Read it... I have posted up through 1 Samuel 19 now... I am posting the historical stuff on 2 Samuel, since I am copying it from the "Invitation" section at the start of the book... however, I will blog on today's reading as soon as I catch up to it from the other posted readings.
sandJ
According to the "Invitation" the Author and Date info is the same for 2 Samuel as it was for 1 Samuel.
The Theme is different though... in 2 Samuel, the Theme is the "life and times of King David"
Historical Background: "David had been on the run from Saul. Now that Saul has died, David is able to take his rightful place on the throne over all of Isreal, but only after he emerges triumphant from a political power struggle. Surrounding nations, especially the Philestines, still pose the threat of war; however, Israel is militarily strong under David's victorious reign."... sounds exciting! :)
Characteristics: "Second Samuel continues the historical narrative of 1 Samuel, where David's youth and troublesome exile were the focus. Now in 'volume two' David reigns as Saul's successor and he must heal and unify the war-torn country. Chapters 1-10 narrate the prosperous early reign of David. He is annointed king over Judah and then over all Israel. He also sustains victory after victory on the battlefield. David's adultery with Bathesheba (chapter 11-12), however, marks a turning point in the book. In the chapters which follow, the 'sword never departs from David's house' (12:10). Throughout the book, God forms the backdrop as the One who establishes David upon the throne of Israel and gives him victory over his enemies."
Chapter 1: verse 1-10... first part is a summary of the last couple of chapters in 1 Samuel... then, however, some of the details change and some 'fill ins' are told... I find it interesting that the Amalekite would admit he was the 'enemy', especially David's enemy, or did he not know (see verse 1 and 8), and that he had escaped from the Isrealite camp (did he not realize David was an Isrealite, too?)... verse 4 seems kind of an insult, as if this man is saying that the Isrealites were cowardly... but if that is so, then why was he a prisoner of them?... also, David probably thinks that this man must have killed Saul, since why would Saul ask an enemy to kill him? That was exactly what he had wanted to avoid (see 1 Samuel 31:4)... also, how would a fugitive from the Isrealite camp still have Saul's crown and stuff in his possession?... also in verse 9, wouldn't it have been nobler and more helpful to David and the Isrealite people, if, instead of what was told here, if indeed this man had found Saul in such a state, that he had instead tended to his wounds instead of killing him? if Saul's wounds had been fatal, then he would have died anyway, and if they had not, then this man could have restored the king... seems like this man is just trying to gain honor for himself, where no honor is due... I would not trust him, as his story has too many contradictory and illogical parts to it... reminds me of the Proverbs 17:28-"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,and discerning if he holds his tongue."... I think this man would have been better off if he had held to this Proverb (although it was not written yet, but still the idea behind it has a practical application)
verse 11-16... the shock of the news of Saul and Jonathan's death was so great that David and his men didn't quite comprehend the rest of the report, I don't think... at least not at first... once they had grieved, though, David double checked the words of the man... the man had 2 things going against him... first, he was part of the people group that God had told David to wipe out, and second, he killed Saul (according to his recounting of the story)... the man probably thought he was home-free at first, when he was not killed right away, but he apparently was waiting around for his reward too long, instead of moving on and letting his glory come from God for any good works he might have done... makes me think about how often we look for reward from men, instead of God, and how it can lead us astray and get us into trouble, too, because our hearts are not in the right place... reminds me of the verse in Galatians 1:10- "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
verse 17-18... what is the Book of Jashar? According to the following website, it was a book of hymns, probably mostly battle hymns... read more following the weblink: http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1026-what-was-the-book-of-jashar
"The expression, “book of Jashar,” translates two Hebrew words that signify “book of the upright” or “book of the righteous one.” Apparently it was an ancient Hebrew hymnbook containing nationalistic songs. The Syriac translation of the text in Joshua calls it the “book of praises,” or “book of hymns.” The references in the books of Joshua [Joshua 10:13] and 2 Samuel [1:18] would suggest that this collection of songs were compositions designed to celebrate great battles and notable characters in Israel’s illustrative history, as the nation prepared for the coming of the Messiah. A text in 2 Samuel may suggest that the book was used as a training text for Israel’s military forces. The passage reads: “and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold it is written in the book of Jashar” (1:18 ASV). One scholar, R.A. Mitchell, of the Institute of Mediterranean Studies (Berkeley, California), has paraphrased the text as follows: “He instructed them to train the Judeans in bowmanship, the training-poem for which is written in the book of Jashar” (Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, C.F. Pfeiffer, Howard Vos, John Rea, eds., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003, p. 884). The book of Jashar is no longer extant. A copy, circulating under that name since 1751, has been determined to be a forgery."
