The Bible OverBrew - Bible in a Yearنموونە

Week 13. Day 1. 2 Samuel 1-5.

Introduction to 2 Samuel

2 Samuel continues the story right from the end of 1 Samuel, as they were originally one book. 2 Samuel ends with a song of David, which together with Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2, give the theological framework for the whole of 1-2 Sam. Whereas 1 Samuel focussed on David before he became king, 2 Samuel traces David becoming king, and the period of his reign.

In David, we see both a pointer to what sort of king Jesus will be, but in David’s failures we are also driven to look for a king who will not sin in this way. 2 Samuel 7 is a key chapter, where God promises a dynasty for David, in particular a ‘son’ who will reign forever.

There are a number of different stories in this book that intertwine, with lots of characters (many of whom have either the same or similar names) so one of my main goals here is to help you read and understand the story, as without this any consideration of theology will be fruitless. Below I have given a list of the main characters, that you can refer back to - most other characters either only occur once (e.g. Uzzah and the ark in ch6) or are less important in the narrative.

2 Samuel 1-5

Ch 1 Lament for Saul and Jonathan. Notice how even though Saul persecuted him, David still mourns Saul, and respects the office of king that he held.

Bonus: can you see any themes here that are similar to Hannah’s song (1 Sam 2)?

2 Sam 2:4. David is anointed king of Judah, and then in ch5 he is anointed king over all Israel. (c.f. 1 Sam 16:13 where David was anointed more privately). See the notes for 1 Sam 16 for an explanation of ‘anointing’.

After David is made king, Abner the commander of Saul’s army makes Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth king, trying to usurp David. As you read ch2-4, you may wish to refer back to the list of names of characters given on the previous page.

Notice a couple of moments early in David’s reign that show what type of king he will be:

• 3:39 David is gentle
• Ch 4 Ish-Bosheth (David’s rival) was murdered and his head brought to David, but David didn’t want this—he didn’t want to take revenge on Saul and his family.

5:12 Shows the purpose of kingship. God made David king ‘for the sake of his people Israel.’ God’s kings are not to be tyrants who oppress God’s people, but servants who bring blessings to God’s people.

How does this help us understand the role of Jesus our king?

Key characters in 2 Samuel (for reference)

David and his men

• The three sons of Zeruiah (2:18): Joab - commander of David’s army; Abishai - another warrior; Asahel - swift as a gazelle
• Hushai - David’s friend, who pretends to be loyal to Absalom and acts as a spy, trying to work against the good counsel of Ahitophel (15:32ff)
• Ittai the Gittite - another of David’s warriors
• Abiathar and Zadok the priests who were loyal to David
• Jonathan and Ahimaaz their sons, who spied for David

Saul’s men

• Ish-bosheth - Saul’s son who is made king (2:8)
• Abner - commander of Saul’s army, who later join’s David (2:8)
• Mephibosheth - son of Jonathan (and grandson of Saul) who was lame (4:4). Later is loyal to David. Sometimes known as ‘Saul’s son’ to emphasise he is Saul’s legal heir now Jonathan is dead.
• Ziba - Mephibosheth’s servant

Absalom and those associated with him

• Absalom - David’s son (born to Maakah)
• Tamar - Absalom’s sister and Amnon’s half-sister
• Amnon - David’s eldest son (born to Ahinoam) - killed by Absalom for raping Tamar
• Ahitophel - wise counsellor who had served David, but now advises Absalom (15:31)
• Shimei - cursed David in 16:5

Others

• Sheba – a man from the tribe of Benjamin who tries to get people to follow him in ch20.