David is Anointed King
2:1 Afterward David inquired of the Lord, “Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord told him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord replied, “To Hebron.”
David was different than Saul. He used the Urim and Thummin to seek and execute the will of God. Hebron was centrally located twenty miles south of Jerusalem. Hebron, like Jerusalem, was on a mountain in Judah, making it difficult to conquer. It was originally one of the cities of refuge. This city had been given to Caleb by Joshua.
2:2 So David went up, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, formerly the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
David traveled to Hebron with his two wives. Abigail was his brilliant and beautiful wife.
2:3 David also brought along the men who were with him, each with his family. They settled in the cities of Hebron.
David’s army of 600 accompanied David to Hebron.
2:4 The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people of Judah. David was told, “The people of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.”
Judah anointed David as king of Judah. The other eleven tribes had not yet recognized David as king.
2:5 So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead and told them, “May you be blessed by the Lord because you have shown this kindness to your lord Saul by burying him.
The men of Jabesh-Gilead risked their lives to provide a proper burial for Saul and his sons.
2:6 Now may the Lord show you true kindness! I also will reward you, because you have done this deed.
David sent a message of sympathy and praised the men of Jabesh-Gilead for their courage.
2:7 Now be courageous and prove to be valiant warriors, for your lord Saul is dead. The people of Judah have anointed me as king over them.”
The Benjaminites remained loyal to Saul and his son Ish-bosheth.
David’s Army Clashes with the Army of Saul
2:8 Now Abner son of Ner, the general in command of Saul’s army, had taken Saul’s son Ish-bosheth and had brought him to Mahanaim.
Abner was a dangerous man. He was cousin of Saul and general of his army. He placed Ish-bosheth on the throne of Israel for his own political agenda. Ish-bosheth means “man of shame."
2:9 He appointed him king over Gilead, the Geshurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.
Abner proclaimed Ish-bosheth as the king over all of the other eleven tribes of Israel. This was against the will of God. God had already chosen and anointed David to be the next king.
2:10 Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled two years. However, the people of Judah followed David.
It possibly took Ish-bosheth five and a-half years to consolidate and gain control over all of the tribes after Saul’s death.
2:11 David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years.
David gained control of Judah immediately and ruled as king for 7.5 years.
2:12 Then Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
General Abner was the real power behind Ish-bosheth’s throne. Abner attempted to start up a civil war against the monarchy claims of David. Abner was actually fighting against God.
2:13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David also went out and confronted them at the pool of Gibeon. One group stationed themselves on one side of the pool, and the other group on the other side of the pool.
Zeruiah was the sister of David, Joab was the nephew of David. Excavations at Gibeon have confirmed the existence of this pool. This pool was eighty-two feet deep and thirty-seven feet in diameter.
2:14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the soldiers get up and fight before us.” Joab said, “So be it!”
Joab proposed a winner-take-all confrontation where the best twelve warriors from each side would fight.
2:15 So they got up and crossed over by number: twelve belonging to Benjamin and to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
This winner-take-all competition was similar to the David and Goliath confrontation, but the battle would be between 24 champions instead of two champions.
2:16 As they grappled with one another, each one stabbed his opponent with his sword and they fell dead together. So that place is called the Field of Flints; it is in Gibeon.
All 24 men died, so nothing was settled.
2:17 Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David’s soldiers.
This small skirmish ended up as a very severe battle. David’s army was victorious. It is important to note that Abner’s army was drafted from eleven tribes, while David’s army was drafted from only one tribe. Abner possessed the numbers advantage, but he lost every battle against David. Abner was fighting against God’s will.
2:18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there – Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. (Now Asahel was as quick on his feet as one of the gazelles in the field.)
Zeruiah was David’s sister. Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were David’s nephews. Joab was David’s Commanding General. Abishai was with David in the camp of Saul when David had the opportunity to kill Saul. Abishai actually encouraged David to kill Saul, which David would not allow. Asahel was the youngest brother. He was extremely fleet-footed. He was a very courageous and determined soldier like his two older brothers, but also very inexperienced and foolish.
2:19 Asahel chased Abner, without turning to the right or to the left as he followed Abner.
Asahel wanted to defeat Abner, who was a very experienced soldier and a very dangerous man.
2:20 Then Abner turned and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes it is!”
Abner ran away from a losing battle. Asahel chased him.
2:21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left. Capture one of the soldiers and take his equipment for yourself!” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him.
Asahel wanted to capture the armor of Abner. Gaining a general’s armor would be a great trophy. Abner warned Asahel that he should take the armor of some other soldier, because Abner was too skilled and dangerous.
2:22 So Abner spoke again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me! I do not want to strike you to the ground. How then could I show my face in the presence of Joab your brother?”
Abner knew that he could kill the inexperienced Asahel very easily. He did not want to start a blood feud with Joab or David.
2:23 But Asahel refused to turn aside. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the back end of his spear. The spear came out his back; Asahel collapsed on the spot and died there right before Abner. Everyone who now comes to the place where Asahel fell dead pauses in respect.
Asahel refused to stop the chase, so Abner killed him. Asahel was warned, so this was a clear case of self-defense. However, Abner had rebelled against God’s will, so God’s sovereignty allowed this confrontation.
2:24 So Joab and Abishai chased Abner. At sunset they came to the hill of Ammah near Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
Joab and Abishai were very upset that Abner had killed their little brother, so they chased him all the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
2:25 The Benjaminites formed their ranks behind Abner and were like a single army, standing at the top of a certain hill.
Abner and the Benjaminites regrouped and took the high ground.
2:26 Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?”
Abner started the fight, but now he wants a truce. Civil wars deplete male soldiers and leave the nation vulnerable.
2:27 Joab replied, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit of their brothers!”
Joab agreed to the truce.
2:28 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn and all the people stopped in their tracks. They stopped chasing Israel and ceased fighting.
Joab blew the shofar and David’s army ceased fire.
2:29 Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan River and went through the whole region of Bitron and came to Mahanaim.
The Arabah was the desert region of the Rift Valley. It was north and south of the Dead Sea.
2:30 Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.
Joab lost nineteen men.
2:31 But David’s soldiers had slaughtered the Benjaminites and Abner’s men – in all, 360 men had died!
Abner lost 360 men.
2:32 They took Asahel’s body and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn.
Asahel’s body was buried in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was also the home of David and his great-grandmother Ruth.