(1) A miscalculation
4:1 When Ish-bosheth the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened, and all Israel was afraid.
Why were they afraid? Abner was the general of Saul and he was the mighty warrior and he appointed Ish-bosheth as the king 2:8-9. Now, such an important people died in David's territory. Would David come out from Hebron and kill the rest of Saul's family?
Why were they afraid? Abner was the general of Saul and he was the mighty warrior and he appointed Ish-bosheth as the king 2:8-9. Now, such an important people died in David's territory. Would David come out from Hebron and kill the rest of Saul's family?
Therefore, the people second in line, Recan and Baanah, wanted to protect themselves and killed Saul's son. They thought they could be pleased David and therefore protected themselves. When David met them, he said,
4:11 Surely when wicked men have killed an innocent man as he slept in his own house, should I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth?”
Their own act of murdering Saul's son was the very reason that endanger their own lives. David called Ish-bosheth, "innocent man." In other words, David would not have come over to the house of Saul and wiped out his family. Recab and Baanah did not know David and had totally miscalculated the situation.
Their own act of murdering Saul's son was the very reason that endanger their own lives. David called Ish-bosheth, "innocent man." In other words, David would not have come over to the house of Saul and wiped out his family. Recab and Baanah did not know David and had totally miscalculated the situation.
Reflection:
Do we know God and know His value? It is very important to know God if we want to please Him. Just as Recab and Baanah who killed the innocent and still thought that David would be pleased we could be that foolish and thought at we can please God with our sinful deeds. I pray that I can really know God and His will (Rom 12:1).
(2) How could David be saved?
a. According to Recab and Baanah, Ish-bosheth was the son of David's enemy "who sought your life! The LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day against Saul and his descendants! v.8"
They thought the way to be safe was to get rid of your enemy. Therefore, what they had done was the will of God. "David you are now save ."
b. However, David answered them,
v.9 As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered my life from all adversity...
In other words, David claimed that the reason for his safety was because God had delivered him all the time. It was not because of Racab and Baanah had eliminated his enemy. The enemy could be out there, but David was safe because of the LORD.
Reflection: Do we always pray that God will get rid of our problem and then we are safe? May be learn from David and see that God is our Deliverer from all adversity. We could live with the enemies, but God has and will protected us.
Audrey
2024
B:
1. If the man who brought the news of Saul's and Jonathan's dead was miscalculation, Recab and his brother Baanah failed in looking back in history. They did not know David nor did they know the LORD, but they claimed to be the tools used by the LORD to revenge for David.
10 when someone told me that Saul was dead—even though he thought he was bringing good news—I seized him and killed him in Ziklag.
8b The LORD has granted vengeance to my lord the king this day against Saul and his descendants!”
2. They thought God was absent in David's life until now, but David said, no, God has been with all his life.
9b As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered my life from all adversity,
God shows up not only when our enemies die, but when the enemies are alive and God saves us from all adversity
3. Recab and his brother Baanah were mentioned as "Beerothite" in v.2,5,9. The reason why Beerothite lived in Benjamin was added in v.2-3. Was there any reason why the writer repeated that?
Beeroth was one of the four Hivite cities whose inhabitants deceived Israel, making peace with Joshua on the pretense that they were from a distant land (Josh 9:17). The inhabitants of Beeroth and the other three Hivite towns (Gibeon, Kiriath-jearim, and Chephirah) were thus spared annihilation and were allowed to live among the Israelites as woodcutters and water carriers (Josh 9:26–27). All four towns were incorporated into the tribal territory of Benjamin (Josh 18:25–28; 2 Sam 4:2).
Dorsey, D. A. (1992). Beeroth (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, p. 646). Doubleday.
Whether the elimination of Saul to the non-Israelites among the Benjaminite becoming a reason for their assassination's to Isob B was in doubt, but for sure, the Benjaminite did not keep them as woodcutters and water carriers. The house of Saul made them general. That was against the words of Joshua.
R:
Pray that I did not miss any teaching God has given me in the past.
Pray that I will trust God to be with me even in the midst of trouble.
Q:
1. When he heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened. Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet and could not help him. Nor could he helped to take down Recab and Baanah after they killed Iso B and escaped.
2. They thought David would praise them for taking vengeance of his enemy and killing his son.
3. People might shun away from evil and followed the path of justice like their king.
4. a. in her haste to get away, Mephibosheth fell and was injured. He was crippled in both feet from then on.
b. doorkeepr of Iso B?? They should have kept an eyes on people who entered the room of Iso B. They might be pretending of getting wheat, but they killed the king.
5. Yes, I am careless and could be one of them. I think they are not important, but they had great impact.
Biblical Studies Press. (2019). The NET Bible (Second Edition, 2 Sa 4:4). Thomas Nelson.
Biblical Studies Press. (2019). The NET Bible (Second Edition, 2 Sa 4:4). Thomas Nelson.
Biblical Studies Press. (2019). The NET Bible (Second Edition, 2 Sa 4:1). Thomas Nelson.
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