Many who read this text think that God is somehow rejecting David or turning away from him, but this is not the case at all. God is not rejecting David but He is giving David a great insight into God’s purpose for him. David finds out what God really thinks of him. How many of us hear straight from God what He thinks of what we are doing for ourselves and our future generations? So, rather than thinking of this story as a type of rebuke to David, consider it God’s gift to David.
Author: Daniel
David moves the Ark of the Testimony to Yerushalayim. Along the way, a priest is killed when he tries to “help” God in keeping the Ark from falling from a cart.
David begins to establish himself in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). He builds a home and continues to establish his household. The Philistines find out about David’s promotion and attacks him but God helps David prevail against his enemies. After David pushes the Philistines back to their historic borders, David starts to bring the Ark of the Testimony from its place of exile back to Yerushalayim but the endeavor runs into trouble and the Ark’s trip to Yerushalayim stalls.
David finally brings all the tribes of Israel under one ruler and starts considering Yerushalayim as the center for the nation.
Saul is dead but David is not yet king over all of Israel. As the chapter begins “Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually” (2nd Sam. 3:1). Most of Saul’s sons are dead but David’s family is growing.
David is anointed king of Yehudah (Judah), but he must now fight the house of Saul for control of all the tribes.
David discovers the result of the war between Saul and the Philistines. The 2nd Samuel 1 starts with David’s revealing his utter heartbreak at hearing of the death of his best friend, Yahunatan (Jonathan).