Old Testament Survey
2 Samuel
Rick Walker
http://Didaskalia.tripod.com
1. David Mourns the Death of Saul (2 Samuel 1).
A. David learns of Saul's death (1:1-16).
1. An Amalekite comes to David and reports the death of
Saul and Jonathan (1:3).
2. David asks how he knows Saul is dead and he answers that
Saul was critically
wounded and asked him to kill him (1:9,
10).
a. This is not true, for he killed
himself (2 Sam. 31:4).
b. Probably hoping to get a reward from
David, but David ordered that he be put
to death for killing
the Lord's anointed (1 Sam. 1:15, 16).
B. Common for new kings to make their throne secure by killing off the
descendents of
the former king.
1. However, as David showed no animosity toward Saul and
his family during Saul's
life, so he will show none after his
death.
2. As 2 Samuel unfolds, leaders in Saul's kingdom will be
killed off, making David
more and more secure; however the text is
always careful to show that David has
no hand in this process.
3. David and his men mourn for Saul and Jonathan (1:11) and
David writes a
lament (1:19-27).
2. David Comes to the Throne (2 Sam. 2:1-5:5). With Saul out of the way, it would appear
that the way to the throne is secure, but there are still many difficulties
that lie
ahead for David.
A. Rebellion. One of the most dangerous times for a new king was always the
earliest
days of his reign, before he had time to consolidate his
power.
1. When David came to the capital, Hebron, where he was
anointed king (2:4).
2. Abner, Saul's general, instigates a rebellion when he
makes Ish-Bosheth, Saul's
son, king over the northern tribes (2:8,
9).
a. Ish-Bosheth is king over north, with
Abner as his general.
b. David is king over the south, with
Joab as his general.
3. War persists between the north and the south, but David
grew stronger as
Ish-Bosheth grew weaker (3:2).
a. Abner was accused of sleeping with one
of Saul's concubines by Ish-Bosheth
(3:7).
1. Said he would
transfer the kingdom from Saul to David (3:9). I.e., Abner
would
be a traitor against Ish-Bosheth whom he had placed on the throne.
2. Perhaps Abner also
saw that the northern kingdom was getting weaker and
weaker and thought it would be prudent to go over to David.
3. Ish-Bosheth did not
stand up against Abner because he was afraid of him
(11).
b. Abner goes to David to make a treaty.
After a feast, Abner is sent away in
peace (3:12, 20, 21).
c. Joab comes in from raids and learns of
what has happened. He sent messengers
to bring Abner back,
and meeting with him privately, puts him to death to
avenge the death of his
brother (3:26, 27, 30; cf. 2:22, 23).
d. The text is careful to point out
David's innocence in this matter.
1. "I and my
kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the
blood
of Abner" (3:28).
2. He calls down curses
upon Joab and his house: may his house never be
without someone with a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch
or
who falls by the sword or who lacks food (3:29).
3. David mourns the
death of Abner the way he mourned the death of Saul with
a
lament (3:33. 34).
4. David commands the
people to mourn for Abner (3:31). The people and the
king
wept aloud (3:32) as David walked behind the bier.
e. Recab and Baanah, two officers in the
northern army, plot against Ish-Bosheth
(4:1-8).
1. They enter the
king's residence while he is resting during midday, stabbed
him,
cut off his head, and carried it by night to David in Hebron.
2. David was displeased
and ordered that the two men be put to death for their
crime
(4:11, 12). Cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies in a
tree
by the pool of Hebron.
3. Again, we see that
the house of Saul is being killed off, but David has no
part
in it.
3. David Rules All Israel (2 Sam. 5:1-10:19).
A. The way is cleared for David to bring all of Israel under his control.
1. The deaths of the leaders of the northern tribes left a
vacuum.
a. The northern tribes then come to David
and offer to come under his rule.
b. 280,000 men assembled at his
coronation (1 Chron. 12:23-40).
