David Made King Over Judah and Ishbosheth Made King Over Israel

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 5:4) David was thirty years old when he began to reign; he reigned forty years.

King Saul had been killed, and now David began his reign at thirty years of age.  He reigned as king for forty years.

(1 Chronicles 29:27) And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.

This scripture also spoke of David having reigned over Israel forty years.  Here it was added that he reigned in Hebron for seven of those years and in Jerusalem for 33 years.  It is interesting to note that Jesus began his ministry at age 30.  Also Hebron was the city of priests (Joshua 21:28), and Jerusalem was the city of the kings, of the law.  David's reign was a perfect foreshadowing of the gospel state that would come with Jesus.

(2 Samuel 2:1) And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." And David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."

David had been living in Ziklag in the land of the Philistines while he was hiding out from Saul.  Now that Saul was dead, he asked the Lord if he should go back to Judah, and if so, where?  The Lord told him to go to Hebron, a city of priests and a city of refuge (Joshua 21:13).

(2) So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Carmelite.

So David did as the Lord told him and went from Ziklag to Hebron, taking his wives, Ahinoam and Abigail.

(3) And his men who were with him David brought up, every man with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

The men who were with David also went to Hebron with their households and dwelt in the towns and villages around Hebron.

(4) And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul."

The men of Judah came to David in Hebron and anointed him king over their tribe, Judah.  They did not take it upon themselves to make him the king of all Israel even though that was God's plan.  They seemed to have thought like David, not to force him upon all of Israel at once, but the Lord would provide the way in His timing.  The men of Judah told David that Saul had been buried by the men of Jabesh Gilead.

(5) And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, "Blessed you of the Lord, that you have showed this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. (6) And now the Lord show kindness and truth to you, and I also will requite you this kindness because you have done this thing. (7) Therefore now, let your hands be strengthened and be valiant, for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

David sent word to the men of Jabesh Gilead to offer blessings to them for their kindness in burying Saul.  David told them that the Lord would bless them for their kind deed and that he would also repay them for their kindness.  He told them to be strong and valiant, probably meaning not to be afraid of the Philistines who had killed Saul, that although their king was dead, the house of Judah had made him their king, implying that he would now be their protector.

(8) But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, (9) And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

Abner, Saul's first cousin, had been the captain of his army.  Perhaps he felt a fierce loyalty to Saul, and against David, or maybe it was for his own power and position, but he felt that Saul's only living heir should be made king over Israel.  That was Ishbosheth, or Eshbaal as in 1 Chronicles 8:33.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Bible, expounded further than I have seen on the reasoning for the change of names.  Ish/Esh are essentially the same.  Baal was the name of a despicable and shameful false idol.  Bosheth meant "shame."  Perhaps rather than saying the name of a shameful idol, a word that meant the same was substituted, so Esh-baal became Ish-bosheth, as Jerub-baal, as Gideon became known (Judges 6:32), became Jerub-besheth in 2 Samuel 11:21.  Merib-baal became Mephi-bosheth, although there was a slight change to the first part of the name, as well.

Abner took Ishbosheth to Mahanaim which was in Gad on the other side of the Jordan, perhaps because it was close to Jabesh Gilead where Saul was buried, and maybe because it was away from David at Hebron, as seen on this map borrowed from Free Bible:

Abner apparently had the power, or at least he took it upon himself, to make Ishbosheth king of all Israel with the exception of Judah where David had been made king.

(10) Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. (11) And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Ishbosheth was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years.  The tribe of Judah considered David their king, and he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months.  Evidently, it was a common belief that Ishbosheth reigned over Israel the whole time that David reigned over Judah, so perhaps the meaning is that Ishbosheth reigned two years, and then the following took place:

(12) And Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. (13) And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met together at the pool of Gibeon, and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.

Abner, now the commander of Ishbosheth's army, along with the servants of Ishbosheth, went out from Mahanaim to the other side of the Jordan to Gibeon.  Zeruiah was David's sister, and it appears that Joab her son was the captain of David's army.  Joab and the servants of David went to the pool of Gibeon where Abner's army was, and they sat by the pool on one side across from Abner and his army.

(14) And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men now arise and play before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise."

Abner told Joab to let the young men arise and "play," as gladiators or duelers might, to see who was the most skilled in the use of the sword.  Joab agreed to let his men arise and play.

(15) And then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

Twelve men from Ishbosheth's army went over the pool to meet twelve men of David's army.

(16) And they caught every one his fellow by the head and thrust his sword into his fellow's side so they fell down together; therefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

The twelve of David's men each caught their opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent's side so that all twelve of Abner's men fell down together.  They called that place Helkathhazzurim, which literally meant "Field of Swords" in Gibeon.

(17) And there was a very sore battle that day, and Abner was beaten and the men of Israel, before the servants of David. 

There was a very severe battle that day, and in the end, David's men won the "game" defeating Abner's men.

(18) And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

There were actually three sons of David's sister there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.  Asahel was said to be as swift of foot as a wild deer.

(19) And Asahel pursued after Abner, and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

Asahel pursued after Abner, straight after him, not turning his attention to the right or the left.

(20) Then Abner looked behind him, and said, "Are you Asahel?" And he answered, "I am." (21) And Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold of one of the young men, and take his armor." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

Abner looked behind him and saw Asahel, and Asahel confirmed that it was indeed him.  Abner told him to turn aside to the left or right and take hold of one of his soldiers and take his armor, rather than pursuing him, but Asahel would not turn aside from following Abner.

(22) And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me, for why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?"

Abner warned Asahel to turn from following him or else he would be forced to strike him, which he apparently did not really want to do.  After all, neither he nor Joab had been "playing," and he did not want to have to face Joab if he struck Asahel.

(23) However, Asahel refused to turn aside; therefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear struck him under the fifth rib that the spear came out behind him, and he fell down there and died in the same place; and it came to pass, as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

Asahel refused to turn aside, and he, being swift as a wild deer, was surely gaining on Abner, and Abner felt he must strike or be killed himself.  It seems as if Abner's spear had a pointed head on both ends, and he struck Asahel behind him by thrusting his spear backwards at him.  He struck Asahel under the fifth rib, and the spear went all the way through him, coming out his back, and he fell down and died.  All who came up to the place where he died were dumbfounded and just stood there, not pursuing Abner or any of his men.

(24) Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah that lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

However, Joab and Abishai, Asahel's brothers, did pursue after Abner.  The sun had gone down when they reached the hill of Ammah before Giah by the road of the wilderness of Gibeon.  The exact locations of these places are unknown, but they must have been near to Gibeon.

(25) And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner and became one troop and stood on the top of a hill.

Men from the tribe of Benjamin came out behind Abner and formed a troop at the top of a hill against Joab and Abishai and their men.

(26) Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Don't you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then until you bid the people return from following their brethren?"

