2 Samuel 20:22-23
So, he [Joab] blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king. Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel…
2 Samuel 24:18
[The prophet] Gad came… to David and said…, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
And so, the ending of the two books of Samuel— “And they lived happily ever after”? Well, not quite. Close, though… woulda’ve, coulda’ve, shoulda’ve.
Conventional scholarship suggests that the narrative of 2 Samuel ends at 20:26 with the wrap-up of two straight rebellions— Absalom and Sheba— and the king’s return to Jerusalem. The action takes place during the last year of David’s reign, and the king is not what he once was. He was sent into exile across the Jordan by his son’s coup; and when Absalom is dispatched by Joab via a GQ hairdo, David re-enters the Land in the same fashion as Joshua, many years before, with the caveat that this time, all is not well. The king is weak.
David’s world has been ravaged by that proverbial “sword” the prophet Nathan said would never depart from his “house.” (2 Sam. 12:10). Not only had David’s family been wracked by dissension and drama, but the “sword” has extended to David’s greater family, Israel and Judah. The ending of our book finds Absalom (immediate family) and Sheba (a Benjamite with the northern tribes of Israel) in rebellions, bloodily put down. Yes, a much less glorious Jordan re-crossing and return to Jerusalem it is.
The first ending of 2 Samuel ends on an ominous note that is often overlooked (20:23). Joab, the ruthless general and royal hitman, has— even as David has replaced him with Amasa— seemingly taken control of the kingdom: Murdering Absalom (against the king’s wishes), murdering Amasa (20:9-10), and nearly wiping out an entire town to get to Sheba (20:14-22). And now, at the end of the book, David has returned to the throne, but the real power behind the throne, is Joab. The main body of 2 Samuel ends on this word: “Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel…” Note well! David’s name is not even mentioned in this formal list (2 Sam. 20:23-26). His name should be at the top— just like the court summary earlier in 2 Samuel 8:15, when David was first established as king: “So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.” Later, in 1 Kings 4, when Solomon becomes king, the summary of his court begins, “King Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were his high officials…” But here in 2 Samuel, Joab’s name is where the king’s name should be. Oh, that wretched “sword.”
However, not so fast, my friends! Although the narrative of the book ends at Joab’s deceptive grasp for power, the book has a few more chapters to go— Chapters 21-24. These extras are regarded as “an appendix.” In these add-ons, there are two narratives at the beginning and the end, two poem/songs, and two official lists of David’s mighty men. It is the concluding narrative I want to focus on here (24:1-25). This Story defines the second ending to 2 Samuel.
To summarize, David has grown lax and entitled in his reign as king, and he decides to pursue a census of his troops. (We are told that God is behind this, and this is a topic in and of itself, but I want to proceed with David’s actual actions and leave the Providence conundrum where it is for now.) The king’s order shows his lack of trust in the God he has trusted all his life. It is a bad thing. It is how the kings of the world king. Immediately, the man after God’s own heart shows that he is a man after God’s own heart— David is stricken in conscience and recognizes and confesses: “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly” (24:17). The king is vicariously the people, so the judgment comes down on the people in the form of three days of pestilence. (Do bear in mind what happens after the Third Day in the Gospels ;-)
Here's where the second ending takes on meaning going forward: David sees the angel of the Lord, standing atop the acropolis of Jerusalem, stretching his hand out to destroy Jerusalem. The place where the angel is standing is the same place where Abraham stood over his son Isaac, with his arm raised ready to come down and destroy his own son. This place is the threshing floor of Araunah, which according to 2 Chronicles 3:1, is Mount Moriah.
Just as Abraham was restrained from his destruction, so God’s arm of destruction is also stayed by the contrition of David. This sacred place where it was said, “God will provide” (Gen. 22:8) is the place that would become the Temple where ongoing provision would be provided for the people.
It falls out this way:
(24:18)
Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
(24:21-22)
And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people.” Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him.”
(24:24-25)
But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.” So, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So, the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
This is the way the books of Samuel end… The second ending, that is. This is what we are left to ponder, despite the darker Joab first ending. David is weak, but God is strong. David can’t save his people, but God can and will. We are of course being given a preview of the coming of God’s greatest provision, Jesus. God did provide.
One other thing to note about this second ending… remember how the books of Samuel began: The Tabernacle was destroyed, and the Ark of God was carried away. But here at the close of the books of Samuel, King David has laid the foundations of a new Temple of God, a new beginning.
The second ending is far better than the first ending!
Thank you, our formidable God for your provision. Like David, we are weak. But you are strong.
We too, sing with King David: (22:28-31)
“You [O, God] save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God— his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
