II SAMUEL

The following comments are from Navigator's and Quiet Time Diary journals. One verse will be entered, then the comment, then the date.

1:15    The David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died.

    The person David had killed here was the person who had just confessed to David that he killed King Saul. God in His love, even loved David, who had asked to have men killed. (DRM 6/30/88)

1:23    "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life,
           And in their death they were not parted;
           They were swifter than eagles,
           They were stronger than lions.

    I can understand David's love for Jonathan because of their similar age and how they worked together. . . but it's harder to understand David's comments about Saul, as he tried to kill David several times.
    This verse is part of a "dirge" of sympathy after Saul and Jonathan died. David was reflective on the totality of both lives. We can compare it to part of the obituary.
    The last sentence refers to the warrior nature of King Saul and his son. I know Saul was tall and strong, but I don't recall a similar description about Jonathan - until now. (DRM 9/23/14)

    Although Saul had treated David as his enemy, David did not treat Saul as his. When Saul and his son Jonathan died in battle, David honored them in the song in today's passage, which opens and closes with the refrain "How the mighty have fallen!" (v. 19,27) - (from INSIGHT, Our Daily Bread 9/23/14)

2:18b, 19    Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him.

    This is something like how we should follow God. We should proceed in haste and we should also follow the straight path, not swerving to the right or left! (DRM 7/1/88)

3:36    All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them.

    This chapter dealt with anger and showed that one person murdered another because of anger. King David was not aware of the situation and was involved in the funeral of the dead man.
    As this verse indicates, the king was watched very carefully by his subjects.
    I don't feel that I have to be a king or a President to be watched. I must remember MY actions, too. (DRM 11/6/87)

4:8b    "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your (David's) life.

    This chapter is really bloody! One person was killed then beheaded, the David ordered these two men to be cut up. (See chapter 1 also) God forgives all sins, I'm sure we'll see! (DRM 7/2/88)

5:3    So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the LORD at Hebron; then they anointed David King over Israel.

    Prior to this, David was king over Judah 7½ years. So he was king over all of Israel an additional 33 years (v. 5)
    I generally think of covenants made with God, and how He expects us to fulfill our vows. God saw the covenant that David made and was pleased enough to allow David to fulfill His plan to be leader of all of Israel. (DRM 10/31/10)

5:6    Now the king [David] 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 the blind and lame shall turn you away"; thinking, "David cannot enter here."

    If God wants us to do something, it will be accomplished. David has his eyes on Jerusalem after being in Hebron 7½ years. The Jebusites didn't want to be taken over, but, with God's help, David succeeded [verse 7]. God has also directed me to a goal - but I don't know how to accomplish it. I need His leading. (DRM 10/31/04)

5:10    And he (David) became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

    I think this is the answer to previous questionable chapters. David was allowed to kill because the Lord was with him, and David always consulted God FIRST. (DRM 7/3/88)

5:21    They [Philistines] abandoned their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.

    When I think of false idols, I generally think of metal statues which have silver or gold content.
    God did not prohibit David from taking anything after defeating the Philistines, so he was free to do so. This was not always the case.
    God wants us to follow His direction, and not our own. We (I) have to hear His voice and do only His will. (DRM 11/7/13)

6:11    The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household. 

    Thank you God, that we don't have to have the ark in our house to obey You, serve You and know all about You. Trust in Jesus Christ is all that is needed, but service also comes. (DRM 7/4/88)

7:14    I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 

    This prophecy for God to Nathan clearly was telling us that the house of David would produce our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as we read the prophecies of the Old Testament, we should also trust in the prophecies of the New Testament! (DRM 7/5/88)

8:6b, 14b [same]    The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. 

    King David was a king that continued to fight battles against others. The difference seems to be that David honored the Lord in everything done. (DRM 7/6/88)

9:1    Then David said, "Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

    While I can't pronounce "Mephibosheth," who was Jonathan's son, it was David's kindness that was apparent here. He had remembered his vow to Jonathan before he (David) became king.
    We (I) are also to be kind to others, rich and poor alike, as Jesus was when He lived on earth. (DRM 11/1/10)

9:3    The king [David] said, "Is there not yet  anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet."

