Sermon Central
2 Samuel 21-24
The Gibeonites Avenged 1During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD . The LORD said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)
3David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the LORD ’s inheritance?”
4The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.” “What do you want me to do for you?” David asked. 5They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel,
6let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul—the LORD ’s chosen one.” So the king said, “I will give them to you.”
7The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
8But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,
9He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the LORD . All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. 10Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night. 11When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, 12he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.)
13David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.
14They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
Wars Against the Philistines
15Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted.
16And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels
17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”
18In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair
21When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him. 22These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
David’s Song of Praise 1David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
2He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
3my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield
4“I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.
5The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
7“In my distress I called to the LORD ; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears.
8The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens
9Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
10He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
11He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared
12He made darkness his canopy around him— the dark
13Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
15He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
17“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
18He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
20He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21“The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22For I have kept the ways of the LORD ; I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
24I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
25The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness
26“To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
30With your help I can advance against a troop
31“As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD ’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.
32For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God?
33It is God who arms me with strength
34He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.
35He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36You make your saving help my shield; your help has made
37You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
38“I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.
40You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.
41You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
42They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but he did not answer.
43I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
44“You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples; you have preserved me as the head of nations. People I did not know now serve me,
45foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
46They all lose heart; they come trembling
47“The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!
48He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me,
49who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me.
50Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing the praises of your name. 51“He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”
David’s Last Words 1These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs:
2“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.
3The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,
4he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’
5“If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire.
6But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand.
7Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.”
David’s Mighty Warriors
8These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth,
10but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 11Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them.
12But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory. 13During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 16So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD .
17“Far be it from me, LORD, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
18Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.
19Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them. 20Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors.
23He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24Among the Thirty were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
26Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
27Abiezer from Anathoth, Sibbekai
28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29Heled
30Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai
31Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan
33son of
34Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
36Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, the son of Hagri,
37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite 39and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
David Enrolls the Fighting Men 1Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2So the king said to Joab and the army commanders
3But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
4The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. 5After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.
7Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.
8After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
10David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” 11Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
12“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ”
13So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three
14David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 15So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
16When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,
David Builds an Altar 18On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad.
20When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped.” 22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23Your Majesty, Araunah
24But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels