The Second Book of Samuel
Chapter 2
¹ After this David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" The LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" He said, "To Hebron," ² So David went up there along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 1 to 2)
Oh God my Father King David gives us a perfect example of how our relationship with You is to be. I am to discuss every issue of my life with You my God and Father and act only upon the answers that You give me as You gave to David Amen.
³ David brought up the men who were with him, every one with his household and they settled in the towns of Hebron. ⁴ Then the people of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the people of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God my Father if You really and truly wish me to move on to another place of work, where I will be given a respectful position may Your will be done and not mine. I am in total obedience to You and only You Amen. Show me the way my God and Father and I will follow in Your steps Amen.
⁵ David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him!
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 5)
Oh God my Father when is it the last time that we offered our thanksgiving to You. If I could I could say thank You for every second of my life, for every second is a gift. Amen.
⁶ Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you! And I too will reward you because you have done this thing. ⁷ Therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul; your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)
Oh brothers and sisters, especially those of us who feel worn out and weary, due to negative circumstances that may cause us to feel sad or depressed. Buck up1 lift up those hands in praise and worship for the Lord God my Father is on your side. He is our champion and with Him on our side we can never fail, for He is victorious and forever glorious He is the LORD.
Let us click on the following link and join this band in the following song called Victorious. Amen:
Song Victorious (Credit to Elevation Worship)
⁸ But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army had taken Ishbaal son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 8)
Oh God my Father, as You have already showed in me in the First Book of Samuel Chapter 2, You have the power and authority to promote and even to demote. Nothing happens without Your knowing it and having control over it Amen.
⁹ He made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 9)
Oh God my beloved Father, You love me so much that You are showing me Your justice. If humans can be just towards the sons and daughters of others who may have not had been so fai to them, how much greater is Your love and justice. Blessed be Your name my God and Father Amen.
¹⁰ Ishbaal, Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 10)
Oh God my Father even though certain people are called or chosen by the public to be leaders or ministers, the sheep will not follow that voice if they do not trust that person and will choose to follow the voice that breeds security and prosperity.
At times oh God it also happens to us. When considering that we cannot physically see You, we might go for the second option of following the people of the world whom we can see and talk to. Oh God my Father, how I wish I can see You with my own eyes and even talk with You as in the case of humans. It would be one of the greatest gifts of my life Amen.
¹¹ The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 11)
Oh God my beloved Father You permitted me to be head of household in name only for the last sixteen years, and throughout this time we had good times and even not so good times. There were times when I saw miracles take place, and their are the present times, when life has become unbearable. I thank You for all these moments Amen.
¹²Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David, went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool, while the other sat on the other side of the pool.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 12 to 13)
Oh God my beloved Father even though the outcome of this meeting was not positive, at times part of the solution is that of sitting down and everybody concerned will place their issues on the table in a controlled discussion where all have the opportunity to express themselves in a peaceful way Amen.
¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men come forward and have a contest before us."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 14)
Oh God my Father, instead of trying to settle the issues between them, the decision was for a manifestation of violence and strength. This is the move from what is right, to that of might is right. I pray that You protect me from such an attitude my God and Father Amen.
¹⁵ So they came forward and were counted as they passed by twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶ Each grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzzurim, which is at Gibeon. ¹⁷The battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 15 to 17)
Oh God my beloved Father, why do we need to be entertained by such manifestations of power that lead to bloodshed, death or people end up being injured for life. What pleasure can we ever experience on witnessing a person being crushed and beaten by his opponent.
¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 18)
Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that we use our gifts and talents and skills in order to help and be of service to others instead of using them in order to kill or persecute others Amen.
¹⁹ Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he followed him.²⁰ Then Abner looked back and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "Yes it is."²¹ Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn away from following him. ²² Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?"²³ But he refused to turn away. So Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. He fell there, and died where he lay. And all those who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 19 to 23)
Oh God, my beloved Father, during our times we are living an era of computer games, where one opponent has to literally destroy and kill the other one. The message has become so clear that as in the game death comes easily, one push of a button and the victory is achieved. However when we come face to face with death and its consequences in the real world we freeze in shock and terror. Oh God, I pray that we compete in faith in order to enable others to be stronger believers and not to destroy each other Amen.
²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 24)
Oh God, my beloved Father, the quest or drive for revenge is so strong in us. When we feel hurt and angry we can summon ourselves to do many negative things such as murder and maybe even more. I pray oh God my Father, that You heal me and others from our anger that we are freed from this circle of evil Amen.
