David is in Ziklag when an Amalekite arrives to tell him that the Israelites have been defeated and Saul and Jonathon are dead. When David asks how he knows this, the man says that he found Saul fatally injured and that Saul begged him to kill him, and so he obeyed and took his crown and his armband to bring to David. The Amalekite is not mentioned in the account of Saul's death in 1 Samuel, and it seems strange that he should honour David when he has just defeated his people, but this version of events means that Saul does not die by his own hand and David is immediately acknowledged as king, and so the Amalekite is a useful if improbable plot device. We want history to be accurate and objective, but in reality it often falls far short of that ideal, and many a scholar has fudged the facts to tell a better tale. As I have said before, this means that we must read the scriptures with a critical eye, but it does not mean that they contain nothing of value or significance. As anybody who has studied history will know, there is a difference between reliability and usefulness, and it is quite possible to have one without the other. I spent some time considering the Bible as history for the first year of my degree, so I may do a sperate post on this issue at some point in the future.
David has the Amalekite executed for his part in Saul's death, then he takes up a lament for Saul and Jonathon and orders that the men of Judah be taught it. The lament mourns that the glory of the Lord has been slain and the mighty have fallen, instructs the people not to tell the Philistines lest they rejoice, curses the mountain on which Saul and Jonathon died, celebrates that the two men were loved and gracious in life and not parted in death, and calls for the women of Israel to weep for their king. It also includes a personal tribute to Jonathon, where David calls him brother and says his love for him was wonderful, and I can't think of a better tribute than that. It's interesting that I should get this passage today, because I read an opinion piece earlier about the strange wilderness that is mourning, and about the need for some sort of ritual which recognises that things are wrong and tells us what to do, and here we find an expression of grief that does just that. I think David wanted the people to learn this lament not only to mourn Saul and Jonathon, but also to help them they mourned their own friends and family.
David is in no rush to assume his kingship and God graciously does not force it upon him, but eventually he enquires of the Lord and is sent to the town of Hebron, where he is anointed as king over the house of Judah. It looks like things are beginning to fall into place, but then Saul's commander Abner anoints Saul's son Ish-Bosheth as king over all Israel, and this leads to a war which last seven years and foreshadows the eventual separation of Israel into two kingdoms. In an early battle, Abner is being chased by Joab and other of David's men when he turns and cries, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you see this will end in bitterness?". These words echo down the ages and there is little I can say to add to their potency, but they can only halt the fighting for a little while, and David continues to grow stronger while Ish-Boseth grows weaker. During this time, David also takes at least three more wives and has six sons, but they do not figure greatly in our story.
Despite his plea to end the fighting, Abner continues to strengthen his own position in the house of Saul, until Ish-Bosheth accuses him of sleeping with one of Saul's concubines, at which point he loses his temper and declares that he will do as the Lord has promised and hand Israel over to David. He sends messengers to David offering his help, and David says that he will make an agreement with him as long as he brings Michal, the daughter of Saul who he married before he was forced into exile. He doesn't seem to trust Abner however, as he also sends messengers to Ish-Bosheth, who orders for Michal to be taken from her husband and sent back to David. Perhaps wishing to demonstrate his new loyalty, Abner confers with the elders of Israel and encourages them to make David their king, saying that they have wanted it for some time and the Lord has promised to bring deliverance through him, then speaks to the Benjamites in person.
Abner visits David to tell him all that he has done and is sent away in peace, but Joab mistrusts his political intentions and wants vengeance for his brother's death, and so he has Abner brought back to the city then takes him to one side and kills him. When David learns of this he declares that a prince and a great man has fallen, buries Abner with great ceremony and mourning, refuses to eat until the sun sets, and curses Joab and his descendants. Apparently this pleases the people, and so even though David declares that the incident has made him weak, he strengthens his hold on the throne.
When Ish-Bosheth hears what has happened to Abner, he loses courage. The whole of Israel is alarmed, but two men who lead raiding bands spy an opportunity, and break into Ish-Bosheth's house and kill him as he sleeps. They cut off his head and take it to David, declaring that the Lord has avenged him against Saul and his offspring. The smallest part of David must be relieved that his enemy is dead, but he is an honourable man and he knows that this is not how it should have happened, and so he has the two men put to death. The ends do not always justify the means, and things must be done properly or there will be consequences further down the line.
The people of Israel come to David now, saying that he has led their military campaigns and God has promised that he will be their ruler, the subtext being that they would like him to be their king. The elders make an agreement with David and he is anointed king over all of Israel at the tender age of thirty. The Bible does not always give a very clear timeframe for events, but the flow of the narrative seems to suggest that David marks his ascension by taking Jerusalem from the Jebusites, forever placing at the centre of Israelite history and identity. From there he begins to build his dynasty, taking even more wives and fathering even more children; and he consolidates his power, defeating the Philistines in battle twice. A new era has begun.
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