ISH-BOSHETH IS MURDERED

2 Samuel 4:1-12 / Keywords 4:9

David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble,

4:1 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

4 (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. 6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

 

1. After Abner died, Ish-Bosheth became afraid and shrank back. No longer would he be any kind of threat to King David or the nation of Judah. Ish-Bosheth happened to have two men working for him who were leaders of raiding bands. They had been loyal to Ish-Bosheth when it suited them. But as he weakened, they decided to throw their lot in with King David. They treacherously murdered their former boss in his own house, in his sleep. They cut off Ish-Bosheth’s head and brought it to King David, thinking they would be rewarded.

 

2. They were wrong about what they would get! David trusted in the Lord to deliver him from his enemies. He didn’t need the help of lawless regicides. Just as David had the man who claimed to have killed Saul executed, he also had these two men, who had killed Saul’s son executed. He had their hands and feet cut off and hung the bodies in a public place as a warning to others. Then he took Ish- Bosheth’s head and gave it an honorable burial in Abner’s tomb. David was a true shepherd-king who sought the Lord in all situations.

 

Prayer Father, give us wisdom that we may seek your righteousness and your justice amid a sinful world.

One Word The Lord will deliver us out of every trouble