2 Samuel 4 - 6

Verse 1, “When Ish-Bosheth. . . heard that Abner had died. . . he lost courage and all Israel became alarmed.”

With Abner dead, Ish-Bosheth and all Israel were alarmed. Who’s next? Two warriors, Rehab and Baanah, took it upon themselves to assassinate Ish-Bosheth. Why did they do this? It wasn’t to gain the throne for themselves. It was to ingratiate themselves with David. And boy, were they mistaken.

After they killed Ish-Bosheth, they cut off his head and brought it to David, expecting to be rewarded in some way. If they had been able to take a picture with their smart phone, they could have avoided beheading him.

When they took his head to David, standing tall and proud, expecting a “Congratulations, men!” They were very disappointed. David was appalled that they had killed an innocent man and ordered them both killed (verse 12). To discourage others from killing innocent people, David had their hands and feet cut off and they hung their bodies for public display.

Abner’s dead. Ish-Bosheth is dead. Who’s in charge? There is uncertainty and fear in Israel. The nation was more vulnerable to attack from outsiders. What should they do? They needed a leader. Who might that be?

Chapter 5:1 “The tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said 'We are your own flesh and blood.'” (verse 3). Verse 4, “David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” King at age 30. What were you doing at age 30?

David ruled from Hebron for seven years, then he moved the capital to Jerusalem. Why was this city chosen to be the new capital? The same reason Washington, D.C. was chosen for the capital of the United States. It was to unite the nation. It was based on its location, not too far north and not too far south.

The only hinderance to moving the capital was the fact that it was occupied by non-Israelites, by Jebusites. Who were these people, the Jebusites? They were descendants of Noah’s son Ham, through his son Canaan. They were placed under judgment by God for their wickedness (Gen.15:16). God told the Israelites to expel them from the land, but they didn’t quite do that. They remained and were hostile to Israel.

During the time of Joshua, the Jebusite king Adoni-zedek joined with four other Amorite kings to attack the Israelites at Gibeon (Josh.10:5). Israel won. Later, the Jebusites joined with Jabin, king of Hazor, in a battle against the Israelites, but they were again defeated (Josh.11:3). During the time of the judges, some Israelites began to intermarry with the Jebusites, causing God to bring judgment on the nation (Judges 3:5).

Rather than expelling the Jebusites, David granted terms of peace with the remaining Jebusites, and purchased land for building the temple (2 Sam. 24:18–25). Though the Jebusites weren’t expelled, they were subjugated to Israel and were part of the forced labor Solomon later used for his building projects.

Later in the history of Israel, when the Jews returned from their Babylonian captivity, Esra the priest led a revival among the Jews and had to deal with the issue of intermarriage with Jebusites and others (Ezra 9:1). After this, the Jebusites, like so many groups of people, disappeared from history. Probably absorbed into other Gentile peoples in the area.

The Jebusites were pretty confident that they could defend their city. Verse 6, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” The city wasn’t that large. It was probably about 11 acres and housed only 3,500 people.

The Jebusites were confident, but God had other plans for who would reside in what would become known as the City of David, Jerusalem. Verse 10, “and he (David) became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.” David’s success was not because of his political acumen, military strength, or great marketing campaign.

If you are a king, what might be the first project on your “to do” list? One of David’s first projects was to build a palace for himself. Perhaps this was not so much for his own pleasure and glorification, but to project legitimacy to the newly united nation and his kingship.

For this and other large building projects, David needed the help and supplies from outside Israel. He befriended King Hiram, King of Tyre on the Mediterranean coast, north of Israel. He was able to provide Israel with cedar logs along with the craftsmen to build his palace (verse 11). In return, Israel provided Tyre with access to the north-south trade route that went through Israel and with agricultural products such as wheat and olive oil. Hiram had good relations with both King David and his son Solomon.