    This is a lot like verse one, but directed specifically to Mephibosheth's servant.
    It was nice/kind of David to think of Saul's family, and probably more so when he found out it was his dear friend Jonathan's son that he would be helping. Apparently, David had compassion for Mephibosheth's disability and directed his servants to tend a garden for him. I wonder if David realized that helping one person meant feeding 36+ people (v. 10)?
    David's compassion should also make us think of Jesus' compassion for people - something we should also do. (DRM 5/12/15)

9:7    And David said to him [Mephibosheth], "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly."        

    [re: 9:7 a,b] This is one of the few chapters (so far) that David did not kill someone. This showed me that David did have a heart and some compassion! (DRM 7/7/88)

    King David was firmly established and had defeated many of his enemies, when he felt that he should show kindness to whoever was left in Saul's family. Traditionally the enemies are killed, but David chose to love his traditional enemy. Mephibosheth was crippled, and David still provided for him. I should care more about people who need help. (DRM 11/1/04)

10:17b, 18a    The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him ¹⁸But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and (40,000) of their foot soldiers. 

    David was a true fighter for Israel at this time. God was on his side and he was successful in his battles! (DRM 7/8/88)

11:4    And David sent messages and took her [Bathsheba], and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.

    This was David's greatest sin. He was the King and saw something pleasing and took it for himself. He had no restraint. What stops me from doing the same? The Holy Spirit convicts me when I do wrong in God's eyes. May He [the Holy Spirit] continue to do so. (DRM 6/3/01)

    By this time David the King could have anything he wanted. It was spring, and she was beautiful. Who would know? Sometimes physical desires seem involuntary - especially in spring! But God knows everything. David, His chosen servant would have to be corrected — just like I have to be corrected when I do wrong [sin]. Lord, please convict me before I sin against You. (DRM 11/2/04)

11:8    Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him.

    David knew Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, was pregnant and wanted Uriah to be seen as the father after the fact. Uriah was more dedicated to fighting a war battle at the time and wanted to please King David in that respect. Truly David was trying to cover up one sin by creating another. We all need wisdom to avoid the first sin - with God's help. (DRM 11/2/10)

11:13    Now David called him [Uriah, Bathsheba's husband], and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening h went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house. 

    David was still in the sin made and knew that Uriah was Bathsheba's husband. David intended for Uriah to get drunk, then go home and maybe think that he [Uriah] was the father of Bathsheba's baby. But Uriah didn't go home. (DRM 6/4/01)

11:15    And he [David] had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fieriest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die."

    David wanted Bathsheba as one of his wives! He even went so far as to have her husband killed intentionally. I would think he would have known that he was sinning against God. Lord, don't let me fail you - in ANY way. (DRM 6/5/01)

    In the Ten Commandments, #6 is "you shall not murder." As a person devoted to God, David should have known this - and he even wrote down his intentions! While Christians depend on Christ for their salvation, we still have basic rules that we try to keep, including the Ten Commandments. Only with God's help, I will do my best to be pleasing to Him. (DRM 11/3/04)

11:25    Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab, 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it'; and so encourage him."

    David had no remorse for sending Uriah to the front of the battle to have him killed. When he (David) was told of the death, he was probably secretly happy that he could marry Bathsheba.
    Do I (we) have secret plans that could harm someone else? I can't think of any. (DRM 11/3/10)

11:27    After the time of mourning (for Uriah) was over, David had her (Uriah's wife) brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. 

    David, in this chapter, had Uriah killed in battle. The reason seems to be that David planned on marrying Uriah's wife and had him killed for that reason. Certainly David broke One or more Commandments here. (DRM 7/9/88)

12:7    Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!" This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I . . . '

    David had sinned against the Lord and never realized it. Thankfully, Nathan came and made David aware of his sins. I pray that someone will do that for me. (DRM 3/30/88)

12:9    Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.

