2 Samuel 4 (NIV) 

4 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. 

Chapter 4 is a chapter that contains verses that may be problematic for 21-century readers. We find Israel alarmed because they have learned of Abner's murder. Ish-bosheth was a weak, ineffective king in contrast to Abner, the solid military commander whose political skills allowed him to maneuver between the tribes, clans, and other nations. After Abner's death, two ruffians, Baanah and Rekab, enter the scene. They hailed from a village whose Canaanite inhabitants' assimilation into the tribe of 

Benjamin had been going on for about 300 years. Verse 4 inserts information about Mephibosheth, Jonathan's lame son and Saul's only heir other than Ish-bosheth. A lame man could not become king. The narrative turns back to the ruffians and their act of cold-blooded murder of Ish-bosheth, in hopes of garnering favor with King David. by bringing him the head of Ish-bosheth. The Law requires the life of murders which is what David did. However, David also employed the Middle Eastern custom of mutilation by cutting off the hands and feet of Baanah and Rekab, which the Law does not permit, and reiterates why God told the Israelites to drive the pagan people out of the land and not to intermarry. 

In Isaiah, God's Word tells us He does not speak to hear himself talk, nor is His word lacking in power. He has a purpose, a reason, something to accomplish when He gives us His Word. God's word always succeeds. Our lives are rich and complete, and we have peace and joy when we listen and follow Him. If we reflect on how many things in this narrative did not go well, it is easy to see God's Word was not honored. Spend some time reflecting upon how you responded to God's Word and the outcome when things did not go well. What did you learn? 

Prayer: Lord, as we reflect on the times we did not listen and obey you, our hindsight confirms the truth we know deep down in our souls. You are God, and we are not. Only you KNOW what is best for us. You planned us before You created the universe. Forgive us when we think we know best. Thank you for your never-ending patience and everlasting love. Thank you for Jesus, our Savior who loves us enough to pay the price for disobedience and sin. In Jesus' name. Amen.