He doesn't forget his need of God.
Hello there.
This is the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind
and coming to you from Riverside, California,
podcasting since 2004.
My name is Steve Webb and I'm your OG Godcaster.
This is the podcast that comes to you every day
and we're reading the entire Bible together in a year.
I'm so glad you're here.
It's good to see you.
The website is lifespringmedia.com.
It's National Cream Cheese Brownie Day.
I mean, come on.
Do I need to say anything else?
This is History Tuesday.
We'll read 2 Samuel 1-4.
And after my commentary,
Before he was a giant of history, he was a husband and a pastor.
Today, on this date in church history,
a final private letter from a dying reformer
that contains a timeless piece of advice for anyone struggling with anxiety.
Before the world lost Martin Luther,
he had four words for his worried wife and for us.
Hang on for that.
Let's begin.
Our Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much for your word, and we thank you again for our time together.
I pray that you would bless us as we read and as we study.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
2 Samuel chapter 1
After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed at Ziklag two days.
On the third day, a man with torn clothes and dust on his head came from Saul's camp.
When he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage.
David asked him, Where have you come from?
He replied to him, I've escaped from the Israelite camp.
What was the outcome?
Tell me, David asked him.
The troops fled from the battle, he answered.
Many of the troops have fallen and are dead.
Also, Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.
David asked the young man who had brought him the report,
How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?
I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, he replied, and there was Saul leaning on his spear.
At that very moment the chariots and the cavalry were closing in on him.
When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, so I answered, I'm at your service.
He asked me, Who are you? I told him, I'm an Amalekite.
Then he begged me, Stand over me and kill me, for I am mortally wounded, but my life still lingers.
So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he couldn't survive.
I took the crown that was on his head, and the armband that was on his arm,
and I brought them here to my Lord. Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them,
and all the men with him did the same. They mourned, wept, and fasted until the evening
for those who died by the sword, for Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord's people, and the house of
Israel. David inquired of the young man who had brought him the report, Where are you from? I'm
the son of a foreigner, he said. I'm an Amalekite. David questioned him, How is it that you were not
afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? Then David summoned one of his servants
and said, Come here and kill him. The servant struck him, and he died. For David had said to
the Amalekite, Your blood is on your own head, because your own mouth testified against you by
I killed the Lord's anointed. David sang the following lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,
and he ordered that the Judahites be taught the song of the bow. It is written in the book of
Jashur. The splendor of Israel lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen. Do not tell
it in Gath. Don't announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines
will rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised will gloat. Mountains of Gilboa, let no dew
or rain be on you, or fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul no longer anointed with oil. Jonathan's bow never retreated, Saul's sword never
returned unstained from the blood of the slain, from the bodies of the mighty. Saul and Jonathan,
loved and delightful. They were not parted in life or in death. They were swifter than eagles,
stronger than lions. Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with luxurious
things, who decked your garments with gold ornaments. How the mighty have fallen in the
thick of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother.
You were such a good friend to me. Your love for me was more wonderful than the love of women.
How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished.
2 Samuel 2
Sometime later David inquired of the Lord, Should I go to one of the towns of Judah?
The Lord answered him, Go. Then David asked, Where should I go? To Hebron, the Lord replied.
So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
In addition, David brought the men who were with him, each one with his household, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.
Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
They told David it was the men of Jabesh-Gilead who buried Saul.
David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them,
The Lord bless you, because you have shown this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.
Now may the Lord show kindness and faithfulness to you, and I will also show the same goodness to
you, because you have done this deed. Therefore, be strong and courageous, for though Saul your
lord is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them. Abner, son of Ner, commander of
Saul's army, took Saul's son Ish-bosheth, and moved him to Maenaim. He made him king over Gilead,
Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, over all Israel. Saul's son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he
began his reign over Israel. He ruled for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.
