Day 93 – 2 Samuel 2:1-7
Scripture Review
2 Samuel 2:1-7
"And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron." (2 Samuel 2:1)
Now after the death of Saul, after the death of Jonathan, after the Amalekite's report, after David's judgment upon that man, and after David's lament. The crown is closer now than it has ever been. David does not take it. He enquires of the LORD. David had already been anointed by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, but a past anointing did not make him careless with present guidance.
Notice the two questions. First, "Shall I go up?" Then, "Whither shall I go up?" David asks God if he should move, then asks God where he should move. That is better than asking God to bless a plan we already made without Him. David trusted God to give him the kingdom in God's own time and manner, but that hope stirred him to do what God directed, not to sit idle or act presumptuously.
There is a plain path here. David does not need to manipulate Judah. He does not need to advertise himself as the better king. He does not need to say, "Saul is dead, now it is my turn." He simply asks the LORD. David endured danger, betrayal, and delay, yet still believed God would keep His promise. He waited, and when the waiting season shifted, he still wanted God's word before taking a step.
"So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite." (2 Samuel 2:2)
David brings Ahinoam and Abigail with him. "So David went up thither" is a little sentence with a big lesson. When the LORD gives direction, faith moves. Not wildly. Not proudly. But it moves.
"And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron." (2 Samuel 2:3)
David does not go alone. The men who were with him in the rough country are brought with him into this next place. "Every man with his household" is a warm phrase. These are not just fighting men being shifted on a military board. These are men with homes, wives, children, burdens, and futures. David had gathered men in 1 Samuel 22 who were distressed, in debt, and discontented. They followed him when his life did not look royal at all. Now David brings them up with him.
David was prepared to accept God's direction, and once God gave him the place, God took it from there; it also notes that David received loyalty rather than palace comforts at Hebron. That fits the text well. The first gift of this new reign is not gold walls and royal ease, but people willing to follow.
"And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul." (2 Samuel 2:4)
The men of Judah came. God had said "Unto Hebron," and in Hebron the men of Judah anointed him king. This is not yet the whole kingdom. It is "over the house of Judah." David is receiving the promise by degrees. That can be hard for me. Sometimes I want it all now. God often gives Hebron before Jerusalem. David is king, but not yet king over all Israel.
Then they tell David about Jabeshgilead. These were the men who buried Saul. Saul had rescued Jabeshgilead in 1 Samuel 11, and now they honored him after death. The men of Jabeshgilead were bound to Saul by strong gratitude, and that David's response to them was worthy as his first act as king. This says something about David's heart. He does not treat their loyalty to Saul as an insult to himself. Some people feel threatened when others honor someone connected to their pain.
"And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him." (2 Samuel 2:5)
David sends messengers. That phrase, "your lord, even unto Saul," is humbling. David does not call Saul his enemy here. He does not say, "that man who chased me." He calls Saul their lord. David still honors God's anointed.
Love Worth Finding's teaching on David in the cave emphasizes this same principle from 1 Samuel 24: David respected Saul as God's anointed king and refused to take vengeance, even when Saul was wrong and David had opportunity. The restraint David learned in the cave now shows up in the throne room. He would not stretch out his hand against Saul, and now he will not stretch out his tongue against Saul's memory. A bitter man would have said, "Why did you honor him?" David says, "Blessed be ye of the LORD."
"And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing." (2 Samuel 2:6)
David asks the LORD to show them "kindness and truth." Mercy with faithfulness. Grace with righteousness. Then he says, "I also will requite you this kindness." Sometimes we say, "I'll pray for you," when we should also do something in our hand to help. David gives them both, a blessing from God and a pledge from the king. Men who had risked themselves in a dark hour are now publicly encouraged by the rising king.
"And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you" also reminds me that God sees quiet loyalty. Jabeshgilead did not bury Saul to get David's attention. They did right because it was right. But God let David hear of it.
"Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them." (2 Samuel 2:7)
David does not speak to Jabeshgilead like a suspicious rival. He strengthens them. "Let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant." Their master Saul is dead. Their old protector is gone.
The man who once delivered their city is in the grave.
David knows this could be a fearful moment for them, so he sends courage instead of threats. His approach here is grace based humility, he seeks God's wisdom, receives leadership
confirmation from Judah, and reaches out to those most affected by potential conflict by affirming the bravery of Jabeshgilead. He tries to steady hands before civil war hardens hearts.