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Chapter 2: David Becomes King of Judah
2 Samuel 2:1-4 ~ David is Consecrated King of Judah at Hebron
David never makes an important decision without consulting Yahweh and seeking His counsel. In this case he asks God if he should leave Ziklag in Philistine territory and move his headquarters, his family and the families of his men to one of the towns in Judah. God tells him to go to Hebron, the capital city of the tribe of Judah.
In 2 Samuel 2:4 the men of Judah publicly anoint David as their king. The rest of Israel, however, will not accept David's kingship for 7 1/2 years.
2 Samuel 2:5-7 ~ David's Message to the People of Jabesh
Question: What was David's first royal act as king of Judah?
Answer: He sent a message to the people of Jabesh-Gilead thanking them for rescuing the body of Saul and his sons and giving them an honorable burial and promises them his good will.
In verse 6 David subtly invites the people of Jabesh in the Transjordan to acknowledge him as their king, but they are not in a position to accept his invitation at this time.
2 Samuel 2:8-11 ~ Abner Installs Saul's son Ishbaal as King of Israel
After the Battle of Gilboa, the victorious Philistines control most of central and northern Israel. Abner, Saul's cousin and commanding general, has withdrawn with the surviving Israelite army across the Jordan River into the Transjordan where the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh lived.
2 Samuel 2:12-17 ~ Civil War
The archaeological site identified as the Biblical pool of Gibeon is on the west side of the Jordan River about six miles northwest of Jerusalem. It is a large cistern cut into solid rock that is eighty-two feet deep and thirty-seven feet wide. A tunnel connects the cistern to another chamber at ground water level.
David's men from the tribe of Judah led by Joab and Abner's Benjaminite warriors (2:25, 30) end up opposite each other by the pool of Gibeon. Abner suggests that a select group of warriors from David's Judahite warriors and Abner's Benjaminite warriors fight to determine the victor to lessen loss of life with Israelite fighting Israelite. The victorious group would then claim victory for the battle.
Question: Who is Joab?
Answer: He is the son of David's elder sister Zeruiah and the brother of Abishai and Asahel. He is the commander of David's army.
It is interesting that there were twelve men selected on each side. Twelve is the number symbolizing Israel (the twelve sons of Jacob-Israel were the physical fathers of the twelve tribes), and each side claimed to represent the true Israel. Since the group combat did not determine a victor, a battle ensued and Abner's forces were beaten by David's men.
2 Samuel 2:18-23 ~ The Tragic Death of Asahel
Near the end of the battle, Abner attempted to retreat but was followed by Asahel. The younger man could run faster and was catching up with Abner. Abner did not want to kill Asahel. He knew his family and had a relationship with Joab from the time when both David and Joab served under his command in Saul's army. He also knew that killing Asahel would likely cause a blood feud with Asahel's family.
Question: After twice trying to convince Asahel to break off his pursuit, what does Abner do?
Answer: He strikes Asahel in the stomach with the butt end of his spear.
Abner may have been trying to avoid killing Asahel by striking him not with the lance end of his spear but with the butt end in a backward thrust as he was running forward.
2 Samuel 2:24-28 ~ Abner Appeals to Joab
Joab, Abishai and their fellow Judahites pursued Abner and the Benjaminites as they retreat to the east, trying to reach the Jordan River; they finally paused when they reached the Hill of Ammah at sunset.
2 Samuel 2:29-32-3:1 ~ Abner and his men escape
The Ababah is a north-south depression running from the Sea of Galilee in the north all the way to the Gulf of Aqabah in the south. Scholar Robert Alter writes that the proposal that the Hebrew term bitron, whose root means to cleave or split, which is sometimes translated as "middle of the morning or throughout the morning," "has no warrant in ancient Hebrew usage." Alter renders the translation: "went all the way through the ravine," a reference to the Arabah, in order to come to Mahanaim (Ancient Israel, page 436).
CHALLENGE: “Catholic apologists say we must not use ‘private judgment,’ but we can’t avoid it. The point of apologetics is to convince someone to use his private judgment to accept a position.”
DEFENSE: This misunderstands the role that our exercise of reason plays. It should be pointed out that, whatever happens in apologetic discussions, the theme of “private judgment” is remarkably rare in Church documents. The phrase does not appear at all in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and when it does appear in Church documents, it does not reject the role of the intellect in theology.
That would scarcely be likely given the rich intellectual tradition of Catholic theology, which has always celebrated the contributions of theologians like Augustine, Aquinas, and others as gifts from God. Indeed, God has granted every individual an intellect, and he expects them to use this gift “that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him” (Acts 17:27; cf. CCC 31–38).
Apologetics thus has an important role providing evidence so that people can understand the reasons for embracing the Faith—whether it is understood as the Christian faith broadly or the Catholic Faith specifically.
When understanding and appreciating this evidence, the individual exercise of reason is indispensable. However, once one has come to the point of faith, the situation changes, because we no longer rely on reason alone but on God’s revelation. Jesus did not start a philosophy club but a religion. He “taught them as one who had authority” (Mark 1:22), proclaiming God’s definitive word to man (John 1:4; Heb. 1:1–2; Jude 3).
Consequently, when one embraces faith in Christ, one must accept certain things as authoritative that one did not accept before the point of faith. It is here that the individual exercise of reason can become problematic.
It is praiseworthy to exercise one’s intellect in accord with the authorities established by Christ, as the great theologians have done. However, it is problematic to exercise one’s intellect contrary to them. This was the origin of the heresies that have arisen in Christian history.
Both Protestants and Catholics agree that it is a mistake to prefer one’s “private judgment” to the authorities established by Christ. The question is what the authorities are and how we are to understand them.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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