Daily reading assignment: 2 Samuel 1-4
As we open our Bibles to 2 Samuel, we find David and Israel entering a new era. King Saul and his son Jonathan have been slain in battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 31).
An Amalekite soldier fabricated a claim that he had slain Saul in an act of mercy to spare him the indignity of falling into the hands of the Philistines (2 Samuel 1:1-10). The truth was, Saul had fallen upon his own sword (1 Samuel 31:4).
Rather than rejoicing in the death of Saul, David mourned his death and ordered the man who claimed to have slain him put to death (1:11-16). Three times David lamented the deaths of King Saul and his sons (1:19, 25, 27).
The closing verses of 2 Samuel 1 express in poetic tones the grievous loss of Jonathan, David’s confidant and friend (1:25-27).
Some have tried to paint David’s lament for the death of his friend as a twisted validation of sodomy…it is not! Not only is sodomy condemned in God’s Law (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Deuteronomy 23:17; Romans 1:26-27); it would never be rendered in a song for the people to sing. David’s love for Jonathan was one of mutual trust; such a friend is rare indeed!
David has waited more than a decade to be king. With Saul dead, David turned to the LORD for wisdom, asking, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” (2:1). With the LORD’s blessing, David went up to Hebron and was crowned king by the men of the tribe of Judah (2:2-4).
David immediately faced opposition from Abner, Saul’s nephew who moved to make Ishbosheth, a surviving son of Saul, king (2:9-10). Abner’s opposition to David, coupled with Ishbosheth’s weak character, plunged the nation into a civil war (2:10-11) that would last over 7 years.
2 Samuel 3 – Three Principles for Leadership Succession
In spite of opposition, God blessed David and he “waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker” (3:1). Three principles are evident in David’s patience in the midst of conflict.
The first: Time is always on the side of the righteous. The prophet Isaiah assured God’s people:
Isaiah 54:17 – “No weapon that is formed [fashioned; made] against thee shall prosper [succeed]; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn [show to be in the wrong]. This [triumph of righteousness] is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [vindication; victory; success] is of me, saith the LORD.”
The second: Truth will triumph! Men like Abner and Ishbosheth play the fool and are doomed when they oppose the will of the LORD.
The third: The lust for power, position, and influence is self-destructive in politics, business, and ministry.
It seems to me that three manner of men rise to power and position in our world: the weak who, like Ishbosheth have connections; the strong who, like Abner are driven by greed and manipulate others to promote themselves; the third, God’s anointed who, like David are called, equipped, and dependent on God for promotion.
I have found churches, Bible colleges, and other religious institutions tend to fall prey to the same fallacies for a succession of leadership.
Some believe bloodlines (family) and relationships (friendships, peers, colleagues) will somehow assure success.
Churches, pulpit committees, and boards of institutions look for flashy, well-spoken, charismatic leaders and learn too late they chose the proverbial “flash in the pan” and failed to choose God’s anointed.
Copyright 2020 – Travis D. Smith