“Jesse’s first son was Eliab, his second was Abinadab, his third was Shimea, his fourth was Nethanel, his fifth was Raddai, his sixth was Ozem, and his seventh was David. Their sisters were named Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah had three sons named Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.”
1 Chronicles 2:13-16 NLT
Remember how the text said…
“So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.”
1 Samuel 22:1 NLT
And remember when David stole Saul spear and water jug? Who was with him? Abishai – his NEPHEW.
Abishai, Joab, and Asahel are David’s nephews. Makes sense why they were so trusted. When we need help, generally we lean on family.
The Sons of Zeruiah remind me of The Sons of Katie Elder.
Decent men, but rather rough around the edges. Tough as boot leather and itching for a fight. When we see them in the text they are almost always trying to kill someone.
My guess is that Zeruiah (zer-oo-ya) was David’s much older sister and that her sons were close in age to David.
It’s important to know these guys because they figure largely in David’s life.
Abner was Saul’s chief General. And also his cousin.
Now that we’ve reviewed the cast of characters, we can look at the events of 2nd Samuel 2.
King Saul is dead and buried. 🪦 There is now a leadership vacuum in Israel. David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king so he now makes his move.
But so does Abner.
The text doesn’t specifically say that David “enquired of the Lord” using the priest’s ephod with the urim and thummim, but the way he asks specific questions and gets short but specific answers is exactly like the times when he has used the ephod before. Yahweh tells him to move out of the burned out shell of Ziklag to Hebron. So he and his company of men and their families pull up and move. And his tribe of Judah installs him as their king. 🤴🏽
When we think of the early kings of Israel, we generally never think of King Ishbosheth. But this surviving son of Saul was crowned king over all the other tribes for 2 years.
So, the kingdom was split during this time as well as after the reign of Solomon. But most bible timelines and history summaries will have a section called “the United Kingdom” under Saul, David, and Solomon. We see from this chapter, that it wasn’t quite that tidy.
I know that boys like to fight and scrap, but this whole let’s-play-a-game-with-deadly-weapons is absolutely BIZARRE to me. It feels like such an utter waste of lives. 🤦♀️
It’s rather like the entertainment provided by the Gladiators in the Roman coliseums.
I suppose if you don’t have tv, this is what you do. You watch men kill each other. In Real Life. 🥴
So the armies of Israel and Judah happen to cross paths at the Pool of Gibeon and decide to have some impromptu gladiator games.
“Then Abner said to Joab, “Now have the young men arise and hold a martial skills match in our presence.” And Joab said, “Have them arise!”
2 Samuel 2:14 NASB2020
The Hebrew word translated in the KJV as “play” means to laugh or make sport but this was no laughing matter. Twelve guys from each side meet up and each one kills his opponent leaving 24 dead men on the ground. (See? SO weird.) 🫤
They name the place “Helkath-hazzurim” which is apparently difficult to translate because I found several footnoted meanings:
- Field of Swords (NLT)
- Field of Sword-Edges (ESV, NASB)
- Field of Daggers (CEV)
- Field of Hostilities (NIV)
- Smoothness of the Rocks (Strong’s)
- (And my personal favorite) The Slippery Slope (LEB)
Have you ever seen a brawl break out at a sporting event? That’s kinda what happened here.
🤔 Hold on! Wait a minute… Why are they getting so bent out of shape? They put a bunch of guys in a ring with swords and tell ‘em to fight. Uh… that’s not gonna end well. It’s like they’re shocked:
😲 “Oh. My. Gosh! The other guy just killed MY guy! Whuuut?! I thought they were just gonna swish swords for a minute then we’d all have a good laugh.”
🤨 “Well I’m not gonna stand for it!”
🗡️🤨 “En garde!”
😳 “Hey wait a sec, Dude! MY guy, who killed YOUR guy, is dead too. Why you comin’ after me?”
🗡️🤨 “You’re on HIS team. That’s all that matters. Prepare to be skewered. Ha ha!”
I don’t know if it went down exactly like that, but it’s probably close. 😉
So a whole battle erupts. It reminds me of this scene… 😏
And who would be in the middle of the biblical brawl but The Sons of Zeruiah.
🏜️🌵🤠🤠🤠
“Joab, Abishai, and Asahel—the three sons of Zeruiah—were among David’s forces that day. Asahel could run like a gazelle,”
2 Samuel 2:18 NLT
Various species of Gazelles can run anywhere from 40-60mph. But they are also graceful, surefooted, and able to leap. Olympic Champion Usain Bolt’s top recorded speed is 27.8mph. Asahel was the Usain Bolt of his day. And he’s probably not even breathing hard chasing a much older Abner.