²⁵ The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a single band; they took their stand on top of the hill.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 25)
Oh God my Father as believers in You we are also to stand firm in our belief in You and permit no ideology, philosophy or cult or other belief to persuade us in not believing in You and in not being committed to Your ways Amen.
²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab, "Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you order your people to turn from the pursuit of their kinsmen?"
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 26)
Oh God my Father, sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, how long are we going to wage war against each other. Many people are suffering in Syria and other places of the world. Many innocent people are dying. I pray for peace in the world. Have mercy on us, my God and Father Amen.
²⁷ Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have continued to pursue their kinsmen, not stopping until morning."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 27)
Oh God my Father many use Your name in order to fight battles and even make false declarations, however as believers we are to do everything that is good, in the "Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit" Amen.
²⁸ Joab sounded the trumpet and all the people stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or engaged in battle any further.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 28)
Oh God my Father, the present times are times of war and uprisings, shootings and bombing. I pray oh God my Father, that You sound Your trumpet on the world and restore peace Amen.
²⁹ Abner and his men travelled all that night through the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole forenoon they came to Mahanaim.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 29)
Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that I never stop marching but always seek the way ahead Amen. Please show me the way my God and Father.
³⁰ Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 30)
Oh God my Father at times winning a battle or a conflict might even mean suffering casualties which at times darkens the glory of our victory. I will soon end the separation from my wife, which is a major victory, however when the dark moments of loneliness and depression attempt to overcome me I may start considering the victory a downfall. I pray that You be there to protect me my God and Father. I thank You for giving me a loving and supportive mother and this new group of friends as a support system Amen.
³¹ But the servants of David had killed of Benjamin three hundred sixty of Abner's men. ³²They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 31 an 32)
Even though a form of peace was restored, they still had to face the consequences of the war or battle that both parts had waged against each other. Even though we manage to patch up our broken relationships the scars still remain for we are human and the relationship would never remain the same again. Oh God my Father, I pray that in such situations we learn to bury the dead with the dead and not raise up past issues that had already been resolved Amen.
Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end this meditation or reflection on this second chapter of the second book of Samuel with the following prayer.
Even though my God and Father our brains tell us to rebel in order to seek justice, to win the argument and forsake the relationship, to appear dominant and not inferior in the presence of others and in the eyes of our own ego, I pray that You teach us to harness and control such emotions that lead to war and blood shed and seek the road to peace and unity Amen.
³ David brought up the men who were with him, every one with his household and they settled in the towns of Hebron. ⁴ Then the people of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the people of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 3 to 4)
Oh God my Father if You really and truly wish me to move on to another place of work, where I will be given a respectful position may Your will be done and not mine. I am in total obedience to You and only You Amen. Show me the way my God and Father and I will follow in Your steps Amen.
⁵ David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him!
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 5)
Oh God my Father when is it the last time that we offered our thanksgiving to You. If I could I could say thank You for every second of my life, for every second is a gift. Amen.
⁶ Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you! And I too will reward you because you have done this thing. ⁷ Therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul; your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 6 to 7)
Oh brothers and sisters, especially those of us who feel worn out and weary, due to negative circumstances that may cause us to feel sad or depressed. Buck up1 lift up those hands in praise and worship for the Lord God my Father is on your side. He is our champion and with Him on our side we can never fail, for He is victorious and forever glorious He is the LORD.
Let us click on the following link and join this band in the following song called Victorious. Amen:
Song Victorious (Credit to Elevation Worship)
⁸ But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army had taken Ishbaal son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 8)
Oh God my Father, as You have already showed in me in the First Book of Samuel Chapter 2, You have the power and authority to promote and even to demote. Nothing happens without Your knowing it and having control over it Amen.
⁹ He made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 9)
Oh God my beloved Father, You love me so much that You are showing me Your justice. If humans can be just towards the sons and daughters of others who may have not had been so fai to them, how much greater is Your love and justice. Blessed be Your name my God and Father Amen.
¹⁰ Ishbaal, Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 10)
Oh God my Father even though certain people are called or chosen by the public to be leaders or ministers, the sheep will not follow that voice if they do not trust that person and will choose to follow the voice that breeds security and prosperity.
At times oh God it also happens to us. When considering that we cannot physically see You, we might go for the second option of following the people of the world whom we can see and talk to. Oh God my Father, how I wish I can see You with my own eyes and even talk with You as in the case of humans. It would be one of the greatest gifts of my life Amen.
¹¹ The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 11)
Oh God my beloved Father You permitted me to be head of household in name only for the last sixteen years, and throughout this time we had good times and even not so good times. There were times when I saw miracles take place, and their are the present times, when life has become unbearable. I thank You for all these moments Amen.
