Bible study · 2 Samuel 3:1-39
2 Samuel 3: He went in peace
Read 2 Samuel 3:1-39 before you meet.
In a few lines
Three verses in a row say Abner "went in peace" (3:21-23), the same two Hebrew words each time, just before Joab brought him back. And David's lament asks whether Abner should die as a fool dies (3:33) with the word naval, spelled exactly like the name of Abigail's first husband, Nabal (3:3).
The verse to carry
“Now there was a long war between Saul’s house and David’s house. David grew stronger and stronger, but Saul’s house grew weaker and weaker.”
2 Samuel 3:1
To talk about
1. Abner had made a covenant with David and "went in peace" (3:21), and Joab killed him for his brother's blood (3:27, 3:30). When has an old hurt made it hard for you to accept peace someone else had made?
2. David said, "I am weak today, though anointed king" (3:39). What helps you say out loud where you are weak, instead of hiding it?
3. David wept at the grave of a man who had led the other side of the war (3:32). How do you honour someone you once stood against?