The length of time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six
months. Abner, son of Ner, and soldiers of Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, marched out from
Maenam to Gibeon. So Joab, son of Zeruiah, and David's soldiers marched out and met them by the
pool of Gibeon. The two groups took up positions on opposite sides of the pool. Then Abner said to
Joab, Let's have the young men get up and compete in front of us. Let them get up, Joab replied.
So they got up and were counted off,
twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth, son of Saul,
and twelve from David's soldiers.
Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head
and thrust his sword into his opponent's side,
so that they all died together.
So this place, which is in Gibeon,
is named Field of Blades.
The battle that day was extremely fierce,
and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's soldiers.
The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Azahel.
Azahel was a fast runner, like one of the wild gazelles.
He chased Abner and did not turn to the right or the left in his pursuit of him.
Abner glanced back and said, Is that you, Azahel?
Yes, it is, Azahel replied.
Abner said to him, Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young soldiers, and take
whatever you can get from him.
But Azahel would not stop chasing him.
Once again Abner warned Azahel, Stop chasing me. Why should I strike you to the ground?
How could I ever look your brother Joab in the face? But Azahel refused to turn away,
so Abner hit him in the stomach with the end of his spear. The spear went through his body,
and he fell and died right there. When all who came to the place where Azahel had fallen and died,
they stopped. But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset they had gone as far as the hill of Amma,
which is opposite Gaia, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
The Benjaminites rallied to Abner.
They formed a single unit and took their stand on top of a hill.
Then Abner called out to Joab,
Must the sword devour forever?
Don't you realize this will only end in bitterness?
How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?
As God lives, Joab replied,
If you had not spoken up,
the troops wouldn't have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.
Then Joab blew the ram's horn, and all the troops stopped. They no longer pursued Israel or continued
to fight. So Abner and his men marched through the Ereba all that night. They crossed the Jordan,
marched all morning, and arrived at Maonaim. When Joab had turned back from pursuing Abner,
he gathered all the troops. In addition to Azahel, 19 of David's soldiers were missing,
but they had killed 360 of the Benjaminites and Abner's men. Afterward, they carried Azahel to
his father's tomb in Bethlehem and buried him. Then Joab and his men marched all night and
reached Hebron at dawn. 2 Samuel 3. Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house
of David, and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.
Sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
and his second, Kiliab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, and the third, Absalom
the son of Micaiah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, and the fourth, Adonijah the son of
Haggith, and the fifth, Shephetiah the son of Abidal, and the sixth, Ithrium, by David's wife
Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron. It came about while there was a war between the
house of Saul and the house of David that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.
Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Ish-bosheth said to Abner,
Why have you gone in to my father's concubine? Then Abner was very angry over the words of
Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to the
house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the
hands of David. And yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman. May God do so to
Abner, and more also, if, as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him,
to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to establish the throne of David over Israel
and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. And he could no longer answer Abner a word,
because he was afraid of him. Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying,
Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring
all Israel over to you. He said, Good, I will make a covenant with you. But I demand one thing of you,
namely, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michael, Saul's daughter, when you come to
see me. So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Give me my wife Michael,
to whom I was betrothed for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. Ish-bosheth sent and took her
from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping as he went,
and followed her as far as Behurim. Then Abner said to him, Go, return. So he returned.
Now Abner had consultation with the elders of Israel, saying, In times past you were seeking
for David to be king over you. Now then, do it. For the Lord has spoken of David, saying,
By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines,
and from the hand of all their enemies. Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin,
and in addition Abner went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel,
and to the whole house of Benjamin. Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron,
And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. Abner said to David,
Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with
you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires. So David sent Abner away,
and he went in peace. And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought
much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away,
and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they told Joab,
saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.
Then Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why then
have you sent him away, and he is already gone? You know, Abner the son of Ner, that he came to
deceive you and to learn of your going out and coming in and to find out all that you are doing.
When Joab came out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the
well of Syrah. But David did not know it. So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into
the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the belly so that he
died on account of the blood of Azahel, his brother. Afterward, when David heard it, he said,
I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner.