¹²Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David, went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool, while the other sat on the other side of the pool.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 12 to 13)
Oh God my beloved Father even though the outcome of this meeting was not positive, at times part of the solution is that of sitting down and everybody concerned will place their issues on the table in a controlled discussion where all have the opportunity to express themselves in a peaceful way Amen.
¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men come forward and have a contest before us."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 14)
Oh God my Father, instead of trying to settle the issues between them, the decision was for a manifestation of violence and strength. This is the move from what is right, to that of might is right. I pray that You protect me from such an attitude my God and Father Amen.
¹⁵ So they came forward and were counted as they passed by twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶ Each grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzzurim, which is at Gibeon. ¹⁷The battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 15 to 17)
Oh God my beloved Father, why do we need to be entertained by such manifestations of power that lead to bloodshed, death or people end up being injured for life. What pleasure can we ever experience on witnessing a person being crushed and beaten by his opponent.
¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 18)
Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that we use our gifts and talents and skills in order to help and be of service to others instead of using them in order to kill or persecute others Amen.
¹⁹ Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he followed him.²⁰ Then Abner looked back and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" He answered, "Yes it is."²¹ Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn away from following him. ²² Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?"²³ But he refused to turn away. So Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. He fell there, and died where he lay. And all those who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 19 to 23)
Oh God, my beloved Father, during our times we are living an era of computer games, where one opponent has to literally destroy and kill the other one. The message has become so clear that as in the game death comes easily, one push of a button and the victory is achieved. However when we come face to face with death and its consequences in the real world we freeze in shock and terror. Oh God, I pray that we compete in faith in order to enable others to be stronger believers and not to destroy each other Amen.
²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 24)
Oh God, my beloved Father, the quest or drive for revenge is so strong in us. When we feel hurt and angry we can summon ourselves to do many negative things such as murder and maybe even more. I pray oh God my Father, that You heal me and others from our anger that we are freed from this circle of evil Amen.
²⁵ The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a single band; they took their stand on top of the hill.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 25)
Oh God my Father as believers in You we are also to stand firm in our belief in You and permit no ideology, philosophy or cult or other belief to persuade us in not believing in You and in not being committed to Your ways Amen.
²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab, "Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you order your people to turn from the pursuit of their kinsmen?"
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 26)
Oh God my Father, sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, how long are we going to wage war against each other. Many people are suffering in Syria and other places of the world. Many innocent people are dying. I pray for peace in the world. Have mercy on us, my God and Father Amen.
²⁷ Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have continued to pursue their kinsmen, not stopping until morning."
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 27)
Oh God my Father many use Your name in order to fight battles and even make false declarations, however as believers we are to do everything that is good, in the "Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit" Amen.
²⁸ Joab sounded the trumpet and all the people stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or engaged in battle any further.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 28)
Oh God my Father, the present times are times of war and uprisings, shootings and bombing. I pray oh God my Father, that You sound Your trumpet on the world and restore peace Amen.
²⁹ Abner and his men travelled all that night through the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole forenoon they came to Mahanaim.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 29)
Oh God my beloved Father, I pray that I never stop marching but always seek the way ahead Amen. Please show me the way my God and Father.
³⁰ Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verse 30)
Oh God my Father at times winning a battle or a conflict might even mean suffering casualties which at times darkens the glory of our victory. I will soon end the separation from my wife, which is a major victory, however when the dark moments of loneliness and depression attempt to overcome me I may start considering the victory a downfall. I pray that You be there to protect me my God and Father. I thank You for giving me a loving and supportive mother and this new group of friends as a support system Amen.
³¹ But the servants of David had killed of Benjamin three hundred sixty of Abner's men. ³²They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
(The Second Book of Samuel Chapter 2 verses 31 an 32)
Even though a form of peace was restored, they still had to face the consequences of the war or battle that both parts had waged against each other. Even though we manage to patch up our broken relationships the scars still remain for we are human and the relationship would never remain the same again. Oh God my Father, I pray that in such situations we learn to bury the dead with the dead and not raise up past issues that had already been resolved Amen.
Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end this meditation or reflection on this second chapter of the second book of Samuel with the following prayer.
Even though my God and Father our brains tell us to rebel in order to seek justice, to win the argument and forsake the relationship, to appear dominant and not inferior in the presence of others and in the eyes of our own ego, I pray that You teach us to harness and control such emotions that lead to war and blood shed and seek the road to peace and unity Amen.
