Chapters 4 and 5 of 2 Samuel show us the last vestiges of the old Saul regime, and the character of power grabbing that it encouraged. Following is the beginning of the reign of Israel’s real king, David, who goes about accomplishing the final conquest of Canaan, and the destruction of Israel’s archenemy.

4:1

Ish-bosheth, set up as the king of Israel by Abner, Saul’s military commander, was weak from the start—a puppet king for Abner. Ish-bosheth called Abner on his attempt to gain the throne himself (3:7) by sleeping with one of Saul’s concubines. So Abner defected to David, but there was bad blood between Abner and Joab, David’s nephew and military commander, after Abner killed Asahel. Joab murdered Abner and that left Ishbosheth even weaker.

It says in the ESV that Ishbosheth’s “courage failed.” In the Hebrew it says “his hands became feeble.” It’s a good word picture because the other possible inheritor of Saul’s throne, Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, is lame in his feet. Saul’s reign can do nothing, just as us trying to rule our lives by our own strength will result in nothing but feebleness rather than strength.

2 – 3

Here we are introduced to Rechab and Baanah. They were loyal to Saul (they were Benjamites) and allegedly to Ish-bosheth.

4

Mephibosheth was five when his nurse dropped him, but now would be around 12 years old.

5 – 7

These two arrive at Siesta time, knowing Ish-bosheth would be asleep. They sneak in and stab him in the stomach, which is an affective way of killing someone due to the large amount of bleeding that occurs from a stomach wound. They take his head and go some 30 miles by night from Mahanaim from Hebron thinking they will be hailed by David for wiping out the only viable opposition to his kingship.

8 – 12

Rechab and Baanah claim that they are doing “the Lord’s” work (vs 8) but notice David’s response “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity”. In other words: I trust in God not in my own hands to accomplish what he wants in my life.

Just as with the man who came to announce he had cut off Saul’s head in chapter 1, David has these men executed for killing a man in cold blood.

In verse 1 it says that “all Israel was dismayed.” It means “to tremble inwardly.” The peace treaty that Abner was negotiating in chapter 3 was now in jeopardy. They reacted positively when they saw David’s reaction to the murder of Abner, and now when he reacts so righteously to the murder of Ish-bosheth, they finally desire to make Israel one again.

5:1 – 5

The elders representing the tribes come and make three important statements: they first recognize that they are fellow Israelites, not two nations, but one family. Secondly they note that David has been the chief protector of this family for a long time, and third they recognize God’s hand in calling David to be 1) shepherd – provider, and 2) prince – protector.

This covenant is made, not by man’s hands, nor in man’s name, but “before the Lord.”

For any leader in the church, these three elements are important in others ratifying your call to leadership: 1) recognition of a close relationship, 2) that you are already doing the work, and that 3) the Lord is calling you.

6 – 10

Jerusalem was the last hold out for the Canaanites. No one could conquer Jebus because of its location on a cliff to the south, east and west, and a ridge easily defended to the north. The Jebusites claim that even a disabled person could defend an attack on their fortress. So David calls his enemy “the lame and the blind.”

We know from 1 Chronicles 11 that David put out a challenge to his military commanders that the first that led the charge would become chief commander. Joab led the attack, up the Gihon spring, up a 37 foot tall water shaft, and into the city.

Jerusalem is a good city for a capital, on the border between Judah and Benjamin, it belonged to neither. It was centrally located and virtually impregnable.

11 – 16

Hiram didn’t become king of Tyre until 20 years after David started his rule, but here the author is showing us that David’s reign in Israel is also recognized by peaceful people of other nations. David traded agricultural products for building materials. The most significant part of this section, though, is the acknowledgement that it is the Lord who is building this house and nation, not David.

The first four names of David’s sons mentioned here were born to Bathsheba, who we haven’t met yet, including Solomon who was the 10^th born but would eventually take over kingship of the united kingdom.

17 – 21

Apparently this battle happened after the anointing of David as king but before he occupied Jerusalem (you went “up” to Jerusalem). As usual, and very correctly, David inquires of the Lord through the Urrim and Thummim on the attack plan. God tells him to go up and that they will be defeated. Baal-perazim means “lord of bursting through.”

Notice that the Philistines left their idols there. I think this is significant. Remember back to the beginning of 1 Samuel when Hophni and Phinehas took the Ark of the Covenant into battle with the Philistines? They thought the Ark (as an idol) would win the battle instead of relying on God who is invisible.

Now the Philistines are perhaps trying the same thing. And as the Philistines captured the Ark which later did a number on the Philistine Gods, so now God’s man, David, captures their idols and destroys them by burning them up (1 Chronicles 11:12). There is a neat symmetry here.

22 – 25

Later on the Philistines come back but this time God tells David to run a flanking maneuver and wait for the “sound of marching in the tops of the Balsam trees.” Could this be the sound of angelic feet fighting alongside David?

So David secures a capital, defeats a recalcitrant foe and a stubborn enemy to forge a kingdom.

Lessons

Let’s look again at the character traits of God’s man

• He could have gone after Ish-bosheth to secure his kingdom. He didn’t. David wasn’t interested in building a kingdom for himself, he was simply interested in doing what His God told him to do.
• Once in power a leader can change. He looks like a lamb when seeking power but turns into a lion once he has it. David does not. He acts just as incensed with power grabbing now as he did when he was still running from Saul.
• His first actions are to finish the job God started with Joshua many years before. He does the tough things first, not the easy things. This shows us that he isn’t trying to make a name for himself by early easy victories, but is going along with God has been doing all along
• God established David’s kingdom “for the sake of his people.” David was other focused.
• David wasn’t cocky. After so many victories, David could easily have started thinking he was bulletproof. But he still seeks God for specific direction at every important point.
• David didn’t create formulas for success. He not only asked for direction but he sought out how God wanted to work in each specific situation.
• David recognized that it was the Lord fighting and winning the battles through His power.