Abner called out to Joab asking if they should continue the battle of the swords forever until it resulted in a bitter end, with the killing of a great number more men and perhaps even he and Joab themselves.  He asked how long it would be before Joab called off his men from following their brethren.  He now called the men of Israel and the men of Judah brethren, but that didn't seem to bother him when he first suggested the brethren "play."

(27) And Joab said, "As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up every one from following his brother."

Joab answered, and I believe the sense is that had Abner not spoken as he had, Joab's army would have pursued all night and not quit until the morning.  Or perhaps he meant that had Abner not spoken in the first place to have the men "play," Joab's men would never have pursued them that morning or day.

(28) So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither did they fight anymore.

So Joab blew a trumpet which signaled his men to stop from pursuing and fighting with the men of Israel.

(29) And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain and passed over Jordan and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

So Abner and his men walked all night through the plain and across the Jordan River, back to their place in Mahanaim.

(30) And Joab returned from following Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. (31) But the servants of David had struck of Benjamin and of Abner's men, three hundred and sixty men who died.

Joab returned from following Abner, and when he gathered all his men together, he found that nineteen men plus Asahel had been killed.  However, they had killed 360 of Abner's men and the men of Benjamin.

(32) And they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulchre of his father which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.  

Joab and his men took the body of Asahel and buried him in the sepulcher of his father, Zeruiah's husband, which was in Bethlehem.  Then they walked all night and came back to Hebron at daybreak the next morning.

The Lord had rejected Saul and now he was dead, but David, the Lord's choice for king, the man after His own heart, still was not made king over all Israel.  In fact, it seems a civil war was brewing between Judah and Israel.  Abner, probably more for his own benefit and power, set up Saul's son Ishbosheth as king of Israel.  God allowed this testing and refining time for David.  After all, David had been just a shepherd boy.  He had a heart for the Lord, but he needed time to mature and develop the leadership qualities to be king.  After all, he was to become Israel's greatest king and from his line of descendants would come the Messiah.  God was preparing David for his awesome role in Biblical history.

Genealogy of Saul

My chronological Bible study now takes me to 1 Chronicles 8:

(1 Chronicles 8:29) And at Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maachah, (30) And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Nadab, (31) And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zacher.

Here we have a partial genealogy of Saul beginning with his grandfather who was said to be the father of Gibeon, evidently being the founder and builder of that city.  Although he is not specifically named here, his name was Jehiel, according to 1 Chronicles 9:35.  His wife's name was Maachah, and his sons were Abdon, his firstborn, followed by Zur and then Kish, who was Saul's father.  Then came Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, and Zacher.

(32) And Mikloth begat Shimeah. And these also dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, over against them.

Mikloth was the youngest of Jehiel's sons, and his son was Shimeah.  All these men dwelt with their brethren in Jerusalem, across from them.

(33) And Ner begat Kish, and Kish begat Saul, and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

All these names give me a headache, especially when they don't always agree with other accounts.  Were we not just told in verse 29 that the father of Gibeon was Kish's father?  And 1 Chronicles 9:35 names the father of Gibeon as Jehiel.  Moreover, 1 Samuel 9:1 stated that the father of Kish was actually Abiel.  Jehiel/Abiel, maybe a misreading?  1 Samuel 14:50 states that Ner was the uncle of Saul, not his father.  Sometimes in Biblical genealogies, some generations were skipped, perhaps thought of as less important.  For example, one might be said to be the son of X, when X was actually his grandfather or even great-grandfather.  If someone along the line died young and wasn't alive when the genealogy was written, he may have been omitted.  Also sometimes names were changed when a person's life dictated a new name because of its meaning.  I feel like I get lost in the weeds trying to reconcile all these names when they probably aren't that important in the scheme of things.  Yes, genealogies and names were important to God's people, but to readers of the Bible thousands of years later, maybe not so much.  If there is an important relationship, it will be mentioned again, for that is the way of God's word, to confirm a thing two or three times, and then it will be established as truth (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16).

We do know for a fact that Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul's firstborn son was Jonathan.  Also we know that Malchishua and Abinadab were also Saul's sons, as they were his sons who died at the same time as Jonathan (1 Samuel 31:2).  His son Eshbaal did not die in the battle, and he becomes Ishbosheth later in scripture.  That is understandable as the name "Baal" which originally meant "Lord" took on a bad connotation when it was learned to be the same name as an important pagan god.

(34) And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal begat Micah.

Once again, we have a different name for Jonathan's son that was named Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 4:4.  Once again, since his name had Baal in it, perhaps it was later changed.  Meribbaal/Mephibosheth had a son named Micah.

(35) And the sons of Micah, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz. 

Mephibosheth's son Micah had sons, Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.  They are not mentioned in the Bible as having done anything of historical significance.

(36) And Ahaz begat Jehoadah; and Jehoadah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza. (37) And Moza begat Binea; Rapha was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son; (38) And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.

The list of Saul's descendants continues.  Once again, I do not believe that any of these men are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible except in another genealogy in 1 Chronicles 9.

(39) And the sons of Eshek his brother were, Ulam his firstborn, Jehush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

One would assume that Eshek was Azel's brother, but he was not mentioned as a son in verse 37; perhaps that was because he was being given his own line in scripture.  Who really knows as all these people are only listed in genealogies and not expounded upon elsewhere in scripture.

(40) And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred and fifty. All these are of the sons of Benjamin.

The sons of Ulam were said to be mighty men of valor, archers.  We were told in 1 Chronicles 12:2 that the Benjamites, Saul's brethren, were skillful with bows.  Ulam had many sons and grandsons, 150, and so the progeny of Saul would become very vast.  All these men listed above were from the tribe of Benjamin.

(1 Chronicles 9:35) And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon, Jehiel, whose wife's name was Maachah.

The next chapter of 1 Chronicles also gives a genealogy of Saul.  Here we are given the name of the so-called father of Gibeon that was not mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:29.

(36) And his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, and Kish, and Baal, and Ner, and Nadab, (37) And Gedor, and Ahio, and Zechariah, and Mikloth.

The sons of Jehiel are repeated from 1 Chronicles 8:30-31, but Ner is added before Nadab.  This would agree with 1 Samuel 14:50 which said that Ner was Saul's uncle.  If Kish, the father of Saul, was Ner's brother, then Ner would be Saul's uncle.

(38) And Mikloth begat Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem, over against their brethren.

This is almost an exact repetition of 1 Chronicles 8:32, except that Shimeam was called Shimeah there.

(39) And Ner begat Kish; and Kish begat Saul; and Saul begat Jonathan, and Malchishua, and Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 

Just as 1 Chronicles 8:33 said that Ner begat Kish, here it is said again, surely by the same author, but I don't believe that is possible.  However, Ner and Kish were closely related, most likely brothers.  The sons of Saul are repeated from 1 Chronicles 8:33.

