VIII - The Reign of David - 1025-985 B.C.
A. David becomes king - 2 Samuel 5:4; 1 Kings 2:11; 1 Chronicles 29:27
1. Early days in Hebron
a. Anointed king of Judah in Hebron - 2 Samuel 2:1-7
b. Ish-Bosheth is made King of Israel - 2 Samuel 2:8-11
c. Civil war ends, Abner's rebellion fails - 2 Samuel 2:12-32; 2 Samuel 3:1
d. David's family in Hebron (apx birth of Absalom) - 2 Samuel 3;2-5; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4
e. Michal and Abner return to David - 2 Samuel 3:6-21
f. Joab murders Abner - 2 Samuel 3:22-39
{pages 485 - 490}
And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. (2 Samuel 2:14)
play - H7832 - A primitive root; to laugh (in pleasure or detraction); by implication to play.
My first thought when reading the verse, they do not mean play as in tag or some other recreational type of game. They mean to kill one another.
Used of: Samson making sport for the Philistines ~ of the women playing as they commended Saul and David for their victories ~ David and the house of Israel playing on instruments before the Lord ~ David defending his playing to Michal ~ posts of the king were laughed to scorn ~ used in the book of Job to describe laugh, derision, scorneth, mocketh, play ~ in Psalms of laugh, play ~ in Proverbs as mock, rejoicing, sport, laugh ~ a time to laugh ~ Jeremiah mockers and merry ~ Chaldeans deride ~ boys and girls playing in the streets.
I find the usage of the word to be quite interesting. In verse 16, they are using swords to thrust at one another. Gill's take on the verse:
And Abner said to Joab,.... Perceiving he made no motion towards an engagement with him, his orders from David being only to act on the defensive, and avoid as much as possible the effusion of blood:
let the young men now arise, and play before us; with their swords after the manner of gladiators or duellers; that it might appear who were best skilled in the use of the sword, and who were the bravest, stoutest, and most courageous; and this he proposed in a way of bravado, and in order to bring on a battle, or to decide the quarrel between them; and this bloody barbarous exercise Abner calls play, as if it was a diversion and pastime to see men wounding and killing one another:
and Joab said, let them arise; he accepted the challenge, not caring to be hectored and bullied by Abner.
Wesley's commentary was brief, but thought provoking:
And play - That is, shew their prowess and dexterity in fighting together. He speaks like a vain - glorious and cruel man, and a soldier of fortune, that esteemed it a sport to see men wounding and killing one another. So this he designed, partly for their mutual recreation and trial of skill; and partly, that by this occasion they might be engaged in a battle. But he is unworthy the name of a man, who is thus prodigal of human blood.
Abigail, David's second wife bore him a son. In 2 Samuel 3:3 it is translated as Chileab, in 1 Chronicles 3:1 as Daniel. Hmmmm....
Chileab - H3609 - Apparently from H3607 and H1; restraint of (his) father; Kilab, an Israelite.
- H3607 - A primitive root; to restrict, by act (hold back or in) or word (prohibit).
Daniel - H1840 - From H1835 and H410; judge of God; Daniel or Danijel, the name of two Israelites.
So which is it? Well...interesting find...check
this out if you'd like a variety of commentaries. I especially thought the one by Clark thought provoking.
I thought the passage in 2 Samuel 3:14-16 interesting. According to the law, a woman divorced from her 1st husband was not to go back to him if she remarried another man. The question now...since David did not divorce her (or does not appear to have divorced her) was she in adultery?
I found this article,
Women of the Bible - Michal - David obviously never ceased to consider Michal as his wife. How then, could she have been given to another man?
Gill's commentary on verse 14:
And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son,.... When Abner's messengers returned to him, and acquainted him with the condition of David's entering into a league with him, it is highly probable that Abner sent them or others to David, to let him know that he could not do this of himself; that it was advisable for him to write to Ishbosheth, whose sister she was, and demand her of him; and that then he would use his interest with Ishbosheth to grant it, and this method David took:saying, deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines; two arguments he made use of to enforce his demand; one is, that it was his wife he required, to whom he had a right, and no other man; and the other is, that he had purchased her at a great expense, at the risk of his life, in slaying an hundred Philistines, whose foreskins he paid in for her at the instance of Saul; he mentions but one hundred, though he gave two hundred as her dowry, no more being required than one hundred; see 1Sa_18:25. Josephus very wrongly says six hundred (b); the Syriac and Arabic have here two hundred.
I don't know that I have a distinct answer to my question. Michal was obviously not considered to have committed adultery, nor the 2nd husband, Phaltiel. Odd series of events. Very odd.
There were several instances of men weeping in today's reading. Phaltiel wept over losing Michal, David wept at Abner's death.
wept/weeping - H1058 - A primitive root; to weep; generally to bemoan.
Found 114 times in 100 verses - those who wept: Hagar for Ishamael ~ Abraham for Sarah ~ Esau at missing the blessing ~ Jacob at finding kin ~ Esau reunited with Jacob ~ Jacob/Israel for Joseph's (apparent) loss ~ Joseph at seeing this brethren and upon seeing Benjamin ~ Joseph and Benjamin wept upon each other ~ Joesph upon his brethren ~ Joseph with his father, Israel ~ Egyptians mourned for Israel ~ Joseph again for his brother's thoughts that he may do them evil after their father's death ~ Moses wept and invoked the compassions of his adopted mother ~ Israel was to bewail the burning with the LORD had kindled against them ~ Israel wept for flesh ~ Moses heard the people weeping ~ the LORD heard the weeping of the people (highly encouraging) ~ congregation mourned for Aaron ~ congregational weeping by Israel ~ women captives to bewail the loss of 1st family ~ people of Israel wept for the loss of Moses ~ Israel wept after the angel of the LORD spoke to them ~ Jephthat's daughter bewailed her virginity ~ Samson's wife wept to move him to tell her the riddle ~ Israel wept over disciplining the tribe of Benjamin ~ Orpah and Ruth weep at leaving Naomi ~ Peninnah provoked Hannah to weep ~ Hannah wept before the Lord ~ Israel (under Saul) wept at the news of the messengers from Gibeah ~ David and Jonathan wept upon/for one another ~ Saul wept at hearing David ~ David and his people wept at the loss/destruction of Ziklag ~ David and his men wept and fasted for the loss of Saul and Jonathan ~ Phaltiel for Michal ~ David over Abner's death ~ servants questioning David's weeping for the 1st child of Bathsheba while yet still alive ~ David and his servants wept over Absalom's killing ~ the country (David's people) wept while passing over and leaving Jerusalem ~ David on the Mount of Olivet, wept ~ David wept over the death of Absalom ~ Elisha wept ~ Joash wept over Elisha's impending death ~ Hezekiah wept ~ the LORD heard Josiah weeping over the sin of Israel ~ priests and Levits wept at remembrance of first tabernacle ~ Ezra weeping, the people as well ~ Nehemiah wept ~ Esther before the King for the evil of Haman ~ Job's friends at seeing him ~ Job wept for those in trouble and the poor ~ Psalms ~ the crying preacher in Ecclesiastes ~ Isaiah ~ Jeremiah ~ foretelling of the mother's weeping for their boy babies ~ women weeping for Tammuz (idolatry) ~ Joel.
I was wondering if there is ever congregational weeping for our sin and idolatry or for the sin and idolatry of our nation. Would that the people of God thirsted to perform this verse:
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Would that we all were as moved:
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:6)
