Week 17

Reading

Day 1: 2 Samuel 6:12, 1 Chronicles 15:1-28, 2 Samuel 6:12-16, 1 Chronicles 15:29, 2 Samuel 6:17-19, 1 Chronicles 16:1-43, 2 Samuel 6:19-23

Day 2: 2 Samuel 7:1-17, 1 Chronicles 17:1-15, 2 Samuel 7:18-29, 1 Chronicles 17:16-27, 2 Samuel 8:1-14, 1 Chronicles 18:1-13, Psalm 60

Day 3: 2 Samuel 8:15-18, 1 Chronicles 18:14-17, 1 Chronicles 6:16-30, 1 Chronicles 6:50-53, 1 Chronicles 6:31-48, 2 Samuel 9:1-10:19, 1 Chronicles 19:1-19

Day 4: 1 Chronicles 20:1, 2 Samuel 11:1-12:14, Psalm 51, 2 Samuel 12:15-25, 2 Samuel 5:14-16, 1 Chronicles 14:3-7, 1 Chronicles 3:5-9

Day 5: 2 Samuel 12:26-31, 1 Chronicles 20:2-3, 2 Samuel 13:1-14:33

Day 6: 2 Samuel 15:1-17:14

Day 7: 2 Samuel 17:15-29, Psalm 3, Psalm 63, 2 Samuel 18:1-19:30

Preview

Hard Questions

1. (2 Samuel 6:16-23) What’s going on with David’s treatment of Michal? One clue to this is how frequently she’s mentioned as “Saul’s daughter” in the passage. I think that part of the dynamic here is her concern for David’s dignity not as David but as king, his image in front of the people, much like Saul. She’s not accustomed to a king who worships, which we can see from the story of Saul. We know that she personally had kept teraphim in her house and used one to cover up David’s flight from Saul. We also see that God is using this to remove Saul’s line from any connection to the line of the Messiah to come. The barrenness mentioned here may not mean that David abstained from all relations with her (the passage doesn’t mandate that), but it could be part of God’s judgment toward her.
2. (2 Sam. 7) Nathan says that David can build the temple, and then God says no. God corrects His prophet. Is David missing God’s will for his life? No: he’s done exactly what God has brought him to the throne to do; he just can’t do what’s God’s will for Solomon. He can prepare the way for it with all his heart.
3. (2 Sam 8) The defeat and measuring off of the Moabites. David executes ²⁄₃ of his prisoners. We get creeped out at this point, because we see the way it was decided; but we look at 1 Chron. 18:12 and Abishai kills 18,000 Edomites, and it’s just a number. Once again. we return to the world without the gospel- violent. Al l nations at this time did these kinds of things. Was it right, or ideal? No, but it was a reality. Our world today would still be like that, without the gospel. which softens hearts even toward the lives of enemies. And David was merciful to the ¹⁄₃ who lived: he could have killed them all.
4. (2 Sam. 10) Cutting off half the clothes and half the beards? They were forced to violate the Torah. They would only shave their beards for the Nazirte vow or for ritual cleansings. This was a huge shame for them as men denuded and as Israelites forced to break their law in a very public way.
5. (2 Sam. 12) God’s punishment of David in the death of the child. What’s going on here?
6. (2 Sam. 5:14•16) Both sides of Jesus’ lineage represented here.
7. (2 Sam. 12:28•28) David’s in a really bad place as a king. His general has to threaten to crown himself to get David to come out to the battle field. David’s neglected his role and harmed his relationship with Joab in the future. There are huge consequences to this one choice that David makes- the death of Uriah, the alienation of Ahithophel, Bathsheba’s grandfather, the example of sexual indiscretion he leaves for everyone in the palace, making it easier for Jonadab to counsel Amnon to rape Tamar: David ’s silence in the face of injustice and rebellion, the alienation of Jonadab, the lack of respect Absalom develops for David. This one moment has huge repercussions.
8. (2 Sam. 13) Why is the rape of Tamar in the Bible? Parallels the rape of Dinah, parallels David’s sin. This is not a fiction book. It shows things that really happened.
9. (2 Sam. 18•19) David ’s reaction to Absalom’s death and Joab’s subsequent rebuke.

Review