May it fall on the head of Joab, and on all of his father's house.
And may there not fail from the house of Joab one who has a discharge, or who is a leper,
or who takes hold of a distaff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.
So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Azahel to
death in the battle at Gibeon.
Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes and girt
on sackcloth and lament before Abner.
And King David walked behind the bier. Thus they buried Abner in Hebron, and the king lifted up his
voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. The king chanted a lament for Abner,
and said, Should Abner die as a fool dies? Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters.
As one falls before the wicked, you have fallen. And all the people wept again over him. Then all
the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was still day. But David vowed, saying,
May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.
Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, just as everything the king did
pleased all the people. So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not
been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. Then the king said to his servants,
Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?
I am weak today, though anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me.
May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil.
2 Samuel 4
Now when Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage,
and all Israel was disturbed. Saul's son had two men who were commanders of bands.
The name of the one was Baena, and the name of the other was Rechab, sons of Rimen the Bearethite,
of the sons of Benjamin, for Beoroth is also considered part of Benjamin.
And the Bearethites fled to Gideon, and have been aliens there until this day.
Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son crippled in his feet.
He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse
took him up and fled.
And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame, and his name was Mephibosheth.
So the sons of Rimen the Bearethite, Rechab and Baena, departed and came to the house of
Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest. They came to the middle
of the house as if to get wheat, and they struck him in the belly, and Rechab and Baena his brother
escaped. Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom,
they struck him and killed him and beheaded him, and they took his head and traveled by way of the
Ereba all night. Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the
king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. Thus the
Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his descendants. David answered
Rechab and Baanah his brother, sons of Rimen the Beirathite, and said to them, As the Lord lives,
who has redeemed my life from all distress. When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead,
and thought he was bringing me good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag,
which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a
righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hand,
and destroy you from the earth? Then David commanded the young men, and they killed them,
and cut off their hands and feet, and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron.
But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.
In chapter 1 today, the man who brought the report of Saul's death to David made a terrible
miscalculation, didn't he? As we read at the end of 1 Samuel, Saul fell on his own sword because
he didn't want to fall into the hands of the Amalekites. The soldier must have thought that
David would be pleased to meet the one who killed Saul, since it was widely known that Saul had been
pursuing David for oh so long. But remember, David had no desire to harm Saul, because he considered
him to be the Lord's anointed. So when David heard that this man killed Saul, he had him executed
right there on the spot. David's grief over Saul and Jonathan is genuine and deep, as evidenced by
the song he wrote and his tearing of his clothes in the morning, weeping and fasting he and his men
did. In chapter 2, we see David seeking God's direction. He certainly did so while running for
his life from Saul, but now that that threat is gone, he doesn't forget his need of God.
It is so important to keep God at the center of our life in good times as well as bad.
God tells David to go to Hebron, which is a priest's city in one of the cities of refuge.
There he is anointed by the Judahite men as king of the tribe of Judah.
Ishbosheth, a son of Saul and the nephew of Abner, is made king of the rest of Israel.
And this sets up the so-called contest between David's men and Ishbosheth's men.
Abner wants to keep the throne in the family.
He wants Ishbosheth to be king over Judah as well as the rest of the twelve tribes.
Everyone knows that David is God's anointed king,
and David has proven that he is willing to wait until God brings it about in his own time.
But Abner has his own plans. So he proposes a contest to the general of David's army, Joab.
And in order to save face, Joab accepts the challenge. Things got out of hand and the
contestants end up killing each other. This causes the armies on both sides to engage.
And before you know it, a total of 20 of David's men and 360 of Abner's men are dead.
including the young nephew of David, Asahel, at the hand of Abner. So Israel is a divided
kingdom at this point. There's the tribe of Judah, the house of David, and the rest of Israel,
which is under the house of Saul. How do you suppose this is going to play out? We'll find
out in the weeks to come. And then in chapter 3, Ish-bosheth made a mistake. He forgot who really
put him in the throne. It was Abner who made it possible for Ish-bosheth, King Saul's son,
to ascend to the throne. It was Abner's cunning and strength as a leader who put him there.