verse 19... David is an amazing man to proclaim the glory of the man who had pursued him so diligently and had intended to kill him... also, I appreciate the double meaning behind the phrase "how the mighty have fallen", as we can see both the physical, as well as spiritual application to this lament throughout our past readings.
vesre 20... interesting how David does not want the news spread by gossip, because he does not want the people to both defame Saul's name, and probably does not want to give false encouragement to the attacks of enemies upon the Isrealites, but also, most importantly, I think David says this because he does not want to deglorify God's name or power... David, of course, knows that God's plan was for David to succeed Saul and that this was a long time coming in some way, however, probably not everyone knows this, and so the gossip could spread incorrect and harmful info, as far as God's reputation was concerned... something we should stop and think about before we spread gossip... we shouldn't just think how 'juicy' the story is, we should ask ourselves, does the retelling of this story bring glory to God... and if the answer to that question is no, then we should reconsider our recounting of the matter... this unglorifying part of the whole thing is most likely why Paul lists 'gossip' in with all the other 'wickedness' in Romans 1:29-32.
verse 21-25, 27... I like how David reminds people to remember the greatness of Saul and Jonathan, so they have something to talk about instead of their deaths... for example, the riches they bestowed on their people, their greatness in battles, etc
vesre 26... the study notes give several ways that this verse can be taken, but I think that it should be taken without unhealthy undertones... I am sure that David loved his wives (as he fought for them and cared for them on multiple accounts), however, David did have several wives, so he most likely did not have the same kind of friendship intimacy, as we might have with our spouses nowadays... when we are committed to one person, they become our best friend, they are the one we confide everything to, rely on for help and encouragement when we need it, love above all others and even more than ourselves... David could not have had that kind of love with his wives, because he had more than one, and being a husband demands certain other intimacies that would have caused a conflict among his relationship constraints to some degree... but with Jonathan, there was no sexual intimacy that led to jealousy or whatever, as it would have among Davids wives, so David and Jonathan were free to share that deep friendship and be 'soul brothers' to each other... this is one reason why I think that sexual purity in marriage is so important, so that a husband and wife have the ability to experience this kind of deep friendship within their marriage, instead of requiring them to find a substitute friendship elsewhere... it is hard to be friends with someone you can't trust to be faithful... also, by having both a deep friendship, as well as the specialness of a monogamos sexual intimacy, a marriage relationship can become an amazing bond that far outweighs anything else. I think that, even though David and Jonathan had a deep bond, I do not think that it was as strong as if David had kept himself to one wife, and allowed her to be his 'soul mate'... the bond of a marriage is so much stronger because it is multi-faceted in its depth of intimacy... we should all work hard to maintain that type of blessing within our marriage, so that we can uphold the beauty of being 'one flesh' (Genesis 2:24) with our spouse, and encourage others to do the same.... in addition, the great bond that David and Jonathan had as friends, is something we should all aspire to give to our friends... of course, not all our friends will be our 'best' friend, but the idea of unconditionally loving them more than ourselves, and giving them the comfort and certainty of knowing that they can always rely on us, are two of the most special gifts we can give our friends.
sandJ
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