(40) And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal, and Meribbaal begat Micah. (41) And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tahrea.

Meribbaal, or Mephibosheth, had a son named Micah, and Micah's sons are listed, except this time Ahaz was omitted.  However, he is mentioned in the next verse:

(42) And Ahaz begat Jarah; and Jarah begat Alemeth, and Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begat Moza; (43) And Moza begat Binea; and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.

In 1 Chronicles 8:36, the son of Ahaz was listed as Jehoadah rather than Jarah.  Perhaps both names refer to the same person.  The rest of the names are as recorded in 1 Chronicles 8.

(44) And Azel had six sons, whose names are these, Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

The names of the sons of Azel are the same as recorded in 1 Chronicles 8.  In this genealogy, Eshek and Ulam are not mentioned.

Both chapters 8 and 9 of 1 Chronicles deals with vast genealogies, not just the genealogy of Saul, but because the chronological study has just recorded the history of Saul, these particular genealogies were inserted here.

David's Lamentation for Saul and Jonathan

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(2 Samuel 4:4) And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son lame of feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled; and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

In the last post, Saul and Jonathan had both been killed by the Philistines in the valley of Jezreel.  When the Israelites all around the area heard what had happened, they fled their cities.  This seems to be the case for Jonathan's five-year-old son and his nurse.  As the nurse fled with the boy, Mephibosheth, he fell from her arms and became permanently lame in both feet.  

(2 Samuel 1:1) Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag, (2) It came even to pass on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head, and it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth and did obeisance.

During the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, David had returned to his home in Ziklag to find a band of Amalekite raiders had destroyed the city.  He pursued after the Amalekites and killed them.  He then apparently went back to Ziklag where he had been two days, when on the third day, a man came out of the camp of Saul, dirty and his clothes torn, and when he came to David, he fell to the ground and bowed before him.

(3) And David said to him, "From where did you come?" And he said to him, "Out of the camp of Israel I am escaped." (4) And David said to him, "How went the matter? I pray you, tell me." And he answered that, "The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead, also."

David asked the man where he came from, and he told him he had come from the camp of Saul.  David asked how the battle had gone, and the man told him about how the Israelite people had fled and that many of them had fallen and were dead.  He told David that Saul and Jonathan were dead, too.

(5) And David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?" 

David asked the young man how he knew that Saul and Jonathan were dead, and he told him an account we have not heard thus far in scripture:

(6) And the young man who told him, said, "As I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him."

According to this man, he happened to come to Mount Gilboa just as Saul had leaned on his sword or spear after being severely wounded by Philistine archers.  Philistine chariots and horsemen were pursuing him hard.

(7) "And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' (8) And he said to me, 'Who are you?' And I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'"

Supposedly, Saul had not immediately died when he leaned on his sword or spear, and when he saw the young man, he called to him and asked who he was.  The man answered that he was an Amalekite, not a Philistine.

(9) "He said to me again, 'Stand, I pray you, on me, and slay me, for anguish has come upon me because my life is yet whole in me.' (10) So I stood upon him and killed him because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen, and I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and have brought them here to my lord."

Supposedly, Saul asked the young man to stand upon him and kill him, putting him out of his pain and anguish, because he had not yet died, but was surely mortally wounded.  The man did as Saul asked because he was sure Saul could not live as he was, and he took Saul's crown and bracelet and brought them to David.

(11) Then David took hold of his clothes and rent them, and likewise, all the men who were with him. (12) And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword.

David and his men tore their clothes, a sign of grief and anguish.  They mourned and fasted until the evening for Saul, Jonathan, and all the people of the Lord who had been killed by the Philistines.

(13) And David said to the young man who told him, "Where are you from?" And he answered, "I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite." (14) And David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?"

David then asked the young man where he came from.  He replied he was the son of an Amalekite, to which David asked how it was that he had not feared to kill the Lord's anointed king.

(15) And David called one of the young men, and said, "Go near, fall upon him!" And he struck him that he died. (16) And David said to him, "Your blood be on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have slain the Lord's anointed.'"

David then ordered one of his men to go kill the young Amalekite, because as David told him, he had killed the Lord's anointed by his own testimony.  That seems rather harsh since Saul had pleaded with the man to finish him off, and also the man had come to David with the king's crown and bracelet.  It does not appear that he had been up to no good.  However, David had long said that no one could lift his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless (1 Samuel 26:9), so he evidently thought this execution was just.

(17) And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son. (18) (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah "The Bow;" behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

David wrote what follows, a song of sorrow for Saul and Jonathan that he apparently entitled "The Bow."  It has been referred to as "Song of the Bow."  He called for it to be taught to the children of Judah, and it was included in the book of Jasher, a lost Biblical text.

(19) "The beauty of Israel is slain upon your high places. How are the mighty fallen!"

David referred to Saul and Jonathan as the beauty of Israel, Saul the king and Jonathan his first-born son, the pride of Israel, who were killed on Mount Gilboa.  How suddenly and unexpectedly had those strong and valiant men fallen!

(20) "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph."

David's wish was that the news of their deaths not be broadcast to the Philistine cities where the young pagan women of the Philistines might sing and dance in the streets because of the death of Israel's king.

(21) "You mountains of Gilboa, no dew, neither rain upon you, nor fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil."

David wrote that the mountains of Gilboa should have no rain or dew nor any fruitful hills for there the shield of mighty Saul was vilely cast away upon them, as if it was not the shield of God's anointed one.

(22) "From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty."

Jonathan's bow never turned away from the mightiest of enemies, but succeeded in its missions, as the sword of Saul did not return having not accomplished its missions.

(23) "Saul and Jonathan, lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."

I believe the sense is that Saul and Jonathan were united in life by love for one another, and thusly they died together.  They were mighty men, swift in pursuing their enemies to the relief of the distressed, and strong in bodily strength and courage of mind.

(24) "You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with delights, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel."

The young women of Israel who used to come out to meet Saul with songs and dances in days of victories were now called to weep over Saul, the one who had enriched their nation that provided for their fine apparel and gold ornaments.

(25) "How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, slain in high places! (26) I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women."

David again lamented how suddenly the mighty had fallen in battle.  He then turned his attention solely to his beloved friend, Jonathan.  He was most distressed over his death.  Jonathan was his dearest brother, David having married his sister, but he stuck closer to him than a brother; he loved him as his own soul (1 Samuel 18:1).  Jonathan's love and devotion for David surpassed the love of women in his life.  Jonathan was more loyal to David than David's own wife, Michal, Jonathan's sister.

(27) "How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"

David ended his song with a repetition of how the mighty had fallen.  Arms of war had been lost, but I believe David rather meant that the two greatest assets of war, the valiant Saul and Jonathan, had perished.  

