20 v.1 - The uprising of Bichri and then Adonijah [1 Kings 1:5] following hard on the upraising of Absalom provide an indication that David was now an old man who was viewed as one who could easily be overthrown. So why had he not anointed Solomon? Maybe he was hoping that Solomon was to be the son promised in 1 Chronicles 17 who would reign when David was dead. [2 Samuel 7:12] So if Solomon was not crowned until after David's death then, David maybe reasoned, the promise would be fulfilled in Solomon.

21 v.15 - David is about 70 years old at this point in the record. he has been very ill [Psalm 41:3] during the time of Absalom's uprising. So it hardly surprising that David 'waxed faint'.

20:1 This uprising from the tribe of Benjamin shows that till there is animosity between the house of David and the house of Saul. As we are near to the end of David's reign we must realise that this tension must have been a problem all through the reign of David.

21:12-13 So the bones remained in Jabesh Gilead for some 40 years! And David remembered where they were all that time. So why had they not been brought to the land of Benjamin earlier?

20:26 'chief ruler' is actually the word <03548> Cohen elsewhere translated 'priest' - see also 2 Samuel 8:18.

21:7 The fact that even though David has promised to honour the Gibeonite's request he still spared Mephibosheth indicates that promises like this one that David made are such that the one making the oath can be selective in how he keeps the vow. So as long as David was able to deliver seven of the house of Saul it would not matter who he spared. So David was able to keep his word to the Gibeonites without breaking his conscience regarding Jonathan.

20:9 In killing Amasa Joab went right to the seat of the problem for Amasa's delay (20:4-5) was doubtless part of the strategy to unseat David.

21:18, :20-21 Giants had always been a problem to Israel. Saul was frightened of Goliath. However David's victory over Goliath seemed to remove the spell that these giants had over Israel. If we could realise that the giants in our lives can be overcome, with God's strength. Maybe we could remember, having achieved success once, that the same is possible again.

20:1,2 The rebellion of Sheba against David, the true king of Israel, mirrors the false Christs who would arise (Matt 24:24; Acts 5:36,37).

21:16-21 The four giants who were slain were Goliath's brothers.  This would account for David's selection of five stones in his encounter with Goliath (1Sam 17:40).  David had absolute trust in Yahweh and needed only one stone to defeat Goliath.  However, he prepared himself to take on Goliath's four other brothers if needed.

20:2  Sheba ‘happened’ to be there – 2Sam 20:1 – and upon blowing the trumpet men followed him. He has not even been mentioned before in the record! This indicates how fickle human nature is and highlights the need for a good king who can lead the people. They were like sheep – easily led astray.

21:1  The fact that God regarded the Gibeonites indicates that He, even thugh Saul was not, felt obliged to honour the oath of Josh 9:15-17

21:8 One wonders what David though when he learnt that the son of Barzillai had been killed. Barzillai had been one of those – 2Sam 17:27 – that had helped David when he fled from Absalom.

20:23  It would appear that David did not know whether his concubines had been violated in this uprising – so he takes the precaution of separating them from him lest a child be born whose parentage was not certain. 

20:3 David's concubines had been violated by Absalom.  It had not been their fault.  Nevertheless, David could not have any further sexual relationships with them as they were now defiled.  Nor could he let them be married to other men.  And so, they became widows, secluded and cared for comfortably for the rest of their lives.

20:10 Joab's vengeful killing of Amasa, with the compliance of his brother Abishai, highlights the arrogant, ambitious attitude of the sons of Zeruiah.  David had dismissed Joab as army commander.  He had replaced him with Amasa (19:13).  But Joab was having none of that.

21:15-17 The condition of David, as described here, suggests that these events were near the end of his reign.

20:1,2 Saul’s followers were alive and well: first Shimei, and now Sheba.  Sheba can mean either oath or seven.  He, obviously, commanded a following, as the men of Israel obeyed him.

20:8-10 It is probable that Joab, accidently-on-purpose, dropped his sword.  Then, when he picked it up, Amasa would have no idea that the sword in Joab’s hand was meant for him.  Joab betrayed Amasa to death with a kiss.  Judah did the same to Jesus (Matt 26:48).

20:16-19 This wise woman must have known the Law.  The prescription for attacking a city is given in Deut 20:10-12.

20:21,22 And so, a trade was made – the head of Sheba for the peace of the city.

20:23 The Cherethites and the Pelethites were two Philistine tribes which were very loyal to David.  They became David’s bodyguards.

21:1 Joshua should have obeyed Yahweh and wiped out the Gibeonites.  But, the Gibeonites duped Joshua, and he swore to keep them alive (Josh 9:18-23).  Yahweh honoured the oath that was sworn by His Name.  Later, Saul, in his misguided zeal, slew most of them.  For that act, there came this three-year famine.  Yahweh always needs to have a wrong compensated.

21:6-9 David gave the Gibeonites seven of Saul’s men as compensation. The KJV says: the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul.  Michal should read Merab (1Sam 18:9).