2. David had reigned over Judah for seven years and six
months in Hebron before
ruling over all of Israel.
B. David was brilliant as a king. We note four areas of achievement.
1. Political Achievements. Jerusalem captured and made the
new capital (2 Sam.
5:6-15).
a. Hebron had been the capital, but not
well suited as capital.
1. Hebron was too far
south in order to have good relations with the
northern tribes. Jerusalem was more centrally located.
2. Hebron was not well
located to defend the country.
b. David conquers Jerusalem from the
Jebusites and makes it the capital.
1. Jerusalem is more
centrally located, thus making it more accessible to
the
northern tribes and better suited for national defense.
2. David must capture
the city which is inhabited by the Jebusites (5:6).
3. They were so
confident that Jerusalem could not be captured that they said
even
the blind and lame could defend it (5:6).
2. Military Achievements (2 Sam. 5:17-25).
a. Jerusalem is also well fortified for
national defense.
1. Built on three hills
2. Walls were forty
feet thick.
b. Not much detail is given, but David
defeats the Philistines (5:17-25).
1. Philistines hear
that David has become king, they go out to attack him
(5:17).
a.
One of the most dangerous times for a new king was always the earliest
days of his reign, before he had time to consolidate his power.
b.
Lord tells David to attack them. David attacks and defeats the
Philistines.
2. Second assault by
the Philistines in the Valley of Rephaim (5:22).
a. The Lord
tells David to march around and come in behind the
Philistines (5:23).
b. When you
hear the sound of marching in the top of the Balsam trees,
attack, for the Lord goes ahead of you (5:24).
c. David
defeats the Philistines.
3. It is made clear
that God engineers the victories.
4. He will fight the
Philistines again (8:1).
c. David attacks other enemy nations
(8:1-14).
1. Moabites: put every
third length to death (8:2)
2. Edomites: 18,000
descendants of Esau (8:13)
3. Ammonites (8:12;
10:1-19)
4. king of Zobah (8:5)
5. Syria (8:5)
d. David establishes military garrisons
on the outskirts of his kingdom (8:14).
e. David brought to pass the promise made
to Abraham: The whole land of Canaan,
where you are now an
alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you
and your descendants
after you; and I will be their God (Gen. 17:8).
3. Religious Achievements (2 Samuel 6, 7).
a. In addition to making Jerusalem the
capital, David made it the centralized
place of worship.
1. He has the ark of
the covenant and the tabernacle brought from Baalah of
Judah
(6:1, 2).
2. 30,000 men gathered
for the move (6:1).
3. Ark set on a cart
and David and his house were singing with harps,
lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals (6:5).
4. The ox stumbled,
Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, for which
act
God struck him dead (6:7).
5. David is angry with
God (6:8) and afraid (6:9). The ark was left at the
house
of Obed-Edom for three months before being brought to Jerusalem.
b. David also wanted to build a temple,
but God would not allow him to do
so (7:1-17).
1. David thinks it
inequitable that he lives in a palace, but God is "dwelling"
in a
tent in Jerusalem.
2. In the ANE kings
often built temples for their gods in order to insure
that
their thrones would endure. It was evidently thought that by honoring
the
gods, the gods would make sure that the king's throne continued.
3. When David asks to
build God a throne, God responds by saying:
I
will also give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to
you
that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days
are
over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring
to
succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish
his
kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Sam. 8:11-13).
a.
God announces that David's throne is secure.
b.
Solomon, not David, will build the temple.
4. The descendants of
David may sin and be punished (7:14), but the Davidic line
would
never permanently end. God raised up Jesus to sit on the throne of
David. His kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, will never end.
4. Social Achievements. David also achieved social reforms.
a. Appoints governmental leaders to help
him rule his kingdom (2 Sam. 8:15-18).
b. Time of great industrial activity as
workmen, architects, and building
materials pour into
Jerusalem to prepare for the building of the temple.
Though David was not
allowed to build the temple, he was allowed to make
extensive preparations
and import building materials.