Although David was now free from the persecution of Saul and could have rejoiced in that fact, he was most respectful and forgiving and held no hard feelings against Saul.  He was most kind and even wrote a song to commemorate Saul's good characteristics, encouraging it to be taught to children so as to cement a good legacy of Saul.  What a beautiful illustration of what it is to be loving and forgiving toward even our enemies.  It's no wonder that David was a man after God's own heart!

The Death of Saul

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 31:1) Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa.

When we last left the Philistines and the Israelites, the Philistines had positioned themselves to attack Israel, and Saul had gone to a medium to find out what he should do, as the Lord would no longer answer him.  This is likely the next day, as he had received word of what would happen to him the next day after his consultation.  The Philistines began their attack on the Israelites, and the Israelites had fled from them but were evidently caught and killed at Mount Gilboa.

(2) And the Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

The Philistines pushed hard on Saul and his sons, and eventually killed Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

(3) And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of the archers.

The battle went badly for Saul, and he was hit by Philistine archers.  He was evidently severely wounded by the archers.

(4) Then Saul said to his armorbearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it.

Saul told his armorbearer to draw his sword and finish him off so that the uncircumcised (pagan) Philistines would not have a chance to abuse and kill him.  However, his armorbearer was afraid to do such a thing, so Saul took a sword himself and fell upon it.

(5) And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword and died with him. (6) So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

When Saul's armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell upon his sword also and died with Saul.  So it was that Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men, all died that same day, as had been foretold by the spirit supposedly conjured up by the medium (1 Samuel 28:19).

(7) And when the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

When the Israelites who were on the other side of the valley from where the battle took place, as well as those just over the Jordan River in that area, saw that their brethren fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they, too, fled from their cities, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.  This map previously borrowed from Jesus Walk shows that area:

(8) And it came to pass on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gilboa. (9) And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. (10) And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

The next day, when the Philistines went to strip all the bodies to take what was valuable as their spoil, they found Saul and his sons dead at Mount Gilboa.  They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor and proclaimed the news throughout the land of the Philistines round about them, and in the house of their idols to whom they surely ascribed the success they had.  They then took Saul's body and hung it on a wall in Beth Shan where they then dwelt.  They put his armor in the house of their idol, much like Goliath's sword had been placed in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 21:9).  I find it sad that Saul had wanted to kill himself so that the Philistines would not abuse his body, but they had still abused it in death.

(11) And when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul, (12) All the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and came to Jabesh and burned them there.

When the inhabitants of Jabesh, which was further south and on the other side of the Jordan, as seen on the map above, heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, valiant men rose up and traveled all night to Beth Shan, and they took Saul's body and the bodies of his sons, which it seems were also hung on the wall, back to Jabesh and burned them there.  It was out of respect and gratitude to their king that they removed his body and the bodies of his sons that had been hung as trophies for the Philistines.  There was no time or safe place or perhaps it was even too late to embalm the bodies and give them a safe burial, but it was also a sign of respect that they burned the mutilated bodies and prevented any possible further abuse from the enemy.

(13) And they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days.

The men of Jabesh Gilead then took the bones of Saul and his sons and buried them under a tree there, and they fasted for seven days in honor and mourning for Saul.

(1 Chronicles 10:1) Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

1 Chronicles 10:1-14 retells the incidence of Saul's death.  The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled from before them and were killed at Mount Gilboa.

(2) And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

The Philistines pushed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his three sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

(3) And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. (4) Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not, for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell upon it. (5) And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. (6) So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.

1 Chronicles 10:3-6 retells the killing of Saul, almost verbatim.  The Philistine archers had wounded him, and he asked his armorbearer to finish him off so that the Philistines would not abuse him.  However, the armorbearer could not bring himself to do it, so Saul fell on a sword himself and died.  Thus Saul, his three sons, and all his house died together.

(7) And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. (8) And it came to pass on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa. (9) And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings to their idols, and to the people.

When the Israelites all around the region saw their brethren fleeing and heard what had happened to Saul and his sons, they too fled, and the Philistines took over the cities.  The Philistines went the next day and stripped Saul of his armor and cut off his head, and they sent word round about in the land of the Philistines to let their people and their idols know what they had done.

(10) And they put his armor in the house of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

The Philistines put Saul's armor in the house of their gods, Ashtaroth being named specifically in the account recorded in 1 Samuel 31.  Here in 1 Chronicles 10, a new bit of information is added in that the Philistines fastened Saul's head in the temple of their god, Dagon.

(11) And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, (12) They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

With the combination of 1 Samuel 31:11-13 and 1 Chronicles 10:11-12, we have a more complete account of what the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead did when they heard what the Philistines had done to Saul.  They traveled all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and came to Jabesh and burned them there.  Then they took the bones of Saul and his sons and buried them under an oak tree there, and they fasted for seven days in honor and mourning for Saul.

(13) So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord which he did not keep, and also for asking of a familiar spirit to enquire, (14) And enquired not of the Lord; therefore He slew him and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

Thus Saul died for his transgressions, acting at least three times in direct contradiction to the commandments of the Lord, not waiting on Samuel to offer a burnt offering (1 Samuel 13:12-13), sparing the king of Amalek as well as the choice livestock (1 Samuel 15:3), and by consulting a medium (Leviticus 19:31).  Verse 14 suggests that Saul did not enquire of the Lord, but he did, and the Lord would not answer him (1 Samuel 28:6).  However, the idea is that one must not inquire of witches, wizards, or fortune-tellers, but only of the Lord their God.  And had Saul enquired of the Lord long before he did, he would have avoided his desperation in the end.  The Lord had finally taken Saul out, giving the kingdom to David, as He had planned for a long time (1 Samuel 15:28).  He likely would not have killed Saul, had he been more humble and gracious and compliant to God's will.

And thus ends the reign of Saul, chosen by God against His will, to teach the people how an earthly king would always fail because he was nothing but a flawed human, but the people had chosen that for themselves rather than to be led by their perfect God (1 Samuel 8:7).  Saul was at first a good and humble man when God chose him to reign over His people (1 Samuel 9:17), but he became proud and jealous over time and even somewhat deranged in the end.  Now God would have David to reign over His people, a man after His own heart, but still a flawed man.

David's Victory over the Amalekites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 30:1) And it came to pass, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag and struck Ziklag and burned it with fire, (2) And had taken the women captives, those who were there; they did not kill any, either great or small, but carried them away and went on their way.

In the last chapter and post, David had left his home in Ziklag and had gone with Achish to fight against the Philistines' enemy which was Saul and the Israelites.  The Philistine princes did not trust David to fight for them, so the king had sent him back to his home.  It seems David had been gone only three days, or perhaps it was the third day of his trip back to Ziklag, when he came back to find that the Amalekites had invaded Ziklag and burned it, and they had taken all the women who were left there, young and old, as captives, but they did not kill them.  While living in Ziklag, David had gone out and struck the Amalekites, killing every one of them (1 Samuel 27:8-9), so these Amalekites were probably a wandering band of raiders, the ones mentioned in 1 Chronicles 12:21.  They had struck Ziklag and the south, which judging from this map borrowed from Braman's Wanderings, was probably Israelite territory:

(3) So David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. (4) Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. (5) And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

When David and his men came to Ziklag and saw the destruction and that all their wives and children had been taken, they shrieked and cried until they had no more tears to cry.  David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail were also taken.

(6) And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters, but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

David was greatly distressed, not only because of what had happened, but also because the men spoke of stoning him, blaming him for what had happened to their families.  He was the one who had provoked the Amalekites in the first place, and then he chose to go with Achish and bring his men with him, leaving their families defenseless.  David turned to the Lord for encouragement.

(7) And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "I pray you, bring me here the ephod." And Abiathar brought there the ephod to David. (8) And David enquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail, recover all."

Abiathar had undoubtedly been with David and his men as he would have otherwise been carried away with the women and children.  David asked him to bring him the ephod in which were the Urim and Thummim, something akin to lots that were cast to determine the will of God.  David asked the Lord if he should pursue the band of raiders, and if he would overtake them.  Had David been consulting the Lord before this, he probably wouldn't have been in the trouble he was now, but the Lord was merciful to him and told him to pursue the Amalekites, that he would overtake them, and would recover everyone.

(9) So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. (10) But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred abode behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

I would have thought that the number of his army would have grown by now as the men from Manasseh had joined him (1 Chronicles 12:19-20), but I suppose 600 was a rounded number.  The Besor Brook was south of Ziklag as seen on the map above.  200 of his men were so faint after all they had been through that they stayed behind at the Besor Brook, and David and 400 men went on after the band of Amalekites. 

(11) And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat, and they made him drink water, (12) And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him, for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk water, three days and three nights.

Some of David's men found an Egyptian in the field, and they brought him to David.  He was apparently very faint from hunger as he had not eaten for three days and nights.  They gave him food and water, and he was revived.

(13) And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me because three days ago I fell sick."

David asked the Egyptian where he came from and to whom he belonged.  He told him he had been a servant to an Amalekite who just left him there to die because he fell sick three days prior.

(14) "We made an invasion on the south of the Cherethites, and on what belongs to Judah, and on the south of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire."

The Egyptian servant then went on to tell David what he and his master's party had done.  They had made an invasion south of the Cherethites, which were probably a group within the Philistines, on what belonged to Judah, on the south of Caleb which included Hebron seen on the map above, and he admitted they had burned Ziklag.

(15) And David said to him, "Can you bring me down to this company?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company."

David asked the Egyptian if he would take him to the company he had been with when they did all he had described.  The Egyptian said he would take him if he would swear not to kill him or take him back to his master.  Apparently, David agreed:

(16) And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah.

The Egyptian brought David and his men to where the band of Amalekites were.  They were at ease spread across the land, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from Ziklag in the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

(17) And David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day, and there escaped not a man of them except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.

David and his men struck the Amalekites for apparently over 24 hours, and there must have been a very great number of them they destroyed, for the scriptures reads that none of them escaped except 400 who rode away on camels.  400 is no small number, considering that was the number of David's army that attacked them, and the way scripture is worded that not a man of them escaped except 400, certainly sounds like there must have been initially a very great number of them.

(18) And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.

David and his men recovered all that the Amalekites had taken from them, and David also rescued his two wives.

(19) And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken from them; David recovered all. (20) And David took all the flocks and the herds they drove before those other cattle, and said, "This is David's spoil."

David and his men had recovered everything that was taken from them.  Nothing or no one was missing.  I believe the sense of verse 20 is that in addition to their own flocks and herds that the Amalekites had taken from them, David also took the herds that the Amalekites had before they stole from Ziklag, considering them spoil from the battle.

(21) And David came to the two hundred men who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to abide at the brook Besor, and they went forth to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

David and his men came back to the 200 men who had not gone with them to fight the Amalekites because they had been too faint to fight.  They had evidently been told to stay there at the Besor Brook and probably look after any personal supplies they had taken with them when they had left Ziklag and had gone with Achish.  They came forward to meet David upon his return from battling the Amalekites, and David saluted them.

(22) Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those who went with David, and said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart."

Then some of David's men who had gone with him to fight the Amalekites, with selfish and greedy hearts, men of Belial, which meant wicked and morally worthless, said they did not want to give the 200 men any of the spoil because they had not gone with them to fight the Amalekites.  They wanted them to take what was originally theirs that was recovered and just leave.

(23) Then said David, "You shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord has given us, who has preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. (24) For who will hearken to you in this matter? But as his part who goes down to the battle, so his part who tarries by the stuff; they shall part alike."

David told the men they would not be allowed to do as they wished in that matter, for after all, it was the Lord who had delivered the Amalekites into their hands and therefore provided them with the spoil.  It was not theirs to decide who would receive of it and who wouldn't.  David resolved that as some men did their part in going to battle, it was just as important to have men doing their part to guard their supplies, and that all the men would share in the spoil.

(25) And it was from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. (26) And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord."

So it was from that time forward, that he who stayed at home and defended home and property had an equal right to share in the spoils of war as the one who went to battle.  Then David went even further and sent some of the spoil to elders of Judah whom he considered friends, who had been kind to him when he had sojourned among them.  He told them it was a present of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord, not his personal enemies, but enemies of the Lord and all His people.

(27) To those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in south Ramoth, and to those who were in Jattir, (28) And to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa, (29) And to those who were in Rachal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, (30) And to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Chorashan, and to those who were in Athach, (31) And to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

There must have been a very large spoil as it was not only shared with all six hundred of his men, but also with those who were most likely elders, as with the elders of Judah, and friends, to all those who had sheltered and relieved him and his men in the times of their distress.  Six hundred men in one place could have been quite an imposition on the inhabitants, and David showed his gratitude to them by sharing his spoil.

The Philistines Mistrust David

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 29:1) Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek, and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.  

In the last chapter, before Saul consulted the medium, the Philistines had been at Shunem, and Saul's troops were at Gilboa with the valley of Jezreel between them.  Now it appears the Philistines had moved to Aphek, and the Israelites were camped by a fountain that was in Jezreel.  This map borrowed from here was the best I could find to show these locations:

(2) And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish.

The five lords of the Philistines marched as heads of groups of hundreds and thousands of Philistine soldiers, and David and his men brought up the rear with Achish.

(3) Then the princes of the Philistines said, "What do these Hebrews?" And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell to me to this day."

The lords of the Philistines asked Achish what the Hebrews were doing with them.  The king reminded them that they were with David who had been with him for many days, in fact a year and part of another year, and he had not yet found any fault in him ever since he came to him.

