2 SAMUEL LESSON 1


     We will begin this lesson in II Samuel 1:1 "Now it came to pass
after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of
the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;"

     This book is a continuation of 1 Samuel. We will read primarily
of the history of the reign of David in this book. Saul, and his three
sons, were killed in the battle with the Philistines. David would have
been in this battle, except the LORD found a way for the Philistines
to refuse his help. While he was gone for three days, the evil
Amalekites came and destroyed his city, and took his family. They
burned Ziklag. David and his men went after them, and killed them.
After they returned to Ziglag, and had been there 2 days, is when
verse 1 is set. Saul is dead, but David is not yet aware of it.

     II Samuel 1:2 "It came even to pass on the third day, that,
behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent,
and earth upon his head: and [so] it was, when he came to David, that
he fell to the earth, and did obeisance."

     This man is aware who David is, because he bows to him. He is in
mourning, when he comes, because he had his clothes rent and dust upon
his head. This takes place the very next day after verse 1 above. He
had been with Saul, but David is not immediately aware of that.

     II Samuel 1:3 "And David said unto him, From whence comest thou?
And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped."

     This man was in the camp area after the battle was over, to pick
up anything of value that might be left. He does not tell David that.
He tells David, that he just happened by. When David asks him where he
came from, he tells him from the camp of Israel.

     II Samuel 1:4 "And David said unto him, How went the matter? I
pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the
battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and
Jonathan his son are dead also."

     This is terrible. This is not what David wanted to hear. Jonathan
was his best friend. The Israelites have lost the battle, and Saul and
his sons are dead.

     II Samuel 1:5 "And David said unto the young man that told him,
How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?"

     David does not want to hear that Saul and Jonathan are dead. He
wants the young man to give him proof.

     II Samuel 1:6 "And the young man that told him said, As I
happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his
spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him."
II Samuel 1:7 "And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called
unto me. And I answered, Here [am] I."

     In the last chapter of 1 Samuel, the account was a little more
vague than here. Saul was wounded by the Philistines, and then, he
fell upon his sword. We did read in the other account, where he died.
It does not say that the act of him falling upon his sword did not
kill him. This man is saying, that after Saul fell upon the sword, he
called to him. This meant that his falling on the sword did not kill
Saul.

     II Samuel 1:8 "And he said unto me, Who [art] thou? And I
answered him, I [am] an Amalekite."

     Saul did not want a Philistine to kill him. This man is an
Amalekite. He tells Saul who he is.

     II Samuel 1:9 "He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon
me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life [is] yet
whole in me."

     Saul asked the Amalekite to stand upon him, and drive the sword
deeper into his body. It appears that, Saul was in great pain, and
this would quicken his death.

     II Samuel 1:10 "So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was
sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the
crown that [was] upon his head, and the bracelet that [was] on his
arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord."

     He did just as Saul had asked him to do. He, in a sense, killed
Saul, but he really just shortened his life. He would have died
anyway. He just shortened the time, it took for him to die. He took
his crown and bracelet to prove who he was.

     II Samuel 1:11 "Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent
them; and likewise all the men that [were] with him:"

     The tearing of the clothes was a sign of deep mourning. David,
and all the men, tore their clothes in grief.

     II Samuel 1:12 "And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until
even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the
LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the
sword."

     David had never stopped loving Saul, Jonathan, or his countrymen.
He was so overwhelmed with grief, that he cried and did not eat food.
This was grief of a personal nature, but it was, also, a grief for
their fallen nation. Israel, in its greatness, had been the people of
God. Saul, and some of his men, had turned from the pure keeping of
God's commandments. This terrible loss of life was punishment for
their sins. This is so much like the church. Many of us start out with
God, keeping His commandments. The world, sometimes, calls so
strongly, that we wander away from the absolute truth. This was Saul's
problem. At first, he seemed to have every intention of following God,
but more and more started doing things that were advantageous to
himself.

     II Samuel 1:13  "And David said unto the young man that told him,
Whence [art] thou? And he answered, I [am] the son of a stranger, an
Amalekite." II Samuel 1:14 "And David said unto him, How wast thou not
afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?"

     This Amalekite had come to David, believing that David would
rejoice in the death of Saul. He really thought that David wanted him
dead. It really does not matter, whether his story of killing Saul is
true, or not. It seems, that he was out to be rewarded for the death
of Saul. This Amalekite was not a Hebrew. He did not understand about
not raising his hand against the anointed of God. David is explaining
to him the error in destroying the anointed.

     II Samuel 1:15 "And David called one of the young men, and said,
Go near, [and] fall upon him. And he smote him that he died."

     This young man was an Amalekite, but had, probably, settled in
Israel. David had not immediately killed him, so it was not done from
a fit of rage. He fasted and wept, even before he sentenced the man.
If his story is true, he assisted Saul in the act of suicide. If it is
not true, he was a looter and had taken the things he brought off the
body of Saul. He was looking for advantage from Saul's death, at the
least. I would believe that David consulted with the LORD,. during his
fast, to find what to do with the man. I, also, would believe this
judgement is from God. He is executed.

     II Samuel 1:16 "And David said unto him, Thy blood [be] upon thy
head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain
the LORD'S anointed."

