In The Word
Read: 2 Samuel 4:1-5:16
Ish-bosheth Murdered
4 Now when Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was horrified. 2 And Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of troops: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for Beeroth is also considered part of Benjamin, 3 and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have lived there as strangers until this day).
4 Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was disabled in both feet. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up and fled. But it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and could no longer walk. And his name was Mephibosheth.
5 So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while he was taking his midday rest. 6 And they came to the interior of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. 7 Now when they had come into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him, and they beheaded him. And they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night. 8 Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; so the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his descendants.”
9 But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 10 when the one who informed me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ also viewed himself as the bearer of good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and eliminate you both from the earth?” 12 Then David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet, and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.
David King over All Israel
5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” thinking, “David cannot enter here.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Even though King David has a heart to do things right, he had people working for him that did not understand his heart. They acted in a way they thought represented King David, but in reality, it didn’t. This caused many issues with the people David was leading. However, King David was still called to shepherd God’s people, and as a leader, he had to work through these difficult situations.
I want you to see how the promise of David being king over Israel took time. First, after being anointed by Samuel, David went through many years of testing. Then even when he became king, it was only over Judah to begin with. He again was tested with little (compared to the whole kingdom), to see if he would be faithful with what he was given. For seven and a half years, he showed himself faithful, so God gave him the rest of the nation. He then became king over all of Israel. Again, this process took many years.
We must try our best to carry the heart and vision of the leadership God puts us under. We may know our calling has a greater responsibility, but we must also know that God will test us all along the way to make sure we are faithful in what He has given us before we will be given more. God’s promises may take time, so make sure that you are spending this time wisely. Remember, God is working for the sake of the whole, not just for you.