1 & 2 Samuel – Page 3

2 Samuel 21:15-22 – Battling Our Giants

These battles with the Philistines are likely to have happened at various times during David’s reign. Where they fall in the scheme of things doesn’t seem to be important. What then does killing giants have to do with the story?

This collection of stories is known by scholars to be a “list” of importance. Each account identifies itself as “another battle.” The common theme is the destruction of a descendent of the giants. It’s like they did a big sort of the stories and gathered these four into one group.

2 Samuel 21:1-14 – Pleasing God

Read 2 Samuel 21:1-14

Little girl looking up smiling with golden stars illuminated behind her

Are we like David seeking to please God? The famine is not pleasant, and it is good to see David seeking God’s counsel in the midst of it. Imagine how surprised David was when he heard God’s explanation. “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites.”

We are not told when this famine takes place other than it’s during David’s reign. We have just entered the final chapters of 2 Samuel that begin with this narrative. However, it’s a random story, and where it fits into the scheme of David’s reign is not clear. We’ll need to read 1 Kings 1 to take up where our last chapter left us.

2 Samuel 20:14-26 – The Wise One

Read 2 Samuel 20:14-26

black and white pic of two children walking down the street, one with their arm around the other

The wise woman saved a town and gave King David’s leaders what they wanted. Sounds like a win-win, except for Sheba. Funny that I pictured her to be an old woman, hunched over with a shawl. Our reading doesn’t say anything about her age! Hmm. Curious.

I guess I usually equate wisdom with age. After all, I feel a lot smarter than I did when I was younger. Life lessons, plenty of mistakes and wrong directions, including smart course corrections. But then I also think that my granddaughter is “wise beyond her years!”

2 Samuel 20:3-13 – Jealousy?

Read 2 Samuel 20:3-13

Picture of a heart with 3 people pictured inside, 2 apparently in love, and a 3rd feeling left out

You can’t read this account and not wonder why Joab is still free to kill whoever gets in his way. You’ll recall that David replaced Joab with Amasa. What fuels Joab’s anger? Is it jealousy?

In this case, it certainly could be. Amasa had taken his place beside the king. But Amasa was his cousin! Shouldn’t Joab have showed some mercy? Amasa was even on a different mission than Joab. This isn’t the first time Joab acted with such ruthlessness that a life was lost.

2 Samuel 19:41-20:2 – There’s One In Every Crowd!

Read 2 Samuel 19:41-20:2

How fickle the men of Israel were in this passage! One minute they’re having a discussion with the men of Judah about fairness. The men of Israel were feeling like they had been left out or minimalized, and then abruptly turned in the opposite direction, against David.

There’s a _____ in every crowd. You fill in the blank! In this account, it turns out to be a troublemaker. Every good story has a villain. Even fairy tales often have a frightening side. Today our troublemaker is Sheba.