2 Samuel Week 3

August 11, 2026

All Scripture are in NIV format unless otherwise noted.

2 Samuel – Week 3

2 Samuel 3:28-30

“28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.” 30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)”

David finds out about this senseless murder of Abner, and he knows that it is Joab who did this, and I am sure he brought Joab in and found out why he did this. David quickly let’s everybody know that he, and the nation of Israel, are not guilty of the shedding of the innocent blood of Abner. He is also clear, let the guilt and consequences fall on Joab. David then calls down a curse on Joab, he declares that the house, the family, of Joab, will have illness, poverty, die in battle, or some other means of suffering forever. This is a powerful statement. When we read this and meditate on it, it should cause us to remember a few things:

A)   Our decisions affect our lives and the people in our lives. This affected not just Joab, but it affected his whole family as well.

B)   Our decisions will always have consequences. Those consequences are not just ours, but they are put on others also.

C)   Our bad decisions will always produce consequences of suffering while our good decisions will always produce consequences of blessing.

Honestly, Joab should have left the consequences of Abner’s decision to kill Asahel in God’s hands, that is what Scripture told him to do, and yet, he took matters into his own hands. Look how it ended up.

Deuteronomy 32:35

“35 It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

Romans 12:19

“19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”

God is so clear He put it in both the New and Old Testament.

2 Samuel 3:31-34

“31 Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also. 33 The king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner have died as the lawless die? 34 Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. You fell as one falls before the wicked.And all the people wept over him again.”

Look what David tells Joab specifically, and the nation of Israel, to tear their clothes and put on sackcloth, to mourn the loss of Abner.  He declares that Abner was killed in innocence, there was no shackles because he broke no laws. In the procession, King David himself walked behind the bier. This was out of sorts, kings did not usually participate in funeral processions, it was unsafe. David not only participates in the procession, he wept allowed. You may ask, why did David weep so loud for a man he really did not know about? I go back to the fact that David loved the people. David was also a man of justice, and as we see here, even David declares that Abner died a lawless death.   After the mourning, king David sang a lament for Abner, in this lament David clearly mourns the fact that one of his people killed an innocent man and this death was wrong. At the end of it, with David in his emotions, the nation of Israel followed with weeping and grief.

2 Samuel 3:35

“35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

In his mourning, as was customary, David fasted. The people came to David and urged him to eat, but he swore that until his mourning was over at the end of the day, he would not put food in his body. David even said that he was so bent on it, that if he did not see it through, that he wanted God to pass a punishment on him. That is a firm stand.

2 Samuel 3:36-37

“36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.”

The people took note of how David carried himself through this whole killing of Abner event. The people took note and determined David’s innocence. Remember, David being king is all new, if he had anything to do with the death of Abner, it could have affected those who were following him. A lot of other Israelites, outside of Judah, were led by Abner, so this could have gone south, but the pure heart David had, it was revealed to the people and they were pleased.

2 Samuel 3:38-39

“38 Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

David defends Abner yet again and speaks highly of him stating that Israel did not just lose an innocent man, Israel lost commander and great man, talking of his character. Man, this shows the character of a leader who is a man after God’s own heart. Nothing bad to say, just edification and feeling the pain of the loss for himself and his people, that is a man connected to God for sure!

He then declares, even though you have all made me king, I am weak because of these sons of Zeruiah. Remember, Zeruiah is the half-brother of David, so he is talking about his nephews Joab and Abishai.  These men were wild, as we talked about before, they did what they wanted. You may ask why did David not hold Joab and Abishai accountable? Listen, even though David has just been appointed king, he still has not built his power within the people. Because of that, Joab and Abishai were too powerful still politically and militarily at this point. So, David had to leave the consequences up to the Lord as we saw when David spoke the curse over the house of Joab. David closes with that, let the Lord deal with the evildoer, the one who committed this horrible evil!

2 Samuel 4:1-3

“1 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.”

Lost Courage – Hebrew is “VAY-YIR-PU YA-DAYV” which means his hands became feeble. Ish-Bosheth loses courage here because he lost his military commander who had power and influence and he protected the king, all of that was now gone. Not only did it impact Ish-Bosheth, it affected all of Israel, as the people saw how their military strength was collapsing.

Raiding Band – Hebrew word is “GEDUD” which means troops or military parties. These were military groups that would do quick attacks to attain supplies or fight small battles. We do see here two leaders in the army of Ish-Bosheth, Bannah and Rekab, who were from the tribe of Benjamin. The problem is though that these two men are also going to turn on their king and do something that was not uncommon in Scripture, and we will get to it in a few verses, but they will murder their king.

It also notes that the original people of Beeroth had already fled Gittaim and lived there as foreigners. You see, Beeroth was originally a Gibeonite city that made a peace treaty with Joshua. However, it was non-Israelite in origin, and those people were grouped in with the Benjamite’s. The people fled from there because of the military threats that were set out by king Saul’s unlawful violence.

2 Samuel 4:4

“4 (Jonathan, son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

We see here the introduction of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, who had become crippled in both feet after the death of King Saul and his father.

2 Samuel 4:5-6

“5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. 6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.”

We now see Rekab and Bannah show up, the two men who led the raiding bands, as described in verse 2. They purposefully head towards the house of Ish-Bosheth and in the middle of the day, in broad daylight when the king was taking his noonday rest, they go into the house, posing like they are going to get some wheat. Remember here, these men led military parties for the king, so they had access to these areas, but instead of getting wheat, they go into the place where the king was resting, and they thrusted a weapon into his stomach and he died. It says they then slipped away. This once again shows the importance of having a strong military, and strong people, in place to protect you. These people were not only able to get to the king, but they were able to walk out without anybody knowing what happened. Without good military protection, which Abner provided, this is what can happen.