And Abner warns him to stop chasing but Asahel persists and is killed. I find that so sad – that such an amazing athlete was killed. And – he’s David’s nephew. 😔
David’s fighting force suffered 19 casualties plus Asahel – so 20. Abner’s unit suffered 360 casualties! It’s like David’s men are the Green Berets and Abner’s outfit are a bunch of greenhorns.
(And here is why it’s a good idea to ignore chapter and verse breaks when reading historical narrative. Sometimes the narrative flow doesn’t stop at the break.)
“That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David. As time passed David became stronger and stronger, while Saul’s dynasty became weaker and weaker.”
2 Samuel 3:1 NLT
This summary statement shows a significant passage of time. David is king of Judah in Hebron for seven and a half years. Ishbosheth is king of Israel for 2 years. That math doesn’t work quite right. Sounds like Israel was without a king for a while.
PSALM 18
The heading of this psalm says it was sung (and presumably written) by David “on the day when the LORD rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.”
The Lord rescued David so many times from Saul that it could point to any of those previous times. And, David didn’t celebrate at the news of Saul’s death. Rather, he and his men fasted and mourned.
But… the tone of this psalm – the triumphant exultation, the feeling of victory after a long conflict, and some of the specific phrases feels very much like David is responding to the final defeat of Saul and his own promotion. He even refers to himself as “king” in the final verse.
And while the psalm certainly reflects David’s victory and his relief at no longer being chased through the wilderness, one step ahead of death, it really fits much better on the lips of someone else….
Jesus.
I put it to your consideration that Psalm 18 is prophetically describing Jesus’ death and resurrection. And I would encourage you to go back and read the whole psalm again with that perspective and see what pops out at you.
“The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.”
Psalms 18:5 NLT
“Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger.”
Psalms 18:7 NLT
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it.”
Matthew 28:2 NLT
“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.”
Psalms 18:16 NLT
If you don’t find that compelling, consider this section:
“The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.”
Psalms 18:20-24 NLT
Y’all, let’s be honest. David has 3 wives and he has a lot of blood on his hands already. No one can say they are “blameless before God” and that they have “kept themselves from sin.” No one but Jesus, that is.
Yes, David has been faithful to Yahweh. Yes, he trusts the LORD. But he’s not sinless. This cannot really be talking about him.
Consider that we might be getting a behind-the-scenes look at the resurrection of Christ.
“But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused. Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.”
Psalms 18:6, 8-15 NLT
Remember how we’ve said that beneath the waters is OT code language for death? What does it imply then if “the bottom of the sea” and “the foundations of the earth” are “laid bare?”
Don’t think literal ocean and literal thunder and hail and stuff – though if we’re talking about the return of the Lord, they probably will be.
What this may be hinting at – what David might be writing under inspiration – could be a mysterious description of the Godhead defeating death and raising Christ from the dead.
In some places in the NT, the Holy Spirit is said to be the Agent of the Resurrection of Christ, (Roman. 8:11). In other places, the Father is credited with the Resurrection, (Rom. 6:4, Gal. 1:1). While Jesus Himself said that He had the power to lay down His life and to take it up again, (Jn. 10:17-18).
In cases like this we do not ask, “Well, which one was it?!” That’s the wrong question. The scripture is telling us that all members of the Godhead participated in the Resurrection.
If the first half of the psalm deals prophetically with Jesus’ death and resurrection, then the 2nd half, verses 30-50, sound a lot like His Second Coming and coronation as King of all the Earth.
“You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me. As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before me. They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.”
Psalms 18:43-45 NLT
In the mouth of David, this is hyperbole and what the Apostle Paul would call “boasting in the Lord.” We’d call it “talking smack.” In the mouth of Christ, this is literally true. Every knee will bow…
Allow me to share “Lacy’s version” of verse 50 complete with a helpful Oxford Comma:
“He gives great salvation to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His Anointed, to David, and his seed forever.”
Psalm 18:50 LSB
From this angle we have 3 receiving Yahweh’s loving-kindness:
- His Anointed (this is the Hebrew word Meshiach, or Messiah; Greek: Christ)
- David
- His Seed (both the seed of David – which Jesus is – and the seed/offspring of the Messiah, see Is. 53:10, 1 Jn. 3:9)
Now – I could be wrong. One misplaced comma can really change the meaning of a sentence. For example:
Let’s eat, Grandma! 👧🏻👵🏼🥞🍩🥛☕️
Let’s eat Grandma! 🧟🧟♀️🧟♂️
Eats shoots and leaves. 🐼🌾🍃
Eats, shoots, and leaves. 🥡😋🔫🛫
I enjoy cooking, my family, and my dog.
🥰🍳👨👩👧👦🐕🦺
I enjoy cooking my family and my dog. 😳
You get the idea. 😏
So I leave it to you to ponder.
Tomorrow we continue to 2nd Samuel 3.
There’s a plot twist coming. 👀
To The Reader 