2 Sameul 21 - 22

There was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Ammonites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance?" The Gibeonites said they wanted to kill seven of Saul's descendants, exposed before the LORD. What does exposed mean? The king gave them what they requested, but he spared Mephibosheth. So the gibeonites were avenged. Do you think David should of given them that? You think God was pleased? I think if they were avenging blood, then that wouldn't of been wrong.
The philistines went to war against Israel. David and his army went, and David got tired. One of the philistines said, I will kill David. But one of davids men killed the man. After the victory, the men said, Never go with us to war again! You will only get killed. David sang a song of praise to God. (Psalm 18)

David's men were getting ready to go to war. David's men told him not to go saying, "If we have to flee they will only pursue you, for a thousand of our men isn't important to them and our whole army isn't important to them, your what their after." So David did not go. Do you think that was right off David? If he was the King, no matter what the danger, I think he should go. He's their King. So David told them all, 'spare my son for my sake.' Absalom was fleeing. He was riding on a mule. The mule passed a large branch. Absalom's hair got stuck on the branch, and he hung there. When one of the men saw him he reported him to Joab. Joab scolded him for not killing Absalom and killed Absalom himself. David was heart broken. The men came back rejoicing until they heard David weeping for his son. Joab went up and said to David, 'Today you have put all your men in humiliation! You showed that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you! If you don't go out and thank and congratulate the troops, then no mman will be with you by nightfall!' So david went out to his troops. I wouldn't be so bold to go up there if I was the one who killed Absalom!

David Flees

Once David heard the horrible news, He left the castle, with only ten women to keep to it. He went up to a mountain, and many people followed him. David sent a wise man, and a few priests to Absalom's side. His plan worked. Ahithophel, the other wise man that was on Absalom's side said to Absalom, "I would choose twelve thousand men and set out tonight in pursuit of David. I would attack him while he is weary and weak. I would strike him with terror, and then all the people with him will flee. I would strike down only the king and bring all the people back to you. The death of the man you seek will mean the return of all; all the people will be unharmed." This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel. But Hushai said to Absalom, "The advice Ahithophel has given is not good this time. You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops. Even now, he is hidden in a cave or some other place. If he should attack your troops first, whoever hears about it will say, 'There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.' Then even the bravest soldier, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave. '"So I advise you: Let all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba—as numerous as the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, with you yourself leading them into battle. Then we will attack him wherever he may be found, and we will fall on him as dew settles on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a piece of it can be found." The Lord made Absalom think that this advice was better.Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, 'Now send a message immediately and tell David, 'Do not spend the night at the fords in the desert; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up.' So that Day David escaped his son. What do think he thought about Absolom? He didn't want to kill him but to slow him down. He was either sad or angry. You can't exactly tell which.

2 Samuel 15

AFTER THIS, Absalom got a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And he rose up early and stood beside the gateway; and when any man who had a controversy came to the king for judgment, Absalom called to him, Of what city are you? And he would say, Your servant is of such and such a tribe of Israel.

Absalom would say to him, Your claims are good and right, but there is no man appointed as the king's agent to hear you.

Absalom added, Oh, that I were judge in the land! Then every man with any suit or cause might come to me and I would do him justice!

And whenever a man came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him. He did this so he could win the hearts of the people, and they would want him to be king instead of Solomon. One day he said to David, 'Dad,I have to go complete a vow in Hebron.' So he went. but instead of the vow, he sent spies throughout the Land and told them that when the trumpet sounded, to say, 'Absalom is king!' Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. Poor people. Poor David. Absalom Is deceiving everyone! Imagine what would happen when David finds out. Do you think he would completely crush Absalom! What would he do?