     We have seen, on two previous occasions, the respect that David
had for the position Saul held as being the anointed of God. Even
though Saul had fallen in his own character, David still respected the
office. We remember, the remorse he felt from just cutting off the
skirt of the anointed. Somehow, this was an affront to the LORD
himself, to kill His anointed.

     II Samuel 1:17  "And David lamented with this lamentation over
Saul and over Jonathan his son:"

     "Lamented", in this, means chanted, or wailed, at a funeral. The
sorrow that David felt was not just a surface grief. This was a hurt
deep in his heart. We remember that, Jonathan was David's best friend.

     II Samuel 1:18 "(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah
[the use of] the bow: behold, [it is] written in the book of Jasher.)"

     Since Saul was initially injured by an arrow from a bow, David
trains his men in the bow. This is a training for their future wars.
This book of Jasher is not in the Bible, but is an important book.
This book of Jasher is sometimes called The Book of Canticles. The
Song of Solomon is also called Canticles.

     II Samuel 1:19 "The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high
places: how are the mighty fallen!"

     David felt so strongly about the personality of Jonathan, that
this may indirectly be speaking of him. Their friendship was
beautiful. The relationship of the LORD with His people Israel was
very beautiful, as well.

     II Samuel 1:20 "Tell [it] not in Gath, publish [it] not in the
streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph."

     David could not stand thinking of the uncircumcised Philistines
gloating about the victory over Israel. Gath was near him, and he
would be repulsed, hearing them speak of their victory over Saul and
Israel. It was, generally, the custom for the women to rejoice in song
and dance when their was a decisive victory. He is saying, he prays
this will not happen close enough, that he will hear it with his own
ears.

     II Samuel 1:21 "Ye mountains of Gilboa, [let there be] no dew,
neither [let there be] rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for
there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of
Saul, [as though he had] not [been] anointed with oil."

     This is speaking of the shield of Saul, which had been taken and
set up as a symbol of their victory. David is praying to the LORD, to
withhold rain from the place where it is set up. He wants them to be
aware of the LORD's displeasure in their defamation of the character
of God's anointed. David is praying to God, to withhold the crops from
the Philistines.

     II Samuel 1:22 "From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the
mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul
returned not empty."

     Jonathan, as well as Saul, had been a mighty warrior. They had
come back from many battles with the blood of the enemy upon their
swords. Now, their swords and their shields were in the possession of
the Philistines.

     II Samuel 1:23 "Saul and Jonathan [were] lovely and pleasant in
their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were
swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."

     David is like many of us looking back over the lives of someone
we loved very much. He was unable to see the faults of Saul. He
remembers only the good things. True, Saul and Jonathan were powerful
men of war, winning many battles. Even though Saul knew he would lose
his life in this battle, he did not run and hide. He fought as a brave
soldier. He was a very strong man, physically.
     II Samuel 1:24 "Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who
clothed you in scarlet, with [other] delights, who put on ornaments of
gold upon your apparel."

     This weeping that David is calling for over Saul, is for the
material things he had furnished them with from his battles.

     II Samuel 1:25 "How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the
battle! O Jonathan, [thou wast] slain in thine high places."
II Samuel 1:26 "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very
pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing
the love of women."

     The friendship of David and Jonathan still remains today, an
example of two friends who stick to each other, even greater than two
natural brothers do. This is not speaking of sexual attachment they
had for each other. This is speaking of two men who had a communion of
thoughts and ideas. This is speaking of them having great mutual
admiration for each other. They believed so much alike, they made
covenants with each other. David loved and trusted Jonathan more than
anyone else. This friendship grew from Jonathan's great admiration of
David, for standing up against Goliath. He admired David greatly. This
became a mutual admiration for each other. On occasion, Jonathan had
warned David, and saved his life.

     II Samuel 1:27 "How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war
perished!"

     This is very much like a eulogy given at a funeral. David
reflects on the greatness of Saul and Jonathan. He laments their
death.























                        2 Samuel 1 Questions


1.  How long had David been back at Ziklag in verse 1?
2.  Who had he slain in the battle, he had just returned from?
3.  2 Samuel is a continuation of _____________.
4.  Why did David go after these Amalekites?
5.  When did David hear of Saul's death?
6.  What condition was the man in, who brought the sad news of Saul's
    death?
7.  Where had the man come from?
8.  What question did David ask the man?
9.  What was the condition of the battle?
10. What terrible news did he give David?
11. How did he prove their death to David?
12. What does he tell about Saul's death?
13. This man was an ____________.
14. What does he say, that Saul asked him to do?
15. When David believed, that Saul and Jonathan were dead, what did he
    do?
16. What two types of grief was David feeling?
17. Why had this terrible thing happened?
18. Why did this man not understand about raising his hand against
    God's anointed?
19. Why does it not matter, whether his story is true, or not?
20. What had testified against this Amalekite?
21. What punishment did David pronounce on the man?
22. What does "lamented", in verse 17, mean?
23. What did David have them teach the Israelites?
24. Who is David speaking of in verse 19?
25. Where did David not want to hear celebrations of this victory
    from?
26. How did the women, generally, rejoice over a victory?
27. What is verse 22 speaking of?
28. Who had the swords and shields of Jonathan and Saul?
29. How is David like many of us, in verse 23?
30. Why did David say, the daughters of Jerusalem should mourn over
    Saul?
31. Describe the friendly relationship between David and Jonathan?