(4) And the princes of the Philistines were angry with him, and the princes of the Philistines said to him, "Make this fellow return that he may go again to his place which you have appointed him and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us. For with what should he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? (5) Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying, 'Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?" 

The Philistine princes were angry with the king and told him to send David back to the place he had appointed for him, Ziklag, and not to let him go to battle with them.  After all, they reasoned, what better way to reconcile himself to Saul than to bring him the heads of the Philistines?  Wasn't this the same David of whom the people sang to one another, that Saul had killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands (1 Samuel 18:7)?

(6) Then Achish called David, and said to him, "Surely, as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the host is good in my sight, for I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day; nevertheless, the lords do not favor you. (7) Therefore now return and go in peace, that you do not displease the lords of the Philistines."

So Achish called David to him.  It's interesting to note that Achish, a pagan Philistine, spoke of the Lord as surely living.  So he certainly had knowledge of the Lord.  Perhaps he just wanted to swear to David by David's Lord so that he would pay greater regard to what he had to tell him.  He told David that he had been upright with him in all his comings and goings ever since he first came to him until that very day.  However, the Philistine princes did not favor him, so he asked David to return to his place in peace so that he did not displease them.

(8) And David said to Achish, "But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant so long as I have been with you to this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord, the king?"

Achish had already told David that he had done nothing wrong as long as he had been with him.  It was very deceitful for David to push to go to battle against the enemies of the Philistines since he most assuredly would not have defended the Philistines against the Israelites, and most likely, would have killed them.

(9) And Achish answered and said to David, "I know that you are good in my sight, as an angel of God; nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.' (10) Therefore now, rise up early in the morning with your master's servants who have come with you, and as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart."

Achish repeated that David had always been good in his sight, however, the lords who were also commanders in the upcoming battle, had declared David was not to go with them, so Achish told David and his men to leave at first light the next morning.  Once again, Achish had spoken of God.  He had been very gracious to David and had perhaps learned about David's God through David's actions.  It's the way Christians ought to live so as to bring non-believers to their Lord, their only salvation.  It would have been very detrimental to David's witness and testimony to be found as such a conniving deceiver.  I believe that God, in His mercy, protected Achish at this moment in time from David's betrayal, and He protected David from further sinning.

(11) So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

So David hearkened to the king, and he and his men rose up early the next morning to go back to Ziklag in the land of the Philistines.  The Philistines went to Jezreel where the Israelites were encamped.

(1 Chronicles 12:19) And there fell of Manasseh to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle, but they did not help him, for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, "He will fall to his master Saul against our heads."

Some of the tribe of Manasseh had fallen in with David when he had come with Achish and the Philistines to fight against Saul, but they had not helped him because the king and the lords of the Philistines had sent David and his men away fearing wisely that he would fall in line with Saul against them.

(20) As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh. (21) And they helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were captains in the host.

As David went back to Ziklag, more from the tribe of Manasseh fell in with him, namely Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zilthai, who were captains of the troops of thousands that were of Manasseh.  There must have been two Jozabads, as that name is mentioned twice.  These men went on to help David against a band of raiders that I believe speaks of a future event.  These were all mighty men and were captains in David's army.

(22) For at that time, day by day, there came to David to help him until a great host like the host of God.

It seems that day by day David's army grew until it was a great army like the army of God, which it surely was, as God was undoubtedly implemental in bringing these mighty men to help David.

Saul Consults a Spirit Medium

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 28:1) And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, "Know you assuredly, that you shall go out with me to battle, you and your men."

In the last chapter and post, David had let his faith falter, and he went to seek refuge from Saul in the land of the enemy, the Philistines.  He had lied and had secured Achish's trust in him, so now the king fully expected that David and his men would fight against the Israelites.

(2) And David said to Achish, "Surely you shall know what your servant can do." And Achish said to David, "Therefore will I make you keeper of my head forever."

David answered Achish in a way that made the king trust that David would fight against the Israelites, and Achish told David that he would make him his personal bodyguard forever.

(3) Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land.

The prophet Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented his death, and they buried him in his own city, Ramah.  I believe the point may be that Samuel had been Saul's spiritual adviser, and now he no longer had him to advise him on matters like war.  It appears that Saul had previously removed all wizards and those who had familiar spirits, which would have included witches, fortune-tellers, astrologers, and the like.  To attempt to know what God has not thought proper to reveal, is a sin against His wisdom, providence, and goodness, and specifically against His commandment against such attempts (Leviticus 19:31, Isaiah 8:19).  

(4) And the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.

The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem, and Saul and the Israelites camped at Gilboa.  The two camps were separated by the valley of Jezreel, as seen from this map borrowed from Jesus Walk:

(5) And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. (6) And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

When Saul saw the Philistines, he was very afraid, and he enquired of the Lord.  However, the Lord had left Saul (1 Samuel 16:14), and He did not answer him, not by dreams, and not by the Urim and Thummim which would have been in the ephod of the priest who was no longer with him for he had killed them all except for Abiathar (1 Samuel 22) who had escaped with the ephod to David (1 Samuel 23:9).  The Lord did not answer Saul through any prophets, either.

(7) Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her and enquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor."

Saul, who had once wisely put out of his country all the wizards and fortune-tellers and the like, now sought one.  His servants told him there was such a woman at Endor, a city in the tribe of Manasseh.  It is interesting to note that the word translated as "enquired" in verse 6 is not the same word translated as "enquire" here.  In verse 6 the original word is "shaal" and means "inquire, ask, demand, beg."  In verse 7 the word is "darash" which means "tread, frequent, usually to follow, by implication to seek or ask, specifically to worship."  It seems to me that the words should have been reversed, but Saul had ceased following the Lord.  Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions adds that "darash" meant to "resort to."  I get the idea that Saul was getting desperate for an answer from a fortune-teller.

(8) And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "I pray you, divine to me by the familiar spirit and bring up for me the one I shall name to you."

Saul disguised himself and put on different clothing than his royal garments, and he went with two men to the woman at night.  He asked that she exercise her art of divination to bring up from the dead the person Saul would ask of her.  It seems necromancy, communicating with the dead, was her particular art.

(9) And the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land; why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?"

The woman, not knowing that it was Saul who enquired of her, told him that Saul, the king, had cut off all those with familiar spirits and wizards from the land, so asking her to do this was to put her life in danger.

(10) And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord lives, there shall no punishment happen to you for this thing." (11) Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up to you?" And he said, "Bring me up Samuel."

Saul swore to the woman by the Lord that no punishment would happen to her, so she asked him who it was he wanted her to bring up from the dead.  He told her he wanted the prophet Samuel.

(12) And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice, and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!"

