2 Samuel

This morning I finished reading 2 Samuel.  These are my notes from the book.

• An Amalekite comes to tell David of Saul & Jonathan's passing and says he killed Saul because his injuries were so great
• David has the Amalekite killed for he confessed to killing Saul
• David writes a song for Israel in mourning of Saul & Jonathan
• David, his wives & men went to Hebron & Judah; there they came and appointed him King of Judah
• Saul's son was king of Israel
• Israel & Judah met & had a contest - field of knives
• David & Saul's followers fought for a long time; David's strengthened, Saul's weakened
• David had 6 sons at Hebron
• Ish-Bsheth (Saul's son) spoke badly of Abner (Main leader of Saul supporters, against David)
• Abner was ANGRY and decided to help David instead
• David agreed as long as he brought Saul's daughter, David's wife
• Abner was to reunite Israel
• Joab & the army were unhappy
• David left Abner go in peace
• Joab killed ABner to repay Abner for killing his brother
• David mourned for Abner & for his evil death by Joab
• Abner's death frightened Saul's army
• 2 captains in the army killed Ish-Bosheth in his sleep at home in bed
• They brought his head to David who had the captains killed for killing an innocent man
• David became King at 30 years old
• David took Jerusalem as the City of David
• His strength grew because the Lord was with him & the city built up
• David took more wives there and had 11 more sons
• Philistines came to see David & king & as the Lord guided, defeated them twice
• David & his men went to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem
• When the oxen hauling it stumbled, Uzzah touched the Ark as though to steady it & God killed him there
• Fear led David to put the Ark in someone else's house & they were blessed
• After 3 months, David returned for the Ark & brought it to Jerusalem rejoicing & dancing all the way
• Michal (Saul's daughter, wife of David) wasn't pleased with his dancing - she didn't understand it was praise to the Lord, she never had children
• David wants to build a temple for the Ark so it is no longer in a tent
• Nathan's vision - shoed God's promise for David's future generations; his son will build a house for the Ark & God with be with his family
• David prays in thanksgiving of his goodness & for his blessings for his family
• David defeated the Philistines & Moab & more - Lord gave him victory
• David gave the Lord what he took from those lands
• David looked for anyone left in Saul's family, Jonathan's son Mephibosheth was lame in both feet but found through a servant, Ziba, of Saul's
• David gave the land of Saul back to his family for Ziba to tend
• Mephibosheth ate at David's table
• Ammonite King died & son came into power; David sent men for comfort
• Ammonites saw it as a spy mission & shamed men before sending them away
• Ammonites knew they'd angered David & hired Arameans to fight with them - David defeated all

In my own thoughts and thinking through this piece of the story, I thought about how fear led the Ammonites to be proactive in protection and set a bad tone for the interaction.  If they'd been open and receiving of David's act of comfort, a different relationship and result could have occurred.  As a parent and a person, I completely understand where the Ammonites were coming from and I think we have this response to things regularly.  We need to learn from this and be more open to people.  Maybe I should parent more this way?

A theme I noticed in 2 Samuel was that the Lord is good and will lead and do what is right.

• When kings went to war, David stayed back
• One night from his roof, he saw a woman bathing, Bathsheba, Uriah's wife
• David sent for her; they had sex
• Later, Bathsheba sent notice to David she was pregnant
• David sent for her husband Uriah & sent him home to his wife
• Uriah didn't go home as his men at war were in tents & fighting so he shouldn't be enjoying his home; he slept outside the palace with the other officers
• David had Uriah to dinner & got him drunk, but he still didn't go home to his wife
• David sent Uriah to the front lines to be killed
• Bathsheba cried for her dead husband, then became David's wife
• God didn't like what David did
• Nathan went to David with story of a rich man with a visitor to feed; he didn't want to use his animals so he took the poor man's only lab to kill and feed the visitor
• David was angered by the story; Nathan reminded him what he did to Uriah was wrong & punishment would follow
• David & Bathsheba's son got very sick, David fasted & prayed, but after 7 days it died
• David comforted Bathsehab and they had another son, Solomon

David, speaking of his dead baby boy: "Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me." - 2 Samuel 12:23

• Joab & David conquered Rabbah
• David's som Amnon raped his half sister Tamar, Absalom was furious and 2 years later, killed Amnon over the rape, then Absalom ran away
• Joab sends a woman to talk to King David about her 2 sons; one killed the other and she wanted to save the one that killed the other for her husband's family name; it was all to change David's perspective
• David has Absalom brought back from away for murder, but doesn't allow him to see the King
• After 2 years, Absalom seeks the King, but is ignored twice, so he burns Joab's field, then Absalom goes to the King
• Absalom stole the hearts of the Israelites by waiting at the gates to greet them as they came to the King for 4 years
• Then he asked to go to Hebron to worship, but took many men to challenge Israel
• David led his people out of Jerusalem to save them
• As David & his people traveled away, David was helped by some & scorned by others
• Absalom took advice from trusted advisors (Ahithopheh & Hushai) to challenge David
• He followed Hushai - who warned David through Jonathan & Ahimaaz that hid in a well to be safe from Absalom
• Ahithophel killed himself when his advice wasn't accepted (but went to his hometown and left orders for his family & property)
• David & Absalom go to war
• Absalom's head get caught in a tree while riding his donkey; the donkey runs out & he is stuck
• David's army finds him & a man told Joab
• The man refused to kill the King's son so Joab & others do
• David hears the news of Absaloma and mourns his son
• Joab tells David that his mourning for his son is having a bad impact on his arm & people; they feel David cares more for their enemy than them

This feeling against David is still a rampant feeling in human emotions today.  Culture today sees caring for one as not caring for another, which is wrong.  An example currently seen is #blacklivesmatter and #bluelivesmatter.  I believe both have worthy campaigns and causes to change the culture of today's society.  I do NOT see it as all lives don't matter.  But that there are issues and racial norms in our society that need to be deconstructed!

• David returns to Jerusalem
• Judah & Israel have some tension
• Sheba leads Israel away from David
• David goes to Jerusalem, locks up his slave women in the house & doesn't sleep with them - they are fed, but live like widows until death

Slave women were for sex too.  This makes me heart sad.

• David sent Amasa to gather folks, but he took too long
• Joab leads them after Sheba & kills Amasa on the way
• They begin to destroy the city when a wise woman stops them, reminds them of their history & importance agrees to throw Sheba's head over the wall to them - she rallies her people with wise words & does this
• There was a food shortage & the Gibeonites were offered help from David as payment for Saul's hart against them
• They wanted 7 sons of Saul to hang & David provided
• Rizpah protected their hung bodies from birds & wildlife through harvest
• Then Saul & Jonathan's bones were brought back & buried with the 7
• War again with the Philistines; they protected David as he tired; then he stayed out of battle so they could always have their great leader
• David's song of praise
• Tales of men of great accomplishment in David's army
• David sent men to count the people, it took 9 months and 20 days to count them
• David was sinful in his request to count his army so he was give 3 choices for punishment
• 3 years hunger
• 3 months enemies
• 3 days of disease
• Disease came & an angel of God killed
• David built and alter & make sacrifices for disease to leave