Samuel II
- 1.1 The first reaction of David, upon hearing of Saul’s death, shows his noble qualities. From then on, he champions national unity and strives to reunite around him both allies and enemies of Saul.
Mount Gilboa (v. 6). David is already known for his poetic talents (see 1 S 16:18). This poem attributed to him is one of the more ancient songs in the Scriptures.
- 2.1 Saul’s death seems to undermine the recently acquired and still fragile unity of the twelve tribes.
David is proclaimed king by the people of his own tribe of Judah. The north remains faithful to Saul’s son. With the aim of uniting them, David seeks the sympathy of Saul’s allies and praises the people from the north who gave Saul burial.
According to the custom of the time, the size of the royal harem was according to the importance of the king. David still has only two wives but before leaving for Jerusalem he will have six (3:2-5).
- 3.2 David’s children will be the cause of much suffering for him. David’s numerous wives will bring about fratricidal struggles for succession to the throne: actually, each of the firstborn, urged on by his own mother, will aspire to replace David. Consequently three of his sons: Amnon, Absalom, and Adoniah will, in turn, lose their lives in this struggle for power, before finally leaving the throne to Solomon who had not yet been born when David reigned in Hebron (see also 1 K 2:1).
- 14. Sometimes, Scripture says that God intervened to guide David and lead him to victory. This does not negate the fact that David was an intelligent and capable man, and was able to impose himself on Israel. God was not acting differently at that time than he does today. It is always men and women who write history and, in so doing, write it with light and shadow.
The new king strives to create a united and strong nation. This account shows us an attempt to achieve unity which fails because of the mean and vindictive attitude of David’s military officers.
The story illustrates three successive steps in political fanaticism:
– he believes that those who belong to his party are good and those, in turn, who belong to the opposition are bad;
- later, he ascribes bad intentions to everything the opposition does;
- finally, he eliminates them by any means.
- 5.1 This is a great day for David and for Israel. Those from the north acknowledge him as king, and the unity of all Israel is achieved. The tribes in the north were separated from those in the south by the district of Jerusalem, which was in the hands of the Canaanites. David conquers Jerusalem which becomes the capital of this united kingdom.
It is a definitive stage. God turns Jerusalem into the visible center of his presence among people.
Later, the only temple of God will be in Jerusalem, and the true kings of the people of God will be those who rule in Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the image of the Church and Christians will know that after the Jerusalem of Palestine, God has promised them another Jerusalem—that of heaven (see Rev 20 and 21).
Jerusalem is the image of heaven and, at the same time, of the church on earth. Often, in the Scriptures, Jerusalem is called Zion, since this was the name of the more ancient part of Jerusalem. It was also called the “city of David.”
In the Scriptures, the unity achieved between the northern and southern tribes is a visible sign that they are living in God’s grace: all unfaithfulness toward God leads to a division among people, and all such division is a sin against God.
- 6.1 The Ark was very important to the Israelites. It contained the law that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. The Israelites imagined God to be present above the Ark whose golden cap served as a footstool for his feet. God wanted them to understand that he was with his people, in a friendly but demanding presence.
But to whom did the Ark belong? It belonged to the twelve tribes and not to any one of them in particular. That is why it stayed in different Sanctuaries: Shiloh, Gilgal, Bethel, depending on circumstances. And what is David’s intention in bringing it to Jerusalem, his new capital? Is it a political move to establish his authority over Israel? Most surely. But it is an inseparable religious act at a time when the separation of political power from religious power was unknown.
Until then, Israel was, as a whole, the Lord’s chosen one, God’s firstborn. But no Israelite felt worthy of special attention from the God of their people. Now David knows that he is the chosen one of the Lord, the “son of God,” as the prophet Nathan says referring to David’s descendants. That is why David aspires to have the Ark very close to him, and he wishes God’s presence in a temple that serves as a private chapel for his family. Such a temple does not yet exist.
God certainly loves all people, but David is the first who becomes aware of this and lives by this truth in a very simple relationship with God. Later the prophets will understand that the promises made to David are for all of us who believe in Christ, God’s only Son.
In Israel, only those of Levi’s tribe, being especially consecrated to the Lord, have the right to serve him and to approach sacred things. Abinadab and his sons have welcomed the Ark into their home. But they cannot touch the Ark without being affected by the awesome power emanating from the Holy God.
