Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Heart/ Hearts doesn't have nearly as many mentions in 2 Samuel as it did in 1 Samuel...in fact, nearly all of them are involved in one particular narrative arc, so I am going to put all those together next week.
Which means this week we're looking at two completely unrelated references.
At the start of 2 Samuel, both Saul and Jonathan had been killed in the battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. The tribe of Judah declared David to be king, but there was still a faction loyal to the house of Saul, led by Saul's general, Abner. Abner made the next son of Saul, Ish-Bosheth, king over pretty much everything else. There was, of course, war, and David's nephew Asahel tangled with Abner and Abner killed him, even though it seems he didn't mean to. Unfortunately, Asahel was Joab's younger brother...which comes into play later. After some time, David's support grew stronger while the support for Ish-Bosheth dropped. Finally, Ish-Bosheth accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father's concubines. Now, there is no evidence given as to whether or not this was a valid accusation, but Abner got disgusted with Ish-Bosheth and declared that he was going to support David as king, and bring all of Israel with him.
Abner sent straight away to David offering to support him and, in response to David's request for proof of his intentions, returned David's first wife, Michal, to him after she had been given to another one of Saul's allies. Abner also conferred with leaders of the other tribes, declaring to them that they should make David king. Finally, Abner and David met at Hebron, over a feast David had prepared in Abner's honor.
Then Abner said to David, "Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. - 2 Sam. 3:21; 'Heart' is Strong's H5315 - nephesh; 'properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):—any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature'. 'Heart' here is the seat of David's ambition. And Abner fully intended to support him.
Well, no sooner had Abner left than Joab and a number of other soldiers came in from a raid, carrying plunder. And Joab had a fit, stating that Abner was there just to spy out David's camp and movements. He left David, sent messengers after Abner so that Abner, thinking Joab had some important information for him, returned.
And Joab took him aside privately and stabbed him to death to avenge his brother Asahel.
This is the first of Joab's 'I know better than the king' dealings that left someone dead. David mourned Abner and honored him and, furious with Joab, pronounced a curse against Joab and his house, demonstrating to anyone that David was not responsible for Abner's death. Ish-bosheth was murdered in his bed shortly after, and there was no longer anyone to oppose David. All of Israel united to make him king.
David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and began the process of making it his capitol; and, as part of making Jerusalem the focal point of the nation, decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the city. Now, the Ark had been stashed at the house of Abinidab since the Philistines had sent it back to Israel; Saul, in his entire reign, never considered doing anything else with it. David wanted it in Jerusalem. He constructed a tabernacle to house it and went to bring it back. Of course, they botched the first attempt, treating the Ark as cargo instead of as the holy thing it was, and it landed at the house of Obed-Edom while they researched the proper way to move it. After about 3 months, they tried again...this time, carrying it on the shoulders of the priests, as Moses had directed. David had a massive worship service to move the Ark, sacrificing a huge number of cattle as the Ark progressed down the road. Ultimately, he stripped down to his skivvies ('a linen ephod') and 'danced before the LORD with all his might' (2 Sam 6:14).
As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. -- 2 Sam 6:16; 'Heart' is the familiar Strong's H3820, leb.
To be honest, I really hadn't considered Michal very much. It's always been easy to scorn her bad attitude, but as I read this just now I thought a bit about her story. It may not have taken much to push Michal over the line to judging David here. She had loved him, back before all the crazy happened with her dad (1 Sam 18). But David had more or less abandoned her, leaving her in an unsafe place...if Saul had thought for a moment that Michal had aided David in escaping him, he could very well have killed her (1 Sam. 19:11-17) .Now, I don't know that it would have been possible for David to have done anything else; circumstances being what they were. But she basically said that David would have killed her if she hadn't aided him...which wasn't the truth. In any case, Saul didn't kill her for helping David. Instead, he gave her to be another man's wife (1 Sam 25:44), which may have been his way of punishing both David and Michal. But the other dude, Paltiel, apparently loved her and did not want to let her go (2 Sam 3:16). As the time passed, Michal may have been happier with Paltiel than David. For David, she was a symbol and a token. Now, don't get me wrong, her spewing her bitterness on him was not the way to deal with the situation...I am just saying I kinda get where she was coming from. But David was done with her after that. Her bitterness cost her any hope of a future. To live as a childless woman, in that society, was a life of failure. Was her life fair? No. Not in the least. She hadn't had much of a say in any of the things that had happened to her. But she allowed it to make her bitter. David was coming to bless his household at the moment she threw her venom on him. He was excited, happy, rejoicing. Had she rejoiced with him in that moment...it could have been a whole new start for her. But she didn't see what he saw. He saw the triumph of God and celebrated. She saw a man acting a fool and was embarrassed by him. And what was in her heart came flying out of her mouth and she ruined whatever future she might have had.
I'm having trouble writing a summation here...I feel really sorry for Michal, which is a switch from my previous smug dismissal of her...and hope I can learn from her mistakes.
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