    Nathan came to David to give him an illustration, then convict him of his sins with the above statement. David could not dismiss it. "Somehow" Nathan knew what had happened. There are NO secrets from God. He knows all and we will know our sin. (DRM 6/6/01)

12:10    'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

    David's sin had to have consequences. Nathan the prophet of the Lord was the messenger who told him God's intentions. From then on, David never knew peace in the Kingdom or in his personal life. I think the point in this is to teach us the same. When I sin against the Lord, I should expect some kind of reaction, but God=Jesus is also compassionate and will forgive my sin - if I only admit it, and ask Him to. (DRM 11/4/04)

12:11    "Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.

    God has vengeance, too. When we have sin and don't confess it, God is not pleased. First He will generally tell us of the sin in some way, then if it is still unconfessed, something may happen that won't please us. What we thought was private - won't be. (DRM 6/7/01)

12:12    . . . Indeed you [David] did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.' "

    David had sinned against the Lord by having Uriah killed and taking his wife, Bathsheba, to be his own.
    In this verse, the Lord sent Nathan to tell David His plans. David had secretly killed Uriah, but future events would be known by all (including us). While all the Lord did are in later verses, the first child of David's marriage to Bathsheba died.
    There is no hiding from God. No secrets. If I (we) sin, we are to repent/confess it to Him and ask for forgiveness. (DRM 1/7/12)

12:13    Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. "

    No matter how much a person has sinned, even committed murder, if he confesses the sin to the LORD, his sin will be forgiven. Praise the Lord! That doesn't mean I should intentionally sin, but I know that He will forgive me, so long as I confess the sin. (DRM 6/8/01)

12:14    ". . . However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die."

    There is no such thing as a secret from the Lord. God told Nathan the prophet what had happened and Nathan was to give King David the message. I can't imagine that David didn't know his sin, but, to his credit, he was willing to change his ways after being "discovered."
    David has to pay the price - the loss of the child.
    This is a reminder that God knows everything and our decisions make a big difference to Him. (DRM 11/4/10)

12:18    Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. . . 

    God makes all things new. The child David had from the sin that he committed; died. Since David had confessed his sin, he had another child soon after, from his wife Bathsheba, and this child's name was Solomon. (DRM 6/9/01)

12:22, 23    And he (David) said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' ²³"But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

    God is in control of all things. Like David, I can plead to God for His mercy and repent of my sins to Him, but He makes the final determination. As a believer, I know He can hear my prayers, but He also knows the future an dhow I will learn from the experience. Quite often something better comes from the initial disappointment of not getting "my way." God's decision is always best. (DRM 11/5/04)

12:31    He also brought out the people who were in it, and set them under saws, sharp iron instruments, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brick kiln. And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

    I could be misinterpreting this verse, but it seems that David had his enemies in Rabbah (v. 29) killed by 'sharp iron instruments" or burned to death in a kiln. Since God did not want relationships between Jews and non-Jews, this could have been the case.
    Who knows? Hitler could have gotten his idea from this verse? I would prefer to let God=Jesus take care of any enemies I have. (DRM 11/5/10)

13:14    But he refused to listen to her, and since he (Amnon, son of David) was stronger than she, he raped her. 

    Why people have to hurt, rape and molest others boggles the mind. Certainly God's Spirit is not in them, unless (in David's case) God had previously asked them to do it. (DRM 7/10/88)

13:22    But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.

    Later in this passage Absalom, David's son, had his brother Amnon murdered. Absalom was unwilling to talk to, reason with, or forgive his brother to correct his error. If no one reasons with the offender - then how can his attitude be changed? God wants us to help other people and change their thoughts in a direction that more follows His plan. (DRM 8/28/11)

14:14    Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him. 

    The king seemed to have a double standard here. He just told a woman, "As surely as the Lord lives" (v.11c) her son would not die, but he (the king) had banished his own son previous to this. (DRM 7/11/88)

15:25    Then the king (David) said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again.

