2 Kingdoms

Chapter 1

• David hears of the death of Saul.
• David’s lament

Chapter 2

• Judah accepts David as the new King (for 7.5 years David is King only of Judah)
• The first part of the war between David and Saul’s heir: Ish-bosheth

Chapter 3

• War continues between House of David and House of Saul
• Abner is accused of going into Saul’s Concubine (a theme in Scripture), when confronted, defects to David.
• Joab of his own initiative kills Abner.

Chapter 4

• Introduction to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth
• Death of Ishbosheth
• David kills the killers of Ishbosheth

Chapter 5

• Israel unites under David
• David conquers Jerusalem and sets it up as his capital.
• The king of Tyre (Hiram) gives material for David’s palace
• David attacks and defeats Philistines

Chapter 6

• David starts to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
• It’s loaded on a cart (improperly)
• Uzzah touches it and dies
• The Ark is delayed with Abeddara (NETS spelling) for 3 months
• The Ark is moved with sacrifices first
• Michal despises David dancing & is childless

Chapter 7

• David desires to build the temple
• God says no, but will give peace and an offspring

Chapter 8

• David wars against Israel’s neighbors
• David gives the spoils of war to God.

Chapter 9

• David seeks to show mercy to Saul’s house
• David finds Mephibosheth and show him mercy for his father Jonathan

Chapter 10

• David seeks to do mercy to Hanun but Hanun treats them as spies
• Hanun half shaves and half disrobes the servants
• Hanun seeks to make war on David
• David defeats Hanun in war

Chapter 11

• David rapes Bathsheba
• David attempts to get Uriah to sleep with her.
• David stages Uriah’s death, using Uriah as the messenger
• Contrast between David’s advice to Joab, ‘Let it not be evil in your sight’ and the Lord’s view of David ‘evil in the Lord’s sight’ NETS wording

Chapter 12

• Nathan tells a parable to David
• David condemns himself
• Nathan pronounces the judgment of God
• The child dies
• The birth of Solomon
• The conquest of Rabbath

Chapter 13

• Ammon (David’s son) rapes Tamar his half sister
• Ammon casts her out
• Absalom (Tamar’s full brother) plots and kills Ammon.
• Absalom flees

Chapter 14

• Joab tells a woman to mourn to tell David a parable about Absalom
• (this parallels [antiparallels?] the story Nathan tells about Bathsheba)
• David allows Absalom to return from exile, but not see him
• Abosolom is handsome and has thick beautiful hair
• Joab won’t see Absalom, so Absalom burns down his fields.
• Joab comes to Absalom and is sent to the king.
• The king summons Absalom

Chapter 15

• Absalom wins favor with the people
• Absalom rebels against David
• David flees
• David commands the ark to go back to the city
• Ahithophel plots against David
• David sends Hushai as a spy

Chapter 16

• Ziba brings provisions for David and accuses his master Mephibosheth of treachery and wanting the crown.
• David grant’s Mephibosheth’s things to Ziba
• Shimei taunts David.
• Hushai, David’s friends, seems to pledge loyalty to Absalom
• Ahithophel counsels Absalom to sleep with his father’s concubines.

Chapter 17

• Ahithophel plots assassination of David
• Hushi is consulted, he says Ahithophel’s counsel is bad in this one case.
• The council agrees with Hushai
• The Lord behind this to ‘scatter’ Ahithophel’s counsel
• Hushai sends messengers to warn David
• Hushai’s messengers Jonathan and Ahimaaz hide themselves in a well, sheltered a woman, reminding of Rahab hiding the spies.
• Ahithophel hangs himself.
• David is refreshed at Mahanaim

Chapter 18

• David organizes his army
• David commands Joab not to kill Absalom
• Absalom caught in an oak; Joab kills him
• Housi is sent by Joab to the King.
• Achimaas pleads to take message; Joab allows him to go. He outruns Housi.

Chapter 19

• David mourns Absalom’s death
• Joab rebukes David
• David addresses the people
• Shimei seeks mercy; David grants it
• Mephibosheth meets David and explains why he didn’t go with him.
• David splits the land betwen him and his servant
• Berzelli gives his son Hamaam to serve David

Chapter 20

• Sheba the Benjaminite will not have David as king.
• David sends the concubines away
• David tells Amasa to be ready for war, but he delays
• David tells Abishai to put down Sheba’s rebellion
• Joab kills Amasa.
• Joab and Abishai besiege Sheba’s city. But the city delivers his head to them.

Chapter 21

• A famine in the land
• The reason, injustice to the Gabaonites
• Gabaonites as for 7 sons of Saul to be killed; which David does, but spares Mephibosheth
• War with Philistines
• The Philistines had giant champions with 6 fingers and toes per hand and foot.

Chapter 22

• Cross-ref Psalms
• A psalm of protection and thanksgiving.
• An appendix to 2 Kingdoms along with Chapter 23 the last words of David
• v 27 ‘with the elect you will be elect’ not the Calvinist version of election

Chapter 23

• David’s last words
• David’s mighty men

Chapter 24

• David takes a census
  • Joab protests but ends up taking the census.
• David realizes his sin.
• The Lord punishes him, and death comes to the land.
• David refuses to offer something to the Lord he did not pay for.