Old Testament Scriptural Summaries and Commentary

Supplemental; 1 Samuel, Chapters 25-31; 2 Samuel, Chapters 1-10

Gospel Doctrine Class, Sunday School Lesson 24

"Create in Me a Clean Heart"

1 Samuel, Chapter 25 — Samuel the Prophet dies

"And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah."  And David went to the wilderness of Paran (v. 25:1) where he and his band of men chase away thieves and bandits who are tormenting the people, and they restore law and order.  In return, David asks the men of wealth in the area to help sustain their needs.  A rich man named Nabal is asked for help, but refuses and his servants call him "a son of Belial" [wicked, worthless, servant of the devil] (v. 25:17).  His wife, Abigail, hears David's request and she sends many asses loaded with food to David and his men.  When Abigail tells Nabal what she has done, his heart fails him and he dies.  Abigail is described in the scriptures as a woman of understanding and of beautiful countenance and David takes her for his wife (v. 25:3, 18).  "David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives" (v. 25:43).  In a final note, we are told that Saul had already given Michal, Saul's daughter and David's first wife, to Phalti, son of Laish of Gallim (v. 25:44).

1 Samuel, Chapter 26 — David spares Saul for the second time

Once again Saul takes his three thousand soldiers on the hunt for David.  When David learn from his spies where Saul is camped, he takes Abishai, his nephew, and sneaks into the camp.  They find Saul and his guard, Abner, sleeping in a trench.  And, for the second time, David refuses to kill Saul, the anointed of the Lord.  He takes Saul's spear and his water and no one sees them because "a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them" (v. 26:12).  Then David goes to a "hill afar off" and shouts to Abner, "now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water" (vv. 26:13, 16).  And Saul knew David had been close enough to kill him, but was restrained in his heart.

1 Samuel, Chapter 27 —David flees to the Philistine king Achish

Now David and his men flee to Gath where the Philistine king Achish welcomes both the men and their families (v. 27:3).  And the king gave David the village of Ziklag to live in (v. 27:6).  David and his six hundred men wage war on the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites and left neither man nor woman alive (v. 27:8).  When David returns to King Achish, the king asks him where he has been, and David tells him "against the south of Judah" (v. 27:11).  And Achish assumes that David has been fighting against the Israelites which was David's pretense.  And they were with the Philistines for "a full year and four months (v. 27:7).

1 Samuel Chapter 28 — Saul consults a "familiar spirit"

Saul is about to enter his great and final conflict with the Philistines and "his heart greatly trembled" (v. 28:5).  When he tries to receive help from the Lord, he gets no answer and decides to consult "a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor" (v. 28:7).  Saul asks the woman to bring up Samuel and the woman tells Saul, "the LORD will deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shall thou and thy sons be with me" [supposedly Samuel speaking] (v. 28:19).  Note: this woman was undoubtedly an imposter as the Lord had shut the heavens to Saul and would not allow any holy entity such as Samuel to "speak" to Saul through any medium.  And the woman made food for Saul and his servants and they left (v. 28:25).

1 Samuel, Chapters 29-30 — David and his men persue the Amalikites

The Philistines gather together in their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitch their tents opposite by a fountain in Jezreel (v. 29:1).  And the Philistines send David and his men back to Ziklag where he finds the village burned, their possessions taken and their wives and children kidnapped by the Amalekites (vv. 30:1-2).  David and his army pursue the Amalekites and "smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day" (v. 30:17).  And they recover their wives and children, and take back all their possessions as well as all that had been taken from other villages.  And they shared the spoils with all the people round about (vv. 30:26-31).

1 Samuel, Chapter 31 — The sad ending of the reign of Saul

The Philistines mass all their might and go to war against the Israelites in the valley of Esdraelon (Skousen, Vol. III, p. 68).  And the army of Israel is overcome and many are slain along with all three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-suha.  Saul realizes the war is lost and flees with his bodyguard to the mountains of Gilboa.  As the Philistines pursue them, an arrow from one of their bows hits Saul "and he was sore wounded" (v. 31:3).  Saul did not want to be captured alive and he asks his bodyguard: "Draw thy sword and thrust me through."  But the bodyguard refuses.  "Therefore, Saul took a sword and fell upon it" (v. 31:4).  When the Philistines find Saul's body they cut off his head and display it to their people and in the house of their idols (v. 31:9).  Then, they take his body and also the bodies of his three dead sons and fasten them to the wall of Beth-shan.  Later the valiant Israelites take the bodies and burn them at Jabesh and bury their bones under a tree (vv. 31:11-13).  And that is the sad ending of the first king of Israel.