We are told that Uzzah was “stricken by God” (cf. v. 7). This phrase well reflects the mentality of these times when the distinction between sin, error, and accidents was hardly made: all that troubled the traditional and divine order was considered as a sin. The sudden death of Uzzah has the value of a sign for those who witness it; it helps them to understand how great God is above all, and, at the same time, really present among his people.
David had the Ark brought to the house of Obed-edom (v. 10). Why is it brought to the house of an alien? Is it because the Lord will not ask for an accounting of this non-Israelite? Or because a foreigner should suffer the risk of God’s anger?
But if the Ark brings blessings on the one who welcomes it, its natural place is beside the king!
Luke’s Gospel discovers other imagery in this story. Like the Ark, and in a more wonderful way, the Virgin Mary carried for nine months God himself who, on becoming man, sealed the Covenant with all the people of the world. This is why some have given her the title, “Ark of the Covenant.” Luke himself had this text before him when he was narrating the Virgin’s visit to Elizabeth. (Pay attention to vv. 9 and 11 and compare them with Lk 1:39-45 and 56-64.)
- 14. Let us imagine the transfer of the Ark. There is a huge procession with thousands of people singing, dancing and playing music, with the king himself leading. Sacrifices beyond count are offered. It is a time of great joy, for the Lord is with his people. It is the triumphal entry of the Ark of the Covenant into its rightful place—in the capital of the country.
David whirled round dancing with all his heart before the Lord. David understands very well that to give thanks worthily to God, all this is very little. He does not care what others think of him when he is showing his joy to the Lord; so he sings and dances.
Michal despised David in her heart (v. 16). Michal, Saul’s daughter, understood nothing, being more concerned about “what people will say,” than about praising God.
In this passage, a great king teaches us real greatness and brings to mind examples from daily life: a young man or woman having finished studies go back to the barrio, and remain as simple as before; a Christian who is not ashamed of his faith and practices it, whether people are looking or not.
- 7.1 I live in a house of cedar but the Ark of God is housed in a tent (v. 2). David thinks that if the king has a palace, why should God not have one? God, who is greater, thinks otherwise and makes this known to his prophet Nathan.
In ancient times it was unthinkable that a capital city be without its temple and its palace. God and the king were inseparable associates to ensure the good order of the state. This concept strongly linked to the nature of religion (see commentary on Dt 4:1) will, however, be challenged by the Gospel.
God will be the one to make David a house. House in Scripture refers to both persons and things belonging to someone. David’s “house” is his family, his servants, his counselors, and officials.
I will provide a place for my people Israel (v. 10). God chooses this moment for a decisive step in the development of his people. Israel had been a people of twelve tribes since Joshua’s time. Now, it will be a nation organized in its own land, with a central and stable authority: the kings descending from David.
Now I will make your name great, as the name of the great ones on earth (v. 9). The Lord has accompanied David in all his undertakings, but now he makes use of him and his works to build something permanent for the salvation of humankind.
The same thing happened with Abraham (Gen 17:7).
The same thing happened with Peter (Mt 16:18).
The kingdom of God from now on will be the kingdom of David.
I will raise up your son after you (v. 12; see Lk 1:32). God’s promise points to Solomon, David’s son and successor, and also to those who will come after. To all appearances, the promise was broken when, after four centuries, the kingdom of David was destroyed. Nevertheless, it is Jesus, one of his descendants, who, much later, will fully realize what Nathan announced. Several times in the Gospel, Jesus will be called Son of David (Mk 12:35).
Jesus will also be king, although not in the manner of this world’s rulers. He will realize fully in his person what was merely sketched in the person of David:
– the shepherd who gathers together the scattered sheep;
– the conqueror who gives his people the peace he has won;
– God’s deputy among people.
The way God gets ahead of David and answers him, gives us two remarkable lessons:
– As in David’s case, very often people want to offer God something. In reality, we can never anticipate him; he gives his favors even before we have begun to serve him.
– What pleases God is not so much the temples we build for him, as the spiritual temple which he wants to build in people themselves—a project which he will realize after many centuries through his Church.