4. The Fall of David (2 Samuel 11-24).
A. If we were to diagram David's life as recorded in 1 Samuel, we wouild see
that he was
being blessed (chs. 1-10), fell into sin (11, 12) and
reaped the consequences throughout
the rest of his life
(13-24).
B. David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11, 12).
1. Now that David is well set on his throne, it appears
that he has softened up.
During the time when "kings go off
to war" David sends Joab, but stays in his
palace (11:1).
2. Commits adultery with Bathsheba.
a. One night on his roof he looks out and
sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing
(11:2).
b. She is the daughter of Sheba (bath is
Heb. "for daughter of") and the wife
of Uriah the Hittite,
one of David's soldiers off fighting David's battles.
c. David has her brought to the palace
where he sleeps with her and she
becomes pregnant (11:4,
5).
3. David murders Uriah the Hittite.
a. To cover up, David sends to have Uriah
brought home so he will sleep with
his wife (11:6).
b. Rather than going in to his wife,
Uriah slept on the front porch of the
palace, telling David
that it would not be right for his to sleep in his
house while the
soldiers and the ark are dwelling in tents (11:9-11).
c. David gets Uriah drunk the second
night, but Uriah still does not go in to
his wife (11:12, 13).
d. David sends Uriah back to battle with
a sealed note telling Joab to put
Uriah in the heaviest
fighting. In this way he hopes Uriah will be killed in
battle (11:14, 15).
e. Bathsheba mourns for Uriah (11:26),
then goes and becomes the wife of
David (11:27).
f. From this point forward, David's
personal life will go downhill.
C. Nathan Rebukes David (2 Samuel 12:1-14).
1. God sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke David for his
sin. Nathan takes an
indirect approach to David by asking him
to judge a case (12:2-4).
a. There was a certain poor man who had
one ewe lamb that was precious to him.
A rich man lived in the
same town and when a visitor came by he took the poor
man's only lamb and had
slaughtered for their meal.
b. David's anger burned and he judged
that "the man who has done this deserves
to die." "He
must pay for that lamb four times over."
c. Nathan tells David, 'You are the
man."
2. Nathan tells David his sin has been forgiven (12:13),
but that there will be
bad consequences.
a. The son born to Bathsheba would die
(12:14). The second son of David and
Bathsheba was Solomon.
b. David had committed adultery with
another man's wife.
1. One curse is that
one out of David's own household would sleep with
David's wives in front of all Israel (12:11, 12).
2. Fulfilled years
later when David's son Absalom rebelled against his
father and slept with his wives on the roof of the palace (2 Sam.
16:22).
c. David had murdered another man.
1. The second curse
announced by Nathan was that the sword would never depart
from
David's house (2 Sam. 12:10).
2. This was fulfilled
several times in the life of David.
D. The Sword in David's House.
1. Amnon rapes Tamar (2 Samuel 13)
a. Amnon is love-sick over his
half-sister, Tamar (13:1).
b. On the advice of a friend, he goes to
bed and pretends to be very ill
(13:5).
1. Tells David he wants
Tamar to come and feed him.
2. When she comes to
his room, he rapes her (13:6-14).
2. Absalom kills Amnon. When her brother Absalom learns
what has happened he
showed no vengeful spirit.
a. Two years later, he killed Amnon
(13:23-29).
b. Absalom fled to Geshur, where he
stayed for three years and David longed to
see him (13:38, 39).
1. Absalom's brothers
evidently saw the murder of Amnon as an effort to
take
the throne, for they all fed south, fearing that perhaps Absalom would
also
kill each of them.
2. After three years
David has softened enough to let Absalom return to
Jerusalem, but will not allow Absalom to see him (14:21-23).
3. Finally, he is
brought into David (14:33).
3. Absalom's Rebellion (2 Samuel 15-18).
a. Absalom begins to conspire for his
father's throne.
