DAVID ANOINTED KING OF JUDAH Although David was sure that he was the chosen king by the Lord, he inquired of the Lord, if he should go up to any of the cities of Judah. Then he went up to Hebron where he was anointed a king over the house of Judah. He did not forget the kindness that the men of Jabesh Gilead did to Saul, having buried him in their land. But Abner, the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ichbosheth the son of Saul, and made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel. Abner started war against David’s men, who defeated him; then demanded a truce for that civil war; that was temporarily agreed upon by both sides. 1- David anointed king of Judah 1-4. 2- David praises the men of Jabeth Gilead 5-7. 3- Abner sets Ichbosheth a king 8-11. 4- Abner arouses a civil war 12-17. 5- Abner kills Asahel 18-23. 6- Joab pursues Abner 24-32. 1- David anointed king of Judah: After Saul and Jonathan died, the heirship came to ‘Ichbosheth’ the son of Saul. His name was originally ’Esh-Baal’ (1 Chronicles 8: 33); namely (man of Baal) or (man of authority). But, as the word (Baal) referred to the god of the Phoenicians, his name was changed to ‘Ichbosheth,’ namely (man of shame), having been weak and incapable of action, a puppet in the hand of Abner the commander of Saul’s army. As for David, who was secretly anointed by the prophet Samuel a king among his brothers (1 Samuel 16), he was at the time Saul and Jonathan died, in Ziklag in the land of the Philistines. Although the way was paved for him to ascend the throne, he, prudently, did not hasten to claim the throne; but, feeling a great longing to minister to the people of God, he saw that he should not stay any longer away from home, after the death of Saul who was pursuing him. So he inquired of God, if he should go up to one of the cities of Judah, namely to his own tribe, that no doubt had stronger feelings toward him more than others. He inquired of God through the Urim, that was brought by the priest Abiathar. According to human thought, for David, his family, his men and their households, to go to Judah, had been only natural, something that did not need thinking, praying, or seeking God’s counsel; But David-as a man of God-knew the importance of seeking God’s counsel, not only during time of affliction, when things are vague and confused, but even in moments of comfort, and when the way seems obvious. Leaning on God’s chest, and seeking His counsel, is a feature of the children of God, who are bound to their heavenly Father, through the daring of deep love, and the permanent fellowship with Him. The divine response was positive; namely that he should go up to Judah; and particularly to ‘Hebron’-one of the greatest cities of Judah, built amid the mountains as natural strongholds. ‘Hebron’ means (union), (bond), (friendship), etc. ...; previously called ‘Kiriath 15 Arba’ (Joshua 20: 7); and called nowadays ‘El-Khalil,’ as Abraham, God’s friend, dwelt near it, at ‘The terebinth trees of Mamre’ (Genesis 13: 18; 35: 27); there his wife ‘Sarah’ died and was buried; and he as well was buried in it. David, together with his two wives, his men and their households went up to dwell in Hebron and its neighborhood; And there, the men of Judah came and publicly anointed him a king. If ‘Hebron’ means (a bond), it would not be possible to anoint David a king, until he, together with his household and his men, went up to it, to be approached there by the men of Judah. I say, that we shall not enjoy the holy anointment, to be counted as “kings and priests” (Revelation 1: 6; 5: 10), unless we enjoy union with our Lord Jesus “The King of Kings;” offering Him our whole life-the soul together with the body, with all their possibilities and capabilities ..., to enjoy a fellowship with God, in His Son Jesus Christ, to reign together with Him. Josabius the Caesarian1, compares between the Lord’s anointed of the Old Testament: prophets, priests and kings and the Lord Christ Himself, to clarify that what the Lord’s anointed of the Old Testament, had got, was only a symbol; having been unable to set, out of their followers, any “Lord’s anointed.” The Lord Christ, on the other hand, has been the only One, whose followers were called ‘Christians’; as, in Him, they became “The Lord’s anointed”-kings and priests. St. John Chrysostom2 believes, that in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit granted some individuals the anointment, to set them kings, priests, or prophets; While, in the New Testament-in Jesus Christ-we were all granted anointment, for each of us to become a king, a priest, and a prophet: kings, having enjoyed the kingdom; priests, having presented our bodies a sacrifice (Romans 12: 1); and prophets, as to us, was proclaimed, what “eye has not seen, nor ear heard” (1 Corinthians 2: 9). St. Ambrose3 states that he