More Wars With the Philistines and More Goliaths
(21:15-22)
15 Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. 16 Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.” 18 Now it came about after this that there was war again with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of the giant. 19 There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 20 There was war at Gath again, where there was a man of great stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also had been born to the giant. 21 When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. 22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.8
Things just seem to become even stranger as we come to the close of chapter 21. First, the sin of a dead man and his bloody house results in the execution of seven of his sons. When these seven sons are put to death, their bodies are left exposed so that the mother of two of them stations herself where she can scare off the birds and wild beasts to keep them from consuming the carcasses. David then digs up the bones of Saul and his sons and buries all of them together with the seven in Saul's father's burial place. Now, to top matters off, we read of battles with the Philistines which culminate in the appearance of a number of Goliath's offspring, who are equally awesome and deadly.
Once again, we are not given a precise time frame into which we can place these events. What we are told is that the Philistines attacked Israel, and David led his men against them. In the course of this battle, David became weary. Ishbi-benob, one of the Philistine soldiers, took note of David's condition and determined to make the most of it. He was one of the giant's descendants, with weapons very much like those of his predecessor, Goliath. Among his weapons was a new sword, which he hoped to initiate by drawing first blood from Israel's king.
Who was there to come to David's rescue but Abishai, brother of Joab and the deceased Asahel, all of whom were the sons of Zeruiah, David's sister (2 Samuel 2:18). This is the fellow who accompanied David into Saul's camp and offered to put Saul to death with one blow (1 Samuel 26:6-8). He had a hand in the murder of Abner by Joab (2 Samuel 3:30). Abishai sometimes commanded one of the divisions of David's army (2 Samuel 10:10; 18:2). Twice he wanted to put Shimei to death for speaking evil of King David as he fled from Absalom (2 Samuel 16:9-12; 19:21-22). He was chief of the thirty mighty men who took on three hundred men in battle with his sword and killed them. He was a renowned hero in Israel (2 Samuel 23:18). While David may well have had his frustrations with Abishai -- and he may not have even liked him -- he certainly was indebted to him.
This incident troubled David's army as much as it may have bothered him. They nearly lost their king in battle. When David fought, he led his men into battle. He thus became the primary target, especially by the champions of the opposing army (see 1 Kings 22:29-33). It was one thing to lose a soldier in battle, but it was quite another thing to lose a king in battle. David had been rescued by Abishai this time, but what about the next? David was past his peak; he was not the man of war he once was. His men did not wish to lose David as their king, and so they insisted that David no longer go out to battle with them.
The next paragraph, verses 18-22, follows closely on the heels of verses 15-17. In the former battle with the Philistines, David had been attacked by one of Goliath's offspring and had nearly been killed. The decision was reached that David would no longer accompany his men in battle. But could they win without this Goliath-killer? Was David essential to Israel's victory against the Philistines? Verses 18-22 give us the answer. In subsequent9 battles, other descendants of Goliath emerged, and they were killed also. There was Saph, who was struck down by Sibbecai the Hushathite (verse 18). Then in a battle at Gob, Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite10 (verse 19).
The final “Goliath” descendant is saved until last, and no wonder. This fellow not only intimidated his opponents by his size but by his extremities. Can you imagine this fellow being an offensive lineman for the Denver Broncos, and you being his counterpart on the defensive line? You are both down in your stance, ready for the ball to be hiked. You look down at the ground and notice his hands. You start counting his fingers . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . . . . . . . . six? Then you look at his other hand, and then his feet. What a sight he must have been! Nevertheless, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck this giant down like the rest. He did not fall on all 4's; he fell on all 24's. Whether by the hand of David or by one of his men, they all fell to the army of Israel.
Conclusion
Why are these stories given to us here, especially when they seem to be out of chronological order near the end of this book?11 Let me make a couple of observations and then draw out some applications.
First, our text reminds me of the words of our Lord, recorded in Matthew:
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent” (Matthew 5:21-26).
I must confess that the relationship of this passage to our text passed me by until a comment from a brother called it to my attention, and rightly so I believe. We would certainly do well to dwell on our Lord's instructions regarding hatred and murder, but I shall not deal with this here. I would point out the relationship our Lord makes between an offended brother and our worship. Our Lord teaches us to first reconcile our wronged relationships and then commence our worship. Our text in 2 Samuel is teaching us something very similar. Until the wrong that Saul and his house had done to the Gibeonites had been made right, God would not pour out his blessings on the land (and thus there was a famine). When this wrong was rectified, God’s blessings resumed, and God again heard the prayers of His people to remove the famine.