But God was not at all pleased with what David had done, and sent Nathan to David. Nathan said to him, "There were two men in the same city—one rich, the other poor. The rich man had huge flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. The poor man had nothing but one little female lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children as a member of the family. It ate off his plate and drank from his cup and slept on his bed. It was like a daughter to him. "One day a traveler dropped in on the rich man. He was too stingy to take an animal from his own herds or flocks to make a meal for his visitor, so he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal to set before his guest. David exploded. "That stingy man should give Four Times what he took away from the poor man!!!!!!!!!!!"
"You are that man." Nathan said and explained the bad thing he did. Then he said, "God says:I made you king over Israel. I freed you from the fist of Saul. I gave you your master's daughter and other wives to have and to hold. I gave you both Israel and Judah. And if that hadn't been enough, I'd have gladly thrown in much more. So why have you treated the word of God with brazen contempt, doing this great evil? You murdered Uriah the Hittite, then took his wife as your wife. Worse, you killed him with an Ammonite sword! And now, because you treated God with such contempt and took Uriah the Hittite's wife as your wife, killing and murder will continually plague your family."Then David confessed to Nathan, "I've sinned against God."
Nathan pronounced, "Yes, but that's not the last word. God forgives your sin. You won't die for it. But because of your blasphemous behavior, the son born to you will die." That same day the little boy became sick. David wept and fasted for a week until his son died. When he did,David got up, worshiped and then ate. His servants asked, 'Why didyou weep when the baby was still living?'
' Becuase I thought to myself, waybe God will bring himback to me. But now that he is dead, what use is it to fast and cry? It won't bring him back.' When Nathan saidhe wouldn't die but son would, Does that mean the first punishment was called off?

When I got up this morning I was SLEEEPY! But, I still read. Today the Ammonites king died. So they made his son be king. So David thinks, 'I should go be kind to him because his father was kind to me!' David's always trying to show kindness to someone. I should work on that. So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. But when the men came to him he cut half of their beards off, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away. They were humiliated so David sent them to Jericho until their beards grew back.One Day while David was standing on is rooftop, he saw a woman bathing. JWIHRJE!!!!!!!!!! I would fall off the whole casle if I saw that! But he thought she was beautful and they slept together. I don't undersand how a man so holy would possibly be able to do that!!!! And on top of that she was married! He put her husband in the front row of the army and he died. Then he married her. But God was not pleased with what David had done.

Guess what?

Mom's gonna have a baby! Thank you LORD! I'm Soooo exited

God gave David victory wherever he went. David conquered everything he attacked. He also became famous for killing 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. All by himself?
One day, David asked if there was anyone left from Sauls decendants that he could show kindness to for Johnathans sake. That's loyalty. Trying to keep a promise with someone even when he's dead by doing it to his sons! There was a man who was lame, one of Johnathan's sons. Or, maybe the only ne, I'm not sure. He was brought before the king. 'Don't be scared.' David said."I have given you everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You will always eat at my table." That was sweeeet.

David was bringing the Ark of God back to Zion. Uzzah, who was with the party protected it from falling when one of the oxen who were carrying it slipped. God killed him insantly. Why did God do that if he was protecting it? David was so mad that he put the Ark into someones elses house and later he brought it back.He also wanted to make a house for the Ark of God. But God said that Davids son would do it. So David, being the smart guy that he is, got everything ready for his son.What would you describe David as? Smart, wise, loyal, everything a good king should be.

Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon
and his second, Chileab, by Abigail; and the third, Absalom; and the fourth, Adonijah; and the fifth, Shephatiah; and the sixth, Ithream. These were born to David at Hebron. Davids having war with the remainder of people that used to be with Saul. When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 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. 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.
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." David killed them too. Even when Saul's dead David still protects him!

I'm in 2 Samuel! Nothing I read today is anything spectacular. Except for this. David was really upset about Saul dieing He killed the Amilikite that lied telling David he killed Saul. The Amalikite thought David hated Saul wanting to get credit. David tore his clothes and wept. I'm amazed that he loved Saul for the sake of God. Everything that Saul did David forgave. It's amazing.

Okay, big battle going on. Johnathan and his brothers died. Saul was injured badly and he told his armor bearor to kill him. I wouldn't do it either. So Saul had kill himself. Was that right to put himself to waste like that even if he knew he was gonna die anyway? But that day the armor bearor killed himself too and all Saul's men died. I wonder what Davids going to think about this. I would be happy and sad. Happy cuz you get to be King next and sad cuz he died. (even though he was a bad king.)