Legacy of Shame or Hope?

Legacy of Shame or Hope?
Words of Faith 1-13-25
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Samuel 4:1-12
[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 Recab; 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 lived there as aliens 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 crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.) [5] Now Recab 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 Recab 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 take your life. This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring." [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, [10] when a man 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.

Okay. Let's remember now… the nation was still divided. The kingdom of Saul, who was now dead, was in the north and consisted of eleven tribes. The north was ruled briefly by Ish-Bosheth, the one remaining son of Saul. David ruled over Judah in the south and had Hebron-- the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-- as his center of power.
The northern kingdom of Israel was now falling apart. News about Abner's death did not encourage Ish-Bosheth to reassert his own authority over Israel. On the contrary, it only increased his instability and brought a sense of panic to the nation.
Sensing that Ish-Bosheth was powerless, two Benjamite assassins, Baanah and Recab, gained access to Ish-Bosheth's house and assassinated him with a dagger. Thinking they would be heroes in the new united kingdom, they brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David in Hebron.
David's response to this deed was identical to when he learned of Saul's death. He ordered the two to be executed, their hands and feet to be cut off, and their corpses to be hanged publicly at the pool of Hebron. Lovely. It was pretty clear that David regarded their act as an unjustified assault on a defenseless man. No doubt David's stern measures of retribution also reflected his genuine love for Saul and his family, even though they had opposed him.
A parenthetical note in this passage may seem confusing, but we don't want to miss it. The reference is to Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth. He was lame because of an accident that occurred when he was five years old while fleeing the war zone that killed Saul and Jonathan. We don't want to forget about him because he will reappear in 2 Samuel 9 as one in special need of protection.
The death of Ish-Bosheth was utterly unnecessary, as was Abner's. Abner had already brokered the peace with David. He was murdered by a military commander who felt threatened by the prospect of peace. The remaining son of Saul was already weak but was murdered by two leaders of raiding bands. Violence begets violence, even if peace is breaking out. All this was the legacy of Saul and his power-hungry paranoia.
Interestingly, the last vestige of Saul's house was the one remaining son of Jonathan, David's closest friend. The final image of the house of Saul was that of a lame man who was damaged by the war in Jezreel as a child. Even this child's name had been changed from "Baal contends" to "from the mouth of shamefulness." The image is powerful. David's mercy toward him in later times will be powerful as well.
What started out as the greatest of kings in the eyes of the world was now finally reduced to the "mouth of shamefulness" because of Saul's self-centered arrogance. Saul is a case study on how not to live your life. He started with great potential, gifting, and physical presence. The anointing of the Lord was upon him, and the accolades of the people were about him. But Saul became addicted to himself and to the praises of people. When David came along, Saul could not stand to see David's successes or hear the praise of the people directed at David.
We will see that David was not perfect, but his heart remained directed as one "after God's own heart." In that line of David, the Lord establishes His redemptive love and coming Kingdom. The legacy of Saul was one of shame. The legacy of David was one of hope.

Lord God, keep my heart focused upon You. May Your praise be ever on my lips and Your songs ever in my heart. Keep me far from the thoughts of revenge or the grasping for power. Help me to see You as the only goal I need to pursue. Keep my ears clear of the clamor for public praise. Keep me intent upon walking more and more closely with You. Forgive my mistakes and failures and make me a person after Your heart. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.