- 8.1 This chapter narrates David’s victories with pride. Through these wars, David’s kingdom came into existence; they were a necessary step in the long preparation of God’s kingdom. The Israelites will remember David as the victorious warrior-king and, at the same time, will look forward to the Messiah, the Son of David, as the king of peace who will conquer all enemies (see Is 9:5 and Mic 5:1-4).
At that time, primitive instincts were so powerful that the humble and merciful David did not hesitate to execute his prisoners. Scripture praises him for having spared some of them.
The fact is that faith does not replace culture; and all of us, faithful though we be, depend on the moral ideas of our surroundings. We know that during many centuries of Christianity believers and saints, who were ready to give up their life for a sick brother or sister, did not think of denouncing abuses which appear intolerable to us.
- 13. Neither Abraham nor Moses had secretaries or assistants: these wanderers had no offices, not even an archives-bearing donkey. David forms the first nucleus of officials in the kingdom, and only with Solomon will sacred literature start.
David’s sons were priests (v. 18). At that time, two centuries after Moses, priesthood was not yet reserved to the Levites. Solomon himself offers sacrifices and consecrates the temple (1 K 8:64).
- 11.1 David’s “sin” helps us to reflect on the weakness and wickedness of which even God’s friends are capable.
We observe David’s defects in several incidents. He is impulsive and deceptive. Here (in Chap. 11) everything contributes toward making his crime more odious:
– Uriah is a foreigner who came to serve the king.
– Uriah strictly observes the religious laws concerning war (to abstain from sexual relations), and he observes solidarity with his companions, while David abandons himself to passion far away from any danger.
– David kills Uriah treacherously after having instructed him to bring the letter to Joab.
How could a book intended to preserve the memory of the model king dare to narrate this event without hiding anything that makes David’s crime more odious and win greater sympathy for his victim? An official historian of another people would never have done this.
Scripture is not a book written to the glory of a king, or a people. It is “revelation of God” in the clearest sense of the word. In meditating on the word of God, one learns to know God but also to truly know oneself in the light of God: everyone of us is a sinner in need of the Savior God sends us.
- 12.1 David will be a model of the repentant sinner. Why did you despise the Lord? (v. 9). What has David done that God should choose him? Everything in his life has been the work of the Lord’s love. God chose a simple shepherd to make him king. Even more, he chose this “king” from a small nation, to establish the permanent kingdom. There are no excuses for David.
David easily forgets that the Lord does not look for external ceremonies, but rather for the purity of heart and justice to the neighbor.
You struck down Uriah and took his wife (v. 9). God brings into broad daylight what David had hidden from everyone and from his own conscience.
David’s attitude: he humbly acknowledges his sin and accepts the consequences of his fault. Psalm 51, the moving prayer of a repentant sinner, is attributed to him.
God’s attitude:
– The Lord has forgiven your sin (v. 13). God remains faithful and keeps his promises to David’s descendants. More than that, Solomon, son of Bathsheba and David, will be the beneficiary of the promises mentioned: God will let grace pass through where sin had passed.
– Your misfortune will rise from your own house (v. 11). In pardoning, God does not erase the consequences of the crime.
- 15. The child born without love between David and Bathsheba falls sick and dies. The king realizes that this is another sign to make him understand the gravity of his sin. God is not vindictive nor does he bear grudges. His heart is not like ours. He is “slow to anger and no one surpasses him in kindness” (Ps 145:8).
Another child is born of the same woman, now his wife; it is the future king Solomon, whom God chooses to succeed David. In spite of his sin, God has not abandoned David.
- 13.1 Amnon’s crime and assassination appear to be a repetition of David’s sin in his own family—a thing which hurts his feelings deeply.
Such incidents were common occurrences anywhere in ancient times. Other religions of that time demanded cult and sacrifice; they did not talk, or scarcely talked, of moral uprightness. On the contrary, from the beginning of the Scriptures, one sees how the Lord demands moral behavior and justice on the part of his people. The people of the Scriptures are not always better than other people who do not know God, but they know better what sin is.
- 15.10 God wanted the Israelites of the period before Christ to have an image of him in the person of David, their first king. Those happy and glorious days of the young ruler, beloved by all, are followed by days of sorrow for the old king. During those years the countenance of Christ appears more clearly through King David.
The sword will never be far from your family (12:10). Nathan has announced the consequence of David’s adultery. In the trial, what emerges is only the humble loyalty of David who, without complaint, accepts the Lord’s will.