Introduction – The Second Book of Samuel otherwise called the Second Book of the Kings.

2 Samuel Chapters 1—12 David’s reign; consolidation of the empire

2 Samuel, Chapter 1 —The death of Saul and Johathan

David was in the Philistine city of Ziklag when an Amalekite comes to him with the news that Saul and Jonathan are dead.  The Amalekite thinks that David will reward him for the deed that he professed to have done by killing Saul (which he lied about), but David instead knew the man’s motive of reward and said to him, “Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed” (v. 1:16).  And David told his men to “fall upon him” (v. 1:15), and he was killed.  And David lamented the death of Saul and Jonathan with a poem of sorrow (see vv. 1:19-27).

2 Samuel, Chapter 2 — David is made king over Judah

David enquired of the Lord asking what he should do.  And the Lord told him to go to the capital city of Hebron in Judah with all his men and their households.  The elders of Judah quickly anointed him king over Judah (v. 2:7).  Meanwhile, Abner, Saul’s cousin and commander-in-chief, installed Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, as the new king over the northern tribes in the city of Mahanaim on the eastern side of the Jordan (Trans-Jordan).  After a period of two years, Abner crosses the river into Gibeon of Benjamin where he is met by Joab, the nephew of King David.  It is decided by Abner and Joab that twelve men will “play before us” (v. 2:15).  However, the play soon becomes deadly and the men of Abner are beaten and fled (v. 2:17).  Asahel, the younger brother of Joab and Abishai, all nephews of David, goes after Abner.  When Abner sees that he can’t outrun the younger man, he turns and kills Asahel with his sword and Asahel died there (v. 2:23).  When the killing stopped, nineteen of Joab’s men were dead, and 360 of Abner’s forces had been killed (v. 2:29-32). 

2 Samuel, Chapter 3 — Civil war between the tribes

“Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker” (v. 3:1).  David has six sons born to six different wives: (1) Amnon, born of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; (2) Chileab, born of Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; (3) Absalom, born of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; (4) Adonijah, born of Haggith; (5) Shephathiah, born of Abital; and (6) Ithream, born of Eglah (3:2-4).  When Abner has an affair with one of Saul’s concubines, he makes Ishbosheth (Saul's son) angry.  Then Abner  tries to make an alliance with David to help him unite the tribes.  David agrees to see Abner on the condition that he brings with him Michal, Saul’s daughter, David’s first espoused wife, when he comes.  And Michal is taken from her husband and sent back to David. 

When Joab learns that Abner has been received by King David, he meets him at the gate of the city Hebron and kills him with a sword “for the blood of Asahel his brother” (v. 3:27).  Then David makes a great show of mourning for Abner and puts all the blame for his death on Joab and Abishai.  “And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people” (v. 3:36). 

2 Samuel, Chapter 4 — Ishbosheth (Saul’s son) is slain

After Abner was killed, Ishbosheth was in jeopardy.  He was a weak king whose “hands were feeble” (v. 4:1) in knowing how to rule the people.  Two brothers, who were Saul’s captains, knew the king and went to his bedchamber and killed him and cut off his head (v. 4:7).  Thinking they had “avenged” (v. 4:8) David, they took the head to the king.  But David, again (as was the case of the messenger of Saul and Jonathan’s death) was not pleased.  David said to the men, “wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed.  Shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?” (v. 4:10-12).  And the two men were killed by David’s young men and their bodies were put on display over the Pool in Hebron to show that David did not condone what was done to Ishbosheth.  And the head of Ishbosheth was buried in the sepulcher of Abner in Hebron.

2 Samuel, Chapter 5 — The tribes are united with David as their king

“So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them …before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel” (v. 5:3).  “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years” (v. 5:4).  He was king of Judah in Hebron for seven years and king over all the tribes in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

Now David needs a new, more centralized capital city.  So he and his soldiers go to Jerusalem.  General Joab enters the city by way of the “gutter” which is a cave-like structure of water ways from a spring. With David’s warriors, they penetrate the city and “smiteth” the Jebusite [Jerusalemite] inhabitants (v. 5:8).  And they take the city which is named “the city of David” (v. 5:9).  Then Hiram, King of Tyre (an important Phoenician port city) sends David masons, carpenters, and cedars from Lebanon, to build David’s palace in Jerusalem (vv. 5:11-12).  David takes more wives with political alliances and concubines and has more children (vv. 5:13-16). 

