab, killed by Israel’s commander Abner; David’s six wives each bear a son;  “David’s Mighty Men”.

InSights  ~  There is a fair mount of repetition in today’s reading, as the parallel accounts in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles are very nearly identical.

Though the 12 tribes should theoretically be one federation, there has been reference to two kingdoms — southern and northern — even before they existed independently of one another. This is probably because these histories were not written down until after the divided kingdom was a reality, so the northern and southern regions were familiar to  contemporary readers and listeners by then.
Be that as it may, today we see the seeds of the divided kingdom that does not officially exist until after Solomon.

My observations today consist mostly of questions:

  • David seeks the Lord’s guidance about where to settle. But there is no reference to God’s involvement in David’s “re-anointing” by his men (2 Sam 2:4). Why is this pivotal occurrence mentioned so briefly?
  • Is there significance to the fact that Ishbosheth is “proclaimed” king, while David is “anointed”?
  • What are we to learn from the story of the death of the speedy Asahel (2 Sam 2:18-23)?
  • In 2 Sam 3:2-5, we learn of six sons born to David from six different wives. Is David’s propensity for loving women being highlighted this way? If monogamy is God’s desire, why not begin to teach it here with this crucial Bible hero?
  • What are we to be learning from all the stories of David’s mightiest warriors? They are all named (this is one way the Chronicles account differs from Samuel: it mentions more of the mighty men by name), but what is the purpose of highlighting all these vignettes in Scripture?
  • When the three mighty men manage to get David water from Bethlehem, he seems ashamed that they risked their lives to fulfill his luxurious whim. Might he not have honored them just as much by enjoying the water they worked so hard to get, perhaps by sharing it with them in unity? What would you have done?
  • Did you notice that Uriah the Hittite is one of David’s inner circle, and doesn’t this add poignancy to Uriah’s most famous appearances in Scripture?

I invite answers to these questions, and I hope to get plenty of comments today! I may not reply to all of them, but why not share our collective insights with each other? 

ReSight   ~  That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David. As time passed David became stronger and stronger while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.   (2 Sam 3:1 NLT)

PrayerWrite  ~  Lord, grant unity among Your people. May Your Church — whether Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant or whatever — not divide as ancient Israel did; may we find unity in You.

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