1. Provided himself
with a chariot and horses and fifty men to run ahead
of
him (15:1). This was also done by Adonijah (1 Kings 1:5).
2. Won favor of the
people by standing at the city gates and hearing
complaints which they were bringing before the king.
a. He
would tell them that there was no one representative of the king
to help them (15:3), but would say if he were appointed judge, he would
their cases.
b.
When men would bow down before him, he would kiss their hands and thus
won the favor of the people of Israel (15:5).
c.
Also helped that he was very handsome (15:25-26).
1. Not a blemish on his body.
2. Thick hair. He would cut it when it got too heavy and it would weigh
two hundred shekels, or five pounds.
b. After four years Absalom he goes to
Hebron to begin a rebellion against his
father.
1. Messengers were
sent, men were gathered, and Absalom rebelled against David
after
being anointed king in Hebron.
2. David flees
Jerusalem (15:13).
a.
But he left behind ten concubines to care for the palace (15:16).
b.
They brought along the ark of the covenant (15:24), but at the Mount of
Olives David had the priests take it back.
3. Absalom enters
Jerusalem and sleeps with David's concubines on the roof of
the
palace in the sight of all Israel (16:21, 22).
a.
For anyone to sleep with the king's concubines was a direct challenge to
the throne.
b.
The king's concubines became the property of his successor.
c. Battle Between David and Absalom (2
Samuel 17, 18).
1. Strategies to Pursue
and Attack David.
a.
Ahithophel advises Absalom to take his men and attack David
immediately (17:1-4).
b.
Hushai advises Absalom to wait until he can muster all the troops
of Israel.
c.
Ahithophel's advice was strategically sound, but was frustrated by
the Lord through the advice of Hushai (17:14).
2. Hushai sends a
messenger to David to tell him of Absalom's plan
(17:15, 16).
3. As David's men march
out of the city to go to battle with Absalom's forces,
David
tells Joab "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake" (18:5).
All
the troops heard the command and knew not to kill Absalom.
4. Battle took place in
the Forest of Ephraim and the forest claimed more
lives
than the sword (18:8).
5. Absalom was fleeing
on his mule when his head stuck in the fork of an oak
branch and he was left hanging in midair (18:9).
6. Joab plunges three
javelins into Absalom's heart (18:14).
a.
David mourns the death of Absalom saying, "Absalom, Absalom, If only
I had died instead of you" (18:33).
b.
Joab complains to David that the men should be rejoicing but are sad
because David is mourning for Absalom. The king should rejoice with his
troops (19:5, 6).
d. The northern and southern tribes show
support for David in that they want
to be present when he
crosses the Jordan River (19:40).
1. Some of the northern
tribes were absent, which the northern tribes
apparently think could be interpreted as a lack of total support for
David
(cf. v. 43).
2. There is obviously
still tensions between north and south (41, 43).
3. David has his ten
concubines whom he left behind and who slept with Absalom
put
under house guard where they remained in confinement until they died of
old
age (20:3).
4. Rebellion of Sheba
(1 Samuel 20). The rebellion of Sheba leading the northern
tribes shows the fickleness of northern support and is one more crisis for David
to
face.
E. David Counts the Fighting Men (2 Samuel 24).
1. David is filled with pride and commands Joab to count
the fighting men under
his command (24:1).
a. Joab's response: may the Lord multiply
the troops a hundred times over, but why
does the king want to
do such a thing (24:3).
b. After nine months of counting, it is
reported that thee were 1,300,000
(24:8, 9).
2. 1 Chron. 21:1 states that it was Satan who incited David
to take the census.
1 Sam. 24:1 states it was the Lord.
3. David was conscience stricken and confessed his sin
(24:10).
4. David was given three options for punishment (24:12).
a. three years of famine
b. three months of fleeing before your
enemies
c. three days of plague
5. God strikes Israel with a plague and seventy-thousand
men die. David buys a
threshing floor to build an altar, offer
sacrifices and stop the plague (24:18-25).