21:14 Zelah was one of the fourteen Benjamite towns, and the seat of the Kish clan (Josh 18:28). Yahweh was satisfied with the compensation to the Gibeonites, and He lifted the drought.

21:22 Were these four giants all the brothers of Goliath? Remember that David selected five stones when he faced Goliath (1Sam 17:40).  He was prepared to face all five giants. 

20:10 Joab continues to show his scheming and evil character in the way he slew an innocent man by deceit.

2Sam 21:1-6 - atoning for Saul's killing of the Gibeonites involved turning over seven of Saul's offspring to the Gibeonites so they might be killed and have their bodies desecrated (1Sam 17:44;Deut 21:22-23). 2Sam 21:8-10 - Rizpah, in mourning, protected the hung bodies from being consumed and thus did her best to honor them until it rained which suggests God's wrath had been appeased. 2Sam 21:11-14 - David then gathered the bones of the seven with those of Saul and Jonathan and had them respectfully interned.

2Sam 21:20 - "six" is the number of man (Rev 13:18) with his limitations and defects of human nature; man was created on the 6th day and Christ was crucified on the 6th day. 

V.2 The good figs and bad figs had their embodiment in the kings Jeconiah and Zedekiah respectively.  Jeconiah, also known as Coniah (Jer 22:24), later became known as Jehoiachin (2Kin 24:6). 

After reigning three months, Jeconiah was taken captive to Babylon (2Kin 24:15).  He and the people with him did not resist the will of Nebuchadnezzar and were ultimately rewarded (2Kin 25:27-30). 

On the other hand, Zedekiah who was appointed king in place of Jeconiah (2Kin 24:17), rebelled (2Kin 24:20) and suffered the consequences (2Kin 25:7).  Yahweh had counselled: submit and live, or rebel and die.

May I today give a short note on the chronology?  Jeremiah started to prophecy during Josiah’s reign. He spoke through the last 18 of Josiah.
                           Josiah
   ______________|________________    
   |                                                            |
  Jehoahaz (23yrs old)                     Jehoiakim (25)
    reigned 3 mths, taken to Egypt          reigned 11yrs, taken to Babylon (with Daniel)
       ______|__________
       |                                |
  Jehoiachin (8 or 18)       Zedekiah (21)
  reigned 3mths 10days       reigned 11yrs 
    taken to Babylon              taken to Babylon

This makes Jeremiah prophesying for 40 ½ years, and then being taken to Egypt.

24:9  Jeremiah quotes Deut 28:25  to show that the curses Israel said they would accept if they were faithless were being fulfilled on the people.

Here, again, we have a stark contrast between the two kings Jeconiah and Zedekiah. Both of them were evil kings as recorded in 2Kin 24:9 and 19. Yet one of them is described as good and the other as evil in the symbol of the figs. The only difference between them, as we know, is that one made the correct choice to give up to Nebuchadnezzar, whilst the other tried to save himself. As a result of this choice God would bless the people who had gone with Jeconiah, and curse those who stayed with Zedekiah.

There are many things to learn from this. Firstly, we are all evil, and just as worthy of death as the next man. 2) It is only those who obey God's decree that will be blessed. Doing things our own way will lead nowhere and is an insult to Him.  3) It is the obedience that matters, not the extent of our good works. 4) We must give up on our pretence that we are holy or good. 5) We must repent and show this by turning our backs on the previous way of life.

All these things are demonstrated perfectly by contrasting the two kings and those that followed them. For this reason they are worthy of our further study. Looking in to the history of he Jewish nation often seems dull and boring to us. It can even seem completely pointless. However, when we see how much time God has spent preparing the nation of Israel so that their exploits, and His reaction, can be recorded for our learning, can we dare to hold that opinion any longer? Our example is Jesus, whose teaching was taken from scripture just like this (e.g. Luke 14:31-33, 17:33).

24:5 That being sent to Babylon was ‘for their good’ is part of an ongoing teaching in Scripture about the benefit f chastening. It starts with Adam – ‘Cursed is the ground for thy sake ‘ (Gen 3:17 and finished with us Heb 12:7 ‘If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons’

The Lord's condemning of the barren tree (Mark 11:14) was a type of God's rejection of natural Israel, for the most part, from this time forward the fruit would be taken from the Gentiles. The bad class of fruit in Jeremiah's time, were punished by Divine retribution, and the Romans completed the desolation in A.D.70, when the Jewish "fig tree" became "withered". Today we see signs of the revival of the fig tree; and the judgements of our Heavenly Father are about to be poured out on the Gentiles, who like the Children of Israel during the time of Jeremiah have almost become barren.

The young trees bear no fruit if they are not cultivated, and soon degenerate if left to themselves; once again a fitting type in relation to the effectiveness of the Word of God; both for the young and the older members within an ecclesia.

