2 Samuel 2
by Pastor David Groendyk

After years of fleeing from Saul and living as a refugee, David finally has peace and can begin his reign as king. However, his rise to the throne comes with an immediate challenge. The next few chapters detail for us the power struggle between King David and Saul’s son and how David’s throne over all of Israel is firmly established.

Verses 1–4a demonstrate more of David’s godly character which we’ve already begun to see in the previous book. Imagine being David—anointed, promised the kingship, and then going on the run for many, many years. If we were in his shoes and we had heard that Saul finally died, we might rush to take the throne that rightfully belongs to us. David, however, even now, inquires of the Lord as to what he should do. He doesn’t rush into what he thinks is right but diligently waits for a word from the Lord. What a contrast from Saul whose tragic impatient, unlawful sacrifice doomed him very early on in his reign (1 Sam. 13). As the saying goes, “Delay of promise is not denial of promise.” Just because we have to wait patiently for a long time doesn’t mean the promise isn’t coming. Through many trials, anxieties, persecutions, and fears, the Lord has brought David right up to this point where he can taste the crown, but David still seeks a word from the Lord before moving forward. And the Lord continues to prove himself trustworthy and reliable to his servant who does so.

Verses 8–11 introduce us to Ish-bosheth, another one of Saul’s sons, whom Abner sets up as king to oppose David. Abner is still loyal to the house of Saul, and the conflict between the house of Saul and the house of David continues even after Saul’s death. While David loyally submitted to Saul for many years because he was the Lord’s anointed, that same deference doesn’t apply to Saul’s son Ish-bosheth. In 4:11, David will call Ish-bosheth a righteous man, and yet he is not the Lord’s anointed. Abner and Ish-bosheth are setting up a false kingdom to compete with God’s. Even still the house of Saul hates that David is the rightful king, and it leads to war. David and Joab wipe the floor with Ish-bosheth and Abner (vv. 30–31), but David loses one of his mightiest and fastest men in the battle (v. 23).

The main point here is that David is still snuffing out all the enemies who oppose him. He is God’s chosen king, and no one will be able to take away his reign and rule apart from God himself. But another secondary point comes from verses 26–28. How sad it is when we have to resort to violence. Michael Barrett points out that David’s kingdom could have been established without any bloodshed, but instead men’s sinful desires became their own top priorities and led to the deaths of many brothers and fellow countrymen. If only everyone in Israel were as zealous and consistent about seeking the will of the Lord as David himself was. How can we ourselves be sometimes foolish in pursuing our own desires rather than seeking the will of the Lord? What should these lessons from David and Abner teach us about reading and discerning the Word of God and seeking God’s face in prayer?