who seeks Baptism, will enjoy through the anointment, a spiritual priesthood, and a spiritual kingdom. Here, we should distinguish between the spiritual kingdom, and that according to temporal ordinance, by which we submit to rulers and kings; And we should distinguish, as well, between priesthood, that is granted to carry out the holy sacramental work, and the (Laity priesthood), granted to all believers4. Some believe that anointing David, a king over the house of Judah (2 Samuel 2: 4), by the men of Judah, revealed one of their weak points; namely, their tendency toward isolationism and individualism, away from the rest of the tribes, something that caused, later on, much trouble and dissension among the people; that led to the division of the kingdom into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Israel (10 tribes), and the kingdom of Judah (Judah and Benjamin) up till the days of captivity. Here, we notice that David had been anointed a king, three times: a- Secretly in his father’s house (1 Samuel 16: 13) b- His anointment as a king over the house of Judah (2 Samuel 2: 4) c- His anointment as a king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5: 3). 1 Eccl. Hist. 1: 3. 2 In 2 Cor. hom.3. 3On Sacraments 4: 1. 4 St Jerome: Dialogue against Luciferians. 16 What happened with David, symbolized what occurred with the Lord Christ, the King of Kings; His kingdom passed through three stages: a- From eternity, He is the only-begotten Son, the King of Kings (1 Timothy 6: 15; Revelation 17: 14; 19: 16). b- He reigned through the symbol and the shadow, over men of the Old Testament; as He did over the house of Judah (Matthew 21: 5). c- He reigned, and still does , over His Church “Israel of God;” extending from one end of the earth, to the other end; as it has been said: “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” (1 Corinthians 10: 26; Psalms 24: 1). 2- David praises the men of ‘Jabeth Gilead’: The first thing David did after his anointment as a king over the house of Judah, was caring for those who took over themselves the burial of Saul and Jonathan. Knowing that they were the men of Jabeth Gilead, he sent messengers to them, saying: “You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your Lord, to Saul, and have buried him. And now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judas has anointed me king over them” (2 Samuel 2: 5-7). That action by David, as the start of his royal duties, deserves some consideration: a- He started his royal work by offering blessing: “You are blessed of the Lord” . How marvelous it is for man to start his life of faith (his royal life), by such sweet words of encouragement to others, instead of attacking them negatively. b- He did not stop at praising, nor at entreating God to reward them but he also proclaimed his readiness to repay them himself for their kindness. c- David, realizing the faithfulness and loyalty of those people to Saul, longed to use their energies for the edification of his kingdom. A successful leader is the one who does not concentrate all work on himself, but he who knows how to use the energies of all; and sets another row. 3- Abner sets ‘Ichbosheth’ a king: God set David a king, being anointed by the house of Judah, to dwell seven and a half years in Hebron (2 Samuel 2: 11); then he was anointed a king over all tribes. On another front, Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, was preoccupied with recovering some of the cities that were lost during the battle of Gilboa. After five and a half years of strife, he set ‘Ichbosheth’ the son of Saul a king over Israel (except for the tribe of Judah); and brought him over to ‘Mahanaim’ as a capital of the kingdom. Ichbosheth was 40 years old when he reigned, and remained a king for two years, in continuous troubles. Abner was aware of Ichbosheth’s weak personality; He did not fight together with his father and brothers in the battle of Gilboa; or he probably deserted the land of battle in the time of danger. Yet Abner set him a king, so as to be himself, the actual head of the kingdom, especially, that he was a cousin of Saul (1 Samuel 14: 15); He also feared that David might dismiss him from his position as the commander of the army. Abner brought Ichbosheth over to ‘Mahanaim,’ as a capital of the kingdom. Its 17 name meant (two camps)1, and was so called by Jacob. It was located east of the Jordan, north to the River of Jabok; on the boundary of the territories of Gad and Manasseh; and was divided into two sections: one belonged to Gad, and the other to Manasseh. Gad gave its portion to the children of Merrari, to become a city of refuge (Joshua 21: 38). Some believe it to be ‘Kherbet Mehna,’ about 2 miles and a half north of Eglin; while others believe it to be ‘Telal-El-Dahab’ (the hills of gold). 