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice.  It's interesting to note that many of the old commentators I study go to great lengths to explain this was not really Samuel because no one could bring up the dead.  However, if no one could bring up spirits of the dead, then why would the Lord forbid them from doing so?  There is a spirit world that is very real, and the Lord does not want us dabbling in such arts.  It opens the door to dark spirits and those that would pretend to be something they are not to ensnare us.  I think it's possible that the woman may have practiced in deceit and was not accustomed to actually seeing a spirit she called for, and this caused her to cry out.  Actually, since she dealt with "familiar" spirits, perhaps she was used to a spirit that would in turn supposedly communicate with the one she sought.  Whatever the case, she was shocked to see Samuel.  How she knew it was Saul who enquired of her is not explained but it must have been by divine revelation.

(13) And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid, for what did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw gods ascending out of the earth." 

Saul told the woman not to be afraid, but to tell him what she saw.  Although she said she saw gods, plural, the word she used was "elohiym" which usually refers to the one true God in three persons, if you will, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This was a sight she had never seen before, and she perceived it as magnificent as a god.  

(14) And he said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man coming up, and he is covered with a mantle." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself.

Saul asked the woman in what form was the so-called god.  She said it was an old man coming up, covered with a robe.  I have so many questions and thoughts here!  It's obvious by his questions that Saul did not see what the woman saw.  The fact that an old man would "come up" from the ground makes me believe it was a demonic spirit.  But Saul perceived it must be Samuel, and he bowed to the ground before him.  And the idea that Saul would bow before a demonic spirit is a most sad fact as to the state of Saul at this point in his life.

(15) And Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disquieted me, to bring me up?" And Saul answered, "I am sore distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I have called you that you may make known to me what I shall do."

Now scripture states that it was Samuel who spoke to Saul.  He asked why Saul had disquieted him to bring him up.  This cannot be the soul of Samuel as he would be at rest in Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22) or in heaven (Luke 23:43).  Nothing could disturb or trouble him, and his soul would not be in the ground.  But if it was truly Samuel who spoke to Saul, then I believe it was his body that came forth from the ground, and that could only be by the power of God.  It appears that Samuel appeared before the woman had done anything to bring him forth (verses 11 and 12 above).  God has control over everything and everybody, living or dead, and although He would not answer Saul by prayers or dreams, etc., He had a message for him, but in a way that would make Saul know He was no longer with Him.  Saul told Samuel how the Philistines had made war against him and how God had deserted him, and he had called Samuel to ask him what he should do.

(16) Then Samuel said, "Why then do you ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from you and has become your enemy?"

Samuel asked Saul why he would ask him what to do as he had been God's prophet, and God had departed from Saul, as he himself knew.

(17) "And the Lord has done to him as He spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David; (18) Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore has the Lord done this thing to you this day."

Samuel told Saul that the Lord had done just what He had said He would do (1 Samuel 13:14), for He had torn the kingdom out of his hand and had given it to David.  And that was because Saul had not obeyed the voice of the Lord.  In 1 Samuel 13, Saul had offered an unlawful sacrifice, specifically against the way the Lord had told him to wait to do.  Additionally, the Lord had told Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites, including all their livestock.  However, Saul spared King Agag and the best of the livestock (1 Samuel 15:9).  Therefore the Lord had torn the kingdom away from Saul, rejecting him and not answering him.

(19) "Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me; the Lord shall also deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

This specter of Samuel told Saul that the Lord was going to deliver him and his sons, as well as Israel, into the hands of the Philistines.  Even more alarming to Saul, he told him that he and his sons would be with him the next day.  At the very least, it meant they would be dead, but if this was a demon taking on the shape of Samuel which actually Saul couldn't see (verse 14), then it meant they would be in hell.  However, I'm sure that the loving Jonathan would be in heaven, so this could only mean they would be dead.  The hymnist Charles Wesley wrote:

“What do these solemn words portend?

A ray of hope when life shall end.

Thou and thy sons, though slain, shall be

To-morrow in repose with me.

Not in a state of hellish pain,

If Saul with Samuel do remain:

Not in a state of damn’d despair,

If loving Jonathan be there.”

Although a beautiful sentiment, Wesley could not know the fate of Saul and his sons' souls.  But his feeling was that God would have mercy on Saul, and well He might have, and they would all be with Samuel in heaven.  However, that is supposing that this apparition of Samuel was indeed his spirit, and I don't believe it was.  God was allowing this body of Samuel (maybe it was his body, but Saul couldn't see it) or this demonic spirit to tell him that he and his sons would die sometime in the near future, which was sometimes the meaning of the original word "machar" that was translated as "tomorrow."

(20) Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth and was sore afraid because of the words of Samuel, and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all the day nor all the night.

Saul fell stretched out on the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel.  There was no strength in him to rise up again because he had not eaten all that day and all that night.

(21) And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was sore troubled, and said to him, "Behold, your handmaid has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hand and have hearkened to your words which you spoke to me. (22) Now therefore, I pray you, hearken you also to the voice of your handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before you, and eat that you may have strength when you go on your way."

The woman came to Saul and saw how troubled he was.  She reasoned with him that since she had done what he asked of her and had even put her life in danger by doing it, that he might do what she asked, and let her give him some bread so that he might regain his strength and go on his way.  I am sure she was afraid of what might happen to her if the king was found dead at her place, she being a worker of dark arts that the king himself had banned from the country.

(23) But he refused and said, "I will not eat." But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him, and he hearkened to their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat upon the bed.

Saul at first refused to eat, but his servants and the woman talked him into it.  He got up from off the ground and sat upon a bed.

(24) And the woman had a fat calf in the house, and she hasted and killed it, and took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread of it. (25) And she brought it before Saul and before his servants, and they ate. Then they rose up and went away that night.

The woman hurried and killed a fat calf she had, dressed it, and made unleavened bread to go along with it.  She brought the meal to Saul and his servants, and they ate and then went on their way that same night.

All the details of how Samuel was able to be brought out of the spirit world to speak to Saul were not given, so we are left to imagine how it happened.  The facts are that there is a spirit world where guardian angels and demons exist.  And Saul did not actually see the being he assumed was Samuel, but as God is supreme over all, He compelled the spirit to tell Saul what He wanted him to hear.  And because our Lord is all-good all the time and desires that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), He most likely was letting Saul know his end was near so that he could repent and make peace with his Maker.  I don't believe any spirit has the ability to know the future; that is something that is only known by God, but as everything and everybody is at His command, even spirits can be compelled to say what He wills them to say.

David Flees to the Philistines

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 27:1) And David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul; nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines, and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me anymore in any coast of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand."

