2 Samuel 4

1 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

4 (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. 6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

Points of Interest

• ‘When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died’--interestingly, it’s Abner’s death, far more than his defection, that alarms Ish-Bosheth. Maybe Ish-Bosheth doesn’t care so much about being king, but he does still care very much about staying alive. And, despite his accusations of Abner, Ish-bosheth trusted Abner to get him a good deal in the transition of authority. Now, all bets are off.
• ‘the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim’--apparently Beeroth isn’t technically within Benjaminite territory, but having been abandoned by its original population, it was re-settled by the tribe of Benjamin (Walton et al). I don’t know why the author finds it necessary to explain these intricacies to us.
• ‘Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet’--I think the author is letting us know, just before telling us what is sure to be a tragic story about Ish-Bosheth, that there is still a remnant of Saul’s family. It’s a sad remnant, though: one young man, disabled when he was dropped as his family fled from Saul’s final defeat.
• ‘they stabbed him in the stomach’--Ish-Bosheth’s court is a sinking ship. With Abner and the leaders of the tribes already having defected to David, these two raiding captains are about all who remain with Ish-Bosheth. And they, his soldiers and members of his own tribe, turn on him most treacherously of all.
• ‘They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David’--once again, as with the unknown Amalekite bringing him Saul’s crown, someone is trying to gain favor with David by bringing him proof of the death of his enemy. David wonders, ‘Didn’t you hear what happened last time?’ And this time, it’s even worse: first of all, Ish-Bosheth was harmless, already completely de-fanged by Abner’s change of loyalty; and secondly, rather than dying in battle, Ish-Bosheth is assassinated while asleep in his own bed.
• 'they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb’--it’s perhaps not the most dignified of burials to have one’s head stuck into someone else’s tomb, but David is doing what he can to show Ish-Bosheth proper respect. I suppose there’s something fitting about Ish-Bosheth and Abner finding their final rest together.

Taking it home

• For you: Families and their legacies seem to be pretty important. And, as Saul’s family dramatically shows, it seems like there’s often so much working against families staying together and fulfilling their destinies. Pray today that your family would endure and prosper, asking God to help your family leave its legacy.
• For your six: The key contrast between David and the raiding band leaders Baanah and Rekab is that David had learned not to take matters into his own hands, even when it seemed like something was right there for the taking. That distinction makes all the difference in the world. When Baanah and Rekab grab for something, instead of waiting for it to be given to them, they end up getting themselves killed. Ask God to give your six a propensity to turn towards God in their state of need, as we read of David doing below, instead of taking things into their own hands.

Psalm 88: 1-13 excerpts

LORD, you are the God who saves me;

day and night I cry out to you.

May my prayer come before you;

turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles

and my life draws near to death. ...

I call to you, LORD, every day;

I spread out my hands to you....

In the morning my prayer comes before you.

• For our church: Things weren’t easy between David and Saul, Abner, and Ish-Bosheth. Each of them caused David much trouble in one way or another. And he had sharp disagreements with all of them. Yet, David possessed a remarkable ability to show them all respect all along the way. Pray that our church as a whole and each member of it would have a similar ability to honor any detractors or opponents we might have.
• For families: Are there any situations in your family that feel really hard right now? Talk together about these situations. Listen to how they affect each person in your family. Pray that God would be with you as a family as you work through hard things, and that God would help you grow closer together. Pray that God would help you love and honor your family members even when it is hard.