BACKGROUND
2 Samuel 4
Abner had been murdered at Hebron, and Ish-bosheth was panicked. Then, Benjamite assassins came and killed him while he was resting. They thought David would be thrilled, but he had them executed for “killing a righteous man in his own house” (4:11).
Within this narrative, there is a story of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, which we will talk more about in the future!
DAVID’S PROSPERITY (2 Samuel 5-10)
2 Samuel 5
With Ish-bosheth dead, David came to power over both the southern and northern tribes. It started with a covenant and anointing with oil bringing full circle the first time he was anointed with oil by Samuel. The coronation of David included a massive assembly of more than 340,000 troops. We know this from 1 Chronicles 12:23-40 which gives a more thorough rendering of this event. (We will review this time period in the second year of the Bible Book Club.)
David's first act as king was to move the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem because it was on the border between the southern and northern portions of Israel. One thing stood in the way of this move: the Jebusites! So, he conquered them and made Jerusalem the "city of David" so that all the world could see that God was with David. Along with his elevation in status, he increased the number of his wives which will prove to be a big mistake! The chapter concludes with David's defeat of the Philistines.
REFLECTION/ APPLICATION
Keep reading! Hope you are having a great time in God's presence today.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You that You are always with us. Help us to remember to
1 comment:
My friends went to Israel last month. We were supposed to go, but because of COVID, the trip was delayed so many times that we used the money to go to a prayer meeting with 800 people instead. She just got back from the trip, and a part of me would have loved to see this land where all these stories come from! She said they would go back again with us. YAY!
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