In the last chapter, David had just spared Saul's life a second time.  Although Saul had said he would no longer seek to harm him (1 Samuel 26:21), David had true reason not to trust him.  It appears here that David feared that Saul would kill him someday and that he must escape to a place where he thought Saul would not desire to pursue him.  How could he believe this when God had so protected him and had promised he would be king of Israel?  As happens to the best of us, our faith slips sometimes in the midst of troubles.  As the father of the possessed son said to Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24), we all need supernatural divine help sometimes to have total faith.  Oh, that we would learn to trust the Lord because He has always been trustworthy!  Then again, could it be that this was just another of David's hiding places, that he might have always thought if he stayed where he was, Saul would surely find him and kill him, so he moved on to the next place?  But again, then again, a prophet of God had told David to leave a pagan country, Moab, and go to Judah (1 Samuel 22:5), so surely God did not wish for David to go to another pagan land in which to dwell.  However, as David had previously said when he blamed Saul for driving him away from his inheritance into the land of pagans serving false gods (1 Samuel 26:19), he believed he was being driven out again, and he decided to quickly escape to the land of the Philistines where he hoped Saul would not seek to pursue him.

(2) And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. (3) And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.

David and his six hundred men went to the king of Gath, Achish, the son of Maoch.  He had fled to him before (1 Samuel 21:10) but he had cast him out when David feigned madness because he feared Achish.  But now with his six hundred men with him, David must have appeared a safe bet; especially if he knew David to be an enemy of Saul's, he might feel better protected against Saul with David and his men in his city.  So David and his wives, along with his men and their households, dwelt in Gath.

(4) And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he sought him no more again.

When Saul was told that David was in Gath, he did not try to go after him.  Was it because he had indeed had a change of heart for David after he had spared his life twice?  Or had David been wise in going there calculating that Saul would not want to pursue him there?  I am certain that God would have protected him in Judah, and God through a prophet had sent him to Judah in the first place, so I don't believe it was God's will that David go to a pagan country, but it appears that God blessed and protected him, regardless.

(5) And David said to Achish, "If I have now found grace in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country that I may dwell there, for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?" (6) Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day. (7) And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. 

David asked the king Achish to let him have a town in the country in which to dwell, rather than living in the royal city.  Achish gave him Ziklag, twelve miles from Gath, which actually was originally Israelite land (Joshua 15:31) but must have come into the hands of the Philistines.  But now David had it back, and it remained his at least to the writing of this account.  It still makes me wonder if David had been wrong about going to a pagan land, and God blessed him anyway, or if this was a divinely inspired plan to retake some of their land.  Most likely, God just used this opportunity, knowing that David would do what he did, but it would not have been His preferred will to have David live in a pagan land.  David stayed with the Philistines for a year and four months.

(8) And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, for those were of old the inhabitants of the land, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.

From Ziklag, David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, some of the old inhabitants of the land of Canaan that had not been expelled from the promised land.  I can't say that I see any fault on David's part at this juncture, as God intended that these lands be possessed by the Israelites (Joshua 13).

(9) And David struck the land and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish.

David struck those lands, killing everyone, man and woman, and took all the livestock, camels, and apparel, and went to Achish.  According to the word of God, none of these pagan nations in the promised land were to be spared (Deuteronomy 7:2), so perhaps David felt he was finishing a job left undone.  However, the Amalekites seem to have been spread far and wide, as they will rear their ugly heads again.

(10) And Achish said, "Where have you made a road today?" And David said, "Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites."

Achish asked where David had been that day.  The original word "pashat" transcribed as "road" more completely meant "to strip, invade, spread out," so in that way David had made an inroad, and Achish wanted to know where.  David told him that he had gone against people in the south of Judah, against the Jerahmeelites who were the descendants of Jerahmeel, the son of Hezron, the grandson of Judah, and the Kenites who were the posterity of Jethro, Moses's father-in-law.  This obviously wasn't exactly true.  Yes, he had been south of Judah, but not against the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, but rather against the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites.  This map borrowed from Jesus Walk shows where David had actually been and where he told Achish he had been:

(11) And David saved neither man nor woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, "Lest they should tell on us, saying, 'So did David, and so his manner all the while he dwells in the country of the Philistines.'"

David did not allow any man or woman of the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, to live, for fear that they would tell Achish what he had actually done.  And of course, the king and the people would expect that to be David's behavior all the while he was in the country of the Philistines.

(12) And Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant forever."

Achish believed David, supposing he had made his own people Israel to hate him, so he felt he was secure with a servant and ally in David.  This made David's sin of lying all the more grievous.  While Achish was a Philistine and an enemy to the Israelites, David used the king's gracious hospitality in giving him Ziklag and allowing him to stay in his country for a year and four months.  That is certainly no way to make proselytes!  Christians should always act Christ-like.  To do otherwise is hypocritical and leaves a stain on Christianity in the eyes of non-believers.  God would have certainly protected David had he stayed in Judah.  At this point, I don't know of any definite negative effects of his lying, but at the very least, it had a negative impact on David's faith and closeness with his Lord and on his conscience as he later would plead with the Lord to remove from him the way of lying (Psalm 119:29).

(1 Chronicles 12:1) Now these were they who came to David to Ziklag while he kept himself close because of Saul, the son of Kish, and they among the mighty men, helpers of the war. (2) Armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left with the bow, of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles 12 tells of mighty men of war who joined David while he was at Ziklag hiding out from Saul.  These men were skillful with bows and could use either hand which was an advantage to them.  They were of Saul's tribe of Benjamin.

(3) The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite, (4) And Ismaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite, (5) Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite, (6) Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korhites, (7) And Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

It appears there were thirty Benjamite men who came to David at Ziklag even though only 23 are named.  Ismaiah the Gibeonite appears to have been the commander over the thirty men.  These particular men were not mentioned elsewhere in scripture, although some have the same names as others mentioned.  The only exception might be Azmaveth, but he wasn't one of the men who came to David but the father of two of his sons who did.

At this point in his season of life, things seem to be going well with David.  His plan had worked, and Saul no longer sought him.  However, he had to lie to maintain his safety, and of course, that lie would have to be maintained for the sixteen months he lived in Gath.  That would have to take a spiritual toll and cause some sort of separation from God.  He had lost faith in God to protect him and bless him and had taken matters into his own hands.  Probably the worst thing that could happen was that it had worked!  It would keep him among his enemies, lying to have peace, separated from his people and most importantly from his Lord.  Although the Lord seems to have still blessed David at this point, and perhaps even used him to conquer some territory the Israelites had failed to take, up to this point, his lack of faith and his deceits would have to take a toll and would have consequences as we will most likely see in coming chapters.  God's commands are not about His being a dictator over us; they are designed to give us a perfect and peaceful life with all the blessings of the Lord.  David could not enjoy perfect peace while living among the enemy and lying to cover his tracks.  Only in complete faith in the protection and provision of our Lord may we find perfect joy and peace.  But, as always, David's life gives us confidence that even when we sometimes fail Him, God still loves us and forgives us.  Through Jesus our intercessor, He is able to still see us as pure.  That's not to say that we have free reign to do as we want, but God knows our hearts, just as He knew that David was a man after His own heart, even though he often failed Him.