2 Samuel 1 – 4
Saul is dead and now the conflict on who will be heir to the throne. We see David the anointed one or Ish-bosheth Saul’s son struggle for the leadership. Interesting point, while watching this is to see David’s response. Verse 1:15 shows the first response:
So David called for one of his soldiers to come forward and kill the Amalekite soldier, which he did.
This was a soldier who basically put Saul out of his misery and yet David considered this murder and killed him per Hebraic Law. He does this a second time with the men who killed Ish-bosheth and freed David to be king over all Israel. Both cases these men made David’s rise smoother, yet David did not want to be king by murder, but by God. Wonder if God’s hand was in this killing and we just are not told. If so I think David’s response would have not gone unpunished.
Verses 4:9-11 is David’s response to the men who killed Ish-bosheth:
David: 9 As the Eternal One lives, the One who has redeemed my life from every danger, 10 when the messenger brought me the word, “Saul is dead”—as though that would be some reason for me to rejoice, that would get him a reward—I seized him and had him killed at Ziklag. That was his reward for bringing me such news. 11 How much more do you deserve to be punished, you wicked men who kill a righteous man in his own bedroom? Don’t you imagine that now I’ll make you answer for his blood with your own and wipe you from the face of the earth?
Instead of doing the earthly thing David does not put his convenience before God’s Laws. He punishes the men for what they did, not for how they made life simpler for him. With the Amalekite I questioned his response since it was on the battlefield, but these two did the act as a murder.
We see top leaders assassinated throughout history and often wonder how many were judged the same way? And were the “patsy’s” to cover a greater conspiracy. Don’t need to go there today, but we see David follows the Law and not his benefit.