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2 Samuel 21 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
King David was seemingly indestructible. He was a beast on the battlefield and a musician at heart. Although his sins are well-documented, it is a fact that David was blessed with many gifts and talents. In 2 Samuel 21, we read of how David begins to dwindle in his old age.
In a throwback from the time he was a boy, he goes up against the Philistines and once again we find more giants fighting against Israel. This naturally leads to the question, what was in the water in Philistine country that was producing all these giants? Maybe the Philistines had some giant factory tucked away deep in the backwoods of their land?
Anyway, this battle was difficult for David. He became weak and tired. A giant (surprise, surprise) named Ishbibenob went for David’s neck. If it wasn’t for the heroic act of Abishai, King David may have lost his life that day.
We also read of another giant! There is some confusion about who this man was considering David had already slain Goliath long before. 1 Chronicles 20 helps to clarify…
“There was another battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath from Gath, whose spear had a shaft as thick as the bar on a weaver’s loom.”
1 Chronicles 20:5 GNB
Goliath’s brother, Lahmi, was slain by Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem (ironically, also where David was from).
So what can we learn? Even though David was capable on the battlefield, his army didn’t need him to fight in order to obtain their victory. At this time, they needed him as a leader, not as a warrior. To David’s credit, he accepted their constructive criticism and stepped back.