24:5 In saying that they would go to Babylon ‘for their good’ Jeremiah is echoing the words on an earlier prophet – Mic 4:10

24:8 The Chaldeans have already taken captives to Babylon but the city has not yet been overthrown. Jeremiah tells Zedekiah that the remainder in the city will be taken captive. One might have thought that the king, having seen what had already happened with his subjects being taken to Babylon, would have heeded the words of the prophet.

V.8 Some people of Judah escaped and fled to Egypt.  They were not safe, as Yahweh deemed safe only those who willingly went to Babylon.

V.9 The behavior of Zedekiah, and the people with him, became grist for the mill of social comment (Jer 29:22,23).

24:9 In saying Israel would be a ‘proverb’ we have yet another quotation from the curses – Deut 28:37.

Do we think like that? Or do we carry on persecuting ourselves with guilt, even though we are a new creation? Do we feel free, or do we become prisoners of our own guilt again?

The prisoner upon emerging from his captivity, has a choice to make. Do I run headlong into my new life, relishing and wallowing in my new found freedom, sucking every ounce of marrow out of each and every day; or do I shrink from the sun, remembering every day the misery, the pain, and the cold of that prison cell? Do I put down roots and grow, reaching up to the sun and making the best of every day, or do I hide in the shadows and stunt my growth by fear of going back to that cell?

Paul has the answer to this in verse 1. "therefore, …. present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Having been made entirely free, there is only one way of capitalising on this freedom, and that is to try and return the great favour God has done for us, to Him. Before us lies a clean slate, a mind and a life given to us to fill with whatever we wish. It is our choice whether we fill that new mind with wonderful new things, or with the miserable old things. The new things are described by Paul in vs 4-18. The choice is to develop the new mind of Christ, or to go back to the pitiful old mind of the flesh. (12v2; Eph 4v22-24).

V.3 The definition of faith is clearly given: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1), or as the NIV puts it: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 

The more we read the scriptures, the more certain we are (Rom 10:17).  However, it is Yahweh who gives the increase to our efforts, which differs from individual to individual according to His will. The apostles understood that Yahweh could give this increase (Luke 17:5). 

V.6 There has to be a balance between any talent with which Yahweh has graced us, and the amount of faith we possess.  Consideration of this should allow us a more realistic understanding of our position in Christ.  It should also keep us humble by preventing us from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought. 

V.2 The renewing of the mind is an inward spiritual transformation as makes the whole life new; New in its motives and ends, even where the actions differ in nothing from those of the world. New, considered as a whole, and in such a sense as to be wholly unattainable except through the constraining power of the love of Christ.

The Pharisees loved to be seen and be greeted in the market places (Mark 12:38), after all, they were the separate chosen ones.  Rom 12:3,16 cautions us against conceit. 12:10 notes we are to honor one another over ourselves. The key is love, and beginning at v.9 the chapter refers to the various behaviors and attitudes manifested by a transforming love.

12:12 Being ‘instant in prayer’ speaks of an attitude of mind which sees prayer to God as the first, not the last, avenue in our thought processes.

12:9  ‘Abhor … cleave … good’ quotes Amos 5:15 where it is associated with just judgement. It is not possible to judge rightly with a double mind.

Romans 12 This chapter shows how a follower of Jesus should think and act.  Its advice is opposite to the world's wisdom.  We should be careful not allow the world into our spiritual lives.  It is easy to be expedient and to rationalize that things are o.k.  Therefore, we need to read the scriptures every day to remind ourselves what is right and what is wrong.  Even the kings of Israel were commanded to do just that (Deut 17:18,19).

V.2 The only way in which the (spiritual) mind can be renewed is by the daily reading of the Word, and by praying. Only after that, can one prove (test, discern) what is good. But, added to scriptural knowledge and understanding must be works.

Paul continues this chapter by giving a list of works that brethren of Christ ought to do. Knowledge, understanding, and faith, gained from reading the Word, are useless unless works are performed, as James points out (James 2:20).

Furthermore, the correct attitude about performing works is essential. If one performs an honorable work with a negative attitude, rather than one of love, it does not count. Paul points this out to the Corinthians (1Cor 3:13).

V.12 This advice should keep us focused and grounded in Jesus. However, if we do not have a firm and continuous hope in the Kingdom, it means that we are too sidetracked by the world. If that is the case, then we will not be in the Kingdom (Matt 6:21).

WHEN WE RECOGNISE GRACE

Recognising the grace of God in our lives makes an incredible difference to our relationships with other people. Speaking from his own personal experience of God's grace, Paul said, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Rom 12:3) And a little later he says, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (v.16)

The grace of God takes us from a position of absolute hopelessness and debt, and as a gift to us from God, brings us to life, hope and freedom. We can not buy our freedom, earn it or do anything at all to gain it. It is a gift from God given to us soley because he loves us when all we deserved was punishment for our sins.

When we recognise this grace in our lives we will be humbled in our own eyes because we are not the great people we think we are.  And as humble children of God we will not be proud but will pass on the grace God has given us and honour our brothers and sisters in Christ.