2 Samuel 4:7-8

“7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

We see here how they not only went into his room and killed the king on his bed; they cut off his head. We talked about this before, when people would cut off the head of their victim, it was to brag and show off what they had done. Sometimes this plays out well for them, sometimes it is not so good. They then take the head to David and let David know that they brought him the head of his enemy, the other king. They also said something David had been told before; the Lord has delivered your enemy into your hands. Let’s remember what happened when David heard these words before, even the Amalekite that brought that news that he had killed King Saul. That did not work out well for them, David was a just and righteous man.

2 Samuel 4:9-10

“9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!”

David responds and tells them, look, a man came and delivered me the news that Saul was dead, and then he explained that he had killed Saul, well, finished him off after he fell on his own sword, and he says, I had him put to death, that was his reward. You have to wonder what these two guys are thinking at this point, but you know, they have to be thinking, this is not going to turn out good for us.

2 Samuel 4:11-12

“11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!” 12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.”

David then just does not point out what he is going to do to them, he explains why. You went into the house of an innocent man, you killed him in his own bed and cut off his head. David then says something they probably were not expecting, he says should I not demand from you that his blood be on your head and take you guys out? As they are listening to David say these things, you have to think they have to know what is coming, I do. David then gives the order for these men to be killed. After they are killed, they cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies up for everybody to see, and we know, there are reasons for all of this:

1)    They cut off their hands because their hands were used to commit the murder of the innocent king.

2)    The feet were cut off because their feet swiftly carried them to do the crime they had planned in their heart.

3)    Their bodies were hung out for all to see letting people know, if you even consider committing a crime like this on anybody, this will be the consequence you will suffer.

I thought about that, cutting off the hands and feet, that could not have been easy, the wrist would have been easier to cut through, but the ankles, that had to be really difficult, man, what a horrific task to be carried out. David then does what is super respectful, they take the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb, the same Abner that was his general and was killed in Hebron in David’s house.

2 Samuel 5:1-2

“1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.”

The 12 tribes of Israel come to David, and they tell David that they know he is flesh and blood, a fellow Israelite. That he belongs to the same nation and tribes as all those approaching him. They even reaffirm what we have talked about, even when Saul was king, it was David that brought the military victories, and they all saw it. They then let David that they know that they heard the report of the prophecy given that David would one day rule over all of Israel.

2 Samuel 5:3-5

“3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.”

We see that David makes a covenant with the 12 tribes of Israel, all of Israel, and they make David king. Finally, we see David become king over all Israel. We see here that it was approximately 15 years that David had to wait to be king over Israel. What a message here, just because God speaks and reveals, it does not mean it always happens right away, we see that here with David.

God prepared David for over 15 years. He taught David how to serve and protect, which he did with King Saul. He taught David how to lead people, which he did through the military. He taught David to listen to his people. God also taught David how to be compassionate, understanding, and loving towards his people. There were just so many things, and in all of it, David was shown by God His faithfulness. God was faithful in bringing it all to fruition, David ended up ruling over Judah for 40 years, the 7-1/2 years of Judah alone and the 33 years over Judah and Israel together. Those numbers add up to a 40-year reign.

2 Samuel 5:6-7

“6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.”

To understand further, the Jebusites were the original inhabitants of this area long before David unified Israel. The Jebusites had been there for hundreds of years beforehand. So, when you look at this city, the walls were very strong, and it was surrounded by steep hills which caused the Jebusites to believe David could not even get into the city. They were so sure that they told David that the blind and lame could hold them off. That my friends is a huge insult, they obviously do not know the God that David serves. We see here that David ends up with victory due to God giving them favor. It has to take us back that whatever seems impossible for us is never impossible with God, David had that faith, that is why he continued with the attack.

2 Samuel 5:8

“8 On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”

David kind of throws back in their faces, the mocking of the Jebusites if you will, what they said to him. David is referring to the water shaft here, and it is important because of the way the city was structured, they could not just go up and over the walls, so David searched for, and found, an underground shaft that enabled his armies to get into the city without the defenders knowing it. This is why they were able to overtake the city so easily. David then expresses that the lame and blind will not enter the palace meaning the Jebusites were not welcome, not after mocking David and his army. We have to make sure there is no ruling or injustice on David here directed to the blind or the lame, David is just throwing the words used by the Jebusites back in their faces.

2 Samuel 5:9-10

“9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.”

David then takes up residence in this city after he changes the name of the city to the City of David. He then started building the city up from the terraces inward to make it stronger and more difficult for enemies to come and try to take it over. We see that David becomes more and more power, and why? Because God was with him in all that he did. We will see this continue to happen in the life of David.

2 Samuel 5:11-12

“11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.”

We can pull a few things out of this; we see a political validation from the King of Tyre. The king is recognizing that Israel is unified under King David and that they are a legitimate power rising up. We also see a pact being made between David and Tyre, who is obviously wealthy, and they showed it by sending David cedar logs, but not just materials, men to help carry out the work that needed to be done. When David saw all of this happening, he realized that God was truly establishing him as king over Israel, yes, but that he had power elsewhere as well. This is diplomacy at its best.

2 Samuel 5:13-16

“13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.”

We see David is growing his family, he takes on more wives and concubines. Concubines were considered second wives if you will, they had lower social and legal status than the primary wives. Not sure how women would feel about this today, but this is the fact, look at Solomon, he had 1000 of them. The king was still responsible for taking care of them though.

We see the names of the kids here that were added. I am not going to go through their names like we did the other kids, but he had a lot more kids than the first six that we talked about.