Year 1, Week 40, Day 1 Bible Reading Observations

Year 1, Week 40, Day 1

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of 2 Samuel 20-21.

Today’s reading marks the continued troubles that afflict David and Israel. Absalom is out of the picture, but new troubles emerge. 2 Samuel 20 opens with the rebellious efforts of Sheba, “a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!” (2 Samuel 20:1-2). But as David orders his military to put down the new rebellion, he bypasses Joab and installs Amasa as a new military commander, and Abishai (who is Joab’s brother) as something of the next commander, when Amasa is slow in getting started. However, Joab shows up and kills Amasa before he realizes what Joab is up to. Joab and Abishai then proceed to put down the rebellion as they track him down to the city of Abel of Beth-maacah. The people of the city exchange Sheba for their own safety. 2 Samuel 21 opens with David’s granting of the Gibeonites to avenge the house of Saul for his butchery against the Gibeonites. David hands over to the Gibeonites seven members of Saul’s house to avenge the wrong done to them. 2 Samuel 21 concludes with a report that the aging king David no longer has the ability to engage in battle. Thus, David is told: “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel” (2 Samuel 21:17b).

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading was the recurring mention of victory, in the battle report: “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?—the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless…He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze” (Psalm 18:31-34). There is a cadence to the battle report: “there was war again” (2 Samuel 21:15,18,19,20). What makes the victory more intriguing was the recurring mention of the victory being over “the descendants of the giants” (2 Samuel 21:16,18,20,22), but also over the “philistines” (2 Samuel 21:15,17,18,19). While the report is brief and just a summary, the emphasis is upon the role that David’s men played. When Ishbi-benob attacked David, Abishai was there: “But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him” (2 Samuel 21:17). Other men of David were also specifically named: “Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants” (2 Samuel 21:18); and: “Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite” (2 Samuel 21:19) [by the way, 1 Chronicles 20:5 states that Elhanan killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath]; and: “there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down” (2 Samuel 21:20-21). The report concludes: “These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants” (2 Samuel 21:22). While it was his servants who did the actual killing, David is given credit for the killings as they were his men. It was said of David, as he was being placed as king over all of Israel: “Now then bring it about, for the LORD has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies” (2 Samuel 3:18).

The unnamed giant with six fingers on each foot and six toes on each hand was said to have: “taunted Israel”. This is the same thing said of Goliath: “And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:25-26). When will the giants learn not to trash talk the LORD and his people? From the moment that David came on the scene, we see that the LORD used him mightily—for the good of His people and the defeat of their enemies. We were introduced to David on the battlefield as he was raised up to slay Goliath. Now, this last battle report concerning David, we still see him victorious on the battlefield, albeit through his men. But behind David’s early and latter victories is the LORD who kept His promise to raise up a king to save His people. Neither the aging of David nor the fierceness of giants with twenty-for digits cannot change either certainty or the durability of God’s promises.

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe