Daily Devotions

2 Samuel 4-5 - David takes control In Chapter 4 the assassination of Abner could have caused a permanent breach between the northern kingdom and Judah, preventing David from becoming king of all Israel. However, the opposite happened: the death of Abner weakened a weak king and a weak kingdom still further. The weak king was assassinated and the kingdom collapsed. David had to protect himself from rumours that he had given orders for the murder. He did so by executing the murderers and speaking well of Ish–Bosheth. The assassinations had in fact cleared the way for David to become king of all Israel.  The biblical writer knew that God overruled even in wicked human deeds, but it is easy to see why some Israelites believed that David himself had ‘overruled’ and paid men to assassinate all his rivals.  Chapter 5 then records three of David’s most important achievements. First, he unified the nation, and all the Israelite tribes acknowledged him as king. Secondly, he captured ...

2 Samuel 3 - Abner changes sides The civil war continued and it is clear from v 6 that Abner was an ambitious man. He was powerful enough in Ish–Bosheth’s kingdom, but by now the real power in Israel lay in David’s hands, as Abner perceived. We may suspect that he deliberately planned the quarrel with Ish–Bosheth, in order to have a good excuse for abandoning him. It is not actually recorded that he did have sexual relations with Saul’s former concubine, but he did not deny the accusation. Such an act would amount to a claim to Saul’s throne, and it is not surprising that Ish–Bosheth protested and a quarrel resulted. Abner now felt free to send messengers to David, offering to help make him king of all Israel. His question "Whose land is it?" was intended to inform David that he, Abner, not Ish–Bosheth, was the most influential man with the northern tribes. This was no doubt true, but if both Abner and Ish–Bosheth had lived for some years after this, it is quite likely tha...

2 Samuel 2 - David becomes king in Judah. Everyone loves a royal coronation and so finally David is made king.  Saul’s death meant that David was now free to move out of Philistine territory and back to his native Judah. Two things might have obstructed this move. If Saul had left a strong successor, equally hostile to David, it would not have been possible. If the Philistines had objected to the move, it would have been very difficult. So it is not surprising that David enquired of the LORD about it - in other words, he asked Abiathar to consult the sacred oracle. Neither the biblical writer nor the reader finds it surprising that David was now made king (although over only one tribe, Judah). God’s will had been clearly revealed, as early as 1 Sa. 16. However, from a purely political standpoint, the decision of the men of Judah could not have been predicted. The death of Saul and the overwhelming Philistine victory at Gilboa must have created political chaos throughout Israel, ...

2 Samuel 1 - A new era The death of Saul opened the way for David to fulfil his destiny to become king of Israel. The biblical writer has in 1 Samuel unambiguously pointed the way forward to this conclusion. However, there were still two major obstacles in David’s way: from a human standpoint, indeed, there was no certainty that David would become king of all Israel. The first obstacle was the fact that one of Saul’s sons, Ish–Bosheth, had not been killed in the battle of Gilboa, and he was soon recognised as king by most of the tribes. David became king in Judah, and civil war resulted.  The other obstacle was the Philistines who were determined to keep Israel weak and in subjection to them. The Philistines, however, made a tactical error. They took no action to prevent David becoming king in Judah, presumably because they wished to encourage civil war among the Israelites, thinking it would divide and weaken Israel. Nor, apparently, did they attack Ish–Bosheth, for the same ...

1 Samuel 31 - The king is dead, long live the king The much anticipated battle finally begins and the Philistines immediately get the upper hand: the men of Israel flee before them. The last time Israel fled before the Philistines was in 1 Samuel 4, with the disastrous result that Israel’s leader, Eli, and his sons died. It was this disaster that made Israel ask for a king “like all the nations” in the first place. But now that they have one, what difference has it made? None. Once again, the Philistines defeat Israel, and its failed leader and his sons die. History is repeating itself, despite Israel now having the king it asked for. But this should not surprise us, given Samuel’s prediction. Saul has rejected God, and so God has rejected Saul. With a situation like that, this battle was only ever going to end in one way. Saul knows his end has come and asks his armour-bearer to kill him. The episode bears remarkable similarities to the death of Abimelech in the book of Judges. In t...

1 Samuel 30 - David defeats the Amalekites The narrative follows David southwards, back to his headquarters at Ziklag, and leaves the story of the battle of Gilboa until ch. 31. Part of the writer’s purpose in giving so much detail is to emphasise that David and his men were many miles away from the Philistine army when the battle took place. We can readily imagine that David’s enemies later spread the false rumour that David and his men had helped the Philistines to defeat Saul’s army. On the contrary, this chapter shows David attacking Israel’s enemies the Amalekites while the battle between Saul and the Philistines was taking place. Another important aspect of this story is that the enemy is Amalek. Saul’s failure to eliminate this people, who had been such a longstanding threat to Israel, has been recorded in ch. 15. It was the cause of Yahweh’s rejection of Saul. Now in ch. 30, David is described as doing what Saul ought to have done. Not only had God intervened to prevent Dav...

1 Samuel 29 - Deliverance We have seen in chapter 28 how helpless Saul was, and that his situation was hopeless. Here in chapter 29, in a different way, David seemed equally helpless, at the mercy of Philistine decisions. His group of men was too small to fight the Philistines, and he dared not disobey orders.  The only hope he could see was to continue to deceive Achish. It is difficult to guess what David would have done if Achish had persuaded the other Philistine rulers of David’s loyalty and reliability. However, the other Philistine kings overruled Achish. They could clearly see the danger that David’s army might change sides during the battle, which could then have caused a defeat for the Philistines. They also remembered David’s reputation as a soldier, which the Israelite women had commemorated in song. The author does not say so, but he leaves the reader to come to the conclusion that it was really God who overruled Achish and rescued David from an impossible situation....

1 Samuel 28 - The Witch of Endor Saul’s nighttime séance with the witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28 is regarded as the low point in his tragic kingship of Israel. In this chapter, the Israelite king has reached the bottom of the moral and theological abyss in resorting to occult practices in Israel that he himself has forbidden with the death penalty, in a desperate bid to find out what will happen in an imminent battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. It is a critical turning point in Israel’s history. The end of the first dynasty is at hand, and the tall ruler will fall as Saul, whose name means “the asked for one,” asks about the future from the place of the dead—Sheol. This word means “the asking place,” perhaps because death is always asking for more. The irony is that the asking place will soon have its request (“the asked for one”) fulfilled. Saul and Sheol are inseparably linked. This chapter raises all kinds of theological questions. Did the witch have the ability to bring ...

1 Samuel 27 - Living with the enemy The events in chapters 27-30 were to be the most difficult period of David’s career. Unable to stay in Israelite territory, he was forced to take refuge with one of the Philistine kings. David led a small army, and it is obvious that the Philistines would not welcome Israelite soldiers unless they could be trusted to fight against their fellow–Israelites. David’s men had the initial advantage that Saul, the king of Israel, was undoubtedly their enemy. David had to persuade the Philistines that he and his men were and would remain the enemy of both Saul and Israel as a whole. Yet of course, David had no wish to attack Israelites, and he would never have become king of Israel if he had ever done so. So he faced a very difficult task, in addition to the problem of feeding and financing his army. Yet he succeeded, for God was still ‘with him’. David’s recent narrow escapes from Saul proved to him that he could not continue indefinitely to avoid capture...

1 Samuel 26 - David spares Saul's life again There are many similarities with chapter 24 and this chapter. Saul took an army into Judah to hunt for David, and almost caught him. David had the opportunity to kill Saul but instead he conversed with the king, who confessed that he had wronged David.  But many other details are totally different. Here David is not accidentally hiding in a cave as in chapter 24, but deliberately visiting Saul’s camp. Abner comes into this story, but plays no part in chapter 24.  The important question is why the biblical author decided to use two such similar stories. The answer is partly that he wanted to reinforce the emphasis of chapter 24. The Israelites put faith in double testimony (Deut 19:15), and here for the second time David resisted temptation and refused to harm the LORD’s anointed.  Also for the second time, Saul admitted his own wrong–doing and acknowledged that David would have a great future. So once again the writer ...

1 Samuel 25 - Life and death are in God's hands Samuel’s death marked the end of an era. He died before David (whom he had anointed back in chapter 16) actually became king.  But at least Saul had now recognised that David would be the next king. Samuel’s work was done. Despite Saul’s words of repentance in chapter 24, there was no possibility of real reconciliation between Saul and David, and David remained with his large band of men in the semi–barren areas of Judah. It would not be long before Saul made fresh attempts to capture him. Meanwhile David had the daily task of finding provisions for his followers, and this passage shows how difficult that could be. He tried to win support and provisions from rich farmers like Nabal by giving them assistance and protection from raiders (like the Amalekites), and then seeking generosity from them. No doubt there were other farmers who gladly helped David, and probably some who helped rather reluctantly. David’s anger with Nabal was u...

1 Samuel 24 - The cave The detailed narrative of chapter 24 recounts a dramatic incident during David’s time as a fugitive. The drama draws attention to some important facts about David and Saul. At different points in the story, both men had an opportunity to kill their opponent. Both men were prevented from such violent action by the power of conscience. David must have been tempted to kill the man who had been persecuting him, especially when his own soldiers urged him to do so. But his conscience held him back - he even felt remorseful after damaging Saul’s robe slightly. As for Saul, when David suddenly spoke to him, he had David completely in his power at last, trapped in the cave; but David’s words stirred his conscience. The words of the two men are therefore particularly significant. David expressed high reverence for the person of the king as such. Saul, we know, had been rejected by Yahweh; but he remained king, the man who had been anointed through Samuel by the LORD. No...

1 Samuel 23 - David on the run This section sets up an interesting contrast between human power and God’s control. Saul’s royal power could not be resisted either by David or by the people of the town of Keilah. Chapter 23 shows David forced to move further and further south, towards more barren terrain. As for the citizens of Keilah, they may have felt friendly towards David (they too were Judeans), but they dared not risk Saul’s anger and revenge. Everybody must have known how Saul had treated Nob. But even though the people of Keilah were prepared to surrender David to Saul, they must have felt a lasting gratitude to David, who had just saved them from the Philistines. This was useful to him at a later date. Saul had great power, then, from the human standpoint; but it was God who really controlled events, especially by giving David the guidance he needed through Abiathar and the ephod. In this way David knew when to go to Keilah and when to leave it, and how to keep out of Saul...

1 Samuel 21-22 - The fugitive Throughout chapters 21-26 David is a fugitive.  The main point of chapter 21 is to demonstrate how dangerous and desperate David’s situation was. He was completely alone and unarmed and David could see no option but deceit. The biblical author does not approve of deceit—indeed, David himself accepted the blame for what happened because of it. However, the writer does not rebuke David for it - he is fully aware of David’s difficulties.  Undoubtedly, David’s enemies later condemned him for both incidents recorded in this chapter. David’s visit to Nob resulted in the death of many devout men, and his visit to Gath looked like the act of a traitor, since Achish was a Philistine king. So the writer explains, first, that although David did indeed deceive Ahimelech the priest, he could not have known what would happen afterwards. The problem was caused by Doeg, one of Saul’s officials, who was there in order to fulfil a vow. Secondly, the writer ex...

1 Samuel 19-20 - Loving the Lord's anointed Desperate now, Saul tries to kill David—first by himself with a spear (again!), and then via a dawn raid on David’s house. Needless to say, his attempts do not succeed. God has rejected him as king and replaced him with David, and nothing Saul can do will ever change that fact. Even when he sends his hitmen after David in Ramah, the same Spirit who once empowered Saul as a king now paralyses him as a would-be murderer. The one thing Saul should do—love the Lord’s anointed, like God and everyone else does—is the one thing he will not do, and so God stops him in his tracks. David, meanwhile, escapes with the help of Jonathan (1 Samuel 20). His brief period of ‘living with the enemy’ comes to an end, and he spends time on the run in the desert as Saul hunts him. But Saul will not catch him, because God loves David. David gives us a picture of what it is to love the Lord’s anointed: to recognise that he is king, the one who fights our batt...