The way David bears with the curses of Shimei astonishes us. How much more puzzling it was to people of those times who could only understand revenge. David knows that God will never leave him; his present misfortune is like an invitation from the Lord to have greater trust. To attract the Lord’s mercy, he refuses to defend himself or to take revenge.
In Chapters 15–17, what happens to David is like a prefiguring of the Messiah in his passion and resurrection. Even the details suggest this:
15:12 – a traitor from David’s council… who hangs himself 17:23.
15:23 – the crying, the river of Kidron.
15:30 – the Mount of Olives.
15:32 – the small group of followers on the hilltop.
16:9 – the general wants to defend his king with the sword; David forbids him to do so.
16:13 – the insults, the brief flight that ends with the death of the rebel.
- 18.6 This account, very lively and beautiful, is difficult to abridge.
The scene, doubtless, reminds us of the parable of the Prodigal Son. Even though the son left his father’s house and did him much harm, the father does not lose hope. Moreover, so much love has he that he stands at the gates of the city waiting for word, like the father in the parable who was the first to see his son as he returned.
Joab is right from the political standpoint, but David is closer to God’s thinking.
- 19.41 David’s victory does not really solve the problem, which is lack of unity among the tribes since Absalom only took advantage of and worsened the existing division. The people of Judah are resentful of Israel, forgetting that in their own tribe many assisted Absalom; thus they prevent David from becoming king over all and their victory is one more split in the recently gained unity.
When we are personally engaged in a conflict, the exclusion of those who oppose us, or our party, often seems to be the best solution. When we see things from outside, we quickly condemn those who exclude others. Scripture reveals that human beings are sinners: there will always be tension between our thirst for unity and the necessity to impose sanctions on the culprit (1 Cor 5) or the one who seems to be one. We should always be modest both when we decide for exclusion and when we proclaim our attachment to unity and peace.
- 21.1 This episode shows us the most inhuman religious prejudices existing at that time.
David consulted the Lord. The answer was… We have already seen this practice of consulting God by means of the Urim and Thummim, i.e., by casting lots. It is possible that God guided them through these means since they believed that this was authorized by God. This episode also confirms that seeking a response from God can lead to worse deviations: “those responsible for the famine are the descendants of Saul because he killed the Gibeonites…” (cf. v. 1).
A disaster occurs and the people say it is God’s punishment and, if it is a punishment, they must find the one responsible. Possibly David himself shares the common belief; except that he uses his authority to save the son of his friend, Jonathan.
We cannot say that this mentality has completely disappeared. If something goes wrong in society or in an institution, many searches out whom to sacrifice before finding out if they themselves have had a share in the fault.
- 22.1 This “canticle” of David is reproduced almost identically in the Psalms: Psalm 18.
- 23.8 In dedicating this chapter to the memory of David’s “valiant men” (see also a commentary on 1 S 22), Scripture gives them what they deserved. These men lived their faith and accomplished their human mission through fighting and killing their enemies—which seems to us to be very far from Gospel values. Yet David became king because of them, their sword, their strength, and their courage. Here again, faith does not suppress human reality, nor the time needed for the evolution of moral standards. It was to take centuries to complete the education of God’s people and for this education to take place these people had to survive: wars were at that time the necessary condition to survive.
- 24.1 The kingdom has grown very much in territory, animals, and wealth. Israel is a numerous people and so David is tempted to count them and orders a census.
The census in itself is not bad. What is bad is to feel greater because one has so many people or soldiers, or to have an obsession for quantity, for numbers, forgetting the essential which is quality. David forgets that he is the administrator and deputy of God in Israel: the sheep do not belong to him. At all levels of life, people like to count their animals, or recall their accomplishments. There are many ways of feeling oneself “owner” when, in reality, all belongs to God.
Here, the author presents the pestilence as God’s intervention to punish the king. People of that time easily accepted an intervention of the Lord to kill the Israelites even if they were not responsible for the sin of their king. It seems more accurate for us to say that God intervened by sending the prophet Gad a few days before the pestilence broke out, a pestilence which, of course, was not miraculous in nature. Thus he wanted to impart to David a lesson and a sign of the gravity of his sin, using a language he could understand.
See what is said about collective punishment in Joshua 7, and about the angel of the Lord in Genesis 16.