Second, I must remember that the author of this book is highly skilled, an expert in what he has set out to do. If I am puzzled by what I am reading, it is not the author's failure, but because I have not yet grasped what he has set out to do -- and has done. The author has not followed a chronological timeline here but has carefully developed a theme, and it is my task to study this chapter to see what that theme is.
Third, I see some emphasis here on the next generation. Saul has passed off the scene, as have his sons. These are the sons who could have challenged David's son Solomon for the throne. But God providentially removed them. David here retires from his military career, and it will not be long until he steps down as Israel's king, giving way to his son Solomon. Rizpah shows special concerns for the bodies of her sons, protecting them from the birds and the beasts. And Goliath, though dead, is succeeded by his offspring, who continue to walk in their father's (oversized) footsteps. We seem to be moving from one generation to the next.
Fourth, there is a very clear sense of closure in this chapter. If you think about it, this chapter describes the end of David's military career. It is not yet the end of his reign as King of Israel, but it is the end of his military career. David will no longer go out to fight with his men (verse 17). David's military career began, as you may recall, with a contest with Goliath and a victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 17). The beginning of David's career was the defeat of Goliath and the army of the Philistines. The ending of David's military career is a final battle with one of Goliath's offspring and the defeat of the Philistines.
Have you ever watched how professional athletes “retire”? The one thing they never want to do is retire after a bad year. They want to quit while they are ahead. I can understand that. It is better to go out with a shout of triumph than with a whimper of defeat. I think you and I can agree that David went out about as well as anyone could. Granted, David needed some help to finish Ishbi-benob, but this fellow was killed and the Philistines were defeated.
The success I am thinking about is to be seen on a greater scale. When the Israelites demanded a king, it was so they could have a man who would fight their battles for them and lead them into battle, especially against the Philistines (1 Samuel 8:19-20; 9:16). What would they do now when David was no longer able to lead them in battle?
The answer is beautiful, but let me take you back even further in time. When the first generation of Israelites had an opportunity to possess the land of Canaan, they failed because they were afraid of the giants who were reported to be in the land (see Numbers 13:25-33). When the Israelites were intimidated by the Philistines, Goliath was their champion who frightened the Israelites badly. David stepped forward and killed Goliath, and the Philistines were defeated. But now, David is no long able to handle the “Goliaths” which the Philistines put up against him. Does this mean that Israel is in trouble? Not at all! Saul's “leadership” could not produce one man who would take on Goliath, including Saul himself. But David's leadership produced many mighty men of war. Was David no longer able to fight? No problem! Men were lining up to take on all the Goliath's the Philistines could put up against them. And these offspring of Goliath were all killed and the Philistines defeated. What a way to end David's military career. The people no longer needed a king to do their fighting for them; they were willing to fight themselves, even against the offspring of Goliath. Now this is what I call a great way to retire.
There is also a sense of closure in that things left undone, things not dealt with under Saul's administration, are now made right by David. The sin of Saul and his bloody house against the Gibeonites has been atoned for, and the land can once again enjoy God's blessings. Not only are the seven “sons” of Saul given a proper burial, but so are Saul and his sons, who had only been given a hasty burial at Jabesh-gilead. And the army of Israel has reached the point where David need no longer fight their battles for them, or even with them. There are many mighty men who are able to carry on where David left off.
This to me is a very important lesson in leadership. Often people want leaders who will do their job for them. The greatness and contribution of a leader are judged by how big a hole is left when he steps aside. In biblical terms, this should be an insult to a godly leader. The task of leaders is not to do everything, but to facilitate ministry, to train, equip, and encourage others who will take our place and do even better than we have. If this is what Christian leadership is to be, then David was a great leader. Under Saul, not one man was willing to stand up to Goliath. In David's ministry, there were many willing and able to do so. David is now free to step aside (first as commander of the military and later as king) because he has done his job well-- he has helped to create a lower level of leadership that is ready to take his place. Most dictators dread the fact that there are others like this, and seek to eliminate them because they are seen as competition. This is not so with David. It should not be so with us either.
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