Ishbosheth was not a leader, and he severely misjudged the consequences of accusing Abner
of sleeping with Saul's concubine. Abner's response was basically,
How dare you accuse me of this? I served your father well. I kept you from defeat at David's
hands. I put you in the throne, and now I'm going to take you out of it. I will make sure that David
becomes king of all Israel. Ish-bosheth was gobsmacked. He couldn't say a thing. He knew
he was powerless against Abner. And Abner went to David and proposed to ally himself with David,
which David agreed to. When Joab, the general of David's army, heard about the agreement,
he was not happy and said as much to David. He rightfully didn't trust Abner and thought Abner
had come to David as a spy, and he took it upon himself to murder Abner. And David, being an
man mourned for Abner and gave him a proper and honorable funeral. In chapter 4, when Ish-bosheth
heard about Abner's murder, things really began to fall apart quickly for him. He loses any semblance
of control, and two of his military leaders murdered him and made the same mistake made by
the man who murdered Saul. These two thought they were doing David and themselves a favor by killing
one of David's enemies. They figured they would ingratiate themselves to David by doing this deed,
but their fate was the same as Saul's murderer. David had them killed and then hung by the pool
in Hebron. There is a difference between killing in war and murder. Many people think that one of
the Ten Commandments says, Thou shalt not kill, and it does say that in the King James Version,
but when you look at the original language, the Hebrew, the word used is better translated
murder. You shall not murder is the commandment. David knew this, and he did not want anyone to
him to the throne through murder. Beloved, be sure that if you think you're on a mission from God,
that you're not doing anything against God's Word. He is a righteous and holy God, and He will
accomplish His will only in the bounds of what He has told us in His Word is good and right. He will
never ask anyone to break His own law. David made an example of those who crossed that line because
he wanted everyone to know that his kingdom would be a godly kingdom. What are your thoughts?
We often think of the great reformers as larger than life, men who stood before emperors and
didn't blink. But on February 10, 1546, just eight days before his death, we see a much more human
side of the man who sparked the Reformation. Martin Luther was in Eisleben, the city of his birth,
attempting to mediate a legal dispute between the courts of Mansfield. He was 62 years old,
exhausted, and suffering from severe chest pains. Back in Wittenberg, his wife, Catherine von Bora,
was understandably frantic with worry. In response to her anxious letters, Luther picked up his pen
one last time to offer pastoral counsel to the person he loved most.
In this final letter, Luther didn't focus on high theology or ecclesiastical battles.
Instead, he gently scolded Lord Cady for her worry, famously telling her,
Pray and let God worry.
He reminded her that no amount of anxiety could steer the providence of God,
writing that, quote,
God is able to create ten Martin Luthers, unquote, if the first one should fail.
It's a profound moment in church history.
The man who challenged the papacy and translated the Bible into the common tongue
spent his final strength reminding his family and us that the sovereignty of God is our only true rest.
Even in his weakness, Luther's faith remained anchored in the mighty fortress he so famously sang about.
Tomorrow is Wednesday, which means we'll have a time of praises and prayer requests.
So if you want to share with the LifeSpring family, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and fill out that form you'll find there.
And as always, when you send your prayer requests in, I'll pray for you in my daily prayer time, and I'll pray for you on the show.
Comment on the show at comment.lifespringmedia.com or email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com.
I'll read some of your comments on the show.
I do want to hear from you.
And now, until tomorrow, may God bless you richly.
Thank you so much for being here and making me a part of your day.
I'm Steve Webb.
Bye.
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The Lifespring One Year Bible Rewind is a Lifespring Media production hosted by Steve Webb, the OG Godcaster, since 2004.