2 Samuel 4:8: “And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, ‘Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.’”

June 13th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

These men came to the new king and claimed that they had been serving God by killing Saul’s son. They hoped to gain favor with David by murdering his rival to Israel’s throne. But just like the other young warrior who had come to David thinking he would be rewarded for killing King Saul, these men were in for a surprise.

This new king, David, was a man of God who was not willing to strike King Saul even when he had several opportunities to, and all while Saul was trying to murder him. The men quickly discovered that David was not pleased with their murderous actions, and spoke to them of his vow to honor and preserve Saul’s family. We are again reminded that this new king was quite different from the normal monarch of that day. He was modeling actions and motives that were not normally part of a middle-east ruler’s reign 3000 years ago.

David was a type, a picture of the coming Messiah, who would display all these honorable and godly attributes, plus so many more. Perhaps one of the important lessons here is that we should be careful not to think that God will reward us by hurting someone we think is His enemy.

“LORD, we remember that we are simply sinners saved by Your grace and that we have no right to try and be some kind of avengers for You. Please forgive us our sins and use us to lead others to Your great grace and forgiveness today.”

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2 Samuel 4 KJV

¹ And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. ²And Saul’s son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin:  ³And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.) ⁴ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. ⁵ And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. ⁶ And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷ For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. ⁸ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. ⁹ And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, Asthe LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, ¹⁰ When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? ¹² And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.