Today's Treasure:
"Abner said to David, 'Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.' So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace"
2 Samuel: 3: 21
Today's study is still a focus on the reign of David and how he came to rule over all of Israel. We know from the last two studies that the house of Judah anointed David first. Remember, however, that the house of Saul was not so quick to accept him. A lot of blood shed takes place, and many people die as the struggle over power continues. It fascinates me that the people we study today die for no reason at all...except jealousy and deceit. You will love the way David responds to their deaths and the respect he has for those who die in vain. It will make you respect David more because his heart is able to see through what is right and what is wrong.
I am still struggling with the many women in his life, but you gotta love this guy!!!
Read 2 Samuel 3: 6-21
Refresh your memory by identifying on the lines below who is Ish-Bosheth and Abner were. You can take a glance at your list at the end of the lesson.
Ish-Bosheth is the son of Saul. He was crowned at age 40 and reigned for two years
Abner is the son of Ner and commander of Saul's army
The Bible offers no evidence to support Ish-Bosheth's accusation of Abner. Consider verses 6 and 7 carefully. Why do you think he might have made such an accusation?
In case you haven't had the chance to read it yet, Ish-Bosheth accuses Abner of sexually inappropriate acts with Saul's concubine. The previous verse states that Abner was gaining a great deal of strength in the house of Saul and that Ish-Bosheth was afraid of Abner. So, he probably made this accusation because he was afraid of the strength Abner was gaining.
How did Abner respond to the accusation?
Abner transferred his allegiance to David
What one thing did David demand of Abner before making an agreement?
David demanded that Abner bring Michal to him in Hebron
Okay, what? Doesn't he have enough women already? This scripture killed my heart. It doesn't give a reason for David making this demand; however, the scripture does tell us that Michal's husband, Paltiel, was devastated by losing his wife. You could feel his love for her as he followed behind her crying.
There are two points to consider about Ish-Bosheth. They explain why Ish-Bosheth was fighting a losing battle.
1. He was fighting for a position that God did not give him
2. He did not call on the name of the Lord.
We were reminded time and time again, in scripture, that Jonathan wanted to please the Lord. He disagreed with the things his father did because it was not pleasing to the Lord. We hear no mention of this in relation to Ish-Bosheth. Maybe God would have blessed him if he had pledged his loyalty to the Lord. Instead, he met a much worse fate.
Read 2 Samuel 3: 22 - 39
Joab made an accusation against Abner behind his back. What do you think Joab was trying to accomplish?
We know that Abner came to David out of anger towards Ish-Bosheth. He did not come to David as a spy or out of deceit. He truly meant to change "sides". However, Joab accused him of being a spy for the house of Saul in order to bring distrust towards Abner into the heart of David.
What insight did these verses off you concerning David's heart?
David did not allow Joab's words to sway his feelings
Read 1 Chronicles 2: 13 - 17
What was David's relationship to Joab?
Joab was David's nephew. He was the son of Zeruiah, David's sister
Read 2 Samuel 4: 1-12
How did Mephibosheth become lame?
Mephibosheth is the son of Jonathan. When his nurse heard of Jonathan's death, she decided to flee in a hurry. At this time, Mephibosheth fell and became lame in both feet.
What do you think Recab and Baanah were expecting of David?
Recab and Baanah decided to sneak into the house of Ish-Bosheth while he was sleeping and kill him. They cut off his head and took it to David looking for rewards and prestige.
What additional insights about David's heart can you draw from these verses?
David still loved Saul and Jonathan's family. He respected that Ish-Bosheth was from the family of the anointed. He also defended him in death because he was innocent.
David ordered these two men to be put to death for their terrible act
Peter, one of Christ's disciples, once used his sword to cut off the ear of another. Can you think of ways we could use our swords - our Bibles - to "cut of the ear" of others? How can we wrongly use the Bible to cut off some one's hearing rather than invite them to listen.
Okay, ladies (and Kevin), this is one of my biggest frustrations with my fellow believers!!! We decide to learn and memorize single scriptures without taking time to understand the context the scripture was given in or its meaning in full. Then, we go around quoting scripture to apply it to situations without really knowing how it is applied in the Bible. We actually use scripture to judge others. It is my personal belief that God did not put us on the earth for judgment purposes. He is the only one that can see every side to every situation. We only have the ability to see from our own perspective. When we start throwing out judgments towards others, it pushes them away from our Lord. Do we really want to be responsible for that? We have got to learn to focus on loving one another and leaving the judgment to the only one that has the right to pass it. I will stop right there because I could literally go on and on about this one for days. Just remember we should all think twice before we speak!!!
I had my treatments today!! My wbc count was 4200, and my liver function is still within normal range!!! Praise be to God!!!
Love to you all,
Tiffany
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