It’s Halloween. It’s All Hallows E-en. It’s a Christian holiday when we prepare for All Hallows Day. All Hallows Day or All Saints’ Day is a day when we remember those heroes of the faith who have lived in exemplary ways. This is not really a time to gorge candy, play trick-or-treat, or dress in costumes. It is a time of reflection, like most holidays, where we are to look at the examples of lives well lived and seek to emulate them ourselves.
In the current series it is worth thinking of David. What kind of hero was he? In which ways should we be like him and in which ways should we not?
2 Samuel 2
1In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The LORD said, “Go up.”
David asked, “Where shall I go?”
“To Hebron,” the LORD answered.
2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The LORD bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”
War Between the Houses of David and Saul
8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.
10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
14Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”
“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.[a]
17The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.
18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
“It is,” he answered.
21Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.
22Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”
23But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.
26Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
27Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”
28So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.
29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours[b]and came to Mahanaim.
30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.
Questions
- Over whom does David become king?
- Who are the leaders in the civil war?
- What do we learn from reading how the civil war transpired?
- How is succession today in government and church a problem?
- How is a smooth succession managed?
- Who are the mighty men in this passage? How are they models for us?
Plymothian 
1. David becomes king over the Benjamites.
2. The leaders in the civil war are Joab, Abishai, and Ashael.
3. We learn that David had to defeat enemies outside of the kingdom as well as inside.
4. Succession today in government and church is a problem because it is mainly based on popularity and the extent that the leader agrees with the people voting.
5. A smooth succession in managed when the person stepping down gives the power and authority to the next person willingly, and also when the people welcome the new leader and their ideas.
6. The mighty men in this passage are David and Joab, Abishai, and Ashael. They are models for us of what can go wrong.
1. Over the tribe of Judah.
2. Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth vs. Judah. Abner for the former, Joab for the latter.
3. There were brothers that were on opposing sides, and turned onto each other.
4. It is voted on popularity instead of the outcome of their leadership on the people.
5. voluntary succession
6. David and Joab, the leaders of judah.
1.Over whom does David become king? over the people of Judah
2.Who are the leaders in the civil war? Abner vs.Joab, Ish-Bosheth
3.What do we learn from reading how the civil war transpired? little happening started the civil war and even those who had been in the same side turned each opposing side and fought.
4.How is succession today in government and church a problem? in Churches pastors want to give in succession to their sons like a business. This is not a right way to Keep God’s communities
5.How is a smooth succession managed?
6.Who are the mighty men in this passage? How are they models for us? DAvid and Joab
1. He becomes king over Judah
2. Abner, Joab, and Asahel
3. They were all of the same people, but they were attacking eachother. We see that some of them did not want to do this to their fellow Israelites.
4. Succession today is not necessarily based on how godly the person is or on their abilities. Rather, it is often based on how popular they are.
5. The person in charge needs to hand down the responsibility and not still try to control everything. They need to be willing to let the next person have the responsibility.
6. David shows us humility in how he did not try to assert his kingship right away, but was patient to wait on God’s timing. Joab shows us the prudence of knowing when to stop as he stopped attacking his fellow Israelites.
1.Judah
2.Abner and Joab
3.There was much bloodshed
4.?
5.Perhaps by learning from the one who is leaving.
6.Abner in a sense, because he calls off the fighting.
1. David becomes king over Judah.
2. Leaders in the Civil war are Asahel, Abner, and Joab.
3. We learn that this great war began with little things, among brothers, wand people of their own kind,
4.Succession in government and church a problem because it can cause division, because anytime there is change people must decide whether they like it or dis-like it, and sometimes we can get so caught up in what we want or think, that we miss the larger picture.
5. Asmooth succession is managed when respect is passed down along with power, and we learn to try not to put too much pressure on the successor to be just like the prior person.
6. The mighty men in this passage are the leaders, being David, Joab, Abner, ans Asahel, they are models for us of how people can conflict can arise among men of power.
1) David is king over Judah.
2) The leaders were Abner and Ish-Bosheth, fighting against David.
3) The battle was fierce and gory, and it wasn’t David’s idea.
4) It can always be very hard to determine the sucessor to a political or spiritual leader, and most people do not agree who should be put in charge.
5) Smooth sucession is managed through compromise, and in the case of church environment, accepting the person that God desires.
6) The mighty men of this passage include David, Abner, Ish-Bosheth, and Joab. We can learn lessons from those fighting against David about the dangers of going against God’s plan.
1. Judah
2 abner and joab
3. families had to wage war against each other. brothers vs. brothers
5. when the person taking power does it humbly, and the person giving up the power gives it up submissively
6. David and Joab
1.Over whom does David become king?
David became king over Judah
2.Who are the leaders in the civil war?
Abner and Joab
3.What do we learn from reading how the civil war transpired?
It transpired later that they were all of the same people.
4.How is succession today in government and church a problem?
Sometimes the undeserved become successors.
5.How is a smooth succession managed?
When the one who can handle all the power and responsibilities which come with that position.
6.Who are the mighty men in this passage? How are they models for us?
David, Abner and Joab
1. David becomes King over Judah.
2. The leaders in the civil war are Abner, Joab, and Ish-Bosheth.
3. We learn from the reading that the civil war was very bloody and violent.
4. Succession in church and in the government is a problem because it can cause a division among the people.
5. Smooth succession is managed when the person has power, leadership skills, is liked by most people, and is a godly person that looks to God for everything.
6. The mighty men in this passage are David, Abner, Joab, and Ish-Bosheth.
1.Over whom does David become king?
-Judah
2.Who are the leaders in the civil war?
– Abner from Israel and Joab from Judah
3.What do we learn from reading how the civil war transpired?
– The war occured because of only a person’s impulsive and personal decision.
4.How is succession today in government and church a problem?
– The position of leaders are many times inherited to somebody regardless of one’s capacity in leading people.
5.How is a smooth succession managed?
– by wise and competent leaders
6.Who are the mighty men in this passage? How are they models for us?
– They teach us one’s selfish desire leads the destruction of the whole congregation.
Over whom does David become king? JUDAH
Who are the leaders in the civil war? ABNER AND JOAB
What do we learn from reading how the civil war transpired? Because of One personals Desire
How is succession today in government and church a problem?
Most of the time the person is most poopuar not most capable
How is a smooth succession managed?
with care and a lot of Grace
Who