4- Abner arouses a civil war: David remained true and faithful to Saul and Jonathan; He never thought of taking the throne by force, despite the fact that he was twice anointed a king; being satisfied to work among Judah, his own tribe. Abner, Saul’s cousin, on the other hand, intending to force Judah to submit under the reign of Ichbosheth, went out with the men of Ichbosheth from Mehanaim to Gibeon; which compelled Joab and the men of David also to come out without David, to confront them by the pool of Gibeon, five miles and a half north of Jerusalem2; each party camped on one side of the pool. [Gibeon nowadays is called Kiriath El-Gib.] It seems that the two parties did not feel comfortable to fight against each other ... And if the situation was left like that, both of them would have returned home, as Joab said later to Abner (2 Samuel 2: 27); All sat down on the two sides of the pool (2 Samuel 2: 13), uninterested to prepare for war. Intending to stir up the situation, Abner suggested that the young men from both sides should arise and compete. Twelve young men from each side arose; each one grasped his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his side; so the 24 men fell down together. That location came to be called ‘Halket Hasorim,’ that means (the field of sharp swords). This ignited the emotions of the two parties; There was a fierce battle that day; and Abner and his men were defeated before those of David. 5-Abner kills Asahel: Abner and his men were defeated, and Abner escaped; but Asahel (the word meaning ‘God worked3’; son of ‘Zeruiah’ the sister of David, and brother of Joab and Abishai), intended to catch up with him and kill him. Asahel was the leader of one of the regiments, and although as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle, he was not as strong in war as his brother Joab, nor as Abner. He chased Abner, depending on his natural swiftness, but, disregarding his little experience in war, compared to his opponent Abner. He probably was overcome with zeal, after his brother Joab defeated Abner, and wanted, by killing Abner, to put an end to the war, and to hasten to deliver the throne to his uncle David. Abner looked behind him and saw Asahel; He did not fear him, but was apprehensive of the dangerous situation, that would come if he killed Asahel, which was a sure thing: Joab would surely avenge his slain brother by killing Abner, in which case, Ichobosheth would be destroyed, and the kingdom would definitely go from the tribe of Benjamin to Judah (to David). Abner looked behind him, and told Asahel to quit his pursuit of the commander, and turn to his right hand or to his left, and lay hold of one of 1 New Westmister Dict. of the Bible, p. 580. 2 Ibid, p. 329. 3 Ibid, p. 66. 18 the young men and take his armor for himself; but Asahel refused. Abner repeated his demand, and warned him, saying: “Turn aside from following me; Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?.” However, when Asahel arrogantly insisted on following him, Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, as a kind of warning; but the spear came out of his back, and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was, as everyone loved him and his brothers Joab and Abishai, as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, they stood still. 6- Joab pursues Abner: Joab and Abishai, as was expected, pursued Abner to avenge the killing of their brother Asahel; and the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is just before Giah, by the road to the wilderness of Gibeon. Now the children of Benjamin, who put their hope on the victory of Ichbosheth, gathered together behind Abner, and took their stand on the top of a hill to oppose Joab. There, Abner called to Joab and said: “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren? ” (2 Samuel 2: 26). Joab answered him, accusing him that he was the one responsible for what had happened: If he had not spoken by the pool of Gibeon, the 24 young men would not have competed, and men of the two sides would have returned to their camps. Joab blew a trumpet to stop the fighting, and when they counted those slain, they found 19 of David’s men and Asahel; and 360 of Abner’s men. Those small casualities reveal that only very limited number of men on both sides gathered for war; and that they were reluctant to fight against each other. Joab’s consent to put an end to the war, despite the killing of his brother Asahel, was because he realized that his uncle David would not seek the kingdom through fighting his brethren, but was waiting for the calm work of God. The dead were buried in the land of the battle, while they took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem (2 Samuel 2: 32). Abner and his men went over to Mahanaim, while Joab and his men went to Hebron, where David reigned.
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