    An uprising against David had begun and David was fleeing. This verse seemed to me to be a way for David to find out if the Lord was still watching over him, as He did in the past. (DRM 7/12/88)

16:7    As he cursed, Shimei said (to David), "Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel!"

    David was fleeing Jerusalem and "met" this man in a village. I can see exactly how Shimei felt, as I have read this book and even David spared his life. (DRM 7/13/88)

17:21    After the men had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David.

    This chapter has a lot of "intrigue." Absalom was trying to find David and David's informers kept David posted. I remember my "double-agent" work and also the danger of many years ago. (DRM 7/14/88)

18:9    Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's head got caught in the tree. . .

    Absalom did not die in this tree. Later Joab killed him with his armor-bearers. Absalom was David's son whom he loved. God had other plans, though! (DRM 7/15/88)

19:28    All my grandfather's descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who sat at your table. So what right. . . "

    The king referred to here is king David. This verse reminded me of verses in the New Testament where Jesus Christ (our King) died on the cross although he did not deserve the punishment. He gave us all a place in heaven if we will only sit at His table and trust in Him as our King. (DRM 12/10/87)

20:22    Then the woman went to all the people (in her city) with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba and threw it to Joab . . .

    This certainly shows a woman that was not stupid! She succeeded in the saving of her city from destruction and had the enemy killed as part of the deal. (DRM 7/16/88)

21:14    They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that God answered prayer in behalf of the land. 

    David was back in fellowship with God - for one reason - He did God's will for his life. How simple! If we know God's will, He will honor us also! (DRM 7/18/88)

22:18, 19    "He delivered me from my strong enemy,
                   From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me."
               ¹⁹"They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
                   But the LORD was my support."

    We have various types of enemies. There are the spiritual enemies, the demons, who want to stop us from any increased knowledge about Jesus. Another example is a "friend" who will try to criticize our faith - really for the same purpose - to stop our spiritual growth.
    The title on this chapter is "David's Psalm of Deliverance," even though it's not with the book called Psalms.
    David knew he could call on the LORD=God and He would hear his prayers - and act on them if it is His will. With faith, we also can call on the Lord - and have assurance that He also hears our prayers. (DRM 7/29/17)

22:29    You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. 

    This verse is similar to John 8:12. "I am the light for the world!" referring to Jesus. If God is light and Jesus is light, then this is another proof that they are the same. (DRM 7/19/88)

22:31    "As for God, His way is blameless;
               The word of the LORD is tested;
               He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

    As Christians, we need wisdom and discernment on the interpretation of God's word - the Bible. I have listened to many sermons that express views that are different from my understanding from what I've read.
    My belief is based on what I've read in the Bible, not commentaries of what man thinks. God's way is blameless.
    God=Jesus understands the challenges of interpretation and has the solution right here - take refuge in Him; and He will shield/protect us. (DRM 4/25/16)

23:3, 4    "The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God,
                ⁴Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the tender grass springs out of the earth, Through sunshine after rain."

    This is part of David's "last song" before he died. I think he wanted others to know that the Lord God is supreme Ruler, and wants future kings to rule with the fear of God in their hearts. While I am not anything like a king, I should also live in the same way - He IS the supreme ruler. (DRM 11/6/04)

23:6, 7    "But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,
               Because they cannot be taken in hand;
              ⁷But the man who touches them
               Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
               And they will be completely burned with fire in their place."

    This is the end of David's "last song." I would have a hard time singing it. Still, I believe that it is another prophecy of the future. The worthless unbelievers will be like thorns and burned in fire. This could refer to the fire of Hell, or the final war - as he wrote "in their place."
    My goal is to keep away from the heat. I hope that you have the same goal. (DRM 11/6/10)

24:15    So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 

    David again sinned against the Lord and was punished in this way. Later David asked to be punished personally and David gave sacrifices  and the Lord accepted. (DRM 7/20/88)