You shall be shepherd of my people
We finally get to the point where David is anointed and the author connects the dots to all of the promises that God has made to Israel regarding her king. This is also a promise of the eternal king who is still coming!
The Lord repay the evildoer
David gives us a positive example of what it looks looks like to create the environment for reconciliation. In showing honor, acting in gentleness, and allowing God to control the outcomes, David leads the people in integrity.
My hand shall be with you
The battle for the throne continues in Israel as Abner and Joab (the heads of Ish-bosheth and David’s armies) continue to clash. What we see in their interactions are two unhelpful approaches to conflict resolution. One is an opportunist and the other a brawler and both of these leave a path of destruction.
A tale of two kings
As David begins to assume power, he also continues to wait. The process of rising to the throne includes: following God to Hebron, wooing the support of Israel, and a challenge from Saul’s son. God uses all of it to shape David for leadership.
How the mighty have fallen
The book of 2 Samuel opens up with the story of David learning about Saul and Jonathan’s deaths. In this story, we get a good summary of the different ways of thinking about power that were presented to us in 1 Samuel.
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