The Philistines come to battle against David.  He relies on the Lord and the Lord delivers the Philistines into his hand.  David is given specific instructions from the Lord for his successful victories (vv. 5:17-25).

2 Samuel, Chapter 6 — David brings the ark to the city of David

At this time, the Ark of the Covenant was at Kirjath-Jearim some twelve miles from Jerusalem (1 Samuel 7:1).  David decides to bring it to his capital city.  The Ark is placed on a new cart drawn by oxen (instead of being carried with poles on the shoulders of the priests) with Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, the Levite priest, as caretakers.  At some point the oxen stumble and Uzzah puts forth his hand to steady the Ark and is struck dead.  “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God” (v. 6:7).  (Only those authorized by the Lord were allowed to touch the Ark.) 

David was afraid so he left the ark there in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.  After three months, with much celebration, David was successful in bringing the Ark into the city of David.  And David made a tabernacle for it and there “offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD” (v. 6:17).  In one final twist to the story of David and Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s first wife, “as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal … looked through a window and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart” (v. 6:16).

2 Samuel, Chapter 7 — David is not allowed to build a house to the Lord

Now that the Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem, David desires to build a house for the Lord.  He talks to Nathan, the prophet, about it and Nathan agrees.  However, that night, “the word of the LORD came unto Nathan” (v. 7:4) that David’s seed, not David, would be the one to build the house.  “He shall build an house for my name, and I will ‘stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (v. 7:13).  Then David was made to understand “only one person can sit upon the throne of David (rule over the house of Israel) forever and ever, and that one is Christ, a descendent of David” (OT Student Manual p. 290).  And David praises the Lord with a prayer—“Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever:" (v. 7:29).

2 Samuel, Chapter 8 — David’s kingdom expands and fulfills the Abrahamic Covenant

David has successfully subdued the Philistines and he continues to expand the kingdom.  Next, he conquers Moab and makes the Moabites his servants.  David’s next victory was over king of Zobah (Syria) and 22,000 Syrians are slain (v. 8:5).  “And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went” (v. 8:6).  Then king Toi of Hamath sent David gifts of silver, gold, and brass for defeating the Syrians who had been tormenting his country as well.  And David took the treasure along with the spoils of his conquests and dedicated it the Lord (v. 8:11).  “And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people” (v. 8:15).  Then the scripture names the officers and priests who are over his people (vv. 8:16-18).  Note:  David had successfully occupied all the lands from the Nile Delta in Egypt to the Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the covenant made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses was finally fulfilled (see Genesis 15:18) (Skousen, The Fourth Thousand Years, p. 124).

2 Samuel, Chapter 9 — David restores all the lands of Saul to the son of Jonathan

David is seeking to honor the promise he made to Jonathan years ago.  They both agreed that when the conflict with Saul was over, that neither would harm any member of their families (1 Samuel 20:14-16).  And David sends for Ziba, the steward of Saul’s property, and asks him if any of Jonathan’s sons were still alive.  Ziba tells him of a son, Mephilbosheth, who is lame and lives with a man in Lo-debar of Trans-Jordan.  David sends for the son who is fearful of David.  “And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake. And will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father” (v. 9:7).  And David told Ziba that he, his sons and servants would now be servants to Mephilbosheth as he had commanded the restoration of all of Saul’s property to Jonathan’s son.  And Mephilbosheth lived in Jerusalem and “did continually eat at the king’s table”(v. 9:13) and David treated him as he did his own sons.

2 Samuel, Chapter 10 — David’s Ambassadors to the Ammonites are abused and dishonored;

War follows

When the king of the Ammonites died, David wants to show his kindness to the son Hanun, who is now the king, as the father once showed kindness to David.  And he sends his servants to comfort the king.  But Hanun treats the men as spies and disabused them in front of the people.  When David hears about the bad treatment of his servants, he is angry but did nothing.  The Ammonites, however, prepare for war and even hire Syrians to fight for them.  “And when David heard of it, he sends Joab, and all the host of the mighty men” to fight the Ammonites (v. 10:7).  As the battle begins, Joab divides his forces and is victorious against the Ammonites and the Syrians.  When the Syrian king heard of his paid soldier’s poor showing, he gathers up a huge army to fight against Israel.  Then David “gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan” to fight the Syrians (v. 10:17).  When the Syrians “saw that they were smitten …they made peace with Israel and served them.  So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more” (v. 10:19).